I hope you guys have all enjoyed the Nibelheim flashback, I will be completely honest I had to sit for hours in thought about it. I wanted it to be different to all the other ways I have seen it done. I found it a huge challenge to do but I wanted to show it or at least parts of it through Sephiroth's eyes and through Sephiroth's mind, as well as from a few other angles that have not been seen before.

Thanks for the support, followers, favorites and reviews, they mean so much to me. I can't believe how close we are to the 100k words mark now (*cough* long-winded authors notes to thank for that *cough*).

I am so poor the IRS recently sent me a letter regarding this year's tax filing that said: "Don't bother", therefore I do not own any FF7 material belonging to Square Enix.

Enjoy!

Chapter 20 Part 1- Final goodbye

The fire three materia attached to Masamune made quick work of the town, spreading through the houses and streets, sending any of the treacherous wretches back to the lifestream that his sword didn't.

Running his blade through Cloud Strife's mother had been difficult, the women had screamed and pleaded for mercy, even cried for her boy. If it hadn't of been for mother giving him the strength he needed to fulfill his duty, Sephiroth didn't know if he could have gone through with it.

You are not killing them my son, you are giving them new life

They will be reborn in the lifestream and they will thank you for it, they will worship you as a god

After every kill it gradually got easier until it eventually even started to become satisfying. To end the pathetic lives of a race that were so clearly weak and inferior to him and mother as they ran begging in fright. To think that their people had been sacrificed so a species like this could continue to exist seemed far more perverse than cutting down an elderly woman or a young helpless child screaming for its parents amidst the burning buildings.

By the time he had sliced, hacked and watched every villager in this backwards town filled with backwards nobodies burn, Sephiroth could feel he was no longer the same person he was when he first arrived at this place. The change brought a dark feeling of joy to him, he had transcended frivolous qualities such as compassion and mercy, qualities that had for years chained him and made him weak. Now he was complete, reunited with mother and for the first time in his life his purpose and duty in life was clear, to lead this planet and these corrupt souls to a new age of glory. Sephiroth had always known being commander to the army of a greed ridden tyrannical corporation was never his true calling and he had always felt so lost, even when he made it all the way to the top. Now with mother beside him and his birth given Cetra duty clear to him, he was found.

Standing amidst the blazes he revelled in the power and sense of achievement he felt.

Well done my son, I am so very proud of you, the guardian now approaches, lead him to me my child

"Let me kill him now mother"

No, we must not underestimate the planet, together we are strongest, come to me

"Very well"

"SEPHIROTH!"

He grinned, turning to the voice of Cloud Strife filled with pure rage, hatred and pain, mother was so very smart.

"SEPHIROTH! I TRUSTED YOU!... I TRUSTED YOU!"

He eyed Cloud through the flames with a delighted smirk, amused that this pitiful boy was supposedly the best the planet could put in his way. Turning he walked away, he would humour mothers excessive concern about the cadet and unite with her back at the reactor in the mountains before killing him. Once he had left through the burning fires he stared out into the pitch-black mountains, the thought that the cadet would even have the strength to make it to the reactor was in itself laughable. Breathing in the cool night air he watched as mothers form faded off into moonlit darkness, urging him to follow. Extending one long sleek black wing from his back in a plume of feathers Sephiroth took off into the sky.

Chapter 20 Part 2- Final goodbye

By the time Zack came too he had lost quite a lot of blood from the back of his head, he'd most likely fractured his skull but thanks to the joys of mako he had healed enough to climb faintly to his feet.

Sephiroth had lost his mind, this place, this library, the reactor, it had pushed him to a moment of insanity, but Zack would put a stop to it. He was going to get Sephiroth and the rest of the squad and they were all getting the hell out of this cursed place. Once they were back at base he was going to give Sephiroth a piece of his mind about knocking him out cold, as well as ringing Hojo's neck and exposing him for what he had done to those SOLDIERS.

Stumbling on unstable legs out of the library and through the creepy underground tunnels that lead to the spiral staircase, his attention was drawn to the sound of movement. A door he had not noticed before sat concealed in darkness in one side of the cold cavernous walls. He tried the door but it was locked, there had definitely been movement on the other side, but how when the lock was on the outside?

