"Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is."
-Carl Jung

ONLY THE SHADOWS

Chapter 3
Shadow Self


The three of them entered the lone house at the far end of the village, passing through the door without bothering to open it. It was a startling experience to Cloud, who was still unaccustomed to the idea of being a ghost.

"Hang on a minute," he said to Zack, as they entered the house. "How are we supposed to stop Sephiroth and Demois if we're ghosts?"

"An excellent question, Spikes," Zack said. "And one that we're here to address."

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked.

"Behold, your new body," Zack said, pointing out a cadaver laid out on the table in the centre of the room. Despite the relative gloom of the old house, Cloud recognized the body.

Sephiroth.

"...You've got to be kidding me," Cloud said.

The look on Aerith and Zack's faces told him that they were not.

"You seriously want me to take over Sephiroth's body?" Cloud asked.

"Well, he's hijacked yours," Zack said. "I figure it's only fair you take his."

Cloud shook his head. "Just when I thought this day couldn't get any stranger.."


Zack and Cloud stood by, waiting and watching as Aerith performed some sort of ritual on the body laid out on the table in front of them.

"This can't be the same body," Cloud said. "I saw him get up and walk away. Looked a lot worse than this one does, too.." he added, noting the cadaver's pristine condition.

"Like I said, you were hallucinating," Zack said. "And Coleridge... I mean, Demois... he has a way of distorting reality. So they tell me, anyway."

"Wonderful," Cloud muttered. "Another mind-screw in the making."

"Whatever you do, don't underestimate him," Zack warned him. "There's a reason they built a special prison for him downstairs."

"Which is?" Cloud asked.

"Well... look at it this way," Zack said. "Only an unjust deity would mete out infinite punishment for finite sins, right?"

Cloud nodded.

"Well, they made an exception for our shadowy friend here."

"What did he do that was so bad?" Cloud asked.

"They say he tried to upend the very nature of the Lifestream," Zack said. "Of reality itself."

"How?" Cloud asked. "Is that even possible?"

"Look, it's hard to explain," Zack said. "Even I don't fully understand it. Hell, I'm not sure even they understand it."

"But he does," Cloud said. "Demois."

"Like I said, he's been around for a long time," Zack replied. "My point is... there's a reason they decided to inflict him with everlasting damnation. They knew he would never change. Never stop."

"So, I guess it's up to us to stop him, then," Cloud replied.

"Okay," Aerith said, turning to them. "He's ready."

She beckoned Cloud over to the table, where the body of his fallen nemesis lay still.

"I'm really not sure about this," Cloud said, eyeing the corpse laid out before him. Though he had no doubt that it was inert, he still felt uncomfortable in its presence, given his last encounter with it. And the notion of climbing inside the skin of his mortal enemy was a distasteful one, to say the least.

"Please, Cloud," Aerith said. "You have to trust me."

She took his hand, gazing deep into his eyes, pleading for his co-operation. He knew he couldn't turn her down. He had to put his misgivings aside, for his friends' sake, if not his own.

"Okay," he said. "Let's do this."

Aerith smiled at him. "Lie down," she said. "This should only take a moment."

He took a deep breath, then did as she asked, laying down on the table, which seemed to support his immaterial essence without trouble, then did his best to position himself within the motionless body laid out on it. It was a strange experience, to say the least, moving through objects which should be solid as though they were nothing but air. He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep as Aerith whispered a few more words, running her hand across his forehead as she performed the last portion of the ritual.


Some time later, Cloud opened his eyes again. The world around him appeared solid once more, and he was breathing again, this time in order to fill his lungs with air, and not merely out of habit. Sitting up, he realized that he was indeed now in possession of his old enemy's body. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a dull ache throughout his new frame, another sign that he was alive again, if only in a surrogate manner.

"Welcome back to the world of the living," Zack said, grinning. "How do you feel?"

"...Taller," Cloud replied. He reached up, pressing a hand against his throat, which felt hoarse and dry.

"Before you ask, yes, that is your voice," Zack said. "Well... Sephiroth's voice. But you know what I mean."

"This'll take some getting used to," Cloud said, holding up his hands, examining them as if seeing them for the first time in his life. It was one thing being flesh and blood again, he thought, but wearing someone else's skin was not exactly a pleasant experience.

"You don't say," Zack said. "The last time I saw that thing moving around, it was trying to kill us both. But I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

"How did you manage to get it here, anyway?" Cloud asked, getting off the table. "I thought ghosts couldn't move things around."

Before Zack could answer, Cloud realized that they were alone in the room. "Where's Aerith?" he asked.

"Well.." Zack started.

