The Hero

The deafening cry almost shattered their ears. Before they could even react, a blinding light erupted from Jenova's figure and engulfed the l'Cie. None of them knew what to do – cover their ears from the unbearable screech, or shield their eyes from the glare.

Just as Cloud moved toward Lightning, an unseen wave slammed into them and threw them back. They tumbled several feet along the ground until they skidded to a stop; the other l'Cie stumbled from the pressure but managed to regain their footing. Their ears were ringing for the longest seconds, and their eyes took time to refocus. From his standpoint, Vincent could see the Eidolons vanish like mirages; the shotgun in his arms faded into nothing.

Silence blanketed the field, save for the low whistle of the wind. Cloud tiredly propped himself up from the ground and lifted his head, the sunset obscuring his view for a moment. He breathed heavily, exhausted from the battle that transpired. A dry cough from his left caught his attention; he glanced over to see Lightning propping herself up in a similar position, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.

Little by little, they pulled themselves up to their feet, before they looked toward each other with blank stares. It felt impossible to think that it was really over. They once again scoured the field, searching for any sign of Jenova surviving the blast…

But Cloud didn't feel the lingering dread that followed him since his youth. His life was finally rid of the calamity for good. The worlds were spared from the parasite's destruction. Though he felt a hint of rapture emerge from within, he couldn't help but feel bothered by Lightning's sense of unease. It was a mix of relief, but also uncertainty…

"Serah!"

Snow's booming voice averted his attention. Not too far away, Snow had scooped up Serah in his arms and twirled in a victory circle. They laughed together with joy, amazed that they had defied fate twice. Soon enough, the other l'Cie gathered around, oddly astonished and relieved at the same time.

"We did it," Tifa breathed out with a smile. When she looked down toward her ankle, however, the smile vanished as she noticed a familiar pattern. "Wait…" Her blood ran cold when she bent down to fold back the side of her shoe, revealing a large black mark with a menacing red eye. "We're still branded." As if on cue, pain surged through her lower leg, reminding her of her doomed fate.

Vincent similarly clutched his chest and almost doubled over. He remembered the words Serah and Snow gave them not too long ago – the brands came with a time limit, and it seemed their time was up. "Our Focus isn't complete?"

Cloud gripped his bicep as a wave of pain coursed through his body. His insides flopped, like he was about to dry heave. Bewildered, he looked to see how the others were handling their plight, but he noticed the color drain from Serah's face as she looked ahead. He followed her gaze to the woman beside him, who clutched her chest and drew heavy breaths.

"Lightning…?" He was certain his pain was related to him being a Pulse l'Cie, so why was Lightning…

"A-Almost there…" Her voice became dual-toned, as if another entity inhabited her body alongside her. She staggered away from Cloud, from the rest of the l'Cie. Crystal shards materialized along her right arm, encasing it like a second skin.

Just when he had the urge to reach a hand toward her, she looked over her shoulder with bright red eyes, the white sclera darkened to pitch black.

Everyone's hearts were caught in their throats, silent screams begging to be released. A sob wracked Serah's chest as she ran toward her sister. "No!"

Cloud had to wrap his arms around her as restraints. All the while, he watched in horror as the woman he loved transform before his very eyes.

"Lightning!" Serah stretched her arms out while fighting Cloud's hold. She had always feared the idea of someone becoming a cie'th; it was unbearable to watch the process unfold before her very eyes, let alone being her sister. "Claire!"

Tifa's eyes widened at the sight. All this time, she couldn't bring herself to find out what it meant to fail a Focus, to endure the transformation into a cie'th. Just moments ago, Lightning was close to finding peace after all that has happened, only for her curse to catch up to her. Likewise, Snow and Vincent were left breathless, unable to believe that what they were watching was true.

Cloud was at a loss. In the back of his mind, he had to remind himself to keep Serah back, but the other part of him was too busy refusing to face the truth – that the inevitable has happened, and there was nothing he could do to take it back. "What can we do?!" he blurted out. There had to be something, anything that could spare Lightning from this fate thrusted upon her.

"Kill me."

At that point, her right arm had become completely enveloped in dark crystalline shards. Her shambling gait was more prominent, mimicking the cie'th they had fought in the Faultwarrens. "You better do it quick," she let out in a bare whisper as she slowly turned to face them.

