One-Winged Angel

"Ah, how long has it been. I wonder." The man said in a cool fashion as he took in the landscape.

"This can't be my world. No matter, the entire universe belongs to me."

The group just watched him as he shouldered his weapon.

"Any idea what's going on?" Wedge asked.

Everybody shook their heads.

"The others before were grotesque with basic intellect at best. But this is something entirely different." Said Shri-Lanka.

Raptor stepped forward.

"Excuse me, but just who are you?" He demanded.

"What would a peon like you gain from me answering." The man replied.

Raptor was actually shocked to be called something so belittling and quickly became angered.

"Who do you think you are?" I am Prince Raptor! One of the 5 Reys of Terra! I can destroy entire continents with my power!"

The man stopped looking and turned around.

"I am Sephiroth, and I can destroy worlds with mine."

That name rang a bell.

"Sephiroth. The one who almost destroyed Gaia?" Said Storm.

"So you've heard of me. I know none of you yet I see so many familiar faces."

Sephiroth's gaze fell on each of them one by one. Finally his eyes landed on Karin.

"So you are the descendant of Cloud, the only man to have ever defeated me. Finally I can end his bloodline once and for all."

Karin paled as his words pierced her like blades of ice.

Everyone stood in his way to protect her.

"The only thing that will end is you!" Raptor dashed, preparing his attack.

Sephiroth pointed his blade at the ground before charging as well.

Both passed each other in an instant. Sephiroth's blade was dripping with blood.

Raptor's eyes were wide with shock.

"How? I didn't even see him move."

Blood sprayed from a long cut across his chest before he collapsed to the ground.

Sephiroth slung the blood from his blade as he casually walked towards Karin.

With anger and rage in their cries, they charged the man.

Carlos was the first to fall as he swung a vicious barrage of punches and kicks that the man seemed to avoid half-heartedly before getting behind the martial artist, cutting him down from behind.

Shri-Lanka swung her Naginata down with all her might, but Sephiroth deflected the blade to strike the ground with volatile force. He didn't give her time to react as he thrust a foot into her chest, shattering her ribs like glass.

Wedge had appeared behind him, his weapon raised to strike. His attack was halted as he felt a deep pain in his stomach.

Sephiroth had turned to blade around, thrusting without looking back.

The boy's arm lowered as he slumped to the ground.

The man pulled the sword from Wedge's abdomen and continued on his steady pace towards the girl.

Cid dashed, trying to impale Sephiroth, who jumped over the blade, raising his No-dachi over his head as he swung down.

The man barely managed to raise his weapon to block, the edge just inches from his face.

That was the last thing he saw before Sephiroth's fist smashed into his face, driving his head into the ground like a hammer.

Sakura charged in, firing her guns.

Sephiroth swiftly knocked away the bullets with dazzling swordplay.

She leaped over him in a high arc, never letting her fingers off the trigger, but nothing was getting by that sword.

He smirked as he caught a bullet along the edge of his sword, redirecting it along his blade as he threw it back at her, piercing her shoulder.

The bullet provided enough of a distraction as Sephiroth closed in, stabbing her stomach. She coughed up blood, but she fought through it as she raised her guns again and pulled the trigger.

Sephiroth dodged the bullets and answered by twisting the blade, causing her to drop her guns as she fell over.

Storm couldn't believe his sister had fallen as the man grinned at her body.

"You son of a bitch!" He charged in to cleave his head from his shoulders.

Sephiroth blocked the attack with his sword.

"No matter what you say. A worm will always be a worm."

Sephiroth forced Storm's swords over his head and impaled him through the chest.

Storm let out a gurgle as Sephiroth lifted him from the ground with one hand, letting Storm's body slide towards him.

"I will eliminate all who dare get in my way."

Sephiroth swung Storm down, throwing him from the sword, causing him to bounce from the impact.

The man walked beside Storm, ramming the sword through his back.

Storm let out a cry before the sword was pulled the blade out.

Karin was paralyzed by fear, seeing all of her friends massacred by one man as if they were nothing.

She watched as he took his time getting to her. She couldn't move, looking into his eyes were like looking into the eyes of death itself.

