Author's Note: Okay, this is it. Will Sephiroth live or die? Read on to find out! :)

Edit: I just realized I didn't answer your questions Slake! Sorry! The Remnants: Loz is just more approachable than Yazoo or Kadaj so Tifa & Reno just felt more at ease with him. He could respect Tifa and Reno because they are fellow fighters and viewed their "play time" as fun. But as seen in his participation during Genesis' torture scene, he's just as bad as the other remnants. And yes, all the remnants have their own sense of self, but they are still parts of Sephiroth and it's their gut instinct to just follow him no matter what. Yes, they can act independently, but they feel the pull to follow Sephiroth blindly and faithfully. Cloud could probably survive longer than Denzel since he was enhanced, so that is why Raeven chose to tend to his needs first. And finally, what is Sephiroth's deal? In this story, I have decided to make Sephiroth sort of sane (as much as a dude with a god complex can be!). He is so focused on making sure he possesses Tifa that he isn't really considering the methods he is using to secure her in his life are actually driving her away. He wants her and he wants her to want him too, but he isn't taking her feelings into consideration. Damn him for being so goal-oriented! ;D I hope that clears some stuff up!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my laptop and my ridiculous imagination! All else belongs to Square Enix.

Chapter 35:Legend Shall Speak of Sacrifice

Genesis faced his friend and shook his head. "You still want to kill me? Look around you, Sephiroth! You will have nothing! The WRO troops have turned on you and joined AVALANCHE. Your forces are being pushed back. It's over!"

Sephiroth glared at Genesis. "It's not over. It will never be over! I have died before and I still come back because it is Jenova's will to see this planet belong to me! Even if you strike me down this day, Genesis, I shall return until mother's will is realized!"

"Listen to yourself, Sephiroth," Genesis said as he stepped closer to him. "You can't allow that monster to control your destiny! There was a time when you wanted to abandon ShinRa. You knew what they were doing to us and the planet was wrong. Instead of fighting their evil, you're just adding to the planet's suffering. What happened to the man you were?"

A cold smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. "That man was a lie, Genesis, and you know it. How could a man twisted by experiments conducted by his own parents be anything other than a monster?"

"But you said she no longer calls to you," Genesis protested.

"That is true, but her cells are merged with mine," Sephiroth said as he moved closer towards Genesis. "I can not separate myself from her. It would be like trying to remove a limb. I am Jenova now and she is me. We are the same person and as such I cannot allow anyone to interfere with achieving my goals and having what is rightfully mine!"

Genesis was able to block Sephiroth's attack with his Rapier. It had come down to this: two former friends battling to the death. He had never wanted this. He had never wanted to see his friend so lost to his own insanity, a victim of his parents, the two people who were supposed to love you and protect you. They sacrificed their son in order to achieve their ambitions and in doing so, they created a monster bent on destroying the world. Where was the man he used to be?

"Tifa, get out of here!" Genesis yelled as he focused on fighting Sephiroth.

"Genesis…" she began.

"Just go!" he insisted.

Before she could even move, Sephiroth snarled and threw a fire spell at the door leading to roof. She watched helplessly as the doorway collapsed before turning and looking at Sephiroth.

"You are mine and I am not letting you go!" he snapped.

"Come on," Reno said to Rude as they ran up the stairs in one of the stairwells of the ShinRa tower. "We've got to find Cloud."

"Oh, yeah," Rude said dryly as he took the stairs two at a time. "That's not going to be like finding a needle in a haystack."

Reno smiled as he grabbed the railing and used his momentum to round the stairwell and start running up the next set of stairs. "We're Turks, yo. We should be used to getting the shitty jobs!"

Rude nodded as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "You got that right."

Reno came to an abrupt halt when the next set of stairs revealed a troop of ShinRa infantrymen coming down. "Oh shit yo! Move it Rude!"

Rude opened the door and pulled out his gun, firing at the men coming down the stairs, giving Reno enough cover to duck in through the door. Once Reno was in, Rude followed him and closed the door. He pulled out a small device and attached it to the computerized locking mechanism. The device went to work scrambling the codes to keep the locked and Reno grinned.

"Man, Reeve always has the best toys, yo!" he said before turning and running down the hall. He skidded to a halt though almost immediately. "Whoa."

Rude stopped and looked at all the dead bodies of men and women they knew as AVALANCHE members, Deepground grunts, and WRO grunts. "We can mourn for them later, partner. We still have a job to do."

