"Oww..." Cloud moaned as he woke, his groin hurting from Sephiroth's touch. The morning light that poured from the window nearby nearly blinded him as he sat up, glancing around. "Sephiroth?" Any sign of Sephiroth being there was gone, except for a bloodstain nearby. Cloud stood, looking around once more. He still wore his night pants, and a strange coldness kissed his right ear.
Lifting a hand, he left a strange earring decorate his ear. Carefully, he tried to remove it to find he couldn't. Muttering, Cloud went to the nearby bathroom and looked over his reflection. On his right ear was a strange jewel that was cuffed around half his ear. The jewel was a glowing blue-green, resembling a cat's, and decorated the silver cuff. Cloud gasped, a sudden thought striking him.
The jewel... he thought, staring at it. It...It looks like Sephiroth's eyes...But it can't be. It's as if...he ripped out an eye and crystallized it...then that would explain the blood...But I still don't get it...Why would he give me his eye? And why can't I take it off?
He stepped away from the mirror and left the bathroom as the door to the guestroom opened and closed. Sephiroth entered, holding a hand over his right eye. Cloud went to him, saying nothing. His eyes, though, silently asked what was wrong. Instead of saying anything, Sephiroth sidestepped Cloud and went to the bathroom. It was then Cloud saw Sephiroth was holding a crimson cloth to his eye.
"You...You're bleeding..." Cloud whispered as the man walked by.
"Its nothing..." muttered Sephiroth. "A Potion will take care of it." With that, he entered the bathroom and closed the door. Moments later, he came out of the bathroom. His right eye was closed, and he had thrown away the blood-soaked cloth.
"What happened? Why were you bleeding?" Cloud asked. "Why are you so distant all of a sudden?"
Not answering, Sephiroth held Cloud's chin and kissed him deeply. Feeling Cloud blush, the elder let go of the kiss. He smiled, licking his lips as he had done before. "You shouldn't ask so many questions," he spoke. "Curiosity did kill the cat and all."
"Sephiroth..." Cloud sighed, locking his gaze on the elder's open left eye. "Let me see it."
With a sigh, Sephiroth opened his eye. Instead of a bright aquamarine, an eerie pearl-white pupil glowed in Sephiroth's right eye. It was still cat-like as always, but it had a strange white color to it. Cloud bit his bottom lip to hold back his gasp.
"I can still see," Sephiroth said, backing away a bit. "Its just white now."
"But...I don't understand..." He shook his head. "Why?"
Sephiroth lifted a hand and stroked Cloud's right cheek. "To protect you...When the time comes, my power will be wielded by you and you will destroy Jenova. By giving my eye to you, my powers will be sealed within you until I return."
"Until you return? What do you mean?" Tears formed in his eyes as he grabbed Sephiroth's arm. "Don't leave me please..."
A kind, reassuring smile crossed Sephiroth's face, hugging Cloud in attempts to comfort him. "There's still time...I'm not leaving you yet. Don't cry...I'll be okay..."
"I don't want to lose you too...I don't want to lose you..." Cloud sobbed.
Silently, Sephiroth unfurled his single wing, wrapping it around Cloud like a feather blanket as he cried in Sephiroth's arms. "Cloud...I need you to answer something for me..."
The blonde looked up at him curiously. "What?"
"I have known no emotion until I met you and you gave me love..." He hesitated before he continued. "Why...why does my heart hurt when I see you sad?"
A weak chuckle escaped Cloud, wiping his face with a sleeve. "Baka engeru...Its another part of love...You've become close to me and can sometimes feel my pain and sadness."
Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Zax, who entered by nearly breaking down the door. The two turned to him, expecting his usual ranting, but it didn't come. Instead, he spoke between pants from running up the stairs. "Tifa's...gone..."
"What?!" Cloud went to Zax. "What do you mean she's gone?!"
"I went...to see...if she...was making dinner..." Zax explained, trying to catch his breath. "When I got...to the kitchen...she was gone. I checked the whole place...and found this...in her room." He pulled a piece of parchment and handed it to Sephiroth.
"This was written in blood..." he muttered, looking over the paper. "Most likely her own."
"What does it say?" asked Cloud.
Clearing his throat, Sephiroth read the letter out loud. " 'The time has come. I have gone ahead of you to the Temple of the Ancients where Jenova waits. I'm tired of waiting...Good-bye...Signed Tifa.' " He looked up at them. "Tifa went ahead of us..."
"That's way out of her character," Zax grumbled.
"I don't know...I have a very distinct feeling this is a trap..." Cloud thought out loud.
"How are we going to get there?" sneered Zax. "We don't have the Little Bronco anymore, remember?"
"Perhaps we could be of some assistance," a voice spoke. The group turned to see Hojo standing in the doorway, the three Turks behind him. He continued speaking. "We have a helicopter that could take you to the Temple."
"Zax, go with them," Sephiroth spoke. "Cloud and I will fly on our own. Its about time he got his lesson anyway."
***
Sephiroth and Cloud flew on either side of the helicopter with the Shinra trademark like an escort as the group made their way towards the Temple of the Ancients. As they flew, Cloud noticed a strange cloud above them block out the sun and darken the sky. "Everyone on their toes," Sephiroth called to the group. "Jenova's powers are growing. I can sense she is controlling the weather around us."
"Can you sense Tifa?" Zax shouted back.
The man closed his eyes, stretching what power he had left towards their destination. "I can't tell...Jenova's energy is blocking out everything else."
"We're approaching the Temple," stepped in Elena, who was piloting the helicopter.
Saying nothing, Cloud and Sephiroth circled down to land, followed by the helicopter. Zax hopped off the vehicle and drew the Buster Sword from its sheath. "Ready?" he asked.
"We'll wait here," Reno spoke for Hojo and the Turks.
Sephiroth turned to Cloud. Closing his eyes once more, he let his black wing fold into his back as he whispered a final spell. An orb of light surrounded them, lifting the two from the ground. A black shadow seeped from Sephiroth's closed left eye and circled around the confused Cloud before the shadow crystallized into an earring, much like the cuff on Cloud's right ear, on his left. Finally the two floated back down to the earth, landing softly as the orb around them vanished.
"Now you have the last of my power," Sephiroth spoke, opening his eyes. They were both now an eerie pearl-white. "Zax, wait here." With that, Sephiroth turned to lead the way into the temple, Cloud following a pace behind him. Soon the two had disappeared into the depths of the temple's shadows.
"What was that all about?" Zax muttered.
"Sephiroth knows Jenova can only be destroyed by his powers of darkness, but he also knows someone would have to sacrifice themselves for her to be temporarily weakened," Hojo explained. "When Jenova devours her victims, she is temporarily weakened and vulnerable to a powerful attack. The combined powers of Sephiroth and Cloud would be enough to kill her in on hit."
"I still don't get it..." Reno commented.
Hojo sighed. "By transferring his powers to Cloud, Sephiroth has guaranteed the defeat of Jenova. Sephiroth will sacrifice himself to her in order for Cloud to destroy the ultimate of evils." Again the man sighed. "As you see...he has changed greatly since his battle against Cloud."
A sudden thought hit Zax. "Wait...You knew Cloud didn't kill Sephiroth?"
The scientist nodded his head. "As a matter of fact, Cloud came to me for help." He smiled. "I knew by sparing Sephiroth, he'd be the one who destroys Jenova. Never did I think they would become so close."
"Sephiroth's sacrifice could shatter Cloud," gasped Elena. Rude nodded his head in agreement.
"We'll see..." said Hojo. "We'll see..."