Chapter 10
"Aeris...this is a dream!" Red murmured. Aeris put her hands behind her back and shook her head slowly.
"I don't think so. It's very real...trust me, I felt like I was dreaming" Aeris responded quietly. The door to the cockpit flung open. Aeris and Red turned their heads that way as Cid came running into the room. His jaw dropped when he saw Aeris. He skidded to a stop which sent the cigarette from his mouth into the air like a missile. Aeris tilted her head and looked at Cid. His jaw shook as if he was trying to speak, but no words came out. Aeris just nodded her head.
"Yes, this is real" Aeris stated, her voice steady. Cid just shook his head, his jaw dangling there. Crossing her arms over her belly, Tifa laughed at him.
"I haven't seen Cid run that fast, ever!" Tifa claimed. Cid finally shook his head rapidly. When he stopped, his jaw was back in its proper place.
"Wow...this is so...damn, this is incredible!" Cid screamed, slapping his hand onto his pants leg. Suddenly, the door swung open to the open deck up top. Barret came stomping down the stops.
"God-damn Spikey! He is so damn stubborn!" Barret bellowed. He stood on the walkway above them. Everyone looked at each other until Tifa finally threw her arms down and climbed the stairs to meet him.
"What's going on Barret? What Cloud do now?" Tifa asked impatiently. She put her hands on her hips and glared at Barret. Out of no where, a huge shock wave shook the ship. The entire ship rocked from the impact, everything from people to pencils being thrown into a state of confusion. Tifa grabbed the railing tightly and sprinted up the stairs. Barret watched her run, then nearly fell down the stairs from the impact. He grabbed the rail with all his might with his hand. He hooked his gun arm under the railing to act like a brace.
"What the hell is going on?" Barret roared. Cid fell onto his backside, then quickly got to his feet.
"We're getting out of here!" He screamed as he stumbled back into the cockpit. Tifa jumped past Barret and watched Cid leave the room. Her mouth was hanging open.
"You...guys...need...see....this!" Tifa gasped. Aeris gasped suddenly and fell to her knees, her body shaking wildly. Red, not seeing Aeris, ran over near the staircase and looked up at Tifa.
"What's happening? Something hit us?" Red questioned sharply. The ship kept rocking around, much like the last apple on a tree. With her hair flapping all around her, Tifa shook her head.
"No...you really need to see this!" Tifa sounded out of breathe. Barret eyed Tifa wearily then strode past her outside. As the door was about to slam shut, Tifa grabbed it and went back outside. Aeris' whole body just trembled, her eyes glazed over. Red looked to his left, where Aeris had been, but he did not see her. Looking behind him, he saw her kneeling on the ground, her face looking like she was in some sort of trance.
"Come on Aeris, snap...what's going on?" Red called to her. Aeris just kept staring into nothingness. Red was back be her side within a moment. He nuzzled her side gently.
"Aeris! Aeris!" Red screamed with each nuzzle. Out of no where, the fog seemed to be lifted from Aeris' face. Looking down at Red, Aeris took a shaky breathe.
"The planet...it just screamed...like a death scream. The planet is in serious danger" Aeris stated.
"We better warn the others!" Red exclaimed, turning and blazing up the stairs. Aeris shook her head, then stood up. Taking a deep breathe, she sprinted up the stairs herself. As she flung the door open to the outside, she was blinded by a bright green light. Aeris squinted for a moment to adjust to the new source of light.
"What happened in that cavern?" Red ducked his head down, trying to not look directly into any light. The light seemed to dim down, making it easier for all of them to see what was happening. The mountain was completely gone. It had been torn down by the large geyser of Lifestream that now occupied its space. The entire area was masked in a green glow.
"What's going on?" Tifa screamed. Even though the Highwind was flying away from it, the geyser never seemed to get smaller.
"Sephiroth...all that materia caused an eruption in the Lifestream..." Aeris answered just as the thought entered her own head. Tifa's eyes widened more when she saw balls of Lifestream start to splash down into the water.
"That makes no sense! Materia is just Lifestream-" Tifa began.
"Not exactly" Phoenix interrupted. He was sitting on the railing at the end of the ship, looking out at the explosion. His face did not move an inch when he spoke. Red quickly faced the boy and dropped down into a fighting stance. Even with all the green light around, the bright red of his tail was clear.
"You are a fool to think you could kill us-" Red began. Now Phoenix' neck spun his face over to glare at them.
"If that was my goal, you'd be dead already" Phoenix snapped. Cloud looked over his shoulder Phoenix before he turned his attention to Red.
"Very comforting there Phoenix. He's not looking for trouble now Red, trust me" Cloud remarked. Red kept down in his fighting stance even though his fur-covered head looked back towards the explosion. Tifa stomped her foot and looked all around.
