I do not own Kingdom Hearts 1 or 2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters from them. This is my first fanfic ever.
Cloud, blue eyes cast towards the darkening sky, sits outside the slums with a feeling of apprehension. His mind, formerly filled with thoughts of the day's events, races with thoughts of Aerith. He can't help but continue to blame himself for her death. Using his peripheral vision, he sees a dark shadow flying overhead. Initially, he thinks it's a bird, but a second glance gives him more clarity; it is a person. Cloud stands and follows the flying figure. His hand grasps the rough leather of his sword's hilt until he reaches a small lake. He watches from a distance as the person lands.
"So you followed me? You did just as I would have hoped, Cloud." The man is wearing a black cloak with a hood.
"Who are you?" With a sharp piercing screech, his blade appears. Cloud narrows his eyes at the person in contemplation.
"Come now. How could you forget about me?" The man throws off his cloak to reveal his true identity.
"Sephiroth!" Cloud rushes at his old enemy and swings straight for his head.
Sephiroth dodges and jumps to the other side of the lake. "I told you that I would never be just a memory." Sephiroth turns away from Cloud. "I'll be waiting for you. Go and fetch your old blade then come find me." Sephiroth flies off.
Cloud tightens his grip on his blade and slams it into the ground. He turns and starts to walk towards the Slums. His mind races with conflicting thoughts: Sephiroth should be gone; he cannot live without a host. Someone was going to answer for this, after Cloud took down Sephiroth again.
He quickly makes his way back to town and grabs a bike. He drives to the location of the Buster Sword. He can't believe that he is going to be forced to once again defeat Sephiroth. He walks up to the Buster Sword and grabs its hilt. Cloud takes a deep breath and pulls the sword out of the ground.
Cloud sheathes the Buster Sword and gets back on the bike. He speeds off towards the Slums as he tries to think of where Sephiroth has gone. He could be hiding at one of the places where Cloud confronted him and Jenova before. The question would be which location is it? Cloud brakes hard and spins the bike around. He turns back towards the Slums. Cloud glares at the road in front of him with a look of determination. He won't let Sephiroth escape alive again.
Cloud speeds through the Slums and towards the Church. He stops just before the doors and walks in. As he walks, he sees Tifa staring Sephiroth down. She looks ready to fight to the death. Just as Cloud takes a step, Tifa rushes at Sephiroth. She attacks him with a flood of punches, but he dodges all of her attacks with ease and grace. Sephiroth continues to dodge her without attempting to counter her attacks.
"I have no quarrel with you." Sephiroth shoves Tifa away with the hilt of his blade.
"You destroyed my home!" Tifa dashes at Sephiroth again. Her attacks continue to be futile as Sephiroth continues to evade her effortlessly. "I wouldn't let you live!"
"Tifa, don't do it!" Cloud unsheathes the Buster Sword and rushes towards Sephiroth. Sephiroth takes notice of Cloud's presence and knocks Tifa into a wall with one swing of his sword.
"Finally, our battle begins." Sephiroth blocks Cloud's strike and sends him flying away.
"You won't be rid of me that quickly!" Cloud lands feet first on a wall and bounces off towards Sephiroth. He slashes at his long haired foe. Sephiroth blocks the strike but is forced back by the strength of Cloud's slash. Sephiroth raises his sword above his head. The entire blade glows an eerie green color. Cloud holds the Buster Sword out in front of him with both hands. He glares at Sephiroth and tightens his grip on the sword. The Buster Sword starts to glow yellow, and Cloud dashes at Sephiroth, who, in turn, charges at him. The two blades collide, releasing a huge explosion of energy that rips the roof off of the church and continues throughout the entire Slums.
Sephiroth leaps away from Cloud and looks up at the sky. Cloud looks at him confused then shifts his gaze to the sky. He drops the Buster Sword to the ground and his eyes get wide. "Well Cloud, what do you think of what you helped me to create?" Sephiroth taunts.
"What. . . .What is this?" Cloud's eyes widen as he looks on in horror.
"During my time in the Lifestream, I found that this place is just one of many realms that exist on this planet. This world is a lie." Sephiroth starts to levitate.
"Wait!" Cloud turns his attention back to Sephiroth as he grabs his sword.
"This world is just a small piece of a much larger prize that I will claim for mother. Goodbye, Cloud. I hope you enjoy the time you have left." Sephiroth flies off towards the Northern Continent.
"I have to stop him. . . ." Cloud sheaths his sword and looks around. Everything is gone-destroyed. There is no sign of life anywhere. Cloud hangs his head and gets on his bike. He takes off after Sephiroth with a burning desire to end things once and for all at any cost.
Cloud travels for two days straight without sleep, and he finally reaches the North Continent. As he reaches the most northern edge of the continent, he sees exactly what he is looking for. There is a large circular discolored area right where the ocean touches the land. Cloud unsheathes his sword and pushes it through the discolored area. He pulls it back, and after making sure it is ok, he slowly steps through the discolored area.