Their conversation was interrupted as someone entered the room. As she walked over to where they were sitting, the figure that was Aerith morphed into one Cloud didn't recognize. She was still a young woman, but different from the flower girl in every way. She struck him as a conjurer or sorceress of some kind, her ebony skin and ivory hair wrapped up in an intricate yet loose-fitting robe, and he thought he could see the faint markings of arcane tattoos lining the skin underneath her garments.

"So, Zack... how was that?" the young woman asked.

"Perfect," Zack replied. "Brilliant acting job. Couldn't have told the two of you apart myself."

Cloud stared at the girl with utter incomprehension.

"Cloud, this is Neith," Zack said. "She helped me get you out of the Lifestream."

"Zack... what the hell is going on here?" Cloud asked.

"I'm sorry about the deception, Cloud," Zack said. "But I needed you to trust us."

"By lying to your best friend?" Cloud said. "Not exactly a great way to build trust, Zack."

"I know," Zack replied. "Like I said, I'm sorry, but these are desperate times."

"Well... I'm alive again, at any rate," Cloud said. "Now what?"

"Now we go and stop Demois," Zack said. "We should probably get you a weapon first, though. Don't want to go chasing after this guy empty-handed."

"Hold that thought," Neith said. With that, she departed, returning moments later with a thin, black case underneath her arm, placing it on the table in the centre of the room. Cloud was surprised to see that she was flesh and blood once more, having returned to her own body.

"..You're alive?" Cloud said.

"What gave it away?" Neith asked. "The fact that I'm not floating around in a sheet, wailing and dangling chains in your face?"

"Neith here is kind of a special case," Zack explained. "They let her wander around outside of her body from time to time. In exchange, she's agreed to help us fight Demois."

"I wouldn't say I agreed to it," Neith said, crossing her arms. "It's more like I was compelled to assist you. In other words, I'm being involved in this mess, whether I like it or not."

"Don't worry about her, Spikes," Zack said to Cloud. "She's just slow to trust."

"And with every reason to," Neith said. "How do I know I can trust him?" she asked, looking over at Cloud.

"Look, Cloud and I here go way back," Zack said. "We're like brothers. If you can trust me, you can trust him."

"And if I said I don't trust you?" Neith replied.

"Damn... why's everyone so cold today?" Zack said.

"You were saying something about arming ourselves?" Cloud asked, turning to Neith.

Neith walked over to the table, undoing the latches on the case. She lifted the lid, presenting Cloud with his new weapon. "Look familiar?" she asked.

Within the case were contained the shattered remnants of a long blade, the halves of which had been forged into two shorter ones. Cloud examined the weapon Neith was presenting him with, realizing that it was not just any blade.

The Masamune.

The two blades were set into new hilts, and had been reshaped and worked to remove any traces of the damage they had sustained, but there was no mistaking the legendary sword.

"Where did you find this?" Cloud asked.

"Someone poor wanderer discovered it in the snow fields near the Northern Crater, not long after your little excursion there," Neith explained. "He was... eager to part with it," she added.

Cloud picked up one of the blades, examining it in the dim light. The blade felt heavier in his hand than he had expected, and, despite its recasting, still carried a trace of the spectral incandescence which he recalled from his days of working with the fallen warlord.

"I thought you should have it," Neith said. "It seemed fitting, given your current situation."

"Two blades for the price of one. Think you can handle that?" Zack asked.

Cloud picked up the second blade, turning it in his hand for an underhand grip, then made a few quick cuts and thrusts with them in unison, severing the air in front of him. Though he had never wielded two blades at once before, it seemed as natural to him as breathing. "Not a problem," he replied, sheathing the two blades behind his back.

"Well then, if you maniacs are ready to start murdering each other.." Neith said.

"Hey, we're the good guys here, remember?" Zack said.

"Of course," Neith replied. "It's not like you would ever blow up a building full of innocent people or anything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cloud asked, noting the way the young woman was glaring at him.

"Nothing," Neith replied, turning away from him. "Forget I said anything."

"All right, already," Zack said. "We don't have to like each other to work together."

"Fine by me," Cloud said. "So, what's our next move?"

"Tracking your prey," Neith said. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't touch anything."

That said, the young woman left the room once again, heading upstairs.

"So, Aerith's not here," Cloud said, for the first time betraying his disappointment.

"I'm afraid not," Zack said. "We're on our own on this one."

Neither of them said anything else. As they waited for Neith to return, they started to wander about the room, examining the various trinkets and artefacts she kept lined up on the shelves of her living room. Among the various books on occult and arcane subjects, Cloud spotted a small, grey pouch filled with material not unlike thin sawdust. He had seen it lying on the table next to Sephiroth's cadaver while Neith had performed her little ritual earlier. He reached out to examine it better.

"I said 'don't touch anything'," Neith's voice came from behind him.

