Shards of Memory

Chapter 36

Final Night

"O give us one more day of sun and leaves, The laughing soldiers and the laughing stream, And when at dawn the loud destruction cleaves This silence, and, like men that move in dream, (Knowing the awaited trial has begun) We climb the trench, and cross the wire, and start, We'll stumble through the shell-bursts with good heart, Like boys who race through meadows in the sun." – Martin Armstrong, Before Battle

"This is it," Cloud whispered. They were clustered around the map, furled out to its full width on a series of barrels. The airship was unmanned for the moment, all in attendance for the sight before them. The slow, steady blinking of the white dot that represented the Chaos Shrine was close. Cloud had ordered the map to show him the remaining journey, and it had resized itself so small that he could make out individual land features like hills and meadows.

"At this speed, we'll be there tomorrow. Possibly the early morning if we catch a good wind," Cecil nodded. Cloud didn't show a visible response.

"Think we'll encounter any troubles on the way?" Firion asked. "They have to know we're coming."

"Doubtful, with Mateus six feet under whatever plans they were banking on have blown up in their faces," Jecht shrugged. "If I were them I'd just be waiting to see how it plays out."

"If they wanted to attack us, they would have done so already," Golbez said. "They have had many chances to ambush us and taken none of them."

"Let them come if they want, we're almost there anyway. At this point an extra day won't give either side any more advantage than it already has," Squall said.

"So then what do we do now?" Zidane asked. Slowly, eleven pairs of eyes turned to Cloud. He knew they were watching without looking up from the map to see them for himself. He had his own thoughts to sort out before he put theirs at ease.

"When we get there, Sephiroth will be waiting again. Does he know I'm alive?" he wondered silently. The slight pulse in his hands distracted him, and he closed his fist to repress the rising power he was still learning to control. He wanted to learn it too, which was why he planned to spend every second he could getting a grip on his new abilities. Because he wanted to put them to work when it came time. Cloud knew that once he got to the Chaos Shrine, or perhaps before, he and Sephiroth would inevitably clash again. With the newfound knowledge that the thread he clung to in order to stay alive was cut, he planned to slay his archenemy for the final time. Cloud remembered the new powers Sephiroth had demonstrated, remembered that his angelic transformation was restored and with it the powers he had used years ago in the Northern Crater. He didn't care though. Cloud was stronger now, too, and he looked forward to demonstrating his new skills.

"There's nothing more to do. We're well fed after yesterday, we have a bit more food for later today but otherwise, it's just a matter of time," he said aloud. He lifted his head to look among his teammates. "Until then, we wait, and we rest." Cloud thought for a moment. "I know I don't need to tell you this, but tomorrow will be a battle dwarfing anything else we've seen up until now. We're not just fighting for our worlds, we're fighting for existence itself. There's billions, maybe trillions of people across those worlds relying on us to win." Forcing himself to put on a cocky smirk for the show, Cloud continued, "and they're in luck, because they've got the best team they could ask for to fight on their behalf."

"Now you're talkin'!" Jecht grinned, slamming a fist into his palm. A few other smiles, smirks and general expressions of agreement caught Cloud's eye.

"So let's make sure we're ready. Tomorrow, we're all going to have to fight harder than ever before. Do whatever you need to, as long as you're prepared. I…" Cloud hesitated. "I can't promise you'll all make it out alive. I guess I'm proof of that, and sort of proof against it. But that's the reality of it, we don't know how many of us will survive. I'm no leader, certainly not yours, and I have no right to ask this, but I also have no choice. You may have to die, so the rest of us can win. I don't like it, but it's how things are. So, if it comes down to it…"

"You can save yourself a lot of time right there," Onion Knight cut off. "We know we're gonna be looking death in the eyes, but that's why we're all here."

"He's right. We were chosen as Warriors of Light because of who we are. Heroes, each and every one of us. We were all cut from the same cloth," Cecil said.

"Yeah. Sure we might die tomorrow, but that's nothing new is it? We've all had plenty of chances to get cold feet at the idea and I'll bet none of us has turned back," Tidus chimed.

"The stakes might be a bit higher, but tomorrow will be the same as any other battle. We're going to go in and give it our all, no matter what the unknowns are holding," Squall said lowly.

"They're all right and you know it," Bartz said, slapping a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "I'll bet that's why you're looking so awkward right now, hard to give a speech to us when we know exactly what you're trying to say, right?"

