(Okay, this is the last chappie! Sorry I didn't get it out yesterday like
I said I would, but I had a math test to study for. Well, enjoy!)
~A Demon's Tears~
He stared up at the sky blankly from the water tower, lost in thought. Somehow he was starting to believe. He was giving in. Everything seemed so real, so much like it had been.
Cloud glanced over at his reflection in the water. Blue eyes. No wing. All of the demonic appearance he had held was gone. Not even the mako glow was there. He sighed, then climbed down the tower's ladder, heading back towards his house. About halfway there, he walked into someone, as his eyes had been focused at his feet, and not where he was going.
"Sorry," he mumbled, trying to inch around the person.
"Cloud Strife."
'That...voice....'
Said blonde haired man looked up to the one who had adressed him. His eyes widened noticably as he realized just who that person was.
"Sephiroth...?"
* * *
Aerith thrust the naganata outward, missing Death's head by a fraction of an inch. The Heartless did not seem pleased with this, as her face was marred with rage. She swung the scythe downwards at the Light Hunter. That blow was promptly dodged.
The power that Aerith felt raidiating from her weapon and her own soul gave her a strange feeling. It felt almost like...elation? Yes, the energy she held, and the fact that she knew how to use it gave her a euphoric feeling, and yet it scared her as well. But now was not the time to dwell on such things, and she narrowly missed being decapitated by Death's scythe.
Using a speed she never knew she had, Aerith dashed forward, her blade flying towards her enemy in a right-diagonal slash. Death leapt out of the way, landing about three yards away from Aerith. The fight was going nowhere; neither the Heartless Fate nor the Light Hunter held any advantages over the other.
'What am I supposed to do?' she thought, dodging yet another attack.
*"Heart's Light".*
'Huh?'
*The Magic of the Light Hunter. Use it.*
'I don't know how!'
*It is the same for all Hunters. Reach within for the power there, then release it. It is quite a powerful destructive force, perhaps more so than the "Heart of Darkness".*
'Well, it's worth a try...'
Aerith did as the Demon had instructed, feeling the energy under her skin, not knowing that this was exactly how Cloud felt when he used the "Heart of Darkness". When she felt that she could bear to draw no more of the Magic, she released it, the raw power speeding towards Death. The Heartless only managed to widen her eyes before she was erased from existance. The remaining of the sisters merely stared in shock. Their sister had been destroyed by an inexperienced Hunter? One who barely knew how to control her power...? Torment cried out in a rage.
"How dare you destroy Death?! You will die here and now, Light Hunter!"
The previously mentioned Hunter felt herself growing faint, and her vision began to darken. The last thing she saw before slipping into unconsiousness was Torment flying towards her at impossible speeds...
* * *
"Open your eyes, Cloud Strife."
Said young man stumbled back a few steps. Sephiroth. Here. How? And what did he mean by "open your eyes"?
"I did not take you for that much of a fool," the man's steel green eyes hardened. "Can you not see that this is all just a memory? A memory and fantasy, mixed and brought to life by Deception. And while you sit here being useless, the one you love is about to be slaughtered."
The one he--Aerith?!
The Hunter of Shadows felt the demonic blood seep once more into his veins. Violet eyes met Sephiroth's gaze squarely.
"Where is she? Where is Aerith?"
"If it was under more normal circumstances, it would not matter if she died or not, as Hunters will always revive from death. But if her heart is taken, she will be lost forever. If you want to save her, break free of this place."
Cloud nodded, then directed a small ghost of a smile towards Sephiroth, shocking the latter somewhat.
"I thank you," he said, and then he was gone.
Sephiroth sighed, then turned to abandon the fantasy as well. As he dissapeared, his words echoed behind him.
"Best of luck to you, Shadow Hunter. We'll meet again."
* * *
Aerith awoke quite suddenly, as she felt herself being lifted into two strong and very familiar arms. She felt wind whip past her face for an instant, then stop abruptly. She cracked open her eyes, only to be met with two different, yet not so different violet colored ones.
"Cloud?"
The Shadow Hunter smiled with what warmth he could manage, then set her on her feet. Only after using a curative spell she had never seen used by anyone but Cetra.
"Wasn't that...Curaga...?"
"It was," he said, and had the situation been different, she would have hugged him to make certain that it wasn't a dream. "But let's worry about the Heartless for now, alright?"
She nodded, then bent to retrieve her naganata, conveniently placed at her feet.
Meanwhile, Cloud heard a familiar voice say to him in his mind:
*Damn you! Why didn't you come sooner?!*
'...Good to hear from you too, Demon.'
The two Hunters of opposite Attributes turned to face their foes, one face determined, the other devoid of emotion.
"So you managed to escape," Apocalypse scowled at Cloud. "No matter. We will destroy you both and present your hearts to Mother as gifts. Won't we, Torment?"
Torment just nodded her head. Both of the remaining Heartless Fates prepared to attack.
"Aerith. Do you know how to use your Magic?" Cloud asked quietly, his eyes trained upon the Heartless.
"Y-Yes...the Demon taught me."
