37 Sephiroth

Sephiroth opened his eyes, and they steered toward the edge of Cloud's Ultimate weapon. Inches before the blade made contact, he vanished out of thin air, nothing but a rain of black feathers in his place. Cloud cut through the air to disperse the feathers and cursed.

"Eyes open, guys," Tifa warned, moving in a circle as she searched for Sephiroth's whereabouts.

I tensed, my eyes darting left and right to spot him among the sludge world overthrowing the Lifestream.

"You rejected Mother. That was a mistake," the chilling winds revealed, a whisper easily missed, but I heard it beside my ear. I took a second to stand still and swallow before shoving my fears aside.

With a spell ready, I spun around and thrust my glowing hand out to summon Blizzaga, anticipating he was behind me. No such luck. There was nothing but the dark slimy vines overlapping Mako crystals. I turned a few branches into chunks of ice and scoffed. I could've sworn he was behind me.

Sephiroth reappeared and flung Firaga towards Cloud suddenly. He felt it before it had a chance to hit him, darting away to have a massive orange blast of heat take a chunk of crystal. Bits of it exploded over us until it rained glowing stones. He dashed through the air, broad sword behind his shoulder, and swung. Instantly blocked, Sephiroth's lengthy Masamune lifted over his face to hold their two swords together for a few seconds. His aqua eyes pierced Cloud's with an intelligent playfulness, and his lips followed with a grin, already pleased.

"You both could've joined me," he uttered.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "Like hell, I would do that," he spat, pulling his sword back to strike again. Their sword fighting mechanics were too fast for me to follow, the details blurry. The two men's speeds were similar, their blades slashing in all directions, too quick for anyone to interfere. I wanted to step back and give this battle to Cloud. He's been waiting five years for this. His body showed, enflamed with Mako, his eyes hiding behind a white haze, teeth clenched, and muscles stretched. The young fighter had lost his awareness of his surroundings, stuck on his target. He slammed his blade into the crystal floor, cutting into it to send a tall blue wave of energy. Sephiroth jumped out of the way and counterattacked with a swift slice. He cut through the air and flung a black beam at Cloud, almost an identical attack, but it came rushing through the air to slice anything it touched. Everyone jumped out of the way. A massive crystal cut in two.

Tifa jumped in to hit Sephiroth with dozens of hard punches. He seemed to take little interest in the threat, her hits making enough impact only to make him barely stir. His body could already be invincible. He lifted a gloved hand and smashed Tifa with Blizzaga. A large chunk of solid ice slammed into her, and she stumbled back stiff and frozen. I rushed towards her to cast a gentle flame spell. Slowly, it melted her ice prison.

Meanwhile, Cid's Venus Gospel flew across the air and aimed at Sephiroth's core. The mighty man lightly lifted his sword and blocked the spear like it was nothing. It banged loudly on the floor by his feet.

"Fuck, man," Cid hissed, pissed off.

Yuffie rammed into battle by throwing her massive weapon shaped as a star, the Conformer.

"Take this!"

It spun until its pointy edges blurred, appearing like a soft red disc. Sephiroth waited for it, peering in the corners of his eyes, and chuckled. He smacked it down. Yuffie's ultimate weapon was nothing more than a fly to him. The ninja was stunned and collapsed on her rear, eyes lost to nothing.

"No way," she trembled.

The ice around Tifa shrunk, a large puddle under her red boots until she wiggled free, drenched and freezing. Her long hair laid limp over her white tank, tangled. She hugged herself and smiled weakly at me.

"Thanks." Even her breath became foggy from her cold insides.

Her eyes shifted from warm to terrified when they lay over my shoulder. Her mouth opened wide, face whitened.

"Should I tell you what you've done? The terrible truth? Or keep it to myself? I may let you die with your friends anyway," Sephiroth whispered sweetly. My whole spine throbbed from top to bottom when I felt his cold breath tickle my ear.

What truth? What was he taunting me with?

I turned my head to see what threat he was ready to throw at me.

Too late.

I couldn't move. I tried, but whatever he cast, invisible chains took hold and squeezed hard until all I could do was shallowly breathe and watch in horror when Sephiroth flew passed me. His hair smacked my face before he summoned Thundaga. Many bolts scattered, crashing to make little craters and sizzle anyone unlucky to get caught in the spell. Cloud sparked and grunted to the searing pain that rattled in his bones. Tifa was covered with zaps of electricity, screaming with her mouth long and spitting out light flashes from inside. She fell on one knee.

Vincent zipped around each bolt, his rifle ready, and fired bullets.

Sephiroth raised a hand, stopping the bullets from destroying his flawless face with an invisible Wall.

He smiled sweetly at Vincent's glare.

"Bullets. Really?"