"Uh…"

"It's not the words that matter, it's the reality," Firion said. "We know what we're facing, Cloud. You're not just our leader, you're our comrade, and most importantly you're our friend. You want us by your side, you want to be able to rely on us? You already know you can, just as we know the same about you."

"There's nothing you need to say anymore," Zidane agreed. "It's our last battle together. We're going to go in, and we're going to die trying if that's what it takes to win. It's like Cecil said, we're heroes, Warriors of Light. We got chosen by Cosmos for that exact reason."

"The goddess was aware of the gambit she was executing. In our last meeting before her death, she confided she knew that disrupting the balance as she was could just as easily spell her doom as it could Chaos'," Golbez said solemnly. "Thus, we can take heart in that she knew precisely what she was doing. We are her final legacy, the last warriors she summoned. She waited an eternity for the opportunity to take this chance, and we are the ones on whom she deemed fit to gamble her existence. This is her final act, and she has chosen only the strongest to carry it out."

"And that's just what we're going to do. Because you're all right on every point except one," Terra said, turning to Cloud. "We do know what's going to happen tomorrow. Sooner or later, we're going to confront Chaos. And we're going to destroy him. It's what we've all been called for, ever since we first set out on our journeys, he's been the destination at the end of our paths. And we won't fail."

"…yeah…you're right," Cloud whispered. "You're all right…" Cloud look over them again and noticed one of them looking around uneasily. "Jecht, you have something to say?"

"Nah, everyone else pretty much covered it. Just feelin' a bit left out on the speech-givin' and all," he shrugged. "Never was one for it. But since ya put me on the spot….how about 'let's kick some divine ass'?" A chorus of chuckles and a couple of dismissive snorts came up from the group. Cloud and Terra joined in on the former.

"Sounds good to me," Cloud nodded. "Alright then. Get some rest, and do whatever you have to in order to prepare. Tomorrow, we settle this."

"Tomorrow we shall bear witness to the final conflict," Garland boomed, his voice filling the chamber. Below, Sephiroth, Ultimecia and Kuja stood before a small, tightly clustered group of Crystelle. "We were called by Lord Chaos to deliver Cosmos her death, and we have succeeded. But victory is not yet ours. We must crush the final remnants of Cosmos' forces beneath our heels, or all our efforts will be for naught."

"Is this supposed to be inspiring?" Kuja asked, looking over at his comrades. "I'm rather bored to be frank. We don't need some iron-clad baboon telling us what's at risk."

"You said it before, you and Chaos," Ultimecia nodded. "Mateus' plans failed. All we can do now is fight, and let fate run its course, for better or worse."

"Yes, true enough…very well then. I leave you to conduct whatever preparations you wish to go about. Though the odds of victory or defeat are unknown, know that Chaos' offers of power and control over the worlds remain for you, if we prevail. Let that be your motivation in the coming clash."

"And when we win, he shall make good of them," Kuja warned. Ultimecia nodded her agreement. Garland nodded back, then vanished as a dark portal opened behind them. The three Warriors of Chaos left shared a glance, then Kuja and Ultimecia lifted into the air to fly away. Sephiroth watched them go, uninterested in whatever tasks they planned to carry out for their final hours.

"Fools, still seeking the same ends as always, dancing for Chaos in the name of a false promise," Sephiroth sneered. "The same desires, the same aims…mere puppets who cannot see their own strings…not I. I have grasped the greater picture that they are blind to. Tomorrow, Chaos' reign ends. And mine begins."

Firion polished the blade of his lance with careful attention, running the rag along its edge until it gleamed in the light of the two moons through the window. Gently touching a finger to the tip and then the blade to test their sharpness, he nodded in satisfaction and set it down on the bed. He reached to unbuckle the clasp holding his quiver in place, and brought it around to examine it.

"Only four arrows left," Firion mused. He had come to this world with two dozen, and had tried to conserve them, even retrieving them after battle when he could. Inevitably though they were damaged or lost or otherwise rendered unusable, and his stock had slowly dwindled. Taking the four from the quiver and tossing it down beside it lance, Firion noted that one of them had a crack at the notched end. In more forgiving circumstances it would be deemed unfit and throw away, but he didn't have that luxury now. The others were still usable, the fletching was a bit sparse and their bindings loose, but they would fly well enough. Firion turned them over in his hand to examine the tips. One had dried blood caked on it from when it had been used to fell an Ahriman they had encountered in a cave. The others, having either not been used or only been used for Crystelle, were clean.

