Disclaimer: Don't own, Squaresoft does.

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Esthar's presidential palace

Laguna Loire rubbed his eyes tiredly as his aides droned on about his schedules for the next few decades. His mind began daydreaming, thinking about a nice long cool drink with his friends in some bar back in Winhill. Just to ignore the rest of the world and spend some time with his friends and family, forgetting the rest of the world.

A few strategically placed nods and uh-huhs seemed to keep them happy. When it came down to it, he had little to no input in the decision making. Only getting to sign the papers when required. Everything was always so precisely done. Not one error could be found.

Nothing he could have done would have allowed him any leeway into accomplishing his little day dream. It seemed like he was stuck, at least for another few hours, in the office. Stuck with Mr Happy.

A young woman bounced happily into the office, not caring if she was interrupting an important meeting. Her eyes lighting up as soon as she gazed upon the world famous president.

"Hey, Sir Laguna!" she called out with the same energy.

"Selphie…" Laguna sighed with relief, at least he had someone else to share this boredom with.

The aid didn't look to pleased about having the meeting interrupted by the bubbly teen. He placed the sheet of papers he had been reciting from on the table, hoping to look annoyed but found he was failing miserably.

Laguna stepped around the large table, knowing that the teen would want a welcoming hug. His eyes darted to the door, hoping to find another member of SeeD standing in it. Disappointment greeted him.

"Squall not with you?" he asked with little hope in his voice.

Selphie shook her head, "No. He should be at Balamb Garden, getting ready for this years SeeD evaluation. He's actually taking a team out."

"Bet he's thrilled at that," the president grinned, "Just imagine the prep talk."

He frowned and lightened the tone of his voice, trying to match the quiet yet powerful voice of Squall. If Selphie hadn't of been listening closely or knew exactly how the young man sounded like, Laguna managed a pretty passable Squall.

"…Don't screw up. If you screw up, I will never talk to you ever again and you will be doomed for all eternity," Laguna broke into a grin and laughed.

Selphie frowned a little, maybe the old Squall would of said that but ever since he and Rinoa had met, he'd chilled out. Laguna would have been proud of the young SeeD commander had he heard the prep talk he had given the nearly defeated Garden when Galbadian soldiers were raiding.

"He's not that bad anymore! You're terrible!" Selphie laughed, "Just wait til hehears about you slagging him off like that!"

"Ah, he's a pussy cat," Laguna smiled, "Worst I'd get would…"

He was interrupted by the aid who cleared his throat, "Sir…please, we have more important things to be discussing."

Laguna shot him a rather foul look, "I think my son is a rather important thing to be discussing."

A sudden feeling rushed over him, sending a chill racing through his spine. Making no attempts to hide itself as it make itself felt. He gave a surprised cry as it ended.

"Holy mother…" he grinned, "Just got the feeling that someone was walkin' over my grave."

A few miles outside of Esthar

Cloud made no effort to hide the growing army he had behind him. He was going to raze the blue city to the ground and kill Doctor Odine. No way would that man perform abominations on the planet anymore.

Barret and Red were on their way trying to locate the ever elusive Headmaster Cid in an attempt to lure out the six SeeDs that he wanted dead more than anything. The only thing that might curb his temper would be if he had their heads on a silver plate.

Along with one Cid Highwind and Vincent Valentine. Everyone, it seemed to him lately, was leaving the group and thinking on their own. He wouldn't of minded but the fact that they were leaving to stop him!

He had saved their asses on so many occasions and this was how they repaid him? Saying that they no longer wanted the deaths of innocents on their minds?

Like hell would they get that, not as long as he lived. Had they forgotten why they were doing this in the first place? To stop Jenova from surfacing, to stop the death Sephiroth had caused, Aeris's death and the destruction of their world.

Why didn't they want that as well? Not one of them could claim that they were as innocent as they might wish they were.

Especially that blonde bastard of a pilot that ran to the name of Cid Highwind. Cloud smiled with a coldness that had eaten to the very core of his being. Cid's last victim had screamed the blonde's name, begging for his death to be quick and painless.

He wondered if Cid still had nightmares about the particular death, that should of set off some warning bells in his mind when the older blonde had woken in a scream and blind terror. Things had started to change when Cid had met the mother of his child, the blonde's heart softened. The former hardened pilot became weak.

Then he had the nerve to plant the seed of doubt in his friends hearts by asking if what they were doing was right.

Cid called him a Sephiroth wannabe all those years ago, well, time to prove him right.

"When we get to Esthar," Cloud called to the men in front of him, "Dive right in. show no mercy. Kill every woman, man and child."

Tifa watched Cloud's back, tracing every muscle that tensed and relaxed. What was he thinking now? Why the needless culling of the citizens of Esthar? Surely they could of just held some for ransom and demanded the presence of the president.

Her mind went back to the few words she had shared before Reeve had been killed. Thing is, can we forgive ourselves? I sure as hell can't.

"If we don't forgive ourselves, then who will?" she asked the wind, hoping that it would answer her.

Fire cavern

Whatever fresh hell the planet had put him in, he was hot. To hot to be really dead, was he in hell or was this just a really sick nightmare he had wandered into?