Reno nodded. "Man, I can't wait for this day to be fuckin' over!"

The two men turned around and jumped slightly when they found Marlene standing behind them. Rude raised an eyebrow and looked down at her straightening his tie.

"You sure know how to make an entrance, kid," he murmured.

"Shit, am I glad to see you!" Reno said with a smile. "I thought you might be buried under that pile of bodies, yo."

"Reno, you have to come with me!" she said urgently as she grabbed both men by the hands and pulled them back the way she had come. "Genesis took Tifa to the roof to escape and Sephiroth is going after them."

"What?" Reno asked.

"He is pissed too!" Marlene said. "He's still obsessed with getting to her!"

"Is he fuckin' delusional?" Reno asked incredulously. Rude looked at him as if that was the dumbest thing he had ever allowed to come out of his mouth. Reno shrugged. "I know he's insane, but he seriously thinks he can kill all of us and still make Tifa love him? That is seriously messed up, yo!"

"Come on! There's a secret passage to the roof in Sephiroth's office!" Marlene said as she continued to pull them along the hall with her.

"Come on," Raeven said as he led the others up the stairs towards the roof.

Cloud frowned when he heard Genesis tell Tifa to run. "We have to get up there!"

Suddenly a powerful fire spell ripped through the opening, causing the archway to crumble and collapse in on itself. Raeven stumbled as debris began to pile up in front of him. He turned and looked down at the others.

"We have to find another way up there," he said.

Cloud nodded. "We have to find the Turks and secure a helicopter."

"Your Turks destroyed the two they had," Raeven said as he passed Cloud, hurrying down the stairs. He looked at the blond over his shoulder, yet kept moving. "Hopefully they're still alive, but the crash was incredible. They took out the cannons on the southern tower and the ground canons."

"They're Turks," Denzel said dryly. "They can survive anything!"

"I hope you're…" Raeven was cut off by the sickening sound of metal meeting bone. "What the hell?"

"Reno!" Cloud said when the redhead came into view.

"Spiky!" Reno exclaimed with a smile.

"Friends of yours?" Raeven asked dryly as he snapped his broken nose back into place.

"Don't move SOLDIER scum!" Reno said as he pointed his gun at Raeven.

"Whoa, hold on!" Cloud said as he stepped in front of Raeven. "He's on our side."

"You sure about that?" Rude asked suspiciously.

"Sephiroth slashed our throats and he healed us," Cloud said with a shrug. "I know we can trust these two SOLDIERs."

"Ex-SOLDIERs," Justice corrected him.

"Okay, I'll trust you," Rude said before lifting one eyebrow. "For now."

"Sorry about the nose, yo," Reno said.

Raeven nodded warily. "Don't worry about it. Our problem right now is that Sephiroth has Miss Lockhart and General Rhapsodos trapped on the roof with him. Our only way up there is now blocked off. If I can get you to a helicopter can you get us up there?"

"If it's capable of lifting off, I can fly it," Reno assured him.

Raeven nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

Genesis dodged another strike from Sephiroth. The man had him on the defensive and Genesis hated that…he always had. He pushed forward and tried to get the upper hand, but Sephiroth was not allowing that. In his eagerness to push Sephiroth back, he exposed his left side and Sephiroth immediately took the opening Genesis had given him. Using a powerful blast of magic, he sent Genesis to the ground, sliding towards the edge. Genesis used his Rapier to dig into the surface of the roof and slow his rate of speed as he tumbled blindly towards the edge. Sephiroth smiled maliciously and began advancing towards the redhead as he slowed his progress across the roof.

Tifa ran after Sephiroth and stepped in front of him. "Sephiroth, stop! You're going to kill him!"

He narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "That's the idea."

Tifa shook her head and without thinking launched herself towards him, unleashing a quick combination of kicks and punches, all of which Sephiroth managed to evade, but she was successfully pushing him back and away from Genesis. She stepped back before growling low in her throat and renewing her assault. This time, as she pushed herself closer to him, he stepped to the side, a move she was not expecting and that threw her off in her attacks. She quickly found him pressed against her back with his right arm wrapped around her midsection, pinning her arms to her side before bringing his left arm in front of her, the Masamune pointed towards the ground and in front of her.

"You move with a grace I have never before witnessed," he whispered hotly in her ear. "Watching you fight is like watching a skilled dancer. It's quite a beautiful sight to witness."

