Darkness Rising By Chibi Nataku

Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)

AUTHOR'S WARNING: This fic has been bumped up to a yaoi pairing between Sephiroth and Cloud. You have been warned so proceed at your own risk. So far, it is merely some shounen-ai, but it might turn a bit more in later chapters.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is mild language in this chapter, so please don't make your eyes bleed by reading it if you don't like the use of explatives. It's really only because Cid is in this chapter. .

Also, I really apologize for how long it took me to get this chapter up. I've been really busy with University, so it has been stuffed in some corner for awhile! I finally found it and worked away madly on it. I really hope that I will be able to get the next chapter up faster. Apologies!

Chapter 14 - A Shadow of Doubt

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Cloud stood silently in darkness, gaze fixed on the non-existent ground, aware of nothing but himself. He knew what he was, his purpose in the grand scheme of things, but he had lost his hold on that part of himself because of the darkness around him. So, he stood tracing over the fine lines of new knowledge, his mind slipping over the mass knowledge of the planet. He had questions and all he really had to do was search out the answers, but he was uncertain if he wanted access to all this knowledge. Sometimes, blissful ignorance was the best way to live as a warrior.

Yes, Sephiroth was dead. He hadn't meant to rip the silver-haired man's soul free so brutally, but he had been driven by the spike of duty to Hollow Bastion in that form. He had felt the power of himself, and he admitted that it had frightened him slightly that he could remove one of the most powerful men in the worlds with a single touch of his hand and command. He was not completely certain if he regretted his actions.

And with all his knowledge, he knew of Zax. His friend, now nothing, had been a small fragmentation of the planet sent to guide him in his mortal life. Zax had never told him things because the planet thought he was not ready to know, but in the end, Zax had always been true to him. His only real friend was gone, sacrificed it all so that he could return to Hollow Bastion. It hurt him more that the planet had not expected the movements of Zax and could not intervene to stop him. He already missed Zax's presence.

Cloud slowly lifted his head at the sound of approaching footsteps in the darkness, not even certain where he was anymore. All he knew was that someone approached almost casually towards him, and he wondered vaguely who it would be. Would it be Sephiroth? Perhaps Zax? Maybe Aerith? His mother? His uncle Grakas? He had a feeling that it was none of those people just be the feeling that surrounded the approaching individual, a warrior he thought. He wondered who would have the power to find him in all this darkness.

His eyes widened slightly as the shadows pulled back to reveal a man, unwavering cool blue eyes staring back at him. The man had shoulder-length dirty blonde hair, tied back in a warrior's tail, and he wore the crisp uniform of a Royal Guard - blue slacks, knee high black leather boots, blue top with a brown belt connecting from shoulder to hip. The man was older than him, not by much, possibly twenty-five at the most. He noted the small knife hilt from the man's boots and the standard issue blade attached at the man's side, and he didn't have to question who stood before him, though he was shocked with the sudden recognition.

"...Father?" he breathed, taking a tentative step forward. He had been four when his father had died, and he could remember nothing of the man's facial features. All he remembered as a child was those boots and legs. He actually never knew he was almost exactly his father's height until now. "...I never knew you..."

Walian smiled warmly at his son and lifted a hand of greeting. "You were very young when I passed away, Cloud. I wouldn't expect you to really recognize me aside from pictures."

Cloud blinked and nodded his head. This was too unreal, to be faced with his father who he never really knew. "I'm dreaming this, aren't I?"

"Your heart requires guidance, and it picked a form that you most wanted to see," Walian said as he walked a few more paces up to Cloud, lifting a hand to cup his son's cheek warmly, eyes roaming over Cloud's similar features. "You've grown so strong, my son. I am very proud of you."

"You're not really here. You are telling me things that I want to hear, if you are just a creation of what my heart desires," Cloud responded defensively, taking a step back from his father, removing himself from touching distance.

Walian cocked his head to the side slightly before smiling warmly again and gesturing around them. "You control the Lifestream, meaning you can pull up any soul that has ever lived into your mind whenever you want to. Simply because you're heart desired to see me doesn't mean I'm just a figment of your imagination. No, I exist as a part of the Lifestream and you drew my essence into your mind because you wanted to see me." He slowly crossed his arms across his chest, regarding Cloud with that same warm smile. It had been a long time since he had been able to get this close to his only child. "You have something to ask me, Cloud?"

Cloud looked sharply at his father, eyes narrowing considerably before he turned away, looking off into the darkness again. "How could you love her when she never loved you? She cheated on you, never really mourned your loss, and waited to be wrapped in the arms of another man. How could you love mother?!" He tried to keep his force calm, but this question had been eating at him ever since he had found out about Sephiroth.

Walian chuckled softly and nodded his head, a very good question to ask. He walked around Cloud before stopping so that he was facing his son, looking into Cloud's eyes. "I loved your mother. Your mother loved me as well." He raised a hand to silence Cloud's protests, wanting to speak the answer to the question he was asked. "We loved each other Cloud, just as we loved you. Your mother was perfectly honest with me about her previous relationship with General Sephiroth, and I accepted it, with some trouble at first, but I came to terms when I found out that she had conceived." Again, he raised a hand when Cloud began to protest. "Your mother was very loyal to her word, Cloud. She told me on the night of our wedding that she and the General had cut ties to each other. I believed her, as any man should trust his lover and wife."

"But she waited for him! After you died, she waited every night looking out that stupid window. She didn't wait for you! She waited for Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted at his father, wanting to yell at this injustice about his mother. He had loved and adored his mother with his entire being, but he found this accusation haunting him. "She loved him more than she loved you..."

"No, you think she loved him more than she loved YOU, Cloud." Walian smiled sadly when Cloud looked at him sharply again, his son's eyes flashing with unspoken frustration and anger. He reached up and cupped Cloud's cheek, stepping closer when his son tried to pull away, using his other hand to grasp Cloud's shoulder to keep the boy in place. "She loved you very much, Cloud. She loved me very much. She loved Sephiroth very much." He met his son's eyes on equal terms. "In all of the five years I was married to your mother, never once did she think about Sephiroth as I had asked of her. In exchange for her hand in marriage and loyalty, I told her that I wanted my family taken care of, and that if she wished it, she could contact Sephiroth and rekindle their old relationship if I ever died. I wanted my son taken care of by a good man, and I knew that the General would treat you well, just like he would your mother."

Cloud shook his head and tried to look away, finding it difficult with his father's hold on his face. He didn't want to pull away from the contact, so he remained looking at Walian. "They never started anything again."

Walian smiled sadly and nodded his head, aware of the reasons for such a thing. "She saw him at my funeral, and he offered sympathy for her loss." He chuckled softly at Cloud's slight interest in his tale now. "Your mother... wanted to go to him, but she couldn't bear it. She had been forced to announce the 'death' of her only child at that funeral, and it weighed on her heavily that she couldn't just let you out into the world until your lineage was certain. She didn't want you to be put to death, so she agreed with my family that it was safer for you to remain hidden for some time."

