So, seems I unintentionally listened to HunterBelmont and left the cliffy ending for quite some time. My bad! Thanks again to Wintersheart1766, whom I still love to pieces, and who did a FANTASTIC job on this chapter in particular. Lol. Love for betas. Also, thanks to HunterBelmont for nagging me about this AND "No Hope". I'd make little progress on anything without these two. Lol.
Warnings: Well… -sob- These warnings frustrate me SO much. So, so, so much. Uhm, maybeee… mild violence, Uhh… mild coarse language? I wish I had more for you people, but no…Doubt you read these anyway. Muffins are just like ugly cupcakes, but we loves them anyway. Yay.
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Cloud's ears were ringing, as he felt his elbows graze the earth below him, the fireball that had left Sephiroth's hand launched both he and Vincent several metres away from the ex-General. Vincent had already scrambled to his feet, pistols firing into the confines of the crater. Cloud's eyes were beginning to fail him, mako enhancements being no match for the quickly darkening surroundings.
"Sephiroth!" The blonde cried, righting himself on his feet once more, and closing his eyes as he felt that sinister laughter reverberating against the walls. Weapon raised, the blonde catapulted himself through the air. He could feel the cold silence as the laughter suddenly halted and he swung his sword forward violently feeling metal clash against metal. The darkness cleared slightly around him and his eyes opened wide as he came face to face with his former idol and an impressed set of Emerald green eyes. Masamune was pressed against his own weapon, a lone black wing flapping slightly, fanning the toxic shadows from around them as Sephiroth's mouth engaged a slight smirk.
"You found me so quickly, Cloud," He murmured, with slight surprise lacing his words.
"You tend to forget that I can feel you," The blonde replied sharply, pushing against his blade and hurtling himself backwards before moving forward to swing his blade once again. He heard the maniacal laughter rise as before, filling the cavern just as a breath of air brushed the back of his neck, a single black feather drifting down before his eyes, and then once again; blackness enveloped him. Cloud's ears were ringing sharply again as a deafening roar filled the cavern, a glowing red light bursting through the darkness, as a second set of wings made their presence known.
…Chaos…
Despite the shadows looming around him, the blonde sought out his destination through reluctant emotional connection and sensory memory. Cloud headed for where the light had seemed to appear, finding claws holding Masamune back with a struggling determination. Sephiroth was pushed back slightly, and demonic wings pierced the ex-General's shoulder blades.
"Ah," Sephiroth smirked, watching as the wound quickly began to knit, "That wasn't very nice…"
Cloud leapt through the air, sword crashing down, as Sephiroth kicked Chaos square in the chest causing the demon to fly backwards, separating the two. Looking upwards, Cloud saw Sephiroth take flight, before turning to face an obviously disgruntled Chaos.
"Idiot," The demon muttered, before propelling himself off of the ground and up into the air after the ex-General. Cloud offered a frown at the demon's words, before heading for the wall. The pair above him had the advantage of wings, so the blonde did what he could despite the hindrance he had. Above him, he heard the incessant sound of metal striking claws and the rhythmic beating of ethereal wings. Cloud felt the adrenaline burning through his veins as he leapt from one rocky edge to another, using his sword as a propelling device. The higher Sephiroth flew the more the darkness around him cleared. Cloud watched in startled surprise, as Sephiroth hurtled through the air towards the ground, managing to right himself before he hit, Chaos hot on his heels. Emerald green eyes flashed with apparent disdain an instant before Masamune slashed the demon across the torso. Chaos let out another deafening roar, as Sephiroth held him at sword's length for a few moments, uttering soft words that Cloud could not hear, to the demon. Spinning his sword, Sephiroth flung the demon beast towards the earth with an unimaginable force. The ensuing explosion was deafening, shaking the rock walls violently and resulting in Cloud losing his footing; he now hung precariously off the edge.
Cloud used all the strength he could muster to right himself on the ledge, before casting a look below him.
"Vincent!" The blonde called, as the dust cleared revealing a sizeable crater. Chaos had reverted to his human form within the crater depths.
…Shit… Don't let him be dead… don't let him be dead…
Cloud repeated to himself as he dropped from the ledge and tumble-rolled slightly to land on the ground beside the gunman. Sephiroth abruptly blocked his path; cat's eyes glittering with slight amusement, yet he did nothing to stop the blonde and moved aside enough to let Cloud fall into the pit beside his comrade. Crimson eyes cracked open slightly under furrowed brows, a metal claw clutched at the blonde's outfit.