Cloud looked mildly surprised for a moment then chuckled.
"Who'dve thought. But listen, I have an idea. If we can focus our Magics together, the combined force should wipe those two out. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now start gathering up your energy for a decimation. We'll release it when they attack."
Aerith complied, and the two began gathering energy. When they were about halfway through, they were attacked. In unison, their Magics were released, heading straight for the charging Heartless. There was a burst of dark light that blinded both Hunters for an instant. When it cleared, Torment and Apocalypse were nowhere in sight.
"We got them...?" Aerith asked hopefully.
The blonde swordsman narrowed his eyes.
"No. They ran. We missed."
The Light Hunter bit her lip, but shook her head.
"It'll be okay, Cloud. Let's just go home for now."
Cloud looked at her, frowning slightly, but then nodded, once more allowing himself to smile.
"Very well. We'll go home."
Before anything else could happen, Aerith flung her arms about his neck, hugging him tightly.
"I'm so glad you're alright," she said.
The Shadow Hunter was a bit startled at the contact at first, but a moment later, returned the hug. After a while, Aerith pushed back somewhat to look up at him.
"I came here to save you," she said, "but it looks like you saved me instead, huh?"
"Everyone has there own story," he replied, resting his forehead against hers. "This one just happened to be mine, I suppose."
Aerith directed a mock scowl at him, then smiled brightly. Cloud could not help but do the same. Then she surprised him by placing a quick kiss on the lips.
"C'mon, let's go!"
As she ran off ahead of him, she did not see the tears that fell; one from each eye.
* * *
The crystal shatered against the wall, the image fading out. The woman who had thrown it scowled at Torment and Apocalypse who knelt before her.
"Please, Mother, forgive us," cried Apocalypse.
"Get out," the woman hissed. "I do not want to see you for some time. Such incompatent daughters! Get OUT!!"
The two ran from the room, fearing their Mother's wrath. The Heartless wwoman in question cursed, then began pacing.
"Well, Lady Deception, it seems as though your daughters were not as strong as you claimed them to be."
Deception turned to glare at the man who had entered, his face obscured by a spacious hood.
"I will not fail next time," she spat, her glare becoming significantly more hostile.
"Perhaps you should allow me to aid you, Lady."
"I need no help from the likes of you. Leave me. I must think."
The hooded man's mouth, the only part of his face that was visible, twisted into a smirk. Then he gave a short bow and promptly disappeared. Deception returned to her broodings.
Next time, the Hunters would die.
_______________________________________________________________________
(THE END!!!)
(I will upload the first chapter of the next fic in this series as soon as possible. I hope that you enjoyed this fic! 'Til my next one)
~A Demon's Tears~
He stared up at the sky blankly from the water tower, lost in thought. Somehow he was starting to believe. He was giving in. Everything seemed so real, so much like it had been.
Cloud glanced over at his reflection in the water. Blue eyes. No wing. All of the demonic appearance he had held was gone. Not even the mako glow was there. He sighed, then climbed down the tower's ladder, heading back towards his house. About halfway there, he walked into someone, as his eyes had been focused at his feet, and not where he was going.
"Sorry," he mumbled, trying to inch around the person.
"Cloud Strife."
'That...voice....'
Said blonde haired man looked up to the one who had adressed him. His eyes widened noticably as he realized just who that person was.
"Sephiroth...?"
* * *
Aerith thrust the naganata outward, missing Death's head by a fraction of an inch. The Heartless did not seem pleased with this, as her face was marred with rage. She swung the scythe downwards at the Light Hunter. That blow was promptly dodged.
The power that Aerith felt raidiating from her weapon and her own soul gave her a strange feeling. It felt almost like...elation? Yes, the energy she held, and the fact that she knew how to use it gave her a euphoric feeling, and yet it scared her as well. But now was not the time to dwell on such things, and she narrowly missed being decapitated by Death's scythe.
Using a speed she never knew she had, Aerith dashed forward, her blade flying towards her enemy in a right-diagonal slash. Death leapt out of the way, landing about three yards away from Aerith. The fight was going nowhere; neither the Heartless Fate nor the Light Hunter held any advantages over the other.
'What am I supposed to do?' she thought, dodging yet another attack.
*"Heart's Light".*
'Huh?'
*The Magic of the Light Hunter. Use it.*
'I don't know how!'
*It is the same for all Hunters. Reach within for the power there, then release it. It is quite a powerful destructive force, perhaps more so than the "Heart of Darkness".*
'Well, it's worth a try...'
Aerith did as the Demon had instructed, feeling the energy under her skin, not knowing that this was exactly how Cloud felt when he used the "Heart of Darkness". When she felt that she could bear to draw no more of the Magic, she released it, the raw power speeding towards Death. The Heartless only managed to widen her eyes before she was erased from existance. The remaining of the sisters merely stared in shock. Their sister had been destroyed by an inexperienced Hunter? One who barely knew how to control her power...? Torment cried out in a rage.
"How dare you destroy Death?! You will die here and now, Light Hunter!"
The previously mentioned Hunter felt herself growing faint, and her vision began to darken. The last thing she saw before slipping into unconsiousness was Torment flying towards her at impossible speeds...
