Death!

Act 1

But it wasn't over yet.

Weapon stopped. It looked left and it looked right.

Then it gave the impression of sighing in annoyance.

The thing that was calling him on was gone now, and he simply turned around and headed towards the nearest shore. It missed the sea and was grateful for the opportunity to return to it.

Thus Corel avoided destruction.

In Lucrecia's cavern, Lucrecia stopped talking and just stared ahead a short moment before bursting out into a terrible crying fit.

Vincent was beside her in a blink, distressed at this. She told him that their son was dead.

He could do nothing but stare at his love in alarm.

Soft rain started falling; the sky was crying along with Katai.

She was hugging Sether's lifeless body tightly, weeping uncontrollably into his chest.

"…Come back…" She sobbed pitifully, "Come back, Sether…"

Sakura got up, looking around in confusion before noticing Katai and recalling everything. She glanced once at her right hand, discovering that there was nothing there anymore, not even her old arm. But she paid it no heed and came beside Katai. She sat down across from her on the wet ground.

One of Sether's hands laid open by his side, the other on his stomach, on top of his mortal wound. Katai's hand was placed lightly on that hand, her fingers twitching slightly as her mind tried to cope with the size of the loss.

"…I'm sorry." Sakura said, looking down, distressed and ashamed. Her pretty features were wan and sad.

Katai lifted her head and gave Sakura a fierce slap across the face.

"Don't you dare say that." She growled, glaring at Sakura with blood-shot eyes, "Don't you dare say anything like that ever again. If you're sorry, than what was the point of him dying?!"

Sakura lowered her head again.

"I wanted revenge… But…"

Katai still held Sether's limp body as she said,

"Be happy Sakura. Be happy for the rest of your life; every moment of it and every bit. Because Sether could never be."

Sakura's shoulders sagged, and Katai continued,

"You got what you wanted- he's dead!" She had to pause to fight back her tears, "He's dead… He'll never get another chance to be happy, and neither shall I."

Here the younger woman looked at Katai with surprise.

"You killed me too." She accused, looking away, "I, too, will never be happy again. So, Sakura, you must be happy if you caused all this intentionally."

"…I…"

"Now… I'll never know…" she looked at his face with infinite tenderness in her eyes, talking to herself more than anyone else and letting her tears flow. His expression was tired and full of regret. Blood and filth were smeared on his face, and the rain wasn't helping. Katai mournfully licked her already wet thumb and cleaned some of the dirt away. She didn't seem to notice herself doing that. "…I'll never know everything there is to know about him…" She sighed. The tears kept falling. They dropped unnoticed onto his face, and no one could tell them apart from the rain. "I'll never know what were his dreams… I'll never know all that was hidden, all that was unseen in those eyes of his…" She will never see his eyes open… And could probably never look into his father's either… "…Why he smiled when he did… why he was sad… I'll never know!" her suddenly murderous glare snapped back to Sakura, "Violence never solves anything! It just brings more pain!! You killed more than one person, not to mention his parents…" She started sobbing again, thinking of the kind Valentines.

Barrett and Marlene came and stood beside Katai.

"You should let him go now…" Barrett said. There was compassion in his voice.

"…No." Katai whispered with a shake of her head.

"We will give him a proper burial… As fit for a hero." Marlene said, admitting her mistake with that sentence.

"No." Katai said, holding him to her even stronger.

Barrett tried to place a hand on her shoulder, but she raised her head and shouted at him,

"No!"

"No."

That last word was not said by Katai. It was not said by any of the people on the rainy plateau on the top of the mountain.

It was said by a voice so powerful, that the whole world probably heard that echoing command. It was said by the kind of voice that were you a Meteor, you'd do what he told you.

And it sounded a lot like Sether's, but not quite.

Act 2

Sether was surprised to open his eyes.

At least he had the feeling he was opening his eyes, but what he saw was just as dark as the inside of his eyelids.

The only indication that his eyes were open was the fact that he saw himself. He knew it was bad news when he noticed he wasn't wearing anything.

