The Other Side of the Mirror

by T'Shael

Chapter 7

Aeris and Tifa met three days later in the best bridal shop in Nibelheim. The shopkeeper smiled as she watched them try on gown after gown after gown. She was sure to make a sell that day.

"You look absolutely beautiful in that dress!" Tifa's eyes sparkled. "You're going to be a knockout!"

Aeris twirled in front of the mirror again. "It's beautiful but I can't decide which dress I like best."

"I know what you mean." Tifa held another wedding dress up in front of herself and eyed the mirror. "We could be here all day!"

Aeris turned again and looked at the back of her dress. "I feel like a princess."

"Every woman is a princess on her wedding day," said Tifa. "When the ceremony is done, she's a queen!"

Aeris giggled. "I never heard that one before. It's too bad Mom couldn't make it today."

Tifa turned around. "Yeah. I know."

"Poor Shera," said Aeris. "She's had a hard time with her pregnancy."

Tifa nodded. "She only has four more weeks to go and it'll be all over. Can you imagine Cid as a father? He'll be trying to teach the baby how to fly before it can walk. I wouldn't be surprised to find he's bought all kinds of flying toys."

"That sounds like Cid." Aeris yawned.

"Are you tired already?" asked Tifa. "We've hardly begun!"

"That's an understatement if I ever heard one," replied Aeris. "We've been going at this for four and a half hours now. We must have tried on every dress in the shop!"

"We still have a few left," said Tifa pointing to another rack.

"No way." Aeris gave her reflection a final glance. "I'm going to take this one."

"Excellent choice," said the shopkeeper approaching Aeris. "I would have suggested that one, if you hadn't already picked it. It fits you perfectly. I won't even have to alter it."

"Good." Aeris yawned again. "I'll go change and you can wrap it up."

"Now you can help me pick my dress," said Tifa. "We'll start on that new rack."

"Oh Tifa," sighed Aeris. "I really need a break. We didn't even have lunch."

"You're right!" said Tifa. "I forgot all about eating when I saw all these lovely dresses. Why don't we take a break and meet again at six?"

"Okay," said Aeris. "Sephiroth must be wondering where I am."

"He's probably still out looking for your ring," yawned Tifa, suddenly realizing how tired she was too.

"Maybe," said Aeris.

She went into the dressing room and changed clothes. Tifa was browsing through the last rack of dresses. She smiled when she saw Aeris. The shopkeeper collected her fee and gave the boxed dress to Aeris. The two girls left the shop together. They spoke briefly outside then Tifa headed for Cloud's house and Aeris went to the Nibelheim Inn. She knocked at the door to the room she and Sephiroth were temporarily calling home, but there was no answer. She used her key to enter. When she stepped inside, she saw Sephiroth lying on the floor rolled into a fetal position. His hands clutched at his head. His face was locked in a grimace of pain.

Aeris dropped the dress box and ran to his side, and knelt beside him.

"Sephiroth! What's wrong?" she asked, touching his silver head.

He mumbled something she couldn't understand and his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Sephiroth!" Aeris fought a rush of panic. The cries of Planet always hit them at the same time. Why couldn't she hear it now?

He rolled away from her and his back arched impossibly high. He cried out in pain and started to shake violently. His eyes turned in her direction, but Aeris didn't think he was aware of her presence.

She moved closer and put her arms around him. "What is it Sephiroth? Is it the Planet?"

He cried out once more, then slipped into unconsciousness. Aeris cradled his head in her lap and stroked his face.

"Sephiroth," she whispered. "Are you all right?"

He was pale. His breathing was shallow. Aeris laid his head on the floor and went to get a damp cloth. She wiped his face, spoke to him and tapped his face lightly but he didn't respond. She was frightened. If it was the Planet calling, neither of them had ever lost consciousness before. At a loss for what to do, she reached for the hotel phone and dialed Cloud's number. Tifa answered the phone.

"Tifa?" Despite her efforts not to cry, tears spilled down Aeris' cheeks.

"Hi Aeris!" said Tifa. "I was just telling Cloud about the dress you chose."

"Tifa, I need help." Aeris shook Sephiroth a little. His eyes stayed closed.

"Sure Aeris, what do you need?"

"It's Sephiroth," answered Aeris. Her voice caught in her throat.

"Aeris? Are you crying? What about Sephiroth?" Tifa pressed the phone closer to her ear. Cloud lowered his newspaper and looked at her.

