They all had returned. They had fought Sephiroth together.

The battle had not been an easy one, they were exhausted.

Panting, the members of the group were resting against the walls of the crater, trying to recover from the strain that now lay behind them.

Cloud, however, still stood at the edge, gazing down into the emerald glow below him.

"This is all we could do." He stated plainly. The young man was well aware that they had finally defeated their foe, yet deep down inside he was unsatisfied.

Behind him, Barret stood up and frowned.

"Wait! What about Holy? What's gonna happen to the Planet?" he asked, stepping closer to his young friend.

Cloud turned around to look at him and simply shook his head.

"That... I don't know. Isn't the rest up to the Planet?" was all he could reply. He seriously wished that he could still influence those events ahead of them, but had to admit defeat on this behalf. It was no longer up to him and his friends to save the planet; the planet had to protect itself.

"All right, everyone", he began "It's no use thinking about it. We'll leave all our worries here. Let's go home proud."

And they certainly had every right to feel proud. After all, they had battled and defeated the great Sephiroth and thus hopefully contributed to halting the destruction of their own world. Cloud however did not feel proud at all. Before the battle he had hoped that this victory would help silencing the aching voice in his mind, bringing back images of Tifa's early death, yet they were still as strong as ever.

What nevertheless kept him going were the words Tifa had told him the night before. He might not have any idea how they were supposed to come true, but he was sure that it would happen. Tifa would not lie to him.

Slowly, wearily, everybody stood up from their position and got into motion towards the Highwind.

After a few steps however, Cloud stopped dead in his tracks and quickly shook his head.

"He is still... here." The truth hit him bluntly and he at once understood the unsatisfied feeling inside of him. Sephiroth was still alive, in one way or the other.

A strong shot of pain suddenly penetrated his head and made it's way through his whole body, forcing him down onto his knees, clutching his head.

While Cloud was rocking back and forth, Aeris quickly made her way to his side and knelt down.

"Cloud?" her voice showed deep concern, almost panic "Cloud, what's wrong?"

"He's... laughing...", he forced out against the trembling of his body.

Aeris reached out for him, tried to grab his shoulder and calm him down, yet Cloud was shaking violently, making it impossible for her to come close.

"Cloud, please!" the young woman shouted desperately, while the world around Cloud was swallowed in blackness.

As Cloud finally regained his senses and opened his eyes, he found himself soaring down the last inches of a seemingly longer tunnel towards a small figure standing on an infinite black plane.

Upon coming closer, he was finally able to identify the person that seemed to be his destination, and confirmed his own suspicions.

Sephiroth...

Cloud's fall came to an end. In the instance his foot touched ground, he unsheathed his trust sword and held it before him.

His own former role model, the great Sephiroth, stood in front of him once again, bare-chested, silver hair blowing slightly in a non-existent wind. With an incredibly ease, he held his legendary Masamune at eye level as if it were no heavier than a swan's feather.

The two men stared at each other, rage and hatred burning inside.

Cloud knew that this was their final confrontation at last. His feelings and intuition had served him well, he had known that he himself, alone, would be the one to bring an end to the terrors spread by the ex-Soldier.

And he would be the one to avenge Tifa's death.

Looking at the silver haired man before him brought back the memories of that one fateful moment that had taken the young woman's life so long before it should have ended. For so long, she had been his strength, his courage and optimism. Whenever he had been on the verge of breaking down and loosing his mind, she had come to his help and pieced him back together. She had known parts of him, his mind and his life that nobody else would ever see. He had been so blind, not noticing her feelings for him, had been too much of a coward to confess to her.

Had he ever told her, he was sure, things would have turned out differently. Certainly, their fight against Sephiroth would have continued like before, yet much of the grief and fear would have been taken off both their hearts, they would have been much more content. He certainly would have found a way to save her from her death, would have stopped her from sacrificing her own life.

Yet as he finally stood in front of his enemy, staring into his glowing eyes, he knew this was not the time for regrets nor blames. This was the time to act and set an end to the tragedy.

Cloud reinforced the grip on his trusty sword, determination building up inside.

It was now up to him solely, still he was not alone.

The sweet scent of Tifa's perfume suddenly surrounded him; he could feel her presence beside him, encouraging him, lending him her strength. And even though he was more than tempted to turn around to face her, his gaze remained locked on Sephiroth. There was no time for hesitation or distraction.

He felt the weight of his sword decrease in his grip as invisible hands lay their slender fingers around his.

Tifa... Thank you...

Cloud... NOW!

As if he had been waiting for her command, he suddenly released all his strength in one lethal attack against the mighty enemy. As soon as he had delivered the last blow, Cloud sank to his knees, more exhausted than ever before in his whole life, and watched as the grand Sephiroth dissolved right in front of his eyes to now become a part of the Lifestream.

Little by little, the silver haired man's body lost shape until the young man remained on his own, surrounded by nothing but darkness.

So it was finally done.

The fight was over.

As Cloud let out a content sigh, the blackness around him was slowly illuminated. Sephiroth's illusion was loosing it's consistency.

