by Angelfire

Chapter 5 - Flight

Reno looked at Angel and walked up to her. "Sorry." he said in an apologetic tone. "I was wrong."

"How did he return, you killed him two months ago? And how come Aeris is alive. Sephiroth killed her didn’t he?" Elena asked. "What’s goin’ on?"

Reeve stepped forward and told the three Turks about what had happened in the last few hours. When he had finished the Turks looked at each other. "We almost stopped you from saving the planet last time, this time we would like to help." Reno said.

"Sure." Cloud said. "We need all the help we can get. . ."

A loud and familiar voice interrupted Cloud. "Ha, Ha, Ha, . . .I will get revenge on all traitors to mother!" Sephiroth hovering above them laughed, ready to strike when Angel shouted, "You b*****d you killed all these innocent people, you tried to destroy the planet once, and tried to kill me!!"

Sephiroth started to fly away, his opportunity gone, when Angel cast haste on herself. Time speeded up for her and she ran after the receding form of her brother.

"Shit!" Cid exclaimed. "She’s gonna get herself killed!"

Cloud looked at the rest of the group. "There is no way we can catch up to her on foot, we‚ll use the Highwind!" Everyone turned and ran towards the airship.

*******************

Sephiroth stood on a cliff looking towards the figure of his sister approaching from below him. He looked up and saw the Highwind following her although it was still quite a distance from him.

"You traitor." he said to Angel. "You have betrayed your mother!" drawing his sword and advancing towards her. "Now you will die"

Angel looked at him. "Have you ever wondered what happened all those years ago, why I disappeared?" she countered also drawing her sword.

From the deck of the Highwind Cloud watched as Sephiroth and Angel fought, they could hear every word that was spoken but could do nothing. The Highwind could not land on this terrain.

"I tried to kill Hojo, our father, because he lied to both of us." Angel said avoiding another blow from her brother. "Our mother is not Jenova, it was a woman named Lucrecia."

"Liar!" Sephiroth said raising his sword. Angel lowered her weapon.

"When have I ever lied to you?" she said.

Sephiroth lowered his weapon as the words sunk in. "Angel, what have I done?" he asked.

On the deck everyone looked in shock. "I don’t believe it, she is trying to turn Sephiroth to our side." Vincent said.

" And succeeding!" Red commented.

"Finish her, before I finish you!"an angry voice rang out. As Avalanche watched Jenova appeared behind Angel and wrapped her tentacle around Sephiroth’s sister. Sephiroth looked at Jenova and realised that if she was his mother she would not have spoken like that to him.

"Release my sister you monster!" he shouted. Jenova looked at him and threw Angel over the cliff.

"ANGEL!" He cried in anguish watching his sister fall.

"You have to get past me to save her." Jenova said triumphantly as Sephiroth moved to attack.

On the Highwind everyone had seen Angel’s fate but could not save her, they were on the wrong side of Jenova.

"Come on we have to stop Jenova," Aeris said to the group. "Even if it means helping Sephiroth."

Suddenly a voice behind Jenova rang out. "Ultima!" a burst of green light struck the entity from behind causing little damage, Sephiroth moved to slash with his sword but Jenova had gone.

In front of him he saw his sister standing on the edge of the cliff sword in hand. "Angel how did you. .?" he started to ask.

"Survive? Seems like I can fly as well." Angel said. "Come with me to the Highwind and help us."

"They will kill me for what I have done." Sephiroth said bitterly. "I deserve it."

"Angel get your *£$!£$!~£$ @$$ up here." Cid called down.

"I think they want me back with them." Angel said. "Come on I will explain to them that you are with us."

Sephiroth looked at his sister and smiled. "Lead on then, sis." rising up into the air and stopped, waiting.

Angel looked up and from her shoulders two white wings appeared. "Looks like Hojo named me well." she said flying up towards the Highwind with her brother behind her.

They both landed on the deck much to the surprise of Cloud. "What is that killer doing here?" he asked drawing his sword.

"Cloud, I have managed to talk sense into my brother and he is now on our side against Jenova." Angel explained. "You saw how he attacked it when he thought I had been killed."

Sephiroth turned away unable to meet the accusation in Cloud’s eyes. "My sister has never lied to me before, and I believe what she tells me."

He started to walk away when Aeris called him back. "The planet tells me that what you are saying is the truth, I believe you."

Sephiroth turned round, his eyes widening. "You believe me after what I did to you?" he asked.

"Yes and I forgive you." came her reply.

*******************

The Highwind landed and the group, including Sephiroth walked to Cosmo Canyon, to spend the night. Later that evening they were sitting around the eternal flame and Angel told everyone about discovering the notes on the Jenova project and what Hojo did when she confronted him.

Sephiroth stood up in fury. "That sick, twisted, f*****g b*****d, is our father?" he exclaimed. "If I ever see him again . . ."

