Tears streaming from my face, the words that Axel had spoken to me ringing through my ears. The panic pumping through my drained body, fighting Heartless used up so much energy, I daren't slow down. I ran, I ran faster than I had ever done before. I feared that his life rested on my shoulders. Axel hadn't been specific in what was happening – then again I didn't give him chance to tell me anything. 'Cloud is in danger.' Those were the only words he had to say. I had left without a second thought, I had left both Swan and Mina in the midst of a huge battle that I should be present for. But to me, that didn't matter, he was the only one in my mind at this moment in time.
I twisted and turned round corners, slaughtering Heartless as I went. The Keyblade felt hot in my hand - almost as if my passion to save this man surged through my weapon as well. Hollow Bastion was a very different this time round, everything had a dark aura to it, parts of the town were completely destroyed, and it was scary. People frantic, the citizens flocking to safest parts whilst the defenders, the Restoration Committee, my friends fought against the swamp attack of Heartless. Yet here I was abandoning them in their hour of need. Was it for a good cause? Of course. They wouldn't be able to cope without him either. Especially not Leon, no matter how hard he tries to act, he is a big softy and needs both Swan and Cloud to remain strong.
I sprinted out to an open clearing; several metres ahead stood a tall figure. He had long silver-white hair, a similar colour to Riku's, but it fell way beyond the small of his back. He had an interesting face - his eyes were what frightened me. I couldn't look at them long enough to set on a colour for them. They had a dark hunger in them – the hunger for destruction. His lips were curved into a menacing smile, which seemed state that he had was about to slay his enemy. No. I dashed out into the opening and caught sight of his sword – it was longer than I was tall! Straightened and pointed directly at something. I dared to look upon its victim.
Cloud. Tired and broken. Fresh from a fight that he had lost, his open, sapphire eyes, however, showed no signs of defeat. The man that he had been fighting held him at his blade. It was Sephiroth. This was the man I had been warned about. The dark part of Cloud's heart that had somehow taken form.
"NO!" I screeched at the top of my voice as Sephiroth slowly brought his blade away and made movement towards Cloud's throat. They both looked at me, a flash of pain struck Cloud's eyes and Sephiroth's smile became more menacing and dangerous than ever. I ran to them and thrust my Keyblade in front of Sephiroth's sword to prevent him from touching Cloud.
"You can't look at her can you?" Sephiroth whispered.
"Shut up!" Cloud retaliated – badly.
"You can't, can you? She's too pure. Her heart remains in the light whilst you sink into the darkness. Totally overcome. You turn your back on the present and live in the past." Sephiroth's smirk widened as he cornered Cloud.
"Once I destroy you, I will no longer reside in darkness." Cloud whispered, although he sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.
"Cloud, listen to me." I tried to lock eyes with him and hold Sephiroth's sword at bay, but he avoided my gaze. "It doesn't have to be like this. You can fight your way out of the dark."
"I can't."
"You see… even he admits it. He's hopelessly lost and will never be found." Sephiroth was taunting me – bad move.
"Fuck off will ya! And get a haircut you pompous prick!" With all my strength I pushed with the Keyblade and his sword was knocked away from us. I turned to face Cloud properly. "Look at me." I gently pulled his face round so it faced me, the pain flashed in his eyes again and he closed them. I brought my hand round and rested it on his cheek. He breathed in sharply.
"It burns, doesn't it? She's just too pure for someone like you. Too damn full of light – she even wields the weapon that was created by this realm of light." Sephiroth was having too much fun with Cloud's pain.
"Are you still here?!" I looked at him with eyes full of hate. "Cloud, don't listen to him. I have darkness in me too. There are only seven people in all of the worlds combined that have truly pure hearts – I am not one of them. The darkness resides in my heart too. But I fight it. I fight it back and it has never shown itself. You can do that too." He opened his eyes again and stared deep into mine.
"I don't know how." He whispered.
"Can you feel this? The sensation pulsing through your skin, it isn't burning. Don't think of it as something that can hurt you. The burning is all psychological, think of it as medicine."
"You are my drug… it's…" Cloud took a long, slow breath and closed his eyes as he did so. Sephiroth had fallen very quiet during my speech, I half feared that his cold blade would strike the back of my neck at any moment, but I didn't care. "Soothing" Cloud finished.
"Yes… I am your drug. I promise. I promise I will lead you away from the darkness." The Keyblade disappeared from my right hand and I slipped that onto the other side of his face.
"Can I become addicted?" He questioned his tone was less stressed.
