Author's Note: Whee! So many great reviews. Thank you everyone. After this chapter, it's time for the big shoot out at Radiant Garden. So the story's nearly done! Enjoy.

Suggested listening: Muse. "Blackout"

Suggested beverage: Coke

"Seph!" Sora cried, running to the man on the ground. He was lying motionless on his side, his clothes smoking faintly. The Keyblade Bearer knelt beside him and reached for his shoulder, but pulled his hand away with a hiss. "He's hot, like he's on fire," Sora said, looking up at Riku.

The older boy unzipped his vest and slid it off his shoulders, using it as a sort of potholder in his hands. He gently shook Sephiroth's arm.

"Wake up," Riku said softly. "Come on, tell us what happened."

Sephiroth's green eyes opened slowly and a groan escaped his lips.

"That's it," Sora encouraged. "Who did this to you?"

Sephiroth put a hand to his forehead and propped his other elbow on the ground, sitting up halfway. "He came," he whispered. "He tried to lure me into the Darkness, but I…" His eyes snapped open, looking up at the two boys with real fear. "It's coming. We'll all be killed. Everyone will die."

"Hold up for a second," Sora said, patting his now-cooler shoulder. "What's coming?"

"Every single shred of the Darkness. It's almost at our door." Sephiroth pointed to the west. "It's coming."

"Don't listen to the Darkness inside you, Seph," Sora pleaded. "It will lie to you at every turn."

Sora looked at Riku, and the silver-haired boy stood slowly. "He's right, though. I can feel it." He glanced at his friend over his shoulder, his aqua eyes narrowed with worry. "And it's strong."

The brunette fisted his hands at his sides. "Like Xemnas strong?"

Riku shook his head, and Sora saw a faint tremor in his hands. "Much stronger," he whispered.

Sora looked to the west and cursed with such a passion, Sephiroth was sure he'd been taught by Cid.

Sephiroth rested his forehead against his fingers, listening to the chaotic proceedings going on at the long table in the brownstone's common room. Riku and Sora had just finished telling the crew what they knew, and shouts and curses reigned.

"How could it have found him so soon?" Yuffie wailed. "If the Darkness is as close as you say…"

"One day, maybe two and it'll be right on fucking top of us," Cid growled. He chewed his toothpick nosily. "Hell of a time to quit the smokes."

"We need to plan for the attack right now," Leon barked. "This battle is going to be huge."

"Excuse me," Sephiroth said quietly. Everyone stopped talking to look at him at the end of the table. The silver-haired man swallowed. It was much like the first day he'd come here, when they'd all argued about what to do with him.

"Yes?" Tifa prompted.

Except now, it seemed his vote counted.

"The solution is obvious," he said, glancing around the table. Cloud caught his gaze, his bright blue eyes steady and emotionless. "I shouldn't remain in Radiant Garden," Sephiroth continued, tearing his eyes away from the blonde. "To do so would only draw the Dark Forces here and the city would be destroyed."

"Where do you plan on going?" Vincent asked in a low rumble.

Sephiroth gestured helplessly. "I'm not sure. The forest? A desert? As far away as I can get."

"So should we all be getting ready for a road trip?" Sora asked, looking at Leon for confirmation.

"No!" Sephiroth cried out. Sora jumped, startled, and Sephiroth had to take a deep breath to get himself back under control. "No," he said more softly. "That would defeat the purpose of me leaving. I don't want any of you in harm's way."

Cloud finally spoke up, and everyone turned to stare at him. "We're already in harm's way whether we like it or not. What chance do you have of defeating this Darkness on your own?"

"Because the Darkness plans to either control you or kill you to obtain your Nobody," Riku added. He crossed his arms over his chest. "And that would be disastrous."

"Exactly." Merlin nodded from his perch on a tall stool on the other side of the table. "If you're overrun, Sephiroth, all hope is lost. It would be wise for us to protect you at all costs."

Sephiroth looked around the table to see everyone nodding in agreement. "But I can't ask you to risk your lives to save mine," Sephiroth protested.

"You're not asking," Cid grunted. "We're telling ya. The Darkness will have to go through us to get to you."