"I'll make them count," he vowed. Slotting the arrows back into the quiver, Firion then reached and unclipped the twin daggers strapped to his belt, also unhooking a spool of cord attached to the handle of one of them. Holding the untied dagger up to the light he set to work polishing it, a few specks of dirt flying off the edge of the blade. His other weapons lay on the bed, some already cleaned, others still waiting their turn.

Firion remembered with clear detail how he had come to possess each of the weapons he carried. His stepsister Maria's bow, gifted to him when he went off on his world quest to hunt villainy after the war ended. Ricard's lance, bestowed when the dragoon bid him off on the Wyvern to escape Emperor Mateus when he was reborn. Leila's daggers, a sign that he had defeated her and so was the captain of her ship, the weapons passed down the line of captains for near fifteen years. Minwu's staff and shield, the former enchanted with the power to control Ultima, for which the mage sacrificed himself to grant to Firion. His stepbrother Guy's axe, found in the alley outside the weapons shop deemed unsuitable for combat due to its misshapen handle, and modified with a weight on the end to function as a throwing weapon when Guy refused to throw it away, eventually giving it to Firion when he departed him and Maria. And the Blood Sword, gifted by Paul to aid them in the final battle with Mateus in Pandaemonium.

"I'm not here alone…they're all with me," Firion thought, looking over them as he mentally recounted the tales of how he came to possess them. Unbidden memories filled his mind, and he took a slow breath. In his world he had left the land of his home many years after the war with the emperor to pursue injustice and violence in the futile hope of one day eradicating them from the world. It was a long, lonely journey that had made him many enemies and many friends, but he had never once questioned the life he led.

"There is only one path I must follow," he whispered. "Tomorrow is just another stop on it. I'll see it through, with all of you by my side."

"I don't know how you can sleep with what's happening tomorrow," Bartz said, looking over at Zidane as he paced beside the bed. Lying on his stomach, tail twitching lazily in the air, Zidane rolled his eyes. His head was cushioned on his arms folded up under his chin, cyan eyes staring off into space until Bartz had gotten his attention.

"I'm not sleeping."

"Only because I'm here talking to you."

"That's what I meant," Zidane grumbled, lifting a foot to rub it against an itch on his other leg's ankle. Bartz made a face.

"I'm too antsy to sleep, big day tomorrow. Never can sleep when they're coming," he said, stretching his arms up into the air.

"No, it's not that it's a big day, it's that you're worried about it. That's why you can't sleep. Also why I'm trying to get to sleep, because I ain't worried and we've gonna need to be nice and rested up," Zidane replied.

"How can you not be worried?" Bartz protested. "We're heading into the biggest battle we're ever gonna see, the entire universe is counting on us!"

"Bartz…"

"Not to mention that we're gonna be fighting who-knows-what when we get there, we know about Sephiroth and Kuja for sure and they're stronger than ever."

"Bartz," Zidane said louder, turning his head. Bartz hadn't heard him yet.

"Not to mention that even if we win there's a good chance at least one of us is gonna bite the dust. Then of course we have to face Chaos, are we really supposed to kill a god?"

"Bartz!" Zidane snapped angrily. Bartz took noticed and looked down at him. Zidane gave him a wearied look for a long moment, and then laid his head back down. "Please shut up," he whispered.

"Oh….sorry," Bartz replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. The room fell silent again, the only sound either could hear being the distant hum of the airship's engines.

"Hey," Zidane said after a minute.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry too."

"Don't be," Bartz assured him. After another moment of silence Zidane looked over his shoulder.

"…you ever play Tetra Master?"

"What's that?" Bartz asked, confused. Zidane turned over and reached into his pocket, drawing a small stack of cards.

"Picked them up when we stopped over in Treno a while back, just for a memento of home. Want me to teach you?"

"Is it hard?"

"Not if you're good, and I am," Zidane replied. "Unless you'd rather stand here in silence and we can think about how badly we might get our butts kicked tomorrow by a god."

"When you put it that way, sure, let's play," Bartz smiled. Zidane pulled his legs into a cross-legged position and began to shuffle the cards as Bartz sat down opposite him.