Warm tears began to run down her cheeks as he reached her.

"You are scared to die. Don't worry, soon you never have to feel fear anymore."

He said as he pulled her into an embrace as he gently stroked her hair.

Storm was struggling to breath with one of his lungs punctured as he pulled himself towards them.

"No, don't you touch her!" He said raggedly.

Karin could see Storm dragging himself towards them, leaving a long trail of blood along the ground.

"No Storm, run away. I don't want you to die too."

"Farewell, Daughter of Cloud."

Karin let out a gasp as the sword pierced her heart, exiting out of her back.

Storm's pain magnified as he watched Karin fall in a heap.

"Karin! Nooo!" He cried as he fought with all he had to reach her.

Sephiroth felt like a large weight was lifted off of him as he slung Karin's blood from his sword.

"Now, there is now one left to oppose me! This world and the rest of the universe will once again belong to the Ancients!" He said as a single black wing materialized on his back.

Storm dragged himself to Karin, her clothes stained in a pool of her own blood.

"Please, please don't die. Don't die on me." He begged as he pushed himself to his knees, cradling her head in his lap, her face still and emotionless.

He wiped her tears from her face, but they were replaced by his own. Everything had been taken from him. His friends, his sister, and the woman he loved.

He clutched her body to his as he let out all of his pain, sadness, and rage. The ground began to quake as boulder-sized rocks split from the land and shot into the sky like rockets. His eyes blazed red as he became lost in a sea of his own anguish.

"SEPHIROTH!"

The man turned to see what no other explanation could be but a demon standing before him.

The demon was easily a head taller than him, looking down at him with glowing red eyes. It looked more like a demonic knight with twin horns that curved backwards. Its body was encased in dark armor with a red tinge that gleamed where the light touched.

With an unholy roar, he slammed a fist across the man's face, creating a trench with his body.

Storm lowered his arm as he growled deep in his throat.

The ground exploded as Sephiroth burst from the trench, hovering in the air.

He wiped his mouth with his hand, seeing his own blood on it.

He looked towards the demon who was glaring back.

"So you're the descendant of that monster. Maybe you can provide some entertainment for me after all."

Storm roared as his aura erupted before he spread his wings and took off.

Sephiroth expected a frontal assault and thrust his sword into Storm when he came into reach.

The weapon struck home, stopping Storm's charge.

Sephiroth grinned.

Storm appeared behind him and with a roar, brought down both arms down on the man's head, sending him towards the ground.

Sephiroth recovered enough to fire a blast of magic that struck the demon dead on before he collided with the ground with devastating force.

The smoke cleared to reveal Storm unfazed by the blast.

Sephiroth shoved away some boulders from the crater he had made.

"Not bad, for a monster." He charged, bringing his sword down on Storm, who crossed his arms to block the strike. "But you'll have to do better than this."

Storm growled as twin blades shot from his forearms, each a meter in length.

Sephiroth let out a sound of irritation as Storm went on the offensive and the two began a dance of death at blistering speeds that one could only see the sparks when their blades clashed.

The land quaked from every impact of their weapons and canyons were cut from the sheer force of every slash.

Queen Aurora surveyed the battle from the Purification Spire.

"This place will be destroyed by those two monsters. I must send them to their own world if ours is to survive."

She raised her hands towards them as a small light streaked from them.

Storm and Sephiroth were too engrossed with their fight to notice as the beams struck them, sending them off at the speed of light.

She vanished in a flash, reappearing over the bodies of the fallen warriors.

She heard a noise and turned to see her son limping her way, fighting to stay at his feet.

"Raptor. I'm glad to see that you're alive."

The man clutched his wound as he fell to his knees beside her.

"Mother, you must... you must save them." He begged.

"Son, it is not up to me whether they live or they die. That is why I did not resurrect the King, even thought I loved him dearly."

'But Mother, you are the Sun Rey, the Bringer of all Life. It is within your power to resurrect the dead."
She didn't respond, which angered him.

