Sephiroth's Twin

Chapter Six: Twins in the Temple

A/N: Here it is! Another chapter! This chapter has a little more humor, but I TRY to keep the people in character... TRY! Also, in this chapter, Vincent meets someone who is dear to him, his sister, a saucy little drinking, chain smoking, Necromancer named Danielle. (Yes, there are four, count them, FOUR Original characters in this story, but I honestly think that they fit really well, and if they don’t I just smash ‘em in there!))
Chapter Six: Twins in the Temple

The group headed towards the small city of North Corel and rode on the Ropeway up towards the Gold Saucer.
“Wow... isn’t it pretty???” Aeris said, looking out the window of the Ropeway tram.
“Ugh...” Barret said.
The group arrived at the platform and stood in the front of the Gold Saucer. Vincent looked around and seemed to even smile a little.
“300 gil OR 30,000 gil...” Cloud said, “We have to pay to get in...”
“Cloud, we may be here a lot, plop down the 30,000, while we have it.” Aeris said.
Cloud paid the man and they got a lifetime pass to the Gold Saucer and went towards the battle arena, they knew that is where Dio held the Keystone.
“Dio, we would like to borrow you’re keystone...” Cloud talked to the master and owner of the battle arena.
“No.”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh... please?” Cloud whined.
“No.”
Barret came up and grabbed Dio by the shirt collar. “Let us borrow it... PLEASE.” He held him up to his face.
“Look, I just can’t give it to you guys... you have to fight in the battle arena.”
“No sweat...” Cloud said, heading towards the battle arena.
Five minutes later, Cloud walked out of the battle arena and collapsed. Beth and Vincent looked at him.
“Not hard, eh Cloud?” Vincent said quietly.
“Hush, I didn’t know that they had actual MONSTERS in there!” Cloud said, standing up.
Dio handed Cloud the Keystone and the group stampeded towards the Tram. It was out of order...
“Of all the nights to be out of order...” Cloud said.
“#$ #($( #&$(&(&!!!!!!” Cid yelled.
“Cid, screaming isn’t going to get us anywhere.” Tifa said.
“I know! Let’s stay at the hotel! They know me here, I’ll go talk to them..” Cait Sith bounded away in his mog-type walk.
***
“Okay... we have to have two people a room.” Cloud said, holding up several keys. “Cid and Barret... Aeris and Tifa... Cloud and Nanaki and... anybody seen Cait Sith?” Cloud handed out the keys.
“Haven’t seen him for a few hours...” Tifa said, taking her key.
“A-HEM! Cloud... if you don’t mind... may I have a room?” Beth said.
“Oh, er... you and Vincent should stay together...” Cloud handed them the keys. “By process of elimination...”
***
Cid drug Vincent to the bar late that night. Vincent was quiet and didn’t want to drink.

While Cid was slamming down drinks at the Gold Bar, something caught Vincent’s eye.

She was a playing cards with three skeletons. Vincent saw her dressed in a leather halter and pants, had lovely silver wings and a scowl and hat. She was drinking a whiskey and coke.

Cid happened to see her as well, “I think I am in love...”

Vincent scowled at the drinking piolet and sighed, “That would be Danielle... my sister.”

At the sound of her name, Danielle lost control of the skeletons she raised and looked up. The bones hit the floor and sounded like hail. “Who said my name?” she glanced up, smoking on a honking cigar. “VINCENT!” She jumped up and hugged him.

“Hello Danielle.” Vincent said, returning the hug.

“Whatcha doing?” Danielle smiled, sitting between Cid and Vincent.

Vincent told her of what the group was doing, while Cid kept the drinks flowing for her.

“Count me in bro, I want to help save the world as well...” Danielle smirked.

“You’ll have to talk to Cloud, he’s the leader and right now, he’s on a date with Aeris...” Cid said, lighting up one of his smokes.

“Then I will...” Danielle smiled, darkly.
***
“THAT STUPID CAT STOLE THE KEYSTONE!” Tifa woke the rest of the group in the middle of the night. “HE GAVE IT TO TSENG!”

Beth frowned and sighed, “Tseng...”

