A Tilted Axys

Chapter 19

Yazoo shouted out his rage and pain as the bullet pushed clear through his leg. He looked up to see Vincent with the Cerberus aimed at him. Yazoo lept from the broken woman on the ground and disappeared into the snowstorm.

“Axys!” Vincent ran to her, dropping to his knees and assessing the damage. He quickly removed his cloak and wrapped it around her bleeding body, and lifted her into his arms. A pink light erupted in the dark and a fierce roar was all that was heard by the hiding clone as Chaos flew away with his wife.

'I don't think I'm going to make it!' Vincent thought. 'I have to get her to Rocket, or she won't survive!'

{Back in Edge}

Tifa waited impatiently by the phone as she waited for Vincent’s call. They had received the news two hours ago that Axys had been caught, and what had obviously happened to her. Vincent had taken her to Rocket Town, as the doctors there were the best. Now, all she could do was sit with Cloud clutching Axys’ son in her trembling arms.

"What will we do, Cloud?! What if she dies?" Tifa asked, fighting tears.

"Don't worry, Tifa, Axys will be okay. The doctors in Rocket are the best that there are. She'll be fine."

Tifa jumped when the phone rang and began to shake even harder when Cloud answered it.

“Vincent? How is she?” Cloud said. He was silent for a moment and it took only a half a heartbeat for Tifa to understand why. Cloud turned away from her.

“I-I-I see. I’ll call them all.” Cloud stopped to take a shaky breath. “Bring her back here, Vincent. Don’t leave her there. Okay. I-I’ll see you then.” Cloud hung up the phone and for a moment did not turn back to Tifa and the child she held.

“What?! What’s going on?! Is Axys okay?” Tifa said, grabbing Cloud’s shoulder and forcing him to face her.

She dropped to her knees clutching Zurui when she saw the tears forming in Cloud’s eyes.

The world was silent except for the anguished scream of the shattered woman.

“No, Tifa. She’s not. She’s gone.”


{Two days later}

The cemetery was quiet. Too quiet. No one cried as Vincent, Cid, Barret, Reeve, and Cloud lowered the coffin into the ground, as they had all cried enough for two lifetimes over the past couple of days.

There had been another death as well. When Vincent traveled to Wutai to inform Yuri of Axys’ death, he found the young woman in her bathtub. The loss of her love and her friend had proven too much for the young woman. She slit her wrists. Yet another that he couldn't save. Another sin to add to the endless list.

No. He couldn't think that way. Axys would have kicked his ass into the dirt if she'd have heard those thoughts.

Vincent placed a blood-red rose onto the casket, then stepped back to allow the others to do the same. His eyes-redder yet from the tears shed for his friend-came to rest on Tifa. She held Zurui tight, trying hard to stay strong. The child cooed and pointed to the ground, reaching for his mother. Tifa fell apart. She raced to the car waiting for her, and Vincent watched as it sped away.

Cloud watched in anger. “I want to say something.” he said, drawing Vincent’s attention. “Axys was our friend, and so was Yazoo. I don’t want any of us to forget this. She must be avenged, and those men have to be set free. No more trying to 'save' them, got it?!” He was getting worked up, Vincent could tell. “Trying to 'save' them is what got Axys killed-“ Vincent placed his hand on Cloud’s shoulder.

“She wouldn’t want this now, Cloud.” He said. Cloud hung his head and moved to the side.

Vincent took over. “We all know how she was, and we know she wouldn’t want us to mourn her. I think Axys knew what would happen and chose her fate. I have faith that her sacrifice will be what saves us all, in the end.” He looked to Cloud. “Let’s not soil her memory by going after them simply for revenge. We will finish what she started and save our friends, even if we have to kill them to do it.” A resounding cheer rose from the cold lot.

Cid stepped forward and placed a small package on top of the coffin. It was a pack of cigarettes. “In case she needs ’em.” He said, not looking up. “I don’t anymore.” The old pilot picked up a shovel and took upon himself the task of burying his resting friend. They left the scene, none of them noticing the man in black that approached cautiously, laying a large bushel of wisteria on the fresh grave.

“Your favorite, my love.”

Now having gained a bit of strength to fight the evil within him, he raced to the bar before the other's could get there. He had to warn his friends before Jenova over-powered him again.


“Don’t play games with me, ShinRa!” Kadaj roared, throwing another materia blast at the bloody man on the ground.

It was a gory scene. Rude, Elena, and Tseng lay dead only inches away from the cowering president, deep double-cuts scattered across their bodies. Reno was pinned to the wall, having the life slowly beat out of him by his own lover.

“Where is mother?!” Kadaj said again, lashing out and kicking the man before him.

“You’ll have to kill me, Kadaj. We kept it from you for good reason.”

“Then I will.” Kadaj said, his voice low and venomous. His attention was caught by the sound of the Dual Hound charging and he turned to watch his older brother rid the world of that blasted red-head.