They fell and rolled into the cracks of the glowing earth. Vincent flapped his cloak high over one shoulder to expose half of his body, covered tightly in leather armor, and from his belt, green Materia glowed.

"Windaga!"

A small tornado appeared, creating a strong wind storm in the whole area. Hair was waving everywhere, clothes flapping, and eyes squinting at the tiny bits of debris cutting through the air like knives. The mighty wind spell rolled towards Sephiroth. Instead of running away, he walked to it and began to slice the air many times to send a wave of explosive cuts to dissipate the tornado. The winds slowed to nothing, but Sephiroth's attack kept going like a cluster of swords, hitting Vincent with multiple blows until his cloak cut into ribbons.

"Vincent!" I screamed. I still couldn't move. Each time I tried to break free, the restraint squeezed tighter, leaving me grunting. My eyes fogged at watching pieces of Vincent's cloak fall around his feet, blending with the puddles of blood coming from his fresh cuts.

"Don't worry, buddy, I got you!" Cid was about to cast a curing spell, but Sephiroth didn't wait. He flew high over us in a flash, then dropped down, sword aimed at the earth. As soon as his sword stabbed into the floor between his boots, the whole area exploded with a wave of dark energy rippling away from him in all directions. Everyone was within range, and they were all knocked down, cries released.

"Stop it!" I screamed, body heating with energy. I broke out of his magnetic hold and stumbled forward a few steps.

Sephiroth teleported out of sight.

I felt his presence before his gloved fingers curved around my neck. I tilted my chin up and swallowed, only pushing against his fingers when they tapped lightly with a threat of a death grip at any second.

"It's not too late. With my help, you can still join Mother," he soothed, whatever that meant.

Before I could ask him to clarify, Cloud pushed himself to his feet and rushed in, sword zooming at Sephiroth like a torpedo.

"Fight me," he screamed. I felt the speed of wind rush past my shoulder when he darted closely, and Sephiroth let go of my neck to block. I charged until my body glowed, fists bright green, and looked over my shoulder. Cloud and Sephiroth were exchanging blows, sparks bursting with each clash.

No, I won't take the cruel man's words as bait and let him dangle them in front of me. He won't play me with his mind games anymore.

I lifted my hand and directed Flare at him. Behind his long, silver bangs, Sephiroth lifted his green cat eyes and latched onto mine before engulfing him in a fiery red explosion. A second later, he rose from the bloom, unscratched. His one wing flew him high to the heavens, a trail of smoke and black feathers following his heels, and he hovered to gaze down at us with regal effort.

His smooth voice rang in our ears when he announced, "Beg for forgiveness!"

Barret growled through his teeth and aimed his ready launcher.

"I'll never beg to the likes of you!"

The intensity of his scream traveled into his gun until a bright yellow beam exploded from it, widening. Sephiroth frowned at the beam, hitting his face with its light before taking damage. He summoned Wall in time, and Barret's beam split off in two, coursing around the strong barrier spell to dissolve in opposite directions.

Barret stomped his foot.

"Cheap ass," he raged, shaking his gun arm in the air.

Sephiroth's sword fell first and hit the Mako floor to create another attack. The ground exploded, bursts of red and black flames gushing through the cracks. Cloud jumped over a wave, unscathed. With his sword behind him and elbows up over his head, he slashed downward into Sephiroth's frontal lobe.

Sephiroth blocked in time, and they danced again, a delicate step of lovely swordsmanship based on the blade type. Cloud moved more aggressively, releasing hard combo hits, whereas Sephiroth stepped with patience, light on his feet, and hit with calculated precision. Cloud would do ten cuts before Sephiroth attempted to attack, a mighty one-hit blow that was enough to paralyze Cloud and leave him vulnerable for a second. Between their locked swords, Sephiroth's wild green cat eyes bore into Cloud's with mania.

"Even if you kill me, this is only the beginning," he hinted.

Cloud growled through his teeth with a shove, causing Sephiroth to jump backward to collect his footing.

"You're wrong. This ends soon," Cloud rattled, bursting in blue flames. He lifted his sword high, its tip to the heavens, and then he curled it behind him like a baseball bat. Upon a slash, a mighty blue tornado unleashed from the blade and whirled towards Sephiroth at high speed. As he did with Vincent's wind spell, Sephiroth sliced through the twister to disperse it and chuckled at Cloud's face twisting with frustration.

"I can't decide how to kill you," Sephiroth pondered, floating a few feet above us while a gloved hand tapped his chin. His wild eyes showed the anticipation of deciding which one of us to eat first. He lit up with a twisted smile behind his loose, silver hair and raised a free hand. It glowed in dark purple sparks.