"What is it?" Cloud asked.

"It's Ovidian dust," Neith explained, sealing the pouch and putting it back in its place. "Extremely rare. It induces a death-like trance in people. When applied correctly, it can also place a dead body into a receiving state, allowing a wandering soul to claim it."

"So, that's how you got me in here," Cloud said, indicating his new body. "And the ritual?"

"Mostly for show," Neith said. "We had to make sure you'd comply with our request."

"There's no magic involved, then?" Cloud asked.

"What were you expecting?" Neith replied. "'Abra-cadabra'?"

"It looks like you've done some work on this thing," Cloud said, lifting up one hand again, scrutinizing it more carefully this time. "Sure as hell didn't look this healthy last time around."

"We salvaged it from the old Gast family home, just moments after Demois left," Zack said. "Well, Neith did the actual salvaging. Can't exactly do a lot of heavy lifting like this, ya know. But I gave her plenty of moral support."

"I'm sure," Cloud replied.

"Long story short, while the two of you were wandering around down in the Lifestream, I've been curating this body, doing my best to restore it," Neith said. "Considering how little notice I had, I think I've done a pretty good job."

"So, what's our next move?" Cloud asked. "Do we know where Sephiroth and Demois were headed?"

"Midgar," Neith said. "And by now, they've probably reached their destination."

"What would they be doing in Midgar?" Cloud asked.

"Who knows?" Neith replied. "Maybe they're planning to pay a little visit to your family."

Cloud's blood went cold as the realization hit him. The Seventh Heaven. Tifa. The children. They had no idea. With Sephiroth in possession of his body, they were sitting ducks, completely unaware of the danger headed their way.

"Zack, we have to go," he said.

Even as he spoke, Zack was already headed out the door, but before Cloud could join him, Neith caught his shoulder, stopping him in the doorway.

"We've given you a chance. One chance," she said, looking him straight in the eye. "Don't fuck this up."

With that, she slammed the door in their faces.

"Lovely girl," Cloud said, looking over at Zack.


Frosted snow crunched under heavy boots as the two of them hurried through the remnants of the stockyards surrounding the small village.

"How do we get to Midgar from here?" Cloud asked, his breath turning to vapour in the cold winter air as he spoke.

"We head up north," Zack replied. "There's a station nearby. We can catch a bus back to Midgar from there."

"Isn't there a faster way?" Cloud asked.

"Not from here," Zack said.

"Great.."

They walked on for a while, making their way through the frozen landscape, with neither of them saying anything. As they passed the edge of the town's ruins, it was Zack who finally broke the silence.

"So..." Zack said. "You and Aerith."

"What about us?" Cloud asked.

"You two were close, right?"

"Yeah... we were," Cloud said. He didn't know what her reaction would be if he ever met her again. Would she hate him? Forgive him? Tell him that what happened wasn't his fault? He had no way of knowing. He knew the flower girl had never been one to hold a grudge, but he did not expect her to forgive him for his failure to protect her, or if he could even accept her forgiveness, were she to offer it.

"Did you bang her?" Zack asked.

Cloud bristled. The unexpected crassness of his friend's question grated on his nerves. He wasn't sure if Zack was being crude on purpose, or he was just being his usual, tactless self. Either way, he didn't like where this conversation was headed.

"No, Zack, I did not," he replied, feeling more than a little annoyed. "Why do you care, anyway?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really," Zack said. "But you do know I saw her first, right?" he added with a smug grin.

Cloud fought the urge to roll his eyes. He knew it was probably just more of Zack's good-natured ribbing, but he wasn't in the mood for it today. Kidding around was Zack's way of ingratiating himself with other people and, at times, served as a defence mechanism. He'd always told Cloud that he was too serious for his own good. And usually, he would have been right, but the current situation didn't merit much levity, as far as Cloud was concerned. There was no time to waste on bickering about relationships. There were more important things at stake.

"So?" he replied. "That just means she's tired of looking at you."

"...Ouch," Zack replied. "Geez, Spikes. Why so crabby today?"

"Oh, I don't know," Cloud said. "Being dead might have something to do with it."

"For the last time, you're not dead," Zack reminded him. "Not really."

"This isn't living, that's for sure," Cloud said, raising his hands up to the light again, still getting used to the idea of having stolen the remains of his arch-nemesis.

"You've got a body, don't you?" Zack said. "That's a start."

"The start of what?" Cloud replied. "Nothing good, if you ask me."

Zack went quiet. Perhaps, he thought, it was best not to say anything further for the time being. He'd forgotten that Cloud could be quite caustic when angered. Though his friend was usually quite genial and unassuming, he could be downright abrasive when in a bad mood, and right now, he had every reason to be in one.