Rufus took the opportunity to steal victory from Kadaj. He pulled a dagger from the folds of his coat and slashed at the back of his heel. Kadaj roared and fell to the ground, the thud of his body masked by that of Reno’s as the now lifeless Turk hit the floor. He raised the Souba for the kill, only to freeze and watch, shocked, as Rufus pulled the black box containing the remains of Jenova from his jacket. He laughed at Kadaj and threw it over the side of the building to shatter on the ground; the garbled sound giving way to gasps and coughs as Kadaj’s sword found a new home inside his chest.

ShinRa had fallen.

Kadaj jumped over the side of the building, catching the box and landing gracefully on his uninjured foot.


When the mourning friends returned to the bar, they found a note on the door, written quickly, it seemed. The handwriting was eerily familiar.

“Come quickly, they have her. You must go to the Midgar Ruins, before it is too late.” The note was not signed, and the letters looked harsh, like the writer didn’t have complete control over his hand.

Cloud was gone before Vincent even finished reading the note aloud.

“Everyone! To the Shera!” Cid shouted. Vincent was the first one on.

They flew to the scene, spotting Yazoo and Loz racing after Cloud, trying to stop his chase.

“You little fucks!” Cid said. Anger over his friend's death over-whelming him. “Take THIS!” He pressed a button and two missiles dropped from the airship, racing to intercept the two clones.

“Cid, NO! We have to try to-” Vincent said, but it was too late. The tunnel exploded behind Cloud, leaving nothing but rubble where his old friends used to be.


Cloud threw blow after blow at Sephiroth. His shock when the SOLDIER had appeared before him, transformed from the smaller body of Kadaj, had almost cost him victory. Kadaj had taken the remains of Jenova into his body, becoming the most evil creation that the planet had ever been exposed to. An evil that Cloud had already defeated twice before.

"This is your fault! If you had listened to us when we tried to tell you about Jenova, this wouldn't have happened!" Cloud screamed. "You took Aerith, and now Axys, too! It's YOUR FAULT!"

"Tell me, Cloud: Who are you angry with? Me? Or perhaps . . . yourself? You couldn't get to Aerith in time. Couldn't save her from me. And now you've let our dear brother do the same thing to yet another friend. How very sad."

"Shut up!" Cloud cried. "I know that I did what I could. I know that they don't blame me!" He attacked Sephiroth again. Stopping to face him with their blades pressing against one another.

"Oh, where did you find this strength?" Sephiroth taunted.

"I'm not about to tell you!" Cloud said.

The battle continued, both men swinging their lethal blades at the other. Fire blazed all around them. Buildings crumbled, threatening to crush any that was too slow to avoid the falling stone. Cloud jumped to a higher building, attempting to take a moment to catch his breath, but was cut short when Sephiroth jumped up behind him. Swords were swung once again, and Cloud found himself flying backwards to slam into the hard stone that stood behind him. He growled out in pain when he felt the Masamune stab into his shoulder.

"Tell me what you cherish most." Sephiroth said, standing over Cloud. "Give me the pleasure of taking it away?"

Cloud's memory went into overdrive. Visions of his mother, Nibelheim, Aerith, Tifa, Marlene, Axys, laughing with Kadaj and Loz, watching with pride when Axys and Yazoo entered Tifa's bar carrying a tiny blue bundle. . . and then lowering Aerith into the lake that would be her grave at the forgotten city . . . and lowering Axys' casket into the cold ground only hours before . . . everything precious to him. His family.

He pulled Sephiroth's sword from his shoulder, throwing the older man back and gaining his feet. Sephiroth flew into the sky.

"I pity you. You just don't get it at all!" Cloud said, jumping higher and higher to keep up with Sephiroth.

"There's not a thing I don't cherish!" With those words, Cloud thrust his sword forward, pouring out all of his anger and adrenaline into his most powerful magical attack.

The Omnislash sliced through Sephiroth over and over again, blood dripping to the ground below him.

Cloud landed softly on the ground, catching his sword in his outstretched hand as it fell back to him.

“Stay where you belong. In my memories.” Cloud said, looking up at Sephiroth.

“I will . . . Never be a memory.” The evil of the world evaporated, giving way to the youngest clone. Kadaj landed roughly in Cloud’s arms. Sephiroth was gone and Jenova defeated, once and for all.

“P-please . . . forgive me, br-rother . . .” Kadaj said. Tears fell freely down his childlike face. “Mother?” he asked, suddenly. A small smile spread across his features, and he allowed himself peace. The rest of the crew watched from the airship as Kadaj’s body slowly melted away with bright colors.

They didn’t cheer. It was a dark day, and dark deeds had been done. The only solace that any held inside, was the knowledge that they had done what they HAD to do, and their departed friend would have done the same thing.