I caught his eyes when he darted his cunning stare at me like he had a plan. I charged with energy and waved a hand to cast Flare to stop him from his spell casting.

"No more tricks, Sephiroth!" I cried, my hand sparkling. A burst of red and orange boomed over him. His hair shimmered by flames, and it tossed wildly. Sephiroth dropped his hand, the magic dispelled and landed roughly on his feet. He stumbled back a few steps for the first time, hissing to the heat, charring his fine leather armor. Bits of its edges glowed bright yellow from the metal melting.

When the fire and smoke cleared, there was not even a scratch on his face hiding behind an arm, but one of his pauldrons cracked.

"My turn," Cloud growled, charging in with his sword first, and did a jab into Sephiroth's stomach, cutting into his thick leather belt to leave a deep piercing wound. Sephiroth stumbled again, hair falling over his face and sword limp at his side, staggered.

Barret pumped a fist in the air. "Yeah, kick his ass!"

Yuffie jumped up and down, kicking her legs up with excitement. "Go Cloud!"

When I watched Cloud hit Sephiroth multiple times with everything he got, my heart refused to relax. Maybe there's a chance we'll win. Hope was within reach, and my stomach fluttered nervously to it.

Sephiroth finally straightened, composed again, and brought his sword across his chest to counterattack. Cloud jumped backward before he lost an arm; the sword attack traveled with him, flashing through the air like eight cuts in a ball. Deep gashes flared across Cloud's tight face, his teeth clenched and eyes closed while enduring the hits. He fell backward, his sword glued to his hand, and blood sprayed in the air from many new wounds. The fabric peeled away from his uniform, exposing long and bloody cuts over his skin, each weeping in blood. My heart raced to watch him recollect and land back a shaky step before collapsing.

Cloud breathed hard, one eye closed with a deep cut; weeping blood. His good eye opened on Sephiroth with so much hate; it only added more thirst for the Mako he demanded from his body.

Sephiroth smiled amusingly across the battlefield at Cloud's Mako rage.

"I've seen that look before," he whispered.

I wondered if he recalled the day Cloud ended his life, a boy driven by his passion for the fall of his precious home. The same fight held in his glowing blue eyes; the Mako was saturating his bloodstream until it leaked out as blue flames. He lifted a fist, curling his arm, and his muscles grew.

"Enough bullshit. Fight only me," Cloud stormed, his voice shifting to something unrecognizable and vicious.

I swallowed, paralyzed at his condition as I watched from afar. The more Cloud tensed, the bigger the blue flames bursts from his body, signaling more muscle to stretch until what was left of his shirt fell away, exposing all the cuts, scars, and blood. Sephiroth's eyes lit up, a possible equal opponent to delight him.

"Only you, I shall," he promised, liking what he saw.

Cloud's eyes lit up, his human soul hidden behind the brightness of Mako light, a beastly man drenched in power. A dangerous storm brewed inside him until sparks of blue electricity flashed across his body, jumping around while he kept his hot white death stare on Sephiroth.

Cloud became a machine. He's what Shinra envisioned among his Mako poisoned SOLDIERs. What were the odds of reaching such a high power spectrum without going mad? Without the Mako rejecting its host? How man boys and men die trying?

I couldn't look away, goosebumps covering my whole body. I couldn't move, couldn't speak, hardly even blink, too entrance, or maybe, I hated to admit it, too afraid.

Someone grabbed my wrist.

"This is Cloud's fight now," Vincent warned, and he pulled me back from the quaking field.

Still, I couldn't look away, even as I let him drag me.

Yuffie rubbed her hands together as I scooted beside her along a tall, Mako stone for cover.

"Oh man, this is gonna be sweet," she drooled. "I've only seen Cloud like this once, like, a million years ago. I've always wanted to see those two fight!"

"You should've seen him at the Forgotten City," Red mentioned. He nestled close to Barret's boot and added, "He was unstoppable. Mako is truly an extraordinary but destructive wonder. So much stress for a human body to handle. Hojo has lost many subjects to its side effects."

Tifa stood exposed, high on her feet, and arms crossed under her breasts. She watched the two men stare at each other, and her red eyes moistened until they sparkled from Cloud's distant blue light. Her thin eyebrows lifted.

"No. This is different," she muttered, and she shivered. Her long hair flapped behind her from the winds that escaped from Cloud's chaotic state, his body ready to burst with an attack.

Cid bit his lower lip; eyes angled sharply.

"This is what he wants," he grunted, unhappy with the decision to let the young fighter have this battle alone.

"And if he starts to lose?" Barret argued.

Cid tossed him a steady glare.

"Then we jump our asses in there and finish the fight," he replied sternly.

"Why not do it now?"

"No," Cid pressed. His sharp blue eyes softened when he gazed at what Cloud had become.