"Light…" Snow fervently shook his head. "We can't…"

"You have to," she let out in a tired gasp. Her bright red eyes scanned the group, sending chills down their spines. "I can see it on your faces right now. This is the moment you've dreaded. Well, it's here. And you have to go through with it."

Tifa clenched her hands into tight fists. It felt like a sick joke to have come so far, only to still lose in the end. "No, we can figure something out together!" She tried to imagine Lightning gone and have a large creature take her place, alone and wandering the world for the rest of eternity. She wouldn't want to wish that upon anyone.

"It's over for me!" As Lightning's chest heaved, more crystal fragments bloomed across her torso like armor. "If you don't cut me down now…" Her eyes then looked toward each of her friends, begging for an act of mercy, until finally resting on Cloud. "Please…I can't turn into one of those things."

He hadn't prepared himself for this moment. For the past few days, he had been focused on ending Jenova's reign of terror. Cloud refused to entertain the thought of dealing with Lightning, for he had hoped it would somehow resolve itself with Jenova's demise. If he had somehow finished the fal'Cie off once and for all, everything would right itself again, and they could find a miracle. Even if he had accepted Lightning's fate after destroying Jenova…he didn't think he would have to end it by his own hand.

But this is what she wanted.

All were silent, grappling with the decision they had to make. Vincent's hand trembled on his revolver, at war with his mind and his heart. He never thought of hurting Lightning out of spite, but he knew how the weight of the world could easily influence a hand to make a choice. If he fulfilled their purpose here, the Pulse l'Cie could live forever, until maybe – just maybe – they can wake up in an undetermined future. Or they could wander the face of Pulse forever as cie'th, until another l'Cie shows them mercy and puts them down. Vincent recalled his and Lightning's moment of reprieve in Mah'habara, when he thought it was useless to wait for a miracle to save them.

This was Lightning's miracle for herself, to fight against her doomed fate, and choose the life she wants. And he wouldn't take that away from her.

'Now or never,' Vincent thought as he withdrew Cerberus and raised it. Serah watched him take aim toward Lightning; her heart jumped to her throat, pounding in her ears. With a cry, she wrenched herself free from Cloud's grasp and rushed toward Vincent. She couldn't hurt Lightning even if she wanted to.

"Serah, wait!" Cloud took a step forward, worried that Vincent might shoot her on accident. But with one blink, Lightning's monstrous form appeared before Serah, her crystallized arm swinging back before throwing Serah back with such force.

"Serah!" Snow watched in terror as Serah flew towards him, skidding to a stop on the ground as dirt and dust surrounded her. He dashed to her side and knelt down, carefully holding her in his arms. Breathing heavily, Serah tried to force her eyes open, her head rolling to the side. Even when Snow tried to gently shake her, she was too incoherent.

For a second, the world deafened in Cloud's ears. His mind had jumped to the worst outcome for Serah, unsure of what he would have done if it had come true. Only with Lightning's inhuman cry was he brought back to the present. As he refocused his gaze toward Lightning, he could see Tifa running toward her from the corner of his eye. He could hear the frustration in her voice as she threw kicks and punches toward Lightning's body, the pain she had to endure by fighting a comrade. It took Vincent a moment to recollect himself, but he carefully aimed his gun on Lightning's crystal arm, taking slow shots to hopefully slow her down. Neither could bring themselves to deal a fatal blow, to be the one to put their friend down.

Lightning's left hand then called an orb of fire in her palm, striking Tifa and Vincent dumbfounded as Lightning hurtled the orb toward Tifa. She narrowly dodged the flames as they barely sailed by her head; she could feel the intense heat licking at her face. With her attempt to dodge it, though, Tifa almost failed to see Lightning charge at her; she soon found herself cornered.

She threw a punch toward Lightning's core, even when it was protected with solid crystal. It hardly made Lightning stumble. Glancing up, Tifa swore she saw a pained expression on Lightning's warped face before a chunk of crystal smacked Tifa across the cheek. Though it felt like a blazing fire erupting on her face, Tifa couldn't bring herself to fight back, knowing that it hurt Lightning as much as it did her. Deep down, Tifa was sure Lightning's attacks could have inflicted more damage, but she knew there was a side of the soldier holding the monster back. She threw her arms up in defense and wondered how long she could hold out.

