Warnings: Lots and lots of gore, angst, and mommy issues. Oh, and emo "I can't save anyone!" Cloud.

Author's note: Okay, this is the last part for a while. I SWEAR. Uhm, I had way too much fun writing the Nibelheim fire scene. Waaaayyy too much fun. Also, I have no idea if I can actually pull off action scenes. I hope you are all pleased with how I did this chapter. Slightly longer than the last chapter (by a few pages).

I don't know why, but my Seph muse became a little possessed by Agent Smith and the six-fingered dude in Princess Bride here. Hehe. Villainy makes me giggle with glee. Especially if it comes along with a totally manly Oedipal complex. Chortle. Yes. I chortled.

Desert Garden

A fanfic. by pixeled

-x-x-x-

You took my heart,

Deceived me right from the start.

You showed me dreams,

I wished they'd turn into real.

You broke a promise and made me realize.

It was all just a lie.

Could have been forever.

Now we have reached the end.

This world may have failed you,

It doesn't give the reason why.

You could have chosen a different path in life.

-x-x-x-

Part Ten

-x-x-x-

"Sephiroth seems different," a guard said. He must have recently been stationed there because no one had been standing outside the secret door when Zack had come.

"Different how?" Zack asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Sir, I went down to bring him something to eat . . . and . . ." the guard trailed off, unable to continue his sentence, but Zack pressed him.

"And what?"

"Books everywhere," the guard continued, his voice filled with tension. "His eyes . . . never seen such eyes. And he was . . . talking to someone. But there was no one there. He's the General—he commands SOLDIER and oversees various aspects of even the Shinra Guard, and I knew that such a man would be under a lot of stress, but I thought, sir, that if anybody could handle such responsibility, it would be Sephiroth. They call him 'The Great Sephiroth'. I never realized how young he was until just now. I guess he finally lost his mind."

Zack stared at the fireplace, his hand sliding up around the hilt of his Buster sword.

"You can't mean to go down there," the guard said, his voice wavering. "I don't like to admit this, but since it's Sephiroth . . . I dropped that tray and ran like a coward, sir."

"I'm going down. Cloud, I want you to go outside, call headquarters, and alert as many of the guards as possible to remain attentive. This situation is obviously out of our hands."

"But—"

"Go. Now."

Cloud stood there for a few more moments, and though Zack could not see his eyes through the helmet's visor, he knew that the boy was concerned for him. Finally he nodded his head and ran out of the room. Zack stared after him for a brief moment before he turned back to the guard and gave him the same instructions he had given Cloud each time they had come here. The guard seemed hesitant, but he stood at attention as he watched Zack pull the lever and descend down the stairs. Unlike Cloud, this guard immediately pulled the lever again and sealed Zack inside the cave without a moment's hesitation.

A crashing noise filled the dark space. It seemed to stir the air around him like an unwelcome disturbance to the dead silence that had presided in the cave for years.

"You're SOLDIER now. You're going to have to do a lot better than that."

The unbidden memory of Angeal's words gave Zack the boost of courage he needed and he walked down the hall toward the orange glow, watching as books were tossed everywhere.

"Mother," Sephiroth was saying, his voice eerily calm. "See what they write about you. See what their lies have done. They've imprisoned you with their lies, but I will free you, mother. I will give you sanctuary." Zack watched as Sephiroth dropped to one knee, hands raised toward the ceiling, a smile wider than he had ever seen from the man spread across his face; it was like a harlequin smile, sinister and macabre. "Mother, it all makes sense now . . . the years of pain, of feeling different. Everything," Sephiroth's eyes closed, his chest heaving with excitement. "Everything makes so much sense now. It all fits together so beautifully."

Zack took a step back as he saw Sephiroth open his eyes again, his head slowly lowering as he rose up off his knee to stare at him, smile dissipating into a little smirk. He laughed—a sickly, chokingly poisonous sound as he looked at the raven-haired man.

"Hmph, Traitor," Sephiroth spat with disgust.