"This is what he's always wanted. Let's give it to him." And then, quieter, he whispered, "Even if it's his last gift."

My pelvis cramped enough to have me spill out a gasp. I gripped it hard, and a sharp, hot wave expanded across my thighs and up my stomach. Vincent never let go of my wrist; maybe he didn't trust me and acted as my safety chain. He felt it when I doubled over, gasping.

"Aqua, what is it?"

My mouth became dry.

The aches made it too difficult to speak in a complete sentence, my face perspiring.

"Just cramps," I tried, belittling it. Vincent watched me closely, not believing me.

Perhaps it was nervous knots, fearful of Cloud losing his life.

"Do you need to sit down?" Vincent pried. Immediately, I shook my head, making myself dizzy enough to stumble and bump into him. He held me steady and took a good look at my face.

"You're very pale," Vincent observed.

I brushed it off, using him as something to lean against, and my attention returned to Cloud sparkling like an upcoming blue lightning storm.

"I'm fine," I breathed.

I should've paid more attention to my body, rested, and assessed what was actually happening, but the fight was too distracting, delaying what I could've caught sooner.

Barret passed me a potion, but it didn't do any good. I felt the same; the pain never waned even when I drank every drop. I gave the anxious man a false smile, just to not worry him or anyone. What mattered was the fight.

From a safe distance, we all watched.

Cloud and Sephiroth stayed silent, their eyes never wandering as they concentrated on who was about to make the first move.

Who will strike first?

Cloud bursting with sparks and flames? Or sephiroth, his energy still well hidden? I blinked to adjust my vision, reading their energies. Sephiroth has always been unreadable, a walking skeleton with no trace of life to find. Cloud's form flooded with blue, a raging storm cloud engulfing him.

His energy shifted, ready to move.

I inhaled sharply and held my breath.

Cloud vanished out of thin air. So did Sephiroth. The two men teleported. One left behind bursts of blue lightning, the other a few scattered black feathers. A second later, the Planet shook before I could spot them with their swords together, clashing with mighty titan-sized effort. They teleported again. Clash! Another rumbling boom, blowing back rough winds and Mako sparks until I had to crouch away behind Vincent with only a part of my face exposed to observe.

Boom! Boom! Each hit created another wave of leaked energy emitting off the two powerful swordsmen.

Tifa still stood there, bravely taking in the rough winds, but she struggled to stand still, the waves attempting to push her back.

"Look at them go," she awed, her mouth left open.

I squeezed Vincent's arm, only seeing a blur of blue and black through the air of green stones and black vines. One boom blew open a vine, sparkles of Lifestream bursting free to take flight and scatter.

"If only Reeve could see this," Yuffie whispered, her large, brown eyes darting back and forth to spot where the two men would hit next. It was like that for a long time, just Cloud and Sephiroth teleporting and trying to beat each other off guard, but each attack was blocked, releasing large bangs of energy to make the field tremble in fear. Cloud's ferocious face glared over the two swords, grunting through his teeth. Sephiroth's face brightened from Cloud's light; his thin grey eyebrows scrunched with collecting data.

My lower stomach tightened again, another wave of pain rippling through me. Was my growing child kicking restlessly, sensing its father's state?

Cloud grew impatient with the teleporting nonsense, his eyes blazing. He stood again, just like before the fight. Sephiroth did the same, and they silently communicated with their eyes. Sephiroth smiled, whereas Cloud frowned.

"I haven't had this much fun in a very long time," Sephiroth chatted pleasantly. The next second, he flung his long blade, and a ball of cuts lashed towards Cloud.

My fingers dug into Vincent's arm.

Cloud didn't move except for his hand holding this sword. His ultimate weapon glowed brighter than I've ever seen before, too painful to look directly at it. He used it to easily bat away Sephiroth's attack, only to steer it towards us.

Tifa rolled out of the way before she was to join the unfortunate stones, many of them cut into tiny pieces and flung in the air.

Barret caught her in his arms.

"Tifa, you okay?"

"Yeah," she sighed, relieved.

Cloud didn't even notice. To him, we no longer existed. It was only this fight that mattered to him. Nothing except death could stop him.

The Mako flames pulsed out his body from his steady heartbeat, the man as solid as Mythril until he vanished.

Sephiroth lifted his sword, already seeing Cloud coming at him before I did, blocking his overhead attack. Their swords vibrated, cutting the air with electric energy waves, Cloud's sparks blue and Sephiroth's purple. Together, they mixed into a chaotic storm, breaking the world apart as more thick black vessels died from exposure, and the field cracked until Lifestream leaked through the crevices as pillars of green light.

Cloud teleported, only reappearing behind Sephiroth to jab his sword into his back.