Finally, the young man found himself back in the crater where they had begun the final fight a few hours ago.

From above, he could the faint voices of his companions calling out to him, pleading him to join them in safety. So he sheathed his trusty blade and made his way through the rumbling and shaking cave towards his friends.

"Congrats, you did it!" Cid beamed and patted the young man's shoulder. Aeris, who stood next to the pilot, smiled at him thankfully.

"We'd better get out asses outta here, before this whole place falls apart!" Barret grunted and already started showing his friends towards the exit.

"Come on everybody! To the Highwind!"

Every single member of the group had finally made it back to the Highwind in one piece and they were already soaring away from the crater, towards the red sky.

Meteor still stood in the sky and had come frighteningly close, now almost touching the planet. Green tongues of Lifestream energy had been set free and now crept across the surface. However, even the Lifestream appeared sadly small and frail in comparison to the huge crimson ball.

Still, Holy was nowhere to be seen.

I'm sorry if I disappointed you, Tifa, but I did all I could... Cloud thought to himself.

Aeris, standing next to Cloud with her hands folded before her heart, looked very troubled.

"Holy... Holy isn't here to help us..." she sadly shook her head "it won't come..."

Barret turned around to frown at her. "Whatcha mean 'it won't come'?"

Everybody's attention suddenly focused on the small flower girl who looked more miserable than ever before.

"I... I don't know... That is what the planet tells me... Some... something didn't go right..."

Cloud's head jerked up instantly. Something didn't go right? That was exactly what Tifa had told him before. But what did all this mean? Had Tifa already known that there would be no hope for them? But then, why had she shown him their future?

No matter how hard he tried, Tifa's actions and words remained a riddle to him. However, she had told him that he would know what to make of it once the time would come. So no matter how much he despised the idea, all he could do now was wait.

"There is nothing more we can do..." Aeris stated, tears slowly starting to flow from her eyes.

They all knew she was right.

The heroes stood watching silently as Meteor finally broke the Lifestream's last resistance. With a last outcry of every being, a blinding flash brought abrupt silence and all kind of existence ceased to be.

"Cloud!" she cried desperately, grasping his bent muscular arm "Stop!"

Obviously, her voice had penetrated his mind, reawakening the young man's spirit for he gradually let the huge sword sink and took a step back, away from the praying Ancient.

Simultaneously, Tifa brought a little distance between them, to give him some free space.

"What are you making me do?" Cloud muttered softly, but fierce, raising his gaze to the ceiling.

Confused, his childhood friend followed his eyes, blinking into the bright light that broke in from the ceiling, gently illuminating the water's surface.

Yet suddenly, the light dimmed, a silhouette, barely recognizable, fell from out of nowhere, accompanied by a swishing sound that cut the air like a sharp knife.

Him...

Cloud suddenly jerked up, as if just hit with a jolt of electricity. This seems so familiar...

While he was still unable to move, a strong feeling of déjà-vu penetrated his whole body. The swishing sound, the blurred shadows, the serene atmosphere, it all seemed so strangely familiar.

Tifa!

A horribly cold feeling abruptly pierced his heart and caused him to instantly grab Tifa's wrist, without any conscious reason.

As he quickly gazed over at her, those soft crimson eyes were watering up with unshed tears while she was being held back.

Right before him, he had to witness how Sephiroth's long, slender Masamune almost gracefully slid into Aeris' body, taking her life with such unnerving ease.

Yet as he let go of Tifa's hand and quickly rushed to Aeris' side, he had the irrational and somewhat macabre feeling that he had just corrected an immense mistake.

"Everyone's gone..." Tifa stated, almost sadly, the soft wind playing with her crimson hair.

"Yeah", Cloud nodded, "we don't have anywhere or anyone to go home to."

Tifa nodded slowly and dropped her gaze to the grassy ground. She certainly knew it was true, she had always known. However, this was not the time to give up and let the depressions take over. She had always been the one to cheer her friends.

Running a hand through her long raven hair, she looked back up.

"But... I'm sure someday... they'll come back, don't you think?"

Tifa dearly wished she could be as optimistic as she sounded.

"Hmm... I wonder...?" Cloud started hesitantly "Everyone has an irreplaceable something they're holding on to... But this time, our opponent..."

Tifa nodded slowly. So he was afraid, too. For some reason it seemed as though he was no longer willing to keep up his façade. Now it was him who needed encouragement. And Tifa was more than willing to help him out.

"Hmm... But that's all right, even if no one comes back. As long as I'm with you... As long as you're by my side... I won't give up even if I'm scared."

Did I really just say that?

Her insides were screaming. She had wanted to cheer up him, encourage him, and not pour out her very soul!

Though... it's almost over anyway, right? So I got nothing to loose, right?

Right, she persuaded herself.

Cloud looked back at her unbelievingly and uncrossed his arms.

"...Tifa..."

His feelings were threatening to overwhelm him and he did not seem to know how to voice all those thoughts that had come to life inside of his mind.

