Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm Ltd. Sephiroth is the property of Square Enix. All characters, locations, objects and concepts are used without permission. No profit is being made.
One-Winged Angel
Darth Vader felt an intense rush of warmth in his mind as Serra Keto's broken body fell before him. The distant reports of blaster rifles from the 501st Legion were growing more infrequent. Few survivors were left in the abominable Jedi Temple. Even his purge of the Tusken encampment was not as liberating as surrendering to the power of the dark side and bending it to his will.
Vader kicked one of Serra's lightsabers out of his way as he continued his mission. His glowing blue blade still hummed. The element of surprise was long gone. The remaining Jedi already knew one of their own was leading the attack. The realization gave birth to a cruel smile on Vader's face as he spotted a retreating youngling running through the corridor.
Not bothering to waste a stroke of his blade, Vader extended his right hand and began asphyxiating the youngling, a human boy. The child died by a single thought, an inferno of hatred. Vader waved his arm, tossing his enemy like a rag doll.
Clapping drew Vader's attention to the balcony above him. A tall human male wearing a black synthetic leather trench coat, military issued black boots and shoulder armor wore a wicked grin. He had glowing eyes of jade and a long silver mane. But what truly astounded Vader was that the man carried a sword with an incredibly long blade at his side.
"This is a restricted area!" Vader barked. The newly anointed Sith Lord had no time for spectators.
"You are very powerful," the man said. "I sensed your hatred and it drew me across the void. You have such a turbulent home."
Vader said, "You're no Jedi."
"No," replied the mysterious warrior. "I am Sephiroth, the new heir to this planet."
Vader laughed out loud. "If anyone will rule Coruscant after this day is through, it will be my Emperor," he said.
"Then you are just another puppet," Sephiroth mocked. "Tell me your name so I can know who I am sending back to the planet when I pierce your heart with the Masamune."
Vader's eyes transformed from their normal blue to the color of sulfur. "I am Darth Vader and it shall be you that falls this day!"
Sephiroth jumped from the balcony, drawing the Masamune during his descent with rapid fluidity. Vader lazily swung his lightsaber upwards to disable his enemy. It was only when their blades met and the Masamune did not give before Vader's weapon that the Sith Lord's overconfidence disappeared in an instant.
Sephiroth retracted the Masamune, capitalizing on Vader's momentary shock. Sephiroth plunged his blade forward, meeting a more serious parry from the Sith Lord. The mysterious warrior remained on the offensive, unleashing a lightning fast flurry of strikes mostly aimed at Vader's torso, despite the fact that Sephiroth had to give a small amount of ground to launch each attack due to the immense length of the Masamune.
Vader's gaze hardened and the Sith Lord took care not to transmit any signs of frustration. The Sith Lord was not accustomed to the defensive, relying on the more aggressive Form V Djem So to overpower and neutralize his enemies. Sephiroth was making a mockery of all Vader's training with his impressive display of swordsmanship.
Using a Force push, Vader was able to put a halt to Sephiroth's drive. He twirled his lightsaber as he barreled towards his opponent. The oncoming underhanded strike shifted the battle to Vader's advantage. Sephiroth easily parried the blow before Vader retracted and pivoted his body to shift his striking position. Vader's next blow was a swift horizontal arc intended to tear through Sephiroth's defenses.
Sephiroth refused to take the bait, giving ground and raising his sword to the point where the hilt was level with his forehead and the Masamune effectively formed a protective shield in front of his body. The warrior walked in a sideways semicircle, daring Vader to attack him.
Without hesitation, Vader charged. At that moment, Sephiroth released his left hand from the hilt and swung the Masamune in a wide arc. Vader was forced to jump backwards to avoid being sliced in two. Even before his feet connected with the floor, Sephiroth surged towards Vader, unleashing another flurry of attacks. The Sith Lord was hard pressed to parry each blow.
The Masamune glowed pale green and Vader sensed a new power in Sephiroth. The Sith Lord quickly called on the Force for defense as columns of flames erupted around the fighters. Vader would have been burned alive if not for the protective shield the Force offered. Sephiroth noticed this and attacked Vader in the flames.