"Traitor?" Zack backed up another step, but Sephiroth lunged for him. Before Zack even knew what was happening he felt himself hurled against one of the bookshelves, his feet dangling in the air as Sephiroth hauled him up off the ground by his neck.

"Ignorant traitor," Sephiroth seethed, his hateful eyes burning into Zack's. The raven-haired man kicked furiously, his fingers scrambling and pulling at Sephiroth's iron grip with futility.

"Look at you. The power of the planet runs through your veins—the power mother is rightfully entitled to—and you take it for granted. That sparkle in your eyes . . . has been raped from mother, raped from the land. Rapist. Traitor." Zack choked, his vision beginning to fade around the edges, but then Sephiroth loosened his grip, slammed his shoulders and pinned them there. Sephiroth's body was nearly flush with his own, but Zack didn't struggle; he gasped and choked, air crashing through his lungs once more.

"Tch," Sephiroth spat with distaste. "You call me your friend and yet you fear me. You're just like all the others." Sephiroth leaned his head close and took in a deep breath near Zack's sweating form, snarling with disgust. "You stink of it." Despite the pain straining at Zack's throat, he forced himself to speak.

"I don't fear you! You're my friend. I care about you, Sephiroth. Whatever demons you're fighting, let's fight them together!"

"You disgust me," Sephiroth growled.

"Sephiroth!" Zack struggled to grind out. "What about your promise to Angeal?"

"Angeal was weak," Sephiroth growled as he closed his hand around Zack's throat once more. "That is why he died. Friends . . . I have never had friends."

Before Zack passed out he heard Sephiroth kick away several books and unsheathe his Masamune.

"Mother, I'm coming to see you now. Wait for me."

Zack didn't know how long he had been out, but as soon as his consciousness returned his body jerked into action. His scalp tingled at the base of his skull and his eyes felt bloodshot. At first he almost crashed back onto the floor, his brain and body a jumble of confusion from the force Sephiroth had applied to his windpipe, but he was SOLDIER, and he knew where the General was headed.

As he ran through the central space of the cave to get to the rickety stairs that led above he felt his chest tighten and his mind reel with the thought that Sephiroth might have locked him inside the cave. He almost forgot to breathe, but he couldn't have; every swallow of acrid death-stale air shot pain into his abused throat.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs he was never gladder to see light pouring down on him. His legs carried him up the stairs one after the other in a blur of automatic action. Zack was like an automaton—doing, acting—no feeling, only numb horror suppressed under layers of hope hope hope.

When he reached the top of the stairs, the guard was dead. A long sickle-shaped slash ran from his throat to his gut. The man was nearly cleaved in two and there was so much blood, his intestines trailing out along the floor in a jumbled mass of slippery oozing. The stench of it was fresh in Zack's nostrils. He was used to the scent of blood, but the needless death made his brain go all the way numb. The tingling sensation spread to his arms as he ran down the stairs of the mansion and burst out of the front door.

What greeted him made him nearly stumble onto his knees. He was locked in place as he saw the entire town of Nibelheim caught up in flames. For a moment he was entranced by the way the oranges, reds, blues, and whites licked the clear night sky, but then he heard screams.

Women. Children. Fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, store owners. Nibelheim.

As Zack ran out past the gate he caught the sight of Sephiroth standing on the edge of the town just before the path to the Mako Reactor, his hair billowing in the intense power of the flames surrounding him. Zack watched with horror as a screaming man charged at Sephiroth; it was the scream of a man who had just lost everything and it bubbled up over the flame's roars with a haunting power. Zack saw Sephiroth's eyes narrow as he thrust his sword through the man's gut and twisted the blade, wrenching the man up off his feet onto it and hurling him into a lake of fire. His gloved fingers ran down the blade that glinted and reflected the fire in its face, blood dripping down into the flames below and bubbling and hissing where it landed. The silver-haired man simply rested the blade at his side as though it were an extra limb and for a brief moment he looked up from where the dead man lay and stared with deadened eyes at the destruction he had caused. Zack saw him disappear into the flames and the smoke surrounding them, and it was as though Sephiroth's departure had broken a spell over him. Suddenly Zack sprang into action, carving a path through the fire and shielding himself with his Buster sword.

