AN—So this little drabble thing started as an rp I did with FicletMistress about discovering the voice actor for Sephiroth in KH is Lance Bass, from N*Sync, and that Cloud outed Sephiroth's boy band skillz to the world, and that's the real reason Sephiroth has it out for Cloud. I'm pretty sure it was supposed to start out as crack. Somehow from there it promptly went on a downward spiral into canon AngstyEmoland. I'm not sure how it happened, it just did. Probably because Cloud couldn't participate in anything amusing and lighthearted even if it was the only thing that could save the world and release him from the mass amounts of angst debt he seems to accumulate. But I digress.

It took a little bit to modify it so it was approved, since playwright formatting seems to be against the rules. Review for us, will you? :D

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Poorly concealed snickers bleed out into the otherwise still silence of the room, following a rather surprising and unexpected revelation. "He's out to kill you because you spread the word about his boy band? Priceless."

Annoyed grumbling. "You shouldn't be laughing. Have you seen his sword? He's already stabbed me with it twice. This is serious."

"If I recall, it was a few times more than that." A dark eyebrow rises. "But you defeated him twice now. He should be gone, yes?"

Heavy, resentful glower. "You'd think so, wouldn't you, but apparently the fucker just can't stay dead."

The slight shift of fabric as arms cross over a clothed chest. "I guess that was supposed to be a well-guarded secret then. Maybe this time you'll actually let me help you fight him? So you don't end up as another Cloud-kabob?"

A warning glare pierces the space between them, saying more than the words that follow it. "No. We've already gone over this. If he shows up again, he's my problem to take care of. The last thing I need is to give him more targets."

The responding dark scowl clearly says the answer isn't good enough. "But what if I can help you kill him for good? I can defend myself, at least until you get there, if that concerns you. He's come back three times now. Maybe it's time to try something different."

"No. This isn't some sort of group project; it's a personal problem. If he keeps coming back that just means I'm screwing something up or the man really is invincible and I should just stop trying."

The words drop to a low growl, reprimanding and forceful even without the volume, and a gloved hand grips an arm that is not his to pull another body closer. Let the staring match, a battle of wills, begin. "And what if next time he feels like killing you, not just ripping you to shreds? Then what, Cloud? I'm just supposed to let you go?"

Glowing eyes narrow, chin lifting in defiance. "I chose this path because I had to; it's a solitary path and it's too late to turn back now. I have to go, and if I die protecting the only things I have left, it's a sacrifice I'm more than willing to make."

"Don't give me that bull. You think you have to do it yourself because you can't take the thought of someone else making the same sacrifice. It's not your fault if someone dies with the same thing in mind, Cloud."

The hand is shrugged away, back turning on the other. "I'm not going to call on other people to fight my battles. End of story."

"I don't want to fight it for you, Strife. I want to fight it with you. I don't want to wait around to find out if you're still alive anymore."

"…don't try to change things that can't change, Leonhart. You know when you met me that I have baggage, and that the likelihood of my death is pretty high. I'm not willing to risk losing anyone else."

"Trying to handle your own baggage does not mean throwing your life away, Strife. There are other ways to do things! Do you have any idea what your death would do to those you want to protect?" The gloved hand is back again, griping tighter than before, halting the other in his tracks. "Stop accepting death so readily, Strife!"

"I made my peace with death a long time ago, Leonhart; I couldn't do these things otherwise! How do you think I worked for Hades for so long?" Again the arm is pulled away, the action made sharp with a hint of anger. "And stop twisting my words around like I'm suicidal or don't care! The whole point of sacrifice is that there's no other option left! You all would survive without me; that's life, you deal with it and move on."

"Then stop sounding like you want to die. You say there's no other option. Listen to my side of this." Naturally dark eyes darken further, enhanced by the minimal light of the room. "Everyone I cared about died when Hollow Bastion was destroyed. The only reason I'm alive today is because of your friends and you. Now you want me to sit helpless and watch you die, just like the day Hollow Bastion was destroyed. I can't do that!"

"You are the one assuming that if I leave I won't come back! Just because I accept death doesn't mean I seek it out. I have a damn good survival record without your help, and you want to come with me for the exact same reasons I don't want you coming. You can't save everyone, Leonhart." The words are quiet, low, filled with the gentle understanding of fear that comes with painful experience. "And the way you're trying to atone for past regrets or weaknesses…it's transference. You won't heal that way, Leon." A brief pause. "I would know."

Eyes lower their gaze to the floor, a proud jaw clenching with an unwillingness to drop the subject completely. "Then what am I supposed to do? If I'm trained for battle and can't protect anything close to me, what do I do then? You tell me, since you seem to know so damn much."

Watching, knowing, and his voice is soft with an intimacy that diffuses the situation immediately. "I don't need you to protect me Leon, just like you don't need me to protect you. But you have a new city, and new people who do. You're a leader here, moreso than I am, and you can't turn your back on that to try and save a memory that can't be saved."

He refuses to relinquish his view of the ground. "It hasn't really helped any…I still feel like I'm not doing enough." A glance of blue-gray from under brown bangs, made almost black in the darkness. "Cloud, what will you do when you defeat him?"

Silence. Then, almost ruefully, "…I don't know. Foresight's not my strongest suit. I'll worry about that when I've taken care of what needs to be done."

"Huh." A short sigh. "I sometimes wonder what other people carry around on their shoulders…But I'd probably try to solve their problems if I knew, huh?" The half-hearted shrug implies the idea is now out of sight, out of mind. "Alright, I won't come next time. But if you don't come back, I'll hunt you down for making me worry. Got it?"

The brief flash of white through the dark couldn't be anything other than a smile, no matter how small. "Wouldn't expect anything less."