"hey STOP HURTING EACH OTHER!! "yelled Shingo Saske smacking to two characters

"Heh, not much uncle! Uncle? Flare?" Cloud followed Flare with concern.

A slow, smooth melody became clearer and louder behind them. Flare came trudging up the path, not even noticing the new comer.
"Cloud...did i miss something? I...i remember passing out shortly after dismissing Ifrit on the airship...and i still feel strange. My senses are pulling...dragging me towards and into this city. My melody is the only thing keeping me aware of my surroundings..."
Flare put the instrument back to his lips as his eyes began to dimly glow with a more intense red than normal. he slowly turned to the entrance of the city, and trudged along slowly, almost zombie like.

"That's obvious Bartz, what I asked was who he was and where did he come from, not how!" Cloud returned his attention to the new comer.

Cloud took out the materia and laughed, "Yeah I know, I just wanted to end this quickly before I lost my nerve again...I want to go inside...See the thing is this, the memories I have of Aerith dying are not mine! They are my father's. With my conception I was born with all of his traits and abilities on top of my own! I was also born with all of his memories...I use his powers because I got them at their highest levels, where mine are in the mid thirties! I would probably level my own quicker if I just used them but, death is not on my things to do list! Thank you, I believe this is yours!" Cloud hands Bartz the Sword of Excalibur. Sees the figure rise from the rift, "WHOA! Who the fu-I mean, who are you?! And how did you, or where did you...I uh, wh, I, I, did he just come out of the ground!?" Cloud's sensing ability kicked in and he felt the power coming from the stranger, not sure if he was friend or foe, Cloud calmly slipped his hand around the hilt of his Ultima sword. And he became serious again, "Who are you and where did you come from?"

Ryo appears through a dimensional rift in the ground. The concrete is rippled like water as he rose. His eyes were azure, his hair a yellow-blond. Though he was just an adolescent, he gave off a distinct vibe that showed off his extreme power...

Cloud swung his Ultima sword back onto his back and grabbed the sword Bartz threw. Slamming his materia into the hilt activated the blessed materia from Aerith, "Now it's working!" Cloud jumped in the air and swung the sword around his head in circles til a ring of light formed, "METEOR SHOWER!" Six large meteors fell from the sky and struck the gaurdian dealing great damage, he struck back with Lightning three. Cloud absorbed the attack, "Fool, lightning is my ally and will do me no harm!" Cloud rushed the gaurdian, "Bartz, get ready! CLIMHAZZERED!" Stabbing the sword deep into the belly of the gaurdian, it screamed out in pain, jumping and slicing upward through it's shoulder, "BARTZ NOW! FINISH HIM!"

Cloud stands up slowly, "Thanx man, I hear you! But all I have is this materia Aerith gave me, it's not her holy, but it was blessed by her think it might have any effect!?" *If I can activate it*, Cloud thought to himself.

Bartz was wearing white robes and raise his hands up to Cloud.
"Cure 3!" He then focused his attention on the monster.
"Holy!" The monster was surrounded by light as a ring of white orbs came down and emveloped the guardian, dealing massive damage to the beast.
"Dont focus on using limits or over drives, they wont have any effect. If you have any Holy based weapons or spells, use them now."

And slow it down it did, Cloud took this moment to strike, "OMNISLASH!" Cloud came from above the gaurdian while it was stunned. He began slashing but again could not finish his limit break and the gaurdian found a break in his combo to counter, swatting Cloud out of the sky and into a large tree breaking it in half. Cloud Struggled to his knees, "D,damn...Ag,gain...Sorry Bartz, I'm hurtin' pretty bad, it'll be a minute before I can use any of my healing spells, gotta potion or anything!?" Cloud coughed up blood.

When Cloud saw the sky above the forest turn dark and Bahamut come flying down, he knew that Bartz had run into the Ancient Gaurdian. "Damn! I'm coming Bartz!" He ran into the woods as fast as he could. He thought to himself, *I'm sure Bartz can handle this on his own, but it's just the excuse I need to get over what happend! Hold on!*

Bartz lept back after his first attack which caught the beast by suprise.
"Lenna run! I promise I'll see you shortly. Just get away from here fast!"
"But what about you?"
"I'll be fine, trust me." Bartz charged the beast again, only this time to be broad sided by its hand into a tree.
"You wanna play huh?" he pulled out the summoner shard and summoned Odin and Bahaunt.

Cloud heard the roar of a beast, and the clanking of metal, "Bartz and Lenna!" He jumped to his feet and faced the entrance to the woods, pulling the sword from his back he readied himself to enter, but was hesitant.

"Heh, me!? Uh, n,no! Hah, I'll be fine! I uh, um...", Cloud broke down and began, "A long, long time ago I had to watch someone very close to me die. It was almost by my hand...A platinum haired man, Sephiroth, used me like his own personal puppet and tried to force me to strike her down...When I resisted, he did the job himself. Shortly there after, I killed him! Though I don't think it was permanent...Or if it were even the true him at all...This place holds many sad memories for me...It is said that Aerith, that was her name, still protects this place from within the lifestream and that her Holy materia to this day remains dormant here, deep within the sacred waters. But, well...Becareful..." Cloud sat indian style and went into meditation.

Cloud dropped his head to hide his eyes, I'll stay here with Lenna if need be, while you and the others go on ahead!" (if they're still alive lol)

"Hmmm...Well everyone, I am sorry, but I'll only go as far as the entrance to the city, to aide you should there be a gaurdian still. But I can not and will not bring myself to go into the city", Cloud looked into the forest and his eyes began to water. He quickly gathered himself, "I-"

"Lenna, have you been any further into the forest than this?"

Cloud ran up sword drawn, but stopped when he saw Bartz was released, "Everything ok here Bartz!?"

Cloud began to slow the ship's speed as they neared the Ancient city. "We're close now...There is still no way to enter the city from the air, so we'll have to go in on foot, through the old excavation site and the Sleeping Forest. The harp is no longer needed to enter, but rumor has it, there is a giant beast who gaurds the entrance at the end of the forest...But uh...", Cloud sighed, turned away and brought the ship to a slow stop.