Cloud paced up and down the cobblestone street next to the bus stop, while Zack stood by, staring out into the distance. They had been waiting for nearly an hour, and yet there was nary a soul in sight. It was beginning to seem as though they were the last remaining entities in the entire world, trapped in this frozen wasteland.

"..So, you're just good friends, then?" Zack asked, hazarding conversation once again.

Cloud paused, sighing. There really was no escaping this line of conversation when Zack was around. He figured he might as well turn the tables on him.

"As far as I know," he replied. "How about you and Neith? What is she to you?"

"Oh, we're just friends," Zack said. "Acquaintances, really. We barely know each other, to tell you the truth."

"She made it sound like you've got something of a past," Cloud said. "Just how long have you known each other?"

"A little while," Zack said. "She and I got paired up for the whole 'stopping Demois from destroying the entire world' thing. I don't think she was too happy about that."

"No kidding. But she made it sound like she wasn't happy about having to work with us, specifically," Cloud said. "Something personal there?"

"Well... I might have done something to piss her off," Zack admitted. "It's hard to tell."

"Don't tell me you tried to put a move on her," Cloud said.

"Believe me, I was tempted to," Zack replied.

"You're joking, right?" Cloud said.

"What can I say?" Zack replied. "A man's got needs."

"What needs?" Cloud asked. "You're dead."

"Yeah, but my libido ain't," Zack replied.

Cloud shook his head. Same old Zack. Not even death could put a crimp on his day.

"I mean, you've gotta admit... she is kinda hot," Zack said. "What with the flowing robes and the tattoos and occult mysteriousness and all that.."

Cloud resisted the urge to roll his eyes yet again, and just about managed to do so, through sheer force of will.

"But she's kinda scary, too, if you hadn't noticed," Zack added.

"Yeah, she wasn't in the friendliest of moods today," Cloud said.

"I won't lie. I don't think she's into me," Zack said. "She didn't seem to like you very much, either."

"Really?" Cloud replied. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Just a hunch," Zack said, the tinge of irony in his friend's voice going right past his head.

"Looks like our ride's here," Cloud said.

The two of them watched as a lone vehicle pulled into the station, a rattling, broken-down grey bus that looked as though it should have been decommissioned decades ago. There were no other passengers to be seen. They cast one brief glance at one another, then boarded the decrepit vehicle.


Cloud watched the landscape changing as they neared the capital, the permafrost regions giving way to more autumnal scenery, and finally the lush verdure of the grasslands surrounding New Midgar as they neared the sprawling city.

He and Zack occupied the back seats, doing their best to appear inconspicuous. Although they had driven for several miles, they were still the only passengers aboard the bus. As Cloud watched the landscape continue to roll by, a random thought occurred to him.

"How can you be sitting on a bus?" he asked, turning to Zack.

"Come again?" Zack replied.

"I mean, if you're a ghost.." Cloud started.

Zack cleared his throat, interrupting him. "I prefer the term 'spirit', thank you very much."

"If you're a spirit," Cloud continued, ignoring Zack's interruption, "how come you can touch certain things, but not others?"

"What do you mean?" Zack asked.

"I mean, what's stopping you from falling through the earth, for example?" Cloud asked.

"We can't pass through the earth itself," Zack said. "Too much energy from the Lifestream coursing through it. Anything else, we can pass through. Trees, buildings, people.."

"So, how come you're able to sit on a bus?" Cloud repeated.

"Technically, I'm floating right now," Zack replied. "But it feels like I'm sitting on a bus. Mostly out of habit, I think."

"Let me guess," Cloud said. "Hard to explain?"

"You get used to it," Zack said. "But yeah, it's kinda hard to explain."

Zack tried to think of something else to add to his explanation, noting the odd look Cloud was giving him. "What can I say? It's a weird world, man. You'd think that you'd finally get some answers when you die, but you don't. If anything, things just get stranger after you kick the bucket."

"Okay," Cloud said. "Let's get back on track. What's our plan?"

"We go and stop two maniacs from blowing up the planet," Zack said.

"That simple, huh?" Cloud replied.

"I'm sure we'll figure things out along the way," Zack said. "Don't know how much help I'll be in this state, though."

"Maybe we should find you a new body, as well," Cloud said.

"What do you want us to do?" Zack asked. "Knock some old lady over the head and steal her corpse? It's not gonna work, anyway. From what Neith tells me, a body needs to be specially prepared somehow before we can use it."

"All right, let's scrap that idea for the time being, then," Cloud said. "But how are we going to.."

He trailed off, looking out towards the front of the bus.

"What?" Zack replied.

"Why is the driver staring at us like that?" Cloud asked.

"At you," Zack said. "He can't see me, remember?"