Sephiroth twisted around in time to lift a hand and summon Wall.

Cloud's glowing sword stabbed at the barrier.

It shattered.

The Wall broke into pieces, falling on the unstable earth like thin fragments of broken glass at Sephiroth's boots. I've never seen his aqua eyes widen before, for once, startled. He grunted, his electric saw of a smile frozen. He trembled.

Cloud kept his hold, his sword halfway into Sephiroth's stomach, cutting into his SOLDIER belt until it laid loosely around his hips.

Everyone gasped.

"No fucking way," Cid whispered, not believing his eyes.

But that wasn't the only attack that succeeded. The long Masamune gleamed under Cloud's cold Mako light as it bulged out from his upper spine, a remarkable five to six feet of blade covered in his blood.

My breathing shallowed, tears already falling without permission.

Cloud's only response was a grunt, still stuck in his ultimate Mako phase to not even notice.

Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, and blood trickled over his lower lip.

"I've only tasted my blood once before," he sighed, his eyes wild with excitement.

He yanked his sword, and Cloud's bare chest spilled, blood running down his belly and over his pant leg until it pooled around his boot.

Tifa covered her eyes. "I can't watch," she shrieked.

Everyone held their breaths.

Cloud sizzled through his teeth as he pulled his sword free from Sephiroth's gut; the blade's light shadowed in blood until it glowed in red. I'd expected the two men to stagger back and have a moment to recover, but they were off again, teleporting to inflict more pain.

Every time Cloud's sword struck Sephiroth's, loose blue sparks burst into the air; some caught on their cheeks until their faces were covered with thin cuts.

Their hair exploded behind their heads, Sephiroth's a magnificent silver cape, and Cloud's a prickly blue light.

Despite their deep wounds, neither of them slowed, each attack the clashing of their swords until I feared the blades would break from such tremendous force.

Tifa was right. This Cloud was different. Not only powerful but also consumed by the Mako. Every second it was eating at his cells, taking away a little more of his life in exchange for its power. I could picture each cell of his going through apoptosis due to nucleic defragmentation, parts of him dying without his awareness. It's like how one might feel when they are high off cocaine before a heart attack.

My hands overlapped my mouth to fight against the urge to shout, my cheeks sticky with tears. If this is what needs to be done to stop Sephiroth, then I had to muffle my screams and stay back.

It hurt.

I felt it in my folded fetus, curdling stomach, tight chest, thickened throat, in my watery eyes, and pounding heart.

Please, dear Gods, please, don't let Cloud die. He may not care at this moment, but I know he'll regret it when he finds himself submerged in the Lifestream with no way to escape.

He won't lose.

Aerith?

Tingles snuck up my thighs and spine.

But…. I saw her eyelids lower, her profile against the hazy white world where she dwelled. A tear escaped, falling down her perfect cheek.

I'm so sorry, Aqua. I can't…

Like it was too much for her, the visit was brief, nothing more than a flash in my head; easy to think I did it myself just to ease my anxiety. I blinked, back to the fight, catching sight of Cloud jumping high in the air to cut Sephiroth's skull in half. He missed when the one-winged angel teleported out of sight. Cloud's sword cracked through the earth explosively until he made himself a deep crater.

He ignored the sharp smacks of green stones at his face when they lifted away, his hair and blood floating as he sank deeper until the crater was ten feet deep and twice as wide.

He cried out, "Damn it," and unleashed sparks.

My thoughts strayed back to Aerith, her words striking a hot arrow in my heart.

What are you sorry about?

Another sharp twinge stabbed my pelvis. I couldn't stand up straight, pulling away from Vincent to slump against a glowing Mako stone. The cold stone was refreshing against my moist cheek, a brief relief before it was to sizzle with a frost burn. My vision blurred. When I tried to focus on Cloud, he looked more like a fuzzy blue flame.

Gentle hands took my arm.

"Aqua, are you all right?" It was Tifa.

"I gave her a mega-potion, but it didn't seem to work," Barret said, rubbing the back of his head.

I thought the insides of my pelvis were being stabbed by a thick dagger, someone twisting it around in there with sinister humor.

Either the stone I leaned against was too cold, or a fever flourished. I felt hot, yet I was freezing, hugging myself in Tifa's jacket.

"I don't feel well," I finally admitted, breathless.

Tifa's anxious face blurred, and I wobbled into her until I fell into her arms.

"Aqua!" She gasped, holding me.

I drifted, ready to let go. Only my senses of touch and sounds remained. The strength of Vincent's arms and the controlled direction of Tina's voice when she ordered him to put me down somewhere. More battle blasts erupted in the background while Tifa tried to play as a medic.

"Yuffie, I need you here with me! Vincent, step away. Girls only," she insisted.

