A/N: Finally! The next chapter! Sorry everyone, but I put up Part I almost right away and no one really reviewed for a few days so I sort of slacked off, then Halloween was coming up then this party, then this meeting, blah blah blah. I know, you don't wanna hear bout my social life. Anyhow, this is Part II: Dramatics of the Warriors. I actually had my first true hate review, but just as a sign for all you 'people' (in lieu of a harsher term) that I don't really rear up for fights about bullshit, I'll just leave it up there. I don't think I should take off anonymous reviewing since that would just take off the privilege of nicer, more constructive people that actually do leave reviews. (i.e. unknown, Untamed Melody, Jason Guarnieri, mimi, so on and so forth) so I'll just leave it like it is. If you think that as an invitation to do some flaming, go right on ahead. I deal with a lot worse in person, but it's probably safer on your part if you do it anonymously :)

Onward, to the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing, also and always :)

Chapter 23

"Aeris!" Tifa gasped, clasping her hands to her mouth. Cloud instantly froze, seemingly not believing his eyes. He lowered his sword and his face suddenly contorted into disbelief and relief at the same time.

"Aer-Aeris…" he whispered, pure joy on his face. "You're alive! Both you and Zack are alive!" Cloud seemed ready to jump for joy, but the look Aeris shot Cloud silenced him immediately. Zack he was used to, but Aeris did not usually have the stance of a stern woman.

"Cloud," she called, turning to face him fully. "You love a young woman, yet you cannot admit it to yourself. You are jealous of Vincent's and Tifa's relationship and have an obsession over her, yet thought that if you went with her you were insulting my memory." Cloud couldn't bear to meet her eyes, so settled for staring at a rock on the ground with fierce intensity, slowly nodding his head.

"But you don't love Tifa, do you?"

Tifa turned from Aeris to Cloud, Barret copying her movements. Cloud seemed shocked for a moment, slowly raising his eyes to meet that of Aeris's.

"What…do you mean?" he said slowly, as if in a daze.

"You don't love Tifa, do you Cloud?" repeated Aeris patiently, Zack sheathing his sword and crossing his arms. Cloud bowed his head and shook it, getting a gasp from Tifa and a "What the fuck do you mean no!" from Barret.

Aeris nodded her head knowingly. "I thought as much. But you are falling in love with someone, even if you won't admit it."

"I'll admit it," whispered Cloud, his head bowed so that they could not see his face. "Ever since we started plotting against you and Vincent, Tifa, which I apologize for, I've noticed things about her that I never would have. I…" He broke off, unable to speak his mind aloud.

Zack spat on the ground. "Damn man, quit being so melodramatic! Just say you're crushing on Yuffie!"

That single sentence hung in the air heavily, and everything was silent…

"Damn, Spiky!" exclaimed Barret. "You've gotta be shittin' me!"

xxxxXxxxx

Vincent slowed down to a stop as he lightly landed on the ground, feeling the unnatural darkness around him as it tried to suffocate him.

You can't see anything…I can't see anything…

Vincent knew Chaos was panicking; he was always able to see what he was facing, and that gave him a secure ground to go off of. However, this new environment was impenetrable, even by Vincent's keen eyes.

Something is not right, he thought as he slowly and cautious stepped forward. His foot, which usually silently fell to the ground, thudded unusually loud on the stone ground. Every move he made seemed to be amplified in volume, and soon Vincent's ears were ringing from the constant thud, thud of his boots.

Vincent stopped, looking around for a moment. From the very edges of his hearing, he could the chuckle, the malevolent laughter of a being he knew to be what he was searching for.

Vincent slowly reached up to his cloak, unfastening the straps around his neck and face. It fell to the ground, but this time silently. He continued walking forward, and his footsteps seemed less deafening. He came to another stop and removed his steel-lined shoes, setting them on the ground next to his Death Penalty.

He stood up, determination in his eyes as he stepped forward. Now, there was complete silence. However, Vincent could still hear the ringing laughter in his ears.

He wants to see the power of the Beast alone, the power of Chaos, growled Chaos under his breath. Vincent could practically feel him trembling, but whether in excitement or in fear, he did not know.

No, I stick with Red. You cannot defeat something that can overcome death itself, reasoned Vincent. Suddenly the laughter surrounded him, making his turn his head in all directions to attempt to identify the source in vain.

"You are correct, Vincent Valentine, former member of the Shinra Manufacturing Department in Administrative Research, otherwise known as the nefarious Turks." A shape started to form from the shadows around Vincent, and the figure started walking toward him, glowing clearer as it drew nearer. "Chaos cannot defeat me. Neither can you nor Deus. It is futile to try and stop me now at my peak, Valentine.