"Anyone in there?" he mumbled, feeling dizzy.

Listening intently for any sign of life he eventually gave up when no more noise was made, he didn't have time to waste.

Dragging his feet up the twisting wooden stairwell he smelled the burning town before he heard it cracking. Breaking into an attempted run that only served to slow him down further, he tumbled dizzyingly into furniture and slid along the walls, trying to remain upright.

Clambering out of the mansion he looked around frantically and realized the blow to his head must have killed him, because he had truly just stepped into hell. The sky was ablaze with fire, bodies littered the floor and the smell of burning flesh attacked him in a hazy blur as if his mind had detached itself from his body and he was observing from a distant reality. This was not his reality, this couldn't be his reality, he was watching the work of some twisted director who had taken a horror movie one step too far. This wasn't Sephiroth's doing, Sephiroth would not do this, no, Sephiroth could not have done this. Zack had already lost both Angeal and Genesis to madness and Sephiroth being next would be the thing that finally broke him.

"TIFA!... TIFA WHERE ARE YOU!?"

A gruff voice followed by a stocky built man was the only sign of life that darted into the square.

"... what happened?" Zack croaked barely above a whisper, too disoriented to use his voice. The man didn't hear. Shaking his head he tried again, he needed to get his act together, perhaps this was some strange and pointless attack from Wutai.

"What happened here!?"

The man heard him this time and turned breathlessly towards him. A look of rage spread itself across the mans face as he shifted into a threateningly aggressive fighting stance.

"Woah easy pal! I just wanna know what happened"

"You know damn well what happened you son of a bitch!"

"Just tell me!" Zack cried in desperation, flinching as a nearby smoldering building collapsed in, showering him fiercely with heat and embers.

"That commander of yours went berserk!" he bellowed back wheezily, struggling to breathe in the thick suffocating ash and smoke in the air. "I knew that thing was no good the moment it showed up!"

He had done it... Sephiroth had really done it. Zack collapsed onto his knees comatose, surrounded by the furious inferno that scorched away his remaining hope for his friend. How had he let this happen? why didn't he stop this? why didn't he get Sephiroth out of that damn library sooner?

"Hey, it seems you haven't lost your mind as well after all, get up and help me. There's a girl, Tifa, help me find her"

"...Tifa... Cloud! where's Cloud!?"

"Cloud? Cloud Strife? that boy who left for SOLDIER years ago is here?... I didn't even know he was back, I have no idea. I only managed to get Tifa, I'm her instructor, names Zangan... she took off, most likely into the mountains. Please! help me look for her! she's like a daughter to me!"

Zack looked out through the flames into the mountainous expanse beyond the rocky pass, perhaps she took Cloud with her. Making for the hills Zangan yelled words that were incomprehensible above the roar of the flames, Zack didn't have time to wait for him. Zack would travel the mountains in search of Cloud and the girl and if he didn't find them then he knew where he would find someone. At the cursed reactor whose secrets had started all of this, he would finish it.

Chapter 20 Part 3- Final goodbye

"Zack... that's enough, you don't need to go on any further"

Tears were gently pouring from Tifa's wide, chocolate, pain filled eyes as the rest of the group sat stunned in their same places, though Rufus had ceased staring absently out of the window. Zack was shaking almost as badly as Tifa was, the telling of the story had made the recollection so vivid as memories and details that had up until this point been forgotten came back to him.

"I have to finish Teef" he whispered meeting her eye as they shared in a moment of turmoil with one another.

She barely nodded, letting out a long shuddering sigh, trying to calm herself and failing miserably.

"I just... I can't believe Cloud was there the whole time... why didn't he say anything?"

"God he wanted to Teef, I think he was just ashamed of returning home after failing to get into SOLDIER. I don't think he wanted you to see he hadn't made it in"

"I DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THAT!" Tifa screamed at the top of her lungs, the dam finally bursting. "I NEVER CARED ABOUT THAT!... I just wanted him... I just wanted Cloud"

Tifa had held back these pent-up feelings of being lost, empty and forever searching for something that was missing in her life for so long she couldn't take it anymore. Feelings that Zack's presence occasionally alleviated but never fully cured, feelings that she knew deep down were because Cloud was gone and she yearned for him.