"No one has answered me yet!" Tifa screamed. Aeris slowly put her hands over heart, taking shaky breathes. Phoenix rolled his eyes and went back to looking at the explosion.
"Materia is a concentrated form of Lifestream. Once you activate it, it's more potent than normal Lifestream. However, once you put it back in the Lifestream, it chemically wants to be in that form again. And thus, it melts, giving off energy" Phoenix explained. Tifa looked around at the others.
"Can anyone make sense of that please?" Tifa stomped her foot again. Aeris nodded as she pulled her hands closer to her heart.
"Well, you know how ice melts when you put it in water? Think like that" Aeris stated. Tifa closed her eyes and nodded.
"Sure, but that don't explain that!" Tifa screamed, her eyes popping open, as she pointed towards the Lifestream. Phoenix gripped the railing with his left hand. Aeris took a deep breathe as a tear formed in her eye.
"No..but...well, think of it this way. What happens when you eat to much? You have to well...throw it up. This is the planet throwing up all the materia that was just stuffed into it at once" Aeris explained.
"But...this will die down, right Aeris?" Red asked hopefully. The wind was blowing his fur all about. Aeris put her hands on her chest as the tear streaked down her face.
"Red...that is not a small rip anymore. It's a huge rip...and it's getting bigger now. Sephiroth said he was going to do the opposite of Meteor..." Aeris began. Her eyes fluttered. The words refused to exit her mouth. Phoenix clenched the railing with his other hand now.
"He's not going to attack the planet from the outside. He's going to let it explode" Phoenix remarked. Barret turned his attention from the explosion. The dark skin reflected the green light poorly. He quickly held up his gun-arm, which reflected the green much better.
"This is all your damn fault! You brought that asshole back! You helped him do this!" Barret screamed. Phoenix's body trembled slightly. His face remained set on the explosion of Lifestream.
"Now is not the time-" Phoenix began. Barret moved his aim off the boy slightly and fired a shot, just missing him. Everyone now turned and faced Barret, except the boy. His face was still set on the explosions; each explosion sending more green Lifestream into the air.
"We're all going to die because of you! But I tell you this much; my last act is going to be ending your existence myself!" Barret screamed. The aim of the Missing Score fell directly on Phoenix's green eye. Barret held his arm steady; never letting it waver off the target. Another huge explosion took place, sending a huge gust of wind into the Highwind.
"You will never get the shot off" Phoenix's body remained the same, but his eyesight shifted from the explosion to the gun that was aimed at him.
"That's enough. He's right Barret; now is not the time!" Cloud screamed; his body coming between the gun's site and the face it was aimed at. Yet another huge explosion occurred; Cloud's spikey hair blew in the breeze.
"Move it spikey...!" Barret hissed. As Aeris flicked a tear from her face, she noticed a white glow on her own face. Cloud crossed his arms and narrowed his bright blue eyes.
"Not now Barret!" Cloud repeated. Barret's aim did not waver despite yet another explosion, which rocked the ship even more. Phoenix's eyes moved from Barret to Cloud curiously.
"I'm going to start shooting Spikey! Either move-" Barret began.
"Not now Barret!" Tifa screamed, grabbing his arm and pulling it away from his aim. Barret pulled his arm back quickly and held the aim on Cloud. But the aim was only on Cloud for a moment more. Tifa stood in front of Cloud now.
"You all are nuts! This is his fault! He should die!" Barret roared. His arm was now shaking; he no longer even saw his intended target. All he saw was Cloud's spikey hair and Tifa's brown eyes. He held his gun-arm tightly, hoping to keep his aim straight.
"Then try to kill me" Phoenix's voice carried over the sound of another explosion. The sound of his voice made Barret's ears ring more than any explosion could. Barret leveled his aim straight again. Aeris quietly knelt down and put her hands together. Red ran up now, glaring up at Barret. His tail smacked into Barret's leg gently.
"Barret! Killing him is not worth killing Tifa and Cloud over!" Red screamed. Barret body began to shake again.
"Tifa...Cloud...move!" Barret bellowed, his voice catching at the end. Phoenix turned his body towards Barret finally. Another huge explosion occurred, this one sending Phoenix's jacket into the air due to the gust of wind. The gust knocked Tifa's hair around and blew right through Red's fur.
"We all make mistakes" Phoenix's voice echoed into all of their ears. Cloud and Tifa both glanced back at him. Barret lowered his gun-arm for a moment, but then held it back up again. Tifa took a step forwards Barret.
"The planet may be dying...! Barret, this...this...I do not wanna end my life this way!" Tifa screamed loudly.