"But…" Sephiroth said weakly. He glanced at Aerith, who was seated at his side. The girl reached out to cover his hand with her own.

"That's what friends do," she said with a smile.

Sephiroth shook his head. "I don't deserve any of this," he said. "After everything I've done…"

"You'll do worse than that if we allow the Darkness to take you," Cloud said, resting his elbows on the table. Sephiroth couldn't hide the pain in his eyes, and he hoped the blonde knew it was an apology of sorts.

"Seph has a good point, though," Leon said. He pulled a folded map from his jacket pocket and spread it on the table. "If we wait for the Darkness to come to us, the forces will enter the city and reduce it to rubble."

"All of that hard work would have been for nothing," Yuffie moaned.

"However," the leader pointed to the western wall of the town, "we can anticipate the enemy will attack here. I say we meet them outside the wall. The plains there are almost empty, only a few farms scattered about. If we can hold them off, we can reduce damage within Radiant Garden."

"That sounds good," Sora murmured. He tapped a fingertip against the paper. "There're mountains on one side of the plains and a canyon on the other, so they'd be funneled right to us. Not a lot of room for them to scatter and get past us."

"Then it's settled?" Leon heard the entire group voice their agreement. "Okay. Yuffie, I want you to get a message to the farmers out on the plains. Tell them to bring their families inside the city walls. Cid, have Tron announce through the town's loudspeakers that there's going to be a dangerous attack tomorrow and everyone should stay inside. Everyone else, I'm going to need help amassing all the supplies we'll need. Weapons, potions, ether." He counted off on gloved fingers. "We'll need everything we can get our hands on. Other than that…" Leon looked up at the expectant faces of his friends. "This is a major battle. It might be the hardest one of our lives. I suggest you all take the time we have left and get your affairs in order. Do anything you need to get done." He glanced at Cloud sitting beside him. "Spend time with those you love," he said softly. Leon swept his grey eyes around the table. "Everybody clear? Then let's get going."

Sephiroth stumbled back home hours later, loaded down with items from the local shop. The little duck who ran the store had asked why he needed all those potions and Sephiroth hadn't known what to say. He'd mumbled something like, "Better safe than sorry." He added his armload to the growing pile of supplies on the common room floor. Throwing knives, ethers, mega-cocktails for health and magic and armor were all strewn about in a gigantic mountain. It would be a job in itself distributing all this stuff to the crew.

"Hey Seph?" Tifa's voice floated from the kitchen. "Is that you? Did you clear out the item shop?"

"I did," he answered with a puff of breath. "Are Sora and Riku back from the synthesizing shop?"

"Not yet." The young woman walked out of the kitchen and said, "A few of us are going up on the roof. Just having a little chat before tomorrow. Want to join us?"

Sephiroth shook his head, eyeing the pile at his feet. "I don't know. There's so much work to be done."

"Come on. This is just as important." Tifa tugged him by the arm and led him out the door. They climbed the rickety ladder to reach the house's roof. Sephiroth could already hear Cid's loud voice before they got to the top.

"And then the look on your face, Yuff!" He laughed heartily. "You woulda thought you'd seen a ghost, the way you looked when the airship first took off."

"I never liked flying on that old bucket of bolts!" the ninja huffed.

"Bucket of bolts?" Sephiroth peeked over the edge of the roof to see the mechanic snort indignantly. Along with Cid and Yuffie, Vincent was perched silently at the edge of the roof. "The Highwind was a stellar piece of equipment. Light years ahead of its time," Cid grumbled.

"It did have a tendency to shake, though," Tifa pointed out, taking a seat in the little informal circle. Sephiroth approached slowly, only to have Vincent sweep his cloak aside for him.

"Plenty of space, Sephiroth," he said. "You're just in time. I have a small presentation to make." With an exaggerated flourish, he reached into the recesses of his red cape and removed a small box. "For you, Highwind, with my deepest regards."

Cid's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Galbadian cigarettes? Where the hell did you find those?"

"Galbadia," Vincent answered dryly. He dropped the pack of cigarettes into Cid's lap.

"Val, I can't take these," the mechanic said mournfully, though he examined the package. "I just quit!"

The gunslinger shrugged. "Now would be a good time to start again."

