After the overwhelming popularity of the idea, I'm starting this rp. Remember, this takes place in the modern time. So people won't be very happy if you draw your weapon in public. Be careful. Also, this was an important question, and I'll answer. You can talk to your Inhabiter whenever you want. And I have to have Sephiroth as my enemy. Sorry, Azure Flame

 

Joy sat in the cafe, drinking his coffee slowly. He couldn't believe all of it was real. Final Fantasy, everything. And why Cloud chose him was boyone his understanding. After all, in the games, he was the cool dude. Still, having the Buster Sword was pretty cool. He finished his coffee and walked out slowly. He put his hands in his pockets and tried to imitate Cloud's expression, but he burst out laughing, causing to people around him to look at him. Oh, if only they knew.

Calder turned, and looked at James.. "So, you're still alive, hmm. I am tempted to fight you, but that would be rude. You are Joy's fight."

***

Joy hit blindly, and heard a sickening splat as he hit her chest where her heart was. "So, you've won." Joy shook his head. "Wait, you could have fought back! Why are you dying?!" Livia groaned in the darkness. "I'm sick of this fighting. Can't it all end?" Joy looked up, as the sun came back. It shined brightly, and Joy didn't want to look down on Livia's body. He was disgusted. Why couldn't they all get along? And with Buster Sword in hand, he started to walk away. But he looked back, and decided since Livia's body obviously was disappearing, he needed to bury it. He picked it up, and walked away. He smiled, and looked towards the sun. "I promise you, Livia, I will end this conflict with all my power."

Edited March 17, 201213 yr by Number XV

(Always, does that mean that Jared wants to go straight to warehouse 59?)

(Always, does that mean that Jared wants to go straight to warehouse 59?)

 

(Yeah. Haha sorry I wasn't very clear about that.)

 

 

Mariah couldn't help stepping back as James jumped down to them—it was her automatic reaction. Then, by what he said, Mariah could tell that his words were sincere. She just hoped that Sephiroth wouldn't somehow take over again in this vulnerable moment.

 

“What is this favor?” she asked warily. Her eyes went to his new, metal arm, and she quickly looked back at his face.

Edited March 17, 201213 yr by Always

(Oh, my goodness, now we need a new villain. Any takers?)

The sun beat on Joy's face as he walked slowly down the long, winding road. It didn't help that Livia's body was pretty heavy. The blood, was soaking into his clothes and dripping down his face. He wiped as much of it off as he could, but it dried. He walked back into the town where his friends were. Beside the small town with the hotel, this was the closest. He turned a corner only to be in front of Mariah, Calder, Chuck and...James.

(Number XV, Cain is the next big villain that everyone's going to fight. That's coming up really soon.)

 

August looked Jared square in the eye and nodded. "Right, to the warehouse!" (At this point I think it would be best to say that Jared and August head that way and will arrive at about the same time as the others.)

"Please, before Sephiroth takes control again, please kill me." he said, bowing his head, tears forming in his eyes. "I don't want to live like this anymore. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore."

Mariah couldn't believe what she was hearing. “James...” she said quietly. “You can't ask us to--”

 

She was cut off when she saw Joy coming around the corner, carrying the body of Livia. She took in the sight of the blood all over him, and wondered how he hadn't been arrested or something. But at least he was safe, which made her happy. Then she realized what he must be thinking upon seeing James. “Um, Sephiroth isn't controlling him at the moment. James is winning against him.” Mariah smiled. “Right, James? It's going to be okay. You can defeat him.”

"No, I can't." he said, crying. "He's too powerful, his will too strong. You saw how I was at the begining. He wasn't even controlling him. He warped my personality to match his so quickly, and he wasn't even in control of me. Please, if you don't kill me now, he will take over again and kill you all."

Mariah's smile disappeared. The sight of James crying...even though she knew the whole time that he was really a good person, it was shocking to see this man, who had been out to kill them all in cold blood, in such a vulnerable state of emotion. She grasped his good hand firmly with both of hers and looked him squarely in the eye.

 

“Don't allow yourself to think like that,” she said. “I believe you can win. I believe in you. His will is strong, but so is yours. I mean, it must have taken a hell of a lot of willpower to...do what you did in that mid-air battle.” She nodded toward his metal arm. “Not only over Sephiroth, but over yourself. I don't think I could ever bring myself to do something like that. But you did. And if you can do that, I'm sure you can beat Sephiroth. Maybe not right away, but if you continue to fight against him, you'll only get stronger and stronger until he's gone for good.” She reached and brushed one of his tears away.

