Cloud's POV


The journey wasn't far and I couldn't wait to cut through Sephiroth's face. I couldn't wait to make him pay for what he did...

Out into the snowy field, I dismounted the chocobo. "Wait here, I'll be right back," I promised it, once more unsheathing my sword.

I ventured into the crater, my sword glowing blue along the path. I shivered in the cold, but my mind was pre-occupied with my hatred for Sephiroth, now more than ever. I saw his face everywhere and I wanted to turn him into a bloody, lifeless corpse. He had to feel the pain that I had felt so many times.

"Sephiroth, you bastard! Where are you!?" I shouted as I ran down the spiral rock formation into the depths of the crater, cutting down any enemy instantly.

Finally I reached the end of the line and still Sephiroth was no where to be seen. The LifeStream lay in the pit of the crater, churning and bubbling peacefully.

"Sephiroth!" I screamed, "Show yourself!" I waved my Ultima Weapon through the air, bracing myself for an attack, trying to focus my anger.

I stood, waiting tensely, adrenaline pumping through me like blood.

The moment was thick. Suddenly, a swirl of purple and pink clouds spiraled in around me. I looked around, ready for his attack, waiting for the first strike. My breathing became heavy.

"Where are you!?" I screamed at the top of my lungs, my eyes burning red with rage. "I'll kill you, Sephiroth!!"

The sound of fluttering wings made me turn and there he was in all his glory. Sephiroth, a one-winged angel. Suddenly, a strange fear ran through my bones.

"Surprised to see me, Cloud? I took care of your pathetic friends," he grinned, focusing his green eyes on my blue ones.

"I'll kill you for killing Tifa and my friends..." I glared up at him, my arms firmly holding the weight of the Ultima Weapon.

But he didn't move, not even a bit. His cold stare returned mine. I hesitated foolishly in my sudden fear. In that moment of hesitation, he struck.

The blade of his wing snapped down into my face. I narrowly dodged it, the blade slicing into the edge of my cheek, cutting my lip. The hot copper taste of my own blood burned in my mouth. I checked my Materia and saw that I had none. Barret must have taken my Knights of the Round while I was dead... But I didn't need magick to defeat Sephiroth.

My anger ignited and I swung up into the air, my blade flashing again and again as I struck him down. I cut through him relentlessly, my adrenaline feeding my strength and all I could see was the color red. I sliced at him with my Ultima Weapon over and over, my muscles aching, but I didn't care. I couldn't stop striking him! After all he's caused, after all the pain he's dealt me, I HAD to punish him.

I couldn't stop myself if I wanted to. A blur of blood and blade fueled by my hatred for him. His face, his eyes, his hair, I hated every bit of him!

My muscles were exhausted from the attack and I was weakened. I fell to the ground completely out of breath and glanced up, every fiber of my muscles burning. Sephiroth was lying on his side, blood pooling around him, streaming down his forehead. He stumbled forward, then slumped over, not moving.

With a heavy sigh, I smiled, my victory so sweet. I wiped the blood running down my cheek with the back of my hand and finally my rage was satisfied. I looked down at the man I had once feared, the man who once could manipulate my Jenova and make me feel so weak, and I had won! For the first time, in a long time, I felt content, relieved now that he was gone.

The purple and pink mist of clouds faded away and I found myself standing at the center of the crater once more, next to the LifeStream.

Then I heard something, a voice. I had heard voices before, so this wasn't anything new, but this voice was laughing at me, like I was a joke! Paranoia grabbed hold of me, and I glanced all around, finally recognizing the voice. It was Sephiroth's cruel laugh, his arrogant laugh.

"You're dead!" I shouted in fear, "No, I'm just imagining this! I killed you!" I grasped my head, trying to make the horrible laughing stop! "Stop it!"

He's still alive...laughing...

Suddenly everything melted away and the crater chipped off into a sprawling starscape. No, I knew what this was... It was all in my head. He was in my head, and he would never die unless...

