Chapter 10

Cloud sat in the corner of a new room, tears flowing from his glowing blue eyes. "Tifa… All those years. All those years of chasing after you, and right as I finally caught you, you were torn away… And I was finally going to be a father. I was going to be something that I never had. But… That bastard…" He covered his face and wept into his hands until dawn, when he finally fell asleep.

Yuffie stared into nothingness as she sat on her bed, blood staining her weapon, hands, and clothes. "Tifa… She died because of me… I…I killed her. She was going to be a mother, and I killed her!" Tears formed in her eyes, though the eyes themselves showed no emotion. "Sephiroth… I left before I could finish him off. But, it's still my fault for killing her. Her blood is on me, not him…" She heard something over to her right, where the window was. She turned slowly and saw the black mist. "That's right. Come on! I dare you! Then, they'll kill me and I won't have this pain anymore, and you'll come with me, you freak!" She jumped up and glared angrily at the mist. "COME ON!" Just as she requested, it entered her by way of her mouth. Her vision blurred until she could no longer see, and she fell to the floor, unable to control her body anymore.

Red rested beside Barret, his eyes cast low. "So, she has passed on. And Vincent has also fallen victim to Sephiroth. I see…" He sighed heavily, unable to talk any further.

Suddenly, his ear twitched as the clicking sound of Yuffie's door opening and closing reached him. He stood and walked to his door. "Barret, please open this." Barret did as he was asked and went back to his bed to sob alone. Red looked out the door and saw the ninja looking around, a smile making its way up her lips. Her eyes were glowing green, occasionally flashing with a bit of gold. Red charged forward and head butted Yuffie in the side, knocking her to the ground. "BARRET! CID! CLOUD! GET OUT HERE!" he barked as he jumped on Yuffie, trying to hold her down. "HE'S BACK!"

The old AVALANCHE members charged out of their rooms, all but one with tear streaks running down their faces. Cid twirled his Venus Gospel around, getting ready to attack. He glared at Yuffie and held the weapon only centimeters from her neck. "You little &#$*! You have no idea how much I hate you, you *#$*^&! Taking people's bodies like a *&%$!$* coward!"

"No! Cid, don't!" Cloud pleaded. "Don't make the same mistake that was made with Tifa! Please, don't!"

Cid looked to Cloud for a mere second, though it was a second too much. Yuffie threw Red off, pushed the Venus Gospel away, and threw her Conformer at Cid, landing it right in his abdomen. He coughed painfully before sliding down the wall. "**&#(&$*&(%&$()&$#*&$#*&%&#%^!&$&!($&#*^$$~!!!!" He pulled the wheel-like weapon from his stomach and coughed a bit of blood. "I'm…not…going down…with…out…a…fight…!" He thrust the Venus Gospel at Yuffie, but she easily dodged it and laughed. He growled with pure hatred and anger before pulling himself up and pulling out his PHS. "Highwind…I need assistance, now!" He thrust his spear forward with every bit of speed he could conjure, striking the young ninja through the middle. "Now, you die, you son-of-a-bitch!" He swung the weapon to the right, sending it and Yuffie out the window. Right as she hit the glass, the black mist left her. Then, Cid heard the sound of the huge salvo coming towards her. "No! Stop! Don't attack! Don't attack!" he yelled into the PHS, though it was too late. The missiles hit her, tearing her to pieces before incinerating her body. "No! Damn it!" He fell to his knees and held his stomach, blood rushing over his hand as he did so.

Thumping filled the air as something heavy started ascending the stairs. "Sorry I'm so late, guys! I'm here, now, though!" Cait Sith's voice called. "I figured I'd use the robot instead of coming myself incase we needed to fight." He came to a halt as his eyes fell on Cid. "Oh, no! What happened?"

Barret turned around and, very quickly, loudly, and with a few vulgarities thrown in, told Cait Sith a very condensed version of what had happened. Then, he turned back to Cid and pulled out and X-Potion. "Here, buddy. This should help ya."

Cid raised his hand and shook his head. "No. After that, I'd rather die."

Barret growled and yelled, "Shut th' hell up! Ain't nobody else dying but Sephiroth, you hear me? Get yer sorry ass up and take the damn X-Potion before I have to make ya!"

Cid coughed a bit more before finally taking the healing solvent from Barret. "Fine, you *$#&%. You're never satisfied, are you?" He poured the potion over him and closed his eyes. His wounds healed, though it didn't matter. He had made up his mind. He was going to die, and that's all there was to it. He'd take on Sephiroth, even let him enter his body. Then, he'd die, taking Sephiroth with him. "Hey, tell Shera I said bye, will you?"

"What th' hell you talking about?" Barret asked, fear flashing in his eyes.