"I can't wake him up," Aeris brushed one of her tears from Sephiroth's face.

"What do you mean you can't wake him up?" Tifa motioned to Cloud. "What's wrong with him?"

"I-I don't know."

Cloud joined Tifa. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Tifa looked worried. "She's crying. She said something's wrong with Sephiroth."

Cloud took the phone. "Aeris? Can you hear me?"

"Yes." She was sobbing "I can't wake up Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth?" Cloud's brow furrowed. "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know . . . he won't wake up."

He heard her crying again. He called her name several times, but she didn't answer.

Cloud hung up and turned to Tifa. "Let's go!"

Cloud and Tifa stopped at the front desk only long enough to find out which room belonged to Sephiroth and Aeris. The door was partially open. They found Aeris sponging Sephiroth's face.

Cloud crouched near Aeris. "What happened to him?"

Aeris fought to control her voice. "When I came back from the dress shop, he was on the floor rolled up in pain, then he just passed out. "

Cloud looked at Aeris with a puzzled frown. "Was the Planet calling?"

"That's what I thought when I first saw him," she replied, "But I didn't hear or feel anything. We've always felt it together."

"Maybe only Sephiroth heard it this time," said Tifa.

"Why him?" asked Cloud.

"I don't know. Aeris stroked Sephiroth's pale face. "It called four days ago."

"Did you both hear it?" asked Cloud.

"Yes." Aeris wiped away a tear. "We were near the edge of the glacier at them time. It was really bad. Neither of us could move while we heard the Planet's voice. If Sephiroth hadn't recovered as fast as he did . . . "

Cloud and Tifa frowned. "What?"

Aeris took a deep breath. "I would have drowned or frozen or both."

"What in the hell happened?" Cloud looked incredulous. "Why didn't you tell us about it?"

Aeris told them about the end of her mother's visit. "Sephiroth didn't want me to tell you."

"That stubborn-" started Cloud.

"I don't like this," cut in Tifa. "The Planet started calling after those Jenova cells were eaten by the monster. Now it's calling only Sephiroth. This is getting scary."

"We don't know that's it's the Planet this," countered Cloud. "Hojo did all kinds of crazy stuff to Sephiroth. He could be sick for all we know."

"I agree with Tifa," said Aeris. "I think Sephiroth heard the Planet calling."

"But why only him?" asked Cloud again.

Aeris didn't have a chance to answer. Sephiroth began to stir. His eyelids fluttered.

"Sephiroth?" said Aeris softly.

His Mako green eyes opened and looked right into hers.

"Are you all right?" asked Tifa.

Sephiroth's eyes moved from Aeris to Tifa. His face took on a look of annoyance when he saw Cloud. He struggled to sit up.

"What am I doing on the floor?" he asked looking at Cloud suspiciously.

"Aeris says you passed out," answered Cloud. "She couldn't wake you up. What do you remember?"

"I walked through the door, then nothing." Sephiroth brushed off Aeris' attempt to help him and stood on his own. Everyone rose with him.

Sephiroth looked at Aeris. "What do you mean I passed out?"

"You were on the floor when I got back," she said. "You wouldn't respond to anything I said and then you passed out. I couldn't wake you."

Sephiroth looked skeptical. "Did you hear the Planet call?"

"No," answered Aeris. "But I think you did."

"Why would the Planet talk to me and not you?" Sephiroth asked.

"That's what I want to know," said Cloud.

Sephiroth favored Cloud with a mildly irritated look and didn't comment.

"You looked so pale, " said Tifa. "Are you sure it wasn't the Planet?"

"Hearing a Planet scream in your head is not an experience that's easily forgotten," replied Sephiroth.

"So which is it?" asked Cloud. "Number one, you don't remember the Planet calling. Number two, you do but you're lying about it now, or number three, this is some kind of sick joke?"

Tifa and Aeris glanced at Cloud and looked at each other.

A frosty smile spread across Sephiroth's face. "And what kind of sick joke would that be?"

"Maybe you just like to wallow around on the floor when no one is around," said Cloud with a hostile look in his eyes. "Aeris came in and caught you, so you faked hearing the Planet call so she wouldn't figure out what you were really doing."

Sephiroth's smile turned spiteful. "A substandard comment from a substandard model."

Cloud bristled. "How would you like to meet the floor again? I can introduce you."

"Oh please, let me do the honors," replied Sephiroth circling Cloud. "After all, I am the host of this humble abode."