Tifa knew the grief of losing someone you love, she had lost her mother, her father, she had lost friends, yet none of their deaths had left this never ending void of longing like Cloud's had. But why did it? why did his death cut her deeper than even her parents had? Though their deaths still hurt, time had healed some of the pain of their passing, but with Cloud's it forever felt like a fresh wound that she would never recover from. It was as if she and Cloud were somehow connected beyond childhood sweethearts, beyond what could be considered normal for the level of interaction that had passed between them. Now that connection was severed she felt broken and scarred even worse than the physical one etched across her chest. She felt... incomplete.

"Hold up a sec" Barret interjected as Zack was about to continue, "ya' mean ta' tell me Jenova, that headless spook we found in Shinra is this Sephiroth pricks mother?"

"That's what Sephiroth believes and by the looks of it, it seems so" Zack replied.

"Tha's messed up..." Barret muttered blankly watching Tifa tremble. It was unbearable to watch her hurting so badly, Tifa and Jessie were both like Marlene's to him. Unable to stand it any longer he stood up and went over to her, enveloping Tifa in a protective hug as she clung to his broad shoulders like a life-preserver.

"I'm gonna get this son of a bitch baby-girl, I'm gonna put a shell right between his fuckin' eyes for what he did" he spoke into the crown of her head so only she would hear. Barret could often be so caring and gentle in his own unique gruff kind of way and Tifa wouldn't change it for the world.

"Zack..." Aerith's voice tentatively spoke up, "you said that Sephiroth mentioned something about a 'keeper of light', those were the exact same words that the planet used. What else did he say?"

Zack thought hard about that moment back in the library as he massaged his head and pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes shut, the beginnings of a migraine were kicking in. Next thing he knew a gentle hand was grasping his bicep and Aerith was right in front of him looking worried.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that, take a break", she tip toed to place a light kiss against his forehead. A cool sensation radiated from the point of contact, spreading through his head like an instant river of liquid pain-killers.

"Aerith... how?" he breathed in awe, she had used magic without the use of materia. She smiled to him with bright crystal green eyes, it wasn't the first time she had inadvertently used elements of her Cetra powers unknowingly.

"I feel better, I want to finish this. Yes, Sephiroth definitely spoke about some 'keeper of light', but I can't remember in what context he used it. Sephiroth wasn't making any sense at the time, I thought it was just a load of crazy rambling but now I realize I was just listening to half of a conversation, he was talking to someone else.. Jenova. She twisted his mind for days, manipulated him, made him hate everyone and everything. It's not just Sephiroth we need to worry about, Jenova is possibly by far the greater threat, it is her agenda that she is pulling Sephiroth's strings towards"

Everyone nodded grimly, including Rufus Shinra and for a moment Zack saw a glimpse of hope that perhaps they had broken through to him.

"There's something that doesn't make sense..." Kunsel began still leaning with arms folded against the door.

"There's loads of things that don't make sense" Cissnei added deep in thought.

"You can say that again.." Jessie agreed.

"Yeah, but in particular, why is it that neither me nor Zack can sense Jenova like Sephiroth can?" Kunsel continued. "We all share an emphatic bond connected by S-cells, and we both sensed when Sephiroth was in the Shinra building but we didn't sense Jenova and neither did Zack back at Nibelheim"

"Perhaps Jenova is capable of choosing and manipulating the connection"

Everyone turned in surprise at Rufus Shinra's contribution.

"She is after all what you might call queen of the hive" Rufus shrugged. "Which makes both of you liabilities. Either of you ever hear voices in your head?"

Kunsel shook his head, they all turned to Zack.

"No" he lied, dismissing the one that often spoke to him at night. That couldn't be Jenova, the voice never spoke anything about world domination or genocide. Although perhaps Jenova was just a bit more subtle than that. Still, it asked about things like what his relationship was with Tifa and spoke about separating himself from Aerith. Why would something like Jenova be interested in either of those things?

"I suggest we continue with the rest of the story before we begin speculating possibilities" Red pointed out wisely.

Nodding in agreement, Zack continued.

"So I went searching for Cloud and Tifa in the mountains as I made for the reactor..."

Tifa placed a hand on Zack's arm that Aerith wasn't caressing for support, telling him she would take this part over for a while.