"It's no use." he said. "It was only because Sephiroth was stunned that I was able to overpower him. I won't get another chance. It's the only way I can attone for what I've done. Also, Jenova's head is in the room I came out of. He won't let me destroy it nor will he let me take my own life. That is why I need you to kill me and destroy the head. I won't get another chance to get control again. I would rather you kill me now while I'm vulnerable than have another big battle where some of you may die. Mariah, I like you more than you could ever know, that is why I'm asking you to do this. I don't want to see you die while he uses my body to do it."

Mariah let go of James's hand. “I'll destroy Jenova's head. But I'm not going to kill you, James. There's no way I would be able to live with myself after that. Even after all you've done, I care about you a lot.” Tears were forming in Mariah's eyes now, and she struggled to keep her voice even. “So please, don't ask that of me.”

"It is the only way." he said, handing the Masamune to her. "It must be you, there is no one else I want to do it. I love you Mariah, I always have. That love is what will keep Sephiroth from stopping you. So please, give me this one request. Let me attone for what I have done, and let me die happy." As he said this, he put his hand on her cheek and leaned in, kissing her on the lips, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Mariah was startled at James's confession, and completely froze up when his lips met hers. Her mind was racing a million miles a minute, and her heart was beating like crazy. In this moment, she realized exactly how much she cared about James...he was more than a friend to her. And she softened, closing her eyes, accepting his kiss, touching his cheek. She knew she had to do it...to end his life. There was no other way. And this kiss would make it that much harder. But she wanted to grant his final wish, to make his last moments happy. The tears that had been forming in her eyes were now spilling over. She leaned in and kissed him back passionately. Then, with her free hand, she held the Masamune up and stabbed James right through the heart. He slumped over, lifeless, and Mariah held onto his body, gently laying it on the ground.

 

Then, still on her knees, she began to sob, hunched over with grief. She had never thought she would have to do something like this, not in her worst nightmares. Her mind went back to Joy, and a new shame washed over her. What did he think of all this? Of course, she loved him more than James, no question. But Joy probably wasn't thinking that after what he had just seen. Mariah couldn't blame him. She just hoped that he could eventually forgive her. What she did know for certain was that she would never be able to forgive herself for betraying either of these men like she did today.

Edited March 17, 201213 yr by Always

"Th-thank you Mariah." he said, smiling at her. He slowly faded into the Lifestream. Sephiroth's voice could be heard by all as he faded away. "Damn you James! Damn you Mariah! I will be back! I will never be a memory!"

 

Chuck was startled by what had just happened. All he could say was "Damn."

The sound of Sephiroth's voice reminded Mariah of the other thing James had asked her to do. She stood up slowly and broke into a run, with the tears still streaming down her face. She built up her momentum and ran up the side of the building, then launched herself into the still-open window that James had come from. She immediately spotted Jenova's head. She thought of how this...thing had caused so much torment. If it hadn't been for Jenova, Sephiroth wouldn't have been here. He wouldn't have Inhabited James, and James wouldn't have ended up dying—by her hand, of all people. Joy wouldn't have been hurt by James...or by her. And maybe Marcus wouldn't have died, either. The whole mid-air confrontation started out as a trade-off for Jenova between him and James. And then Cain was there. He had probably been nearby a lot of the time, waiting to strike. But the problem started with Jenova.

 

Rage flared up inside of Mariah, and she snatched up the head. She glared down at it as she held it between her hands and brought it to the window. “This is where you die, bitch!” she proclaimed. She hurled it out the window, straight to the ground below. She didn't know if simply throwing it out like that would do the job, but it definitely made her feel better, especially when she heard the sound of the impact. She jumped out of the window to examine it. We'll have to get to that warehouse soon, she thought. But I'm not going until I'm sure that Jenova's been destroyed.

"Cain...Cain....Cain...CAIN....CAIN ANSWER ME!!!!" Caius thought. "Sorry...I got distracted...just...distracted..." Cain thought. "Boy...do you not feel that? Do you not feel it? They are close...we...we are it! IT! Sephiroth has slipped into the lifestream...all of those heroes now have one goal, one common enemy. YOU! They HATE you. Nothing you can do will ever wash the blood off of your hands! Nothing! Killing is your proffession. Stop being such a panzy!!! You CAN kill them. You WILL kill them. WE WILL END THIS! THIS MUST ALL END! Don't you understand??? Without them, without this...we will be happy. I will not let you screw this up for me!! Not when I'm so close. Throw away those emotions!! Don't you remember anything your masters taught you???" Caius demanded.

 

He then remembered his first kill. It shook his soul apart, but it was so long ago. The next hundred kills seemed so...easy. This last one...that...boy? Just a boy, some rich punk who had the stupidity to turn his back. A victim...nothing more. Forget him. The girl? Some stupid love-struck girl who is out playing hero. Those others? School age punks in need for an ass kicking. He would give it to them... "You're right you know Caius? This is too easy...way too easy. I've done this for years, who says I can't beat down some silly highschool punks? Alright...bring them on. I'll take them down one by one," Cain said with an evil laugh. This was going to be the most fun he'd had in years...

