A/n: Since there are a lot of back-to-back boss fights at the end of FFVII Remake, I'll be cutting a lot of them short so I don't drag anything out. Hope you all enjoy! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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As they boarded the elevator, Hayden disabled the camera.

While the elevator carried them up, Lailah awkwardly stood between Hayden and Cloud. They were both taller than her and she could sense their heated glares being cast over her head at each other. She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Tifa laughed awkwardly. "Looks like Lailah's in a tough spot..."

"Yep," Aerith giggled. "Stuck between an overprotective brother and an overprotective boyfriend. I can't even imagine myself being in her shoes."

"Neither can I."

"But that won't stop me!" Aerith stepped forward. She grabbed Lailah's hand and tugged her away from Hayden and Cloud. She hugged the shorter girl while gazing at the two boys. "You two are stressing out our sweet Lailah. You better stop or I'll personally push you both off the roof!"

Cloud and Hayden looked at Aerith before glancing back at each other. They turned their heads to avoid any more eye contact with one another.

The sable-haired man combed a hand over his slicked-back locks. "Listen, I learned only a week ago that my only living sister was alive and Shinra was after her. You understand why I want to protect her, right?"

The ex-SOLDIER crossed his arms. "Yeah. You're not the only one who wants to protect her."

"I know," he sighed. "Like I said earlier, I'll take her away from you if it means protecting her. But...I know how happy you make her. If I took her away, she would be miserable. So you and I better get along because you'll be seeing me a lot more, blondie. Just don't break her heart or I'll—"

"I won't," Cloud declared.

"Are they...getting along?" Tifa whispered to Aerith and Lailah.

Aerith released the shapeshifter, glancing between the two. "I think so. In their own weird way, though."

"As long as I don't need to keep them separated, I'm okay with anything," Lailah said.

Arriving back at the 68th floor, they stepped off the elevator and immediately knew something was wrong. The large test tube containing Jenova was destroyed. Making their way across the catwalk, they were able to confirm the extraterrestrial being was gone. All that remained was a trail of strange glowing liquid leading away from the shattered tube.

"What the hell's going on?" Barret asked.

Tifa looked at the destruction. "Who would...?"

"We may find out soon," Red replied.

"Let's go," Cloud said.

As the others went ahead, Lailah lagged behind with her brother. "Could it be him?"

"No doubt," Hayden responded. "We best stay on high alert."

While waiting for the second elevator to reach the current floor, Barret asked, "So what's above this floor?"

"The president's office. And then the roof," Red answered.

When the elevator arrived, Aerith stopped everyone from entering. "Wait. Once we get in that elevator, there's no turning back."

Tifa glanced around at her comrades. "We're ready...right?"

Cloud seemed perturbed by her uncertainty. "Huh?"

"The elevator back there can take us down to the central terminal again," Red explained. "Now's the time for any unfinished business."

"It would be wise to be prepared for what's ahead," Lailah chimed in. "But, I think we are. What do you say, Cloud?"

The ex-SOLDIER was in agreement. "I'm ready to do this. Let's go."

"Then let's head to the roof," Hayden said. "I just hope we don't get sidetracked..."

They entered the elevator and rode it to the 69th floor, the executive suite. One more floor and they would be in the president's office.

A chilling silence befell the group when they stepped off the elevator. They followed the trail of strange liquid, noting its unsettling glow and movement. It almost seemed to be a living specimen.

They followed the trail all the way up to the 70th floor. Entering the president's office, they were shocked to see no one.

"Where the hell is that bastard hiding?" Barret growled, unable to wait any longer to face President Shinra.

"And Sephiroth?" Tifa asked.

Lailah noticed the large hole in the window. She titled her head in confusion, wondering what happened.

"Wait," Red spoke up. "I can hear something."

The shapeshifter also heard the noise. As she approached the hole in the window, she realized someone was shouting for help. "It's coming from outside."

"Please, help me!" The person hollered.

