The Attack on Aeris
	Cloud, Red XIII, and Tifa walked into the City of the Ancients. There, on a small island, was Aeris, kneeling, apparently praying for guidance in her fight with Sephiroth.
	"Wait here." Cloud motioned to the others, and began hopping across the small stepping-stones that led to Aeris. . .the stepping-stones that led to his love. 
As he reached the island, he felt a red haze begin to penetrate his mind. The haze...that invasive presence...
No! He couldn't be going through that again!!
In a daze, unable to stop himself, he watched himself walk over to Aeris, stop in front of her, draw his old Buster Sword
(could she actually not see him? He was right there!!) lift the sword, as if to strike...
	And then he heard Tifa shout his name, and Nanaki shout what was he doing?! Cloud didn't know himself.
	"Ugh...What are you making me do?" he asked the red haze as it fled his mind. 
	Aeris looked up, saw Cloud, and smiled...
	And Sephiroth siezed that moment to attack. He plunged down from the vaulted ceiling, sword first, 
intending to drive the legendary Masamune Blade through Aeris...
	When suddenly, from the waters surrounding the island, rose a figure. A tall, dark-haired, blue-clad figure, with a glowing wand. 
The figure pointed the wand at Sephiroth, and time froze.
	A bolt of blue-white light struck the former SOLDIER, knocking the deadly sword off its destined course...
	And Sephiroth into the water.
	The figure rode the waves onto the island where Aeris Gainsborough would have met her fate. 
He stepped into the light, and Cloud and the others got their first good look at the man who saved Aeris.
	He was handsome; Cloud had to give him that. The chiseled features, tanned and rugged, were nonetheless those of a young boy.
The shock of curling black hair fell across bright blue eyes that glowed with energy, but not the energy of a SOLDIER.
That in itself was enough to put Cloud at ease.
	"Hi." the figure said...his voice was cool, capable, and mature, even in the mouth of a young boy.
"My name's Collin. Collin Clarke."
	He looked at a watch he wore. "We don't have much time. That blast I hit Sephiroth with was strong, 
but not powerful enough to keep him down for long. I don't have time to talk right now. . .but I want to join you."
	"Why?" Cloud asked, suspicious. He liked this young man, and he had saved Aeris, but from what Cloud had learned from
the deceased Cait Sith and the (regrettably) still-breathing Yuffie, even the best of initial impressions could mislead.
	"Because I owe Shinra." the newcomer said. "I used to live in Sector 7, behind Tifa's 7th Heaven, before it was destroyed.
Sephiroth used to work for Shinra, and epitomize the damned SOLDIER program. So he deserves just as much pain as Shinra. I've been following you, Cloud. Since you left Midgar, I've been following you.
You're the only people I know who can give it to him.
	"I want to be there when you give it to him."	"Oh, do you?"
	The five fighters looked up. Sephiroth floated above them, dripping wet, but otherwise unhurt.
The Masamune was sheathed, but Cloud knew Sephiroth, and his capabilities; he could have the sword back out in the blink of an eye.
	Cloud looked around. "Tifa, take Aeris and get her out of here. Go back to the Capital; Sephiroth won't get her there."
	Aeris rushed forward, Princess Guard in hand. "But Cloud, I want to..."
	"Aeris, he nearly killed you. I want you out of here. Both of you." He shot a glance at Tifa.
	"All right." Crestfallen, Aeris allowed Tifa to lead her away.
	Setisfied, Cloud looked back up. "We're going to finish this here and now." he sneered.
	Sephiroth laughed. "Not today. My destiny lies in the Northern Mountains. Go there to finish it." He laughed again.
"If you survive, that is." He whipped his sword out, and flew away, leaving behind a tiny black ball...
	That unfurled into an enormous creature...Jenova-Life.
	Collin started the battle in earnest. Pulling his wand out from his belt with an uncanny speed, he shot a ray of blue-white light at the creature. 
It simply laughed, and retaliated with a Blue Flame that injured him badly. Nanaki, responding to this, shot a Fire spell at Jenova, which had more effect. . .
But not much more. Jenova put up a quick Reflect spell, which bounced the spell off of it onto Nanaki, who howled as the flames he'd shot at Jenova licked at him. 