"Let me go, Sephiroth," she said through gritted teeth as she tried to free herself.

"Never," he breathed with a soft chuckle against her ear.

The sound of the Highwind returning to the tower distracted him from enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms once more. He narrowed his eyes and glared up at the large airship. He quickly shifted his Masamune to his right hand and angled it so it rested perilously close to Tifa's neck, still preventing her from moving. A malevolent smile curled around his lips as he lifted his hand as it began to glow brightly.

"Oh gods," Tifa whispered before turning and looking at Genesis who had saved himself from falling as was now on his feet. "He's summoning!"

Genesis frowned and looked up to the sky. His eyes widened as the clouds darkened and a pocket formed as Bahamut Zero burst through the cloud cover. His eyes went back to Sephiroth and saw him beginning another summon. A second pocket formed and Bahamut Fury roared as it followed Zero. Fury immediately attacked the Highwind, while Zero attacked the ground teams.

Reno whistled as he maneuvered the helicopter out of the hanger and into the sky. He turned and grinned at Rude. "I told you Seph would be pissed! He just summoned two Bahamuts!"

Cloud sighed and looked at Raeven. "How are your Bahamut fighting skills?"

Raeven shrugged. "Pretty good. You?"

Cloud raised his eyes to the large monsters in the sky. "I've had some practice. Reno, get us closer to those Bahamuts."

"Closer? Are you insane?" Reno exclaimed as he dodged a vicious swipe from Zero.

"We have to get rid of them before they destroy us all," Raeven said.

"You SOLDIER types are all seriously fucked in the head," Reno grumbled as he moved closer to Zero. "I'm just puttin' it out there."

Cloud slid the door open and smiled when he saw Yuffie and Vincent already attacking Zero. He then turned and looked at Raeven. "I'll take this one and you can take the other one. Good luck."

"You too," Raeven called as Cloud dove out of the helicopter.

Denzel got to his feet and kissed Marlene. "I'll see you soon."

She nodded and smiled. "I'll hold you to that!"

Denzel smiled and winked before jumping out, following Cloud. Raeven turned and faced Justice, smiling slightly.

"I don't suppose I could interest you in a possibly one-way trip out of this helicopter and onto the back of a Bahamut, could I?" he asked dryly.

Justice got to his feet and moved closer to the open door. "I didn't join SOLDIER to do paperwork, sir."

Raeven nodded. "Good. Let's go then."

Justice waited for Raeven to jump before following him, leaving Marlene to slide the door closed behind them.

Reno shook his head. "Fuckin' SOLDIERs."

Genesis cautiously approached Tifa and Sephiroth. "You can summon as many Bahamuts as you want, Sephiroth, but it still comes down to you and me."

Sephiroth smiled and threw Tifa to the side before rushing Genesis as he swung his sword, meeting each thrust and hit that Genesis leveled at him. Tifa sat up and watched the two men battle each other with incredible speed and accuracy, evenly matched for the most part. Sephiroth managed to send Genesis sliding back with a powerful thrust, however Genesis was able to maintain his footing this time. He closed his eyes and ran his hand along the blade infusing it with power from his materia stores before bringing it over his head and crashing against Sephiroth's sword. Sparks danced along the blade of each sword as they tried to overpower each other. The roof beneath them began to creak as the force of their power began denting the surface. Eventually they had to break from their battle of wills.

Sephiroth smirked before leveling a high roundhouse kick at Genesis' head, catching the redhead in the side of the face and sending him to the ground. Sephiroth towered over his friend and raised his Masamune, preparing to run the blade through Genesis. Tifa pushed herself to her feet and attacked Sephiroth from behind, sending them both tumbling to the ground. She quickly jumped back to her feet, rushing towards Sephiroth. She again swung her leg up and around in an attempt to knock him back to the ground, however, Sephiroth managed to grab her heel just inches from connecting with his face.

"Lovers shouldn't fight," he said, his voice dripping with false concern before he kicked her other leg out from under her.

She groaned from the impact when her body slammed into the ground and her head bounced off the metal surface. She was seeing double as Sephiroth crouched down beside and lifted her by the front of her shirt so she was slightly off the ground.

"So beautiful," he whispered as looked down at her flushed face, her chest rising and falling with her quickened breaths.

"Don't touch me," she whispered as he gently caressed her cheek.