"I wish she had never said that..." Cloud said softly.

"She regretted it the moment she said it," Walian replied and allowed his hands to fall back to his sides. "She loved you deeply, and she hated herself for putting you through that pain of isolation, which is why she pulled back from you and stared out that window. Yes, she wanted Sephiroth to come and rescue her, but she more wanted him to come so that he would know that you lived." He smiled again and once more crossed his arms, tapping one of his boot toes on the endless back floor. "When are you going to trust someone, Cloud?"

Cloud looked at his father in slight confusion before he finally just shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "All the people I trusted or wanted to trust are dead." He closed his eyes and looked at the floor, mirroring his father's act of tapping a boot on the floor. "Leokas was murdered in the Heartless attack. Mother died when I was fifteen. Zax..." he had to pause for a moment before sighing heavily and continuing, "he gave his identity to send me back to Hollow Bastion."

Walian waited silently for a few moments, quirking an eyebrow at the small list given to him. He leaned back slightly on his heels and continued to wait for the other name on that list, chuckling when Cloud only stared at him. "And Sephiroth? Your General? A man-at-arms?"

"What about him?" Cloud inquired, not certain if he was comfortable with this small subject.

"You trusted him even up to the point where he returned to the planet. You always had trust with him." Walian smirked when Cloud threw him a bit of a glare and shook a few wild blonde strands from his eyes. "You deny it?"

Cloud stiffened slightly. "I deny nothing."

"You hide nothing from me either, Cloud. I have watched you grow up from the Lifestream, and I know trust when I see it. You trusted the General as much as you trusted Leokas, possibly even more." Walian cocked his head to the side so that he made it clear that would listen to any protests, but he smiled in satisfaction when he received no argument from his son. "He enjoys your company, you know. And even in his darkest moments, he was looking out for your health and well being... when you scraped away the obsession, that is." He chuckled at Cloud's skeptical glance, yet he could see the slight pull to hear more from his son. "I'm not certain, but I think the good General developed something more than simply trust for you, my boy."

Cloud stiffened again, looking incredulously at his father. He had trouble wrapping his brain around the fact that Sephiroth could like him, aside from possibly when the man was in full swing of obsession over him. He had never noticed any advancement from the General in all of his years as a Royal Guard, and he had seen his share of advancements from way too many people. "His obsession drove him to think many things about me that he shouldn't have."

Walian chuckled softly and shook his head slightly. "My son, you have feared love since the death of your mother. The complexities of love were too much for you to fathom in your grief for her, and you always ignored any interest you might have had for anyone, always throwing yourself into your own little obsession... to be the best Royal Guard." He patted Cloud on the shoulder and began to walk a few paces away. "I know you used to let him watch you when you were on shift. In your own way, you were trying to impress him."

"I was not!" Cloud retorted, more incensed that his father spoke the truth.

Walian quirked an eyebrow and folded his hands behind his back, wanting to hear the reasons behind that little claim. He cocked his head to one side when Cloud did not speak up anymore, and chuckled softly. "You are so like your mother, Cloud. You trotted at her heels the very moment you could walk, pouted when she was too busy to watch you at all times, and clung to her dress when company was over." He smiled in fatherly pride at Cloud. "Even now, you follow your mother and attract the same attention that she did from the same people."

Cloud felt his jaw fall open slightly, and sputtered to formulate a response, finally just settling for looking away and scrambling for an answer. He denied his father's words, that he was not feeling any sort of interest in Sephiroth besides a man-at-arms or his enemy. Besides, even if he did feel for Sephiroth - which he didn't - it would be too weird to like that same man who nearly fathered him. Yet, there was... something...

Yes, he very well remembered the times that he had sparred with Sephiroth, and there had been many times as he grew up and filled out. He had spent five years under Sephiroth's direct command until he was promoted to the same rank, and he had achieved his first victory in the sparring ring against the General. Though he had initially passed off his success as put luck alone, he had seen the silent shift in Sephiroth towards him, the General having a strange almost invisible fond smile as he left for duty. The General's requests to spar with him increased dramatically after that point, and he had always accepted no matter the time that the request actually reached his hand.

Their spars became much too popular, other guards slacking on duties just to come and watch, and Sephiroth had stopped sending requests through the chain of command after a while. He would often find small notes tucked into reports, under his pillow, tucked in a shoe after bathing, and he had silently checked all the time for the little challenges. They usually took their spars in Ansem's personal training ring beneath the castle where there were not prying eyes taking bets or cheering loudly for one or the other. He had never once turned down an invitation to spar, though he had developed just as secretive a skill at contacting Sephiroth if there was a problem with the time.

He looked over to his father at the sudden sound of cursing somewhere. "What the...?"

"Our time is over for now, my son," Walian replied as Cloud looked around, their gazes locking for a few brief moments before he turned and began to walk away into the darkness. He stopped in mid-stride before looking over his shoulder at his son. "I'm very proud of you, Cloud. When this is all over, I hope you will open up a little more."

Cloud watched his father fade into the darkness and sighed heavily, looking around for the sound of muttering curses, walking tentatively towards it before he was dragged the rest of the way. His eyes snapped open in time to have another blonde man stumble on him, vaguely recognizing the other man as one who served to build ships for Lord Ansem. He stared up at the other blonde before forcing himself to sit up slowly, groaning as his body protested the treatment.

"You fucking fell on my ship!" Cid yelled down at the spiky blonde, glaring death down at the General of Hollow Bastion. He growled and gestured over his shoulder towards the entrance of the castle, still glaring at the spiky blonde. "Get your scrawny butt up, General. Out here is no place for you, for some goddamn reason. Leon and Aerith wanna see you." He looked up at his gummi ship and chewed madly on the small stick in his mouth. "If there is any damage on that beauty, I'm gonna whoop your blonde ass till next week."

Cloud stood up at his own pace, wincing as his wounded shoulder screamed pain to every nerve of his body. He kept an eye on the older blonde, Cid he thought. He had never formally had much to do with the man, but he did remember the man's rude language and crude temper. He ran his fingers over his shoulder, feeling strange without the extra appendage, and he had to fight back nausea when waves of pain bombarded his senses. He bent slightly and picked up his red cloak, slipping it back into place on his shoulders as he regarded Cid out of the corner of his eye, immediately noting that the older blonde was impatiently glaring at him. "No reason..."

Cid waved a hand at the General and started to walk down out of the docking bay. "I don't know what the hell is going on, so keep your trap shut and just follow me, General." He didn't bother to look over his shoulder to make sure that Cloud was following him, only mildly interested that the General had returned to Hollow Bastion. Despite himself, he had liked Cloud as a Royal Guard. The younger man didn't talk much, got the job done, and never talked back to him, all signs that the General was a man he could like.