(OOC: I'm going to be gone for the next few days, so I'm giving Always, Damion, Number XV, and Azure Flame the ability to control August. If you feel it necessary that he die, then that's fine too.)

Joy's heart broke, and he just stood there. He came back, and now this was happening. Cloud was right. It is better to be away, where no one can hurt me, and I can't hurt them. He felt tears rolling out of his eyes as he turned and slowly walked away. He didn't look back. Calder called out. "Hey, man, where are you going?" All Calder heard back was "To find the truth." And then Joy was gone. He didn't even see James die. Calder looked back at Mariah, then looked at Joy. Mariah would have Chuck to help her, but Joy needed help too. Calder looked down. "I won't abandon my friends. I won't let Joy disappear again." And so he ran after Joy.

***

Calder arrived next to Joy. Joy looked at him. "What are you doing here?" Calder grinned. "To help you, of course." Joy felt a smile on his lips. "Sure." Calder put his hands beside his head. "So, where are we going?" Joy shook his head. "I don't really know yet. We're just...going." Calder shrugged. "Fine by me. So, do you have a vehicle of any sort?" Joy cursed. "No, I left it out on the country-side." Calder smiled. "It's fine. I'm sure we can 'borrow' a car." Joy smiled. "You mean steal." Calder shrugged again. "Whatever you want to call it." Joy grinned. "Come on then. I see a nice Ford by the corner."

Edited March 17, 201213 yr by Number XV

Mariah found Jenova's head, and it was quite smashed. But she still wasn't satisfied. She took out a small bottle of scented oil she had recently obtained, compliments of the hotel, and emptied it over the head. Then she brought out a lighter she always carried, not because she smoked, but for just-in-case things. And she was glad she did. She lit the lighter and set Jenova's head on fire, and gazed at it with intensity as it burned. The odor that issued from it was awful.

 

Once she was certain that Jenova was no more, she lifted her gaze and looked for Joy. But he wasn't there, and she knew exactly why. She wondered when he had left, where he had gone to. She wished so badly that she could explain herself, but what would she even say? Oh, I'm sorry, I loved two people at once, but I still love you more? No matter what she said or how she said it, it couldn't uncrush his heart. She was struggling to breathe as she told the whole group, “I need a minute alone.” She walked off to the side of the building, out of sight and earshot from the others, and dialed Joy's number. She was sure he wouldn't pick up, but she at least had to leave him a message, just so he would know.

 

As the phone rang, she could sense Tifa's anger at her. “I can't believe you would...” Tifa trailed off, too outraged to finish her sentence.

 

I know. What I did was unforgivable.

 

“Yeah, it kind of was. Now Cloud's gone again, and since the person he's Inhabiting now despises you, I'll probably never see him again. I just hope when you kissed James, Cloud wasn't thinking of it as me kissing Sephiroth.”

 

Why didn't you stop me from kissing him? You could have taken over right then and finished him off yourself, and no one would have blamed you.

 

“Believe me, I would have,” Tifa snapped. “But if I had brought my consciousness to the surface, it probably would have awakened Sephiroth. The first time you and James met, you saw how hard it was for him to keep Sephiroth from killing you. If he had taken over James in that moment, in such close proximity, you and I would have been killed instantly. Anyway, great job shattering Joy.”

 

If Mariah hadn't been so emotionally spent from ending James and hurting Joy, those last words would have stung horribly, especially coming from Tifa. But she couldn't feel anything now. Numbness had taken over.

 

Well, soon it won't matter anymore, Mariah thought tiredly. Right after I've said what I have to say to Joy, we're going to pay a visit to Cain.

 

“Why?” Tifa asked suspiciously.

 

Because he's very obviously set up a trap for all of us. If I go ahead of everybody and he finishes me off, maybe he'll be satisfied, and he won't go after anyone else.

 

“So you're just going to let him take your life?!”

 

I won't go down without a fight, but I don't think you and I will be strong enough to beat him. But who knows? Maybe we are. Maybe we can save the governor. I doubt it, but it's possible. Whatever happens, I can't do this anymore. I've already killed two people, and broken Joy's heart. I'm prepared to die, but I'm also prepared to end Cain if I somehow can. He doesn't deserve to live, anyway.

 

Mariah could practically feel Tifa sigh in defeat. “Alright, Mariah, I'll go along. But I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you alive, and once we're done with Cain, you're going to help me find Cloud.”

 

Okay.

 

The two fell into silence as they waited. Joy's phone had been ringing for a while now. If he didn't pick up on the next ring, she'd be leaving what would very likely be her last message to him.