"You!"

He heard the voice before he saw the man with the cloak. Master Zangan. "You're still sane, right? Come over here and help me, then!" He ran over to him and stared down at the guard at his feet being hauled up by the armpits. He was badly burned but his chest still heaved with life. Zack's hands shook as he pulled the helmet from the man's head, but it wasn't Cloud. He stared into the guard's face and watched as he took his last breath before his eyes went glassy and wide, reflecting the flames in their dead depths. Zack shook his head and Zangan laid the guard aside.

"I'll check this house," Zangan was saying as he pointed. "You check that one over there!" Zack nodded and climbed over debris and cut through flames. He saw a man curled by the entrance to the inn, his chest heaving rapidly. Zack strained toward the sign of life, kneeling at the man's side. It was the photographer from before. His exposed skin was covered with black soot and the fabric of his shirt was soaked with sweat and blood, and in parts it clung to his skin, suffused together with burns. Zack looked at him gravely and watched as his cracked lips split apart.

"Am I going to die?" The man's eyes, dark pools of fear, stared into Zack's. He looked away, licked dry lips, and felt his stomach tighten with knots of fury.

"Not if I can help it," Zack answered, his eyes meeting the photographer's. "Don't try to move—I need to look for more survivors." His lips twitched in what he hoped was a reassuring smile and he turned to move toward the next building. He spotted a guard by the side of it. He was shaking, gripping the earth beneath his fingers and gritting his teeth.

"Sephi . . .roth," he heard the guard hiss. The name was uttered with pain and fury, and Zack's heart almost stopped as he knelt before the shuddering form. He saw the coiled tension in the guard's limbs and felt the pain, horror, and fury radiating off him like the flames surrounding them.

"Cloud," Zack breathed. Relief flooded his limbs.

"I tried to save her," he heard Cloud choke out. Zack winced as realization dawned on him. Chickens ran around confused at their feet. Some of them lay dead or dying in the flames. "She was pinned under a beam. I . . . I couldn't move it. She told me to leave, but I held her hand and listened to her scream. I watched her die and I couldn't do anything to save her." Cloud's voice sounded small. Zack's heart broke to hear those words, to feel the pain in them. He pulled the helmet off the boy's head gently and stared into his eyes.

"Are you hurt?" he asked. He scanned Cloud—he was dirty with ash, but he didn't appear to be injured. The boy shook his head.

"Don't worry about me," he said.

"I need to look for more survivors," Zack said. "You should help Master Zangan if you can, and then I want you to leave with them." Cloud opened his mouth, his eyes coming to life with defiance, but Zack cut him off before he could even say anything. "Promise me."

"You're going after Sephiroth, aren't you?"

"Cloud, it's an order." Zack's eyes were hard, glowing with an intense turquoise fire. Cloud nodded and rose up onto his feet before he ran off in the direction of Master Zangan's voice calling for people to answer him if they were alive. Zack stood and looked through house after house, but there was no one else. Everyone but the few people who had been out on the streets was dead.

"Terrible," Zack said, shaking his head sadly at the ground. "Sephiroth, this is too terrible." He stared up into the mountains, squared his shoulders as he gripped his Buster sword like a shield, and ran past the flames of Nibelheim to confront Sephiroth at the reactor.

-x-x-x-

Fallen angel, tell me why?

What is the reason, the thorn in your eye?

I see the angels,

I'll lead them to your door

There's no escape now

No mercy no more

No remorse cause I still remember

The smile when you tore me apart

-x-x-x-

Zack felt the mako pulse and throb as he ran into the heart of the reactor, sweat stinging his eyes. Across the way he saw Tifa's crouching form. A man lay beneath her surrounded in a puddle of his own blood.