"Oh, great," Cloud said. "So, now I look like a crazy person."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Cloud, you are a crazy person," Zack replied.

"Thanks," Cloud said.

Having exhausted all avenues of conversation for the time being, the two of them simply sat in silence, waiting to reach their destination. Cloud remained tense the entire time. He had put his friends in grave danger through his own foolishness. Every instinct in him had told him not to trust Coleridge, and yet he had gone along with the stranger's entreaty. He hoped that Tifa and the children were safe, but he feared that he was merely hoping against fate. That when he and Zack would finally arrive at the Seventh Heaven, they would find..

He shook his head, trying to put the thought out of his mind, but it continued to haunt him for the remainder of their journey.


They wasted no time getting off the bus, exiting the broken-down vehicle as soon as it came to a halt, then rushed over to the far end of outer Midgar, where the Seventh Heaven was located. It was already night by the time they arrived, and they both feared that by now they might be too late.

They avoided the main entrance, in case it might be a trap, instead ducking into the alleyway beside the bar, searching for some way to get a better view of the inside. There was a fire escape next to the second floor window, which would allow them a view of the orphanage's interior without giving away their presence. Cloud hurried up the stairs, but Zack was able to reach the vantage point ahead of him. He stood still for a moment, peering in through the begrimed window, a look of sheer disbelief on his face.

"Cloud... you're not going to believe this."

"What? What is it?" Cloud asked. He hurried over to where Zack was standing, bracing himself for whatever horror he was about to witness.

What he saw was the last thing either of them had expected.

He stood there, unable to move, looking on in utter astonishment, as he watched himself seated at the table alongside Tifa and the children, laughing, smiling, and enjoying a cozy family dinner.

"...What the hell?"


They stood watch, keeping an eye on the impostor who now occupied Cloud's body, watching him as he carried on with his charade, dining, making light conversation and joining in with the children from time to time as they jostled and played. It was frightening how easily he blended in with them, the immaculate image of a contented family man.

"He's good," Cloud said.

He hated to admit it, but if it was indeed Sephiroth who was in possession of his body, he was doing a hell of a job fooling everyone around him. They had watched him for over an hour, and not once had he betrayed any hints of his true identity.

"I'll say," Zack said. "He's a better you than you are."

Cloud glowered at him.

"No offence," Zack added.

Cloud said nothing, returning his attention to the warm family scene. It was difficult to watch on as Tifa sat there, looking across the table at the man who murdered her father, smiling at him. She couldn't tell. None of them could.

As he watched, he almost began to wonder if it really was Sephiroth that he was seeing, and not himself, albeit having shed his old personality. It was a discomfiting thought, to say the least. The surreal experience of seeing oneself outside one's own body had not diminished in the least, even though they had by now kept watch over the orphanage for the better part of the evening.

As his doppelganger rose up from the table, he glanced out the window to where he and Zack stood. Instinctively, they ducked behind cover, shifting away from the window just in time to avoid being seen. Before they could hide, however, Cloud caught a momentary glimpse of his impostor, looking straight at him. There was something in his eyes, a hint of malice buried behind the convivial veneer, the mask of sanity but belying the bloody thoughts of a callous murderer. Worse yet, his enemy had caught a glimpse of them as well, and for the briefest of moments, Cloud thought he could see a knowing smile flash across his features, one which carried not the slightest trace of the feigned geniality that he employed in the presence of the children and his childhood friend.

There wasn't a shadow of a doubt in his mind any more. It was Sephiroth, his old nemesis. Behind the genial facade lay the same madman who had imperiled the world, waiting, pretending, biding his time, making himself comfortable among Tifa and the children, waiting for the right moment to strike, to rend them all apart and slit their throats, an act he would no doubt commit with the same smile on his lips.

"What do we do now?" Cloud asked.

"Well, just go in and explain the situation to them," Zack said.

"Sure, Zack," Cloud replied. "I'll just walk in there and tell them that, hey, I'm not really Sephiroth, and please take the time to hear me out, you're all in terrible danger, this man is an impostor, and he's going to kill you all."

He paused, letting out a brief, wry laugh, shaking his head. "Just how far do you think I'll get into that sentence before someone tries to chop my head off?"

"They're reasonable, right?" Zack said. "Talk fast enough, they might actually listen to you."

"Yeah... but he won't," Cloud replied, gesturing towards Sephiroth. "And once we're locked in a fight, whose side do you think they'll take?"

"...Good point," Zack said. "Still, you could take him, right? You've done it before, after all."

"I suppose," Cloud said. "But we'd be pretty evenly matched here. If he somehow gets the upper hand, Tifa and the children will.."

He trailed off, not wanting to spell it out.