Joy blared the radio's music as Joy and Calder drove along in the Ford they 'borrowed.' Calder grinned. "These are pretty good Cokes. From a gas station, at least." Joy shrugged. "At least they're better than from a Wal-Mart or something." Calder pulled out his sword, and flipped it. "I'll never understand how you carry that big thing around. Anyways, don't you think we should look for your motorcycle?" They arrived at the site of Livia's death, remembering how they buried her a little while back in a small cemetery. Joy found his not-so-broken phone to be ringing. Glad it still worked, he grinned at Calder. "Hey, whoever this is, what's up?"

Edited March 17, 201213 yr by Number XV

“Joy,” Mariah began, her voice coarse. Her eyes watered at the sound of his voice, which she never expected to hear again. “...I can't tell you how sorry I am. I know I wounded you, and you never want to see me again. I just wanted to say that I love you. I have from the very beginning. What happened with James...he could never replace you. I love you more than my own life, and more than...” she was going to say “James's life,” but her throat started to close up and she couldn't finish the sentence. “Anyway, he's gone now. I...I killed him. I didn't do it just because he asked me to, but also because...I couldn't stand the thought of Sephiroth taking control of him again and trying to take your life. I guess that doesn't really explain why I...kissed James. I cared about him. But I care about you more. I ended his life to save you. I love you. More than you know. I...just wanted to tell you that.” She was ready to hang up, but she kept the phone to her ear just in case he had anything to say to her.

Joy was speechless. Calder looked at him and said loudly, "Who is it?" Joy shook his head. "I'm sorry too. But I have to find my own path, and my own feelings. Sorry. Bye." And he hung up. It was short, but it got his point across. He then looked at Calder. "It was Mariah." He then threw the phone to the ground, and stepped on it. "I have to find my own answers in life. My OWN feelings. Not Cloud's." Calder shrugged. "I saw a cool Dairy Queen near here. They have some pretty good deals. Might get your mind off of things."

(Um....what is going on here? And where did my story characters just go?)

(@Xeveemon: I was assuming Paul and Victoria were witnessing the scene with Mariah and James. Did you read the posts before this? Mariah killed James, but she kissed him before doing so, which broke Joy's heart. Now Joy and Calder are wandering around. Mariah's off by herself, and Chuck is probably in front of the hotel, where I thought Paul and Victoria were as well.)

 

Mariah closed her eyes and sighed shakily when the line went dead. “Well, that's that.” She had expected Joy to hang up with her right away instead of saying something to her, but at least now she knew that he had a goal in mind: to search for his own path. His life would go on. He wouldn't miss her.

 

Tifa wondered about Cloud. Was he even influencing Joy anymore? Joy's actions seemed a little too similar to Cloud's personality, but it was probably just because their personalities had melded. Maybe it wasn't a question of influence anymore. Either way, Cloud was gone now, and she didn't know where to find him. And Mariah was so set on confronting Cain that Tifa could do virtually nothing to stop her. But she was comforted by the fact that Cain seemed to be the only enemy any of the Inhabiters had to worry about now, so Cloud should be safe, no matter what happened to her because of Mariah's irrational choices. At least, that was what she hoped for.

 

“Okay, Tifa, let's go,” Mariah said.

 

“So you're just going to leave everybody else behind, waiting around?”

 

I don't want them to get hurt. I'm not going to ask them to come with me. But if they still want to fight Cain that badly, they'll probably figure out soon enough that I've gone without them, and they can catch up. Besides, August will be there. I won't be completely alone. Maybe we can beat Cain. But I don't want more lives to be risked than necessary.

 

With that, she set off running in the direction of warehouse 59, where she wasn't sure she'd end up victorious, but she would try. She had been ashamed of killing James and Scardigne. But Cain...she couldn't sense any goodness in him. He had attacked Marcus from behind and coldly murdered him, and something told her it hadn't been his first kill. In fact, he'd probably killed hundreds of people, even before he was Inhabited. Normally, the idea of ending even a man like him would have appalled Mariah, but after all she had been through, she just didn't care anymore. Whether she lived or died, whether Cain was able to magically transform into a better person or he ended up dying by her hand. She just ran towards the place he had said he would be, ready to face him.

Joy finished his ice cream and looked at the TV. It was playing a newscast about the guy who murdered Marcus, and he was doing more crap. Joy was tempted to go, but it would be just cruel to arrive after saying he needed time alone only to be the hero yet again. He looked down, and looked up at Calder. "So, how are we gonna find ourselves? I haven't met Tidus yet." Calder shrugged. "He's only spoken to say he's my Inhabitor. Something tells me Cloud doesn't speak much either." Joy nodded. "Yeah. Come on. Time to go."