As Sephiroth walked behind Cloud, Cloud turned around to face him. They stared at one another.

Aeris squeezed between them and forcing them back a step. She turned to Sephiroth holding him back.

"They came because I called Sephiroth," said Aeris. "Please don't be angry."

"That's all right Aeris," said Cloud taking Tifa by the arm. He pushed her toward the door. "I don't expect him to be grateful."

"I couldn't think of anything more nauseating," said Sephiroth folding his arms.

Aeris and Tifa glanced at Sephiroth and looked at each other. Tifa tried to hurry Cloud along. Aeris followed them to the door.

"Good bye Aeris." Cloud stepped across the threshold with Tifa. His eyes were on Sephiroth. "If I were you, I'd start looking around for a new dust mop. The one you've got is lousy. It missed a few spots."

He was rewarded by the sight of Sephiroth's eyes widening in anger. Aeris slammed the door and threw herself in front of it as Sephiroth lunged forward.

Cloud wanted to wait by the door, but Tifa grabbed his hand and started tugging on his arm with all her might.

"No Cloud!" she panted "Come with me now, or I'll never speak to you again!"

Cloud looked disappointed as he allowed Tifa lead him away.

Sephiroth tried to reach for the doorknob but Aeris blocked it with her body.

"Move Aeris." Sephiroth looked mad enough strangle Cloud.

"If you go after Cloud, I'm not going home with you," she said tiredly.

He backed off and looked at Aeris in surprise. "What?"

"Sephiroth," Aeris brushed an errant strand of hair out of her eyes. "I've been out all morning trying to find the perfect dress so I'll look beautiful to you on our wedding day. I didn't get any lunch. I've been on my feet all day, and when I come back, you're on the floor having some kind of attack. You passed out on me. If it wasn't for your breathing, I would have thought you were dead. I was on the edge of hysteria when I called for help. The first thing you did when you woke up was tried to start a fight with Cloud. Now Cloud is mad at you and probably me too for getting him into this. He leaves and now you want to go after him and finish what you started. I can't take any more excitement today Sephiroth. I just can't!"

Sephiroth relaxed. "I'm sorry. I didn't think."

Aeris relaxed too. "You really don't remember whether the Planet called or not?"

"I don't remember anything," he said.

"This scares me," said Aeris. "This has never happened to us before."

"Don't be frightened," Sephiroth took her in his arms.

Aeris sighed. "Let's eat dinner early. I promised to meet Tifa at the bridal shop at six."

"You look like you could use some rest," he said. "Couldn't it wait until tomorrow?"

"I can't do that to Tifa," said Aeris. "She helped me find my dress. I want to help her too."

Sephiroth nodded.

"When you get back, we'd better go to bed early," he said. "I want to get back to Icicle Village as soon as possible. There's a new monster on the glacier that only comes out in the early morning hours. I told the Mayor I'd kill it when I got back. He's going to pay triple for this one."

"All right," said Aeris. "Let's find a nice place to eat."

Jenova was pleased. After tonight everything would be ready. She knew Sephiroth wasn't in Icicle Village. She had no problem with that. He would return to the house on the north side of town sooner or later and she would take him then. After that she would go after Cloud. She smiled.

Aeris and Sephiroth didn't leave as early as they planned A new shipment of bridal supplies arrived at shop while Tifa and Aeris were there. Neither one of them could pass up an opportunity to sort though merchandise the other girls in the village didn't know about yet. They tried on wedding accessories until nine in the evening. Aeris went back to the inn and fell into bed in exhaustion.

The next morning, the girls met again to go through the items they didn't have time to look at the night before. They didn't finish until late in the afternoon. Sephiroth made arrangements to have the largest packages delivered by the freight ship that brought supplies to Icicle Village. He strapped the rest to the chocobo. Aeris said goodbye to Tifa, promising to meet her again at a later date. Sephiroth helped her up on Goldie and they started the long ride home. They arrived in Icicle Village just before dark.

"I don't know about you," said Aeris as the village came into view, "But I'm too tired to cook dinner tonight. Do you want to?"

"Not really," answered Sephiroth. "Why don't we stop at the Icicle Lodge for dinner?"

"That would be fine," said Aeris yawning. "I never thought shopping would make me so tired."

"Would you rather just find someone to perform the ceremony?" asked Sephiroth. "All we'd need is one or two witnesses."

"Not on your life!" cried Aeris. "I want the dress, the veil, everything. It's the only wedding I'll ever have. I want it to be special."