"Right.." Zack replied, looking down on the ground. "You don't have any of his old powers?" he asked. "You know, levitation, mind control.."

"Not that I know of," Cloud replied.

"Too bad," Zack said. "Could have come in handy."

The two of them peered in through the window again, to ensure that the orphanage's inhabitants were still safe. "So, why's he bothering with this charade, anyway? Why doesn't he just attack them?" Zack asked.

"Because he knows he's being watched," Cloud said. "It's the only reason he hasn't made a move yet. He knew we were coming."

"Sneaky," Zack said.

"We need to keep a close eye on him," Cloud said. "Try to see if we can't catch him while he's separated from the others."

"That's gonna be tough," Zack said. "If he knows we're watching him, he's going to be clinging to them like a shadow."

"No doubt," Cloud said. "But he'll have to separate from them sooner or later."

"I hope you're right," Zack said.

"So do I," Cloud said, looking in again.


The next morning, Tifa led the children down the thoroughfare, with Cloud trailing behind them. With the money he had earned from his latest job, they could afford to treat themselves to a day out, and so they were headed to the carnival taking place near the city centre to join in the festivities. They took no notice of the two shadowy figures stalking them throughout the city.


Cloud and Zack kept close to Tifa and her entourage, taking care to stick to the shadows to avoid being seen as they tailed her and Sephiroth.

"What now?" Zack asked, as they arrived at the fairgrounds.

"We wait for our chance to strike," Cloud said.

They watched as Tifa and the children walked towards the centre of the carnival grounds, taking in the rides and attractions, admiring the variegated parades and fire-jugglers as they marched past. Finally, they settled on one of the carousels, getting in line for the popular ride.

As they moved in closer, Zack noticed that Cloud seemed to be growing more uneasy by the minute.

"What's wrong?"

"People are staring at us," Cloud said.

"At you," Zack reminded him. "You're kind of a celebrity now, remember? I'm just guessing, but I'm betting the people here are a little surprised to be seeing Sephiroth walking around again."

"Great," Cloud said. "Just what needed. Suppose I explain to them that 'no, I'm not the madman who nearly destroyed the entire world, but I get that all the time'?"

"Fair point," Zack said. "You could use some kind of disguise, now that you mention it."

Cloud paused, examining their surroundings for a moment. He had an idea. "In here," he said, gesturing for Zack to follow him inside one of the tents.


Sephiroth stood by one of the exits, waiting for his contact to arrive. Tifa had taken the children over to one of the booths to have their faces painted, giving him a chance to break off from the group for a moment. It wasn't long before he was approached by Demois.

"I see your friend is quite persistent," Demois said. "He hasn't let death deter him from coming after us."

"Just as you said," Sephiroth replied. "How did you know?"

Before they had parted, Deimos had informed him that someone might come after him in the next few days. And sure enough, there was his old enemy hounding him yet again, having usurped his own body. According to Demois, all of this was to be expected. As for keeping his own identity a secret, the plan was simple: He would hide in plain sight.

Demois smiled. "It is my business to know such things."

He gestured for Sephiroth to follow him as he walked through the crowded streets. "Now, tell me... does anyone in your little circle suspect your true identity?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "They have no idea."

"Good," Deimos said. "Best we keep it that way for the time being. Of course, our mutual friend might not make it easy for us. But as long as you keep his family close, he should remain docile."

"I saw him last night," Sephiroth said, "spying on us."

"Indeed?" Demois asked, looking more amused than troubled by this revelation.

"You want me to kill him?" Sephiroth asked.

"On the contrary," Demois replied. "I suspect that your old friend is about to do us a great favour."

Sephiroth sighed. His benefactor's habit of speaking in riddles was beginning to wear on his nerves. Still, he could not argue with the man's results so far. But the wait was becoming excruciating. "How much longer must I keep up this tiresome facade?" he asked. "I swear, if that floozy bats her eyes at me one more time, I'll carve them right out of her empty head."

"Patience, Sephiroth," Demois said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "All good things to those who wait."

"What's the plan?" Sephiroth asked.

"I need to make an excursion to the West," Demois said. "In the meantime, I need you to keep our dear, departed friends occupied. Once I return, you can deal with them however you please."

"And then you'll fulfil your end of the bargain?" Sephiroth asked.

"Worry not, my friend. You'll have what you desire soon enough," Demois said. "I just need your assistance to ensure that they don't get in my way. Do you think you can handle that?"

Sephiroth paused, glaring at his companion for a moment. He was not certain whether Demois was casting aspersions as to his ability to handle the situation, or whether he was merely being cordial. He did not trust his new ally, but so far, he seemed reliable enough.

"It won't be a problem," he replied.

Demois smiled again. "Good. Well, then. I have business to attend to. The Devil makes work for idle hands, and all that."