"I've been saving these for a good time," Squall thought, looking at the small box in his hand. He had been holding onto it ever since he had come across Balamb Garden with Bartz and Zidane. He'd been tempted to bring more than one, but the box was heavier than its small appearance would suggest and he decided it would be too much of a hassle to carry a second. Opening the lid, Squall set the box on the table beside his bed. Twenty-four small steel bullet casings lay on their ends inside in four rows. Small transparent capsules contained in the tips glowed various colors. Squall had memorized the colors and their associated spells carefully during his training - red for Fire, dark blue for Blizzard, yellow for Thunder and green for Cure, among numerous other. Being that the higher-level magics of his world weren't commonly made accessible to all students, the armory he had visited offered only the most basic spells, and this set had Fire, Blizzard and Thunder.

"They'll have to do," Squall decided, picking up a bullet with a red-colored capsule. He reached over and grabbed the Revolver from the bed beside him and angled it against the side of the mattress. He pulled back the catch that held the gun barrel in place and knocked it open to the side with his thumb. Squall carefully and methodically slotted six bullets into the empty chambers, choosing two of each spell. Snapping the barrel back into place with a click, he stood up and lifted the Revolver, testing the subtly different weight of the weapon. He had wielded the Revolver two-handed during training, but as he had grown older and strengthened himself he had forced himself to use it with one hand for better efficiency in combat. His friends and instructors both made jokes that the desire to do so was more a show of his stubbornness than his skill. He didn't say so to their faces, but they weren't entirely wrong. It simply wasn't in his nature to give up.

"Stubbornness…skill…whatever it takes. It doesn't matter how. Tomorrow…I'm going home…"

Cecil climbed the stairs leading up to the deck of the airship slowly and carefully. He was hesitating on purpose for extra time to consider what he was doing, and for a moment considered simply turning and heading back to his room. However, he knew he'd regret it if he did. Coming onto the deck, he turned to the small platform with the controls. Jecht was at the bottom of the steps, and turned and walked towards him. The former Warrior of Chaos didn't say a word as he passed Cecil and headed down the stairs, only turning his eyes Cecil's way for a moment as he came near.

"Did I interrupt something?" Cecil asked, approaching. Golbez looked down at him and shook his head. Not for the first time Cecil was struck by how strong the family resemblance was between the two of them and their uncle Fusoya. Golbez's face was beginning to wrinkle while Cecil's was still youthful, and his eyes showed inner tiredness that Cecil supposed came with the trials he had endured, but otherwise the fact they were brothers was impossible to miss.

"No. Jecht merely came to speak to me, and we had just finished when you arrived," Golbez explained. Cecil nodded and climbed the stairs to stand next to him.

"I wish to speak to you about our homeworld," he said.

"Then speak, and I shall listen," Golbez replied.

"If…when we defeat Chaos tomorrow, do you know what will become of you? Of us?"

"No. I believe the Crystals may yet spirit you all home without Cosmos, but myself, I know not what fate awaits me. Jecht asked very much the same question."

"Very well, I suspected as much. Then, I ask that when the time comes, you accompany me home if you are able."

"Cecil…"

"I will have no arguments on this, brother," Cecil interrupted, his voice firm. "You told me once you would be content to fade back into darkness if that is your fated punishment. I do not accept that. If you will only consider yourself forgiven when you have died then so be it, but it will be many years in the future if I have my say in the matter. I want you to come home with me. My family is yours, and we would see you alive under less pressing circumstances."

"Cecil, you ask me to return to a world I nearly destroyed and face its people. The name of Golbez is synonymous with terror and destruction to them. You would have me face that?"

"No. Golbez is a label Zemus pinned on you when he twisted you to his will. Golbez may be thought of as a ruthless tyrant, but what of Theodore? Golbez wore armor and was a shadowy figure, there are few who know your true face outside our group of comrades, and none outside them who know your true name. Were you to come back, abandoning that forsaken name as you had your armor once before, there would be none who could judge your past. You could be free."

"I cannot free myself from the shadows of my sins that easily, merely taking a different name."

"None of us blame you anymore, brother. Your sins can only burden you if you allow them to. I learned that for myself long ago. If you cannot leave them behind you then yes, perhaps it is for the best you sink into death again, so you will not torment yourself any longer. But if that is truly your desire, to die so you can forget and in turn be forgotten, then you would not be here now." Cecil moved in front of Golbez, forcing his brother to look him in the face. "You know I speak the truth. You're here because you wanted to live again, to be forgiven. And the only person left to forgive you now is yourself."