"Good," said Sephiroth as he stopped Goldie in front of the Lodge. "I won't have to give you a once-you-get-in-you-don't-get-out speech."

"Fine," she replied. "I won't have to give you one either."

They laughed as they walked into the Lodge. They didn't have to worry about the items they left on the chocobo. Everyone knew who Goldie belonged to and that was enough to stop any ideas of thievery.

After dinner, Aeris was so tired, she fell asleep against Sephiroth on the ride home. Sephiroth made Goldie walk all the way. He didn't nudge Aeris until they were in front of the house.

She raised her head sleepily. "Are we home yet?"

"We're home." He helped her down. "Are you going to make it?"

"If I don't, you'll find me at the foot of the stairs asleep." Aeris yawned. "Just don't step on me on your way up."

Sephiroth looked concerned. "Am I going to have to tuck you in? I'll leave Goldie here while I do."

"Don't be silly," said Aeris, pulling out her door key. "If you find me on the floor, just cover me with a rug. I'll be fine."

Sephiroth waited until he saw her go into the house. After he heard the lock click, he rode the chocobo around the house to the shed. He put food in the trough and freshened the water.

Aeris trudged up the stairs. She had just enough energy to make it to the bedroom. She sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Come on girl," she said to herself. "Get dressed for bed."

She looked down at her shoes and thought about how much trouble it was going to be to take them off. I'll take them off in a minute, she thought, curling up on the bed. I'll get dressed for bed after I rest for a little while. She laid down on the spread and drifted off to sleep.

Sephiroth was tired too, but he took the time to groom the gold chocobo. Goldie warked contentedly, turning his body this way and that to enjoy the sensation of the brush over his feathers.

"You're spoiled," said Sephiroth.

Goldie rubbed his head against Sephiroth's chest.

Sephiroth was scratching its golden head when chocobo suddenly tensed and stared at the door of the shed. Sephiroth followed its gaze. A vague feeling of uneasiness settled over him. Something was outside. It almost felt as though something was prodding his mind. He shook his head to clear it, but the feeling remained.

He pulled his masamune from its sheath and approached the door. There was something strangely familiar about this feeling. He opened the latch, then stepped back and kicked the door open. He saw nothing.

Slowly he eased out of the shed looking around. Clearing the door, Sephiroth checked both sides of the shed then closed and locked the door. Moving cautiously, he backed toward the house looking in all directions. He knew that feeling now. It was Jenova.

He glanced toward the house. Aeris was alone and Jenova was near. A vision of the events on the altar in the City of the Ancients flashed through his head. He had to get back to Aeris and protect her.

His senses were tingling but Sephiroth couldn't pinpoint Jenova's location. He kept backing toward the house. He was halfway to there when a figure stepped out from the back of the shed and walked toward him. In the pale moonlight, he saw a slender dark-haired woman. He stopped, raising his sword in a defensive position. She stopped moving and stared at him.

"Who are you?" he demanded, "What are you doing here?"

She smiled at him. "Don't you recognize me Sephiroth?"

"I never saw you before in my life," Sephiroth he answered.

She took a step toward him.

"Stay back." He warned. Jenova's presence was overpowering. Was this woman under her control?

She laughed at him.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"You," she said.

Before Sephiroth's startled eyes, one of her arms shot toward him, stretching impossibly long as it came. He tried to dodge but his surprise cost had him too much time. She slapped him off his feet.

Sephiroth found himself laying on his back in the snow. His sword lay inches from his fingers. He struggled into a sitting position reaching for his sword as his eyes swung back to find the woman. She wasn't there. His fingers failed to close around the masamune. He turned his head to look for it.

Something was dropping out of the sky. Sephiroth tried to fling himself away from it but it grabbed him. He looked down. Three tentacles were wrapped around his body. He looked up. Jenova was hovering above him in her natural form. Sephiroth opened his mouth to cast a spell at the same instant she sent a powerful charge through his body. He convulsed and went limp.

"My poor baby," she cooed as she raised him from the ground, "You were going to be a bad boy and fight your mother. We can't have that now can we?"

She stroked his silver hair then reached for his sword with her other tentacle.

"Mommy's going to make everything all right," she whispered. "You'll see."

Rising high above the trees, Jenova carried her precious burden toward the secret cave in Utai.

It was just two hours short of sunrise in Nibelheim. Cloud Strife tossed and turned for several minutes before he opened his eyes. Tifa lay beside him asleep.

