A/N: Beyoncece: Months after we created our profile, we have finally posted it: our first story! Drum roll please... Without further ado, here is our first chapter!

Miss Lib: Enjoy, and please review :D

Prologue: Saying Goodbye

It was getting close to midnight and Alexandra sat on her bed, thinking. She knew she would have to leave tomorrow to continue on her journey, but she had grown accustomed to her new friends during her stay with them. She did not want to leave, especially not so soon. But she had no other choice; her journey was of the utmost importance. She could not abandon it. As she shifted so she lay underneath the covers of her bed, she thought to her herself, Who knows? Hopefully I will see them again. She then fell asleep.

The next day:

Alexandra awoke to gentle beams of sunlight hitting her face through a crack in the heavy curtains covering the window. It was surprisingly bright out, especially for a place more accustomed to heavy snowfall than any sort of sun. She quietly got out of her bed and changed into her clothes, not wanting to wake any nearby vampires. While Alexandra was an accomplished fighter, she knew her limits – fighting a pissed off, sleep-deprived vampire, she could do. But winning was a different matter entirely.

With that in mind, she wandered around the dimly lit castle until she found the room she had been searching for: the kitchen. Why vampires would need a kitchen, she had no idea. It's not like they cooked what they ate. Then again, Michael had said something about living here before he and Ardell became vampires; maybe that had something to do with it. Speaking of Michael…she was rather surprised to see him up this early (or late, depending on which way she thought about it), and even more surprised that he had made her breakfast. It smelled good.

"Not too bad for someone who hasn't eaten cooked food in over 30,000 years," Alex teased as she sat down at the table off to the side of the room. Michael smiled. "You don't know if it's good. You haven't tried any of it yet." Her eyes widened as she ate a forkful of the eggs. This was amazing! Before long, her entire plate was empty and she finally felt full. She hadn't had food that good in a while. Not since her mother had… No, she would not think about that. Not today. She wanted to spend the rest of the day with her friends, happy, not burdened with guilt. She'd done enough of that already to last a lifetime.

"So where's Ardell?" She had not seen the female vampire for several days now, and was starting to get worried. What if she got hurt and they could not find her because they had no idea where she was? Or what if, god forbid, she died? Alex didn't think she would be able to function if that happened, as unlikely as it was. Ardell was more than capable of taking care of herself. She would be fine.

Michael smiled. "Well, you know her. No doubt she is hunting or killing something, like always," he said half-jokingly. They both laughed. Ardell really would, too. It was almost like a hobby for her. "I figured she would be doing something like that, but that's why we love her!" she replied happily. They both laughed again. Alexandra and Michael talked for what seemed like hours. She was so happy to be there, just talking to someone who understood her. She would really miss him after she left.

Ardell returned some time later. She was covered in blood and was absolutely filthy, but Alex did not care. She ran to her friend and lunged, arms open wide, determined to give her a hug. Unfortunately for Alex, Ardell saw her coming and used her power to avoid it, disappearing for a moment and emerging from a shadow on the opposite end of the large kitchen. Alexandra fell with a thud and landed flat on her face, much to her friends' amusement. As she got back up, she heard Ardell say, "Better luck next time, perhaps." She turned to her friend and glared; she swore she saw a smirk on the Dark Princess's lips.

Michael laughed and would have helped his sister tease Alexandra as well, but one of his servants informed him that Prince Alexander of Huria had arrived, and would he please meet with him at once? He found he could no more say no to such a request than he could cut off his own hand. Besides, it would not do well to offend one of his allies. Or his lover.

Alex and Ardell found themselves alone with each other and a rather tense silence filled the room. Alexandra was visibly upset that she had to leave soon, no matter how much she did not want to. She began to tear up and finally broke down.

"Thank you so much Ardell!" She began to weep. "You helped me so much; you raised my hopes and brought my happiness back. I owe so much to you. I love you just like my sister!" She said as she began to go in for a hug once again. Ardell could feel her sadness and awkwardly tried to comfort her. Although Ardell did not say it, she would miss Alexandra now that she found the girl's presence somewhat bearable.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o

She left in the night after many tearful goodbyes and began the seven day ride to the forest at the bottom of the mountain, where her adventures with Ardell and Michael began. The trip to the forest was, thankfully, uneventful and without injury, although her butt was a little sore from the saddle. Now she remembered why she did not like riding horses.

After getting off that wretched horse the people here called transportation, Alexandra walked into a clearing within the forest. Once she was sure no one else was around, she opened her palms and a white light appeared before her. She walked through the light with remorse in her eyes. When she exited she found a desert wasteland with a huge machine in the center of a crater. She knew this was not her world, so she stepped back into the portal to return home. If only she had stayed longer. She would have witnessed an extraordinary battle. As soon as she left, the clear sky became black. A battle was brewing.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Two titans clashed. Cloud swung his blade with all his might, trying to kill the man he had once admired so greatly. With each attack, Cloud felt more alive than ever, finally having a reason to live again.

It was an epic battle. Cloud attacked fiercely, only to be easily blocked and counterattacked by Sephiroth. He could feel his body start to weaken, but he refused to give up. He continued his furious onslaught, unleashing a flurry of attacks, all of which Sephiroth blocked. In a moment of weakness, Cloud stumbled, and Sephiroth took advantage of the opening, stabbing Cloud in the shoulder. Cloud could feel the pain radiating from his shoulder and watched as his blood slowly dripped down his opponent's bade. Sephiroth began an assault of vicious blows, striking him over and over again. Sephiroth was about to land his final blow when Cloud's strength suddenly returned. He shot up in the air, following the silver-haired man, and five blades suddenly surrounded them. Before Sephiroth could react, Cloud attacked quickly, finally slaying the dark creature that had caused the planet, and Cloud personally, so much pain.

Cloud and his friends were overjoyed that the great evil was once more defeated. Sephiroth disappeared in a flurry of feathers which were soon swept away by the wind, never to be seen again. Or so everyone thought.

The feathers flew across the continent for days, until they reached the portal Alexandra had left behind. Sephiroth's feathers traveled through the portal, exiting in a forest. It began to snow as Sephiroth was once again reborn with only one thought in his head: to rain terror upon this new, strange world he found himself in. But first, he needed to rest. He was so very tired…