"Cecil…" Golbez closed his eyes slowly. "Your words are heartening. Naïve, and heartening. But I have long held onto my burdens, to cast them off with such ease now would be impossible. I truly do wish to live again, and it would please me to return to your home world and see my nephew and sister-in-law again, perhaps even live alongside you. Alas that it is not that simple, if one assumes I will even have the option. And so I cannot give you an answer, much less the one you want."

"I don't need an answer now, or at all. But please, do not forget what I have said, and consider my words," Cecil said.

"If that will suffice for now then consider it done," Golbez replied, nodding slowly. "I shall keep them in my heart until the time to face my destiny comes. Thank you, Cecil."

"We are brothers, Theodore. I do turn my back on my comrades or my blood, and you are no exception."

Onion Knight was balancing his sword on his fingertip, the golden blade wobbling as he moved his hand around to try and keep it steady. He was laying on his back in bed, not fully paying attention to what he was doing. There was a knock at his door and he sat up, his sword falling on the bed beside him.

"Yeah?" he called. The door opened slowly to reveal Terra. "Oh, hi," he said, lifting a hand as a wave.

"I'm just wondering how you're doing," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I'm a bit hungry, but we're outta that food you brought back the other day so not much to do for that. Otherwise I'm good," he shrugged.

"That's not what I meant. Are you going to be ready for the fight tomorrow?" Terra asked. "I have to admit I'm worried for you. Any one of us could die and I'd hate for it to be you, you're just a kid and have your whole life to live yet."

"I am not just a kid!" Onion Knight said angrily. "I'm just as strong and heroic as any of you guys! Besides, you're not that much older than me anyway."

"I know, and I'm not looking down on you. I'd just hate to think someone so young dying in battle," Terra explained. Onion Knight calmed down and lay back down, folding his hands under his helmet.

"I'll be fine, we traveled together for a long time, you know I'm a lot tougher than I look. I can take care of myself in a fight well enough. You wanna watch my back tomorrow though, I won't say no."

"Agreed," Terra nodded, smiling slightly. "And you're right, we did travel together for a long time, though once you got kidnapped it was even longer that we were apart…what happened to you back then?" Onion Knight made a face.

"The Cloud of Darkness took me to a part of her realm, the World of Darkness. Really scary place, all crystal platforms and dark voids with purple clouds of smoke. I was prepared to give up to be honest, I'd been there before but with my friends, and we had barely made it out alive that time. But I told myself I had to do it this time, or else I'd never be able to go home and see the gang again. It took me a day or two to get a grip and stop being so scared, but I fought my way out and beat the old witch to escape. After that I met up with Tidus and Firion. Tidus already had his Crystal, so once we got Firion's we headed off to Cosmos' throne. We met up with Cecil again on the way."

"I see. I'm glad you weren't alone too long," Terra said. "I'm also glad you have people to see when you go home. You never spoke about your world much. And when you said you were an orphan I thought maybe you were alone."

"Nah, I've got step-parents, loving ones, and my friends too of course. Four of us were a band of heroes, traveled the world just like Hikari and his friends to save our Crystals. They're a nice bunch. One of them…well, I don't think 'girlfriend' is really the right word…" Terra giggled slightly. "What?" Onion Knight asked.

"Nothing. I just never thought of you as having a girlfriend."

"Well like I said she kinda isn't, we're just friends. But she's really cute, and sometimes when we traveled together I thought she liked me. On the other hand she was caring for all of us when we needed it, so I figured it was just Re-…er, just her way," Onion Knight stopped himself. Terra gave him a look as she realized what he had almost blurted out.

"How come you never told any of us your name?" she asked. Onion Knight sat up again and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"I dunno…just figured I wouldn't be here long. I hoped it would just be a quick trip, get our Crystals and be done. Didn't plan on getting attached to any of you, no offense. Thought if I stayed 'Onion Knight' to you guys it would be easier for you to forget about me when we went home, no hard feelings I guess."

"That's a horrible thing to think, I could never forget about you, and I doubt any of us will. The adventure we've been on is just as grand as the one you've been on with your friends, and they'd never forget you right? Will you forget them?"

"Of course not!"

"Then how can you think we would?" Terra asked. Onion Knight nodded, pursing his lip.

"Good point, I guess," he shrugged.

"So can you tell me now then?" Terra asked. Onion Knight thought for a moment, then reached up to his helmet. With a second's hesitation beforehand, he pulled it off and set it on his lap. Medium-length silver bangs fell over his forehead without the helmet to hold them up, a short ponytail trailing down his neck. He sat still for a moment before turning to Terra.