He felt as if he had awakened for a reason, but he couldn't imagine what it was. A noise? He strained his ears for a sound that didn't belong in the house but all he heard was the sound of Tifa's breathing. Cloud mentally shrugged and rolled his back to her and tried to settle deeper in the covers.

He heard the tapping sound at the same instant he looked at the bedroom window and saw Sephiroth's face smiling at him from the other side of the glass. Cloud sat up in disbelief. Sephiroth smiled and waved.

"Why you . . . "

Tifa made a sound in her sleep and moved restlessly. Cloud froze and glanced at her. Smirking, Sephiroth tapped the glass again. Cloud's sense of outrage overshadowed the small voice that was trying in vain to remind him that his bedroom was on the second floor, and there was no balcony outside. He was too busy wondering how long Sephiroth had been peeking into his bedroom at night when he shared his room with Tifa.

Tifa settled down and pulled the bed covers over her head. Cloud looked at Sephiroth. Sephiroth crooked his finger at Cloud, inviting him to come outside. As Cloud eased out of bed, Sephiroth's face sank below the window frame.

Cloud went to the window and looked down. Sephiroth was standing in the yard looking up at the window. He waved Cloud down.

"I'll be right there. You goddamned pervert!" mouthed Cloud.

He grabbed his clothes and sword. He left the room trying not to wake Tifa. Dressing in the living room, he ran several visions through his head of beating Sephiroth senseless. Fastening the last button, Cloud slid his feet into his boots. He picked up his sword on the way out the door.

Sephiroth was no where to be seen.

"Where are you Sephiroth?" he shouted. "Come out and show yourself!"

Sephiroth stepped out of the shadows. He stared at Cloud.

"Defend yourself pervert!" snarled Cloud.

Sephiroth didn't have a weapon. He smiled at Cloud and his figure wavered and shrank. Before Cloud could comprehend what was happening a dark-haired woman stood before him.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked. "Where is Sephiroth?"

"He's with me," she answered in a whispery voice.

"With you?" Cloud's angry was momentarily forgotten. Sephiroth was peeking into his bedroom window and running around with this woman too? His anger found a new high. "What is he doing with you? Where is Aeris?"

"Who cares?" The woman laughed. For some reason, her voice sent chills down Cloud's back.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "What do you want?"

The woman raised both hands in a gesture of innocence. "You."

One of her arms shot out like a snake. Cloud didn't even have time to be amazed. Something struck his head. Darkness covered him.

The woman stood over him laughing. Her body began to swell. In a matter of seconds, Jenova hovered above him in her true form. She wrapped her tentacles around Cloud's limp form and picked up his sword. She carried him to Utai.

Aeris woke up the next morning rubbing her eyes. She rolled over to put her arms around Sephiroth. He wasn't there. She sat up.

Puzzled she leaned over to focus her eyes on the night stand clock. He must have gone to kill that new monster on the glacier, she thought. Then she realized she was fully dressed.

"Why did he let me sleep in my clothes?" she asked aloud.

She took a good look at the bed.

"And he let me sleep on top of the covers too? What happened to tucking me in?"

Annoyed she went downstairs to find he hadn't turned up the thermostat for the day. Shaking her head, she went into the kitchen. There wasn't even a pot of coffee waiting for her.

"He must have really been anxious to go after his monster," she said, talking out loud again. "He didn't even have breakfast this morning."

Shaking her head, she gathered the utensils she needed to prepare a meal. At least she could make sure he had something to eat when he got back. She hummed to herself as she worked.

Sephiroth opened his eyes to find himself strapped to a table in a cave. He was dizzy, his throat was dry and it hurt to focus his eyes. His head felt like it weighed a ton. He turned it toward a blurred figure to his left. Cloud Strife hung chained to the wall. His limp form was held up by the manacles on his wrists.

"Cloud?" Sephiroth's voice was raspy.

Cloud moaned.

Sephiroth managed to raise his voice a little louder. "Cloud!"

Cloud raised his head slowly. He blinked a few times trying to clear his vision. He felt dizzy and weak. His vision cleared a little. He saw Sephiroth strapped to a table.

"Sephiroth?"

"Can you free yourself?" asked Sephiroth.

Cloud strained against his bonds. He shook his head. "No."

"I'll try." Sephiroth closed his eyes and tried to concentrate.

"No you don't," said a voice.

A woman moved into his view. She raised a hypodermic needle and plunged it into his shoulder. She injected the blue-green liquid.