"No matter how close we are..." Tifa continued, braver than ever before "We were far apart... before this. But when we were in the Lifestream surrounded by all those screams of anguish, I thought I heard your voice..."

She slowly closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears and hung her head low, stifling a sob.

"You probably don't remember this... But deep in my heart I heard you calling my name... Or at least I thought I did..."

Cloud turned away and thoughtfully rubbed his forehead. He did remember, she had heard him.

"Yeah... At that time I heard you calling me. You were calling me back in from the stream of consciousness in the Lifestream", he slowly nodded to himself "After all, I promised. That if anything were to ever happen to you, I would come to help."

He still remembers our promise, even now, Tifa thought, smiling to herself.

"Cloud...?" Wiping away the tears, she looked at him. "Do you think the stars can hear us? Do you think they see how hard we're fighting for them?"

Thinking about her question, he looked up at the sky with an unreadable expression.

"I dunno... But... Whether they are or not, we still have to do what we can. And believe in ourselves... Someday we'll find the answer." He looked back at his childhood friend and half smiled. "Right, Tifa? That's what I learned from you when I was in the Lifestream."

"Yeah... that's right..." she responded, slowly nodding to no one in particular.

All of a sudden, a frown appeared on Cloud's face and turned away, lowering his head so she would not be able to read his face.

"Hey, Tifa... I...", he started, almost shyly "There are a lot of things I wanted to talk to you about. But now that we're together like this", he shook his head as if frustrated with himself, giving the situation a little sarcastic laugh "I don't know what I really wanted to say... I guess nothing's changed at all... Kind of makes you want to laugh..."

It was frustrating. He had grown up to be a strong warrior, he finally had Tifa's undivided attention as he had wished for so long, yet inside he was still the little boy that had stood below her window, shyly hiding when in danger of being discovered.

Tifa however shook her head. She knew what was going on inside of him.

"Cloud... Words aren't the only thing that tell people what you're thinking..."

Certainly, words weren't the only way, but silence could not last forever.

As Tifa rested back against Cloud's strong shoulder, a smile appeared on her face. If this would be their last night together, at least they had seized it.

Cloud silently stifled a yawn and gave her a sheepish grin as he noticed her giggling.

"No regrets, right?" Tifa asked, half serious. After all she already knew the answer.

"Nope, none at all", Cloud replied with a content sigh and sank back into the grass.

After all it was now a few hours into the night and exhaustion was overcoming both of them.

Tifa carefully moved around slightly to make herself comfortable with her head resting on his chest.

While she was still smiling to herself, Cloud had already closed his eyes and seemed to be about to be overwhelmed by sleep.

Out of nowhere, a thought suddenly came to Tifa's mind, a question that was yearning for an answer.

"Cloud?" she asked lowly, looking up at him, to see if he was still awake.

"Hmm?" came the muffled answer and he slowly opened one eye to look down at her sleepily.

"This kind of might not be the right moment to ask, but do you remember that day when Aeris was... you know?"

He slightly tensed up, hardly noticeable and nodded. "Sure... why?"

"Back then", she continued and stared down at his chest "back then you grabbed my wrist and held me back. I was just wondering why?" With this, she looked back up.

Cloud frowned, thinking and then shrugged.

"I don't really know... I just had ... this strong feeling that I had to ..."

He shrugged again and slowly closed his eye.

"Cloud..." Tifa started.

He returned an unintelligible sound.

Tifa grinned and suddenly placed a long, deep kiss on his lips. "Thank you." She added, sinking back onto his chest with a smile.

Cloud grinned, his eyes still closed. "For a kiss like that: anytime."

He stifled a yawn and seemed to finally be giving in to sleep.

"And after all I promised that I would help you in case..." his voice trailed off until only his low, rhythmic breathing could be heard in the silence.

Tifa giggled softly and snuggled closer up to him.

This time, it all went right...

The End (or does anybody want a sequel? If so, let me know)Finished: November 6th, 2004 (Oo oy...)

a/n: zzzzZZZZZzzzzzzZZZ eh? Fanfiction? What, I just finished one? Naw, I don't remember that, you gotta be wrong. goes back to sleeping on the keyboard

How long did it actually take me to write this fanfic? Man... way too long-.- Thanx to whoever stayed with me till the end

In case you didn't notice, the spoken lines from the second to last paragraph are directly from the script of the game, and as such are under copyright of Square-Enix. All the rest is basically pretty much crap, but oh well

However, I do like my last paragraph I missed the cuteness and grinning in this story, so it had to go in at some point

So what do you think about this whole thing? Any constructive criticism and positive comments are gladly welcomed

Watch out for my new fanfiction project which is....umm... I guess this is the time to decide... Well, I'll let you know about my next Cloti once I got a rough plot. Till then, I got "Life: a human creation" in progress, a story about the whole Vincent, Lucrecia, Sephi, Turks, Gast, Hojo prelude part to FF7.

btw: ffnet seems to be killing all my italics, so if u think the look of this version sucks, get the file from my homepage That one has all the right formatting