"…Luneth," he whispered. Terra smiled and reached over to hug him.

"That's a fine name."

Tidus grunted as he got closer to the floor, his nose almost touching the wood, before pushing himself back up.

"Twenty-one," he thought, lowering back down and then coming back up. "Twenty-two." The door opened, and Tidus turned his eyes over as he went down for the twenty-third push-up. He lost his concentration and fell on his stomach with a thump.

"Sorry," Jecht muttered, giving a small shrug. Tidus grumbled under his breath and stood up, brushing himself off.

"What the heck do you want?" he asked, looking over at Jecht.

"Came to talk to ya," Jecht replied, coming into the room and shutting the door behind him.

"No kidding. What about?"

"Well, was just thinkin'…about tomorrow…I ain't too comfortable with what might happen…so, was thinking…"

"What, you gonna flake out on us old man?" Tidus said, crossing his arms.

"As if!" Jecht snorted. "If anything I would advise you to be the one out of us to turn tail runt. But naw, that isn't it. Just been thinking about what's gonna go down when we win."

"That's an easy one. We kick Chaos' ass and go home," Tidus said, pumping his fist.

"Well, easy for you maybe. In case you forgot, I wasn't exactly called here in the name of light 'n all that."

"Oh yeah…" Tidus thought for a moment. "So what's gonna happen to you then?"

"See, that's the thing, I'm not sure. Went up and had a chat with Golbez, he doesn't know either, and if any of us would know it'd be him, so I don't have a clue. That's what's buggin' me, I did all this, servin' Chaos and then turning on him with Golbez, to try and get back. Just seems a gip that in the end it's probably not gonna happen."

"Maybe it just isn't meant to be," Tidus suggested. "I mean, you kinda already lived your life out dad." Jecht nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Wasn't much of an ending though, had to leave you and your mom behind, never had any idea what was happening with either of ya until Auron thought up the idea for me to cross over."

"Really? You never knew?" Tidus asked, surprised. He had assumed his father somehow had been informed of he and his mother's lives.

"How could I? That's why I came here, wanted to talk to you. Ask ya some things I might not to get to find out myself," Jecht said.

"Sure, ask away," Tidus said, sitting on the bed.

"First things first then. What happened to her?"

"She died. A year or so after you went missing. She just sort of gave up, lost her strength. Got sick and didn't wake up one morning."

"Aw geez…sorry."

"Why, not like you killed her. And you sent Auron to look after me, right?"

"Yeah, but that don't make it right…" Jecht looked away in thought, staring out the window. "I had to send him. I wanted to make sure you had someone watching your back. I knew that if anyone could take my place…well, as much as they could be expected to, it'd be Auron. If I could have chosen anyone from Zanarkand, I'd have still gone with him."

"Yeah, he was a Guardian his entire life, in a way. First Braska, then me, and Yuna too," Tidus agreed. Jecht nodded, and looked over at him.

"I wanted to be there for ya kid. I did. Always told myself I was gonna train you to be the best, just like me. I know you became a Blitzer though, so that'll do. Your team, they good too?"

"You mean in Spira, or Zanarkand? Either way, we're the best, champions. Everyone in both worlds knows I'm the one and only ace in the league."

"Heh, you'd better be, you got the blood of three generations of Blitzers in your body, boy. Though you might have to take a back seat if I do get back. I may be a bit past my prime but I wouldn't mind diving back in," Jecht said with a grin.

"I could take you," Tidus snickered. "That big deal 'Jecht Shot' of yours is old news, I'd block it and swim circles around you."

"Old news? So lemme guess, you figured it out at last huh?"

"Figured it out, mastered it, and improved it. 'Jecht Shot Mark II', old man. There isn't a Blitzer in Spira who doesn't fear it. And I'm working on Mark I."

"There never was a Mark I or II, you know that."

"There are now, thanks to me."

"That so?" Jecht said, smirking. He turned around and put a foot on the edge of the bed to lean over. "Alright runt. Let's hear how they work."

"Tomorrow…it all ends. One way or the other."

A small candle lamp he had taken from his garage in Edge lighted Cloud's room. The light of the candle inside was amplified and lit the room up in a golden glow. It had been lit with Cloud's own hands, a small force Fire spell he had called upon and controlled. He had spent much of the day focusing his powers, not casting them but willing them to act and then trying to manifest the specific spell he wanted. Terra's training and advice worked, it was on short notice but it worked. Now he was resting with night having fallen to "recharge", so to speak.