"I took off into the mountains after my dad, he gave me to master Zangan and told him to look after me... I saw him take his gun... I knew he was going after Sephiroth.."

Chapter 20 Part 4- Final goodbye

"Take Tifa! you take her and you keep her safe, you hear me Zangan!?" her father demanded loudly above the burning roar of the town.

"Dad please! please, please, please don't go!" Tifa begged hysterically refusing to let go of his sleeve as he tried to escape the blazing inferno in the direction of the mountains.

"Paul! don't do this, it's suicide" Zangan warned.

"He can't get away with this..." the man replied, loading the barrel of a powerful magnum hand gun. "You take care of her, you promise me"

Zangan nodded as his friend clutched his shoulder tightly, searching his face intensely for a vow he would never break.

"I will. I promise"

"Dad no! please dad!"

Paul pried his daughters hand of his arm, smiling as it took a fair amount of effort, his beautiful little girl had grown so strong. No doubt she would rebuke him if she ever found out he had just thought of her as little, she was always in such a rush to grow up. And she was, his fifteen year old girl was becoming a woman now, but to him she would always be that tiny little child he'd had no clue what to do with when his darling wife passed away. Their was nothing more in this world he wanted than to lead Tifa into womanhood and a part of him knew that this was suicide... but there were certain crimes a person could not be allowed to get away with. Even if he managed just to get one shot in.

"I love you Tiffy, never forget that. I'm so proud of you"

Holding the hand he had pried of his arm for just a moment longer he turned and walked away to the sound of her desperate pleading.

"Come on Tifa, let's go" Zangan insisted, pulling her by the waist with one huge arm as she struggled furiously.

"We can help him! the three of us! please master Zangan! please!"

Watching her father walking away as her instructor dragged her in the opposite direction out of the blazing town was one of the worse moments of Tifa's life.

Master Zangan pulled her all the way out of the smoldering ruin that was now Nibelheim. Composing her mind Tifa observed the large hand grasping her wrist firmly to stop her escaping, she needed to escape, she needed to help her father. Whispering a silent apology to her master she used the technique that he had taught her in escaping grapples. She applied pressure in one direction towards the palm of his hand before quickly chopping it with all the force and speed she could muster in the other direction at the weak point where finger met thumb. The grapple broke, while her master would normally be pleased with the successful maneuver he was now taken by surprise. Knowing she needed time to escape Tifa dropped into a low leg sweep as her master made to turn. They had only practiced the move twice in training but luckily she was just about able to take his feet out from under him. He crashed onto his back, giving her the time she needed to get away.

Moving as fast as her growing legs would take her she ran back through the burning town and up the slope that lead into the mountains after her father. As she shot past the Shinra mansion heart thundering in her chest she caught a brief glimpse at the gate of one of the SOLDIER men stumbling what looked to be drunkenly out of the front door.

The trek through the mountains was no easy feat during the day, let alone at night when it was simply perilous. Navigating the rocky expanse that had become her second home it took her twice as long to make ground. Running and hiding from monsters had been the main cause for the slow progress, but so to were the occasional near death slips she'd had as loose rock formations hidden in the dark gave way beneath her.

By the time she arrived at the reactor her bare legs were cut to ribbons. She had quite expected that she would catch her father up, perhaps she wasn't the best mountain guide in the town after all. Adrenaline pumping she ran up the stairs leading into the reactor praying beyond hope she would see her father standing over a silver-haired corpse on the floor.

Traversing through the toxic environment Tifa felt ill and it wasn't because of the fumes. Heart pounding in fear she balanced across the walkway above the pit of mako. At this point in Tifa's teenage life she had very little innocence and naivety left, what remained died in that moment at the sight of her father laying in a pool of his own blood.

Screaming she ran to him, throwing herself to her knee's beside him, scrapping the skin painfully away. Tifa ran her trembling hands frantically over the front of his soaked shirt, searching for the source of the bleeding. Coating her hands in her father's blood she found the point that he had been run through with by the Masamune which now lay bloodied on the floor a few feet away.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no"

She covered the front of her fathers shirt with tears as she pressed hard against the open injury even though she knew he was already dead.

"TIFA!"