He would have blushed, if he had a beating heart that could stream more blood to his face, that is.

He felt like he was floating. Well, not exactly floating, more like descending slowly. Beneath him, apparently a great distance below, was a single green glow. It was the only thing in this place with no place in it, and he was descending towards it. This wasn't the usual black void; this one was much warmer and comfortable.

He felt relieved, somehow. Death usually meant the loss of one's self, and here he was, still aware of himself as the being that is identified as Sether.

There was also a great sense of loss. He will never see anyone ever again.

Not his parents,

Not… Katai,

Not… Anyone…

How could he not feel embarrassment, but he could still feel loss?

"Because this place is different than the living world."

Where am I? Why can't I talk?!

"You need vocal cords to do that… 'Where am I?', everybody asks the same question… Maybe I should put sign up or something."

I'm dead and you're joking. Who the Meteor are you?

"Watch your mouth. You humans call me The Planet."

So I'm really dead then?

"Did you have doubts?"

I don't want to be dead.

"You killed yourself, didn't you?"

I had no choice…! If I didn't do something, Katai would have done something stupid.

"Katai… She is your love?"

Sether paused a long moment, debating this with himself.

No, he though, she isn't.

"But you love her?" Before Sether's mental eyes appeared a picture. It was fuzzy, as if taken by a tired camera. He soon realized that it was Katai through his own eyes. She was looking down at him as she held him those last moments.

Her blue eyes concerned, her golden, messy hair around her face like a frame of pure gold.

The dark sky above her only worked to intensify her vivid colors. The image bit ferociously into Sether's heart.

"You love her?" The planet asked again.

Sether wanted to cry. He didn't want to be dead… How could he have no voice but still have tears?

"Because here you express the things that words cannot convey."

…Cid told me something similar.

"Don't change the subject, young man." A voice behind him said. Sether swirled himself around to see his father.

"An illusion." He said accusingly, and was surprised to have voice come out of his throat. He seemed to have stopped his descent.

"Answer me." His father said.

Sether looked down at the green glow. It didn't seem any closer than it was when he had first arrived. He was also wearing some white, loose clothes: the shirt was long and flowing, and the pants fallowed suit.

"How can I know?"

"When you love someone, you just know. So do you?"

"I don't know!" Sether shook his head in frustration, "What is this? Why are you asking me this?"

"When someone valiant dies," Vincent faded and the Planet spoke, "And they have a great wish, they are given a test."

I hate tests.

"Oh, put a sock in it." The Planet growled.

Sether was beginning to like the Planet's attitude. It reminded him of Sephiroth.

Where was he, anyway?

"Now answer me." A new voice said from behind him, Sether turned his head to see Cid behind him. He turned to him fully.

"How can I know?" He asked again with a helpless shrug.

"Do you want to be with her?" Cid asked.

Sether nodded. Cid disappeared and Shera appeared some distance away from where her husband stood. Sether turned to face her,

"Do you want to make her smile?"

Sether nodded again, his expression was slightly confused. Shera vanished as well.

"Do you want to kiss her?" This was asked by Katai herself, appearing on the opposite side of where her mother stood. She was wearing her white trenchcoat and her hair was long.

Sether gulped hard and… nodded.

"Then why didn't you?" She asked meanly, taking a few steps towards him. The apparition showed Katai in her most smugness. Sether took a few steps back.

"I… I don't know…" He muttered, looking aside and down, "You hated me, didn't you?"

Katai scoffed and tossed her hair,

"Of course!"

The apparition disappeared, and Sether felt his gut twist.

I want to see her again!

The Planet didn't answer.

"I want to see Sakura again." Another new voice behind Sether said. He didn't turn around to face it, though. He just froze in his place, eyes staring ahead, wide and scared.

"I didn't want to die, either." Ryuto said.

Sether couldn't think of anything to say and did not move, so Ryuto circled him and stood before him. He was still around nineteen years old, just like Sether remembered him.

It hurt to see him.

"You dare to even think in Katai's direction?!" Ryuto pointed an accusing finger at the still warrior, and the later drew back as if a stone was thrown at him.