"Cloud, he's… he's toying with us…" Vincent coughed slightly, as Cloud reached into his pack and poured an X-potion down the ex-Turk's throat. Pale skin slowly regained its colour, before crimson eyes widened further, turning upwards to face the shadow looming over them. Cloud did the same and straightened as he raised his sword above him. Sephiroth let out an amused 'hmph', and Cloud suddenly felt his entire body stiffen, his form lifting against his will. He turned startled eyes to Vincent, whose body was doing much the same.
"Yes, I remember now," Sephiroth murmured, his eyes losing a little of their poisonous flare as he drew the two fighters closer to him.
"Have you noticed, Cloud?" He asked lightly, focusing his attentions on the blonde, "Have you noticed that our thought exchanges are not always voluntary?"
Cloud remained silent, as both he and Vincent reached the top of the impact crater the gunman had fallen into. Sephiroth kept lifting them however, turning slightly, as he flapped his solitary wing and pulled himself further into the sky.
"Of course you have," Sephiroth murmured, dark amusement licking at his lips, "If I have, then so has my puppet."
"Who's the real puppet here, Sephiroth?" Cloud asked coldly, as emerald eyes flared up again for an instant.
'…Obviously a sore spot…'
"You say I have no emotion, but what did you have when you murdered all those innocent people?" Cloud continued, Sephiroth halted his ascent temporarily, "You felt nothing. You had no soul…"
Sephiroth remained quiet for a few moments before continuing upwards.
"Perhaps," He agreed, "But I had purpose. To hold purpose is to have meaning, and to hold meaning is to have ambition. What do you need to have ambitions such as mine, Cloud?"
The blonde said nothing, and Sephiroth offered a small smirk.
"What you need is desire, Cloud; desire and hatred. ShinRa was kind enough to provide me with the desire, the need, the urge, the very hate to fuel my own needs. Is desire not a feeling? Is uncontrollable anger, fuelled by hate, not an emotion?" Sephiroth mused, as Cloud willed himself not to listen, and though he couldn't bear to hear the former hero's hateful words, he couldn't help but think; 'to reason was to hold some sort of sanity' and he couldn't help willing himself to believe that all hope for Sephiroth was not yet lost.
"But," Sephiroth paused curling his fingers as Cloud felt his chest tighten and his breath become labored, call it whatever you wish."
Cloud had little time to brace himself, before both he and Vincent were hurtled through the air hitting the crater wall and falling onto a narrow ledge a few metres down. Vincent sputtered harshly and Cloud could feel the gunman's blood sliding down his arm as he lay sprawled across him.
The blonde gasped for breath before rolling onto his side slightly. He could feel the burning pain shooting through his entire body as he watched Sephiroth gracefully make his way towards them' Vincent's crimson eyes glowed with darker intentions than Cloud had ever before witnessed on the gunman.
"Vincent…" Cloud rasped, and the ex-Turk shook his head.
"I'm fine, Cloud," The gunman replied, struggling to sit upright as Sephiroth approached. Cloud locked eyes with the ex General, suddenly clutching his head as another memory assaulted his mind. He fell heavily against his comrade, hearing the gunman calling to him as he faded into his memories.
Cloud had been looking for Zack, hoping to find the Lieutenant and ask a little advice on how to get acceptedinto SOLDIER without being killed in the process. When he'd strolled into the First Class' quarters, he'd found Sephiroth instead.
"G-general Sephiroth, sir!" The blonde saluted, as the General looked up from his book, he was relaxing on Zack's sofa and was mildly surprised to see Cloud at the front door.
"Cadet Strife," Sephiroth acknowledged him politely, offering a small smile, "You look surprised to find me here."
"I'm sorry, sir! I was looking for Lieutenant Fair, sir!" Cloud nodded rigidly, as Sephiroth closed his book and placed it upon the coffee table.
"You need not be so formal with me, cadet. We're likely to spend some time together, considering both of our alliances with Zackary," Sephiroth explained smoothly, gesturing at the empty armchair to his left, "He's at a meeting with Tseng at the moment. You're quite welcome to wait with me if you like."
Cloud reluctantly took the seat and stared uncomfortably at the coffee table.
"What were you after, by the way?" The General asked, "Perhaps I could assist you?"