"Then move!" Barret roared.
"People-" Red began. He turned out his view out onto the explosion.
"Move!" Barret screamed again, cutting Red off. Red stared breathlessly out at the explosions. Suddenly, the green glow they all had grown accustomed too seemed to be fading. One by one, they all looked over at the location of the explosion. The anger that had been raging in Barret seemed to dip out of him.
"Look at that..." Barret murmured softly. He lowered his arm and looked outward. His body began to tremble again, but this time is not from anger.
"What's going on?" Phoenix questioned loudly. His mismatched eyes reflected the white light nicely. His brow lowered in a look of confusion.
"It's...it's..." Tifa began, her tone going from harsh to soft as she watched the white swirls dancing around the explosion. Cloud felt a smile growing on his face.
"It's Holy" Cloud muttered. His words bounced into everyone's skulls, rattling their brains. Before anyone else could say anything, the white swirls that had been surrounding the explosion of Lifestream began to move inward. The white strands of Holy began to tie together around the huge volcano. A huge white doom formed over the explosion, containing it within the dome. The dome began to contract in size, shrinking around the explosion. The Lifestream fought to escape, ramming into the dome, but Holy held strong. The whites of the dome swirled around as it collapsed inward on the volcano. Then, suddenly, a bright blinding white light flashed into the sky. Everyone tried to cover their eyes, but they moved too late; they all had been blinded temporarily by the light. After a few blinks and moments, everyone's eye sight came back to them. They all looked out at where the explosion had taken place. The former mountain was now a flat plain of land. Giant rocks littered the plains, looking like spikes on a hedgehog.
"What happened?" Phoenix screamed with disbelief.
"It was Holy" Aeris spoke softly. Phoenix's body spun like a top as he looked at her.
"Yes...and?" Phoenix demanded to know. His eyes were wide, refusing to blink. Aeris smiled at him.
"I'll tell you some day" Aeris remarked.
The end...!
Author's Notes: Well, this is the first thing I ever posted on Fanfiction.net and I wanna thank the many people who read it. And especially thanks to the people who wrote reviews. You guys rock and if anyone wants to be a beta-reader, I'd love the help. First off, a major thank to CT for being my editor and for letting me be a pain in the ass while I wrote this story. Also, big props to Cherry Kari for being my beta-reader. She offered in-sight CT and myself missed. Mostly cause we're ego-manicis. Just kidding, only CT is. No, kidding again, just me. So I better explain how the hell I came up with this twisted tale. And here it is:
Misguided Beliefs To From The Ashes
"How a 25,000 word story becomes a 70,000 word novel"
We all deal with tragedy different. Some people cry a lot. Some people listen to music. Some people, sadly, turn to drinking and drugs.
I turned to writing. I had so much energy to burn and I had to keep my mind working. So I wanted to write a Final Fantasy Fanfiction and make it good. And here I am, still technically working on it three years later.
I titled my story "Misguided Beliefs" and went to work on it. I finished it in like, 2 months. That was pretty impressive, but that's all I would do. From the moment I got home from school until I went to bed, I would write my story. I stayed home on weekends to work on it. Really, I have never touched that work ethic since. It was finished and boy was I proud. But then I had to do the graduation thing, then the college thing, and the work thing, and my writing got pushed back.
Over the summer, I began to work on my masterpiece (Not this). After awhile, I realized I was not quite ready to tell that story. I had enrolled to take some writing classes at my college and I was pumped. So one day, I opened Misguided Beliefs and decided to read it and edit it. I'd write the sequel for practice. Well, as I read, I noticed that it was just not what I wanted to say anymore. The original message was gone; really, writing it had been the message. The story was just not something I liked.
But the plot was still great. So I decided to re-write the whole story. I told myself that day in August "It'll be about 35,000 words long I bet". And how wrong I was. And now, in May, it's finally finished. By the time I got done posting it on Fanfiction.net...it was August again. So it took one whole year. Once or twice, a month went by with me writing no more than three lines. And other times, I'd do a chapter in a week. I have no clue and it frustrated me at times.
Still, re-writing the story was a lot of fun. Well, not fun, but it did help my writing skills. And really, I'm very proud of the message now. And that segues into...