"You took my life, my future… my dreams, and now you dare think of Katai in your arms?!"

Sether shook his head miserably,

"I'm sorry…"

"What good does your sorry does me?! I'll never see her again!"

I want to see her too.

"I'm sorry…" He repeated, not able to look into his friend's eyes, "It was an accident…" He heard himself say.

It wasn't.

"Was that an accident too?" Ryuto pointed behind Sether, and he turned to see himself and Katai in the inn room at Corel. That time where Sether got so mad at her he nearly killed her. Only, in this ghost of a scene, he did.

"…Tha… That's not what happened!" He yelled, closing his eyes and placing his hands on his ears, not to see the lie, not to see the frail body killed by his Limit Brake Desire.

"This is what you wished had happened, isn't it?!" Ryuto accused again.

"No…"

"It is! You wanted to kill her! You wanted her dead on the floor beneath you, don't you lie!"

"I'm not!" Sether shook his head fiercely, taking his hands off his ears. It didn't really help, in this place. "I never wanted to harm her…! That's why I didn't want her to come…"

"Liar! You enjoy killing! You like to feel powerful!"

"That's not true!" He yelled, feeling like a little boy, "That's not true… I hate my power… I hate that I can't laugh, that I can't get angry… I hate myself so much for everything I've ever done… I hate the 'gifts' I was born with."

…Dad used to call them 'gifts'. He used to believe that I could do whatever I wanted, that I was 'gifted', not 'freakish'.

"I'm so sorry, Ryuto…" Sether almost sobbed, "I'm so sorry…" He shook his head for a long time, not knowing what else to say.

"What does your apologies give me?" Ryuto spat, then turned away and left. Suddenly Katai was there.

"Good riddance!" Katai said. She clapped her hands together as if cleaning them and started leaving as well, "He was nothing but a violent brute! I'm glad he's dead!" Then she muttered, "…He dared to say that I kissed him, when the only man I could ever love is Ryuto- and he murdered him!"

Sether was on his knees, broken to pieces. He knew that this had not really happened, but those words still crushed him like Weapon's foot on his head.

And just to add some more salt to his open, bleeding heart, Planet threw in his parents.

They were sitting on invisible chairs, facing each other.

"Well," Vincent said, "It's about time he died, I'll tell you."

Lucrecia nodded.

"We gave him all the love we had, and how does he repay us? He just brings shame on the family name and kills his best friend. I'm telling you, I won't miss that ingrate a minute." Vincent got up and both left Sether in the darkness.

Stop it!

He was crying by now, bitter tears rolling silently down his cheeks.

He was all alone in the infinite darkness.

Stop it!

Damn you, that's not true! It's not!

"Than what is?" Sakura appeared out of the darkness and asked, "What is true?"

Sether shook his head.

"…I don't know…!" He then bounced to his feet, fists clenched, "But I'm not supposed to know! I'm supposed to live everyday of my life to know the truth, and that doesn't guaranty it either! Besides, my dad never uses contractions, and Katai wouldn't say things like that without cursing…! I know because…"

The green glow under him pulsated brighter. Sether shook his head and raved on,

"I'm supposed to live and figure things out, that's how I am! I have to try and find out where I belong in the world, who are my friends and what am I worth!"

The glow pulsated stronger.

"My life is not just actions and their consequences, I was wrong in that…! My life is what I make of the people around me, how I deal with things- it's not just a sin-and-punishment world…!" He started sobbing again. The chemicals and emotional barriers that were in his physical body weren't here to help him, "I don't like killing, and I do love my parents, even if I wasn't the easiest of children…" He sniffed, pitifully, not caring to save face. Technically, he didn't even have one here. The green glow grew stronger.

"I want to go back… I want to live… I… I want to look at Katai and understand if what I feel is love."

The green glow grew even stronger.

"…And if it is, then… I want to spend every moment of my life after that finding where my love and me belong in the world… Where and who will accept me…? Who will love me and why?"