Through water-logged eyes she saw the black-haired SOLDIER whose name she vaguely recalled as Zack climbing down to the walkway. Looking around urgently with rage she saw her fathers empty gun besides the Masamune and a trail of unnaturally red blood leading through an open chamber door. Her father must have landed a shot, now she would finish the job.

"... Sephiroth... SOLDIER... mako reactors... I HATE THEM ALL!"

Grabbing the incredibly heavy sword she ran away from Zack into the room to see the monster at the top of a set of stairs with his arms raised as if in prayer towards a door labelled 'Jenova'.

White with anger she screamed a thousand curses in her mind as she ascended the steps, barely able to drag the sword up with her. She would drive the bastard through with his own sword while his back was turned. Her body burning with exertion she made the climb, using what little strength she had left she strained to lift the sword so hard she could cry. Clumsily getting it high enough she swung the blade clunkily towards the point between his neck and shoulder.

An iron grip lashed out and crushed both her wrists so tight she cried out in pain. He hadn't even turned his gaze away from the door for a second.

"Die you bastard!" she cried desperately, trying to grapple her hands and the weapon back out of his hold.

Turning his head slowly, Sephiroth scorched her with his evil cat green eyes, a look of boredom and irritation across his face.

"Your species truly are a stupid bunch" he muttered unamused.

Tifa struggled furiously, she even tried to land a kick against his knee cap the way master Zangan had taught her.

"You're boring me now" the monster scoffed and with a flick of his wrist Tifa was shoved off towards the top of the stairs. Stumbling backwards he created a big enough distance between the two of them to swing the reclaimed seven-foot blade in her direction. A searing pain erupted across Tifa's chest as the blade bit her diagonally from the top of her breast to her abdomen. The next few seconds flashed by like cut scenes, her falling weightlessly backwards through the air, Sephiroth entering the chamber door, her back crashing against the iron steps as she bounced roughly in decent, the air being punched from her lungs, her name being called out... darkness.

Lifting Tifa's limp body into his arms, Zack carried the profusely bleeding girl and propped her against one of the oval tanks.

I'm so sorry

Despite knowing what Sephiroth had done to the people of the village Zack had still planned on talking to him, to try and understand, but actually seeing him cut an innocent girl down in cold blood with his own eyes killed any hope of reasoning with his friend. Sephiroth was now forever lost.

Drawing the buster sword with eyes ablaze he sighed with more sorrow than he believed possible as he ascended the stairs. This was the third time he was forced to draw his sword on a friend consumed by darkness, at what point did it stop becoming a coincidence and he became somehow responsible?

"Mother... at last we are reunited"

Sephiroth was stood in front of what appeared to be the figure of a mechanical angel. "I have thought of a wonderful idea... let's go to the promised land"

"SEPHIROTH!" Zack bellowed stepping into the room to draw his attention, he would fight the man, but he wasn't going to kill him with his back turned. Sephiroth would face him for what he had done.

"Leave", Sephiroth ordered coldly, Zack didn't move. "I gave you a chance once Zack, I won't do so again..."

"How could you do this!? how could kill all these innocent people!?"

"Go home pup..." Sephiroth warned one last time.

"ANSWER ME!"

Holding Masamune out at arm's length Sephiroth turned towards Zack, the weapon pointed towards him.

"Not even lemmings are this dumb" Sephiroth growled, "so this is how you choose it to be"

"I choose nothing Sephiroth! you leave me no other choice!"

Sephiroth smirked, shifting the deadly blade into a position ready to strike.

"Very well then, let us see if in all our years training together you have actually learned anything... don't disappoint me Zack"

Zack took in a short breath and braced his core in preparation for the opening strike. It came fast and it came heavy as expected, he knew Sephiroth's fighting style just as well as Sephiroth knew his. Sephiroth always liked to throw his enemies off from the first blow. Despite being ready for it, the shock of the strike against the buster sword still burned through his hands and jarred his arms painfully. Darting towards him before he could recover Sephiroth struck the buster sword with an underhand swing to send Zack traveling high into the air and onto a large open platform above. A more advantageous area to fight him in. The tight confines of the chamber would give Sephiroth little room to maneuver the Masamune and he wouldn't want to risk harming his precious mother.