As Vincent moved to try and get an angle on Lightning, Snow couldn't stand to watch this go on any longer. He looked to Cloud, who remained immobile where he stood. As clear as day, the expression on Cloud's face told Snow he couldn't accept what was happening, that he was about to face the hardest choice in his life.

"Cloud…" Part of Snow didn't want to tell him, but it had to be said. "She's becoming an Undying. They're cie'th that are filled with anger and rage and do nothing but destroy whatever they touch. If we don't stop her now, she'll wander the world like this, forever. You know her! You know she doesn't want to be like this!"

Cloud didn't want to, but he could see it. Lightning – turned into one of those mindless creatures – walking across Pulse for eternity, set as a reminder to those who are doomed to be cursed. She'll have no will of her own, no conscience, as she wreaks havoc on anyone who crosses her path. This will be punishment for failing her Focus, making Lightning a plaything of the fal'Cie once again.

Vincent took another shot at Lightning, only now his bullet hit too close to her bright red brand. Again, the crystal deemed impenetrable, but Lightning released an angry cry that was too feral. Without warning, she spun on her heel and charged headfirst toward Vincent. The gunslinger jumped out of the way at the last second and reached his left hand out to strike at Lightning with his gauntlet. Lightning managed to parry with her crystallized arm and let out a screech that rang in Vincent's ears. Shaken to the bone, he was stunned long enough for Lightning to strike him across the head with her arm. Her raised his gauntlet hand up to defend himself, but it did nothing to soften the impact. Vincent flew a few feet opposite of the others, eventually rolling to a stop as blood trickled down from his bandana. Cloud and Tifa had a horrible feeling in their stomachs as they watched him, hoping he would get back on his feet…but he remained still.

From behind, Snow wrapped his arms around Lightning's shoulders, holding her back from creating any more chaos. "Lightning, stop!"

At that point, she began to swing her limbs wildly, forcing Snow to release her before being struck. Tifa and Cloud rushed to his side, their instincts telling them to prepare for a fight, but their hearts begging them to stop.

"Snow…" They could hear the struggle in her voice; she was losing control by the second. Any moment, she could lose the last bit of humanity, and they'd be facing nothing but an empty shell. "Please…This rage…I can't control it. What she did to me, what she made that fal'Cie to do you…!"

As hesitation gripped them, pain suddenly surged through their brands, almost bringing them to their knees. Cloud's arm felt like it would rip straight off his shoulder. Their hearts pulsated wildly in their ears, threatening to rip out of their chests and kill them on the spot. Even after sparing the world from destruction, fate still had one task left for them – one that went against everything they worked hard for. The existence of cie'th was inevitable, but it seemed the Pulse gods weren't happy enough to stop Jenova. Cloud cursed them with all his might, for their doggedness and turning him into a puppet once more.

"Cloud…" Tifa took in deep breaths to steady herself. Sweat began to drip from her brow from the pain; the torment was clear on her face. Looking over his shoulder, Cloud could tell she was holding in a sob, as she relented to their duty. "We have to do this…"

He shot her a pained look, but he knew she was right. None of them could let Lightning's efforts die in vain, not after she willingly sacrificed her shot at living her life sometime in the far future. All they could do now is carry on her legacy as crystals…by finishing their Focus.

Cloud's mouth was fixed into a tight scowl as he walked over to Tifa, refusing to meet her gaze. Tifa relaxed her guard, her brows knitting together.

"Cloud, what are you—"

"I'm sorry."

An incredible force slammed into her core, her breath sweeping out of her lungs. Her nerves went numb all over her body; she couldn't release a cry of pain. Before Tifa could process what was happening, the world looked fuzzy before she blacked out, her energy sapped out of her in an instant.

Snow's eyes widened as he turned toward them. His jaw slackened in shock, and before he could take a step toward Tifa, he saw Cloud rushing toward him, his expression impassive. In one blink, Tifa was on the ground, and he too felt immense pressure slam into his abdomen, his muscles shaking all over his body. Snow felt like retching on the ground as he fell to his knees until he felt another force strike the back of his neck, and he lost consciousness.