Vincent rolled his metal talons, clicking the metal against each other in anticipation. "So, a being like yourself can read my thoughts. How…convenient." Vincent studied the focusing shape and asked, "What are you? You cannot be him, but you choose to take his shape." The demon chuckled again as its image completely focused into place.

Gast, thought Vincent, as the demon ambled nearer.

"In a way, Valentine, I am Gast," he called, observing Vincent with an intense but amused gaze. "However, you, of all people, should know I am not what I appear to be. After all," Gast threw his head up and laughed. "I am dead, am I not?"

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "I do not care if you are dead or alive, you have placed all my friends in danger, and for this you will be punished."

Gast scoffed. "Punished? For endangering your friends?" Gast laughed again hysterically. "Look at yourself, Valentine! You have grown weak, useless! Thirty years ago your name brought chills down the spine of any and all that heard it but now look at you! You are a demon, with…friends? Ridiculous!" Gast's laughter slowly subsided and he spat on the ground. "And I know you will go off on your love for them as well, especially for the Lockheart girl." Vincent stiffed, and Gast smiled knowingly. "Just remember this: Look where your last love got you."

"This time is different," mumbled Vincent, keeping his intense stare. His voice dropped to a threatening, morbid tone.

"I beg to differ, Immortal," Gast retorted, throwing up his hands in a shrug. "Every time you learn to love, fate intervenes. It's as if God himself hates your existence, wishing it to be a living hell on Earth. First, Lucrecia…" Gast's smile grew more pronounced as Vincent winced at the name. "…led up to your existence as an Immortal. Then, Avalanche, which led to the near destruction of Earth itself and the unlocking of Chaos. Now, Tifa, has led you to me, with the mighty, angelic Deus. You cannot deny my reasoning here, Immortal."

Vincent's hand suddenly shot downwards and he gripped his Death Penalty, lunging to the side as he shot round after round into Gast's abdomen and chest. Gast stumbled backwards, only to have Vincent stab his claw through his neck.

"My name…is Vincent."

xxxxXxxxx

Yuffie grumbled slightly and opened her eyes, crying out in fright as the image of Red XIII stood inches from her face. She tried to leap back but discovered the hard wall behind her.

"Red!" she screamed, holding her chest and standing up. "Don't do that!"

"I'm sorry Yuffie," mumbled Red, bowing his head in respect. "But you were murmuring in your sleep so I believed you were having a nightmare…of sorts."

Yuffie took a moment to calm her breathing and her heartbeat, then bent down and looked suspiciously at Red.

"What do you mean, a 'nightmare of sorts?'" she asked, keeping her voice dangerously sharp. Red winced slightly at her tone but kept his voice cool and confident as he explained softly.

"You kept saying things that would give me the impression that you were having a nightmare, but right before I woke up, you had a smile on your face." Red turned away. "I don't know what happened but I do hope I did not interrupt a good dream."

Yuffie shook her head slightly. "It's alright," she replied, scratching Red behind the ears. "It's just that…I've been dreaming a lot, about…a certain someone."

Red eyes drooped slightly as Yuffie continued petting him, but shook his head vigorously. "I would wish you didn't do that, Yuffie, it makes me feel like a common pet than an equal."

Yuffie grinned sheepishly, drawing her hand back. "Sorry, Red. It's just too damn hard not to."

Red smiled slightly. "Thank you, but please continue with your dream."

Yuffie's smile dropped, and she bowed her head. "It feels like I'm betraying him, but I don't really understand it myself. I guess I'm just noticing traits about Cloud that I never really thought of looking at before."

Red nodded his head understandingly. "I thought as much. You're maturing, Yuffie." Yuffie shot him a questioning and insulted look, taking this as a blow as her childish behavior. "What I meant was, that you are seeing things differently as you continue to grow."

"But then," Yuffie asked, her expression growing quizzical. "Why wouldn't I just like Vinny more?"

Red shrugged his shoulders. "Hell if I know."

Yuffie smirked and scratched him behind the ears again. "Thanks, Red."

xxxxXxxxx

Tifa couldn't believe her ears. Cloud…loves Yuffie? It seemed so out of place, yet so right in its bizarre way.

Cloud kept his eyes on the ground, as if speaking his feelings aloud was a sin.

"Do you admit your feelings for her, Cloud," piped up Zack again, as Aeris stood behind him with a fierce gaze. "Or are you going to hide them like you attempted to with Tifa for and Aeris all this time?"