The green glow now illuminated half of the darkness, and Sether continued, oblivious,

"I want to find out if someone can love me when I hate myself…? I want to find out why my parents still love me after all the pain I brought them… I want… I want…"

He sobbed, and the green glow was now almost everywhere.

"I want to know happiness, but I also want… To make the other people around me happy."

Flashes of Katai passed in front of him. He brought them, trying to see her again.

When she first met him, she gave him this mean little face.

He smiled.

Then there were those little pouts she'll do… That always was so… Her.

And when she smiled? The world just seemed to be filled with flowers. The innocent smile that made her sapphire eyes shine. And all those smug little looks from the bottom of her eyes… and the way her hair swayed when she walked and her body kind of bounced with it… her terrible singing… Her contagious laugh…

Sether smiled wider with the memories. The green glow around him was warm and calming. Sether closed his eyes, letting the remaining tears flow down his face.

"I… miss her." He said, and disappeared from the green glow.

Act 3

He appeared again in another dark void.

…Huh?

"You passed."

What? Oh, the test?! I forgot it was a test…

"That was part of the point."

What now?

"Let me explain a few things before you meet Aeris-"

Aeris? I get to meet her?

"Yes- now shut up while I talk." The Planet gave the impression of clearing it's throat and started, "Yours is a valiant soul. That means that you get a wish."

…What sort of wish?

"Anything you want. You can even wish to come back to life. Everything's possible. But you get only one, and it must be something specific- you can't just wish for something vague like 'that everything will be okay' or something. Got it?"

Sether nodded, gulping hard. Then he ventured,

"Can I ask you some questions before I go meet her?"

Sether received the feeling of consent, as if the Planet nodded. He wondered briefly why did he have a voice again, but preferred that the Planet would not answer. He asked,

"Who are you, really?"

The Planet seemed to think about this a long moment,

"You might say that I am the collective consciousness of all the souls that have died. The Lifestream, if you will. I am the will of the living spirit in the world. Those who have already died and those who are yet to be born. Those who had just now passed away, and those who had just left the Lifestream to become living again."

"Will I become a part of this too?"

"Yes. Every living thing is connected to the Lifestream."

"What is Aeris then?"

"She is my representative. Since she is the last of her race, we agreed that her spirit will help me with the Planet running. It's nice to hear another opinion at times, and it's sure is hard to come up with new shapes for snowflakes all the time." The Planet paused a moment before continuing, "Her soul was one of the first valiant ones to have received her wish."

Sether nodded in understanding, though he was sure that the Planet did not see it, but felt it. There was a long pause.

In the complete darkness around, Sether could not comprehend the passage of time. It might have been a century, or a blink. It could have been anything in between.

"Time here," Planet explained, annoying Sether by reading his thoughts, "is different than it is 'upstairs'. Since the core of me is smaller and more compressed than the surface, time here is compressed as well. While you might feel as if several minutes have passed, it has only been a few seconds back on the surface."

"Stop reading my thoughts!" Sether growled. The Planet scoffed, and Sether smiled at this, "That's a silly thing to say; here you are made out of thought. Your physical body is still up there."

Sether wondered if there were worlds that have yet to discover what happened to you after you die. It must be dreadful, he concluded. In this planet people had a vague, yet certain idea of the after life. They knew about the Lifestream.

"Does the Promised Land exist?" Sether ventured.

"The Promised Land is what you create for yourself." Planet explained, "It is not a defined place, or time. It is the life you create for yourself while living."

"Ah." Sether's shoulders sagged slightly, "So I missed it, did I?"

"Most people do. They try so hard to be good to 'Holy' when they're alive, that they forget to be good to each other."

"I have another question." Sether said, looking about. It was hard to talk to something that didn't have a face.

"Spit it out, then."

Sether hesitated a short moment before daring, "Sephiroth… He was the One Winged Angel, right?"

"That's correct."

"What am I?"

There was a long moment of silence after that. Sether feared that he might have offended Planet with that question, but before he would say anything, Planet replied,

"You are the one without wings. You are Zero. You…" He paused dramatically, "…Can fly without wings."

Sether smiled.

He liked that.