"Papa," she whispered down at the man, her fingers caressing his dead face. Suddenly Zack saw her head turn and fix on the sword by her father's broken and bloody form. She grabbed its hilt and dragged it into her lap, her head tilting up toward the high ceiling of the reactor. She remained silent for a few long moments. Her shoulders had been shaking with sadness and pain, but now they stilled and something seemed to sweep over her as she stared up.

"Sephiroth, huh?" Her voice was almost even, barely audible to Zack. "Sephiroth did this to you, didn't he?" It was so eerily calm. He watched, rooted to his spot, as Tifa staggered up onto her legs, the sword hissing along the metal tiles of the ground as she dragged it up with her.

"Sephiroth . . . SOLDIER . . . Mako Reactors . . . Shinra . . . Everything." Her voice was dull, deadened. And then he saw her slide the sword forward, heft it up in her arms, and swing it over her shoulder.

"I hate them all!" She cried out, screaming with the same determined fury that Zack had heard from the man who charged Sephiroth at the edge of the town. He ran after her, yelling her name, but the crashing tide of blood in her ears and her intense focus on her one target must have blocked Zack out of her environment, and when he ran after her he saw her charging into the pod room they had been in several days before.

As Zack stepped into the room, he saw Sephiroth, his back turned to Tifa and his head tilted up toward the etched name of JENOVA. Tifa let out a loud anguished screech as she ran up the stairs and as she was about to thrust the sword forward Sehiroth wrenched the blade from her hands and tossed her aside like a rag doll. Her body went crashing down the long flight of stairs and she lay crumpled at the bottom, groaning. Sephiroth turned back around, his blade returned to his side, and pressed his palms against the large metal door with relish.

"Mother, I'm here to see you. Please open this door." As the door hissed open Sephiroth expelled an excited breath and disappeared into the room beyond. Zack stared up as Sephiroth's long coat swished inside and then his eyes slowly went back to Tifa's form. He crouched by her, placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and tried to peer into her face, but she curled in on herself, her head turning away from Zack's. He saw the flash of bitter hatred in her eyes.

"I hate you!" she hissed. "I hate all of you!" And as Zack stood again he sighed and withdrew his Buster sword.

"Papa," Tifa moaned pitifully as her body shook. Zack tore his eyes away, the fury that had been building in his heart reaching a crescendo. He stalked up the stairs after Sephiroth and entered the room labeled JENOVA, preparing himself to fight Sephiroth to the death.

The room was a mass of thick wires that joined in the middle and ran into a large glass tube surrounded by the mechanical form of a woman's prostrate torso held in the bondage of wire wings. From where Zack stood, the view of the suspended tube and the large red central wire made him shiver. The room itself seemed to him a womb, the wires like connecting tissue, almost alive. The face looking down at Sephiroth almost seemed to greet him, the wire wings looking strangely like they were an extension of Sephiroth's shoulders. A misshapen female form lay just beyond in the tube surrounded by mako and Zack couldn't shake the feeling that the mechanical contraption was a protection of sorts—like armor.

"Mother," Sephiroth breathed. There was a tremble of desire and desperation in his voice and Zack felt his stomach twist with disgust and hatred again. "Let's take back the planet together." Sephiroth's hand slid up to trace the metal lips, caress the face. "I . . . I had an epiphany. Let's go to the promised land . . . mother."

Zack's shoulders heaved, his hands tightening on his sword.

"Sephiroth!"

The silver-haired man's hand lowered gently by his side, but he didn't turn around.

"Why did you kill the townspeople? Why did you hurt Tifa?" His voice sounded disconnected from his body, too loud and almost tinny in the room encapsulated around them. The man before him remained still and Zack's mako eyes flashed with anger. "Answer me, Sephiroth!" His chest heaved and his fists curled, but Sephiroth only laughed.

"Mother," Sephiroth said, his hands stretching out to his sides and his face turning up like a cleaved dish searching for its other half. "They're here again." Zack watched in infuriated fascination as Sephiroth continued to ignore him.

