Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of the character within, except Roy. I own that bartender.

Chapter 2---Clouds Heart and Sephiroth's Dream

Cloud fiercely pushed Sephiroth away with his hands upon his broad shoulders. "No! Sephiroth! That's not what I want!"

The sting of heartbreak seeped through Sephiroth's heart. He stepped back from the bed just an inch to let Cloud's words ring through his head. "Wh…what? Cloud?" Sephiroth's eyes grew wide with shock as reality came crashing back to his head.

"Sephiroth…I can't take this anymore. This…'Utopia' of yours…you say it's for me, but I can tell it's clearly not!" He closed his eyes and let hot tears fall from his face as he regretted all the words that needed to be said. "Oh, gawd…Sephiroth…" Cloud couldn't hold it in anymore. He broke out bawling his eyes out, putting his palms over his eyes in attempt to stop the rivers flowing from his eyes.

Torn, Sephiroth didn't know what to do. He stepped back and let his thoughts battle each other inside his mind. Cloud, the one he loved ,needed him to be there, but he couldn't be the one to comfort him because of his dream, his Utopia. Sephiroth couldn't take it anymore. Decided, he leapt back and ran out of the door into the cold night and kept on running. Leaping up into the air, Sephiroth left everything and everyone behind, everything but his dream of a Utopia.

Cloud looked up, expecting to see Sephiroth but alas, he was not there. "Sephiroth…?" Cloud cried out softly like a lost child. No answer. He looked down at his lap and his heart shattered. They were right. Sephiroth is the enemy. Cloud's enemy.

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"I was so shocked when Cloud just came out and said it, you know?" Tifa sat in a chair next to Yuffie as they both told Vincent what happened earlier that night.

"I would have never thought…that of Cloud." Vincent spoke with his deep resonant voice, his vermilion red cape draped about him as he stood against the wall.

"But…now what will become of Cloud?" Yuffie said with concern as she looked down at her feet and held her Chinese star close to the side of her chair. "Surely he would let his feelings for Sephiroth come between what we all must do, right? I mean…he's just that way."

"Do not worry, Yuffie. Cloud is stronger in his heart than it seems." Tifa looked down. "I'm sure Cloud will pull through!" Tifa said this with confidence, hope and motivation. She stood up and clenched her fist in the air.

"Speak of the devil." Vincent spoke.

The door opened and Cloud walked through with heavy steps. He wore his own clothes now. "Hey, guys…" He kept his head down and didn't look up at Tifa, Yuffie, or Vincent.

"Cloud…" Vincent stopped leaning against the wall and stood up, looking at Cloud. "Don't be so glum…you know we would support you in any decision you make, well, at least I would." He looked away from Cloud and looked at Tifa and Yuffie.

"Yeah!" Tifa walked over closer to cloud and next to Vincent. "I do support you, Cloud, even if…Sephiroth…" She looked to the side to avoid eye contact with Cloud.

"No!" Cloud said sternly. "There's nothing between me and Sephiroth. I guess I was just losing my mind over the absinthe back there. That's all." Cloud looked up to face Vincent, Tifa, and a Yuffie still sitting in her chair in the background.

"But Cloud…" Tifa looked into his eyes that showed anger and hurt. "It's okay, you don't have to hide it anymore…"

"I'm not hiding anything. NOTHING is between me and Sephiroth, got that?"

"Cloud, you don't have to be so defensive!" Yuffie stood up and walked over next to Cloud. "Sheesh! Do you always have to be like this?" She wore an expression of annoyance upon her face.

"I'm sorry…everyone." Cloud looked down again. "But it's the truth now. Nothing is between me and Sephiroth. We can do what we need to now. That's all that matters…" He walked past Vincent and Tifa and up the stairs. "Nothing…" He whispered to himself, "Nothing at all…"

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Blood splattered on the window of a small frightened little girl's bedroom. She stood next to the window, petrified with fear as the shadowy figure of Sephiroth stared back at her. He took his sword and broke the window and lunged towards her, piercing her heart with a blood-stained katana. "Heh…" With a twisted smile he stormed throughout the house and chased after the parents and until they were just another stain on his crimson red blade. A siren sounded to warn citizens of the dangerous Sephiroth so they could flee to safety, but none would escape the hell of Sephiroth's wrath.

Kadaj stood outside waiting for Sephiroth to return from his little killing spree. "Oh, Sephiroth, killing eases the pain, doesn't it?" He smiled evilly.

"Kadaj…how nice of you to wait for me." Sephiroth walked calmly from the door of the little girl's house. He raised his sword to his face and slowly licked some blood off his long sword. "It does ease the pain…and it brings joy. How wonderful…Kadaj." Sephiroth smiled wryly and walked to some innocent people in an alleyway. With a swing of his sword, blood was sprayed everywhere except for Sephiroth. From all his killing, not one drop of blood stained him.

"Hm?" Sephiroth looked at a little boy cowering in fear near the opposite wall of the alleyway. "Seems I've missed…" He raised his sword above his head, ready to swing. "…a little rat!"

Smiling, Sephiroth swung his sword straight for the child, but it was forcefully stopped with a loud metallic klang. Cloud had stepped in with his giant sword and wore a look of determination upon his face. He looked at Sephiroth fiercely as if they had always been the enemies they were now.

"Sephiroth…" Cloud said with anger and slight disgust. He forced back Sephiroth from the child. "Vincent! Take the kid away from here!"

Vincent rushed over and kindly guided the child through the panic of the streets and to the safety of his comrades.

"Cloud…! How kind of you to visit me here…" Sephiroth smiled as he readied himself for battle. "Maybe you can see the Utopia I make…before you die!" With that, Sephiroth charged towards Cloud and engaged battle. Cloud moved to the side and swung at Sephiroth, but he merely blocked it with a swift movement of his sword. Clashes and klangs sounded throughout the sky as Sephiroth and Cloud swung at each other in attempts of afflicting pain to their opponent. Higher and higher they rose as Sephiroth flew and Cloud jumped roof to roof and wall to wall.

"Sephiroth…I'm going to make you pay for all your misdeeds!" Cloud lunged at him, but Sephiroth was too quick and sliced open the skin on Cloud's back.

"Are you, now?" Sephiroth chuckled a little bit. "Such a change in attitude, yes?" He sung his deadly sword and knocked Cloud out of the sky like he was nothing. As Cloud fell, he could see his blood dripping from all the wounds on his body. "I wasn't….even able to give him…a scratch…" he thought as he winced with pain right before he fell to the rough asphalt. He lied there, feeling all his energy drain from his body.

"Sephiroth…" Cloud whispered.