"They wouldn't be dead if they hadn't come with me! They only came to make peace with our people and you had them, including me, imprisoned by that traitor Alucard! You even went as far as to sentence them to death! Have you become so cold as to forsake them even though you are capable of bringing them back to life!"

Raptor received a slap in the face, his mother glaring at him.

"You know I'm right, because your visage hasn't shown any feelings since father died! You've already forsaken them before, do not forsake them again!"

The Queen closed her eyes as she thought about his words.

"Very well, if that is your wish." She finally said.

"Thank you." He bowed his head in gratitude.

XXXXX

The land was an abandoned, desolate place, once inhabited by countless millions, the continent Mideen now void of human life since its people were massacred by the Rey Shire.

Two beams of light pierced the sky, striking the earth just outside of the partially demolished city.

Both thought little of the change in location as they once again clashed.

Storm forced Sephiroth back, plowing through a tall building and exiting out the other side.

Sephiroth broke away and took to the air, with Storm in hot pursuit.

Sephiroth stopped and swung his sword, creating a crescent blue beam.

Storm changed course and flew into another building. The man turned to see Storm burst through the glass next to him, grabbing him in a bear hug and diving into the street.

The ground upheaved like water, knocking the surrounding buildings down like dominoes.

Storm was knocked out of the crater with incredible force, flying into the air before correcting himself.

He searched around, but the man wasn't to be seen.

"Looking for someone?"

Storm howled in pain as Sephiroth's sword cut across his back.

Storm turned to see his enemy grinning.

"Is this the best you can do?" Sephiroth asked.

Storm roared as he swung at Sephiroth, but the man deflected the strikes easily before teleporting behind Storm and slamming the hilt of his sword in the back of Storm's head.

The demon was hammered through several buildings from the blow, spraying asphalt everywhere when he crashed into the ground.

Sephiroth landed down the street and created a shockwave that ripped the ground apart on its destructive path towards Storm.

Storm retracted a blade as he raised his fist and slammed it into the ground, creating his own shockwave from the impact.

Both waves closed in and collided, causing windows to shatter from the force.

Sephiroth watched as Storm took to the air.

The demon's aura erupted with red lightning as he channeled demonic energy into his hands, and with utter ferocity, began to unleash his Hellfire Blitz.

Sephiroth retreated as the blasts vaporized where he was standing, flying low to the ground as he weaved through the streets.

Storm continued his barrage, chasing Sephiroth throughout the city, but no matter how much or how fast he threw his attacks, Sephiroth outmaneuvered and outran them with ease.

Angered, Storm flew high above the city, raised a hand and poured more power through it, creating a giant ball of black fire.

He reared it back and threw it right at his target.

The blast consumed the city, turning over half of it into ash instantly.

All that remained was a few skyscrapers and a deep black pit that seemed bottomless.

Storm turned to block a strike, but the force knocked him spinning backwards. He steadied himself and snarled at the man like a wild animal.

Sephiroth hadn't lost his grin since the fight began.

"I guess playtime is over. You did provide me with an amusing distraction, but I can't spend anymore time with you. I've got a universe to destroy, but I will honor you by killing you with my full power."

Sephiroth grabbed his sword with both hands, changing his stance as his aura began to form around him.

"This is the end, Demon."

Sephiroth disappeared before Storm's eyes to knock him straight down, driving Storm through every floor of a 70 story building.

The building collapsed as Storm rocketed from it like a bat out of hell.

Sephiroth began to send a barrage of crescent blades at Storm, who nimbly avoided everyone and phased passed them to get to Sephiroth as they sliced through buildings with ease.

Sephiroth blocked a barrage and they came locked in a ferocious battle, creating shockwaves that pounded against the ground from every clash of their swords.

During the fight, Sephiroth was steadily hitting harder with each strike, pushing Storm on the defensive.

Sephiroth swung down hard, making Storm block with both of his swords. He leaned in so that they were face-to-face.

"You might be a demon, but you fail to understand that you are fighting a god."

He grabbed Storm's face and channeled magic through his arm and fired point-blank, knocking Storm across the sky, hurtling wildly before tunneling through the ground.

Boulders erupted as Storm shot from the ground in a streak of black fire.