Everyone rushed out to the rooftop. They followed the cry for help and found President Shinra himself clinging to the edge of the building for dear life. "Help me..." he begged.

"Well, well, well..." Barret stared at the helpless man.

"Pull me up!" President Shinra shouted pleadingly. "I'll give you all the money you want! I have gil! Plenty of it!"

Tifa rushed to help him, but Barret stopped her.

The brute vaulted over the railing and squatted down. "Thing is, I don't want your money."

The president's arms shook as he could feel his grip slipping. "Please!" His fingers slipped and he screamed as he began to fall, but he was saved when Barret grabbed his arm. He felt more fear coursing through his veins when the brute single-handedly lifted him up as if he weighed nothing. He stared in horror at him. "Just let me live. Everything you want can be yours."

Barret's tone was lower than usual. "I'm a man of modest dreams. Dropping you from seventy stories up would get me damn near to good."

"But not all the way. You want something more, don't you?!"

"More than this right here? Talk to me again like you know me." Barret tossed the president up into the air and spun his body around, grabbing him by the back of his collar.

"Barret!" Tifa hollered.

"Stop it!" Aerith shouted.

"A corpse can't rectify his wrong-doings," Hayden remarked.

Listening to them, Barret tossed President Shinra back onto the roof. The older man screamed and rolled across the floor until he came to a stop. He was wracked with coughs, grabbing his throat. When he saw the brute hop over the railing and stalk towards him, he scrambled to his feet in fear and started to back away.

Barret threateningly followed after him. "You're gonna get on TV and tell 'em. Tell 'em what you did to Sector 7—that it was you who killed all those people! Then, you're gonna tell them the truth about Avalanche."

"Should we stop him?" Lailah asked.

"Not yet," Hayden said.

Barret had followed the president back into his office. "That Avalanche ain't Wutai or anybody's puppet! That Avaalnche fights for the people—the planet! That we fight to hold Shinra to account for its crimes! That is Avalanche! The filthy sewer rats...who brought down a goliath! You tell 'em that."

President Shinra manages to reach his desk after running frantically and tripping a few times. Once Barret finished his declaration, the president was oddly calm as he replied. "Is that really all you want? For your names to be cleared?" He walked out from behind his desk. "Hmph. That is what matters most to you? More than shutting down the reactors? Than the future of the planet itself?"

"Huh?" Barret tried to approach him but stopped when the president revealed the gun he grabbed from his desk. "Damn."

President Shinra aimed the gold-plated handgun at the brute. "You're lying to yourself, even now. Truth...justice, honor, freedom! Vain indulgences, every one. Picture it! Picture a world without Shinra. Without mako energy. A stagnant, impotent world. Now picture a natural disaster. Who would help the people? Help them recover and rebuild? You? With their old world ruined, will they thank you for the new?"

Lailah, who was the first to reenter the office, watched in horror as Barret was held at gunpoint. Her eyes met the brute's when he looked over at her. As the others entered behind her, she quietly activated one of her chakrams and waited for the perfect moment to strike.

"I'm going to give you a chance. One last opportunity to consider what your principles are truly worth. But bear in mind that time is of the essence," President Shinra said, having forced Barret to back away.

Barret glared at him. "And what about you Mister President. What are your vaunted principles?"

"What principles?" The president sneered. "Did you understand even a single word of what I told you? I know what I want, and I take it. I take advantage of whatever I can, and discard that which I cannot. There is no room for sentiment or guilt."

"Lailah," Cloud whispered her name once seeing the president was about to pull the trigger.

"I've got this." The snowy-haired girl tossed her chakram.

The curved blade sliced through President Shinra's sleeve and created a deep gash along his wrist. The pain from the cut caused him to drop the handgun. He hissed in pain and glared in the direction the weapon came from. As he took a step toward Lailah and the others, the sickening sound of a sword piercing flesh stopped him. All he could feel was pain. With jagged movements, he looked down to see a long sword plunged through his chest.

