more disclaimer: i don't own final fantasy 7, its characters or any of its neat gadgets or cities. if i did, i'd be rich and not live in kansas any more. since i'm not, and i dont' i obviously make no money here.


Chapter 7

Sephiroth's defeat hadn't changed anything. Meteor was still plummeting down toward the planet, despite everyone's best attempt to stop it.

Aeris' prayer for Holy had apparently gone unanswered.

Yuffie would have cried if the collapsing crater had given them any time. In her despair, she barely registered Vincent grabbing her by the hand and pulling her to the lip of the crater where the Highwind was descending to pick them up. An earthquake shook the ground and broke down the side of the crater, turning the world sideways.

She slid, then fell, feeling the world move away from her feet as open air greeted her horrified face.


"NO!" Vincent screamed, horrified as Yuffie's hand slid from his grasp. She was falling, and there really wasn't much he could do about it. His own grip on the crumbling rock was failing and in a moment he'd be freefalling behind her.

Vincent, you idiot, we can save her.

Chaos?

Let me out, Vincent. I can save her. And us for that matter.

Vincent looked up from Yuffie's receding form at the Highwind. She was pulling away at high speed, leaving them behind. They must serve the greater good. We knew some us might not make it home today.

Letting Chaos out was a small price to pay to save Yuffie—and himself. Do it.

Vincent let go of the cliff.

I hurt, letting his demon out like that; it always did. Chaos breaking free was like having all his skin ripped loose and torn away, leaving blood and fire in its wake.

He knew he was screaming—how could he not be?—but he couldn't hear it. All his attention was split between Yuffie's falling body and the fire lancing through his own as Chaos broke free. Pure agony ripped through him as the demon's wings burst free from his back and his hands transformed into claws.

And then, the pain was gone. Like a switch being thrown, he traded places with the demon, and saw the world through Chaos' eyes.

The canyon and crater falling to pieces around them, like a child's block tower being toppled. And Yuffie, rendered in colors no human eye was meant to see, still falling, still unhurt. Chaos' attention was riveted on her.

Their freefall became a controlled dive as Chaos extended his wings. They would reach Yuffie in a few seconds. Vincent hoped the crater would give them that time.


Yuffie had closed her eyes, trying desperately to erase the look of horror on Vincent's face from her memory. If she was going to die, she didn't want to go thinking of him like that.

Instead, she tried to remember the way it had felt as he held her last night. His strong arms had felt like the safest of shelters. And when he'd kissed her that morning, it had been like touching perfection.

If only she'd gotten to tell him how she felt about him. Tears built up under her eyelids and she wanted to sob.

"I'm sorry, Vincent." She knew the wind was carrying her words away from her, but it didn't matter; she would never know if he'd heard them or not. "I wish I'd said this before. I love you."

"I assure you, he was overjoyed to hear that," An unfamiliar voice said in her ear.

She snapped her eyes open as heavily muscled arms wrapped around her waist. Heavily muscled black arms.

"Chaos?" She looked up into the demon's face.

"In the flesh." He pulled her tight against his chest. "Hold on tight. This is going to be a wild flight."

She wrapped her arms around Chaos' neck, thinking that maybe she wouldn't die today after all.