Cloud faltered slightly, but Sephiroth's eyes were open and willing, so the blonde cautiously made the step towards casual conversation with his idol.
"I was kind of looking for a few tips with regards to making it into SOLDIER, sir,"Cloud shrugged slightly, "I know that it's meant to be hard,I just didn't think it would be this hard, you know? The only thing holding me back is the psychological aspect. Otherwise, I'm perfectly fit for the program. Everyonesays so, even Zack. I mean, I can't be that messed up, can I?"
He had blurted this all out of his system, and although he was embarrassed by his outburst he kind of felt…relieved. Cloud lowered his flaming face from Sephiroth's gaze to the floor, but his wide blue eyes shot up once more as the General let out a small laugh.
"No need to be embarrassed, Cloud. It seems as if you've been holding that in for some time, would I be right?"
Cloud gave a small nod, and the General shifted slightly in his seat.
"Perhaps that may be a part of your problem, cadet," Sephiroth mused, as Cloud cautiously met the General's gaze, "You seem to be overly concerned with what others think of you, or of what others may be feeling. This can cause hesitation within a battle, or when one is required to follow another's orders, and hence, would deem you unsuitable for SOLDIER. Would I be right, Cloud?"
"Yes sir," Cloud murmured, hearing his own heartbeat thrum in his ears, hot blood racing through his cheeks.
"You may call me Sephiroth off duty, Cloud," The General reassured, leaning back into the couch as he picked up his book once again, "I'd consider you somewhat of a friend by now."
Cloud's breath caught in his throat, as emerald green flicked to his in mild amusement.
"You have Zachary to blame, I suppose," Sephiroth murmured, before beginning to read to himself.
Reality abruptly came back to him, as his eyes fluttered open to find emerald green mere inches from his, Sephiroth's lone black wing creating a slight breeze against his skin. His eyes regained their focus slowly, taking note of his surroundings. Masamune was piercing the shoulder of Vincent, pinning the gunman to the wall.
"Welcome back, Cloud," Sephiroth smirked, twisting his blade slightly and drawing a hiss from the blonde's companion, "How fitting that memory was, was it not? How your thoughts of how others perceived you had led you to distraction? How it made you unsuitable for SOLDIER?"
Cloud suddenly rushed forward, intending to slam his own head full force into the smug face before him. Sephiroth pulled back sharply, a surprised laugh falling from his lips.
"I truly wanted to help you back then, Cloud," Sephiroth said quietly, "I felt compelled to give you what you wanted. I remember having much the same feeling when I'd been given the question of whether or not to allow Zack into First Class. I knew then, that you meant a little more to me than the average cadet. A friend, that's what you'd become."
"You can't call yourself a friend," Cloud murmured, "After everything that happened in Nibelheim…"
"At Nibelheim, I wasn't your friend, no," he nodded, a small frown flickering across his features, "I was nobody's friend."
Turning slightly, he wrenched the Masamune from Vincent's body. The gunman let out a cry as he fell onto his hands and knees, his crimson gaze glaring up from under long lashes.
"Not even my own," Sephiroth smirked, "But seeing you here, with Valentine… an ex-Turk no less? Well… It made me think."
"Think of what?" Cloud asked, knowing he was being baited by the low growl of "Cloud…" that Vincent murmured. He'd stopped caring. Every flashback that Sephiroth had offered him, every logical word spilling from his cold, lips; they were making too much sense. He was being lured in by suggestions, implications, and allusions of something that may or may not be a fabrication of his own desperate imagination. By the look in Sephiroth's eyes, this was something of which the former General was all too aware.
"The real Cloud Strife," He murmured, "And more importantly… the real Sephiroth."
Cloud felt his breath catch in his throat, but he choked out his response regardless.
"The real… Sephiroth?"
The ex-General merely nodded, before raising a leather clad hand and sending a rumble through the ground beneath them. Cloud had little time to register the gesture before both he and Vincent were swept off of the rocky ledge with a single sweep of the Masamune, and falling towards the glowing stream of consciousness that had opened up beneath them. The last thing Cloud remembered before hitting the surface was a metallic claw clutching his wrist, pulling him towards the stoic face of the ex-Turk, who offered little more than a reassuring nod, before they both were abruptly engulfed by the Lifestream.
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A/N: MUAHAHAH! I'm a bit of a cow with the cliffies, eh? X3