Thankfully, he wore the Fire Ring, and took no damage from it.
	Cloud winced as he watched Collin and Red's efforts. The newcomer was good, but if he didn't step in soon, the two of them would lose.
Unsure of what to do, he unsheathed his sword, and Sensed the creature. He found that, while it was immune to Water and Ice, Earth did a surprising amount of damage to it. Storing this information, he passed it on to Nanaki and Collin. 
As for Cloud himself, he had the Summon Materia "Titan," which would give him a fair to decent advantage over Jenova.
	"If that is the case, I'm pretty useful here." Collin grinned. "I have an Earth Materia with three AP levels on it. How 'bout you, boy?" he asked Red.
	Red simply grinned back. "I have the exact same thing, Collin. And please don't call me 'boy;' I'm 48 years old. My name is Nanaki, or Red XIII if you prefer."
Collin stared. "You...you can talk?!"
	"Like I told Cloud and the others when I first met them; I'll talk as much as you want later. Right now, we have a monster to beat!"
	Jenova must have understood him; it roared in anger and hit all three heroes with an Aqualung that hurt Collin badly and knocked Red unconscious.
Cloud smirked. "You haven't won yet!!" he yelled, and held up his left hand. On the third finger, he wore a bright blue ring.
	"READ IT AND WEEP, MONSTER!" Cloud screamed at Jenova. The ring was a Water Ring, 
made with the power to enable its wearer to absorb water-based attacks and use them as Curative spells. Cloud laughed again at Jenova, and charged forward, brandishing the Murasame sword. One swift strike was all he had time for, before he threw an X-Potion at Collin.
	Collin, back on his feet now, cast Life2 on Nanaki, who was revived instantly. "Grr...DeBarrier!" Nanaki shouted.
	"DeBarrier?" Collin looked at Cloud quizzically.	Cloud just smiled chillingly.
	A burst of blue light, accompanied by the sound of breaking glass, signaled the end of Jenova's Reflect spell. Collin, taking advantage of this, cast Quake at Jenova. The earth shook, and a vast crater opened up from under Jenova. It fell into the crater, and a mound of earth tumbled down on it, bouncing off of its slick hide and wounding it.
	Nanaki howled joyously, finding his Limit broken. "Blood Fang!!" he howled, and tore past Jenova, his fangs finding a chunk of Jenova's flesh. The flesh turned into energy in his mouth, and he swallowed it, restoring the life and magic he had lost so far.
	Collin found his limit broken, as well. "Big Shot Barrage!!" he yelled, and held out his wand and free hand. Huge orange fireballs began gathering at his fingertips and the tip of his wand. He drew back, and threw the fireballs at Jenova-Life. They connected with satisfying THUDs, injuring Jenova bady with each strike.
	Cloud reached into his memory, searching for spells to use on Jenova. His train of thought was interrupted, however, when Jenova hit him with a Blue Light that, while blinding, only added to his life energy. Enraged, he threw a Comet at Jenova, which slammed into it with a satisfying impact that wounded it badly.
	Jenova was on its last tentacled now. It threw another Aqualung at the party, but Nanaki set up an M-Barrier around the entire party, and the damage was half as bad as it was before. Collin Cured the party quickly, and turned to Cloud.
	"Cloud!" he yelled. "We're gonna back off! Think you can handle Jenova yourself?!"
	Cloud grinned, and nodded. Collin seemed at least intelligent. "I have a special Materia designed for heavy Earth damage. I'll be fine."
	"Okay! See you at...UGH!!" Jenova had hit Collin with a Blue Flame. "Guess not!" Collin said. "We'll just stay here, okay?"
	"Fine." Cloud turned back to Jenova. His anger was pushed pastr its Limit, but he knew that the Titan Materia would do more damage.
	"Anger of the Land!!!" he yelled, and vanished, to be replaced by an enormous Titan. The Titan grunted, and bent down, grabbing a huge chunk of the floor in his massive hands. 
He strained to pick it up, then with an enormous heave, flipped it over onto Jenova. Jenova screeched one more time, then vanished in a burst of red light.
	In displays of exuberance, Collin shot a beam of blue light into the air from his wand, Nanaki reared up and unleashed a joyous howl, and Cloud spun his sword with a flourish before finally sheathing it.