Behind the president stood a grinning Sephiroth. He yanked his ōdachi out of his body, his smirk growing as the elderly man collapsed.

"You son of a bitch!" Barret yelled angrily.

Lailah was about to shout at the brute when she felt the chilling sensation of the Whispers. From the door behind them, the agents of destiny flew into the office. She was blinded for a few seconds when they flew past her and the others.

"Barret!" She heard Tifa shout.

The moment the Whispers allowed her to see, she was horrified at the sight. Sephiroth had stabbed Barret. A silent gasp fell from her lips as Tifa, Aerith, Hayden, and Red ran past her. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the smirking Sephiroth as he yanked his sword out of the brute's body.

The Whispers frantically flew around. A few caught Barret and lowered him gently to the floor while another began healing him immediately.

Sephiroth walked up the small stairwell toward the president's desk. With a single swing from his ōdachi, the Whispers vanished.

Aerith, Tifa, and Red ran to the unconscious Barret while Hayden targeted Sephiroth. He raised his handgun and aimed it at the man's back. He pulled the trigger, but the bullet did nothing.

Sephiroth turned as a miasmic wind swirled around him. He smirked at them, his face turning into a strange skeletal mask. The wind turned into a vortex before dispersing into a cloud of particles that covered the room.

When the particles faded, Lailah realized their surroundings had changed. They were no longer in the president's office. At the center of the ominous room loomed a creature they had never seen before—a Jenova Dreamweaver.

"This is..." Red stared at the horrifying creature.

"The source. Of everything," Aerith said.

Cloud and Lailah ran over and prepared for a fight. Hayden, Red, Tifa, and Aerith did the same and were ready for battle. The dreamweaver shrieked and the fight was on.

"What's happening?!" Tifa shouted, confused as to what was going on.

"It's an illusion. Stay calm," Red told her.

Lailah, with her chakrams blazing, attacked the creature. She targeted the right tentacle with her brother and Red. All three of them dodged the dreamweaver's attacks before delivering a few hits. Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa did the same with the left tentacle.

In the midst of battle, Hayden jumped back and returned his pistol to its holster.

Lailah saw this and shouted, "What are you doing?!"

"Gonna give it something its own size to fight."

Hayden transformed into a deer with white fur and red markings. His antlers were grand and branched out in different directions. With a growl, he charged at the dreamweaver, using his antlers to pierce its body.

Lailah followed her brother's movements and timed her attacks around his. Aerith and Tifa kept their distance, using materia to strike the creature. Cloud was behind it, slashing away at its back.

Halfway through the battle, the dreamweaver's tentacles multiplied as it cast a spell to make it invincible. Seeing as they couldn't attack the main body, they dealt with the multitude of tentacles.

From the corner of her eye, Lailah saw a tentacle sprout from the main body and stretch toward Aerith. Just as it was about to grab her, the shapeshifter tossed her chakrams and sliced the tentacle in half.

Because she was focused on protecting her friend, another tentacle emerged from the main body and shot toward her. It wrapped around her ankle, yanking her off her feet. She fell to the ground just before she could catch her chakrams. She screamed as the dream weaver dragged her towards it. She tried to use her magic, but her head slammed against the ground when the creature yanked her harder.

"Lailah!" Aerith hollered. "Let her go!" She tried to attack the tentacle holding the girl, but another one sprouted from the ground in front of her and blocked her way. Tifa and Hayden tried the same and wound up being blocked by tentacles as well. Red managed to slip past a few tentacles, but the dreamweaver created another one and smacked him away.

The creature jerked Lailah toward it. Once she was close enough, it started to absorb her into its body. She could feel the coldness and sliminess of its flesh against her body. Because her head was slammed against the ground earlier, she couldn't concentrate and use her magic to free herself. Her vision was blurry and blood seeped down her forehead and cheek.