Cloud followed silently, not even certain where his sword was at this point. He found himself rather disoriented yet feeling his mind crystal clear, all the answers still at his fingers tips and the soft whispers of the planet echoing softly in the back of his conscious mind. He felt sick with the feel of darkness around him, pounding at every cell and grabbing at the knowledge that he had suddenly stumbled upon, trying to gain control of him and extinguish the light he knew partly maintained the planet. Yet, he refused to show his discomfort or illness on his features, having long since learned to keep all thoughts simply internally.

However, the planet murmured softly in the back of his mind, concerned for him and urging him to rest for awhile before making any daring attempts to be a hero. He could feel the planet's limited aid it could send to him, the darkness both in himself and eating at the inner core of the Lifestream causing the planet to draw back and hide most of itself. He was still in darkness, but he could make his attempt to step back into light again with all of the knowledge that he carried, but right now, simply walking was an effort. With the effort so great, he kept himself silent and just concentrated on the comforting feeling of the planet's gentle waves touching him, comforting him from his fears, and supporting him with silent strength that he realize was always there just he never really put a name to the feeling.

'Come to us, child,' the planet whispered in his mind when he found himself looking down a hallway that lead deeper below the castle. He could sense power down that hallway in a manner he never before had when standing here, but he instinctively knew it was a hallway that would somehow lead him to the core, to a direct physical link to the Lifestream. 'Come our child and become what is meant for you within our protection.'

Cloud stopped and allowed his glowing gaze to wander down the mostly darkened hallway, his mind almost tentatively reaching back towards the planet. He knew now that he could activity communicate with it, but he was somewhat weary of the feelings that might stem from the contact. Would he become just another voice? He studied the hallway and the soft warmth in his mind, the planet waiting for him to either reply or make movements to go closer. 'What is meant for me?'

The planet seemed contented with the soft question, and it surged more into the mind of its strong heart, pleased that Cloud was slowly opening up to it. 'You are tainted, child. We will cleanse you of that taint and allow your mind to think clearly and your body to attain the form meant for it.' The planet silently tried to nudge the blonde down the hallway, and it withdrew when its strong heart pulled back, weary of it. The planet was patient with its most prized and adored child, and it knew that the blonde would come only when ready. 'Come and rest yourself, child. We shall give you time to recover from your many battles.'

Cloud cocked his head to the side, and he searched down the answers of the planet's words and was mildly skeptical of what the Lifestream really wanted him to do. 'You want me to become that creature with the wings?'

'Isn't that what you want as well, child? Your freedom from the taint that has stained you?' The planet replied softly and wrapped warmth around the blonde's weary mind. It would protect its strong heart as long as it had the strength to do so.

Cloud was about to respond when he heard his name roughly called, his attention shifting to regard Cid tapping a foot impatiently a few feet ahead of him. He cast one look down the hallway and silently gestured to it, indicating that he wanted to go down this way, much to the planet's delight. He watched Cid curse and stalk over to him, leaning back slightly when the older man stopped a little too much in his personal space. "That hallway..."

"...is full of Heartless! One bloody step down there and you'll get us both killed, so you move your scrawny ass down this hallway...General." Cid decided to throw in the spiky blonde's title as a gruff encouragement for Cloud to follow him instead of taking them on a suicide course through the entire castle. He had better things to do with his time than die a likely painful death; he had Gummi ships to build and death didn't provide good wages anyway. "Leon cleared out this hallway, so we go THIS way." He didn't give the other man time to reply as he turned on his heel and continued to march down the hallway towards the library.

Cloud blinked, took one last look down the hallway and also judged it wise to bypass the hallways until he knew from Leon where the Heartless were so that he could mostly avoid them until he could get down to where the planet wanted him to be. He had time to spare and check in on things before he made any daring attempts at throwing his life away just to get nowhere. He needed a plan and a concentration of Heartless, since the planet could only provide where it was being attacked from at this point in time. If Leon knew where the Heartless were concentrated, he could find a way to get around them before picking out the best strategy to attack from.

Wordlessly, he fell back into line behind Cid, moving briskly down the various hallways, not bothering to question the path they took. Instead, his gaze moved around the old castle, getting familiar with its walls and strength after so many years off of the planet and away from the life he had grown to love. Even with Heartless and the fact he was a strong heart, home would always feel like home to him. It was a feeling that relaxed his body and his mind to reflect on the time he had spent walking these halls on patrol or socializing with his fellow guards. It had been peaceful time back then, with little worries and real hardships.

Cid stopped at the edge of a corner and peered around the wall to the door that would lead to the library, aware that this was the most dangerous part of the journey. The Heartless in the area were extremely persistent about not staying dead, and the last thing he wanted was to deal with more problems. He had enough dragging the quiet blonde General down the halls without getting either of them ambushed by the little black freaks. He muttered gruffly under his breath and flicked his nose before nodding at the General to follow him. "Don't do anything stupid around here, General. Heartless are always wanting to stick their freaking claws into the nearest thing."

Cloud merely nodded silently and followed the grumpy pilot, taking time to step only the places that Cid stepped in case there was a sort of strange pattern to causing the Heartless to appear. He tucked his chin more into his cloak, glowing eyes moving around the main entrance way for any sign of hostile enemies that he would need to take care of; though, he wondered what he would considering he still didn't have a sword. He didn't let that fact bother him too much and only kept a sharp eye for any movement aside from himself and Cid.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Leon nodded his head silently, crossing his arms as his eyes strayed from Aerith to his left and Yuffie to his right, all three of them aware of the feat that Sora was trying to accomplish. The sealing of the final door, the door that only Hollow Bastion could lead to and Ansem had stumbled on out of sheer luck alone. He thought that Sora could do it, having felt the strength from the spiky brunette as Sora disappeared into the quickly sealing door of Hollow Bastion. Now, Sora and the two others were trapped on one side of Hollow Bastion, and the Heartless of the planet were trapped on the other.

And Leon was the most aware of how odd the Heartless were acting, not normal behaviour really. When he had been clearing out the halls for Cid to get from his Gummi to the library, he had noted quickly that the Heartless were not as interested in killing him as they were from melting into the shadows around the halls he was clearing out. He knew that Yuffie had noticed it too, but he could find no real reason for the Heartless to suddenly change tactics on them after the disappearance of Sora and the sealing of the door of Hollow Bastion. Yet, the Heartless had moved away from them and had not returned, as if their minor abilities to concentrate had been set elsewhere.

"I can't believe that Lord Ansem was responsible for the fall of our planet," Yuffie announced for the fifth time, setting her hands on her hips. The silence of the library was driving her bonkers, and she simply had to break it up to keep her own sanity intact and her feet from wandering. "Why would he do that?"