Cloud's fists tightened, and his body shook slightly. "I…" he started.

"Out with it!" demanded Zack.

Cloud's head shot up, his eyes narrowed in rage from Zack's challenge. "Yes, I do feel for Yuffie like I once did for Aeris and Tifa!" Cloud turned from the stunned couple to Tifa, sympathy in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Tifa. It's just…when I kissed you, it didn't seem right, not like what two lovers would feel."

Tifa suddenly felt her body speak before her mind could think. "I felt it, too. I could only think of Vincent…" Tifa could feel herself blush slightly at her confession, but she felt the tension in the air lift considerably.

Aeris smiled, as did Zack. "Bought time you all admitted it," he said, putting his arm around Aeris. "Now that we have this whole romantic, dramatic dilemma solved, why don't you all help Vincent?"

"What?" they all cried, turning their heads to the couple.

"Vincent is in the lowest level of this crater," explained Aeris. "Right now, as we speak, he is fighting the Demonic Gast. Even Deus would have difficulty defeating him…if he could even achieve that."

"What do you mean?" asked Tifa apprehensively.

"She means," clarified Zack. "That in Vincent's current status that he might not be able to invoke the true power of Deus. If he unlocks Deus without controlling him, he'll merely provide a vessel for the demon of Gast to overtake and continue his reign without fear of anything or anyone. Deus is our only hope, and Deus's only hope, is you, Tifa."

"What?" she asked, taken aback.

"Chaos in the entity of Hojo; the demonic, physical projection of his soul. Deus is the entity of Lucrecia; the angelic, emotional projection of her soul," Aeris explained. "Vincent has been submerged in hatred and sadness for so long, Chaos is natural for him. Yet he is unaccustomed to love, the fuel of Deus. If the source of his love were beside him, he would battle stronger to save her."

"Me," whispered Tifa. Aeris merely nodded sadly.

Suddenly, Zack spun about, hurling his huge sword through a wall behind him. The wall collapsed, revealing nothing but darkness.

"This leads to where Vincent and Gast are doing battle." Zack indicated the cavern he had come from. "This one here would take you maybe an hour or so to travel. Vincent doesn't have that time."

"Thank you…Zack…Aeris," murmured Cloud. Aeris smiled and Zack merely nodded his head. Together, Avalanche ran forward, not stopping to look behind, and not noticing that their two former partners were gone, leaving nothing behind but a metal staff and a large sword.

xxxxXxxxx

"Gast!" cried Vincent, throwing his weight forward. Gast was thrown from Vincent's claw, blood from his neck still on the mighty talons. Gast slid a few yards then remained motionless.

"Is this the power of Vincent Valentine, the most renown Turk of all time?" chided Gast, lifting his head from the ground to look straight at Vincent. The puncture in his neck was already healing over, not leaving even a scar. "You can't harm me Valentine, I am an almighty god with powers beyond that of even your comprehension!" Suddenly Gast was in front of Vincent, and he could feel Gast's palm press upon his stomach.

"Goodbye, Immortal," whispered Gast, his tone maniacal and anxious. He pressed his palm forward and Vincent gasped in pain as a hole was blown through his abdomen. Blood ran from his mouth as he grasped Gast's arm to steady himself. Gast merely smiled and drew back his hand, enjoying the scene before him as Vincent crumpled at his feet.

"Pitiful weakling," said Gast, smirking. "Might as well have been human. I shall enjoy destroying your friends and your woman, Immortal. And I shall laugh as their wills and bodies crumble as easily as yours did."

Vincent's eyes snapped open, and he shot up, thrusting his claw into Gast's jaw and then shooting his Death Penalty into Gast's exposed stomach. Gast seemed taken by surprise, his eyes wide as gunshot filled his stomach. Vincent threw him forward, but he recovered and slid across the darkness on his feet.

"Very impressive," called Gast, straightening himself. He brushed some of the dirt and blood from him, which instantly disappeared at his touch. "However, you are going to have to do a lot better than that." Gast looked down at Vincent's stomach, and was taken aback as the large gap seemed to subtly heal.

Gast smiled, and Vincent tightened the grip on his gun. Gast suddenly flew forward, faster than Vincent could counter, and grabbed Vincent's Death Penalty.

Vincent drew back, letting go as the gun started to resonate. He had barely taken a step backward when it exploded in a flash of energy and light, revealing where Vincent was.

Vincent jumped up and away from the explosion, gasping to himself when he saw nothing around him; simply an empty sphere where they battled. Vincent felt himself dropping and misjudged the landing, stumbling forward slightly into Gast's fist. Vincent felt an underlying power in Gast's attack, and he could feel the bone in his jaw crack.