Sephiroth wasted no time as he flew after Storm, readying his sword to strike.

Storm roared as he did the same.

In a tremendous clash, the two were bathed in light.

As the light faded, both were facing eachother.

Blood dripped from Sephiroth's sword which was on the other side of Storm's back.

Storm's swords had missed Sephiroth's head, his arms outstretched .

His voice was in pain as his weapons snapped like twigs, falling uselessly to the ground below.

Sephiroth removed the sword from Storm's chest, who clutched the wound. He then drove a spin kick deep into Storm's abdomen, sending him soaring across the sky.

In an instant, he appeared over Storm and swung his sword, slicing through the armor on his torso.

Storm howled as the force sent him to the ground at breakneck speeds, causing him to skip repeatedly until sliding to a halt.

Storm lay unmoving, sprawled like a fallen bird.

"Storm. Storm. Can you hear me? Storm, what happened?" Shouted Ifrit.

Storm finally came to.

"Ifrit?" Came his voice.

"Finally. I've been trying to reach you. I was trapped inside when you transformed. All I could do was watch as you rampaged."

"Karin, I couldn't save her."

"I know, but your rage took control of you and you nearly wiped out half of Gaia."

"Gaia?" He said in confusion.

"The Queen brought us here somehow, but that's not important. But even with your power, you've been losing this fight. This man is more of a monster than you."

"So, I can't win?"

"I'm not saying that, but remember what your sister told you. You have to have a clear mind to unleash your power. Control your anger, don't let it control you."

Sephiroth hovered high above Storm with his sword sheathed and his arms crossed.

"Now experience the power that only I possess."

He raised his hands over his head, laying his right hand on top of his left, palms up.

A small orb of yellow light began to grow from thin air to immense sizes, becoming the size of the moon.

"And so the final blow to end your pathetic life."

The great Supernova plunged towards the planet.

Ifrit sensed the strength of the spell and materialized into his fox form.

He looked up as it descended like a beast of destruction.

"There's not much time."

He stood over Storm, shielding him.

"What are you doing? You'll die too if you get hit."

"Don't worry about me. It'll take more than this to kill me, but listen. You have to believe you have the strength to win. Don't let their deaths be in vain."

The giant ball of magic struck the ground.

Ifrit took the full force for Storm, screaming as the atmosphere lit up with an explosion that covered the southern continent.

The aftermath was total obliteration. The land charred black as far as the eye could see.

Ifrit was still standing, at least til he fell over.

"Ifrit!" Storm got up and looked over his friend, who was severely wounded.

"That's all that I can do for you. You... handle the rest."

"But how can I win? He's too strong." Said Storm.

"Don't fight him like a demon. Fight him like a human."

Ifrit closed his eyes and returned to Storm.

Storm didn't know what he meant til something caught his eye.

He looked up to see a tall man with dark hair and a smile on his face.

"Kain?"

The man just turned and walked away.

"Wait! Brother! Don't go!" He cried, but Kain had disappeared.

He reached the place where he last saw his brother, all that was there was a small glimmer of something among the ash.

He knelt down and brushed the debris away to see Kain's lance lying on the ground.

It was just how he remembered it as if time never touched it. Its twin jade-colored blades reflected the light like glass, and he remembered that Kain was the only one strong enough to wield the weapon.

With a jerk, he lifted the weapon from its resting place. Just holding it made him feel stronger, as if his brother was right there with him.

"Thank you, Brother." He said as he grabbed it firmly with both hands.

"All right, Kain. Your little brother needs some help. So I'm gonna have to borrow this."

He raised the weapon over his head and brought it down on his knee, breaking it in two.

"Now, I'm gonna fight my way."

He got in his assassin stance as his aura flared around him, causing the ground to break in a spiderweb fashion.

"Sephiroth! This ends here and now!" And he blasted off like a rocket.

Sephiroth heard Storm and unsheathed his sword.

"So you refuse to die. Then lets see you survive this!"

He swung down, creating a crescent wave 10 times bigger than before.

Storm continued as he faced down the lethal attack.

He swung his blades, meeting the wave and they paused as they struggled against the other.

