This has shonen-ai in it and at least the implication of yaoi. If you don't like or can't tolerate that then don't read.
Oh, and if Sephiroth seems too much OOC, just remember that he is Cloud, and that Cloud is Cloud. ^_^ hehehe! You can work it out. The other thing is, Sephiroth's Cloud would have initially been older than Cloud, otherwise the timeline doesn't work, no matter how hard you twist it. This is set after the end of the game.
:: :: Conversation happening in someone's head.
~ * ~
The Other World
By Jade Tatsu
Chapter 10 - Sephiroth
Sephiroth lay still. The floor was hard and something was digging into his hip but when he considered the impossibility of moving, remaining still was a good option. Actually it was the only option. He couldn't even open his eyes. Moving was a dream he'd consider next year, at the earliest. The floor was cold but that was a blessing against the burning pain from his shoulder. He'd been hit with Ultima Spells once or twice before and the searing magic burn was the same. So he lay there, eyes closed, concentrating on his next breath.
Above him and around him he could feel power, dark and absolute and could impossibly feel Jenova's fear. What was Cloud doing to make her feel that way? It was reassuring though. Cloud hadn't lost, he was okay. He couldn't be controlling that power if something was wrong.
"...touch the stars... Planet... ultimate defense... Jenova, this time you're going to stay dead..." Cloud's voice came to him slowly, softly. His final words though contained more power, more resolve that he had ever heard and when Cloud had finished speaking the energy Sephiroth could feel intensified until he thought the air itself would break with the power.
"Go!" The command was soft but at it Jenova's fear peaked and that absolute dark energy crashed into her.
She screamed but there was no respite, no mercy. As it should be. But the power was still growing. Jenova was defeated, her power burnt away but Cloud wasn't finished. He said something to her before everything save Jenova's screaming fell silent for an instant.
"Sephiroth."
He heard, despite the explosive noise that followed and the crushing power that filled the lab, not just burning Jenova's body but erasing her essence. My name. He said my name, Sephiroth thought, ignoring Jenova's final scream and the way her essence vanished. Cloud had said his name with such longing, such love. Does he..? Could he..?
"Cloud..." he called weakly after he heard him fall. There was a click but no reply. "Cloud..." he tried again but there was still no response. "Cloud!" he cried, opening his eyes and blinking to get the world into focus. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Cloud. The blonde's head was resting on the Ultima Weapon, eyes closed. Sephiroth couldn't help but smile. He looked so peaceful, so beautiful.
In the quiet it was so restful, so comforting to know that Jenova was gone, although for the moment that quiet was caused by her spell that was still holding the troops. I better get to Cloud before the spell breaks. I don't know what they will think of this.
Slowly Sephiroth rolled himself over. He stifled a cry as pain shot through him from his shoulder and side. I need a cure spell. The knowledge brought a stab of despair. I can't move... he realised. He might be able to shimmy across the floor but in the condition he was in he doubted he'd get halfway there. And the condition of the floor...
The lab was almost completely destroyed. In the battle benches had been overturned or cut through. Glass lab instruments were strewn everywhere, the shattered pieces sparkled on the floor like a deadly dew. In a few places the floor and roof was charred and in one place it looked like the roof had been vaporised. Sparks from wiring were showering the floor and lights blinked on and off covering the room in an eerie flickering light. It was to be expected of a room that had a high-level battle take place in it.
"Cloud... I can't move... Answer me, please..." Sephiroth said haltingly. He'd shifted positions but there was still something digging into his hip. It just wouldn't go away. It was warm but it was hard and it was grating against the bone. It was irritating and with all his other worries he didn't need to be irritated. Slowly he moved his arm downwards. It almost took all his remaining strength but he clasped the offending lump and pulled.
What the..? A small jolt of energy met his grasp. Materia? Warmth seeped into his hand. It felt good. It felt right. Restore materia... He let his energy loose, directing it towards the green sphere now in his hand... The tingle and the multicolored aura of a Cure 3 spell covered him. It felt warm and safe and he could feel his energy returning.
"Cloud, hold on!" he called as the spell came to an end. It hadn't fixed everything. No cure spell could fix everything but at least the burning pain in his shoulder had gone and the wound in his side had healed somewhat, enough that the bleeding had stopped. The light headed dizziness he had been feeling had rescinded as well. Sephiroth cast Regen as he rose and looked around properly.
The damage to the room was even worst than he had seen earlier. ShinRa wouldn't be using this lab until it got a complete refit. But that wasn't his main concern. "Cloud!" he almost shouted when he saw him clearly. Cloud wasn't peacefully resting on the Ultima Weapon as he'd assumed, he was being held there. A mist of green emanating from everywhere was pinning him there. The Planet. Sephiroth jumped towards Cloud, and reached out.