"We killed him when he attempted to use the Sister ray for a second time." Cloud interrupted seeing a side of Sephiroth that few ever saw.

"Seph, this will be hard to accept but when you left the City of the Ancients after you tried to kill me and Aeris, the planet made me the Guardian of the planet. I am a Cetra."

Sephiroth looked at Cloud in shock. "Yes it is true, the planet told all of us."

Angel turned away and started to watch the stars, feeling slightly guilty that she had not managed to tell her brother the truth before.

Tifa, who was staring into the fire looked up. "Sephiroth, It is time to put the past behind us. I don’t entirely trust you, I suppose I never will, but you were manipulated by Jenova into killing all those people. Jenova tried to make you destroy the planet." She then turned to look at Cloud and Barret. "We are also guilty of killing many innocent people when we blew up those reactors, and because of the presence of Avalanche, the plate over sector 7 was dropped killing thousands more."

"It was not just your fault, I was the one who entered the command." Reno said looking sheepish.

"We are all guilty of something bad." Vincent said. "Now, as Tifa said, it is time to put the past behind us."

"Hey Angel, how come you can grow wings?" Yuffie asked changing the subject.

"Yeah!" Barret said. "Sephiroth doesn’t need wings."

"Don’t know, maybe it is because I absorbed more mako energy than him," Angel replied her stargazing interrupted.

Elena got up and started to pace around the fire. "How come we’re not making plans to stop Jenova?" she complained.

Reno, Rude, Cid and Barret said. "Elena, stop acting so weak." at the same time earning black looks off her. The rest of the group hid smiles.

Reeve looked at Reno. "Tomorrow, I want you to go to my office in Sector 5, Aeris’ old house and bring the documents on Jenova, there may be something in them that we can use. I will pay you 50,000 gil." he said halting any arguments from the Turks with the offer of money.

Reno nodded in acceptance. "Have you noticed," he said changing the subject. "how Cloud and Angel look similar? I mean their hair and eye colour as well as their attitudes." causing everyone including Cloud, Angel and Sephiroth to burst out laughing.

* That is because they are related * The planet said * Cloud is your half brother Angel, Sephiroth *

"Did we miss something?" Yuffie inquired. "What did you hear?"

Red stood up. "Why did planet speak to you?" he stated bluntly. "What did it say?"

"That Cloud, Sephiroth and Angel are related." came her reply. "The planet told me that Hojo was also Cloud’s father."

"I don’t believe it." Cloud mumbled, walking towards the inn with Tifa next to him "I need to lie down."

"I always knew that Spike was strange, but not that strange." Barret commented. Cid and the Turks looked around.

"Well this has been an eventful day." Cid commented lighting a cigarette and walking towards the inn.

Vincent walked towards Sephiroth and Angel who were standing together watching Cloud leave. "I knew your mother Lucrecia. I can tell you about her if you like."

"Not today Vincent." Sephiroth replied. "I am still trying to get over the shock of what I just heard."

At the entrance to the inn Cloud was about to enter with Tifa beside him when Jenova appeared above them.

Vincent looked up and saw the monstrosity that had corrupted his beloved Lucrecia’s son. Roaring his anger he yelled "Chaos!" and turned into the beast known as Chaos. Below him Aeris saw Jenova attack Tifa and disregarding her own safety she advanced. "Heaven’s Judgement!" She yelled running forward. Her staff hit the creature three times causing little damage. The fourth strike, however, powered by Holy did more damage to Jenova than the other three combined.

Cloud ran to help, casting haste on everyone he could on his way to the front of the battle. Sephiroth was next to him sword drawn and casting defensive spells on everyone nearby. Both of them saw Aeris’ attack. "Not bad." Cloud murmured. Sephiroth looked at him. "Our sister taught her an attack limit, that is it." Cloud told him.

Jenova seeing that the battle was going badly for her rose up into the air, she could see that the mortal that she had controlled was now allied against her. Furious she called out a powerful spell. "Dark destruction!"

Balls of black, evil energy appeared and struck Vincent, Cloud, Reeve, Sephiroth, Aeris, Red and Tifa.

Cid, Yuffie and Barret moved to attack as their friends collapsed, wounded and in pain. The Turks moved to cure those on the floor when Angel called out a spell. "Great Gospel" Shields sprang into existence and everyone was healed of their injuries.

Cloud moved forward flanked by Angel and Sephiroth on one side and Tifa and Aeris on the other. The Turks, followed by Reeve moved to attack Jenova from the left side whilst Barret, Yuffie and Cid advanced from the right. Red and Vincent had moved to position themselves behind Jenova.

Surrounded, Jenova knew that the battle was lost, rose higher. "I am Jenova - Infinity, you may have won this battle, but the fight has only just begun. I will take my revenge on all of you!" She said and flew away.