"Aw, I know nothin' about girl stuff," Yuffie whined. "I don't even know my bra size."

"Yuffie, NOW!" Tifa snarled.

I heard a gulp.

"Aqua, stay with me," Tifa begged, her voice steady. I tried, floating in between conscious and unconscious states. What was wrong with me? I'm a doctor; I should already know. The symptoms were apparent. It could be that I was in denial, or my sense of medicine left me, the practice long gone before I wanted it to. All matters of my health were left as the last worry, with too many other issues to prioritize. The medical staff is always the worst at being patients when roles are flipped.

Tifa's careful hands unzipped the jacket to check for any abnormalities. I felt the drift of wind cutting through my belly, where it continuously ached. I wanted to curl into a fetal position and hug my knees, anything to make the pain disappear.

Warm liquid leaked around my thighs.

Tifa gasped, her hands recoiling.

"What?" Yuffie spat, confused.

Tifa was quiet, adding to the suspense that pounded in my chest. I honed in on her breathing, hearing her trying to take deep breaths, but they came in and out shaky.

"Um…" her voice rattled, almost broken.

"What's wrong?! What is it?! Why won't you let me see?!"

"Yuffie, do you have any washcloths in your Moogle purse?"

"It's a backpack."

"Yuffie," Tifa sighed, shaking.

Yuffie fumbled in her pack, grumbling about wanting to see what was happening to me.

I opened my eyes, seeing bits of stones fall away. With a roll of my head, cheek pressed into the icy cold surface; I saw the blur of black and silver, Sephiroth. He stabbed into Cloud's thigh with more blood, but the Mako warrior preceded with a counterattack, hacking at a silver pauldron until it cracked away, exposing black leather and blood.

It was a brilliant show of two Gods fighting to the death, their attacks cracking through the Lifestream with a mighty threat.

Cloud was a walking, bloody mess, oblivious to his dying body as his single pauldron, the one he liked on his left shoulder, finally fell away, leaving a bloody shoulder. His pants had tears, his bare back like a work of art from an enthusiast torturer with a whip—so many slash marks of near misses that will soon become new scars.

Cloud, you're in the biggest fight of your life. How are you feeling? Are you even in there?

I reached for his scarred back. He looked so small and bright blue, a flickering icy flame able to fit in my weak hand. Fingers curled, and I grasped nothing.

Why did everything hurt?

Should I tell you what you've done? The terrible truth? Or keep it to myself? I may let you die with your friends, anyway.

Sephiroth's recent words rang in my head. I felt it was a clue to what was happening to me. His glowing eyes blazed like a pair of polished aquamarine stones, candlelight flickering behind them as they showcased their solid emptiness. I thought I imagined it, or maybe he was looking at me during battle, the only one to take notice of my reach.

He smiled cruelly—a Jenova smile.

Was I becoming delusional?

Tifa patted away at my thighs as she trembled, "It's okay. It's okay," over and over again. It hurt where she touched, my free hand fumbling with hers to resist the pressure.

"Aqua, don't!"

My hand became wet. Why was it wet?

I pulled it back to have a look, expecting water or spilled potion.

My hand flared open, glistening red. It smelt foul, like copper and death.

It took my slurry brain a second to process what it was.

Blood.

I blinked too many times to see it finally. Much of it stuck to my palm and shaky fingers, thick with clots.

My bloody hand shook. Behind it, I saw the blur of Sephiroth's evil smile; Jenova's red light eye switched on when he released her deep chuckle.

I stiffened, eyes burning at the blood on my hand.

That came from me...

Jenova's warning echoed.

Killing me won't be much help for you.

An image of Aerith's tear falling down her cheek.

I'm so sorry, Aqua. I can't…

Sephiroth's hints.

You rejected Mother. That was a mistake.

And then it all finally clicked.

My bloody hand began to glimmer in green sparkles, my fingers burning up.

What have I done?

I sat up with a jolt, gasping at the horrid truth. Tifa pushed my shoulders to urge me to lie back down.

"Take it easy. Don't look. Don't sit up," she quivered. All Materia locked in her fighting glove began to pulse, each beat emitting a glow of increased brightness.

Yuffie said nothing, her face white while she stared at her Materia acting up in her wrist band.

"Aqua, relax," Tifa begged, her cheeks wet.

I resisted, fighting to sit up while wheezing.

Of all times. Of all god damn times! What is this, a joke?

I lost all awareness of Cloud's battle after I turned my head one last time to see the possible final blow.

Sephiroth continued to stare at me like a stalking predator, letting Cloud's sword impale his chest right where his heart should be, or whatever it was that pumped the darkness into his veins. He took it with a glorified grin like he took the hit purposely, stumbling back like a puppet that just lost its strings. Its master was done with him, tossing him aside to roll her sleeves up and do the work herself.

