In Cold Blood
By Stephy
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Disclaimer: Don't own anything but a creaky bed and a bouquet of dead roses.
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Happiness is just a word to me, and it might have meant a thing or two if I'd known the difference.
Emptiness, a lonely parody, and my life, another smokin' gun, a sign of my indifference.
Always keepin' safe inside, where no one ever had a chance to penetrate a break in.
Let me tell you some have tried, but I would slam the door so tight that they could never get in.
Kept my cool under lock and key, and I never shed a tear, another sign of my condition.
Fear of love or bitter vanity that kept me on the run, the main events at my confession…
I kept a chain upon my door that would shake the shame of Cain into a blind submission.
The burning ghost without a name
Was calling all the same
But I wouldn't listen…
-"Gotta Knock a Little Harder" Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop Movie ST)
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The sudden urge to kill…it was there again. The horrible craving for blood, it was consuming him, burning in his soul. Sephiroth lashed out at the empty air in the Northern Crater, finding no victims to satisfy his need for carnage.
"Damn!" He fell to one knee, clutching his chest. "Why?"
"Damn you to hell!"
"DAMN YOUR HEARTLESSNESS, JENOVA!"
The silver haired man fought his inner demon, to no avail. Jenova merely laughed, a hideous, inhumane laugh; the laugh of the devil.
My son… I am your mother…A stabbing pain etched into Sephiroth's chest, and he clutched it harder.
Do not speak to me in that way, my son…The invisible pain only grew worse…
You are my flesh and blood…"Shut…up…" He gurgled up a small amount of blood, spilling over the rim of his mouth, staining his chin red. "You…are not my mother… pitiless bitch…"
My son… my puppet… I may not be that horrid bitch of Hojo's… but I am a part of you…The pain only grew worse, as Sephiroth found it harder and harder to keep consciousness.
You are the key to my godlihood!Blood flowing, and Jenova's eerie laugh sounding, Sephiroth faded into the darkness.
His darkness…
Filled with the nightmares of the greatest sinner to grace the Planet.
The sinner who gave Jenova her puppet…
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"They're coming!" Tifa yelled to her comrades. They were deep in the bowels of the Planet; the Lifestream was clearly visible below the precipice on which they stood. An unholy army of monsters thrashed down the path they had followed. Time was running out.
Cloud thought for a split second, "Cid, Vincent, come with me! Everyone else, hold off the monsters!" His fellow party members nodded to him, and as the pilot and raven-haired one ran with Cloud further down the path, the onslaught of monsters hit.
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Wake up…Sephiroth coughed; the bitter taste of dried blood rested in his mouth. He came to, and opened his eyes.
Get up. They're almost here.
"No…" He sat up, and held his head, "Fuck you, I refuse to be your toy!"
I'm growing impatient with those remarks of yours, Sephiroth…"Bitch…you have no respect for life… this is not what I was created for!!"
Ah, but weren't you?"No! You cold-blooded bitch… how many lives have ended at my hand, because of you… how dare you call yourself my mother…"
You love the thrill of spilling blood…"Stop putting words into my mouth!!" Sephiroth jumped up, and slashed at the thin air with Masamune again, breathing heavily, "I hate you…"
Oh, son, I'm hurt…you hate the only one who ever cared for you! I'm the only thing you have in this world, boy! Remember that! NO ONE ELSE will care for you as I do.
"You never cared. Bite your tongue, liar." Voices could be heard above, and Sephiroth smirked, "They've arrived, dear bitch. They will kill you."
Oh? You sound so unconfident in me, son. And even if they kill me, they'll come after you, next. After all, you did kill their Cetra bitch.
Sephiroth winced at the memory, as a familiar pain in his heart stabbed through. "You killed Aeris. And you used me as the reaper's scythe."
The voices grew louder. Jenova slowly released her hold on Sephiroth.
I will kill them. And I will be back… dear son…Her presence faded away towards the group of heroes above. Sephiroth was left alone in a rare moment of peace. Jenova had awakened those feelings again…those all-too-familiar feelings deep within his heart. He remembered that day all too well.
"Of all the people she should have had me kill…" He shook his head sadly, "Why did she make me kill you?" He let out a melancholy sigh. He could hear the cries of battle above; and quite unfortunately for Jenova, it sounded like Avalanche was winning.
He knew they would come after him next. It was inevitable. But he wanted to die. His fears didn't rest with death…
They rested with another thought. Jenova cells flowed within his body. After Jenova was killed, she would most likely come to him….turn him into some horrid monster…
He was going to die without a shred of dignity.
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"METEORAIN!!!" Cloud unleashed an attack on the already weak Jenova. That was all it took for the giant monstrosity to finally die. She screamed a terrible cry of inhuman pain as her body melted away in a red mass.
"Holy fuckin' shit…" Cid shook his head, "Now, tell me oh great leader, is that the last of the Jenovas?"
Cloud nodded, sheathing the Ultimate Weapon. "Now, all that's left is Sephiroth."
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Sephiroth laughed smugly. They had defeated that evil witch, after all, had they? He was happy for them. The Planet would be saved, after his existence was erased as well. He simply waited for Jenova to return…But he couldn't feel her presence. He wondered for a moment, but was interrupted by the 'heroes of the day.'
"Sephiroth." Cloud pulled out his sword, "We've come to end this."
He stood up, dropping Masamune to the cold ground. He stared at the three standing before him.
"You've already ended the threat to this Planet. Holy will come soon. If you wish, you may stay here to kill me in the same cold-blood in which I killed so many…"
"Is he jokin or somethin?" Cid spat onto the ground, "Look, boy, we come to kick your ass!"
Cloud laughed grimly, "You expect us to believe that you aren't a threat to this Planet?"
"I don't expect you to believe anything." He shook his head, "But I speak the truth."
Cloud growled, "Like hell you are!" He moved to strike at the silver-haired man before him, but a cold claw rested upon his shoulder. He turned around to look at Vincent. "Why are you holding me back? Don't you understand?! He's going to kill us all if we don't kill him!"
Vincent shook his head, "Cloud... I believe him. I believe his words. We've killed Jenova, and I believe that her hold upon him is gone. Let him be, Cloud. If you kill him you will be no better than the monster that destroyed your home. And Aeris."
Cid's cigarette fell from his lips, "Holy fuck, that's the most I've ever hear that vampire say at once…"
Cloud stood frozen for a moment, before sighing heavily, and sheathing his weapon. He turned to look at his adversary, "You say Holy is free, now?"
Sephiroth nodded, "The Cetra's prayer is being answered. We should leave, otherwise we'll all die here."
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"That should be the last of 'em." Barret looked at his teammates.
"I hope I never see a monster again in my life." Yuffie groaned, casting a cure spell upon herself. Tifa mused solemnly for a moment, and was taken from her reverie when she heard voices coming up the cliff.
Cloud, Vincent, Cid…and another person… was that Sephiroth?!