He was about to respond when Genesis hit him with a Thundara spell, sending him a few feet away from Tifa. Sephiroth looked up in time to see Genesis leap into the air in one of his signature moves. His body spun as he held his sword pointed out in an effort to create the effect of a multi-bladed weapon, spinning towards him. Sephiroth knew it was all about timing and raised his blade at precisely the right moment to not only catch Genesis' blade in a downward swing, but also stop his momentum. He grunted with the pressure of the Rapier bearing down on his Masamune, but still managed to push Genesis back.

The two Generals stood facing each other. Sephiroth wasted no time in raising his blade again and engaging Genesis in a vicious trade of blows before sending the redhead into the air. He smiled maliciously as he willed his solitary wing to emerge before crouching close to the ground in order to launch himself into the air in pursuit of Genesis. Genesis saw him rapidly approaching and closed his eyes before thrusting his left arm out to the side as his own wing emerged from his back. If Sephiroth wanted to play this game, then Genesis was more than willing to even the odds. He turned himself so he was pointing down towards Sephiroth and began rapidly descending, his Rapier poised to strike while Sephiroth readied his Masamune. When the two blades finally met, the power of the men behind each blade made the impact sound like a clap of thunder.

"This is taking too damn long!" Yuffie said as she grabbed her shuriken as it returned to her.

"Any suggestions?" Denzel asked before leaping back into the air and renewing his physical assaults alongside Cloud.

Yuffie turned to Vincent. "You heard the kid. Any thoughts?"

Vincent continued to shoot and reload Cerberus. "A concentrated attack using magic might be the answer. At worst it would heavily damage the Bahamut enough for Cloud and Denzel to finish it off."

Cloud landed next to Vincent on the watchtower he and Yuffie were currently standing on. "It sounds like a plan. I've regained enough energy for a decent blast with my Firaga."

Yuffie smiled. "Firaga it is!"

Once Denzel was beside them again, they all looked at each other before raising their hands and concentrating their fire spells on the massive Bahamut. It writhed under the assault and screeched in pain as it pulled away and began to ascend further into the sky again. Cloud lowered his arm and glanced at Denzel.

"This is it," he said before leaping into the air.

Denzel nodded and followed Cloud as Yuffie and Vincent stood watching their friends finish off the enormous summon above them.

Reno grinned and shook his head as he watched Raeven and Justice attempt to take down Fury. "Dumbass SOLDIERs. They never know when to ask for help."

"You got that right," Rude agreed.

"Hey Cid, you got your ears on?" Reno asked after opening a channel.

"Is that you, Turk?" he asked gruffly. "I thought you were a permanent part of the pavement."

"Fuck no," Reno said with a cocky smile. "We slum rats are damn hard to kill! Listen, we gotta get rid of that Bahamut."

"No shit, Captain Obvious," Cid said dryly. "What do you suggest?"

"How about we shoot it outta the sky?" Reno answered. "But we've got friendly targets mixed in there."

"What the hell are ya talkin' about, Turk?" Cid asked. "All I see are two dumbass SOLDIERs."

"Me too, but those two dumbass SOLDIERs saved Cloud and Denzel and have decided to join our cause," Reno said with a chuckle. "So, they're still dumbasses, but they're our dumbasses."

"Shiva, first Deepground operatives, then Turks, and now ex-SOLDIERs," Cid muttered. "AVALANCHE is becoming an orphanage for unwanted killers! Alright, let's give these SOLDIERs an advantage!"

Cid and Reno flew in closer to Fury as Raeven and Justice fell back to recover and re-group. They both began firing at the Bahamut as it roared and screeched in pain. They maintained their fire until Justice and Raeven had recovered and were able to continue their assault. The Highwind and the helicopter circled the Bahamut, waiting to see if another round of firepower would be needed, but the creature began to flail before falling from the sky and disintegrated beside Zero as it too fell from the sky.

"Reno, Sephiroth's forces are falling back," Tseng cut through on the open channel. "Elena, Barret, Weiss, Shelke, and I can handle things here with Miss Storm so I want you to pick up Vincent, Yuffie, Denzel, and Cloud before heading to the roof."

"You got it, Director," Reno answered as he guided the helicopter to first retrieve Raeven and Justice. "Welcome back, yo. One more stop and then we're going after the big guy!"

Genesis glared at Sephiroth as he attacked the silver-haired man. "It's time to see what's right in front of you! You are beaten! Why can't you just reject Jenova and move on?"