Cloud's back of scars and cuts burned in my eyes, that and Jenova's pull of Sephiroth's role, letting him take the hit when her unique red eyes shut down.

We thought if we finished Sephiroth, we only had to worry about Meteor.

We were wrong.

In my delusional state, I may have been the only one to have seen Cloud's victory as a false one, a step into a deeper plot. Still, I was crumbling from the inside, feeling the heat of my powers transverse from my heart into the rest of my body's capillary network. It worked at lightning speed, my cells buzzing with green sparks after each wave, my Ancient blood bubbling with remorse.

My wheezes turned into gasps.

What do I tell Cloud?

I couldn't stop looking at the blood on my hand.

What do I tell my friends?

Tifa hid her face in her hands.

What do I do?

The countdown ticked loudly as time slowed. Background noise faded into an echo of fragments. Barret's cheer, mouth stretched open, and fist pumped in the air. Cid clapping. Red watching the fall of Sephiroth with lit eyes.

Yuffie shook her head, sniffling.

"She can try again, right? If we win, it's okay, right?" Her voice sounded distant and small, like a mouse when she sought reassurance from Tifa. The older woman shook her head in her hands, a mute.

My gasping increased, my bloody hand returning me to a horrible place. I could see the crystal altar behind my red fingers, Aerith's lifeless eyes, and her frozen smile.

Another precious soul was lost.

My bloody hand closed into a tight fist and shook violently, veins popping out as glowing green lines across skin. Everything tingled.

And then, my world turned green.

It was too hot. No matter how loud Tifa screamed, I couldn't hear her. Screams of the Planet brought ringing in my ears until it turned into dreadful tinnitus, blocking all external noise. My skin sweated, and my heart thumped hard, pulsing more power out until I was at the tipping point. Cloud's bracer couldn't hold it, the armor already saturated until it burned my shaky arm. I shut my eyes hard, pushing more hot tears to float like tiny bubbles around my head.

The Lifestream bubbled aggressively, bursting through cracks of the earth and black vines.

Cloud knew little of what was happening. He may as well have his back forever facing me. Through the green wall of flames, I saw his outline, his stretch of hand when he gipped Sephiroth's leather collar to hear his last words. I wish I could've listened to what he whispered, what made Cloud drop him with frustration. He raised his bloody sword like an ax and hacked a death blow into the beautiful man's chest until it cracked open—no sparkles of green energy. Nothing but blood sprayed on his face.

I looked away while hugging myself; teeth pressed together to fight against the uncontrollable tsunami inside me.

My heart shook, thin as glass, when it began to shatter. I tried holding it in, as one does when they try not to vomit even though they knew the contents of their meal were about to spill.

I hunched, holding my bare, broken belly inside my arms as if it would matter anymore.

What have I done?

The feeling of the blood leaking along my inner thighs haunted me; many towels were stained with the evidence.

This is what Cloud was afraid of all along, why he was so against me fighting. Was this the price I had to pay to be free from Jenova?

My lips opened, more green sparkles spilling out from my chest, the tips of my fingers and toes. The Lifestream boiled, shaking as it became more alive. I could've sworn I could hear Jenova smiling, watching from her throne.

This is unexpected, but I do desire a Planet with billions of souls of energy.

She licked her blue lips, excited to eat her upcoming meal.

I knew I wouldn't be able to hold back once I screamed. My walls were crumbling—my soul, heart, dreams, pains, and passion. Flashbacks of falling into this world came like images of a forgotten dream. The green light, my silent scream as I fell back first, seeing Isaac and the skyscrapers distancing.

In another flashback, my pillar of green light spiking up towards the sky of Cosmo Canyon, Cloud's back to me. The third flashback brought me to my green walls protecting me from Sephiroth's wrath. Isaac pushed me away as I reached for him. His sad brown eyes flickered over the Mako as he watched me fade from the crystal altar.

No. This couldn't happen again. Not here. The portal is gone. There's no other way.

A recent memory of Cloud, his face orange as he stared brutally at Meteor through the Highwind's glass. His eyes of hard truth glimmered.

I don't know. The crater feels like a special place. I bet all my money that if you unleashed all of your magic there, you would be able to get out of this."

Cloud.

My bloody hand reached for his blurry form beyond my wall of green flames.

Don't forget about me.

Please, turn around.

I screamed, and everything in this world changed forever.

He turned around, but it was too late.

The Lifestream erupted, shoving everything upward with a rush of a violent wave pushing everything with it. Everyone got swept up in the unstable energy, and the crater was ready to burst.

What have I done?

