Okay so welcome back to the very next chapter in this story, with my co-author RikuKingdomHearts. This chapter took some good planning and some time but now it's finally ready. I'm thankful for all of you who continue to keep up with this story. Also, this chapter is longer than all the others so prepare for a good read. Let's get to it!

Chapter 11

"Once this is all over, I'll find a way back to you guys! You still owe me that date Aqua, don't forget about that!" Zack shouted to the two of them as he started to run back towards Sephiroth.

Cloud and Aqua stared with wide eyes as they watched Zack run closer and closer to Sephiroth. Everything was happening too quickly to process and there didn't seem like a lot of time to think things through. The light around them was growing brighter, as they could see Heartless rising up from the ground in the far distance. Heartless were swarmping in front of Sephiroth now and Zack was running directly towards them.

Aqua had almost thought she had the strength to call out to Zack finally, but the light shined brighter than before and she immediately covered her eyes. When the light around her finally faded away, she slowly opened her eyes to try and see the scenery around her. She had to blink a few times as the brightness of the realm of light was almost too much for her own eyes.

Aqua still couldn't get her thoughts off Zack though. Everything had happened to quickly, but now it felt like she had all the time in the world to process it. She still couldn't believe what had happened though she had seen it right in front of her. Zack so casually running right into danger with a confident, cheerful smile on his face. It was something that he would do, but the thing he had done just seconds before still left Aqua's heart heavy.

Aqua closed her eyes as she remember the moment. The brief moment of Zack showing his feelings that he had for her… how could she even try to process that calmly? He had does it all so calmly with a smile on his face, like what he was about to do right after didn't matter. Aqua's vision blurred as she placed a hand on her face. She stared down at the ground as her thoughts continued to focus on Zack.

Aqua tried her best to hold back her emotions, but it wasn't working. She could feel the tears streaming down her face now. She would have lost herself in her own thoughts about Zack if a stifled cry didn't draw her back into reality.

Aqua turned and looked next to her. She had almost forgotten about Cloud. He was down on his knees with his head buried in his hands. Aqua's heart felt even heavier now as she heard Cloud's mournful cries. Aqua kneeled down next to Cloud and placed a hand on his shoulder. She wanted to say something to him, but she knew she was not strong enough yet to bring forth any words.

"I… I lost him again," Cloud mumbled. His voice was quiet and already rough sounding from his sobs. "I lost my brother again…"

Aqua moved her arm from Cloud's shoulder to around him. She wrapped her other arm around him as well as she finally thought of something to say. "Don't say that… We haven't lost him. He's just...He…Just don't think that."

"But I lost him again… Ten years ago I watched him disappear in front of my eyes… and now it's happened all over again," Cloud replied as he shuddered.

Aqua shook her head. "We'll find him. Don't worry Cloud… Everything… Everything will be all right." Aqua spoke these words aloud, not only to try and help Cloud calm down, but also to try and reassure herself. But even with that, she still couldn't shake off the feeling that they had left Zack behind. That he had chosen to stay behind. Neither of them did anything to try and stop him… they only had stood and watched.

Aqua suddenly felt Cloud's arms around her. She focused her attention back to him to see that he was looking at her. Sadness and loneliness swirled around in his eyes. "H-How do you know though? We… We didn't do anything to try and stop him. How do you know that he is okay? I just don't know… Being torn from him right after reuniting… I'm just afraid I won't see him again…"

Aqua bit her lip. Again she couldn't think of any words to say. She wanted to try to cheer Cloud up, she could see how distressed he was about the entire situation. But she just didn't know what to say. She couldn't even think of ways to reassure herself about the situation. Aqua closed her eyes as she let out a long sigh. Though while her eyes were closed, images of Zack came from her memories. The memories of all the moments she had shared with Zack, from the first time at the Colosseum all the way to being in the Realm of Darkness. Every cheerful smile he gave came rushing back to her mind all at once.

