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Final Fantasy VII: The First Crisis

Elochai broke into laughter. "Friendship? What a petty sentiment!" He stepped down away from the throne, raising his blade in her direction. "Actually, you can have him back whenever you want, he's useless to me now." A wicked smile crossed his lips. He never had any interest in Xanatos. He had Chris, alone and away from the support of Shin-Ra. "If you can best me, than Xanatos will go free. Though if you die, than I will have no further use for him."

Xanatos raised his gaze to look at Chris. Desperately he struggled to use the same power Elochai had used to invade Chris' thoughts before. "Though he may be weakened by degradation you can not defeat him with your power alone! You need more power... Take mine..." It was at that time that Xanatos began to speak aloud for everyone in the room to hear.


I was born in fire…
Holy was my mother and Heat was my womb…
From the heavens I have descended…
Though from the earth I was born…
Life is my tears… And death is my roar...
Without end I have become…
Without beginning I will remain…
So…
As I cry…
Tears…
Of The Phoenix!​

The chant was one used in his youth when he had first discovered his limit break "Phoenix Tear". He repeated the chant now in the hopes of granting that same strength to her.
 
Chris stood her ground as Elochai came toward her, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What is your purpose for this, Elochai? You must want something from me, or you would have killed me back in Midgar, before I had the chance to become a SOLDIER." Shooting another quick glance to Xanatos, she nodded to let him know she'd heard him. "There is nothing petty about friendship, traitor. Without friends, you might as well not even be alive"

She turned back to Elochai, repeating the chant that Xanatos was speaking. She wasn't sure if it would work, but she would try anything if it meant she would be able to defeat her enemy.
 
Elochai's eyes grew wide with panic when he heard her begin to repeat the chant Xanatos was speaking. He was present the day that Xanatos had discovered that power. He knew what it was. "No... No. No. No. No. No! That's impossible you can't possibly use that..."

If the chant were to succeed, her body and blade would become sheathed in a powerful flame. Though considering the massive amounts of Mako used during her initiation, the fire would burn white hot to signify the intensified flame. Her speed, and strength would be greatly enhanced by the power and it would last for as long as she had the endurance to maintain it. Ultimately the power would culminate into a single fireball swelling at the end of her blade. The fire surround her body would travel the blade as if it were a channel before meeting with the fireball and exploding forward in a massive Phoenix seeking only to collide with the enemy of it's creator.
 
Raising her sword so it was pointed at her enemy, she could feel the chant take affect, starting where her hand held the hilt of her sword until both herself and the sword were engulfed in the flame. It didn't seem to be hurting her though. "You will die here, Elochai. I had intended on bringing you back alive, but you have given me no other choice."

She repeated the chant. Her voice started out low, but got louder as she continued the chant. When she got to the end of the chant, she shouted the last two words, her gaze never leaving Elochai. She watched as the flame moved from around her body to the tip of her sword, creating a massive fireball. "Good bye, Traitor" After the fireball exploded at Elochai, she fell to her knees, panting heavily.
 
As the phoenix lept forth from the blade, Elochai's look of panic grew. He released a loud shriek of pain as he was consumed by the flames. "I... I will not be one to fade so easily!" He roared before his voice faded into agony and vanished. The resulting explosion of flame consumed the top of the temple blowing it off completely.

With Elochai's hold over them gone, the chains holding Xanatos down fell to the ground. He almost didn't notice he was free at first, he was too busy staring at Chris. Amazed by how powerful she had become. Xanatos forced himself to his feet and leaned against the wall for support.
 
It took a few minutes for Chris to gather enough strength to stand up. The attack had left her almost completely drained of strength. Finally, she turned to slowly move toward Xanatos. "I'm sorry.. I know he was your friend, but I had no choice but to kill him."

Glancing up at what used to be the roof of the temple, she sighed. She hadn't meant to destroy these people's temple. She wasn't even sure how she'd managed to do what she did. It was definitely something worth looking into when they returned to Midgar.
 
Xanatos could tell how weakened that attack had left her. He looked upon the girl with admiration. "I would have done the exact same thing in your shoes. You did nothing wrong." He said as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Let's get home." He said as he turned and slowly walked towards the stairs.

The rest of the team were standing in the center of town when the top of the temple exploded. The pilot's cigarette fell from his mouth as his jaw dropped in awe. "I hope that was our team." He said after a minute.
 
Chris felt a little better about it, knowing that Xanatos would have done the same thing. She gave a light nod, following him down the stairs, fighting to stay conscious long enough to get to the helicopter.

Once they were outside, Chris retrieved a small pouch from her pocket, tossing it to the nearest guard. "That should cover the damages." She may be considered an enemy to the Wutains, but she wasn't one to show disrespect for their culture.
 