I broke down in a mix of wailing and screaming, all of my skin wrapped in the Lifestream's giant blistering arms until Tifa's coat burned away. I let the current carry me to the surface, to Meteor, and then to Heaven. The monumental green light stretched as wide as the crater while reaching beyond space.

Such phenomenon could be seen easily from the scattered towns of the North Continent, replacing Meteor's death glow with aqua light like massive auroras covering the sky. From Midgar, the pillar may be visible behind the smoggy dark sky, the blackout city glimmering faintly to the distant light.

From the darkness, those left in the city's skeletal form crawled from their shanty homes and high rises to have a peek.

The once red sky of the Planet changed, replaced with that of green, a miracle propelled from the North Crater. Where did the red sky go? Did the many residents of Kalm gather in the town square to catch a glimpse of the mysterious light? What about the people of Junon, piling on the top tier of the harbor to see the faint light take away Meteor? What did it look like from Gold Saucer or Cosmo Canyon?

No more hiding; many braved coming out of their sheltered places, hope in their eyes when the sky shifted to a color of life.

"What's happening?!" Yuffie shouted when she was yanked into the column of green light. Tifa's long hair lifted high over her head, her arms out to let it carry her as she looked down past her feet to search for the others. Her eyebrows rose, and her amber eyes were tired.

"I don't know!" That was all she could say.

"Aqua is doing this," Vincent announced, struggling to reach me. The current was too strong, lifting everything it touched as the crater shook tremendously.

"I'm gonna be sick!" Barret groaned, reaching speeds faster than a rocket carrying him to the surface.

Cid clutched to his Venus Gospel, his eyes closed as he took to the flow without fighting it. He already knew there was no escaping, the pilot giving up with disappointment.

"There's nothing we can do now," he shared in a heavy voice.

Red ascended, his front paws up to his furry cheeks.

He asked himself achingly, "Is this it?"

"What about Reeve?" Yuffie gasped, finally remembering the one member left behind, waiting for them.

The Lifestream swerved like water but felt more like hot flames burning at my skin until I could've sworn it blistered. I continued to scream as much as my soul wanted to until all the pain was out. Was that even a possibility?

I've become too lost in my sorrows to register what I've just done, consumed in my chaotic state.

Jenova laughed, taking the ride with joy as she spread her long, tentacle arms out as one does when drifting down a river on their back.

We both lost a child today but fear not. With great sacrifice comes great reward.

Don't talk like you've just lost someone precious. You didn't care about Sephiroth. You didn't give birth to him or carry him in your womb.

"Aqua!"

Don't. It's too late.

I curled into a tight little ball, wailing in the massive tunnel of Lifestream, taking me away. Everything it touched; monsters, my friends, Sephiroth's fallen body, Jenova; Everything inside its glowing walls peeled away from this world.

Cloud...

I wish I could hear his voice. I pretended to listen to him calling me, feeling its phantom tingles of already forgotten pleasure in my spine.

I'm sorry again, Cloud.

Aqua!

I'm sorry, Aerith.

Oh Aqua, what have you done?

I'm sorry, Isaac.

I'm sorry, everyone.

I screwed up.

Big time.

A bright blue hand cut through my sparkling green cocoon, fingers chilled before taking hold of my hot shoulder. Such a cold hand until it burned, sizzling through my first layer of skin, a supposed tender gesture that ended up harmful but I didn't recoil, too far gone to fight it. Another hand cut through my walls, cold metal fingers stiffly curling around my arm to pull me through. I stayed in a tight ball, unable to stop sobbing as I concealed my bloody hand into my folded arm to hide the ugly truth. Bright hazy eyes pushed their way through and entered my cold, cruel world, followed by a hard face behind blue flames. I didn't have to see that it was Cloud trying to break free from his berserk form. He's in there, somewhere, cradling me into his burning body. I let him take me, even if his hold charred me, a dangerous embrace. I buried my face into his flaming chest, begging to be consumed by the Mako flames that danced around us. I held onto him as tight as I could handle, frost burn stinging the tips of my fingers when I squeezed them into his back.

Cloud grunted, resisting losing himself.

"I..." His words struggled, heavy stones choking up his throat.

"I got..." he shook tremendously from his effort to stay with me.

"...you..."

I only cried harder in his chest; my tears turned to ice.

Cloud, you somehow felt my pain or heard my cry, the crater crumbling away to stir your soul more awake to console me finally. I sobbed against his hot skin, smearing my cold tears and blending my green shell with his blue one. Tightly together, we traveled with the Lifestream's gateway, Cloud's world fading behind its walls.

Soon, the green tunnel of light faded. The clouds had been pushed back to the far corners of the Planet, giving its children the blessing of a clear day or night. A bright blue sky materialized. Twinkling stars flickered like candlelight.

Meteor was gone.

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