She smiled at him. "This is just a little something to keep you off balance. I don't want you using your powers before I'm done."

Sephiroth tried to keep her face in focus. It was almost too much of an effort to do so. She must have given him something earlier.

"Who are you?" He croaked.

"Let me get you a drink," she offered. She moved to a table and brought back a plastic bottle with a curved tube. "Open up."

He opened his mouth and she let some of the water flow from the tube. It was difficult to swallow laying down. She was patient enough to let him have a few swallows before she pulled the bottle away.

"Who are you?" he repeated. He was beginning to feel the effects of the injection.

"Don't you know me?" She sounded disappointed as she picked up another needle.

Sephiroth tried to remember the events of the night before. He shook his head.

"I'm surprised you don't remember me son, " she cooed softly. "I'm Jenova. I'm your mother."

"You're not Jenova!" Cloud frowned at her. "You're not his mother!"

"I'm his mother and yours too," she said, approaching him. "You're both my sons. You're both a part of me."

"Liar!" snapped Cloud. "You're just a crazy woman who brought us here somehow."

"I am your mother. I am Jenova." She jabbed the needle into Cloud's shoulder and stood back.

"Not Jenova . . ." Sephiroth felt woozy. "Not mother."

Jenova moved to one side of the cave. "Maybe this will convince you."

As both men watched, the woman before them began to swell out of shape. She grew in size. The dark-haired woman was gone. Jenova hovered before them in her natural form only much smaller than when they both saw her last.

"I'm compressing myself to fit in this cave," she said. "Do you believe me now?"

"How did you come back?" asked Cloud. "We destroyed you."

Jenova changed back into the dark-haired woman again before she answered. "Not all of me."

"How . . . ?" Sephiroth found it hard to speak.

"My cells are geared toward survival," Jenova answered. "Each cell holds a complete memory of my life. I remember being found by humans and taken to a lab. They called me Jenova. I found that amusing. That's not my real name, but you couldn't pronounce it anyway."

"The humans who found me put me in a lab and studied me. Fools. They had no idea who they were dealing with. They actually removed parts of my body to use in their experiments. They thought they could reproduce my abilities if they put my cells into humans. They killed a lot of people that way. Especially women. My cells do not tolerate incompatibility. They produced a lot of mutants."

She turned to Sephiroth. "My cells were in the clones you destroyed, just as they are in you. Even though they were no longer part of my body, I could communicate with any being infused with them. I wanted my cells back. That's why I called for a reunion. I was going to absorb all the clones, including Cloud to regain what I'd lost. After that, I would have gone in search of any cells left in a lab on this planet. The only cells I couldn't reclaim were the cells in the body of my oldest son."

She stroked Sephiroth's cheek. "That's you. Sephiroth's body absorbed my cells and changed them somehow. They are mine, but then again, they're not. Reclaiming my cells from him would be like injecting myself with an alien substance. My body would reject them."

"Still, even in their present condition, I could communicate with Sephiroth through them. I can talk to his mind and he can answer if he wishes. We talked a lot about how different you were, didn't we son? I was there when the others treated you cruel. I was there, when they used us both for experiments. I was always there for you."

"Get to the point!" snapped Cloud. He was beginning to feel nauseated. "How did you come back?"

"You destroyed the body I was using at the Northern Crater," said Jenova. "For all intents and purposes, I was dead. However there was a sample of me in a lab, in a city devoid of people. My memories from that sample are those I mentioned previously. I regenerated when one of the city creatures ate my cells. Of course I helped it decide to do so. I fed on its body to produce enough energy to regenerate and took over its mind. I made it leave the city, then made myself available to a flying creature and it swallowed me too. I took over its mind and forced it to bring me here. I learned of this location from the memories contained in dried blood on the floor of the room the first animal found me in."

"Once I was here, I called out to my lost cells. I sensed Sephiroth and I sensed you. I also sensed a small portion of me in the Northern Crater. I went there during the night and absorbed it. From that small portion, I regained my full memories up to the point where I was destroyed."

"How could a small portion of you remain in the Northern Crater?" asked Cloud.

"You used something called a 'summon' against me," said Jenova. "Ultimate End," I believe you called it. One of the Knights sliced a bit of my body away in the fight and it was preserved by the cold. When I retrieved that part of me, I remembered my plans to conquer this world. That's what I intend to do now. Finish what I started. Both of you are going to help me."