Xanatos, though weakened by lack of food or water as well as showing the early signs of decay, maintained enough strength to help support Chris on their way to the chopper. The team looked on in wide-eyed amazement as they saw that Chris had not only slain Elochai but managed to rescue Xanatos. "Well, let's get you guys home." The pilot said as he helped the two into the helicopter. "It's good to have you back sir."

Xanatos gave a quiet nod before turning to where Chris was sitting. There weren't words he could find to express his appreciation for what she had done, nor could he find the words necessary to show how pleased he was with how strong she had become.
 
Once back on the helicopter, Chris sat down and barely had time to buckle herself in before her exhaustion took hold. "Get us home, pilot" Just seconds after speaking, she was out.
 
Xanatos nodded in agreement with what she said. Before long, the chopper was airborne and headed home. It would take a total of about 24 hours of flight between stops to get back to Midgar from Wutai. Xanatos leaned back in his seat and breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to be on his way home. It was going to be hectic having to debrief the director. His face grew grim when he thought about Elochai's last words. The very thought of Elochai coming back sent chills down his spine.

After a couple of refueling stops the Helicopter finally set down at the Shin-Ra helipad. The director stepped out onto the helipad as soon as he'd received word that they were inbound. A broad grin crossed his face when he saw the faces of both Xanatos and Chris. The mission had been successful.
 
Chris had spent most of the trip asleep, recovering from the attack that had left her completely drained. She was awake when the helicopter landed, though not yet at full strength. Getting off the chopper, she nodded to the director. "I would like some time to rest some more, then I'll inform you of the full details of the mission, sir."
 
The director nodded, still unable to stop smiling. "I would have it no other way." He said as he opened the door for them. The both of you should get some rest before we talk." He continued before following them inside. The director returned to his office, parting ways with them near their quarters. Xanatos reached for the door knob before pausing to look over at Chris. "Chris... I..." He paused while he searched for the words. "Thank you."

He opened to the door to his room and entered. He set his coat aside and sat down in front of his mirror. He reached up to touch some of his graying hair. A sigh escaping his lips. "What did you do to me, Elochai?"
 
Chris went to her room, glancing at Xanatos as she opened her door. "Elochai didn't deserve your friendship. He didn't seem to understand what it is to have friends." Smiling, she went inside her room and shut the door. "It was our friendship that defeated him, Xanatos..."

Removing her uniform, she went into her bathroom to start a hot bath. She felt like sleeping for a week, but knew that she would have to go talk to the director eventually.
 
Xanatos laid back across his mattress, staring at the ceiling. He wanted to sleep but he couldn't. He released a long exhale as he watched the ceiling. Though Elochai had lost his mind and was inevitably destroyed. He was still Xanatos' oldest friend. "How could things have gone this bad?" He asked out loud as if expecting the ceiling to answer him. "What did you find out?" Xanatos continued.

He got up from his bed and went to shower. Maybe a hot shower would help clear his mind. He slowly stripped away his uniform before pausing to look at his hair in the mirror one more time. His skin was slightly paler than normal and the tips of his hair were beginning to gray. Whatever Elochai had discovered had to be related to the degradation. He gave a quiet sigh before climbing into the hot water.

After a short while he emerged from his room, wearing a clean uniform. His hair was brushed and clean again rather than matted and knotted. He walked past the director's office and proceeded to lock himself inside of the archives room. "What were you looking for Elochai?"
 
Shutting the water off once the tub was full, Chris got undressed and climbed into the hot water. Slipping down so just her head was above the water, she stared up at the ceiling. Like Xanatos, she had so many questions about what Elochai had been up to. "What were you trying to tell me, Elochai? What did you mean when you called me a 'perfect one'?" It was directed at no one in particular,

She remained in the water until it started to grow cold, going over every conversation with the now deceased SOLDIER in her mind, trying to make some sense of what he had done. "Why did you burn down your hometown?" Sitting up, she pulled the plug to let the water drain out, grabbing a towel to wrap herself in as she got out.

Leaving the bathroom, she went to her dresser to get out a nightgown. Pausing when she noticed the file still sitting on the table where she'd left it before leaving for her first mission. Picking it up, she moved to sit down on the bed, flipping through it again, though she knew it wouldn't give her any new insight to the man she had killed the day before.

It was then that she remembered her last phone conversation with the director. He had offered to get the file that Hojo had kept on the man, but she'd turned the offer down. Now that she was back in Midgar, maybe she could get that information herself. Tossing the file onto the bed, she got up and put on a clean uniform. She would try and sneak into Hojo's office herself and get the file.
 