When her legs were nearly absorbed by the dreamweaver, someone grabbed her arm and prevented her from being drawn in any further. Her vision cleared just enough to see familiar blonde locks. "Cloud..."

"Just hold on!" He shouted. He held on to her arm for dear life while he used his sword to slice the tentacles that tried to stop him. When it seemed the tentacles were no more, he jammed his sword into the creature's body and tried to cut her free.

As she hung on to him, her eyes widen as she recalled what Red said earlier. "An illusion..." Her mind cleared just enough for her to cast a water illusion spell. She made sure it was large, almost as big as the dreamweaver.

An ultros made of water appeared behind Cloud. It uses its own tentacles to help the ex-SOLDIER while also fighting against the dreamweaver. The water illusion was able to siphon what was left of the creature's life.

Cloud's hand slipped from his sword when the dreamweaver's body faded and there wasn't any more resistance. The hand gripping Lailah's arm remained strong. Due to how strong he was holding onto her, he wound up falling backward and landing on the floor with her on top of him.

The ultos dissolved, turning into a puddle of water.

Cloud sat up with Lailah between his legs. While his one hand was still latched onto her arm, his other rested on her lower back. His sword laid on the ground in front of them. Releasing her arm, his fingers trailed up to her cheek. He wiped the blood off her face, only to find the gash located close to her hairline.

As he went to see just how deep it was, the skin mended itself. He saw the familiar emerald glow and knew she had healed herself. "You okay?" he asked just above a whisper.

Her eyes locked with his. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Lailah," Hayden dashed over, falling to a single knee.

"I'm fine," she smiled at her brother.

"Good," he sighed in relief. Then, he glanced at the ex-SOLDIER. "Thank you for protecting her, Cloud."

"Don't mention it," the blonde replied.

Cloud and Lailah got to their feet. As he reclaimed his sword, the illusion faded and they were back in the president's office.

The place where the dreamweaver was now stood a man with tattered robes and the number '49' tattooed on his arm. He wailed in pain at the top of his lungs before collapsing. His body disintegrated to reveal the pale purple form of a woman wrapped in cloth.

Cloud rushed forward to the body, only to stop abruptly when Sephiroth appeared. He was still startled and frightened at the man's appearance. What made it worse was the malicious grin on his face. His piercing cyan eyes bore into Cloud as if searching deeply inside him.

Sephiroth picked up the woman's body. His attention along with Cloud's was drawn to a low humming in the distance.

Realizing it was the Avalanche helicopter, Cloud looked back at Sephiroth and found he was gone. He frantically looked around, locating the man outside.

Lailah, after Hayden returned her chakrams to her, saw the platinum-haired man outside as well. She went to pursue him with Cloud when he flew off. However, the couple stopped when they heard a startled gasp from Barret. They turned to see he was alive and well.

"Barret!" Tifa shouted as she, Aerith, and Red dashed over. She fell to her knees beside him. "Are you hurt?!"

Barret placed a hand where he was stabbed and found no wound. "Don't think so."

"This death was not the one ordained for you by fate," Red said.

With help from Tifa, Barret sat up and addressed the Whisper that had saved his life. "Thanks."

The hooded figure lingered in a manner that seemed grateful for hearing the brute's appreciation. It then sought to leave by floating toward the open door.

Before exiting the office, it swirled around Lailah a few times. She held out her hand and touched the Whisper before it gently floated out of the room. "Stay..." she repeated the word it spoke to her.

Having been distracted by the entity, she didn't realize Cloud had charged out of the office in pursuit of Sephiroth. She debated on whether to follow him but decided against it since she wanted to check on the others. "Hey," she jogged up to them, her gaze focused on Barret. "Need any healing?"

Barret smiled at her kindness. "Nah, I'm good. Let's go catch that chopper."

As they made their way out of the office, Aerith, Tifa, and Red turned to her.

"Are you okay, Lailah?" Tifa asked worriedly.

"You were grabbed by that dreamweaver and almost devoured," Aerith added.