Aqua smiled as she opened her eyes again. "Zack wants us to be strong, remember? He may have stayed back there, but he did that so we could escape. We can't let him down after he did all that for us."

Cloud slowly nodded as he pulled away from his hug with Aqua. He let out a sigh as he wiped away his tears. "Yeah… You're right. That's always what Zack liked to do. Always putting on a smile and doing what he can to protect others. I guess… he…" Cloud trailed off as a small smile formed on his face.

"He really is a hero," Aqua finished.

Zack and Sephiroth stayed there for the longest time, their swords locked against each other tightly as they continued to glare intently at one another. Both of them were focused now on defeating each other, and they both wanted to get back to the realm of light. Of course, their reasons varied greatly, but the end goal was the same. They each tested and tried to overwhelm the other, but upon realizing that it was a stalemate, they each jumped back and prepared to go again.

The two rushed each other again and clashed swords not just once, but many times as clatters of steel could be heard echoing in the long dark. Each time the swords banged against each other was a reminder of their two opposing wills that could never acquiesce to the other as they were seemingly forever locked in a struggle for superiority. The two blades seemed to almost cry out as they continuously locked horns together. Neither man was willing to give in.

"So, Zack, why don't you just quit this now and do me a favor… Fall,"Sephiroth said with a menacing tone as he increased the pressure he held against Zack's sword.

However, Zack was determined to not give up. He had come too far now to quit.

"No! I will never give into you or to the darkness again. And I was not going to let you follow Cloud and Aqua out!" Zack screamed with intensity at him.

"Oh, so you knew what I was planning then? That's why you made this choice. Interesting…"

"Of course I knew. We've known each other for some time. You always seem to have some sort of plan. I was the only one who could stop you."

"Heh, so you think. Cloud would have been a much better-"

"Leave him out of this! You've done enough to him. This is between us. I will settle this...one way, or another."

"It seems you've resolved yourself then. Then let us commence this dance, Zack. I will make this place your grave.'

"Ha, that's what you think Sephiroth. I won't let you!"

Zack then summoned up some inner strength and firmly planted his foot into the ground, as he gripped the sword even tighter and brought it upward against the Masamune at such force that it caused Sephiroth to momentarily lose his hold on Zack. Upon seeing an opening, Zack kicked Sephiroth in the abdomen, shoving him away briefly as he righted himself.

"Hmm, impressive. It seems this will be quite the climactic battle. Come Zack."

Zack held out the sword, given to him by Cloud, in front of him in a vertical position as he closed his eyes. He thought about all of the people that he cared about. He thought about all of the memories that he had made, with or without them. He knew that he wanted to get back to them, but to do that, he had to stay here and overcome this final hurdle. He slowed down his breathing and brought his mind into a calmer state as he was then able to concentrate fully on the task at hand, which was to make sure that Sephiroth would be gone. He opened his eyes quickly, with a fire burning in them that showed his renewed confidence in himself. He lowered his sword slightly, and as he did, Sephiroth noticed the new look in his eyes.

Sephiroth looked on intently at Zack upon realizing that he was finally serious. He smiled.

Zack then brought his sword down to his side at an angle as he began to charge at Sephiroth. Upon seeing this, Sephiroth put himself on guard and raised his Masamune and blocked the heavy hit that Zack had just sent his way. Once again, the two swords grinded upon each other, sending screeches of it echoing through the realm of darkness.

The two men started exchanging blows repeatedly, the impact of their swords causing rippling effects around the area as the battle raged on for quite some time.

Zack slid backwards from Sephiroth after the long-haired man had overpowered him, but before he could regain his balance, Sephiroth had already closed in on him. Zack raised up his sword to shield himself, but Sephiroth already had a powerful swing in motion. His sword collided with Zack's and bounced it up out of the way as Zack lost his left handed grip on his sword. Zack's sword flung to the side quickly, still in his right arm, and hit the ground as the sudden weight in his right arm was unaccounted for. Before he had time to react, a sharp pain tore into him like nothing he had ever felt before. He grimaced in pain as he closed his eyes.