Differences Between Misguided Beliefs and From The Ashes: In Misguided Beliefs, the message was basically that no matter how evil you were along the way, if you do good in the end you'll be good. I mean, that's in basic terms. The story talks about a son being hurt his father don't accept him. From The Ashes wallops that point though. Sephiroth turns Phoenix down once in MB. In FTA, he constantly destroys the boy's ego. However, Phoenix thinks this is right, because he does not know better. Face it, children learn from their parents. Phoenix saw a bunch of other kids happy with their parents. He does not understand why Sephiroth is mad, but he reasons it is his fault. FTA also shows how when you are untrained to make decisions, you'll let someone else do it for you. Phoenix never does anything against someone's wishes until he helps kill Sephiroth. And even then, it took the threat of Aeris dying to make him decide. Both stories main focus is on Phoenix, but MB is nothing but Phoenix. If he wasn't in a scene, people were talking about him. In FTA, Phoenix's motives are always the main focus but a lot with Tifa-Cloud happens. Most of the early part of the story deals with them, their grief over Aeris, and their budding love. And even when they chase Phoenix, their relationship is fleshed out more. In that sense, I'm very proud to have two stories going on at once. Phoenix is a very evil person in MB, while in FTA he is just naive and ignorant. If you read MB, he basically goes around saying he is the devil until Sephiroth tells him to buzz off, then he becomes a good guy. In FTA, Phoenix never really does anything wrong. Sure, Kalm burns down but that's not totally his fault. He kills the four people he was told to kill; no one else. He is only following orders. Is he right to kill people? No, of course not. But we see that he is not making decisions; simply following orders. When he finally turns on his father, we actually root for him. Phoenix just shows up and wants to fight Sephiroth in MB. In FTA, Phoenix fights Sephiroth after Sephiroth tried to kill him. And then, once Sephiroth asks him to join him, Phoenix is all gung-ho and wants to be his son again. Again, it's way more dramatic in FTA when he decides to help destroy his father. He realizes he made a mistake. In MB, Phoenix openly acknowledges being Aeris' brother. In FTA, we don't find out until the end and even then it's cause Cloud got a lucky guess. Phoenix actually thinks Aeris is Sephiroth's daughter. If you re-read the Aeris/Phoenix conversation, you can see it a few times. Again, he's naive. He never has a chance to really say it. That is why he opens up to her more, though. In MB, Phoenix has a Magnum gun. In FTA, he has no gun. Really, he can shoot freaking balls of energy. He don't need a gun. In MB, the whole group gets together and sticks together like buddies, everyone fighting along side each other. In FTA, the group all shows up but really, only Cloud, Tifa, Cid, Red, Reeve, and Barret go after the boy. And even then, Barret is knocked out awhile and Reeve is no fighter. I did want all of them to make an appearance, though, and they all do make an appearance. In MB, Tifa is pretty worthless. She is one of the main characters in FTA.This was one of the biggest changes from the original, really. Tifa was not one of my favorites when I played the game nor when I wrote MB. However, due to re-playing the game and trying to get into her character, I realized how deep she was. If you notice, she is the only character whose thoughts I really give away. The story, if told from anyone's point of view, is told from Tifa's. Granted, in the later chapters the focus shifted off of her as much, but she still remains a vital cog. In MB, Phoenix is like superman; he basically knocks the crap out of all of them at will. In FTA, he is much more on their level. He would have beaten up Cid with ease and he knocks the crud out of Yuffie, but Cloud holds his own. And Red can keep up with him. So he's not a god anymore. In both MB and FTA, Phoenix and Vincent had a huge fight in Nibelheim. In MB, though, the fight happens before Phoenix brings Sephiroth and Aeris back. Phoenix wins it, but the others show up and he is forced to run. In FTA, naturally Sephiroth is back already and Phoenix barely wins. Also, in MB the fight takes place outside. In FTA, it takes place in the mansion. Sephiroth has a much larger role in FTA. In MB, he was in maybe three scenes. In FTA, he is in the whole second half. He seems to almost enjoy tormenting Phoenix in FTA. He is bent more on revenge this time though. Aeris just joined up with the rest of the group in MB. In FTA, naturally they don't even know she's alive for sure until they reach the cave. The final fight in MB is in Midgar; in FTA it's naturally in a cave in the south. Also, the ending is much more dramatic in FTA; in MB the final fight is the ending. Naturally, FTA has the whole LifeStream explosion. The Turks make an appearance in MB and basically make Phoenix look like a unbeatable god. In FTA, they never show up. The reason was I had no logical way for them to show up, and I felt it was better to keep them out then.
Overall, I think From The Ashes is a much better story. Not just the length but the detail and craft I put into the story. Honestly, I think that some of the fight scenes are the best ever written for Final Fantasy VII. I hope I don't sound like I'm bragging there; it's just how I feel. Phoenix versus Cloud and Phoenix versus Vincent stand out in my mind as stuff I just loved writing. Of course, there is some fault with the story. Some people may say it's too long and I do too much character building. Perhaps, but I like it all.
And really, if an author is happy with the work, that's all that should matter to him or her.