* * *
"Open your eyes, Cloud Strife."
Said young man stumbled back a few steps. Sephiroth. Here. How? And what did he mean by "open your eyes"?
"I did not take you for that much of a fool," the man's steel green eyes hardened. "Can you not see that this is all just a memory? A memory and fantasy, mixed and brought to life by Deception. And while you sit here being useless, the one you love is about to be slaughtered."
The one he--Aerith?!
The Hunter of Shadows felt the demonic blood seep once more into his veins. Violet eyes met Sephiroth's gaze squarely.
"Where is she? Where is Aerith?"
"If it was under more normal circumstances, it would not matter if she died or not, as Hunters will always revive from death. But if her heart is taken, she will be lost forever. If you want to save her, break free of this place."
Cloud nodded, then directed a small ghost of a smile towards Sephiroth, shocking the latter somewhat.
"I thank you," he said, and then he was gone.
Sephiroth sighed, then turned to abandon the fantasy as well. As he dissapeared, his words echoed behind him.
"Best of luck to you, Shadow Hunter. We'll meet again."
* * *
Aerith awoke quite suddenly, as she felt herself being lifted into two strong and very familiar arms. She felt wind whip past her face for an instant, then stop abruptly. She cracked open her eyes, only to be met with two different, yet not so different violet colored ones.
"Cloud?"
The Shadow Hunter smiled with what warmth he could manage, then set her on her feet. Only after using a curative spell she had never seen used by anyone but Cetra.
"Wasn't that...Curaga...?"
"It was," he said, and had the situation been different, she would have hugged him to make certain that it wasn't a dream. "But let's worry about the Heartless for now, alright?"
She nodded, then bent to retrieve her naganata, conveniently placed at her feet.
Meanwhile, Cloud heard a familiar voice say to him in his mind:
*Damn you! Why didn't you come sooner?!*
'...Good to hear from you too, Demon.'
The two Hunters of opposite Attributes turned to face their foes, one face determined, the other devoid of emotion.
"So you managed to escape," Apocalypse scowled at Cloud. "No matter. We will destroy you both and present your hearts to Mother as gifts. Won't we, Torment?"
Torment just nodded her head. Both of the remaining Heartless Fates prepared to attack.
"Aerith. Do you know how to use your Magic?" Cloud asked quietly, his eyes trained upon the Heartless.
"Y-Yes...the Demon taught me."
Cloud looked mildly surprised for a moment then chuckled.
"Who'dve thought. But listen, I have an idea. If we can focus our Magics together, the combined force should wipe those two out. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now start gathering up your energy for a decimation. We'll release it when they attack."
Aerith complied, and the two began gathering energy. When they were about halfway through, they were attacked. In unison, their Magics were released, heading straight for the charging Heartless. There was a burst of dark light that blinded both Hunters for an instant. When it cleared, Torment and Apocalypse were nowhere in sight.
"We got them...?" Aerith asked hopefully.
The blonde swordsman narrowed his eyes.
"No. They ran. We missed."
The Light Hunter bit her lip, but shook her head.
"It'll be okay, Cloud. Let's just go home for now."
Cloud looked at her, frowning slightly, but then nodded, once more allowing himself to smile.
"Very well. We'll go home."
Before anything else could happen, Aerith flung her arms about his neck, hugging him tightly.
"I'm so glad you're alright," she said.
The Shadow Hunter was a bit startled at the contact at first, but a moment later, returned the hug. After a while, Aerith pushed back somewhat to look up at him.
"I came here to save you," she said, "but it looks like you saved me instead, huh?"
"Everyone has there own story," he replied, resting his forehead against hers. "This one just happened to be mine, I suppose."
Aerith directed a mock scowl at him, then smiled brightly. Cloud could not help but do the same. Then she surprised him by placing a quick kiss on the lips.
"C'mon, let's go!"
As she ran off ahead of him, she did not see the tears that fell; one from each eye.
* * *
The crystal shatered against the wall, the image fading out. The woman who had thrown it scowled at Torment and Apocalypse who knelt before her.
"Please, Mother, forgive us," cried Apocalypse.
"Get out," the woman hissed. "I do not want to see you for some time. Such incompatent daughters! Get OUT!!"
The two ran from the room, fearing their Mother's wrath. The Heartless wwoman in question cursed, then began pacing.
"Well, Lady Deception, it seems as though your daughters were not as strong as you claimed them to be."
Deception turned to glare at the man who had entered, his face obscured by a spacious hood.
"I will not fail next time," she spat, her glare becoming significantly more hostile.
"Perhaps you should allow me to aid you, Lady."
"I need no help from the likes of you. Leave me. I must think."
The hooded man's mouth, the only part of his face that was visible, twisted into a smirk. Then he gave a short bow and promptly disappeared. Deception returned to her broodings.
Next time, the Hunters would die.
_______________________________________________________________________
(THE END!!!)
(I will upload the first chapter of the next fic in this series as soon as possible. I hope that you enjoyed this fic! 'Til my next one)