His shoulder was on fire with pain, and the only thing he could think about was making that pain disappear. After a few seconds, he finally opened his eyes and glanced to the left side and saw the Masamune lodged into his shoulder. It was a deep wound as Sephiroth's sword was buried into it so that the top could not be seen. He could see blood trickling down the blade and slowly dripping onto the ground. After finally having enough of that, he looked up at Sephiroth finally, who he noticed was standing there with a grin on his face.

"Does it hurt Zack? Here, allow me to remove it for you then," Sephiroth said slyly with a smile.

Sephiroth slowly slid the sword back and out of the wound, but made sure to take his time to inflict all of the pain possible. Zack felt the sword grinding against his bone as it was removed. He grunted heavily as he tried to bare the agony that he was feeling. Once the sword was finally out, he could feel his arm getting a bit more numb as the tendon felt torn completely. His arm dangled to the side, nothing more now than dead weight.

Zack tried to deal with the pain from his shoulder as he went to lift up his sword. He attempted to raise the large sword up with his one good arm, but it was proving to be quite heavy. Then he tried moving his left arm over to try to grab it, but the pain was too much, not to mention that he was slowly losing the feeling in that left arm. He finally thought and figured out a plan.

He started to rush forward, the large sword dragging against the ground. As he approached Sephiroth, he dipped the left side of his body down while at the same time pulling on the sword with all of his might from the right side. The sword came up and around in a horizontal slashing motion, but Sephiroth was easily able to parry it. Zack tried this method a few more times, but each attempt was in vain as Sephiroth blocked them effortlessly.

Sephiroth chuckled. "What's wrong Zack? Having a bit of trouble there?"

"Be quiet! I will find a way to beat you. I made a promise. And I intend to keep it, no matter how much it hurts."

Zack continued his efforts to try and hit Sephiroth, but to no avail. However, it seemed he was becoming use to the weight of the sword in his one arm as he was able to start swinging it much faster than before. That of course caused Sephiroth to dodge on the next swing as he was not expecting it. Zack was almost a bit surprised at being able to wield it with one hand, but it was just what he needed. With a sense of renewed confidence, Zack brought the fight to Sephiroth once again as they began to trade swings.

Zack's swings were becoming much faster and harder as he started to control his sword more easily with one hand. He was trying to get through to Sephiroth, but his strikes were constantly blocked. Zack decided to try and talk to Sephiroth once more, in hope it may help.

"Sephiroth...I won't let you get what you want. I will stop you and free you of the darkness."

Sephiroth's face changed a bit into a frown upon hearing Zack's comment. "Hmpf… You act as though I want to be freed. Laughable. I have been one with the darkness for years now. In case you don't remember, allow me to show you."

Sephiroth suddenly started to hum with dark energy and Zack noticed a slight increase in his power. Sephiroth pressured Zack harder with his sword as a grin finally returned to his face. Zack tried to push back, but it was proving to be difficult with just one arm. He put all of his might behind one final push against Sephiroth, when suddenly Sephiroth backed off.

The weight Zack put behind his sword drove him forward as his sword swung up and to the side. He saw for a brief moment that Sephiroth had taken a stance with his sword arched backward and in a lunging position. The next thing that happened was an immense pain in Zack's stomach. He winced and cried out in pain, trying to figure out what happened. When Zack finally opened his eyes, he saw it.

The sword was stuck in him, as blood started to slowly drip down the blade of the long sword. He felt the sword was all the way through him. It had pierced his body completely. The pain was as sharp as the blade that was driven inside of him, and not able to contain it any longer, he screamed at the amount of pain he was in.

Sephiroth just looked on with the calmest expression on his face as he opened his mouth to speak, with a cold smile still on his face. "You look just like your brother Cloud with this sword driven through you. It's a fitting look for you too. But don't worry, I'll be doing more of the same to him again once I'm out of here. We have unfinished business."