"I was a little banged up, but nothing a little healing couldn't fix," the shapeshifter smiled.

"That illusion..." Red began. "Water manipulation is a specialty of the Glacies Tribe. I was not aware you knew such a spell."

"My mother taught me how to perform water illusions before we left Sector 5. I will confess, I wasn't expecting them to be so useful in such a short amount of time."

Reaching the landing pad, the group stood below the Avalanche helicopter. They waited for Cloud, who regrouped with them a couple of minutes later.

"Everyone okay?" Cloud asked.

Barret patted his chest and nodded. "Hey. Get your man?"

"He got away," he confessed dejectedly.

"Huh." The brute grabbed his sunglasses and slid them back on his face. "'Bout time we made our escape too."

Suddenly, the Avalanche helicopter exploded. A collective gasp came from the group as they watched the burning chopper fall from the sky. The Whispers floating around the platform were unfazed by the explosion. With the chopper shot out of the sky, they got a perfect view of the Shinra helicopter that shot it down. It was coming in fast for a landing.

"Shit," Cloud hissed. He then gestured for them to run, seeing as they needed to escape as soon as possible. They couldn't afford too many distractions.

Alas, the group stopped once they saw who stepped off the helicopter.

Barret recognized the man in an instant. "If it ain't Rufus Shinra. Heir to the throne himself."

"Yep," Cloud replied.

"If he's come here personally..." Lailah began.

"We're in trouble," Aerith finished.

Barret was prepared to fight Rufus. He went to stomp over to the man, but Cloud spoke up. "Stop."

This puzzled the brute. "Huh?! The hell I will! We can finish off the family here and now!"

Cloud's mako-infused eyes never left the burly man. "Take Aerith and Lailah. Get outta here." He saw the officers approaching them with their firearms raised. "I'll buy you guys some time."

Barret was insistent on helping him. "I could stay here—back you up."

The blonde's determined gaze turned to one of pleading. "Barret...I'm asking you. Please."

He was conflicted. He wanted to stay and help, but he also wanted to respect the ex-SOLDIER's wishes. He rubbed the back of his neck with a grumble. "Fine. Have it your way then. But you better be right behind us."

Lailah and Tifa were the two to hesitate in following Barret, Aerith, Red, and Hayden. Willing themselves to follow, they ran back the way they came and entered the office.

Halfway back to the elevator, Lailah stopped in her tracks. She looked back up the stairs leading to the president's office when she remembered what the Whisper told her. "Is this what you meant...?"

"Lailah?" Tifa called out.

Looking back at the others, she saw they had stopped too.

"What's wrong?" Aerith asked.

"I...I'm going back to help Cloud," the shapeshifter answered. "Hayden, could you...?"

The sable-haired man nodded. "I'll make sure they're safe. Don't be too reckless, Lailah."

She smiled gratefully at her brother.

Aerith gave her a thumbs up. "Go save your man!"

Lailah laughed before running back up the stairs. She ran into the officers in the president's office, but they stood no chance against her. Chakrams in hand, she ran to the roof where she found Cloud already in a heated battle with Rufus and his personal guard dog, Darkstar. She thought about connecting to the canine but saw it was impossible when she detected the link it had with its charge.

Seeing Darkstar leap at Cloud and Rufus aiming his gun at him, she decided to target the heir himself once seeing the blonde was focused on the canine. Running over to join the fray, she tossed her chakrams and hit Rufus' gun. His aim was knocked askew, the bullet missing the blonde by an inch. Her action caught not only the attention of Rufus but Cloud as well.

Rufus lowered his gun slightly at the sight of her. "The heiress of this world."

Cloud shoved Darkstar back. "Why did you come back?!"

Lailah caught her chakram. "I want to help you. No matter what you say, I'm staying."

The blonde gazed at her before gripping his sword tightly with both hands. "You're stubborn sometimes, you know that?"

She grinned. "I learned from the best."