Sephiroth was standing in the center, exactly how I remembered him when we were once considered friends. He held his Masamune and narrowed his eyes at me.

I turned away and closed my eyes, "This is only my mind. I've seen this happen before when Zack was talking to me. It's only my mind, nothing is real here... You're not real. This is just my mind," I repeated to myself remembering when Zack talked to me before I killed myself. I shuddered.

I opened my eyes to see Sephiroth walking towards me, the Masamune glittering for my blood. No, this is just my mind. I already killed him.

"I'm very much real, Cloud," he spoke although his lips didn't move.

No, this was only my own memory. It's not real.

Growing impatient, he lurched forward, slicing down with his Masamune across my chest, splitting open my blue shirt, my blood running down the silver blade, glistening in the light.

I choked with the sudden pain. This was real, the blade was real, and he was real. He wasn't dead yet...

I stepped back, clutching my chest, watching the blood flow through my fingers. I looked up in shock, Sephiroth was next to me, the Masamune slicing upward, catching me again from my shoulder up across my right cheek.

I stumbled downward, blood stringing through the air from my face. I held my chest and shoulder, painfully, my blood covering the right half of my face.

Sephiroth smirked, enjoying my loss of blood. But I couldn't lose, not when I had already won before! The pain stung, but I unsheathed my Ultima Weapon, the handle slippery with my blood.

I went to attack him, but I was horribly slow and he moved out of the way, hitting me in the back with the hilt of his sword.

"You were so proud and confident," his voice sneered. "What happened?" he remarked sarcastically, although his lips didn't move.

"You're just a figment of my imagination. I killed you," I hissed, lying on the floor.

"Am I? Then why are you bleeding?" he raised an eyebrow and moved to strike me.

I threw up my weapon, just in time to block the attack that would have ended my life. Inches from my face, our weapons clashed, the sound almost harmonic.

"You killed Tifa..." I growled, his cold green eyes showing no empathy. "You killed Aeris. You killed my mother, Tifa's father, Barret, Cid, Yuffie, Red, Vincent, Marlene, and an entire city and town! You killed everyone I ever knew or cared for!" My voice twisted and didn't sound like my own. "You are the cause of all this suffering and pain! You did all of this! You summoned Meteor!" I shoved him away, pernicious rage colliding with sorrow. "Everything was ruined by you! You made my life a living hell! I can never forgive you for that!" I yelled, slashing at him.

I sliced through his hand, knocking his Masamune away from him, across the starry floor. I swiped downward all my rage and tension breaking down into the single swing of my weapon, colliding with his flesh, hitting him right in the heart, crunching through bone.

In his last second, he looked up at me and I actually saw fear in his shiny green eyes, so full of hate, not believing that I was the one to end his life. Then his eyes shut as I pulled my weapon stained with blood from his chest. He heaved over and blood flowed like a thick dark river.

I fell to the ground, relieved and dizzy from my blood loss. My chest, shoulder and cheek were split open from Sephiroth's attack, but in the end, it was I who was left standing.

Blood flowed freely from my open wounds and I was too weak to move. I put every ounce of my strength into that final attack. But now I was tired and dizzy. My body was weary. The important thing is that I killed Sephiroth...for good.

My hands were stained with Sephiroth's blood and my Ultima Weapon's pale glow couldn't even be seen under the coat of blood up to the hilt. I've killed him, I reassured myself, I've saved myself and the Planet... But Tifa was still dead and this hadn't resolved my sorrow.

I was breathing hard, blood still pouring out around me. Has Sephiroth ultimately killed me in the end? I was dying from his Masamune-inflicted wounds...

I sighed and closed my eyes, feeling a gentle peace rest upon me. The fight had taken everything from me. There was nothing left... I had nothing...

Would I return to Hell? To relive that nightmare? I didn't want to, but I suddenly realized I was dying...I had lost too much blood. The damage was absolute.

My eyes remained closed and a dead weight suddenly fell on me, abrupt and crushing, squeezing my breath out. At least I'd be with Tifa...