Aerith smiled warmly at Yuffie and crossed her own arms lower down on her waist, grasping her forearms as she also tried to think of a plausible reason for Ansem to release Heartless into Hollow Bastion. She had only been able to half think of an answer, her attention still directed towards her missing adoptive father, having been more aware of the screams of the planet than the others. Something was wrong, but she didn't let it show on her face. Right now, she had to think of why Ansem would want Hollow Bastion destroyed. "Perhaps he was insane and didn't realize he was doing it?"

Leon shook her head and leaned back against a bookcase, thinking himself. The leader of their planet had been the one to betray them all the most, the cause of his family and friends' deaths. "Perhaps he wanted to keep the Heartless on the planet to give him time to gather all of his allies and capture the Princesses of Heart. He could have been using the Heartless to keep people from returning to the planet so that he could have complete access to Kingdom Hearts." He pushed off of the book shelf and stood, looking between Aerith and Yuffie. He nodded his head and gestured with a gloved hand. "With the Heartless around, the General and Sora would have trouble getting to the keyhole and stopping Ansem. With Sora chasing after Ansem to seal Kingdom Hearts, the Heartless have no real purpose save to wait for the General to return..."

"Hey kiddies, look what the cat dragged in... and fell on my ship!" Cid announced loudly, gestured behind him to the blonde General of Hollow Bastion. He chewed more vigourously on his toothpick as all attention focused on the long lost General, nearly smiling at the relief that flooded Aerith's face. He had a soft spot for reunions, but he refused to let that show on his gruff exterior. "Little bastard nearly dented my baby with his fall!"

Aerith let her hands fall to her sides as Cloud looked at her, a warm smile gracing her features over his return to Hollow Bastion after fifteen years away. She walked to meet him, cocking her head slightly as Cloud's gaze shifted to the floor away from her. She folded her hands behind her back and leaned down so that she could look into his face, coming immediately aware of the change around him. When he finally looked up at her slightly and met her gaze, she could see why, knowledge, exhaustion, and pain all shifting through his glowing blue eyes. "Papa..."

"Aerith," Cloud responded softly, sighing heavily. He forced a weak smile on his face and checked her over for injury and happiness, relieved when she appeared unharmed and now extremely relieved. He didn't reach out to touch her, just studied her silently, his mind slipping over the knowledge that the planet had about Aerith. He was knocked from his thoughts when delicate arms wrapped around his midsection, and Aerith lay her head on his shoulder, nearly holding him tightly. He and Aerith had never been particularly physical in affection, not once she had grown old enough to not need to be comforted from the dark and was completely independent. Affection in front of others he had not experienced since the last time he had been on Hollow Bastion, some fifteen years earlier. It was warmth that made his muscles relax as he allowed a tentative arm to wrap around her shoulders.

"Awwwwww, that's just so cute, Squall!" Yuffie suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hand together at the rather touching scene.

Leon sent a glare at Yuffie and was about to correct her about his name when he realized that he had given Yuffie and Aerith permission to use his first name again. After so many years of demanding a name change for revenge, he found that the old habit would be a hard one to let go. He finally just settled for leaning back against the book case and watching the two quietly. He was silently relieved to have the General back, and he could tell that both Cid, Aerith, and Yuffie felt the same, yet he wondered if this meant that General Sephiroth had died. "Did you fight, General?"

"Fight? Who the hell was fighting? And what the hell was that black crap on my Gummi!?" Cid questioned loudly from his placement at the door, once more taking to glaring at Cloud's back.

Yuffie bounced over to Cid and knocked him playfully on the stomach, receiving a glare from the old man. "Cloudy was gonna fight Sephiroth!" She made her way over to Cloud silently and peeked under the blonde's red cloak, investigating the odd colour of his sweater before jumping back at his sudden glare. "Whoa! Where did your creepy demon wing of death go?"

Cloud released his hold on Aerith and stepped back, reaching back to run his fingers over the still bleeding sizeable space where his wing had attached to his shoulder. He immediately noted Aerith's silent worried expression and waved a hand at her, silently insisting that he was not as wounded as it sounded or looked by the amount of blood that he had lost. He was keenly aware of all attention on him and sighed heavily, knowing full well that an explanation was required for his wounded state and his battle with Sephiroth.

He decided to start simply with the results of the battle. "General Sephiroth is dead," he smiled behind his cloak at Leon's nod of approval and silent congratulations, but he forced himself to elaborate more on the contents of the battle. "We were evenly matched until he started to cast magic where I..." he gritted his teeth with the admittance, "...made a nearly fatal mistake, and managed to cast a particularly devastating spell that drained me of my energy completely. He wanted to advantage over me, so...he cut my wing off."

"You're still bleeding," Aerith pointed out gently, moving closer to Cloud's side and lifting a hand to touch his left shoulder. When he made no movement to pull away from her touch, she gently arranged the red cloak to look at the wound, stepping in behind her adoptive father more. She pulled the blood slick sweater away from the grievous wound, wincing at Cloud's sharp intake of breath, meaning that the wound was more than a little sensitive for him. She didn't have to look at the wound long to form her own conclusions about its condition. "Cloud..."

"I know," Cloud replied softly, not bothering to elaborate.

Yuffie, being the impatient one of the group and still mildly fascinated with the General's return, piped up with a bubbly voice from beside Leon with, "You know what? Come on, tell everyone else too! We want to know!"

"You mean, YOU want to know," Leon corrected, smirking slightly at Cid's guttural grunt of agreement.

Yuffie pouted mildly at the gang-up, but she wasn't about to let that hinder her from the getting the information that she wanted. She looked pleadingly at Aerith and gestured with hand gestured that she was actually looking for an answer to her question. She eventually wandered over to Aerith's side and investigated herself, blinking as she found what seemed like a gather considerable chuck of information. She covered her mouth and looked wide-eyed over at Aerith. "Blood is not supposed to be mostly black and inky!! Euw! That's so gross!"

"Bloody Heartless!" Cid yelled and rubbed the side of his noise with his thumb, shooting a sizeable glare at the blonde General. So, the other blonde was turning into a Heartless, was he? Cid could quickly fix that! "We don't need another fuckin' Heartless here!"

Leon noted quickly that Cloud was not about to make a response to Cid's heated words. They had all be affected by the Heartless of the planet and tempers simmered hot at the mention of a normal person slowly turning into one. Usually the process to becoming a Heartless was instaneous simply because the heart was weak and could give into the darkness easily, but the General was a strong heart and would fight to the bitter end. He strode to stand next to the General, looking the blonde in the eye. "How long, General? Until..."

Cloud silently shook his head, searching the planet for the answer. It slipped him a soft response and gave him new indications of the multitude of changes he was already undergoing. He raised his right hand and stared at his fingers, noting the black fingernails he now bore. He sighed heavily and met Leon's gaze. "If the rate continues as it has been since my second darkness treatment, a week at the most. If it speeds up considerably, between a couple of hours and the end of the day. It depends if I rest or not."