Lightning watched him silently as Cloud straightened himself from where Snow laid. "What are you…?"

"I won't ask them to do this." Cloud walked over and picked up his sword, all blades completely fused into one. He held it at the ready towards Lightning, his inner turmoil clear on his face. But Lightning could see the determining factor in his eyes – the resolve to go through what needed to be done. "Just one of us needs to stop you, and they'll be saved." He couldn't let the rest of them carry this burden if they didn't need to. This was the least Cloud could do after dragging them into this fate with him.

She hesitated for a moment, but then realized that this was her chance to escape her fate. Lightning sank into a crouch, her eyes never leaving Cloud's as he remained in place. Silence hung in the air between them, though time refused to wait. Both of them could feel the darkness eager to overcome them, to turn them into the doomed monsters.

Without warning, Lightning rushed forward to swing her crystallized arm down on Cloud. He immediately brought his sword up in defense, holding her attack off and shoving her arm to the side. Moving to the side, he circled Lightning, his gaze never leaving her as she righted herself. Methodically, she swung her arm toward him again, using her other arm to follow-up with a punch, hoping it would make him engage in combat.

Cloud continued to bring his sword up to parry, using the dull side of his blade to come into contact with Lightning. An occasional blow broke through and struck him – at least twice on the arm and once in the chest – but he never thought to retaliate too much. After a parry, he gave a few strikes to the crystallized arm, hoping to at least slow her down. He wasn't sure how indestructible crystal was, or if it was only indestructible once the process was complete. A shudder ran through his spine at the thought. How much longer until Lightning was completely gone to them? He mentally shouted at himself to finish it, to not let it continue on and have Lightning suffer more.

Still, he couldn't bear to face what was to come – an eternity without her.

Dodging another blow, Cloud leapt back to put space between him and Lightning, who glared at him in frustration. "What is this?" she growled in a dual-layered voice. "A fight to see who's the bigger martyr? Are you hoping for me to kill you in the end?! Destroy me!"

"If you die, I'll die, too!" Cloud started to grow out of breath. He wasn't sure he could drag this out for much longer, but the thought of bringing it to an end left an unbearable pain in his chest. A look of anguish settled on his face, unable to fight his internal grief anymore. "Don't ask me to take your life and expect me to go on without you. In one thousand, two thousand years, when we all wake up in a new world, you think we can live with knowing what we've done?" Hearing his words out loud brought even more torment. He knew what had to be done, but he could never be ready to face the consequences of his actions…and there was only one way to escape that fate.

Lightning grimaced at the thought, but still shook her head. "This is my choice."

"And this is mine," Cloud replied steadfastly, though the following waver in his voice could be heard, even by her. "You can't just…come into someone's life and disappear like that. Where's my say in this?"

He was tired of being powerless to save his friends, to save those he loved. After everything he and Lightning had been through together, Cloud vowed to himself that no matter what, he would protect her, help her live her life. Even if he carried out Lightning's will to not be a cie'th, he knew he couldn't stand a world without her. He couldn't imagine how to go on after this last failure. How could he face Serah when they wake up, knowing that it was his hand that ended her sister? Eternal life was never a blessing or a gift. No matter how he looked at it, it would be nothing more than a curse.

At that, Lightning's red eyes beseeched him, reflecting the last bit of humanity she had left. He could see shudders rippling across her body – the monster taking full control. "I won't drag you down with me, Cloud," she begged. "You deserve better than this. You deserve to wake up in a better world, without Jenova or fal'Cie."

His chest tightened; even now, Lightning was fighting the monster within for his sake. "My world's right here," he let out in a bare whisper, and for a moment he saw Lightning come forth to swallow a sob. "And I'm not losing anyone to Jenova's will again. Not you. I'll set you free."

Unable to control her agony any longer, Lightning shrieked before rushing toward Cloud one last time, her crystallized arm out in front like a lance. The tip was jagged and sharp, but Cloud refused to waver. This was his last shot – he couldn't fail now.