"Poor Genesis," Sephiroth said mockingly. "Still seeking to heal me? Your precious Goddess cannot help me because I do not want her help. After all I am a god. I am the chosen one! The one meant to rule this world!"

As he spoke, he focused all his energy into his Masamune before forcing that power out in a powerful blast that hit Genesis hard and sent him spinning out of control. That gave Sephiroth opening he was looking for to unleash his deadly octaslash. Genesis saw the attack coming, but he was unable to stop the uncontrollable spin he found himself in and just braced himself for the impacts of Sephiroth's attack. He could feel his skin once again rip because of Sephiroth as he plummeted from the sky. He lost his hold on his Rapier and was vaguely aware of the sound it made once it hit the roof. In the back of his mind, he hoped that it had managed to miss Tifa as it landed carelessly.

Tifa watched helplessly as Genesis fell from the sky. She flinched when his body hit the roof, denting it slightly with the power of the impact. She ran across the roof towards him, but skidded to a stop when Sephiroth landed gracefully in front of her, effectively preventing her from getting any closer to Genesis. He frowned, seemingly puzzled by her desire to reach the fallen man.

"Why do you run to him?" he asked. "I have proven myself to be superior to him and yet you still want him."

"Sephiroth, it's not a matter of wanting him over you," Tifa said angrily. "It's about choosing my freedom over you!"

"You are meant to be with me," Sephiroth said angrily. "I am a god among men and I chose you to be the woman I spent my life with. It is an honor I would not normally bestow upon a mere human."

"It's an honor?" Tifa choked out incredulously. "Is it an honor to marry the man who killed my father? Is it an honor to marry a man who tries to kill your friends? Is it an honor to have to share a bed with the man who single-handedly ruined your life?"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes as he slowly approached her. "No, it is an honor to be plucked from the pit of suffering you wallowed in and spared the short life of a terrorist!"

"I would rather have been an experiment in Hojo's labs than to ever have to share my body with a man who would kill my friends and family, while expecting that to endear me to him and his advances!" she bit out.

Sephiroth's hand shot out and wrapped around her neck before lifting her from the ground. "You will see the difference between the passion we shared and what it means to truly bear my forced lust, Tifa."

Genesis moaned and forced himself to sit up. "Sephiroth, no," he groaned as he tried to push himself onto his knees.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and glared at Tifa before throwing her to the ground. "We are not through yet, my darling," he promised with a malicious smile before turning and facing Genesis. He found him on one knee attempting to push himself to his feet. "Now, we just can't have you trying to fight me, now can we?"

Genesis hissed in pain as his body was pushed back slightly with the impact of the Masamune piercing the right side of his chest, just below his shoulder. He raised his eyes to Sephiroth's and could swear he felt the coldness reflected in Sephiroth's eyes.

"Sephiroth," he whispered.

Sephiroth's lips drew back in a cruel smile. "My friend, the fates are cruel," he crooned mockingly. "No truer a word ever spoken, wouldn't you agree, Genesis?"

"You…don't have to…do this," Genesis managed to say through his gritted teeth. "Sephiroth, it doesn't…have to be…this way!"

Sephiroth's lips curled in a hateful sneer. "You made it this way when you lied to me!" He derived a sick kind of pleasure from the cry of pain he ripped from Genesis' throat as he twisted his blade in his body. "You made it this way when you plotted alongside my enemies in hopes of destroying me! You betrayed me and thought you could take my lover away from me! But you are just as pathetic and weak as you ever were!"

"I swear to you, I was doing this for your own good!" Genesis argued as he grabbed the blade in his shoulder, vainly trying to escape the weapon that had pierced him completely. "I wasn't trying to steal your lover. All I wanted to do was save my friend!"

Sephiroth snarled as he pressed Genesis back so he was resting on his elbows before leaning closer to him, a ghost of a smile hovering over his lips. "You were never my friend, Genesis. All you ever wanted to do was take what was mine! Nothing has changed. I will send you to the Lifestream, permanently and you can watch as I take her over and over again!"

"Sephiroth," Genesis spat angrily. "If you are going to kill me then just do it! I for one could use the fucking rest!"

Sephiroth smirked; his green eyes alight with sadistic happiness. He held up his hand and prepared a fire spell. "Ironic, isn't it. I will destroy you with a fire spell that you once attempted to use on me."

Genesis sneered up at him. "Go ahead, Sephiroth. Just do it! Add another soul to the list you have already acquired!"