Cid threw his hands up in the air and marched over to a nearby chair, grabbing it in his hands. He lifted the chair, not bothering to care that it looked like he was about the beat the snot out of the blonde General with a chair. He marched noisily behind Cloud, slammed the chair down, walked around the blonde and shoved in Cloud down to the chair. "There, you're restin'. No bloody Heartless!"

Aerith couldn't help but smile at Cid's grudging manner of admitting how important Cloud's survival was to all of Hollow Bastion. Cid had not been informed of all of the information surrounding Cloud, but the older man had been told that Cloud was a friend and ally to them no matter his mental and physical state. The fact that Cid had brought Cloud to them without questioning her adoptive father showed the older blonde's fondness for the returning General. She smiled warmly at Cid and lay her hands gently on Cloud's shoulders, urging her adoptive father to remain seated and resting.

Cloud sighed heavily and gladly sat for a moment, closing his eyes and leaning his elbows on his knees. He remained silent even as Yuffie started to chat idly to the group, her happy bubbly voice shifting in his mind as he retreated and listened only to the tones of the people around him, each person a contribution to the echos of his own mind, reminding him vaguely of the waves of the sea. They would wash in then wash out again, each tone washing over the beach in a different manner, time slipping over him without a single care about him. It felt good to sit and feel the planet's whispers in him mind.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Yuffie asked as quietly as she could manage, noting that it appeared that the General had fallen asleep. "He doesn't look so good..."

Leon passed a glance down at the resting blonde, noting that Cloud's eyes were closed and the blonde appeared to be sleeping. He didn't really think that the General was actually fast asleep since they would have trouble waking the blonde up again by the stories of how heavily Cloud slept. He passed a glance over at Aerith, noting her silent worry. "I think he'll be alright if he rests."

"The little bastard better not do anything stupid. We need 'im, so he better not get all selfish and die or I'll kill 'im!" Cid ignored the fact that he couldn't kill the General if Cloud was already dead, but he would find a way. He was not stupid. It was obvious that there was more to the dozing blonde than he was being told about, but that didn't matter to him so long as everything would be alright again.

Aerith smiled sadly and ran her hands over Cloud's slumped shoulders, feeling the silent tension that he was carrying. Her adoptive father was buckling under that strain, and it saddened her that he was forced to suffer alone. Still, she was happy that he had returned home again, aware of his love for Hollow Bastion. "He'll be alright. I can feel it, so long as he gets the peace he needs," she said quietly.

Cloud stiffened considerably as the planet went completely silent in his mind and a shot of pure energy slipped through his body. For a moment, he just sat, but his mind was touching the silence where the planet's low hum had been. He found the planet still in his conscious mind, but it seemed to be analyzing the source of the energy that had affected both himself and the Lifestream. 'What is it?' he finally asked when no answers surfaced to him.

The planet was silent for several more moments before it came to a sudden surgence of energy, the moment it had been waiting for finally arriving. 'Sealed! Kingdom Hearts sealed with the Keyblade! Heartless will stop!' The thousands of voice echoed all throughout the planet, its energy surging and raising a heated cry of joy. The final gate had been sealed away and was now safe from Ansem's hands, untouched for all time now that the Keyblade master had succeeded in the ultimate task. 'We are free!'

Cloud's eyes snapped open as he suddenly climbed to his feet, his attention still focused inwards as the planet's cries raged through him, strengthened energy surging through his entire body. He knew that such things couldn't be so simple, but the planet had been waiting too long for this moment to really care for now. He could feel the heat and joy, relief and chattering, happiness and enthusiasm echoing to every part of Hollow Bastion. 'Be calm, planet. It is a small victory...'

'It's a victory that changes the tide of battle! Rejoice our special child, for you now may rest without worry!' The planet's energy wrapped around the blonde, green wisps shifting through the floor to comfort the pain that still resided in its strong heart. It felt relief, as much as planet could, knowing that this large battle had finally been won for the light. 'Rest our child...' The planet suddenly curled away from rejoicing at a new feeling, one it didn't like.

"What the hell...?" Cid shouted as there suddenly an eerie feeling in the room. He looked around as the walls darkened suddenly. "This better be some shitty trick, Yuffie!"

Yuffie raised her hands up innocently, also looking around the room in confusion as to what was happening. She immediately whirled at the sound of something slamming against the wooden library door, skittering of many feet and hissing of claws against stone. "What is...?"

"Heartless! The Heartless are attacking this room!" Leon shouted, pulling his sword from behind his back, growling in frustration. Would it never end? "Aerith, Cid, get back!" he yelled while gesturing with his chin to a safer part of the room, his gaze swinging back to regard Yuffie and Cloud, noting that the General was swaying slightly. "General, you are in no condition to..."

"Step back, everyone," Cloud ordered as he raised his eyes, which glowed with an inhuman light, the skin of his demonic hand shifting and straining in his glove, the darkness in his body drawing all of the Heartless to him. He was their target, the sole target to grab hold of and drag into permanent darkness; the planet's joy had unwittingly gave his location away to all of the Heartless. "This is not your fight anymore. The Heartless are here for one purpose alone."

Yuffie looked between Cloud and Aerith. "We have to fight! They'll kill us all!"

Aerith watched Cloud, and suddenly became aware of the truth. The Heartless only needed one thing to bring down the planet, and that was Cloud. The planet's energy had reacted around Cloud for some reason, and now the Heartless knew for sure exactly where Cloud was. "They aren't here for us...are they papa? They are only here for you..."

Cloud could feel all eyes fall on him as the slamming on the door increased, the wood shuddering under the weight of force. He knew it wouldn't be long at all before the door gave way and the Heartless of Hollow Bastion flooded in to snuff out his light and end all light of the planet. "Everyone against the bookshelves out of the direct path leading to me. I'm the target, now get out of the way," his gaze shifted over to Leon who had not moved. "That is a direct order, Leonheart!"

"You heard the General, you lazy bastards! Get against the shelves!" Cid yelled seizing Aerith's arm and dragging the young woman over to safety. He knew better than to question the General, especially with Heartless knocking at the door, and he believed that Cloud knew what to do. "Don't you die, General, or I'll kill you!"

Leon likewise grabbed Yuffie and slipped in beside Cid into one corner of the room, pushing Yuffie and Aerith the furthest from harm. His gaze shifted back to the General who seemed to standing calmly in plain sight, and he came to realize that Cloud was acting as live bait so that the Heartless did not attack anything else in the room. He kept his mouth closed even as Yuffie protested this plan, keeping a firm hand on the woman's arm before he felt Aerith's warm hand grasp his free hand. He looked at her and gave a faint smile, hoping that everything would be alright. They were out of sight and compacted into a corner, so he hoped that they would just be passed by.