As the jagged tip drew close to his chest, Cloud brought his sword in an upward strike, slashing across Lightning's torso and cie'th brand. Painful couldn't begin to describe what he felt as the crystal pierced his skin. In a fleeting moment, he could see Sephiroth standing before him, piercing his chest with the incredible Masamune sword. It was a miracle he had survived those two past encounters, but this time, he had wished for it all to end.

He was still conscious when his blade managed to penetrate the crystal on Lightning's chest, splintering it into thousands of shards. A shrilling wail echoed across the plains, and darkness fully enveloped his heart as he came to terms with what he did. Everything was numb when his sword flew out of his hand, and the both of them fell to their knees. The crystal across Lightning's body evaporated into crystal lights, leaving behind blood and scars that he made with his own hand.

Even through his weariness, Cloud managed to hold his arms out as Lightning collapsed forward, surrounded by the crystal lights. He fell back to sit on his legs, turning Lightning around to face him as blood seeped from the gash across her chest. Her body felt limp, but he could hear her continue to take in ragged breaths, clinging on to the last bit of energy she had left.

The sun vanished over the horizon moments later, leaving them in darkness. Even as the hollow grief began to settle within Cloud, he could hear the thunder rumbling in the sky, and soon enough, rain fell upon them, slowly at first.

Neither the bellowing thunder nor the coming of rain ripped his gaze away from Lightning's. The deep red in her irises vanished, and they reverted back to the pale aqua color that entranced him from the beginning. The stench of blood filled the air – their blood, as it ran down their bodies and began to pool beneath them.

Every breath he took sent a surge of pain throughout his body; the gaping wound in his chest and the blood loss almost sent his body into shock. But none of it compared to the pain in his heart.

"I never thought…so much would happen in a year…" Lightning shifted her gaze toward the dark sky. Cloud could see the life in her eyes fading, and he held her closer, even when every inch of movement felt like a thousand needles puncturing his chest.

By then, the rain fell hard, drenching them and expanding the pool of blood they sat in. Cloud tried to savor every passing moment he had with Lightning, but instead of happiness, they only brought more despair.

"I should have been stronger," he let out in a bare whisper. He couldn't let the sorrow grab hold of him yet, or else he'd never say the words. "I'm never…strong enough. Would it have been better…if we…?"

Never met? The dark thought ran through his mind. Were they doomed from the day Deepground infiltrated the WRO headquarters? Or was it even farther back, when he found Lightning in the Sector 5 church?

"Maybe," Lightning replied in a weak voice, but he caught the brief hint of sarcasm before she let out a heavy sigh. "If you didn't find me in that church, I might have found my way somehow. It was my first time off a fal'Cie leash, my first time to decide where my life would go. They've taken my future, my family. It's like they dictated every part of my life, from forcing me to become a l'Cie, to throwing me out of my world and into yours. But I can rest knowing there's at least one thing they didn't control. How I feel about you." A frail smile graced Lightning's face, and tears began to stream down her cheeks. At that moment, a surge of life erupted through her eyes, and Cloud could see the immense warmth emanating from her visage.

Slowly, she reached up to cup his face in her hand, her thumb grazing over his cheek delicately. "Even now, after begging you to do what you just did, I'm happy to know that it was my own will, my own feelings that allowed me to love you. And no one's gonna take that away. Not now, not ever."

He found no tears to shed, no time to mourn, for he was desperately praying for something good to come out of this. Was there an afterlife where they could meet again? Where they would never be apart? Cloud was tired of the piling losses, the unending despair that followed him throughout his life. Perhaps this was the way for him to find happiness, knowing that together, he and Lightning spared those they loved, and that nothing had changed how he felt for her, even now.

"I'm not leaving you," he whispered weakly as his fingertips brushed her cheek. Lightning's smile widened for just a moment, stealing one last look into his eyes as hers fluttered shut. Her hand dropped, but he caught it before it hit the ground. Her arm went limp, and as soon as her head rolled to its side, he knew it was over.

He stared at her for the longest moment, waiting to wake up, to take him from this nightmare. Any second now, she would open her eyes and be hurt, but alive. He was waiting for the moment he would be taken back to Seventh Heaven, to the room he and Lightning shared, and realize that none of this was real.

But it never came.