"Arhh!" he cried out as his hand encountered the green. It stung and in the instant he touched it he saw the Planet's intent. No! He destroyed Jenova... Why? The Planet's intent was not nurturing. It was as determined to destroy Cloud as it had been to destroy Jenova. Cloud didn't have Jenova's defenses so it was easier. Why..?
Sephiroth thrust his hands into the green, demanding answers. Cloud had just saved the Planet, he didn't deserve to be killed, to die. He deserved to live. A welter of images from the Planet touched him.
Jenova, the Cetera. A battle almost destroying the Planet. Two materia, Holy and Meteor flashed before him. Jenova again. A child with green eyes and brown hair. Sparkling blue eyes and spikes of blond hair. Swords clashing and a battle of wills. Jenova, screaming. A scream the Planet heard and he knew she'd been trapped in Cloud's body. Trapped and condemned to finally die. A burning Nibelheim and a destroyed reactor. The Lifestream screaming as Jenova entered it. ShinRa tower. A dead president. The temple, Turks and a brief brutal battle ending in Jenova's laugh. Meteor. Aeris praying. Holy glowing white which slowly changed to green. A flash of warning. Meteor. Dread. The Planet crying. Jenova, looking out from Cloud's body, laughing at Aeris' death. Himself lunging at Cloud but not fast enough. Holy, its glow fading as it rolled down the altar. Mourning. The Planet screaming, doing its best to strike as Jenova called Meteor. A flickering final battle Sephiroth remembered. Holy and Meteor clashing with Holy and the Lifestream slowly emerging victorious.
No! You can't, Sephiroth thought, pleading with the Planet. Just because he used Meteor he doesn't have to die. He used it to save you, used it to destroy Jenova. He didn't use it against you, to hurt you. He didn't touch the stars in malice. You are the ultimate defense, he only used that ultimate attack to destroy that which would have hurt you. Let him go!
The green flared, driving Sephiroth back. The message was simple. Anyone who used Meteor had to be destroyed. "Cloud, wake up! Fight it, fight the Planet now. Tell it Meteor was only used to destroy Jenova." Cloud didn't move, he didn't even twitch. "Cloud! Don't leave me now!"
Sephiroth rocked back as the green flared again. It wasn't actually hurting him, it didn't want to hurt him but it would if he truly tried to interfere. I can't... I can't see that again... Not his body. Not again. Help me! He called to the voice, Cloud's voice that had been haunting him. Cloud, I know you're there! Help me!
The voice remained silent. Straining Sephiroth could feel a whisper of its presence but something was forcing it to silence. He was truly alone and he could only watch as the Planet gathered itself to strike the one who had saved it.
Meteor... Holy... It always rested around those two materia. Even the images the Planet had used to explain resonated with those materia. '...touch the stars...' That's what Cloud had said. To touch the stars when you are on the Planet... NO! You can't do that. He must have known the stars on the Planet causes it to attack when all the Planet wants is to defend...
Sephiroth blinked and whispered to the Planet, as he moved forward. "But you don't need to attack now, the danger is past. You need to rest, to defend and heal and I will show you how." He smiled, kneeling down at the hilt of the Ultima Weapon. He didn't reach out to Cloud even though his head rested so close on the blade. He understood now how Aeris had activated Holy and he had to do the same to defend Cloud. It was really very simple. Touch the stars or touch the Planet. The distant separation of absolute hate or the comforting touch of love. Cloud had used hate, the only attack great enough to destroy Jenova. The Planet could defend against her but it could not destroy her. He would have to use love, to defend against the Planet.
"Cloud, I promised you I would always keep you safe." He reached out and touched Holy, willing it to come free of its slot. With a soft click it came loose in his hand. "Now I will keep my promise." He looked down at Cloud and didn't fight the soft smile or the burst of love the sight brought. Cloud was so beautiful even in the illusion of sleep. He was so peaceful.
Spikes of hear, haphazardly arranged, his long lashes resting against his cheeks. Those beautiful sapphire blue eyes he couldn't see at the moment. The way he curled in his sleep, limbs tucked in and arranged to unconsciously give the impression of fragile grace. Physically the man lying before him was almost the same as the man he had loved. But the Cloud before him had the mako enhanced strength, the reflexes of a SOLDIER. The natural blue glow of his eyes had been enhanced and those eyes could now be as chilling as the winter wind or as gentle as the spring sun. They would be so much more expressive. But it wasn't like he couldn't shatter my soul before, Sephiroth reflected as he sank his consciousness deeper into Holy. One time, there had been one time only he'd seen Cloud in tears and even though he wasn't the cause, even though he had ordered a very personal vengeance against those responsible it had been enough for him to know that he never wanted to see Cloud look at him in sorrow, to have him look with anything but that soft gentle love. Physically they were the same but mentally...