"You should have ruled this planet. You were stronger, smarter. But," he turned his head over his shoulder toward Zack, his wild eyes flashing with an intense hatred of his own. " . . . But then they came. Those inferior dullards. They came and took this planet away from you. But don't be sad, mother." The sound of crackling leather filled the room as Sephiroth's arms stretched up, fingers curved reverently toward the face of the mechanical woman. "I am with you now," he said, his voice like smooth butter, warm and comforting and with that same desperation always. He briefly touched the face all over and then grabbed at the wire wings, pulling the torso from the glass with relish to reveal the floating form of something not quite human.

"We meet at last, mother," Sephiroth said. His voice was almost giddy with anticipation. Zack could hear nor watch any longer and as he came up on Sephiroth, he moved the sharp end of the Buster sword directly over the silver-haired man's shoulder, aimed at his neck.

"Sephiroth! Have you completely lost your mind?" Electrical currents raced along the walls as Sephiroth seemed to turn in slow motion, his blade sparking against Zack's, his face emotionless and covered in the blood of Nibelheim's people. Zack stumbled back a bit on the thick cable, but held his balance. He looked up at the blank face and only grew more perplexed.

"Sephiroth, I trusted you!"

Sephiroth's face was draped in the same emotionless blanket as he brought his blade crashing back against Zack's. This time Zack stumbled back and fell over the side of the metal base in the middle of the area, allowing himself to continue down the reactor. Sephiroth jumped after him and seemed to drift down beside him, his silver hair—matted with blood and chunks of flesh—streaming around him. He looked like an angry blood-drenched god and as Zack continued to fall, Sephiroth's blade drew back and gleamed in the darkness as a bright wave of magic cascaded forward with the arc of his movement. Zack curled in on himself and defended against the attack with his sword's broad side, his limbs flailing out under him as he lost control of how he was falling. He landed hard onto a glass floor under him and gritted his teeth as he dragged himself to his feet. Sephiroth landed gracefully across from him, his eyes remaining dead. The way he stood and the seeming lack of sentience in his eyes reminded Zack of the training he used to do with Angeal in the VR program.

"No, you're not—you're not the Sephiroth I once knew! I understand that you have so much sadness, but—"

Sephiroth's eyes came alive and he looked up toward where the tube was.

"Sadness? What do I have to be sad about? I am the chosen one. I have been chosen to rule this planet." He looked back toward Zack as he raised his sword, pointing the tip accusingly at the raven-haired man. He shook his head, his own sword extending toward Sephiroth's. A part of him still wanted to try and pry the darkness that obscured the old Sephiroth away, but he couldn't take away the blame. Yes, the darkness had gripped him and stripped away his humanity so that all that remained was but a heartless monster in Sephiroth's likeness, but Sephiroth was still there and Zack could not put aside the blame. He had bigger problems than hesitating to use his sword, however, as Sephiroth slid Masamune vertically in front of him, his eyes trailing up its length before settling on Zack's again, an enormous concentration of energy starting to rattle at the ground they stood on as magic coalesced around the sword.

"Angeal," Sephiroth laughed, "let's see how your puppy plays." Zack's eyes widened as a green force surged forward. He tried to hold it back, but the glass below his feet shattered and sprinkled below like shimmering rain. As the blinding glow receded and the glass fell away, Zack was left on a narrow ledge and there was no Sephiroth in sight.

"Right here," Sephiroth chuckled as his blade flashed in front of Zack's eyes and slashed across his right cheek. Zack gritted his teeth and turned around, but he still couldn't see Sephiroth.