"As long as I can be addicted to my drug." I smiled and he opened his beautiful, aqua eyes. This time they looked different, not in colour or shape, nothing physical. But the atmosphere of them was… light. He had passed through. He was here with me, completely in the realm of light.
"I can do it. But I need your help." His burning passion to survive struck me; I was dazed for a moment. I pulled my right hand away from his face and held it out behind me, the Keyblade appeared. "No. Not like that. I need your light, at least the support from it anyway. No matter how you put it, I have more darkness residing in me than you do and I need you spirit to guide me through this last fight."
"Ok, I'm with you in whatever way you need me." I stepped back from him and stood against the cliff that created this space.
"This should be interesting, once I defeat you, Cloud, I will take the Keyblade from that pathetic warrior and become unstoppable." Sephiroth eyed me up, "And perhaps something else from her too." I wanted to be sick.
"Over my dead body." Cloud seethed.
"Indeed it shall be." Sephiroth raised his blade again.
I had seen more fights than I cared to remember, but nothing on this sort of scale. This was brutality. I could barely keep up with the speed that they moved at, their weapon's clashing angrily as they fought tirelessly. This wasn't my greatest concern. I was being drained. With every hit that Cloud landed on Sephiroth, I felt like I was the Buster Sword that he attacked with. He wasn't joking when he said he needed me. But it didn't hurt, infact, it felt good. What surprised me the most was after the strike was landed I felt like I was being recharged, and each time I 'recharged' I got stronger.
Then it hit me, I was getting stronger because with every hit on Sephiroth, Cloud was gaining stronger and reclaiming more and more of his own light. Cloud's penultimate hit struck Sephiroth to the ground and made me gasp aloud. Again though, once I had 'recharged' I was stronger than ever.
"Finish it." Sephiroth was beginning to taunt again.
Cloud's sword raised high above his head, I braced myself for this final blow – it would use my light more than any of the others. I closed my eyes and held my breath. The sound of metal on concrete awoke me from my prepared state. Gazing around, I saw Cloud stood, his blade to the floor, breathing heavily. My blade appeared in my hand in readiness for anything as I stepped away from the cliff wall.
Cloud slowly turned to face me, his eyes closed. He was stood at the edge of the clearing; I didn't notice that it over faced another part of Hollow Bastion until now. I waited patiently and stood stock still, I couldn't alarm him. He was clearly preparing to try and look at me; I hoped with all my heart that he would find it within himself to do this. They flickered. Once again I braced myself for what could happen next, he could not face me again, he could flee or… he could have found his way back to the light, he could remain here, with me and everyone else. He could finally get a break.
His aquatic eyes emerged as his lids lifted. He looked long and hard at me; the greatest grin imaginable spread across my face and I involuntary began to move towards him. He started at a steady pace toward me too. I longed to run and embrace him, but I think I might have been pushing my luck. The gap between us got smaller and smaller, my heart began to beat at an alarming rate as his effortless strut overwhelmed me. Cloud was closing in and I could barely breathe. His immense beauty was like nothing in all the worlds combined, I felt like passing out. My eyes glazed over and the light-headed feeling swamped me.
Two hands gently, but firmly, clasped onto my waist. I struggled to gain fall control over my sight and remain conscious. I fought to look at him; the memory of his magnificence was enough to pull me through.
"You are beautiful." He whispered in a velvet voice. I thought I would melt. "I've only ever seen you as an outline before now, like a mirage. Now that I see you are more than I ever dared to dream of."
"I… You… amazing… gorgeous… words… none… I… oh fuck." I'd cocked that up. But oh was my stupidity worth it. For I saw something I had never seen before. Cloud's lips curled, he was… smiling. I was swept away. One of his hands (I didn't have the capacity to work out which one) moved up to touch my face. He wore gloves so I couldn't feel his skin on mine but the idea was enough for now. My head fell forwards and lightly bumped onto his chest, inhaling deeply, his scent was succulent. It was musty and mysterious, and I wanted to cover myself in it. He lightly rested his head on mine and also inhaled deeply. It was like a sniffing competition. We really were each other's drugs.
"Pandora? Pandora!" Swan's voice came from afar.
"Are you okay?" Mina was also on the scene.
"Umm… something tells me we should leave them alone…" Swan whispered. I smiled and pulled away from Cloud.
"No worries. We're coming. Right?" I looked up into Cloud's face and he nodded. Stifled giggles came from behind us and I knew I would face something worse than the Spanish inquisition later on tonight.