Vincent flew several feet until he encountered a wall of nothing, stopping him in his tracks. He gasped in pain as he landed on the ground face-first, struggling to get to his feet. He could feel Gast towering over him, enjoying the image of Vincent sprawled at his feet.

"Pathetic," Gast called, crouching down so Vincent could hear him. "You are supposedly the 'Almighty Immortal' who accidentally got the powers of Deus in you." Gast spat on the ground. "Like I said, pathet…"

Gast suddenly stopped, his breathing heavy and his eyes wide. He stumbled backwards and clutched at his chest. His body heaved, as if something from the inside had struck him. Vincent lifted his head slightly, watching as Gast's body trembled.

"Vin…Vincent…"

Vincent stopped, Gast's voice changed. It was now like Vincent could remember it from forty years ago, before he died. There was no trace of demonic taint in his strained whisper.

"Vin…cent," he called again, clutching at his throat. "Destroy…this demon, please…"

"Filth!" he suddenly cried, and Vincent could actually see the internal struggle of wills between the two, human and demon. "Arrogant human! How dare you interrupt me!" He turned to Vincent, his eyes wide in rage. "And you! No more playing around, I'll destroy you once and for all!" He rushed forward, extending his arm upwards to strike Vincent, but as Vincent closed his eyes and braced himself, he never felt the blow.

Instead, a large thud sounded to his right, and he opened his eyes in time to see Gast shoot by him. Vincent lifted his head and looked up only to find Tifa's hand extended for him, her smile warming his heart. Cloud and Barret stood behind her, their weapons in a position that told Vincent what had happened to Gast. Vincent gently took Tifa's hand, slowly rising to his feet.

"Foolish mortals," came Gast's voice, his body disappearing into the darkness. "Now that you are all here, you can die together!" The ground around them shook and cracks formed, pillars of the Lifestream gushing upwards.

"What the fuck is goin' on?" cried Barret alarmed, jumping away from a crack on the ground just before a pillar shot from where he just was.

"Don't touch it!" cried Cloud, constantly moving away from the cracks. "Remember what happened to me last time this happened at Mideen!" All of them clearly remembered Cloud's Mako poisoning when he had disappeared here once before.

Gast's chuckling echoed around them, and his form emerged from the shadows, floating above them. His scientific apparel had changed to that of a demon: He now wore a long, trench-like coat, blood-red to match his body armor and armbands. His pants were pitch-black, yet stood out from the surrounding darkness eerily. On both ears hung a crescent moon, each blood-red. To finish it all off, two wings grew from his back, each one shifting from a dark red a one end to black at the tip. He was a complete demon.

"This is a fitting end to you all!" he cried, lifting his hand above him. A large broad sword formed above him and he grasped it effortlessly with one hand, swinging it down to point at the Avalanche members. "Destroyed by the very force of the planet you fought so hard to save!"

Vincent watched the others as they covered their mouths, trying to prevent the Mako fumes from entering their lungs. They did not have a cloak to cover them. Vincent tore his from his neck and rushed to Tifa, draping it around her neck. She gazed up at him with her wine-colored eyes, wonder and admiration in her eyes.

"I love you, Tifa," he whispered, as her eyes grew wide. She saw his eyes turn into the misty blue she loved, then suddenly into the divine silver she seldom saw. Suddenly, Vincent's head snapped up, gazing at the laughing form of Gast, clearly too amused to notice Vincent's movement.

Vincent's dug his heels into the nothingness around him, then shot forward, leaving Tifa below. She watched in astonishment as the wings of pure white burst from his back and his clothing started to change to match.

Gast's head suddenly snapped downwards to the guardian angel rushing toward him, and fear was suddenly in his eyes.

What's happening? thought Tifa, as she pulled Vincent's cloak closer and took in his scent. What's going on? Vincent!

'You reminded him there's more on the line than himself. This is it Tifa…the true Deus…'

A/N: Cliffy, evil evil evil cliffy! Alright, come of the loose ends are coming together. Drama is ending, romances are coming together and no more surprises...or are there? You should probably wait til the next chapter (the last one possibly too!) before you decide anything. Oh yeah, as a little note, I've decided I've spent a lot of time on this, so if it's gained enough people as an audience, it deserves an alternative ending, but if not, then I'll either move onto a sequel or a whole new story completely. So, let's say my goal for the end of this story is 125 reviews, can I make it? We'll see. I'll have it typed out just in case everyone! Aren't I evil?