Slowly but surely, the gravity grew denser in his chest, to the point where he couldn't breathe. His grip on her body tightened, hoping it would somehow make her conscious again, but nothing changed. Cloud fought the words on repeat in his mind, refusing to accept them as the truth, but it became harder to deny them as the seconds went by. Achingly, he looked toward the dark sky, tired of this pain and grief that he fought so vigorously to avoid. But that was the thing about fate.

You could never escape it.

Just as he unleashed an agonizing cry in the wind, he fleetingly noticed a bright symbol illuminating from the sky above them. It looked down upon the l'Cie like a watchful eye, observing them like pawns on a chessboard.

Cloud couldn't understand how anyone could live with the weight of emotions bearing down on his heart. Was this the gods finally putting him out of his misery? Was this their cruel way of making sure he reached his breaking point? Has his whole life been, like Lightning's, dictated by unseen forces to make him bend to his will?

He was certain of one thing: Lightning was finally free. To save one thing he treasured from Jenova's grasp was more than enough. Cloud felt the weight finally lift off his chest as the ground vanished from underneath him. Spirals of gold and dark shadows surrounded him and Lightning as they fell farther and farther. Nothing he saw made sense to him, but he reached out and gripped Lightning's hand with his own. It was the last he remembered as his mind drifted into oblivion.

'I'm not leaving you, Lightning. Not again. I love you.'

Her mind was drawing a blank, even as she slowly registered the sunset on the horizon. Numbly, she looked at her hands, turning them back and forth as if she was expecting them to be encased in crystal any second.

What was she doing there? How much time had passed? Serah saw three other figures around her, but her mind couldn't place names on them for the longest of seconds.

It was like stepping out of a dream, even as she saw her fiancé beside her in a similar daze. "Snow…?"

Even hearing her voice felt surreal. Not too far away, she saw Tifa and Vincent coming out of a similar stupor. She saw similar expressions of surprise on their faces and knew that it wasn't a dream.

Holding her breath, Serah rushed to Snow and wrapped her arms around him, relieved that he was really there. She held him close, and she felt his big arms wrap around her in a tight embrace.

"Serah…We're alive!" He lifted her off her feet and spun her in a circle, laughing with joy. As he set her back down, Tifa and Vincent joined them, exchanging looks of relief.

"We did it," Tifa breathed out. She checked her ankle, and emotions welled up inside at the sight of clear skin. Serah and Snow checked their arms immediately, squealing as they realized they were free. Vincent laid a hand on his chest, realizing that his burden was lifted as well.

"Cloud! Lightning!" Tifa's bright eyes searched the plains around them. The seconds ticked by, and no other souls were found, save for Sazh's airship slowly approaching from afar. The crystal pillar remained intact, so they had to have won…right?

"Light?" Snow called out. When no reply came, dread began to build up in their chests. Vincent and Tifa decided to search farther, in case the blast somehow blew them into the distance.

"They were just here," Serah said uneasily. She slowly walked forward in disbelief. The memories flashed in the back of her mind – Cloud and Lightning before them, smiles of relief on their faces as the threat was gone. She saw it as clear as day, and yet…

She turned to look at Snow, who continued to have an expression of doubt. Deep in her heart, Serah was sure they were out there, and she'll be damned before she lost her sister again.

OMG We've finally reached the end of the story! I'm so sorry for taking forever to complete it, cuz y'know - life. But what with quarantine happening, I found myself free. Also, I played FFVII Remake and LOVED IT. Graphics, music, emotional beats…it was amazing. Did it have some flaws? Gameplay-wise, yes to some of it. Not saying it was bad, but every game has those moments where gameplay reaches a frustrating point. Overall, I absolutely loved the characterization come to life, the new elements, and the ending – HOLY SH*T.

Needless to say, FFVII Remake also helped me get back to this story. Now the struggle is getting through Part 3. Making it compelling with FFXIII-2's story elements is gonna be tricky, but I'll do my best.

I'm also getting ideas for another crossover fic, but mainly set in Gaia/FFVII universe. I might be working on that one alongside Part 3; we'll see.

I know this sequel could have been better. My only hope is that at this point, you guys aren't too disappointed with the results. Thanks for making it through fifty chapters, and keep a lookout for the final part of the trilogy Guardians of the Legacy: The Champions.

Lil' Miss Mezzo