Xanatos was very displeased. There were a lot more lines covered in strips of black than he would have liked. He slapped the folder down on the table before reaching for another one. Somewhere in here was the starting point for Elochai. The thing that drove him over the edge. But what was it? Xanatos was growing more and more irritated the more he searched. Could Elochai have taken the document with him? If that was the case it was probably destroyed by now.

Xanatos paused for a moment as a thought came to mind. Maybe if he searched Elochai's room he could find something. He quickly stood up and left the archives room. He went back to the first class rooms and walked to where he knew Elochai stayed.
 
Once dressed in her uniform, she left her room and headed for the elevator. She planned on going to the science department, though she wasn't sure if she would be able to get into Hojo's office. While she was waiting for the elevator, she noticed Xanatos going into a room a few feet away. She didn't know whose it was, as she had only been inside two of the 1st class rooms. She decided that the information on Elochai could wait, choosing instead to see what her friend was up to.
 
Xanatos entered the room to find that his belongings had been boxed but not removed. He gave a quiet sigh before sitting down on Elochai's bed and opening the first box, on top of which was an old poster of the two of them when they were much younger posing with the 1st class who trained them. A small smile found his face as he looked at the picture. "Oh... Elochai..." He shook his head before setting the photo aside.

He had more important things to do than take a walk down memory lane, especially with a dead man. Most of the items he found seemed innocent enough, a couple of small trinkets, a few letters from home. It would take a little while of searching before he found what he wanted.
 
Chris walked closer to the door, peeking inside. It didn't take her long to realize that this had been Elochai's room. She had only known the man as an enemy she'd been forced to eliminate, but to Xanatos, he'd been a friend, if only for a short time. She didn't feel right intruding on something that what seemed to be a private moment, but she quietly entered the room anyways.

Coming to a stop a few feet in front of Xanatos, she glanced at the photo that had been put to one side. "I wish I had a chance to get to know him the way you did, Xanatos. Maybe things would have turned out differently then." She knew it would do little to comfort him, but she did regret having to kill Elochai.
 
Xanatos offered her what might have been the first smile he'd ever shown her, albeit a very weak one. "It may seem difficult to believe now, but he used to be quite the hero." The smile faded after a few moments. "He saved many more lives than should be expected of any man. Even a SOLDIER 1st class." He released a quiet exhale as he choked back his emotions, keeping them well hidden behind his poker face.

The strong warrior was significantly more vulnerable than he was letting on at the moment. He didn't bother to disguise the sadness in his eyes. Though he was managing the emotion well. "I don't want you to apologize." He said after a moment. "You did nothing wrong." He shook his head. "If anyone is at fault it's me. I didn't bother to try to help him when he needed me. I could have prevented this."
 
Chris sat down next to Xanatos, reaching to take hold of his hand. "I believe it. Our pilot told me his son has a poster of Elochai hanging on his bedroom wall. I know there has to be more to him than what I witnessed during the short time I've known him."

She could tell that Xanatos was vulnerable emotionally, and she didn't want to upset him even further. Glancing over at him, she shook her head. "It's not your fault, Xanatos. You couldn't have known that he would turn against his friends and allies. No one could have."
 
Xanatos looked down at her hand holding his. He tightened his grip on her hand when she spoke. "He deserved better than this..." He said quietly. "Damn it, he was a hero." He growled lowly. He released her hand and stood up quickly. "Hojo..." He spoke quietly. "He must have known something." Xanatos balled his hands into fists. A steadfast determination found home on his face.

Xanatos turned and left the bedroom without another word, moving in the direction of the elevator to the science department. Xanatos knew that Hojo had the completed file on Elochai and he was going to obtain it. Depending on what he found, he would go to Nibelheim and confront Hojo. Though their was no justifying the evils that Elochai had committed, there was bound to be an explanation.
 
Chris blinked when Xanatos suddenly left the room, to obviously go where she'd been headed herself before she'd spotted him. Getting to her feet, she went after him. "Hey wait up! I'll come with you!" She was glad that he'd not gotten on the elevator yet, as it gave her time to catch up to him. "I was headed to Hojo's office myself before I saw you going into Elochai's room."
 
Xanatos looked down at the young SOLDIER. "The past couple weeks have changed you." He said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're a lot stronger than you were last time I saw you." He turned his attention to the elevator as the doors opened. Xanatos stepped into the elevator and waited for Chris to get on before pressing the floor number.

Xanatos breathed deeply while they waited for the elevator to rise to the appropriate floor. He was almost terrified of what he would find in Elochai's file. If it was enough to shatter the sanity of a hero like Elochai, than the truth was more terrifying than Xanatos might have been ready for.
 
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