Cid chuckled and tore the plastic from the box. "You've got a point, vampire. Anyone got a light?"

"Here." Vincent leaned forward, mumbled a quick Fire spell, and the tip of Cid's cigarette glowed brightly. He took a deep drag, sighing contentedly.

"Just one more won't kill me," Cid mumbled happily. "Thanks, Val."

"Hey," Yuffie spoke up, her voice a bit uncertain. "Do you think Leon was just getting us worked up earlier? Do you really think this battle is going to be that tough?"

"I don't know," Tifa said with a shake of her head. "I can't imagine what it'll be like if it is."

"I know," Yuffie groaned. "I mean, fighting you that first time, Seph, that was the worst fight I'd ever been in. You were a strong bastard."

"I remember very little of it," Sephiroth said. "But I remember you all fought bravely. I am honored to be on your side of the battle line this time."

"Hey, let's not get all mushy here," Cid grunted, blowing a blue cloud of smoke towards the sky. "Wait to feel honored when we're done kicking Dark ass."

"Oh, crap, remember that one time?" Yuffie launched into a story about a past battle that ended with Cid covered in green slime, and Sephiroth couldn't help but smile.

It was hours after sunset by the time Sephiroth came back into the house. The others were still up on the roof trading embarrassing stories and reminiscing and, though they'd welcomed Sephiroth warmly into the group, he felt tired after the day's events. He just wanted to grab some food and go to bed. He found Aerith in the kitchen. She was boiling something foul-smelling on the stovetop.

"Sorry about the stink," she apologized. "I'm brewing up some old-fashioned cures. We might need something stronger than potions tomorrow."

"Good thinking," Sephiroth said, grabbing a cold meat pie from the fridge and eating it over the sink. "You're not coming into battle with us, are you?"

"Of course." She smiled widely. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Aerith." He put the half-eaten meal down on the counter. "I don't want you getting hurt. You've done so much for me already."

She batted him on the shoulder. "Oh, stop. I may not be the strongest fighter in the crew, but you'll need a healer out there on the battlefield. It's not like I haven't done it before. Besides," she said, "I often wondered why the Light brought me back from the brink of death. Now I think maybe I'm supposed to protect you when it matters most." She tucked a stray lock of silver hair behind his ear affectionately. "So much depends on you, Seph. I can feel it."

"Aerith…" He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. How strange, he thought, that this young girl ended up being such a mother to him.

"I know," she whispered, hugging him back as if she could read his mind.

Sephiroth dragged himself to his bedroom, already stripping himself of his shirt. He had closed the door behind him and nearly reached to unbutton his pants when he saw he wasn't alone in the room.

"Cloud," he said, not bothering to hide the note of surprise in his voice. He hastily picked up his shirt from the floor, debating whether or not to slip it back on. "It's late. Shouldn't you be…?"

Cloud sat on the edge of Sephiroth's bed, the only place to sit in the room. He was wearing the red robe he'd given Leon wrapped tightly around his waist. "Leon's asleep right now," the blonde said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I wanted to talk to you before the battle begins tomorrow."

Sephiroth balled up his shirt and placed it on top of his dresser, then arranged some bottles of potion beside it. He hoped Cloud couldn't see his hands shaking. "What about?"

"I need to know that you're ready," Cloud murmured, watching the silver-haired man move about the little room. "Do you realize what you're about to face?"

Sephiroth sighed. He kept his back to the other man, still busying himself with the items on his dresser. "I understand the Darkness inside of me," he said softly. "It's been making itself known these past few days." Sephiroth swallowed, looking over his shoulder at the blonde. "Cloud, he came to me wearing your face and—"

Cloud nodded, silencing Sephiroth. "Did you take what he offered?"

"No," Sephiroth cried vehemently. "I couldn't."

The blonde swordsman stood, the long robe folding around his bare legs. He gave a bitter laugh and put his hands in the deep pockets. "You're a stronger man than I was," he said.

Sephiroth's brows furrowed in confusion for a moment before the horror dawned on him. He turned to face Cloud fully. "He…I forced myself on you?"