A faint chuckle came from the ex-SOLDIER. Although she went against his wishes, he was happy to have her fight beside him. "Let's do this."

"Leave the canine to me."

"Got it."

Cloud targeted Rufus while Lailah dealt with Darkstar. She tried a few times to connect with the animal but failed. Knowing there was no other way, she fought against the canine.

Although Cloud had been keeping Rufus occupied, he was still able to give Darkstar commands. The canine did as he was told, but it wasn't enough. It stood no chance against the shapeshifter as she used her chakrams and magic to defeat it.

Darkstar attempted to recover and rejoin the fight, but Rufus stopped the canine. With a simple hand gesture from the man, the dog made a quick retreat.

Now standing next to Lailah, Cloud glared at the man. "Now it's just the two of us." He then mocked what Rufus had said to him earlier. "Well, maybe three."

With a smirk, Rufus revealed tow coins he was holding. He tossed them into the air, drawing Cloud and Lailah's attention. Aiming his gun at the ground, he pulled the trigger and blasted his body toward them. Setting his sights on the blond, he lifted his gun and attempted to strike him.

Cloud was quick to block the attack.

Rufus then tried to get behind him, only to be stopped by Lailah. She swiped her chakrams at him and pushed him back.

Putting some distance between him and the couple, Rufus smirked. "Let's make it a night to remember."

Cloud gripped his sword with both hands. "It's on for real now?"

"Yeah," the man replied. "You two should be honored."

Rufus used his gun to propel himself across the roof. Lailah and Cloud kept their distance from him, dodging and blocking his attacks until they found an opening. They slashed at him and managed to knock him down to a single knee, but he quickly recovered. He grabbed Cloud and spun him around, aiming his gun at his back.

Before he could pull the trigger, Lailah appeared behind him and delivered a powerful shock to his body. The jolt forced him to let go of Cloud. Once the pain subsided, he used his gun to propel himself away from the two. Once at a safe distance, he gazed at the girl. "You're quick, and you still haven't used the ace up your sleeve. Am I not worthy of your true power?"

"It would be a waste of time and strength," she rebuttals.

He smirks. "We'll see about that."

The battle continued. Cloud and Lailah were able to find the perfect windows to attack Rufus. With their combined strength, they were able to defeat him.

Having been defeated, Rufus jumped back toward the railing. Cloud closed in on him and he attempted to fire a few rounds. The ex-SOLDIER successfully disarmed him. One by one, the guns were knocked out of his hand and sent plummeting off the roof.

Cloud lowered his sword, seeing the man was cornered. "I could end this—here and now."

"No, not quite," Rufus said. A helicopter appeared and he latched onto the landing skid. "Tonight marks a new beginning for Shinra!"

The helicopter circled around in the sky above before fixing its machine gun on the blonde.

Lailah saw this an attempted to run to Cloud, but she was stopped by a Whisper. It was the same one that had saved Barret's life. "Why are you stopping me?!"

The specter spun hastily around her as the helicopter fired at Cloud. He was able to block most of the bullets, but the platform beneath him was destroyed. He yelled as he fell, immediately grabbing a metal beam to break his fall.

The helicopter flew away, leaving only destruction behind.

Cloud felt his hand slipping. He prepared for his imminent demise as his hand slipped from the metal beam. He thought it was the end of the line for him, but was wrong when a hand grabbed his arm. Looking up, he found himself gazing into golden eyes.

Lailah ran to his rescue the moment the Whisper flew away. She grabbed Cloud just before he fell out of reach while her other hand was latched onto a smaller metal beam. Her snowy locks blew in the breeze as she stared down at him. "I've already lost so much. I'm not losing you too."

He couldn't tear his gaze from her when he saw her eyes glisten with tears. "Lailah..."

She gripped his arm tighter. "You trust me, don't you?"

"I do," he said.

"Good," she smiled. "Hold on."

Cloud latched onto her arm.

Once she felt his secure grip, Lailah let go of the beam and they fell from the roof.