"And here." His left cheek. The scar opened up again and Zack staggered forward. He heaved the Buster sword and tried to listen for Sephiroth, but his heart was pounding furiously. Behind him, Sephiroth grabbed a fistful of Zack's hair and pushed him down onto his knees before dragging him across the long narrow path. The raven-haired man struggled to keep his grip on his sword and swung it up only to meet with Masamune's tip disarming him. Hair tore from his scalp painfully as he twisted and bucked wildly. Once he was free he charged at Sephiroth only to find that the man had disappeared at the last second and was now behind him. His sword clattered to the ground as Sephiroth grabbed for his neck again and lifted him off his feet. This time Sephiroth walked Zack over to the edge of the narrow path and dangled him over the vast drop below, his eyes shining with malice; but Zack's legs swung up and with a force that made Sephiroth stumble back and release him, he kicked both feet forward. Once he was free, he scrambled back onto the ledge and ran for his sword. As soon as he tightened his hand around the hilt he jumped up and flipped back onto the ledge above them where the tube that encased Jenova was. Sephiroth followed, his eyes narrowing with contempt. His blade plunged forward and Zack's Buster sword met with Masamune in a wild spark of metal, his teeth gritting as he tried to match Sephiroth's strength. The silver-haired man seemed to be expending almost nothing as he easily started to overpower Zack, and as his muscles started to burn and his strength dwindled, Sephiroth's eyes only hardened, his force increasing. Their eyes stared intensely—mako meeting mako—and Sephiroth, bored with Zack's attempt, flicked his sword and clashed it against Zack's with an enormously large amount of force in a surge of lazy power. Zack's Buster sword went flying through the air in slow circles and his body went back through the door and out into the pod room, each one of his muscles on fire as the air rushed over his sweaty skin. But he wasn't airborne for long—his body went crashing down, back first, into the stairs of the pod room and once he made contact it was hard enough to flip him onto his stomach. He limply slid down each step, his teeth biting down into his tongue at the first blow to his face. With each step, his body took another blow, dust rising off him as he finally settled somewhere in the middle, torn and mangled.

He didn't stop there. He looked up, bloody face raised toward the door he had just been flung out of, and attempted to pull himself up, but every muscle in his arm screamed and his eyes filled with tears as he was forced to remain immobile. He swallowed hard, tasting the coppery blood that was filling his mouth. His aching tongue ran over his teeth, surprised to find they were all still in place.

"As I expected," he heard Sephiroth say after him. "Not worth my time." The words made Zack's eyes sting with more tears.

"You're not the only hero!" he remembered himself shouting at the virtual representation of Sephiroth. He didn't want to believe it, but maybe Lazard had been right. Maybe his dream was unattainable, and maybe his life would be cut short here. Tonight. But there was still some fight left in him—he was sure of it. But the more he struggled to get up, the more a drowsy feeling consumed him. And then he heard the sound of running feet behind him. They paused briefly and Zack could feel eyes on him, but he didn't have the strength to keep his own open anymore.

Cloud's eyes moved from Tifa's crumpled form to Zack's. His mind had shut off since his first decision to disobey Zack's orders, and so he saw them but didn't see them. His thoughts only swirled with fury as he walked up the stairs quietly, a single mindedness narrowing his field of vision. He found Sephiroth's back to him, and Zack's sword plunged into the ground before him. He moved his hands around the hilt and heaved it out of the ground, his fury carrying him forward in a rush as Sephiroth stood there, one gloved hand extending out to reach toward the form beneath the glass.

The sound of the cracking glass filled the room and Sephiroth gasped, his hand quivering and falling away. He looked over his shoulder and stared into Cloud's eyes as pain bloomed in his abdomen. The Buster sword pinned him to the tube, its width embedded in his torso. Cloud gritted his teeth when he saw those eyes and pushed the blade deeper before pulling it back out. He watched as Sephiroth slid down the glass trailing blood and ran out toward the pod room once again. First he checked Zack's pulse, his fingers lingering on the older boy's wrist, and then he clattered down beside Tifa on the ground at the foot of the stairs, the sound of his shin guards hitting the floor echoing through the reactor. He laid the Buster sword beside him to pull her head into his lap.

"Tifa," he muttered, wiping away the tears that still trailed down her cheeks.

"Cloud," she whispered, her eyes brightening a little, "I knew you would come. You kept . . . the promise." She passed out in his arms and he held her cheek for a brief moment. He stared down at her, his chest feeling tight.

"I couldn't save you then," he whispered to her relaxed face, "but I'll save you now."