Cloud shrugged, the rust-colored silk shifting on his shoulders. "There was not much to force. You were very powerful then; I was very lost. I was drawn to the Darkness, and you only gave me what I asked for." He glowing blue eyes glanced up through his blonde spikes. "The Dark Forces can only do so much up to a point. It will be the strength of your heart that determines the outcome of this battle. I'll ask you again: are you ready?"

"I promise you," Sephiroth whispered, "I will not fail you."

Cloud let his gaze travel along the floorboards, and then removed his hand from his robe's pocket. He placed a piece of paper blank side up on Sephiroth's bed.

"That's for you," he said. "Get some rest."

Cloud left the room, the door creaking shut behind him. Sephiroth frowned and picked up the piece of paper, turning it over with a gasp. It was a yellowed photograph, taken the day before the disaster at Nibelheim, when Sephiroth turned to the Darkness. A younger Tifa stood in the center, waving at the camera. Sephiroth saw himself, his old self, standing at her side with a faint grimace on his face. He remembered he used to hate getting his picture taken. And there on Tifa's right, with that wild dark hair and smug grin was…

"Zack," Sephiroth whispered to himself, gently touching the old picture with his fingertips. Cloud was giving this to him?

Sephiroth reopened his door quickly, scanning the hallway. Cloud was nearly to the room he shared with Leon. His hand was on the doorknob, his eyebrow raised at Sephiroth's appearance.

"Cloud, I can't take this," he said, holding the photograph reverently in his hands. "This must be the only picture you have of Zack."

Cloud let his hand fall from the doorknob with a sigh. "It is," he said. "But I want you to have it. For now."

Sephiroth studied the picture again, shaking his head. "When you came to me, back then," he asked, "how did you manage to return to the Light?"

Cloud closed the small distance between them, speaking quietly in the empty, dark hallway. "I clawed my way out of that dark pit, not by the strength of my heart," he said, "but because you let me go." He gave the silver-haired man a wry smile. "I always thought you were playing with me like a cat would a mouse. But maybe this part of you," he flicked the ends of Sephiroth's silver hair that brushed his jaw, "had something to do with it."

"I can't say for sure what my motives were back then," Sephiroth said, letting his eyes slide shut at Cloud's simple touch, "but my heart is…Cloud, surely you must know how I—"

Cloud tilted Sephiroth's head down just a few inches, holding his gaze. He brushed his lips against the other man's, chaste, brief, warm.

"I'm sorry," Cloud murmured. "If things were different…"

"Maybe," Sephiroth whispered, "in some other lifetime." He pulled away slowly, his hand still clutching the precious gift from Cloud. "You should get some sleep," he said needlessly.

Cloud turned back to his door once again.

"And Cloud?" Sephiroth said suddenly. The blonde paused. "Thank you."

He gave Sephiroth a small grin, a little wave of his hand, and disappeared into his bedroom.

Sephiroth let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and looked up at the ceiling. This felt like the longest day of his life.

A muffled grunt coming from the common room caught his ear and Sephiroth crept over to the entrance and peered into the dark room. His eyes could make out two boys on the couch, squirming in the gloom.

"You're too tall," Sora groaned, pushing Riku's feet away from his face. "We're not going to fit this way."

"Well, what do you suggest? Are you any better at geometry?" The silver-haired boy smacked his head back on the armrest. They were both dressed in their sleeping clothes, wedged uncomfortably on the couch. "I'm tired. I may as well sleep on the floor or something." He moved to roll off the sofa, but Sora stopped him.

"Here, let's try this." The brunette wiggled his way up the cushions and collapsed against Riku's chest. He twined his legs with the taller boy's and rested his ear above his heart. "Is this okay?" he asked in careful voice. "I'm not too heavy, am I?"

Sephiroth watched as Riku sighed and placed a hand on top of Sora's spiky hair. "No," he said softly. "You're fine."

"Okay." Sora pressed his lips to Riku's neck. "Goodnight."

Riku stayed silent as Sora's breathing evened out in the still night air. Then he dropped a kiss in on the brown head tucked under his chin. "'Night," he whispered to the sleeping boy. "Love you."

Sephiroth allowed himself a smile as he turned from the common room. He would need sleep, too, for tomorrow.