At that comment, Zack tried his best to ignore all of the pain that he was in, though his breathing was increasing rapidly. He was not going to let Sephiroth talk like that about Cloud. He knew that he had to do something to get free. He dropped his sword and slowly raised his good arm and grabbed the length of Sephiroth's sword. He knew how much it would hurt, but he inhaled sharply and gritted his teeth in preparation. Then, he attempted to pull it out in an effort to get free. He could feel the blade cut into his palm as blood dripped down his hand, staining his skin. He winced at the pain of it cutting him. He didn't' care about anything but getting that blade free at the moment.

"Oh, are you having trouble again? If you wanted the sword out again, why didn't you just ask?" Sephiroth questioned sarcastically as he yanked the sword backwards quickly from within Zack.

As the sword slid out, the pain became much worse with the wounds now more open and his stomach began to bleed much more as blood started to drip onto the ground. Zack dropped to a knee and coughed up a bit of blood onto the ground. He then yelled out in agony again as the pain just kept increasing. He tried though to place his one good hand over the wound to try and subvert the pain, but it stung upon his touch. He kept his head bent over, trying to take in deep breaths, while he tried to collect his thoughts on what was going on.

The first thing he thought on, was that couldn't help but notice the way that Sephiroth was acting. Sure he had become more cold and ruthless after accepting the darkness. But now, it was more than that. He almost seemed… deranged. It's almost as if… the darkness was controlling him. Zack thought back to his time earlier with the battle with Sephiroth… after Cloud was injured... he had become crazed over fighting Sephiroth. It was the darkness that had controlled him then.

He knew that he had to find some way to fight Sephiroth still, but there didn't seem to be a way with such injuries now. And if the darkness was truly controlling Sephiroth, Zack still wanted to find a way to bring him back. But from how he had been acting… he seemed to be too far gone already. Besides that, all of the pain was making it hard to see straight. Zack's vision had stared to blur ever so slightly. He knew the situation was bleak now.

Zack sighed as he thought to himself quickly. "Come on Zack...you can't give up now. They're counting on you. What would Cloud think if you were to just quit. I want to save everyone. No matter what, I must fight this, even if it means..."

He didn't want to think about that last part too much. He summoned the strength that he had and placed his hand on the sword next to him. His grip tightened around the large handle as he tried to lift it. He was able to bring it up enough to plant the end in the ground in order to use it as a crutch for him to stand. After a few seconds of struggling, Zack finally managed to get to his feet.

However, it was all for naught as Sephiroth rushed in and flung the sword away by lunging at it with his sword. The sword flew to the side, and clattered when it hit the ground. In less than a second, once the sword had left his grip Zack toppled back to the ground. He let out another groan as he hit the ground, and now it was near much harder to try and stand again. Sephiroth just looked down upon him with a sinister glare. Before Zack had time to process anything, he felt Sephiroth's boot forcefully collide into his side, knocking him back a few feet. Zack tried to muffle his cry of pain, but everything was feeling a whole lot worse now.

Zack grimaced in pain as his side and his stomach now were hurting tenfold. His arm had finally gone numb from the puncture. He had lost all use of it. Zack laid there on his back and brought his right hand up to cover his stomach wound again. He took in a sharp breath as he felt pain from the pressure. But at least he wanted try to stop some of the bleeding. As he held his hand there, the sharp pain continued to burn through his stomach. No matter what he did the pain wouldn't stop. Now was the time he desperately wished he had a Hi-Potion. As the pain refused to die down, his mind became lost in his many thoughts on what was happening.

"Is this it? Am I really...going to die here? I can't say I haven't lived a good life, though I wish things would have been better sometimes. I wish that all of this would not have happened...if only Cloud…" Zack was thinking as his mind started to drift off as he felt tired.