"I'm more powerful than ever," Cloud thought. "Sephiroth is going to come find me once he knows I'm alive again. I can settle my past at last, truly leave it behind. Once I beat him. I can bury him in my memories and he'll stay there this time. I can move on from it all…" There was a knock at his door, and Cloud turned around. "Come in," he said softly. The door swung open to reveal Terra.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," she said, clicking it shut behind her. Cloud shook his head.

"No. Just thinking," he replied. "Been spending most of the day experimenting with my powers."

"And?"

"I can control them a lot easier now. It's as you taught me, call on the power and visualize how I want it to manifest. I'm resting them now though, it's a bit tiring after a while."

"Right," Terra nodded. "Do you think you'll retain them when we go home? In your world you don't have innate magic like you do now."

"I'm not sure. I've been pondering that myself. If I get a choice, I'd like to keep them. I like this power, to be honest. I like being strong," Cloud said.

"You're strong already," Terra said.

"I know, but this is different," Cloud agreed. Terra looked hesitant for a moment, and Cloud lay down on the bed, kicking his boots off. "There's something else," he said slowly. "It began after Hikari granted me his power, but it hasn't really kicked in until yesterday."

"What?" Terra asked. Cloud stared at his feet as he tried to figure out how to phrase it.

"I think, the memories Sephiroth was interfering with, and all the past stuff I'd already been hazy on…I think it was due to our bond, and the Sephiroth genes inside me. When Hikari purified me, they were destroyed. So the last couple of days, I've been remembering things. Things I know now I already knew before but forgot, and things I never recalled before."

"Like what?" Terra asked, coming closer.

"The day Zack died…Nibelheim burning…all the things that I couldn't remember before are becoming clear. It's like an entire chapter of my life is coming back to me," Cloud explained. He looked over at her. "And more recent things too…I remember what happened in the Forgotten City. I remember how you freed me."

"Oh…I see," Terra whispered, looking away. Her cheeks reddened slightly. "Is this where we have that conversation again about why I didn't tell you?"

"No, I can guess for myself. It's not exactly the easiest thing to confess, and I'm not angry about you keeping it secret," Cloud shrugged. "I'm more interested in why you thought to do it to free me."

"Because, I…I was worried you were lost, that if I couldn't break through to you Sephiroth was going to destroy your mind. I wasn't worried about myself, I knew if I had to I could escape, or subdue you. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to save you though, that I…that I was going to lose you. I couldn't think of what to do, and when he was pushing me back, I began to panic," Terra looked back at him. "I guess, I don't know why. I just did it. There wasn't time to think it over, it just happened. I'm sorry."

"I'm not angry. It freed me, right?" Cloud replied. Terra nodded. "Then don't apologize. You saved me. You've done that a lot since we've been together, I couldn't begin to keep count of how many times I owe you for doing that."

"And you've saved me a lot too, so how about we call it even? she said.

"Right," Cloud agreed. "We'll be splitting the saving tomorrow. We've got a whole team to look out for now."

"They can handle themselves. I think the incident up on deck proved you don't have to be the leader you think you do to be a good leader," Terra replied.

"Yeah. Still, of all the people to choose, I don't get why it was me," Cloud shrugged. "If I had to pick a successor, it would be you probably. You're the strongest of us when you go all-out." Terra suddenly looked puzzled, and bit her lip. "What?" Cloud asked.

"When we were going to bring you back," she whispered. "Hikari…he told me that if it didn't work, he still had to pass on the power to someone. If we couldn't revive you…he said he would pass them to me." Terra gave Cloud an odd look. "Your burden was that close to being mine. He said I didn't have to tell you if I didn't want to…"

"So why tell me now? Volunteering?" Cloud asked.

"I don't know. If you want to try, I could take the power for you. I mean, if you can even," Terra said softly. Cloud thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Nevermind…I appreciate the offer though. But I can't just run from it like that. He chose me. I may not have wanted to be chosen but it doesn't matter now. Have to deal, right?" Terra nodded, turning her eyes down. The room darkened slightly, and he turned his head to see the twin moons obscured by passing clouds. Wondering again how this world had two moons and what world they came from, he continued watching until the clouds began to clear. Feeling the bed creak slightly, he wondered what it was. Then he felt something press against his arm and turned his head. Terra was lying on the bed next to him, her bangs and the angle of her head hiding her face from his view.