"Shall I give you despair?" Sephiroth asked as their blades locked. "Or how about pain?"
Vader's eyes blazed as the inferno around them subsided. He was being continuously mocked by Sephiroth and it was touching a nerve. The dark side fed him as Vader broke the lock with another Force push.
Sephiroth quickly recovered and jumped back towards the balcony. He swung the Masamune, slicing through a stone pillar. The pillar fell towards Vader, but the Sith Lord was ready for it.
Vader jumped towards the pillar, cutting through it a second time with his lightsaber before joining Sephiroth on the balcony. "Impressive," the Sith Lord remarked.
Both men raised their weapons to high guard as they walked backwards for a few paces. Vader instantly wished he knew how to harness Force lightning so he could fry Sephiroth instead of playing a dueling game with a warrior that was more than equal to Vader in terms of swordsmanship. Sephiroth's display of power did not come from the Force, but Vader could only imagine how powerful Sephiroth would be if the Force was with him. It was a terrifying thought indeed.
Sephiroth broke the stalemate. The Masamune surged forward like a harvesting scythe. He struck without mercy, met only by Vader's parry. Even with restricted space, Sephiroth still managed to project lethality into the Masamune. The mysterious warrior retracted his blade before launching another furious assault. Vader's wrists and shoulders burned from the workload. While a lightsaber's blades weight was negligible, the Masamune's blade was dense metal. Sephiroth's incredible strength made the fact even deadlier.
Remember, Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi had said years ago. The greatest swordsmen do not rely on their weapons to project their abilities for them. They instead project their own abilities through their weapons.
It was a cold fact that rang true with Sephiroth. But it was also true of Vader. The Sith Lord caught a quick opening in the warrior's assault and lunged for the opening in front of Sephiroth's abdomen.
But Sephiroth noticed it too. He sidestepped the blow and wasted no time with the counterattack. This time, it was Vader that had an opening: his neck was completely vulnerable to the Masamune.
Vader called on the Force to launch himself backwards. He quickly removed his Jedi robes and glared at Sephiroth. The mysterious warrior replied to the stare with a feral grin.
He's toying with me! Vader realized. I am the Dark Lord of the Sith! Who is he to think he can get away with this?
Sparks crackled around Vader's real hand. Out of pure instinct, Vader blasted Sephiroth with Force lightning. The warrior was caught by surprise and thrown from the balcony from the intensity of the assault. Vader watched as Sephiroth landed on his feet despite being thrown from the balcony.
"Lightning, was it?" Sephiroth asked. A blue-white aura surrounded Sephiroth's body as he began hovering above the floor. Gigantic bolts of lightning crashed through the roof, bringing down a tremendous amount of stone. Lightning struck the balcony, nearly frying Vader on the spot as he tumbled towards the floor. It was only luck that allowed the Sith Lord not to lose his grip on his lightsaber.
Gigantic balls of energy soared past Sephiroth, slamming into the floor around Vader. Walls crumbled with the floor, sending debris falling to the lower levels. Vader relied on the Force to guide him through the barrage. With a primal scream, he swung his lightsaber blade at Sephiroth. The Masamune met blue plasma, completely impervious to the Jedi weapon.
"Playtime's over," Sephiroth said coldly as an invisible force shoved Vader into the air. Sephiroth leapt, swinging the Masamune at the disoriented Sith Lord. Vader parried the blow, but he was still flying towards a hole in the roof. Sephiroth was flying!
Sephiroth sought to disable his opponent in the air, each movement of the Masamune almost impossible to follow with the eyes. Only the Force allowed Vader to match Sephiroth's movements. When Vader passed through the hole, he called on the Force yet again to break away from his enemy. He landed on an uneven section and watched as Sephiroth gently touched his feet on the other side of the hole.
Vader tried a Force choke on Sephiroth, hoping to end the fight before it risked costing his life. Sephiroth registered mild discomfort on his face as his body tried to get the air it needed. A gust of wind with hurricane force slammed into Vader, causing him to fall from the roof and relieve Sephiroth of the Force choke.