However, as he started to fade, a thought crossed his mind. "Cloud! He's still waiting on me. And Aqua too. They're both depending on me and waiting for me to get back. And I promised them I would. I've gotta get up. I've gotta fight. Somehow...there must be a way."

Zack finally snapped out of his daze and started to try to move, despite the intense pain. He grunted as he managed to finally sit up into an upright position. His breathing intensified as the hole in his stomach began to hurt more as the pressure on it increased from his sitting position. He looked around him and saw that the sword was just a few feet away from him. He slowly crawled closer and reached for it and clutched its' handle tightly in his hand. Using all of his strength that he had he managed to plant the tip of it back in the ground and managed to stand up once more. After standing there for a few seconds, Zack finally pushed the pain out of his mind as he began to walk forward towards Sephiroth. He dragged the sword along the ground as he got closer to his former friend.

Sephiroth stood there waiting for Zack, citing his impression with his resolve. "My my, look who's trying to be the hero again. Color me impressed that you can still fight with that wound. You really have gotten stronger Zack. Or is it just denial of the inevitable?"

Zack didn't speak, or rather tried not to so that he could keep the pain away a bit. He approached Sephiroth finally as he found the words he needed. "I will fight… for my friends. As long as there is breath left in me I will fight for them. You used to be my friend, but now it seems you are lost forever. But I'll do what I have to, to get back and keep the promise I made," Zack broke off as he cracked a smile. "After all, that's what a hero does."

Sephiroth was about to stifle a slick grin, but then he felt something coming from Zack. There was an air of confidence around him again. It was almost as if he was bathed in the light once again. Even though nothing was visible to him, he could feel the pressure of it. He scoffed at the thought of the light now.

"I guess it's your hope that keeps you going. Even after all of this you still stride to keep going. Well, no matter. I'll make sure to end this for good now. I have no use for you since you're not willing to listen."

As Sephiroth finished his words, Zack was upon him quickly. Surprised, Sephiroth instinctively jumped backwards quickly to avoid the swing of the large sword that he almost did not see coming. Although it rarely happened, for once, Sephiroth was a bit puzzled by what he had just witnessed. He knew that Zack was on the verge of collapse just a few minutes ago, or at least what seemed like a few minutes. But there was something different now when he looked upon him. There was a glimmer in his eyes now.

Zack was actually surprised at his renewed energy. Although he could still not feel his left arm, and his stomach was still in pain. It was almost as if none of that mattered as he could no longer feel any of it. He felt warm and light on his feet. Even the sword felt lighter than it was before as he was able to grasp it cleanly with one hand. He could tell there was a definite change, but he was unsure of what had actually occurred. All he knew is that he now had strength again, and he could finally put this battle to rest for good.

Sephiroth did not want to waste anymore time there. He was a patient man, but he felt that he had waited long enough. He started to build up the energy that he had left and focused it into his sword. He started to dash at Zack, and as he got close, Zack was able to bring up his sword to block the shot, but Sephiroth had too much force behind it. He swung his Masamune upward and it sent Zack into the air.

Zack knew exactly what Sephiroth was trying to do now, so he was prepared for it. He lost sight of Sephiroth for a brief moment, but then he saw him reappear right behind him. Sephiroth was trying to use his Octaslash on him, and as he closed in for the next shot, Zack was prepared and blocked the slash. The collision sent a shockwave echoing through the Realm of Darkness once again.

Sephiroth tried to brush off this sudden surprise by Zack as he teleported away again and attempted the next strike. However, Zack continued to block each one of them swiftly as Sephiroth grew more agitated with each time as he thought to himself briefly.

"Why is Zack so strong now? He was so weak before, but now I feel the light coming from him. The darkness is supposed to be all powerful. The light can't win against it, right?"

As he was distracted, Zack finally swung back as he caught Sephiroth off guard for a split second. He bounced Sephiroth's sword back as he then delivered a swift strike of his own.

"I'll use everything you taught me to be able to defeat you. So take this!"