"I have a plan. You'll see." He stepped forward to the black mist, still levitating in front of the window. "Come on, now, you *$%&^$&*! Don't keep me waiting all day, you hear?" The mist didn't move, but seemed to mock Cid and laugh at him. He poked it with his spear a few times, and it finally entered. Cid's vision blurred, but he wasn't about to let Sephiroth have him. "Now you die for the final time!" He shoved his spear into his stomach and laughed while coughing from the pain. "Barret! Finish me off! Don't let him leave before I die!"

Barret aimed his arm and turned away, letting the bullets fly. Cid smiled at his friends before the bullets hit him. He fell to the floor, lifeless and bloody. The mist, however, did not go on. It poured from Cid's mouth and immediately entered Red. "No!" he yelled before slumping over.

After a few moments, he soon stood and smiled at Cloud, Barret, and Cait Sith. "You fools! You've killed your friends and family, just to send me on? None of your are strong enough to make me go back! None of you! Your attempts only aide me! Without you in the way, I can finally save this dying world!" He laughed maniacally before charging at Cloud, madness swirling in his green eyes.

Cloud, however, didn't see madness, but a plea for help. Red couldn't handle having Sephiroth in him…controlling him. He held his sword forward, preparing to injure him enough that Sephiroth couldn't use him, but not enough to kill him. Just before he attack Cloud, though, Red stopped and started trembling. "No…! I…I won't help you!" He jumped out of the window and started heading for the mountain.

"What's he doing, Cloud?" Caith Sith asked.

"He's…going to kill himself. He thinks he's possibly strong enough…to hold on to Sephiroth."

Barret growled and also jumped out the window. "He ain't going up there alone! I'm gonna make sure Sephiroth's gone!"

"Barret!" Cloud yelled. "What will you do if he takes you over?"

He looked up at the mercenary and said, "I'll have no choice. There's only one way to get rid of him, and now I know. I ain't saying I'm the strongest, but I can damn well try to take him with me. We've lost so many of our friends… I'd be damned if I let him take over the world. I have a kid to protect! Reeve, if I don't come back, watch over Marlene, will ya? Give her to Aeris's mom, a'ight?"

Cait Sith nodded. "Sure thing. I only wish I could aide you, but this mechanical body can't be possessed."

Barret laughed and replied, "You're helping me by making sure Marlene is gonna be a'ight." He looked to Cloud and ran towards the mountain, ready to face his destiny.

Cloud fell to his knees and stared into nothingness. "It…all happened…so fast… Vincent…Tifa…Yuffie…Cid…and now Red. Soon, Barret will probably join them… DAMN YOU SEPHIROTH! DAMN YOU!" He beat his fists against the wall, making large cracks and causing plaster to fall on him.

Cait Sith hobbled over and said, "I'm…sorry, Cloud. I wish I could've gotten here earlier." He gazed down at Cid's body and grimaced. "I…I'll tell Shera what happened and…and that he said goodbye."

Cloud became rigged as a yelp echoed from the mountain, soon followed by a few gunshots. Then, after a pause, one gunshot filled the air. "No…They're…both gone!" He picked up his sword and readied himself. "Tifa, I'm coming." Before long, the black mist had come back and smacked Cloud in the face, knocking him to his back. It entered him, quickly taking over.

My puppet. Why do you all so quickly dispose of yourselves? Don't you see that you're only helping me? It's so curious…

Cloud laughed at the voice in his head and told it, "We'll just see about that!" Somehow, he managed to wrap his own consciousness around Sephiroth's, locking himself to the mad man. "Try to escape me, now!" Cloud held on to Sephiroth with every bit of mental power he had. Sephiroth couldn't get free. He tried, but it was for naught.

Damn you, Cloud Strife! I can't accept defeat from you again! Not this time! This time, I'm saving the world! You can't stop me!

Cloud raised his sword and held it to his neck.

No! I must get free! I must to save the world!

Cloud smiled and whispered, "Here I come, Tifa." He felt the cold steel tear through his flesh, and he felt Sephiroth still in his grasps. He started to feel the sensation of flying, and he still held to Sephiroth. Now, he felt himself entering the earth, still holding to Sephiroth. He was in Life Stream, and Sephiroth was still bound to him. He had won. He had killed Sephiroth once and for all, and he was now forcing him to meld with Life Stream. Now, he could no longer terrorize the world. Cloud would've smiled if he had a mouth. He would have sighed if he had breath. And he would've held out his arms as his wife neared him if he had arms. Tifa, let's be a family here where no one can harm us. His consciousness, Tifa's consciousness, and the baby's consciousness flowed together through the Life Stream.

A scientist waited at home, making tea. She waited for the man with the big dreams, the man who finally went to space, the pilot whom she loved. A pink blur caught her eye, and she gazed out the window. Cait Sith was approaching, and she smiled. The pilot was surely following him. He was just a little behind since he had to check his ship.