Vader's fall was broken when he landed on an outdoor balcony and his lightsaber fell from his grasp. He clenched his teeth because he was unable to call on the Force fast enough to shield his body from harm. Pain flared through his body, though the Sith Lord sustained no serious injury. Vader stood slowly and called his lightsaber back to his grip. The blue blade emerged just as Vader noticed Sephiroth soaring downwards to meet him. A single black wing sprouted from Sephiroth's back.
The Sith Lord dove underneath Sephiroth just as the Masamune cut through the air. The blade cut a large gash into the balcony. Vader rolled forward and stood. Both men turned to face each other again. Sephiroth wasted no time in his assault. The wide swings were perfectly balanced with the sharp lunges, but as Anakin parried his blows, Sephiroth proved he could hold the Masamune closer to his body and still use it as an effective weapon.
The euphoria of having conquered the Jedi Temple was long gone. Vader's body was beginning to protest the confrontation, but he continued to call on the dark side to give him the strength he needed to face Sephiroth and survive. Blue plasma tore through the air like a tornado. The Dark Lord of the Sith gained the offensive.
Sephiroth gave ground as Vader struck for his target zones. It was the basics of Form I Shii-Cho taught to him over a decade ago by Obi-Wan combined with the fury of Form V Djem So. Vader delivered perfectly balanced strokes towards Sephiroth's upper and lower body. There were no wide swings like he delivered in his first confrontation with Darth Tyranus, only determined precision.
Sephiroth jumped off the balcony to avoid being cut down by Vader. Then he flew back towards the Sith Lord, delivering yet another wide swing from the Masamune. Vader parried the first strike, but Sephiroth followed up with a series of cuts. Too focused on defending himself from the Masamune, Vader did not notice Sephiroth's elbow coming for his face until it was too late.
Stars danced across Vader's vision as Sephiroth's elbow connected with the left side of his face. His jaw rocked from the blow and he staggered backwards. Sephiroth's feet connected with the balcony and the warrior pressed his advantage. He knocked Vader's lightsaber from his hands with a sharp cut from the Masamune, sending flares of pain into the Sith Lord's wrists. A swift kick to Vader's chest left him breathless and he fell against the wall.
Vader heard his lightsaber clatter along the balcony, but it did not fall towards the surface, remaining at the edge. He tried to catch his breath, but a sharp pain pierced his right shoulder. He gazed at his shoulder and noticed the Masamune had drawn first blood.
"You are beaten," Sephiroth gloated. "Now everything that is yours will be mine."
"Padmé," Vader groaned. "I failed you."
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "A wife?" he asked. "You put up a good fight, Darth Vader, but I'll enjoy ending you so I can defile your beloved. You'll never hear her screams as I invade her and murder her."
The fire returned to Vader's eyes. Blue changed to yellow and then to a deep crimson. I turned to the dark side to save her, he told himself. These powers can't fail me now!
Regaining his strength, Vader tore the Masamune from his shoulder and slammed his enemy with a mighty Force push. Sephiroth measured a look of surprise on his face due to Vader's renewed fury. The Sith Lord called his lightsaber back to his hand and his blue blade emerged with a snap-hiss.
Vader lunged at Sephiroth, who parried the blow. But it was Vader who moved faster this time. He slammed the pommel of his lightsaber down on Sephiroth's wrists, earning a cry of pain. Vader quickly pivoted his wrist and sliced through Sephiroth's arms.
Vader took a brief second to stare into Sephiroth's jade eyes before he cut through the warrior's neck with blue plasma. Sephiroth's body fell in front of Vader and the Sith Lord backed against the wall, panting. No one else in the Jedi Temple pushed him to the limit, but he already felt as if he gained more power from the confrontation. Then Vader winced, reminded of the wound in his shoulder. He would have to take care of that later.
Grabbing his comlink, Vader clicked the frequency for the 501st Legion. "I am on one of the outer balconies of the Jedi Temple," he said. "I need a medic."
"Right away, sir," the commander replied.
Vader deactivated his lightsaber and inhaled a fresh breath of cool night air. "Who was that guy?" he thought aloud.