Zack then disappeared behind Sephiroth and delivered a second strike to him. He continued this pattern as he teleported all around Sephiroth at different angles and struck him with an Octaslash of his own. After the eighth hit, he raised his sword up and brought it down upon Sephiroth, sending him crashing to the ground. The ground cracked slightly at the impact as dust rose up, covering the area where Sephiroth had just landed.

Zack floated down to the ground afterwards as he felt exhausted. That move had used up much of his energy and he felt drained, but he knew that things were not done. The burst of energy he had suddenly gotten was fading quickly as he waited for Sephiroth to get back up. There was only one thing he could do now to make sure this ended. Zack despaired at what this decision would mean, but he knew that it had to be done. He closed his eyes and focused.

Sephiroth was in pain as he was trying to get back up. He was covered in slash marks as his body ached and his clothes were tattered and torn now. Blood dripped softly from the fresh wounds that had just been made. His breathing increased as his head started to spin a litte. However, his anger had also increased at being pummeled like that as he finally stood up.

Zack started to approach Sephiroth once again as soon as he saw his silhouette. He broke out into a run as fast as he could as he raised the sword up. He angled the sword with the blade pointed forward as he continued his rush, getting closer to Sephiroth now.

Sephiroth was blinded by a bit of rage as he turned around swiftly to speak again.

"Zack! I…"

His words were cut short by the large blade that had just pierced his torso. Zack drove the sword completely through Sephiroth, the blade of the sword hanging out of the other side as blood dripped from the gaping wound that he had just created. Zack's eyes showed a mix of emotions as he had that fiery determination, but also sadness as he looked upon Sephiroth. A small, single tear fell from Zack's face as he held on to the sword for as long as he could.

Sephiroth gasped for air as almost every vital organ in his chest had just been ruined. He coughed up blood in large portions onto the ground in front of Zack. He tried to speak but he couldn't find the air to do it at the moment. He staggered for a few moments, gagging on the blood filling his mouth. With no more strength left, he toppled backwards to the ground with the sword still stuck in him.

Zack stood there in disbelief for a moment. The weight of the sword was removed from him now, as well of the weight of a decade-long battle. He knew things were finally over as let out a long exhale. He tried to move forward, but his legs felt like twigs as soon as he took one step. He gave into the exhaustion and collapsed to his knees before laying down on his back. He inhaled deeply and sighed. He was relieved, but at the same time, he was also pained.

Sephiroth knew that he was dying, and there was no way to stop it. He wondered if he had been wrong all of this time as he laid there. He wondered if he had chosen to remain on his original path if things would have been different. But, none of that could change now. He tried to use his last remaining breath to speak.

"I didn't expect you to find such reserves of energy. Hmpf...as expected...of a hero…"

Zack faintly heard those final words, and they cut into him more deeply than any wound he had suffered. He wondered if maybe the darkness had lessened it's hold on Sephiroth as he was dying, but now he would never know exactly what was going on.

"Sorry… it had to end this way. You were once my friend… but it's all over now. I can't find myself to ever forgive you, not after everything you did, but… just… sorry," Zack said as he let out one long sigh. He stared up at the darkness filled sky for a moment before turning his head to the side.

He stopped thinking or caring about Sephiroth now and his thoughts started focusing on other things. "I guess I won't be able to make it back to you for Cloud. Sorry… that I broke my promise again. And I guess I won't be able to have that date with you Aqua. I guess though... maybe I finally did become...a hero."

Zack managed to let out a small chuckle as he smiled. "I'm a hero… but no one's here to witness it. Figures. Still… I've finally become the hero I wanted to be." Zack barely was able to think of those last words before everything faded into nothingness.

And there we have the end of that extra long chapter. There was a lot of things that happened here in the big moment, and of course a lot more angst to present. This had been planned for quite some time and I'm so glad we were finally able to get it written out for all of you. I hope that you all enjoyed reading it, and let us know if you do. As always, until the next time!