"As if you do not have a lengthy list of your own!" Sephiroth spat, twisting his blade in his friend's shoulder once again.

Genesis moaned and his face twisted with pain as he looked up at a man he no longer knew. "When your time comes, Sephiroth, you will learn to regret the life you have chosen!"

Sephiroth laughed menacingly as he glared down at him. "Goodbye, Genesis."

Genesis refused to close his eyes. He was ready to meet death head on…but he was forced to close his eyes when blood unexpectedly hit his face. When he opened his eyes, the fire spell in Sephiroth's hand had disappeared and Genesis' sword was protruding through Sephiroth's chest. He watched the silver general's eyes widen as the sword was viciously pulled from his chest and he involuntarily coughed up a mouthful of blood. He staggered slightly and released his grip on his Masamune. He finally dropped to his knees and fell to the side revealing Tifa standing behind him, holding Genesis' bloody sword.

Sephiroth rolled onto his back and stared up at Tifa in disbelief. "How…?"

She dropped Genesis' sword to the ground before falling to her knees beside him. Tears fell from her eyes as she lifted his hand in hers and squeezed it. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't let you do it. I couldn't let you destroy this world. You have taken so much and it's enough."

Sephiroth's hand began to glow as he tried to summon the energy for a cure spell, but Tifa managed to pull his arm away from his wound to prevent him from calling upon the power of the cure materia. He was losing blood quickly from the wound and was losing the strength to throw her off of him. It was the second time a human had stabbed him in the back, literally. But where Cloud had managed to miss many vital organs, she had managed to nick his heart with her attack. Part of him was impressed, but part of him was angry and confused.

"I…love…you," he choked out, confused by her betrayal.

"No, you don't," Tifa whispered. "I don't think you know how to love anyone."

He fervently shook his head. "No. For once…in my life, I know I felt…love," he rasped. In that instant, he reminded her so much of Kadaj as he lay dying after his fight with Genesis, insisting that his brother loved her. Sephiroth's eyes began having trouble focusing, but he managed to look up at her and smile slightly. "I know it was real. And it was…nice."

Tifa choked on a sob when his eyes fluttered closed and body went limp beside her. She squeezed his hand in hers, confused by the sadness she felt as she looked at his lifeless form. She knew he was evil, but she also knew that he had been a good man before. She was sad for that man…the man that Sephiroth had lost to Jenova's will.

Reno landed the helicopter on the far side of the roof and Raeven quickly jumped from the helicopter to assist Genesis as he struggled to pull Sephiroth's Masamune from his shoulder. Once he was free of the blade, Genesis staggered over to Tifa and rested a hand on her shoulder. She barely even felt his touch. All she could focus on was the man lying beside her in a growing pool of his own blood.

"Tifa, he's on his way to a better place," Genesis murmured. "He's going to the Promised Land just like he wanted."

"I hope so," she whispered as she reached out and pushed his hair back from his face.

"Tifa!"

She looked up at the sound of her name and stared in disbelief. "Cloud?"

Cloud stood only a few feet away from her and smiled. "Hey."

She gently placed Sephiroth's limp hand on his stomach before she got to her feet and ran over to him, embracing him tightly. "Cloud, you're okay! I thought you were dead!"

"I'm fine thanks to our friends…and your personal sacrifices, Tifa," Cloud said as he happily returned the hug he was receiving.

"Thanks to all of the sacrifices made by all of you, we can fully integrate Sephiroth into the Lifestream," Angeal said as he descended from the sky, his white wings flapping slightly as he landed.

"But first we need to rid him of the evil that consumed him," Zack said as he and Aerith appeared.

They all watched in surprise as Aerith knelt beside Sephiroth's lifeless body as she held her hands above his blood-spattered chest, and began whispering. Denzel, Marlene, Justice, and Raeven approached slowly and watched her. Reno and Rude left the helicopter and followed Vincent and Yuffie to join the others around Sephiroth.

"What's she doin?" Reno whispered as he took Yuffie's hand in his.

"I don't know," Yuffie said as she kept her eyes on Aerith's ethereal form.

She finally opened her eyes and lifted her hand, slowly drawing out a black sphere.

"Shit, is that the black materia?" Reno asked with a frown.