Cloud could feel the planet panicking, trying to convince him to take safety for some rest, but he shut out the voices and concentrated on the slamming of the door. He watched the wood begin to splinter and shudder under the weight of force, taking a step back when inky black shadows started to pull through the open cracks of the door, small Heartless pulling up from the floor and skittering towards him faster than normal. He reached back for his sword, and he blinked when his hand met empty air, suddenly coming to the realization that he still had no weapon. The moment that realization hit him was the same movement the door blew off of its hinges and Heartless flooding into the room, all attention set on him.

"CLOUD!" Aerith screamed helplessly, having seen him reach for a sword that wasn't there and hearing the door break down.

Cloud turned on his heel and bolted in the opposite direction, leaping onto the wooden table before launching off of it onto the staircase in time to have the table get smashed by a normally slow-moving Defender. He cursed as he found himself faced with a sudden choice, up the stairs or through the window. He didn't have time to think about the choice as he found himself quickly being surrounded, letting out a small pained cry as dark claws raked the back of his legs, his own darkness reacting as the black veins surged with power and attempted to cripple him.

He suddenly launched for the window, raising his arms in front of his face as he slammed his shoulder into the glass, actually glad when the material shattered under his strength. He felt the sting of glass cutting into his arms and brushing against his cheeks as well as the pain of claws grasping for him, but he knew he was in freefall, heading towards the ocean. However, that didn't matter now, not with the Heartless following him out of the window.

Cloud looked behind him as he fell, twisting out of the way of a Defender's shield that had been thrown his way, arching backwards in time to catch the armour-ladened shoulder in his back, a wince of pain leaving him as his wounded shoulder protested. He was jarred forward with the hit, closing his eyes against the welling darkness around him, clawed hands reaching out to grasp him, feeling them dig into the flesh of his legs, grip his shoulders, cloak, anything the Heartless could grab onto.

His eyes opened as warmth passed by his face, his gaze shifting the softly glowing stone that Aerith had given him, finding it strangely odd that the small precious sphere moved faster than either he or the Heartless. He watched it tumble in the air as many hands latched onto his body, the planet surging within his mind with anger, but Cloud merely watched the small stone with a soft smile on his face.

He understood finally. After all the time of not wanted to have the stone away from him, he finally understood why. It was precious to him, a gift from his adoptive daughter when they first left Hollow Bastion, though she had only insisted it into his hands when he left to find out about Sephiroth. The small glowing stone was an embodiment of all of the happy memories that he had, often rolling it in his hands absently as he remembered times of old when he was happy. He had placed images of his mother, Aerith, Zax, and Sephiroth in that stone, memories that he could and never would forget because they brought a smile to his lips. It had been the source of happiness when he was surrounded by darkness always, tucking away in a pocket or resting on his pillow. It had never left his side throughout it all.

With a warm smile, Cloud reached out to take the stone back in hand, to remember all that was warm and happy in his life. He was not surprised when the stone slowed and drifted willingly into his palm, closing his fingers around its warmth as energy surged throughout all of Hollow Bastion. "I am more than what I have become," he said softly, remembering the bitter arrogant unicorn from Atlantis. "I am the keeper of the planet."

The stone in his hand surged with blinding green light that blew all of the Heartless grabbing and attacking him away, allowing him safe freefall. He saw himself enter the water long before he felt it, all of the clothes he had been wearing melting away as he curled up, holding the stone close to his heart. He felt warmth around him, green wisps stroking his naked skin lovingly, not having to look to know that he was been pulled into the Lifestream of the planet.

Thousands of voices echoed around him, some whispering some noisily screaming incoherently. The life of the planet, the life he belonged to and protected, wrapped around him, pushing all of his darkness away as his hair began to grow out at an inhuman rate, gold turning to silver that danced and covered his nudeness. He felt his back jerk and the muscles shuddered as they pulled apart and allowed room for the seven great wings to emerge from his flesh, green light pouring from the gashes that appeared in his flesh and solidified into shimmering wispy feathers on wings. The energy of the planet crackled around him, the black veins that covered his body disappearing to allow for perfect unblemished skin that glowed softly.

Cloud uncurled from his ball as green wisps wrapped around his waist, weaving together to create a blanket of material that slipped over his hips and thighs before arching off to one side. The wisps whirled and surged with power, the green turning into white silk. A chained belt of silver slipped around his waist and dangled down with the white cloth, four green stones molded into the silver and glimmered with memory of those important to him that he had lost.

His wings flexed and folded against his back as he opened his eyes and looked around the Lifestream, a warm smile on his features. Slowly, he looked up the way that he came, feeling each source of darkness on the planet, locating each and the power level. "It is time to bring their hearts back from memory...for in their memories, they will find their freedom again."

'Child, rest...'

'There is no rest for those that are under the darkness' curse, so there is no rest for me until they are all free. Let me go, and do what I was created to do,' Cloud replied to the planet, feeling its warmth wrap around him like a blanket. It was feeling stronger just with his presence nearby, and he closed his eyes at the secure feeling that the planet brought to him. 'After my task is completed, I shall rest myself.'

The planet remained close by its strong heart, searching him silently. It became aware that the darkness within its strong heart remained tainting Cloud's body and only after it was purged would the blonde be free. Even long after everyone else was freed from the darkness, Cloud would have to struggle out of the claws of darkness. It released its hold on its child and nodded him off towards the surface again. 'We shall send help, child...promised help.'

Cloud looked over his shoulder at the planet's essence, cocking his head to the side when he found that the planet would give him no answer to the puzzle. He shook his head and drifted towards the surface again, moving out of the Lifestream back into the world of the living, his form pushing up from the waters of the ocean, a bubble surrounding him as he floated upwards before melting away. His wings pushed out from his back and flapped with power, his form racing up the way he had fallen.

His gaze settled on a Heartless flying at him from the library, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. With a flick of his wrist, his planetary sword came into being from his palm, passing by the Heartless on the way up, his sword cutting cleanly through the black flesh. He stopped in midair as the blackness melted away and left the body of a small child that he seized from the air. He smiled warmly down at the little girl. "Hello, Marlene. You've grown since the last time I saw you, little one." He chuckled when the child began to cry softly and he pulled the little girl close as he flew upwards. "No need to cry. Your heart is free of the darkness."

Cloud let his bare feet settle on shards of broken glass that he had jumped from previously. He stepped through the window and stood on the stairs before putting down the child in his arms, his gaze shifting up to look at the four people occupying the room. He laughed merrily at their shocked faces, finding Cid's particularly humourous. He gestured down to the crying child. "This is Marlene, everyone. Please keep her safe for me until I find her mother."

Yuffie was the first to gain her voice at the sight of Cloud looking...well, great! "Geez, you're hot! How did you do that?"