With a tip of his hat, Demois departed once more, merging with the crowd, before disappearing from sight entirely.


Zack waited, keeping watch as Cloud rummaged through the chest at the far corner of the darkened tent. The numerous containers within the grey tent were lined with various costumes for the festival outside. For the moment, the tent seemed to be abandoned, giving them a chance to purloin a few articles of clothing. After a few minutes of searching, Cloud returned with his findings, a black cloak with a cowl and a pale, featureless mask made of ivory. He put the disguise on, affixing the mask to his face, then pulled the cowl over his head, obscuring his appearance.

"What do you think?" he asked, turning to face Zack.

"You look like a ghost," Zack said.

"Beats being one," Cloud replied.

"Touché," Zack said. "Anyway, I think we'd better hurry back to Tifa and the kids. It looks like their ride's coming to a stop."

"Right," Cloud said, following his friend as he stepped back out into the streets. He pushed through the crowd, doing his best to ignore the sweltering heat of the sultry afternoon. His new disguise chafed, but it was better than being recognized by the people around him.

As he made his way through the fairgrounds, he spotted Sephiroth waiting all by himself, standing in front of one of the distorted mirrors at the far side of the concourse. Moving as quietly as possible, he sidled up behind his own body, preparing to strike.

"I know you're there," Sephiroth said, without turning.

Cloud halted, standing just behind Sephiroth, one hand gripping the hilt of the blade on his left shoulder.

"I know you've been watching us," Sephiroth continued. "You just don't realize when you've been beaten, do you?"

"Bold words from a dead man," Cloud said.

"Indeed?" Sephiroth asked, turning to face him. Cloud was taken aback as he saw his mirror image staring back at him, corrupted and menacing. The transformation in his countenance, subtle though it was, was shocking. Although Sephiroth was capable of disguising it with ease when in the presence of his friends, he had no qualms about revealing his true nature in front of his old enemy.

"I see you've joined the masquerade," Sephiroth said, examining his enemy's new accoutrements. "You can disguise yourself all you want. It will be of little avail to you."

Cloud let go of the blade, his hands falling to his sides, tightening into fists. "I'm going to kill you."

Sephiroth shook his head, taunting him. "We both know better than that," he said. "You won't make a move on me. Not here. After all, how would that look to your friends?"

With his eyes, he gestured over to Tifa and the children, still in the distance, enjoying the fair, wholly ignorant of the danger that they were in. Sephiroth smiled, seeing Cloud's reaction. It was clear that his old nemesis relished the irony of their predicament.

"As long as I'm in possession of this body, you can't touch me. You'd do well to remember that."

"And we're still watching you," Cloud replied. "You'd do well to remember that."

"Cloud?" Tifa's voice came.

"If you'll excuse me," Sephiroth said, offering another cold smile, "I have a family to look after.."

With that, his old nemesis departed, leaving Cloud by himself at the fairgrounds. He was incensed at the thought of having to let him go, but there was nothing he could do. He knew that Sephiroth would not make a move against Tifa and the children so long as he was being watched. But neither could he and Zack make a move against him. They were caught at a dead end.

A stalemate.


"So... we're boned, huh?" Zack said.

"That's one way to put it," Cloud replied.

They were back at the orphanage, keeping watch from the outside as they had done the night before. The family inside still could not detect any aberrations in Sephiroth's behaviour, and seemed to believe that everything was quite normal. Sephiroth seemed unlikely to break his facade anytime soon, looking as though he were waiting for something, but Cloud was ill at ease regardless, knowing of the coiled serpent that was waiting in his friends' midst.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked, looking over at Zack.

"We stick to the plan," Zack said.

"What plan?" Cloud asked. "This isn't a plan, Zack. It's suicide. Literally. Either way, I lose. I beat him, I destroy my own body, and Avalanche will think I'm dead and Sephiroth is back to finish them off. If I lose.."

He trailed off, shaking his head. He didn't need to paint the whole picture for his friend.

"And the worst part is that regardless of the outcome, we're still no closer to stopping Demois or finding out what he's after."

Zack said nothing, but simply shook his head and shrugged.

"So they sent us up here without any real plan? Is that it?" Cloud asked. "What do we even know about the situation? Where's Demois now, for example?"

The look on Zack's face told him all he needed to know.

Cloud shook his head. "We've played right into his hand. He's three moves ahead of us, and he has been right from the start. Some sages, these 'Elder Voices' of yours."

"Just be glad we're here," Zack said. "It's not like people come back to life every day, you know. I understand they've pulled a lot of strings to make this happen."

"Yeah, I can feel the strings on my back, all right," Cloud said.

"Look, we're not just puppets in someone else's game," Zack said.