Footsteps at the top of the stairs leading into Jenova's chamber made Cloud's eyes harden again, his head moving up to watch as Sephiroth stepped unevenly through the threshold with gasping breaths, one arm clutching Jenova's severed and bloody head and the other carrying his Masamune. When his eyes locked with Cloud's they focused and narrowed into hateful slivers and he straightened himself carefully, blood spraying through his armor. It was hard to tell what was Sephiroth's blood and what was Jenova's.

"How dare you," he growled out, unable to keep himself upright for long. His face twisted with pain and he gurgled on blood.

"Cloud," Zack groaned, his consciousness returning to him. "F-finish Sephiroth . . . off." Cloud gasped and looked up at Zack, his heart flooding with relief to hear that voice, his eyes temporarily softening. He nodded, the hardness quickly returning to his eyes once more as he laid Tifa's head down gently and picked up the Buster sword. He gripped the hilt and looked up at the silver-haired General from the bottom of the stairs, eyes burning with an all-consuming fire.

"SEPHIROTH!"

Cloud charged and heaved the Buster sword over his head before crashing it down on Sephiroth's extended Masamune. The blades shook as Cloud used all of his force to press against Sephiroth's blade, but even drained of so much blood Sephiroth was much stronger. His eyes flashed acid green as his blade arced in a circle, tossing Cloud into Jenova's chamber.

Sephiroth took labored steps and walked back into the room after Cloud as he tumbled in a heap onto the floor, his throat making constricting noises as his fingers twitched. He was in too much pain to get off the ground but he could hear Sephiroth directly above him.

The Masamune plunged forward just shy of Cloud's heart and continued out of his body. He writhed and clutched at the blade, groans and grunts falling from his lips as they spewed blood. Sephiroth looked down upon him as though he were an annoying mosquito and heaved Cloud up off the ground, still impaled by his sword.

"Don't test me!" Sephiroth hissed out, watching as the head of blond hair slowly lifted up to reveal two determined blue eyes. Cloud's fingers twitched as his arms slowly rose to clutch at Sephiroth's blade, and with gasping cries, he pushed the blade down and maneuvered himself back down onto his feet and lifted Sephiroth up off the ground, hate glowing in his eyes.

"No," Sephiroth clamped his fingers around the hilt of his sword as he shuddered in the air, his blood dripping down onto Cloud's face. "Impossible!"

"For destroying my hometown," Cloud choked out, "For killing my mother . . . I will . . ." he wrenched the blade to the side with Sephiroth still hanging off it. "I will never forgive you!" A strangled growl tore from Cloud's lips as he hurled Sephiroth across the chamber and against the wall. The electrical current ran across and fire exploded and encapsulated Sephiroth's form—still clutching his sword and the head of Jenova—before he slowly dropped off the wall and fell down into the depths of the reactor.

Zack finally lifted his head back up off the steps and lifted his torso up onto his shaking arms. He watched as Cloud came staggering through the threshold of the door once more, this time clutching at his chest, a copious amount of blood spilling through his fingers. He tried to make his way down the stairs, but the inhuman strength that his rage had let him borrow ran out and he passed out right before he went tumbling down the stairs limply, only stopping right before Zack's body.

"Cloud," Zack gasped out. His fingers struggled to reach out and run through the boy's hair, but his body protested and he rested his arm where it was, stretched out toward the boy's pale gold head. "You did it." Cloud's eyes opened a crack at Zack's voice.

"Zack," Cloud gasped, blood drying at the corners of his lips. "The flower you gave me . . . before we left . . . started to . . . bloom." A small smile spread over his lips, his eyes dark and his breaths falling into evenness as he fell into delirious dreams.

Zack's body finally gave out on him completely, and a blackness pulled him deep below into a heavy unconscious world where everything seemed to be slipping from him.

"Za-ack," a voice called out in his ear. "Zack. You need to get up. You need to fight. This doesn't end here."

He struggled to bring himself out of the darkness, but it held on too hard, and though he struggled as if trying to move mountains, his eyelids remained glued shut.

When he gave up, there was nothingness. No dreams of angel wings, none of Angeal's disembodied words . . . only nothingness.

-x-x-x-