Zack grit his teeth at losing the positional advantage as the sound of a large beating wing Zack had only seen on a few occasions had Sephiroth join him on the second level.

"Stay focused. Now let us begin" Sephiroth announced like he always did before a practice session in training while he glided slowly to the ground.

Charging one another their swords clashed in quick succession as both party's cast haste on themselves and settled into a series of light but super fast attacks. Sephiroth was testing his speed and footwork, they had often trained this skill with Zack finally getting up to around 160 strikes per minute, which was now struggling to keep pace with Sephiroth's record 220. Sephiroth's superior speed gradually started to overpower him, until eventually he could no longer keep up, timing it right Zack disengaged with a floor roll to break away from the fight.

Sephiroth chuckled, breath only faintly quickened while Zack panted heavily.

"Very good Zachary, though what do I tell you about holding your breath?"

They circled one another weapons raised, glowing green on luminous blue. Zack needed to dictate the flow of the next attack. Using the buster sword to its greatest advantage over Masamune he opted for slow but heavy attacks. Sephiroth's defense didn't waver. Glancing and deflecting the force of every blow instead of meeting it square on as he needed Sephiroth to, he soon lost his advantage again. After minutes of Zack's attempted relentless assault the inevitable error eventually came when he took a split second too long to bring the buster sword back around. Punishing him for the opening the hilt of Masamune followed by an iron fist crashed into Zack's face knocking him off his feet backwards. Letting the force and momentum flip him over completely Zack landed skidding on his feet.

"So predictable" Sephiroth scoffed as Zack wiped at the trail of blood trickling from the side of his mouth with the back of his gloved hand. "You always were such an open book"

"You really aren't the Sephiroth I knew anymore" Zack sneered back, "the Sephiroth I knew didn't like to waste his breath on speeches... NOW PREDICT THIS!"

Sephiroth was prepared for any possible physical attack Zack could throw at him and Zack knew it, but Sephiorth would never anticipate him using magic as it was usually his least preferred method of getting the job done. Unleashing a bolt three attack he caught Sephiroth off guard and the attack ate into his shoulder, burning a hole through his black leather coat. Biting down the agony Sephiorth growled and his eyes glowed even brighter with sickening rage.

"So you want to use magic do?" Sephiroth hissed. "this'll be fun"

Materia's glowed, fire was exchanged with ice, with water, with quake, with demi, spell after spell as barriers were shattered and damage was inflicted upon both opponents. With mana draining faster than Sephiroth's, Zack was quickly running out of time and options. Somehow Sephiroth seemed even more powerful than usual, it had to be because of Jenova. If he was going to lose this fight then he would take that parasite that had poisoned his friends mind with him. With one last effort he cast off a blizzard three spell to gain time and dove uncaring off the high platform. Crashing into Jenova's chamber he cut through the metal angel that he believed housed the creature but to his despair as the machine crumpled under his strike, Zack saw that the real body of Jenova was concealed in a mako tank further behind the statue.

Losing his opportunity the second swing at the real container was pointless, Sephiroth arrived and slashed the attack away and then slashed him across the face, cutting a deep gash in his cheek, crossing over the one that Angeal had given him. Then more cuts followed.

"DON'T... YOU... HURT... MOTHER!" Sephiroth bellowed in panic, slicing at Zack between every word.

One final blow and Zack's broken, lacerated body was sent careening out of Jenova's chamber and down the stairwell after Tifa.

Turning to mother in breathless relief Sephiroth laid his eyes on her physical form for the first time and was instantly entranced by her sleeping beauty. She was more beautiful in the flesh than even the mirage had been, she was perfect, she was his mother, she loved him and together they would return to the promised land and rule over this planet. He remained transfixed on her for many minutes, hands pressed against the glass, feeling the tranquil unity of mother and son.

Then there was pain, a dizzying explosion of agony in his side causing his fingers to flex and the glass to crack. How was this possible? no one could ever hope to sneak up on him like this.

The size of the blade imbedded in his body made it pure torture to turn to face his attacker. Gulping for oxygen Sephiroth met with the young face of Cloud Strife contorted in anger, clenching his teeth in fury that was beyond words as he gripped the buster sword with shaking hands. Unable to turn as the cadet twisted the blade, Sephiroth did the only thing he could, extending his wing as forcefully as possible he threw Cloud off and the buster sword was ripped mercilessly from his side causing him to collapse to his knees.