"I came here to talk to you about something important," she said softly, her hands clasped over her skirt. "When we beat Chaos tomorrow, we're all going to go home, right?"

"That's the plan, hopefully," Cloud said.

"Yes, but…I've been thinking about this for a while, and I'm not even sure if it's possible, but I've come to a decision…when the time comes," Terra hesitated. "I…I'm not going home."

"What?" Cloud asked, confused. Terra turned to face him.

"I don't want to return to my world," she repeated. "I want to go with you to yours."

"Terra, you can't," Cloud said, shaking his head.

"Why not? If I have the choice, it's what I want. If I can't I'll accept that, but if there's a chance that I can come with you then I'm going to."

"What about your world?"

"There's not much reason to go back. I never see any of my friends anymore, the kids of the village are growing older, they're starting to leave," Terra said. "Even if I go back, within a few years everyone I took care of will be gone, and what then? I'll be alone in a backwater village almost no one knows about. They don't need me anymore Cloud, and there's nothing else left for me in that world. If I go back, I'll lose my powers again, the essence of magic is gone from my world. But if I go with you, then maybe I can keep them. I don't want to give my powers up again after coming to understand and control them like I can now, and I don't want to go back to my world just to watch the people that gave my life meaning leave me."

"You're sure about this?" Cloud asked, realizing already she was. He remembered her stories about trying to find her place in her world, and finding it in the village of orphans. What she was saying made sense he supposed, but still, it was one thing to lament the loss of your family, it was another to ask to travel to another world.

"I am, I told you I've been thinking about this. There's not much left in my world for me, my friends would understand if I could tell them. And the stories you've told me are fascinating, and the places from your world we've seen are amazing. The Cetra, Jenova, mako, Materia, your friends, I want to see them for myself. The sense of magic in your world is incredible, and I want to experience it more. My world is dead of magic, always was until Kefka ruined it, but yours is full of magic, and I like it. I want to see your world Cloud, and I want you to be the one to show it to me," Terra said. "I still want to restore my world, but I don't want to go back, there's too much to give up now. I didn't come here to ask permission, I came here to tell you that this is my decision. I'm just asking you now to accept it and understand." Cloud stared at her for a moment, eyes locked on hers, and slowly nodded.

"Okay," he whispered. "I do understand. I don't think it can be done, but if it can, then alright. I'll show you my world, all of it."

"Thank you," Terra replied, smiling. Cloud returned the gesture, and she turned her head forward, shuffling a bit closer. Cloud looked down at her hands, and after a moment's thought moved the hand on his knee to cover hers. "I was worried you wouldn't want me to come," she admitted.

"Ridiculous. We've been through a lot together," Cloud replied. "As long as you're happy with it, then I don't mind."

"Good." The room fell silent, the two staring off into space. "You know before we face Chaos tomorrow, we'll have to fight him again," Terra said suddenly.

"I do. And I'm going to beat him," Cloud said.

"We," Terra corrected. She turned her head again to look at him. "We've both got grudges with him to settle now, so don't think I'm going to stand back. We'll fight him as a team, like before, and we'll win," she continued. "Then we'll defeat Chaos, and go home. Together." Cloud nodded. He felt warmth on the back of his hand, and noted her other hand coming over his, squeezing it. He reciprocated the gesture on the hand under his, noting how small her hand was compared to his.

"Home…"

Cloud didn't know if she moved, or if he did. All he knew is that a moment later he was kissing her. Her eyes were closed, her head still. He had only done this a handful of times before, and for some reason he felt like a child again for it, but he was hesitant. To his relief, somewhat, she wasn't pulling away and seemed very much in the same mindset of indecisiveness. Deciding to push away his concerns he brought up his free hand to cup her cheek. After several seconds kissing her he pulled back. Or maybe she did. He didn't know, and thinking about it a minute afterwards decided he didn't care. Terra calmly turned her head back to lay it against his shoulder. Dropping his hand from his face he leaned back against her in response. Their hands hadn't parted.

"Terra?"

"Yes, Cloud?"

"Are you scared about tomorrow?"

"Terrified."

"…Me too."

Not another word passed either of their lips that night, and eventually the two fell asleep leaning against the other, the room going dark as the candle lamp in the corner burnt itself out.