"Sure feels like sometimes," Cloud replied, sighing. He walked away from the window, taking a seat next to Zack in the alley. He folded his hands in front of his face, racking his brain for a solution to their problem. As he did, a thought occurred to him. It was something he had meant to ask earlier, but in his hurry to ensure Tifa's safety, it had slipped his mind.

"Say, Zack... where is Aerith?"

"Cloud.." Zack replied, turning away. For some reason, he seemed reluctant to answer.

"Where?" Cloud demanded.

"She's... in the Lifestream," Zack said. "The prison. The one they built for Demois."

"What?" Cloud replied, confused. Then the realization struck him. His dreams. His visions of the black pit. The chains, tearing at her flesh. All this time, she's been calling out to me. It wasn't just a dream..

"She's there?" he asked. "Where they held Demois?"

Zack nodded, looking as though he'd rather be talking about anything else. He seemed ashamed of having kept this information from him.

"She's suffering?" Cloud asked, growing more agitated by the minute. "Because of him?"

Zack nodded again, but said nothing.

Cloud got up, clenching his fists. "He's dead."

He could not believe his enemy's effrontery. Aerith had suffered enough in life, and if this Deimos had multiplied her miseries by even as much as a second, his own existence was forfeit. And not merely his physical existence. The whole of his essence would have to be rendered abrogate in order to compensate for his wrongdoing.

"Yeah, he kind of is," Zack said. "That's part of the problem.."

"Damn it, Zack," Cloud growled. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

"Because I knew you'd react like this," Zack said, trying to placate his friend. "Look, don't you think I want to help her? My point is, we can't. Not until we've stopped Demois."

"Why not?" Cloud asked.

"Because if the prison isn't occupied, it'll cease to exist," Zack said.

"What is she even doing there in the first place?" Cloud asked.

"I don't know," Zack said. "Demois tricked her into taking his place, somehow. Until we return his soul to the Lifestream, we can't free her. If we do that, he'll just run amok again, and we're all as good as dead. So we need to stop him, first."

"And how are we going to do that if we're stuck watching over the orphanage?" Cloud asked. "We take our eyes off them for one minute, and they're as good as dead. And in the meantime, Demois is wandering off doing gods knows what."

Cloud shook his head again. "This isn't going to work. We need to change up our game. We keep playing it his way, we've already lost."

"What do you propose?" Zack asked.

"I need to speak to them," Cloud said. "The Elder Voices."

"What good will that do us?" Zack asked.

"Look," Cloud said, "Demois knew about all of this, right? He knew that as long as he can keep us watching over Sephiroth, he can walk around untouched, doing whatever he wants, while the rest of us run around like headless chickens, trying to figure out left from right. If we can figure out his intentions, maybe we can find another way to stop him."

"And you think the Elder Voices can help?" Zack asked.

"Couldn't hurt to try," Cloud said. "We're not getting anywhere like this."

"What about Tifa and the kids?" Zack asked. "We can't just leave them by themselves."

"I'll go after Demois," Cloud said, "but I need you to look after them in the meantime."

"Look, I can watch over them," Zack said, indicating his immaterial form, "but it's not like I can do much to stop Sephiroth if he suddenly decides to go axe-crazy."

"That's why I need you to take over this body," Cloud said. "I figure I won't be able to get back into the spirit world like this, anyway."

"We can't just swap bodies, remember?" Zack reminded him. "We need special materials."

"I know," Cloud said." That's why I 'borrowed' some of your friend's pixie dust."

He brought something out of his pocket. A small, grey pouch. Zack recognized it as the one from Neith's home. Her satchel of Ovidian dust.

"You stole it from her?" Zack said. "Why?"

He had never known Cloud to be deceitful or underhanded, but they were in a dire situation, and it was affecting not only his demeanour, but his behaviour, as well. And Neith would no doubt have their heads, once she found out.

"It's like you said, Zack," Cloud replied. "These are desperate times."


Author's Notes

Before I get mauled by someone better versed in classical mythology than I am: Yes, Pandora was the one doing the box-opening, she wasn't stuck inside one (and "box" is really a mistranslation of "urn", if you want to get pedantic). But I couldn't quite get the sentence to work, otherwise. Just didn't have the same ring to it when I swapped the words out for something more generic-sounding. It was either that, or contort said sentence into something that would have sounded like an alien approximating human speech.

Anyway, I thought I'd get this chapter out, since the document has been languishing on my hard-drive in its half-finished state for a while now. Don't know exactly when the next update will arrive, but by all means leave a review if you feel like cracking the whip. I'm getting kind of lazy and indolent about updating my stories, so if you'd like me to work faster, or if you have a specific story that you'd like to see updated more often, by all means let me know.

Until next time.