Disclaimer: WHOO! I do NOT own the characters in this fic, save for Serin. I am SO happy at the mega millions I am NOT getting! insert heavy sarcasm throughout

Author's Notes: A/N is at the END of this chapter!

Chapter Fourteen

For several long moments, the only sounds were the whistling wind that had now mysteriously picked up, along with the echoing rumbling.

"Can't? What do you mean 'can't'? We have to leave, NOW!" Uranus shouted with an irritated tone.

Sephiroth frowned, and shook his head. "I can't leave, because if I do, the earth will be destroyed," was his simple answer. Raising a hand to forestall comment, he said, "As Venus said, time's short, so I'll be brief: apparently, my alter-ego decided that if he was going to die, so would everyone else. Remember how the Lifestream is the foundation of this planet? Well, he just knocked it out of balance, which will result in the planet's destruction." Closing his eyes as a long sigh escaped his lips, he added, "And since I'm the only one who can put things back together..."

"Alright then...we'll wait right here, and you can take care of business," Jupiter reassured the swordsman.

A sad smile preceded his shake of the head. "Won't work," he said simply. "This place we're at is held together by my will...and to fix things with the planet...I have to become ONE with the planet..."

The only response was silence while the senshi absorbed what their friend was saying. After a few moments, Sephiroth flipped a jaunty little salute their way, turned, and began walking to the other end of the platform.

"NO!"

Sephiroth visibly jerked, his fists clenching, at the sound of that voice. He knew that she would be the one to stop him...and he had also hoped that she wouldn't.

Throwing aside her glaive and running forward, Saturn wrapped her arms around her fiance's body, embracing him tightly as hot tears formed in her eyes. "Please...don't go, Sephiroth," she begged.

The man sighed as he turned in her embrace, wrapping his own arms around her. "Hotaru...you know it has to be this way...I can't let the world get destroyed for selfish reasons..."

"What about what I feel?!? What about MY feelings?!? Would that be selfish?" the senshi of silence asked, the tears falling.

Seeing her like this pained him everytime, and this was no exception. Reaching up and caressing her cheek, he whispered, "You know the answer to that, Hotaru-chan...you would be willing to sacrifice your life to protect your friends...but would you ask your friends to sacrifice their own lives, and their own happiness, just for yours?"

The purple-clad senshi jerked at his words, her eyes downcast. She knew her feelings were selfish, but...to lose him again, after just getting him back! The thought nearly shattered her will to go on living.

A gentle hand beneath her chin raised her head, and she was met with a sudden, sweet, yearning pressure on her lips. Her arms slid up to embrace his neck, despite the differences in their height. Both of them held the kiss and embrace as long as they could before breaking for air, not even caring about their audience. When they finally broke, a look of pure love and understanding passed between them...which was nonetheless vocalized.

"I love you," Hotaru whispered.

"And I will always love you," came Sephiroth's reply.

Another threatening, long rumble sounded again, and pieces of the area began falling away. Neptune and Uranus started to move forward to pull Hotaru back, but Sephiroth looked up and shook his head. With a thought, the group were surrounded in a sphere of energy. Shocked looks, some of betrayal, met his gaze from the inside, but he simply gave a sad smile as the sphere shot upwards like a bullet.

A long moment passed before Saturn spoke again: "Thank you."

Feigning confusion, her fiance asked, "For what?"

A giggle came from her lips as she looked up at him. "For keeping me here a little longer...I..." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she only looked down slightly while continuing. "I know...that you can't keep me with you...but every moment I spend with you is precious. And I thank you for it."

The island was now down to a few scattered islets.

"Sat...no, Hotaru-chan...I'll make you a promise, okay?" Sephiroth offered.

The young senshi looked up, a glimmer of hope showing through her tears. "A...a promise?"

Wordlessly, Sephiroth broke their embrace, and leaned down to pick up his Masamune sword. When he turned back, there was a genuine smile on his face as he handed it to her, hilt-first. "Keep this safe...and I promise I'll be back for it."

Saturn's breath caught in her throat as she gently grasped the weapon's hilt and clutched it to her body. "You...you will?"

A confident smirk appeared on his face, something that was almost, but not quite sinister. "I don't care what it takes...or how long it takes, I WILL be back for it. That's my sworn oath." His face softened again into a look of sadness. "It's almost time...you should probably go, before your friends come tearing down here again."

Saturn nodded, her eyes shimmering once more with tears as she vainly tried to blink them away. "I...I know..."

Gently tilting her face up, Sephiroth pressed his lips to hers firmly once more, his fiancee responding eagerly. So absorbed was she in the kiss, that she failed to notice the tendrils of energy that began wisping about her body. Nor did she notice when her body began to dematerialize, the sparkles that emanated from her shooting up from where she had experienced love and heartbreak all over again.

Finally, the swordsman opened his eyes and sighed. A single tear, one that he did not dare to show before, made its way down his cheek.

'You'd better hope and pray you didn't leave me a lot of work to do...because I don't want to be away from her any longer than necessary...and sometimes, not even that,' he mentally threatened his other half. With a forelorn look back up at the direction his friends and love had gone, he stepped off of the island's edge, and dove headfirst into the planet's core.

Author's Notes: Okay, first off, I have to thank Wild Roze for her reviews on my first story! I find it amazing that I'm still getting reviews for it, and this one! Also, a big shout out goes to sailorearthrose, along with Omega Paladin!:D Thanks a lot! Anyway, I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, but considering how sweet it is, short is good. At least, I hope it's sweet...smirk Anyway, look for my next(and possibly final) chapter coming up in...two weeks. Don't forget...the senshi have a little surprise waiting for them on the surface...