Part Seven

Opening her eyes with a bit of grogginess, she turned her gaze, seeing Sephiroth's calm face bent slightly in silence, taking slow, deep breaths as he continued to sleep. She put a hand on his neck, finding this strange he would sleep here and not just leave. But in this his eyes rotated under his eyelids, coming open unhurriedly. He looked over, seeing her awake. He stretched out a bit, yawning with a thought on his mind.

"So, besides for stealing hearts, what else can Heartless do?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You know, you must have special abilities of some sort, like going through walls and merging with shadows. But what else can you do?"

"Well sometimes we have the ability to shape shift, but it's nothing big."

"Wait a minute you mean like change into the shape of other objects?" he questioned.

"Yes...but only things organic. We can't turn into a piece of metal or anything like that."

"But you can still change."

She nodded slowly, but shrugged, standing up. "Like I said, it's nothing important. The main thing is what we are, not our side things." Smiling a little, she waved a hand. "I think your servants are going to be wondering where you ran off to. Don't you think you should go to them?"

Sephiroth stood, dusting himself off and nodded shortly. Ray surprisingly took his wrist, going to the wall and passing through once more, guiding him to the other side of it. The bright hall was in place of the old, moldy room, Ray letting go and stepping back.

"I must speak with my family, but don't worry, I won't disappear completely." Laughing slightly, catching Sephiroth by amazement that she would do that, she stepped back, forming into the wall and finally disappearing once again.

Stepping into the glare of the suns reflection on the floor, the area was silent. Everything except the wind waving through the hall. Sephiroth put his hands behind his back, walking farther into the sunlight. As it reached his chest, he realized it still burned, knowing that he was not complete just yet. He was still missing heart, where darkness crawled endlessly within him. Knowing it would change was just the hard part, not quite sure what it would be like to have a whole heart. He thought he was fine now, just the way he was, because in truth he feared he would become weak if he had anymore. It annoyed him that he had grown merciful, but it really didn't both him as much anymore. However, if he became too soft, he would grow madder than he had ever been, driving him to the ultimate brink of insanity. He just wondered how his enemy could do it so long ago and yet still live. Then again, he had gone insane, so who's to say that hadn't been the cause?

Striding back, he turned, hearing footsteps behind. Sephiroth believed them to be of Ray's, for they were too causal to be a servant. However, he frowned when he learned it was not her, but a dark, shrouded figure. He almost raised an eyebrow when he saw the clawed hand, the blood-red cloak draping behind the man. When the person stepped into the light, he saw that same face, the one he vividly remembered, and the one of his enemy.

"Cloud Strife," Sephiroth rasped angrily in a menacing tone.

"Sephiroth," he replied, slinging the sword from off his shoulder. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Indeed it has. Tell me, is that girl still alive?"

"What do you care?" he spat.

Sephiroth shrugged, not really caring much. "Just wondering."

"Just wondering?" Cloud narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out if he was up to something or not.

"Is there something you want?" he asked.

"Well I came here to kill you but you don't seem like yourself anymore. I really do wonder how much they twisted you head to make you more psychotic than you already are."

Sephiroth laughed, shaking his head. "I assure you, I am the same as I have always been."

"You're lying. That's one thing I can tell. The other that I don't understand...Why your gaze is so much less threatening. And I question whether you have gone soft or not."

"Don't be absurd!" he shouted quickly, giving it away.

"You are," he stated, disbelief striking him. "I thought I would be able to fight you too...Finally finish the job from what you once were."

"I am as much a cold hearted being as I always have, and I'll fight you here and now!" He formed a fire attack in his hand, ready to lunge it at him at any moment. But Cloud just laughed, putting the Buster Sword back over his shoulder.

"You're not worth it now! Come find me when you've become the black hearted killer again. Then I'll at least have some honor in ridding your existence." Cloud shook his head, turning to holding out a hand as he walked. Using his newly formed dark powers he had gained from somewhere, he created a portal, marching through and disappearing as the portal rapidly sealed back up.

Clenching his fists, he twisted around, pacing abruptly down the hall in anger, making his way to the stadium floor.

Sephiroth sat there on the marble bench, staring out from the dark open hall and looking down into the empty stadium in thought. A hand fell on his shoulder, Sephiroth not bothering to look back in knowing who it was. Such a gentle spirit, and yet such a cold presence. Ray had gotten another bandana, her eyes shielded from most light. She sat down beside him, staring up at his blank face.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, and he didn't answer. Standing up she patted him on the shoulder, but this time he rose, shaking his head and turning away.

"Nothing is wrong. Just leave me be," he said shortly, not turning to look back.

"Something certainly seems wron-"

"Yeah, well there isn't," he interrupted, a moment of quietness to follow.

Ray clenched her fists, angry that he would not tell her anything. If he wanted her to leave he should've just said it and not be so foolish. Walking up to him, she got up in his face, her eyes narrow. Sephiroth just stood there, trying not to make eye contact to make her any angrier as he soon saw.

"Look I saw what happened! I know who that man was; your arch rival right? You don't need to explain because I already know! I've heard the story many times along time ago. I saw he knew a difference in you, and if you really want to change back and fight him go right ahead!" She punched out her hand, jabbing it into his chest and Sephiroth feeling her grab a hold of something, his heart growing colder. Her face was calm with anger, but with her tilted head he could see her depressed state, knowing that if she did this it would've have just been a waste. "Just say the word and I'll do it. I'll just rip out your heart and put you back where you originally were."

He paused, in astonishment that after all she had done she would just tare it away if he said it. Like if it were up to him to decide, even though she was the one who gave this to him. He shook his head, taking her wrist and Ray letting go, pulling her hand back out of the portal she had created shortly and having it seal back up.

"If I fight him, I fight him as I am and not as I was," he stated, nodding his head. She smiled slightly, a laugh of happiness coming from her throat.

"At least I did something right," she said, stepping back and walking over to the stairs and into the light. Walking back into it, she shrugged, "Maybe even someday you can come into the sunlight. All for the better..."

"Somehow I-" Sephiroth stopped, his eyes widening in shock as something came swooping down, catching up Ray in its arms and flying up. He ran forward, just on the edge of the light, and seeing that same face.

Cloud held her up by her waist, a hand over her mouth to keep her from yelling. His wing was spread out, hovering there with a blank stare. "I believe this is yours, correct?" he said, referring to Ray.

"Let her go! This fight is between you and I!" Sephiroth shouted in anger.

"Apparently not, for it is in my knowledge that this girl is a Heartless, and had some part into changing us both into what we are now. Also, its been said that this is the cause of your softness, so I say this much. Maybe taking her will make you regain your former self, and unless your willing to retrieve her for your heart purposes, then I suggest you head for the place where we last fought. This way we can finish the last battle wasn't finished, and once and for all settle this." Cloud reformed a portal this time leading to a completely new place, and disappearing as quickly as he came.

Sephiroth shouted in anger, his dark, angered self returning to him once again...

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A/N Well, I'm on an if moment here. To have a happy, where no one gets creamed ending press 1, for a less happy, sadder ending press 2. If you are sure on this note, press 1. If you are not quiet sure, press 2. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot! *glomps Sinister Sunshine with a bonker bat, (you know, one of those soft bats...I'm not really very violent ^_^)* HAHAHAHA! *clicks out*