Vincent had told the group of his sister, who would be joining them, like it or not. Everyone thought that it was best to have large numbers, so Cloud allowed her to join them.
They hurried to the lift, that was thankfully operational and ran through North Corel and out into the surrounding forests.
Soon, they come across Yuffie.
“I’ll join your little ‘group’ if you really want me...” Yuffie said, shortly after they beat her.
“Sure... we want you to.” Cloud said, “But we’d better hurry along.”
“WAIT! I haven’t told you my name yet... I’m Yuffie!” She ran along after them.
The ever-growing group hopped onto the Tiny Bronco and headed out towards the Temple of the Ancients.
“If we get anymore people, this ship might sink!” Tifa said, looking at the group that now consisted of Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aeris, Nanaki (Red XIII), Vincent, Cid, Cait Sith, (Like it or not),Yuffie, Beth and Danielle.
“You trying to tell me something?” Danielle said, threatening Tifa.
“Down girls!” Cloud said.
“Wow...” Cloud said as he the group came closer to the temple of the Ancients. “It’s huge...”
“Yep,” Aeris said, “Follow me so you won’t get lost.”
The group ran up the stairs, only to almost be bowled over by a pissed off young Turk named Elena, who was yelling, “SEPHIROTH!!!!”
Vincent stopped her and she managed to tell them that Tseng was inside, and Sephiroth had all but killed him. Beth ran inside.
“Tseng-Sama?” She knelt beside him. He looked at her.
“Beth? Why are you rescuing me?”
By this time, the rest of the group had come inside. Tseng handed Cloud the Keystone and told him to place it on the altar. Beth looked at Vincent, who had Elena in his grasp. “Call Reno and Rude, Elena... send a helicopter.” Beth told the young Turk.
“Why...are you helping me Beth?” Tseng asked again.
“Once a Turk, always a Turk, Tseng...” Beth said, smiling.
“You are a Turk too???” Vincent said shocked. The rest of the group headed on without them, leaving just Beth and Vincent and the two other Turks. Beth nodded and used her ‘Cure’ materia to help Tseng as much as she could.
“Vincent, help me carry him outside...” Beth said. The sound of the helicopter was already upon them.
“RENO!” Beth called, “Take him as fast as you can to the hospital, he should survive...” Beth called above the helicopter’s screaming blades. Elena helped load Tseng and the four Turks took off.
Beth looked to Vincent and nodded, “We’d better hurry along to the group.”
Inside the last room of the temple, Beth and Vincent are just catching up to the group as Sephiroth tells of his plans to rule the world. Beth cuts in front of the whole group, her sword drawn.
“Sephiroth...”
“Who are you?” He growled at her.
“I am your sister, and I will not let you out of here...”
Sephiroth laughed, “I thought that the rumor of my sister was a hoax. But I can tell by looks that you are indeed related to me... but how are you in fighting?” He instantly drew his sword and it smashed against her own.
“Quick reflexes...” He marveled at her. “How about... this?” He swung his sword up and hit against her sword, she blocked that attack as well.
She met him every attack, their swords clanging together like chimes in a church. Beth twirled around and Sephiroth cut her on her arm. She grabbed it and looked at her brother, who was also bleeding on his arm, the arm where she had been cut. She thought for a moment.
“Now, I must take my leave... that is, if my sister is done playing with me...” Sephiroth laughed and then disappeared.
“He’s going to hurt the planet!” Cloud cried, just before Beth saw the Red Dragon that was about to attack.
“Guys, I hate to interrupt, but how did we miss THIS?” Beth points to the dragon, the dragon looks at them for a moment, then attacks.
Cloud started the battle by setting up Haste, Nanaki cast Bio2 on the dragon. The other one fighting, Tifa, cast Barrier to reduce the amount of damage the animal could inflict. Cloud waited for the dragon to attack, biting Nanaki, and then used his Deathblow. Tifa continued the fight as the others watched in the wings.
After the dragon was defeated, Beth found something where her brother was standing before, “It’s an Angel Bangle” Beth said, putting it on and filling it with her materia.
Cloud grabbed the Bahamut Materia. The PHS ringing scared almost the entire group. It was Cait Sith, who they had left outside, apologizing for the Keystone incident and saying that since the Materia was the entire Temple, he was willing to make amends by sacrificing his plush moggle body to get the Black Materia, which was, of course, the entire temple. Cloud agreed. Cait Sith told them to meet them at the exit as soon as they could. Cloud looked at the group of Nanaki, Aeris, Tifa, Beth, Vincent and himself and told them to follow him. Barret and the others were outside, waiting for the good news that they had received the black materia.
Inside the exit room, Beth seems uneasy. “There is something wrong with this door...”
“It seems almost... alive.” Aeris said.
Demon Gate roared to life and snarled as the group prepared for an attack.
Tifa cast Slow on it, Nanaki cast Haste and Cloud set up Barrier. Beth and Vincent got into the act by casting Heal and Magic Barrier.
The battle was won, but left the group hurting. Cloud gave the Gigas Armlet to Vincent, who placed his own materia in it and they let Cait Sith in.
Cait sacrificed his body for the Materia. The temple became the Black Materia. Cloud went down the ladder to retrieve it when he heard Beth screaming.
“SEPHIROTH! COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!” Her sword was drawn and her eyes seemed like blue fire.
It was too late. Sephiroth had taken control of Cloud’s mind, and Beth’s too... causing Cloud to hand over the Black Materia and both of them to attack their allies. Vincent snapped Beth out of the trance and Nanaki stopped Cloud, but it left the group wondering... how could Cloud and Beth be controlled like that?
The group rested in the forest that night, Cloud slept soundly and had a dream... a weird yet beautiful dream of Aeris.... running in a forest, telling him that it would be alright... not to worry.
***
“AERIS!!!!!!!” Tifa yelled for her friend. “Where could she be?”
“She’s gone off, she thinks she can handle Sephiroth by herself...” Cloud said, and looked at the terrified group of allies.
“Are we going to stop her?”
“Yes, and I know where she is going...” Cloud said.
“Sephiroth is in the City of the Ancients...” Beth said.
“What...” Cloud looked at her, “How do you know?”
“Sephiroth is attached to me, somehow... but I don’t know how.” Beth was packing some items into a bag. “The only way to get there is through Bone Village, shall we get going?”