"Shut yer trap, you!" Cid yelled back at Yuffie, covering her eyes with one hand. "You're too young to see a man without a shirt on." He looked over at the General, truly shocked by the man's sudden appearance change. He thought the blonde had perished in the fall into the ocean with so many Heartless. "How in the hell did you grow that much hair?!"

Cloud laughed and leaned against his sword, folding his wings on his back as he looked over at the broken down door, cocking his head to the side as a Defender stormed into the room. He looked down at Marlene who was wiping away her tears and staring up at him with bewilderment. "Would you like to see some butterflies, Marlene?" He grinned when the little girl instantly smiled and nodded her head up at him. "Alright, I'll show you butterflies."

He extended a hand towards the cautiously approaching Defender and beckoned it with his fingers. He looked over at the four moving out to watch what he was about to do, his eyes narrowing as he concentrated on the Heartless. His hand lit up with green energy that formed a ball in his palm that arched out at the Defender, striking it in the chest. "Take back your heart, Williams!"

The Defender stopped moving and shuddered, its armour clattering noisily as it spasmed, the large shield dropping from its hands. Green light poured out from the Defender's chest before its form exploded in green light, all the darkness blasting outwards to suddenly turn into colourful butterflies that began to fly around the room. In the darknesses place stood a very bewildered and confused Royal Guard, looking around the room with wide eyes. Williams came back to himself and looked at his General, instantly recognizing the man.

Cloud bowed his head to the man and noted that Aerith stood beside him and was scooping up Marlene to watch the butterflies. His gaze turned to regard Aerith, a warm smile pulling at his lips. "Help those that you can, and I will do the rest, Aerith." He turned towards the window again and hopped back up onto glass, swiveling when Aerith called to him. Not even the glass cut into his naked feet. "Yes?"

"Don't push yourself too much, papa," Aerith said with a warm smile on her face.

Cloud winked at Aerith before he dropped from the window, his wings spreading as he headed towards the ground where a significant portion of Heartless had gathered. He twirled in the air with a soft laugh before landing himself in the middle of the group of about one hundred, all waiting for him.

"I am the planet's keeper, and you are not worthy. Be gone darkness!" He threw his hands outwards as he gathered energy, a shockwave blowing out from his body, slashing into all of the Heartless of the area, the black forms melting away to reveal confused, normal people who had lost the battle of the darkness. He looked around himself, feeling a Heartless drawing close to the area, teleporting in a sudden explosion of green wisps before slashing his sword into a Heartless that had managed to evade his attack behind many of the other now freed people. Its black form also melted away, leaving an older man staring at him.

"It's...it's the General!" One woman cried out.

"General Strife!" Another chimed. "Amazing!"

"What happened to us, General?!" A man called above them all.

Cloud rose into the air again so that he could see everyone. "Go home. You are free of the darkness that threatened our planet! Be free again!" Without waiting for them the respond with anything above astonished whispers, he launched into the air, landing on the topmost portion of the castle.

He breathed heavily and leaned against a pillar for support. He took a few moments to gather his energy again, not used to expending that much power all at once. He needed time to get used to this form, the energy he controlled, and the toll said power took on his body. He absently brushed a long lock back over his naked shoulder and looked out over the ocean, his smile faltering. "There's never enough time...is there?"

'Rest, child! Rest and be well. You push too hard, our blessed child!' The planet cooed softly in the back of his mind, pulling at his consciousness urgently. It worried for the state of the people, but it was more worried for the state of its strong heart. People could be created, their strong heart needed rest. 'Rest, little one.'

Cloud shook his head and pushed off of the pillar he had been leaning on, walking to the ledge as he stared out over the lands he was to protect. 'There is no time to rest. The Heartless will move to recapture the hearts that are now freed. They all must be freed before I can rest.' He shut out the planet's protests to a dull whispering in the back of his mind. 'They must be free before I can be free...'

He raised his hands and extended them outwards, palms up. He closed his eyes and gathered as much energy as he could, creating a ball of green light that surged with power and light, all that he had left. He ignored the planet's screams for him to stop, pulling the ball to his naked chest so that it had a direct connection to his heart. Using his own pure heart, he located every source of darkness and heaved a heavy sigh, swaying slightly on his feet. 'For freedom, I give it all...'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The planet scrambled as its strong heart began to expend too much energy at one time. It screamed and writhed as Cloud tapped into all of the energy that he could, too aware that the blonde would put too much in too soon. It searched through its essence and grasped one in particular, dragging it forward for the greater consciousness to scrutinize.

It called up its own energy to create a body around the small glowing green ball of life, pulling together a body for the soul to inhabit. If its strong heart would not stop, then the planet needed to send aid to force Cloud into rest after the darkness had been removed from the planet. The only one that it could call forward and not have to expend an extreme amount of energy for was Sephiroth, for the simple fact that the man had only been dead a short period of time. Also, it was aware of the strong heart's desire to see the silver-haired General again.

Sephiroth opened his eyes to regard the essence he had come to understand as the Lifestream. He looked down and watched his body come into being again, closing his eyes at the warm feeling of flesh surrounding him again. He opened his eyes when his body had come back into being, crossing his arms across his naked chest. "This had better be good. I was enjoying my state of non-existent individuality." He couldn't help the sarcasm that crept into his voice.

If the planet thought that Zax was bad, it certainly wanted little to do with the silver-haired General so soon after the man entered the Lifestream. Still, it had entered a contract of its own to allow the silver-haired man's death so that Cloud could return to Hollow Bastion. It had promised to return Sephiroth to life again in exchange for lying in defeat to Cloud, and it always kept its word. 'Protect him.'

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow and let out a surprised cry of pain as his right shoulder twisted in a state of pain, his hand instinctively going back to hold the injury. He looked over his shoulder as the flesh began to bulge before bursting open, a single white wing pulling free from his flesh, a mirror image of the wing he used to have save for it being white instead of black. He touched the appendage curiously before looking at the planet. "You're sending me back so soon? How much time has passed since my dead?"

'Not long enough,' the planet replied, all voices working in dry unison. If it could glare, it would have, so it just gave the silver-haired man the impression mentally that it was glaring at him. Still, for the well-being of its strong heart, it would send Sephiroth back to the world of the living. 'Our child requires aid. His purging will be the most difficult. You must protect him in his time of weakness.'

"You're sending me back for Strife?" Sephiroth questioned softly, cocking his head curiously to the side. So, Cloud was in trouble again or still remained in danger. He slowly nodded his head without thinking about it. He would go back and take care of the blonde if the planet wanted it such. "What is it you want me to do?"

The planet was pleased with Sephiroth's receptiveness to its request. 'Take him away from the people to rest. Let the darkness slip from him quietly and bring him out into the open once again. Let our child enter freedom for the first time since his birth as a mortal.'