The Cloud before him felt different. It was slight but it was there. The innocence was still there. Cloud wasn't innocent, not completely but he felt that way. And the incredible desire never to hurt anyone was still there. Sephiroth smiled. It seemed silly in some ways, that as a fighter Cloud could defeat most opponents without even trying but he didn't want to hurt anyone. He'd probably done his best to let Tifa down gently. Sephiroth blinked. There were slight differences he could feel but the main one would have to be that this Cloud felt older. It's not that surprising really, if Cloud fought me, if he went through what I went through that he saw a lot, that he got older. It was enough to age anyone. But despite the difference it was still the Cloud he knew, still the Cloud he loved.
And that was all he needed.
The soft gentle energy of Holy was all around him. It threaded through him, feeding, growing off his feelings, his love, his desire to protect. That was all it needed and slowly, beneath the green tendrils of power the Planet was sending a soft white light began to coalesce. The green wisps of power flicked back when they touched the light, but some were still getting through. Cloud shifted, frowning slightly as he felt the feather light but deadly attack. Sephiroth's brow creased but he resisted the urge to order the materia. Holy was not like Meteor. It could not be commanded, it could only be convinced, persuaded that your feeling was great enough that it should act.
"Cloud... I'm not going to lose you..." Sephiroth whispered before directing his thoughts towards Holy. You can have everything, take everything that I am to save him. I will die for him if that's what it takes. Just so long as he is alive, it doesn't matter about me.
The power around Cloud flared and then solidified becoming a wall. Sephiroth felt his vision go blurry. Despite the cure and regen spells he had lost a lot of blood and was pushing the limits of his endurance but he didn't care. The green force of the Planet's power was being repulsed, driven back from Cloud and the oppressive weight that had entered the room with it was fading. Sephiroth held Holy up, reaching out with his free hand, through the energy to brush one of Cloud's spikes. "It's time to wake up. This time the dream can be real, Cloud," he whispered as the green energy faded entirely.
"Sephiroth," the voice was less that a whisper but he heard.
Traces of the sun were reflected in Sephiroth's smile. "I'm here Cloud. I'll always be here."
"I don't think your Planet likes me very much," Cloud said with a dry smile.
"I've persuaded it otherwise," Sephiroth replied with a soft laugh. Holy's light faded but in the darkness of the lab he could still see Cloud's eyes open.
Blue met green, looking into each other. "I've missed you," the words were mutual.
Sephiroth blinked. Overlaying Cloud's voice there had been something else. "You missed me?" he questioned. "You never were with me before Cloud. You told me yourself."
::I missed you.:: From the way Cloud blinked, he'd heard the voice as well.
The voice chuckled slightly. ::I guess it's time for me to go.::
"Wait! Aren't you Cloud?" Sephiroth cried out.
::I am Cloud Strife.::
"I mean this Cloud," Sephiroth gestured as Cloud blinked owlishly in the dark.
::I'm not that Cloud. The memory of what could have been should really leave in the face of what is.::
"You're my Cloud?" Sephiroth questioned, his voice still full of confusion, searching for the right questions for the answers.
::No.::
"Do you want to explain before you drive us nuts? You told me you were me but just a different part. Now you're saying you're not me?" Cloud broke in on the conversation.
The voice sighed. ::All right. You'll never give me any peace until I explain, I guess,:: it muttered before beginning. ::I am you Cloud but at the same time I am not, neither am I Sephiroth's Cloud. Sephiroth, the Cloud you loved was still very much a child. Oh, they were mature enough to love but in some ways they were still very young. I am what could have been, what might have been if Jenova had not been there. I am the adult Cloud, the General who was only Cloud. I could not rest, die because of my love but now that Jenova is gone and Sephiroth has Cloud I can go and be happy because there is nothing for me to fear. The one I love has someone to love. As I said before, Xanado awaits.:: The voice paused. ::But you're probably going to have to work at it a little.::
"You said 'Xanado awaits'?" Cloud was incredulous.
::Yes, I did. Who exactly did you think was in that materia cave you saw earlier? Jenova was trapped with me but when they started the cloning they gave us both an out. I just used it differently. I am only the memory of Cloud, made up of his strongest emotions, his strongest memories. I am not whole so there was no way I could fight Jenova and expect to win. Not really. If I won, what I showed you Sephiroth that was probably what I would have eventually been driven to. And that would really have not been Cloud Strife. Now though, I can rest.::
"Cloud," Sephiroth choked.
::Seph, you did nothing wrong. You did what had to be done and you are not dishonoring my memory by loving this Cloud. I want nothing more than for you to be happy... Heh! I could go on for a while but it is time now for me to go. I love you Sephiroth, just as he loves you.::
With that the subtle yet familiar presence faded. Sephiroth closed his eyes. I love you, Cloud, he thought his last good bye before looking into sapphire blue eyes with a soft smile. His life was before him. "Cloud..."