Believing Sephiroth finished Cloud climbed to his feet and ran back out the room urgently to Tifa, stopping briefly to check on Zack, he was in bad shape but he was still breathing. Tifa on the other hand was barely managing the task and had turned ghostly white from the loss of blood that pooled in her lap and down her legs. Seeing her this way was agony for Cloud, the thought of her dying here on this floor was too hard to bear, he would lose everything he lived for in a heartbeat if he lost her as well as his mom. Cradling her body close he held Tifa in his arms, something he had wanted to do for so long but never under these circumstances. The movement stirred her as she drifted briefly into consciousness.

"... Cloud... you came for me... when I was in trouble... you came"

She gazed up at him with so much love and affection, as if he was her hero, it was something he had always wanted to be. It was one of the reasons he had wanted to join SOLDIER in the first place.

"I made a promise didn't I?"

"... you remembered" she smiled softly caressing an alarmingly cold hand across the side of his face. "... I've missed you"

"I'm here now, and I'm never leaving again... Tifa I..." she lost consciousness again. "... love you".

The sound of heavy boots staggering clunkily on metal flooring made Cloud look up to see Sephiroth stumbling out of Jenova's chamber with her head tucked beneath his arm. It was impossible for him to still be walking after the wound Cloud had given him.

"... did you... really think... a mere human like you... could kill me?" Sephiroth heaved venomously.

"... finish him Cloud... kill Sephiroth" Zack choked sprawled bloody across the stairwell.

Cloud nodded, taking up the buster sword once more.

"SEPHIROTH!" he cried, charging up the stairs with more speed than he was possibly capable of with the heavy weapon.

Leaping in the air to gain height, he swung at Sephiroth with all the force he could in a downward strike, their blades crashed and locked in a battle of strength in which Sephiroth was taken by surprise. Breaking the lock with a twist of his body Sephiroth hurled Cloud explosively through the door of Jenova's chamber.

The heavy impact rattled Cloud's body violently, he tried to push himself up off the floor but his arms gave out from under him.

"... I told you boy... never fight an opponent... without first knowing you and its capabilities"

Sephiroth towered over him panting for air, raising the Masamune in a pointed strike. With a stab of the blade Masamune was thrust right through the center of Cloud's stomach. With a howl of pain he was lifted off the floor and hung over a precipice above the pit of mako, impaled on the end of Sephiroth's sword.

"... know your weakness" Sephiroth snarled when Cloud still showed resistance.

"My town... my mom... my friends... my Tifa... how dare you"

Whatever unfathomable amount of pain Cloud felt, it was a mere fraction in comparison to the pure hatred coursing through his veins. Clutching the Masamune and slicing into his fingers, Cloud wrenched the blade deeper through his gut, dragging himself along the blade towards Sephiroth. Sweat rivered down his face and every muscle in Cloud's body screamed close to exploding point as a swirl of rage, adrenaline, hateful determination and a power that had laid dormant within him surfaced. Feet reaching solid ground Cloud reared the hilt of Masamune skywards, twisting agonizingly in his stomach and fighting against Sephiroth's strength clinging to the handle. With a scream of effort he overpowered Sephrioth's grip and lifted him high off the ground.

"This... is impossible..." Sephiroth gasped suspended in mid-air by his own weapon, wide-eyed in disbelief. "... what are you?"

With one final effort Cloud threw Sephiroth's body with every ounce of energy he had left over the edge of the mako void. The one winged angel crashed against a power line in an explosion of sparks and both he and Jenova were sent tumbling into the green acidy depths below.

Removing the Masamune from his stomach was like pulling a cork off a bottle that released what remained of Cloud's strength. Stumbling from the chamber he couldn't even muster the energy to make the first step. His legs buckled beneath him and Cloud tumbled limply down the iron steps face first, landing beside Zack utterly spent.

".. it's done" Cloud heaved with jagged breath.

With a final effort before they both fell into darkness, Zack reached out a hand to lay it against the back of Clouds head.

"... you did good buddy... you did good"