With one final push, Storm cut the blade in half.

Sephiroth was surprised at what just happened.

"Die, your time is over!"

"You time was over a long time ago!"

Storm instantly streaked around Sephiroth, creating 100 copies, surrounding him in a sphere of black.

Sephiroth was struck from all directions, tossing him around like a toy.

The copies flickered away, revealing Storm high above.

He tucked his wings in and dove like a falcon, blades out, as he began to spin, becoming a giant drill of black fire.

"HELL'S APOCOLYPSE!"

Sephiroth was struck and they both shot to the ground, which erupted into a dome of destruction that grew towards the sky.

The entire continent seized violently as it split apart, becoming many large islands from the impact.

Storm was kneeling over Sephiroth, both blades in the man's chest.

He pulled them out and stepped away as his armor smoked away.

Sephiroth's eyes opened as he fought to stand, using his sword to push himself to his feet.

Storm was breathing heavily, but he wasn't about to give up, raising his weapons.

Sephiroth smirked.

"Looks like I underestimated this generation. But be warned, I am eternal. I will reclaim this universe as it is rightfully mine. It's only a matter of time before I return again."

"And when that happens. I'll be there to stop you."

His chuckled as his black wing covered him and he disappeared in a burst of feathers.

Alucard's body was all that remained as he fell forward, lifeless.

Storm dropped his weapons as he lumbered away. All that remained was the pain of the loss of his friends.

"So what now? Everyone I've ever loved is dead."

"Well you still got me." Said Ifrit.

The beast's attempt at humor didn't help the man feel any better.

A streak of light cut across the sky, which materialized into the Highwind.

A door opened wide, revealing Karin looking down.

"Storm!"

The man couldn't believe what he saw, but at that moment, he didn't care as he smiled.

"Karin!" He shouted back.

Suddenly, with no parachute, she jumped out, her arms spread wide.

Storm's smile faded.

"What the hell are you doing!"

He ran to catch her, sliding to a halt as he caught her in his arms.

Storm fell backwards as Karin wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a deep kiss on his lips.

"Karin are you insane! And how are you..."

Karin stopped him with a finger to his lips.

"It's alright. We're okay and that's all that matters."

The Highwind landed to reveal the whole group alive and well.

As they rejoiced, Raptor and the Queen stepped out to see them.

"So Mother, can we finally end this war?" He asked.

"Yes Son, I think we can." She replied, which made Raptor glad.

"It's too bad that you and the Princess couldn't get together."
"well I knew it wouldn't work out. I just played the part to push them together. It wouldn't be worth it if there was no competition."

"So you were playing Matchmaker. So are you saying that you're..."

"No Mother, I'm not." He quickly snapped.

"Just checking." Then she smiled.

"I'm glad to see you smile again. You're more beautiful when you do." Raptor said.

"Thank you. So what do we do from here?" She asked.

"Lets see what the future holds."

XXXXX

And so the Treaty of Peace was made between Gaia and Terra that day, ending the decade long war.

The warriors who helped bring the war to an end started to live their lives.

Shri-Lanka began assuming the position The Order once had and with the help of Karin, broke down the barriers between the levels of Dias, creating a better balance of power.

Carlos developed his skills to become the founder of a Martial Arts Dojo which quickly became one of the best among both worlds, even drawing in Terrans to learn the power of Ki.

Wedge traveled back to Wutai to continue his training under Gin.

Cid became an instructor for the Gaian Military, training pilots and improving the strength of its Navy to counter pirates.

Raptor became the Ambassador of Terra to improve relations, so he visited often.

Sakura decided to give up the life of an assassin and set out exploring the world.

She eventually discovered a long uninhabited island. At least until she found 13 Knights had been residing there.

Storm and Karin eventually married and had a big extravagant wedding that was held at Dias.

Karin had passed her title on to Admiral Stryker, who became the new King of Gaia.

Everyone had attended the affair as the Beasts who cheered when the two kissed and ran down the aisle as streamers and fireworks filled the air.

The newlyweds ran to the long limozine and they sped off to live their new lives in happiness.