He kept his eyes closed, hoping that if he didn't open them, then he wouldn't be greeted with visions of those he had killed. They numbered into the hundreds and he had no wish to explain himself to the damned.

Should of stayed the Head of Urban Development. I didn't have to think then, just had to say 'yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir'. but no…I had to go and get a conscious. What we did was for the good of the planet…at first. Reeve listened to his own voice try to reason with his mind, telling it that life was so much simpler when he just said yes.

Yeah but that's how we got into this mess. You sayin' yes to Cloud, Cait Sith cried out from his place in Reeve's mind.

He tried to move his arm, only to find the limb had been strapped quite securely to his side. Was he still in the Garden of Death? Still strapped to the pillar with the bomb on his chest?

It sounded like he was, he debated as to whether or not he should open his eyes. To check where he was. Curiosity, it seemed, was going to claim yet another cat.

"I say we leave him here," a young male voice spat from somewhere to the south of him, the hatred hard not to notice.

A second, female voice interrupted him, "No. He's hurt. We should help him."

The male didn't want to listen apparently, "Uh huh, yeah. He's with the guys who blew up the Garden! I say we kill him before he tells his friends where we are."

Another voice entered the conversation. One who Reeve didn't expect, not in a million years. A voice who's owner should be resting peacefully in the life stream not a few feet above him.

"Are you children all right?" the voice asked those assembled, relief and surprise not being hidden in the voice.

So he wasn't alone. He could make out small sniffles and cries from around him. If hell was like this, then it wasn't really that bad. Part of him a little disappointed that the planet still granted him life when the innocent had it taken from them.

I am dead…this is hell, Reeve thought with a silent giggle, that's the only reason I can think why he would be here. It's a really sick joke by the planet…it has to be.

He felt a cool hand rest on his forehead, he held his breath for a long second. What was he doing? Making sure he was dead? Was he the punishment the planet had thought up? To be killed at the hands of one of those he had killed?

A second cool hand moved to his neck, he froze as cold fingers searched for his pulse. It wouldn't take him long to figure out that Reeve was alive and was scared stiff.

"He's alive. Just in denial about this whole situation," the voice informed.

The owner of the familiar voice removed his hands, however, Reeve refused to open his eyes. He'd rather face death with them closed.

Reeve heard a gun click as it loaded, wondering would he even feel the bullet as it tore into his flesh. It seemed one of the people in this place didn't seem to care whether or not he was alive.

"Why is everyone on this planet so ready to kill?" the older voice sounded annoyed, "Look, the fact is that his 'friends' did this to him. All because he wanted to help."

Was the almighty Sephiroth actually arguing over death? Surely he would be the first one to say, 'Sure! I'll go first!' when it came to drawing blood.

"I don't care! Look what he did! God knows how many people were killed!"

"A lot more will be killed," Sephiroth countered, "So, think about it. Do you want to end up like his friends or show them that you are a force to be reckoned with?"

The female spoke up again, "They destroyed the Garden. Killed nearly everyone who stood in their way. How the hell can we stop them?"

"Show them no mercy. They aren't going to give you any. As you have plainly seen," Sephiroth looked at Reeve, "They do not give any to their friends."

Reeve cracked an eye open, taking in the sight of a very sane and lucid silver haired man. Green eyes catching the flames of wherever they were.

"So why are you here?" Reeve asked quietly, tears filling his eyes as he spoke, the pain unbearable. Yet everything had taken on a dull tone, everything a little less vibrant than what they should have been like. The heat wasn't as warm, in fact, he was feeling a little cooler now.

Softly, Sephiroth gave him an answer that seemed to sooth his soul.

"I'm here to make sure the killing stops."

The pain was slowly numbing to something of a dull ache, Reeve closed his eyes. Enjoying the blissful period where nothing seemed to hurt. He was drifting off into the darkness when he felt someone slap him gently across the face.

"Wake up," Sephiroth's voice commanded, "I know this sounds incredibly ironic but, don't you die on me."

Rinoa walked over to the two men, her brown eyes wide yet unable to take them off the silver haired stranger. She knew that the man laying in his own pool of blood wasn't going to live much longer.

"Hey…" Reeve whispered, "…jus…just make sure they're okay."

Death usually didn't bother him, it never had but watching the life drain from those dark and expressive eyes tugged on heart strings that had laid dormant in Sephiroth for years

"I will," he whispered.

Reeve managed a weak nod, amazed he was trusting Sephiroth with the task of saving the innocent. Yet he was, was this how far from grace they had fallen? Asking the one winged angel to help?

Sephiroth watched as Reeve closed his eyes, every breath getting less and less painful for the wounded man. He smiled softly and leaned forward, allowing Reeve to hear the words that he had so desperately sought. He gently brushed his lips on Reeve's forehead, giving it a small kiss on a small area where it wasn't slashed from Cloud's punishment.

"We forgive you."

Reeve's lips tugged on a faint smile, blood escaping from the corners. His soul sighed with contentment as the words were uttered.

A tear escaped from his closed eyes, running along the wound. He could faintly feel it make it's way down his temple but the feeling was fading, as was the rest of the world.

Forgiven…I've…been…forgiven…