Aerith smiled and shook her head. "No, it's Jenova…well, what's left of her. Sephiroth no longer heard her calls, but she is what has kept him from being absorbed by the Lifestream. She still held power over him simply by existing within him. As long as she was a part of him, she was never truly dead. As long as he lived, she could never be separated from his genetic makeup. Ironically, the process would have killed him. But now that he's dead, I was able to release him from her hold on him. He can no longer use her cells to recreate his body and leave the Lifestream." She handed it to Zack before getting to her feet and gently taking Sephiroth's hand in hers. "Sephiroth? It's time to go home…if you're ready." She smiled serenely when his body began to dissolve in a bright shower of particles. "He's finally ready," she said before disappearing with Sephiroth.

"What are you going to do with that?" Cloud asked as he pointed to the black sphere Zack held.

"We're going to destroy her," Angeal said with a smile. "No offence, but humans can't be trusted to just let sleeping dogs lie. Men like Hojo and Hollander will always exist and they will always want the power Jenova's cells offer."

"No offence taken," Cloud said.

"Miss Lockhart, thank you for everything you have done," Angeal said as he faced Tifa. "If it hadn't been for you, Genesis would be dead and Sephiroth would have destroyed this world. In killing him, you freed the friend Genesis, Zack, and I all had the pleasure of knowing, once upon a time."

"I wish I could have saved him," Tifa said as she shook her head.

"You did save him," Zack said with a reassuring smile. "Sephiroth can finally join the Lifestream in peace."

Angeal turned and faced Genesis. "And you, my friend, did a good job."

"I knew you had it in you, Gen!" Zack added happily with a wink.

Genesis smiled as he held his shoulder. "Zackary, would you say I became a hero?"

Zack smiled brightly and nodded. "I'd say so. And you know what else? Legend will speak of sacrifice at world's end and the sacrifices legend will speak of are the ones that everyone here made…yours too, Genesis."

"You were paying attention when I recited Loveless to you, puppy!" Genesis said with a smile.

Zack smiled brightly. "I always did, Genesis."

"Come on, puppy," Angeal said with a smile. "Sephiroth needs us." He turned and looked at Genesis. "I told you that you never were a monster. If you need me, I'll be there."

"I know," Genesis said with a sad smile.

They watched the two men disappear into the bright light that led to the Promised Land before all looking at each other. Yuffie released Reno's hand and ran over to Tifa.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she cried as she hugged her tightly. "I never thought I would see you again!"

"I'm glad to see you too, Yuffie," she sighed as she hugged the ninja.

Denzel hugged Tifa as well. "I missed you so much, mom."

Tifa cried as she embraced her adopted son. "Gods, I missed you too, Denzel."

"I hate to be a dick and ruin the moment, but uh…what happens now?" Reno asked. "Sephiroth's men are still fighting us."

Raeven nodded. "We need to negotiate a ceasefire, so I will have to find the Infantry Director."

"Who has controlling power over ShinRa now?" Cloud asked as he held Tifa close to him.

"Well, since General Sephiroth and his remnants are dead, ShinRa rightfully belongs to Miss Lockhart as she is his consort," Raeven said. He turned and looked at her horrified expression. "Don't worry, though. All we need is your signature. The ceasefire will be negotiated by the Director of SOLDIER, which is me, now that Sephiroth is gone, the Director of the WRO, which is Genesis, the Director of the Infantry, and the leader of AVALANCHE."

"That would be Cloud, since Tifa was gone," Denzel said.

Cloud shook his head. "No, the true leader of AVALANCHE since Tifa had been gone is Tseng. He's the one that kept everyone together and made all the hard choices."

"I'll find the Infantry Director and you contact Tseng," Raeven said. "We'll meet in the conference room at the WRO building. Genesis, you need to get that wound taken care of."

"Cid has the medical team on the Highwind," Cloud said as he looked at Genesis. He turned and looked down at Tifa, squeezing her arm slightly. "Come on Tifa. It's almost over."

She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank the Gods," she whispered. She looked over at Genesis and could see he felt as lost, sad, and confused as she did. She smiled slightly and held out her hand, gently taking his hand in hers. "Come on Genesis. Let's get you fixed up."

He smiled slightly and nodded as he allowed her to lead him towards the large airship now hovering beside the building as it extended a walkway to allow them entrance to the ship. The war was over…now the real work would begin.

Author's Note Part 2: I just want to say that this is how I always planned to end this story. Sephiroth was always going to die. I know a lot of people wanted him to make it through this alive and redeemed, but it just wasn't meant to be. :( There are probably one or two more chapters left, so I hope you hold on for the rest of it! :)