"Shh..." Cloud hushed him gently, looking up from where his head rested on the Ultima Weapon. "Sephiroth," he breathed, closing his eyes briefly and smiling to himself. "It's a name I never thought I'd say with any degree of caring, a name I'd always thought I'd hate. But he was right, I was right. I love you, Sephiroth," Cloud's voice wavered slightly with emotion. "I guess I always have and I know now I always will."
"Cloud," Sephiroth whispered bending forward to kiss his forehead. "All I ever wanted was to keep you safe and I promise this time I will. You are not the Cloud I have loved but you are the Cloud I love."
Cloud pulled himself up slightly to sit facing Sephiroth. Sephiroth moved too, his hair falling over his shoulders as he leant forward. A skein of silken snow fell between Cloud's fingers as he too leant forward, intent on returning Sephiroth's kiss.
Ka-click!
"Sephiroth, move away from Jenova!"
Crash!
"Sephiroth, are you alright?"
"Jenova!"
Slam!
"Oh boy... This is quite the scene."
Cloud and Sephiroth both froze before looking around. The first thing they saw was the barrels of guns. Jenova's spell had broken and the troops had taken the only logical course of action. The next thing was Avalanche, standing in the broken remains of a door, weapons barred. They were ready for action although from their formation they were also covering the still lack luster Tifa. They too had made the same assumption as the troops although their goals were far different. Standing at one of the other entries were the Turks, Elena and Rude flanking Reno. Rude's expression was as blank as always but Reno's reflected a certain amusement at seeing Cloud, Sephiroth, Troops and Avalanche altogether.
"This is quite a scene," he repeated after a moments silence, when most of the people had had the chance to fully take stock of the labs condition. "Jenova, Sephiroth, you have been busy but Jenova, you won't be ShinRa's General if you don't let that body grow to complete adulthood." If Cloud had truly been Jenova then Reno was taking a huge risk admonishing her so. "As for you Sephiroth, the lab rats tell me they've only got half the tests done so it looks like we'll have to find you a new tank."
"You think we'll let that happen?" Barret asked, aiming the Missing Score.
"You're out numbered," Elena rolled her eyes at them.
"Avalanche," Reno began. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to return to your cells. The President hasn't given us any exact orders regarding you so it would probably be looked upon favorably if you obeyed peacefully."
"Like hell!" Cid spat. "We're gonna get Sephiroth, kill Jenova and then destroy this tower on our way out. There ain't no way we're bowing to ShinRa."
At his words, and with a signal from their commander, half the troops turned to level their guns at Avalanche.
"An interesting proposition," Reno said as he walked forward into the room, Electro-mag rod bouncing on one shoulder. "But it looks like you've got the same problem that confronts us, how exactly to get your man safely away from the other." He looked over at Cloud and Sephiroth as he spoke.
Sephiroth and Cloud shared one befuddled look before both their expressions turned calculating. This was a potential dangerous situation and with the assumptions being made by all the party's it didn't look like it would resolve itself neatly. Cloud let his fingers slide slowly over the materia slots of the Ultima Weapon. He could feel what each materia was. When he reached Shield he stopped and began to slowly weave the spell around Sephiroth. Elena was correct about that. Those who had the desire to help Sephiroth were out numbered and they were on the far side of the room. His problems would arise when they realised he wasn't Jenova.
"ShinRa," Barret began, leveling his gun arm at Cloud. He didn't see Sephiroth pale at the action. "We ain't backin' down, you ain't backin' down, so I guess we gotta fight this out."
Cloud looked over at Barret. If Barret had the same skill he remembered he should be able to dodge his blow. Vincent though could be a bit tricky. "I don't suppose anything I can say would convince you otherwise?" he asked. While he was confident they would eventually understand it was eerie seeing Avalanche view him as an enemy. He didn't really want to fight them.
Barret shook his head, refusing to met Cloud's eyes. "That's right, Strife. Nothing. There ain't no way I'm lettin' you run free."
Sephiroth looked at Reno. "You're not going to let me explain the damage first?" he gestured around. "It makes the interesting scene so much more interesting," he added archly. Let Reno make what he would of the inflections in his voice. The Turks knew the truth Jenova had spoken, they might even work the situation out. After I beat it into them. The Turks as a whole weren't well known for their brains.
A cold smile flickered on Reno's face. "If you were still General Sephiroth, I'd have to obey you. But you now rank less than toilet scum in ShinRa so I'm gonna hafta pass. Besides which, I'll get the explanation when the lab rats torture it out of you. They're positively vicious when someone wrecks their work. Enough talk though, let's get on with this."
When Reno stopped talking Cloud looked back at Sephiroth and smiled as the spell coalesced around him. Unless you knew what you were looking for, you couldn't spot it. The smile was taken as Jenova's playing. I will protect you this time. Then the room exploded into action, troops, Turks and Avalanche all descending on their position.
To be Continued...
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