"I will not be taken out so easily."
"I see."
He faced his clone. They stayed that way for what seemed like hours, each holding their huge-bladed swords. Cloud lay Tifa down on a clear area of ground and walked up to Damien. They stood several feet apart from each other, glaring for even longer than the first time. Damien moved.
Cloud's eyes flashed and a yellow flare of power encircled him. He drew his sword back and lunged at Damien, swinging it with all of his force. The blade cut deep. He did this over and over, more times than he could keep count of. All of a sudden, a huge white beam of energy swallowed Damien and made blood fly. Cloud doubled over, his chest plate denting severely and one shoulder guard completely shattering to pieces. Blood poured from the fresh wounds and he looked up at his clone, who had the same exact injuries.
"That's...new..." Damien grunted, getting to his feet again.
"Ultimate End...like it...?" Cloud gasped shallowly, hoping he could outlast the stupid clone that seemed to have no life limit.
"Didn't...quite work as expected..."
"You're complaining...?"
"No...I still have to kill you..."
"My thoughts exactly..."
They dove for each other at the same time. The swords flew, striking loudly in mid-leap. The synthesized Ultima Sword cracked loudly, then shattered. The crystal fragments clattered to the dirt and Damien fell back, shaking his head.
"This can't be happening!"
He ran for Cloud again, drawing a fist back. He had regressed to animalistic tactics. Cloud was a mercenary–he knew them all. When Damien crouched Cloud planted his feet and swung his Ultimate Sacrifice over his head, bringing it down onto Damien's open shoulder. There was a sharp crack. Cloud felt his right arm go numb; he couldn't control it anymore–so he forced it. Swinging the sword around, he pushed Damien up and away, cutting him across the bridge of his nose. The identical mark ensued. Cloud drew the mako crystal blade behind him, waiting for the opening.
Damien wasted no time giving it to him. Incredibly angered by this turn of events, he lunged for the other boy blindly. Cloud rammed the sword up high and there was a sound: a sick, terrifying noise. They stayed in this final position for seconds, minutes, hours...so it seemed. Then Damien fell for the last time. His green eyes flashed, then dulled and glassed over instantly. Mako blood poured from the gaping wound in his chest, creating a pool in the dirt beneath him. The final victor turned slowly, placing his sword on his back.
"It's over," Cloud Strife said.

Tifa Lockheart slowly opened her eyes. Her hair hung untidily in her face and she tried to brush it back. She saw the jewelry on her arms and looked around. Cloud was carrying her gently perched over one strong shoulder, his face tight and drawn, his body trembling ceaselessly beneath the golden armor.
"Cloud...?"
Speaking made her dizzy but she didn't care. He looked over his shoulder at the sound of her voice.
"Tifa, you're awake."
"Yeah," she said, sliding off his shoulder. He stopped walking and held her with one arm. She touched his cheek worriedly.
"I'm fine," he seemed to read her thoughts.
"But you look like something's..."
"Nah. Let's just keep going."
But when he walked he limped severely. Tifa stopped and held him back by the arm.
"Cloud, what's–?"
He was clenching his teeth. "It's nothing, I said."
This wasn't from anger; Tifa automatically sensed that. She stood in front of him and looked him over.
"Cloud!" she screamed.

He was covered in cuts and bruises from his nose to his legs–his right shoulder looked extremely bashed and swollen. His armor was nonexistent from collarbone to abdomen: it was all one gaping, bloody hole. The red liquid slid down his torso and stained his blue uniform, leaving splotches on the ground, probably for miles–they were far from the area where they had fought Damien.
"Did I forget to mention I killed Damien?" Cloud asked with a sort of half-smile.
"You WHAT!"
"Well...kill or be killed–take your pick."
"But how...? How...!"
"Come on, Tifa. You've got to have more faith in me than that."
He started to walk. Something finally caught up with him because he abruptly groaned and doubled over. Blood spilled everywhere. Tifa ran to his side and put her arms around him.
"Stop, Cloud. Please?"
"We're almost there..." he tried.
"NO! Cloud, you can't continue like this! You have to let me–"
"Tifa..." he groaned. His knees buckled and he collapsed. She let out a little scream and held him up quickly. His eyes were closed–he was breathing heavily; gulping in ragged gasps. Not knowing what else to do, she set him down in the grass and looked at him worriedly.
"Cloud, I...I don't know what to do–"
He put a finger to her lips and her eyes widened, tears gathering at the corners.
"Sometimes...you don't know when to give up..."
"Cloud," she tried again, "your wounds are fatal, and if we don't do something..."
"I have...welcomed death from the beginning..." he smiled, opening his eyes. "To chase ones...such as Sephiroth and Damien...you have to be ready to–"
"Stop it! I don't want to hear anymore of that!" she cried.
"So, what if I told you...how beautiful you are instead...?"
She shook her head: "I can't..."
"Live without me?"
She blushed, but still retorted indignantly. "You're full of it, you know that?"
He laughed; it was short and ended in a moan of pain. "Well...that's how I felt...when this was you..."
The tears began to coarse down her cheeks: "You can't leave me now...!"
His chest hitched, and another pained sound escaped him.
"Tifa..."
"I won't let you die! I won't!"
"Listen to me...please..."
"No..." she continued shaking her head, but bit her lip.
Cloud let his hand roam over her face and slide into her hair. He brushed a few of the strands off her shoulder, trailing his fingers down her arm and finally grasping her hand weakly in his own.
"I want you...to do me a favor..." he pulled her hand slowly to his chest and lay it above the damageatop his heart.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"Tifa...give me a little taste of heaven...before I go to hell..."
She whimpered, a sob ripping from her throat. Cloud grabbed her chin gently in the other hand, wincing again as he did so; his broken arm was not liking this treatment. He turned her face back to his and stared into her eyes adorned with tears. He smiled. Tifa shook her head and touched the hand on her face. Slowly she leaned down, her hair falling like a curtain and blocking out the brightening dawn light. She saw his blue mako eyes–the mark of a SOLDIER–glowing up at her. No matter what anyone said, she would always see love in those eyes.
She kissed him. His tongue darted past her lips and licked along the curve of her mouth, making her heart race. She could taste him–sweet and gentle as they parted and met again. She slid her tongue over his, feeling him let out a weak moan. Slowly, very slowly, they pulled away just so their noses still brushed. He let his head fall back, a smile on his lips, his eyes still closed. Tifa sobbed again, shaking her head.
"Cloud...? Cloud, no!"
His chest hitched again. He drew in one last, shaky breath and opened his eyes just enough so she could look into them again.
"I love you."
He spoke clearly, not a trace of pain hanging in his words. Then his head tilted to one side and there was nothing.

He was dead.
Tifa let her own head fall to the hand which still held hers. Even when she closed her eyes the tears continued to pour down her cheeks; she still continued to see his blank stare. She stayed like this for a long while.
'So,' she thought to herself. 'This is what Cait Sith's fortune meant.' Her eyes slowly opened and rose to the horizon, which was no longer a hazy gray but a brilliant orange. Pink clouds hung near the earth: 'Death cannot stop true love, only delay it for a time.'
"I love you, Cloud Strife," Tifa Lockheart whispered.