Sephiroth let his hands fall back to his sides and considered this before nodding his head. "I know of a place outside of town, a cabin..." He didn't need to describe it anymore, getting the distinct feeling that the planet already knew what he was talking about. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "You're sure about sending me?"

'He wants to see you again,' was the planet's only reply before he ejected Sephiroth from the Lifestream completely. 'Let light and strong heart meet again on personal terms...'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Cloud breathed heavily as he suddenly arched his back and released his hold on the ball of energy in his hands. It floated above his head, surging with energy and bubbling before it split apart into thousands of lines of green light, all arching off to different parts of Hollow Bastion, passing through stone, water and darkness. Each strand of light found a different Heartless, the light melting away the shadow and freeing every individual that belonged to Hollow Bastion.

It really only took a very short period of time to free all of Hollow Bastion from the hold of the darkness, but the toll it took on the already weakened strong heart was a heavy price. The people were freed of their curse, bewildered and not certain of the passage of time, yet all were aware of the individual responsible for their freedom. The people were overjoyed and searched down relatives, friends and comrades, a celebration quickly unfolding. There were tears, and there was laughter.

Cloud remained watching over those who had acquired freedom again with a tired smile on his face, his eyes beginning to close as he swayed on his feet. He was exhaused and his body had begun to tremble as black veins began to slowly push to the surface of his skin again, the sword in his hand disintegrating as the darkness that held his body returned to him. His wings flickered before pulling into his back again, sealed away in his flesh again. A heavy sigh left him as he began to crumple to the ground, his eyes closing as he knees touched down on cold stone.

His eyes snapped open when an arm slipped around his waist and pulled him gently upright again. "You've come back," was all he said quietly, not having to look to know that Sephiroth was keeping him from falling from the ledge. He didn't resist when the older man slipped an arm under his legs and stood cradling him, instead allowing his head to rest against Sephiroth's chest.

Sephiroth stared down at the blonde in his arms, noting how awful Cloud looked suddenly. He felt the naked skin under his arms cool considerably and the light that surrounded the blonde's skin fade. Really, the only thing that gave Cloud away as something more was the long silvery gold hair that continued to cascade down the blonde's back beautifully. He pulled the smaller form closer to his own and folded his wing against his back, getting used the feel of leather around his body again as the planet had somehow managed to return his old clothing to him. Still, he felt concern for the young man who had given it all for the freedom of the planet, just as Cloud had said that he would long ago.

He shifted and walked to the ledge, looking out all around them at the planet, his own mind free of insanity with the purging of the darkness from his body. It felt good to just stand and take in the beauty of the planet again instead of obsessing over minute details on how to get Cloud into his possession. He found the irony that the moment he lost his insanity, the blonde was now willingly in his possession and accepting his touch. It didn't matter though, since he had been handed back a life to keep Cloud out of more danger. Though the planet was free, he could feel Cloud struggling to keep the darkness that had settled in the blonde's body away from destroying the battle.

He looked down at the blonde in his arms and lightly shook Cloud. "You're in no condition to do anything but rest. I'm here to make sure that you do, by brute force if required, though you cannot fight back currently." He shifted his hold on Cloud, smirking when the blonde opened a blue eye to regard him. "You are coming with me even if you protest, little canary." He blinked when Cloud smiled up at him, finding the expression hauntingly beautiful.

Cloud lifted a hand and touched the white wing against Sephiroth's shoulder, examining it closely before leaning against Sephiroth. Even if he wanted to fight, he wouldn't be able to at this point. He had used too much energy and now was forced to allow Sephiroth to take him elsewhere. He didn't find that thought as displeasing as he probably should have, but he knew of Sephiroth. "So, my light gets to cage me then?"

Sephiroth stiffened at Cloud's words, looking down into the blonde's sleepy face before looking away. He had said many things when he was insane, some of which he wished had not slipped passed his lips at all. However, there was nothing he could do to change his insanity or the actions taken under it, but he could build on what actions were still to come.

Pushing his thoughts away for the moment, he stepped from the ledge and floated downwards gracefully, shifting his hand around the material surrounding the blonde's waist to make sure that Cloud was decent. "There is no cage strong enough to contain you, my canary," he finally responded when he knew that no one but Cloud could hear. "It will be just you and I alone for some time until you are well enough again."

"Alone, eh?" Cloud half-smiled at that, chuckling when Sephiroth stiffened again. He knew that the silver-haired man was about the defend the wording with a 'that's not what I meant, Strife' statement, but he simply closed his eyes and rested his head against Sephiroth's chest. "I think I may like that. I'm...tired."

Sephiroth let his defense of his words fall into silent as Cloud rested against him willingly, just like the blonde had in the dream encounter. "You will rest yourself, Cloud. Enough is enough...you've pushed yourself too hard for too long."

Cloud nodded his head slowly and sighed heavily. "Where are we going then?"

"I...own a cabin in the forest where I used to spend a lot of my time training. That was the only place I could go to get any semblence of a vacation." Sephiroth looked down at Cloud before setting them down on one of the main paths around the palace, hearing the cheers of the people nearby. "I'm going to take you there. It has everything we need, I should think. It's quiet..."

"Does it overlook the sea?" Cloud interrupted quietly.

Sephiroth chuckled and sighed heavily. "Yes, there is a path that leads down to a place that overlooks the sea. The sunsets are particularly beautiful this time of year." He began to walk down across the stone, trying to avoid as many people as possible, since the last thing that Cloud needed was to be ambushed by adoring fans at this point. "Why do you like the sea so much?"

"It's always there...always different, like me..." Cloud said quietly, keeping his eyes closed as he rested. He put his trust that Sephiroth knew what to do with him at this point in time, not having the energy to really keep up so much with the conversation. Even he had to admit that sleeping sounded like a very good plan right about now.

"Is the sea always alone then?" Sephiroth asked, thinking that Cloud might have fallen asleep already. However, when the blonde unwittingly stiffened in his arms, he knew that Cloud had heard him. He was not surprisd when he got no responce from Cloud, thinking that he might have rattled the blonde with the question enough where Cloud simply didn't want to answer him. So even the strong heart of the planet could be forced silent with a question, he thought. He tightened his hold on the blonde and slipped into a shadow to avoid being seen. "Sleep, little canary. We'll be away from here and you can watch your sea...."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Gah! Trying to figure out where to end this badboy was difficult! It just kept going on and on and on as soon as Sephiroth showed up. I suppose that it ended well enough, but I suppose that I could rework it later. Oh well, I will leave it for now.

No, this isn't the end of the fic. There are probably two more chapters before it ends, then I might actually be able to get some Seph x Cloud bonding going since now they will be all alone with each other. I really didn't do much of it as of late, at least, not that I can remember. Yeah, everyone is trying to convince Cloud that something is there, but he has to come to realize it before anything can happen. Cloud's such a stubborn brat sometimes.