Author's Note: This chapter should finish setting us up for the introduction to the Star Wars universe, which should happen next chapter! It would have happened this chapter, except one of the scenes turned out to be much longer than I had expected, and I figured I'd end with that. Thanks to LuckyLadybug for previewing things for me! Hope you all enjoy!
EDIT: Apologies if you get an email about this chapter again - I'm replacing the scene dividers that FanFiction(dot)Net so unkindly deleted for me.
Chapter Two
Wings of Light and Dark Spread Afar…
It was dark. Zack drifted in limbo, feeling like he was at the bottom of a great, black sea.
He remembered…falling. He had fallen forever, thrust across eternity, drowning in a twisted rainbow of blues and greens and silvers.
The Lifestream had spiraled and wrapped around him, binding him, trapping his limbs, his spirit, until he couldn't move, couldn't see for the green filling his vision. He'd been felt the familiar warmth of the Planet rapidly grow cold, distant, as he'd been propelled away.
He thought he imagined a faint voice, startled and horrified, calling out his name.
"Zack!"
Aerith's voice.
And then he couldn't hear, couldn't feel, her, or Angeal, or anyone else. His heart had cried out in desperate yearning, reaching out for their familiar and comforting presence. They'd always been there, in life or death, he always knew, could always feel… But now they were gone. He could only feel a cold, hard void where everyone had once been. His spirit cracked. Gaia, was this what it felt like to be truly alone?
Zack didn't want to be alone. It was what he feared most of all. And here he was, plummeting through this abyss of terrible isolation. Lost and frightened, he wailed, a small child that the entire universe had abandoned.
His soul had finally succumbed to darkness, frozen by the vast expanse of nothingness. He'd ceased to be aware of anything. If souls could die, this was surely what it felt like.
But, after an eternity, his frozen spirit began to stir.
The darkness was the only thing he was aware of, for a while. Was he still falling? It didn't feel quite as frigid as it had before, which was a surprise. He'd forgotten what it was like to not be cold; he didn't think he'd feel the warmth of anything – a kind touch, a cheerful fire, friendship – ever again.
After a while, he became aware of a sharp pain in his heart. What was that? Even as he noticed, it started to fade, becoming a dull throb. But now, a strange burning sensation was filling him. It slowly grew. He began to claw at the invisible walls of his dark prison, struggling to climb out, struggling for something to diminish the pain, something, anything…
Help! Aerith, Angeal, Seph… anyone!
Suddenly he gasped, oxygen flooding into lungs that had forgotten how to breathe. He took several desperate breaths, soothing the fire that had been consuming his body.
His body…
He groaned, fingers curling clumsily to clutch at the hard surface beneath him. He could feel everything so keenly. The surface felt like…stone. It was cold, rigid, small pebbles digging into overly sensitive skin. He could feel, each and every one of them, each small imperfection and crack in the ground under his fingers. The air rushing into and out of his lungs and settling over his back was cold and crisp. It smelled of water and minerals and ozone, and of something else, strong and acrid. His clothes, as he shifted, were rough and uncomfortable against his skin. The spikes of his dark hair tickled his neck more acutely than they ever had before.
He was able to feel in a way that had been lost to him upon entering the Lifestream. He'd forgotten what it was like to physically touch something…
To be alive.
He was alive? How was that possible? Had he been brought back somehow? He recalled the battle in the Forgotten City, now seeming like a distant memory. Had Sephiroth done something? Or…had it been Zack himself who brought this about, by destroying that strange crystal?
Something thudded in his ears, strong and rhythmic. The Planet? No…his own heartbeat. Gradually, he became aware of a horrible weakness and stiffness, and groaned again, feeling the vibrations of the sound in his vocal chords. Slowly, after a moment of trying to remember how, he opened his eyes.
To eyes that had forgotten how to see, it was very dark, everything blurred. He lay upon his stomach, right cheek pressed against the ground. The hand in front of his eyes was a misshapen lump – he could barely distinguish it from the surrounding rock by its pale color. Beyond that, he saw dim, white blurs, strange oblong shapes, both jutting from the ground and suspended in midair, some unknown distance before him. He frowned in his mind, his face not having figured out how to move yet. Where they…ghosts? Now that he lived, was he able to see the shapes of the spirits that haunted the Forgotten City?
He lay there for a short while, puzzling over it, before he decided he should probably try to move. He directed his thoughts at his limbs, trying to get some response. But nothing seemed to be happening. Annoyed, he focused on just one arm, willing the muscles to contract. He'd been able to move his fingers before!
It didn't move, either. He emitted a groan of frustration. Was this what it had been like for Cloud, recovering from Mako poisoning? It was maddening! And that infuriating tickle on the back of his neck from his hair was conspiring to drive him insane.
There! At the impulse to reach back and scratch, his arm jerked. Ohhh, so that was how it was done. He just had to focus on what he wanted to do, and not on the limbs directly. He was getting all confused when he'd done that, trying to get individual muscles to do something; he really only needed to give them direction and they'd take care of themselves!
For the first time, lips quirked up in a small grin, and he jerkily pulled his arms inward in preparation to lever himself up.
But suddenly, a dark shape flashed across his vision, and something crushed him back into the ground. Pure agony, as he'd never been able to feel in the Lifestream, speared through his left shoulder. Flesh tore, muscles shredded, bone cracked, and liquid fire raced along his veins. He screamed, the sound raw and broken.
He was dragged along the ground, even as he scrabbled for some purchase, every nerve screaming at him to get away from the pain, do anything to make it go away! His hand struck a familiar object; desperately he reached for the Buster Sword's hilt, but it was too late and he cried as it slipped out of his grasp.
Just when he thought that the pain couldn't get any worse, he was lifted off the ground, the massive set of claws clenching shut, driving a talon into his chest. His weight caused the agony to increase tenfold. Then he was slammed against the jagged rock wall and pinned in place. His head struck the surface and for a moment, all he saw were stars.
Gaia…h-help… The pain tried to drive all breath from his lungs; he had to remember to keep breathing. His chest heaved with the effort, small pained noises coming from each ragged breath.
When the stars cleared from his vision, he saw that he was staring toward the ground, limp against the wall in the grip of those terrible claws. He couldn't move his limbs with the fire overloading his nerves; everything was weak, nothing responding to his feeble commands. Slowly he raised his head, wincing at the effort. What…what is it? His vision swam at the movement, but finally he was able to make out the black claws that were driven through his chest and shoulder. He followed them to a large, heavily muscled limb that connected to a massive beast… But in place of the gaping maw of teeth he expected, he saw Jenova.
"Jeno…va…" He filled the name with as much hatred has he could muster. She was the cause of everything that had gone wrong! And now she was going to kill him for what he'd done to Sephiroth. …But…where was Sephiroth? His eyes scanned the cavern behind her, but he couldn't see anything – they had yet to fully adjust.
Jenova leaned in close. He could feel her breath on his skin and shivered. Despite her monstrous form, her face was oddly captivating, holding an alien beauty. Beyond the horns that mimicked Sephiroth's long bangs, her ebony skin was smooth, flawless, the slight hint of reptilian scales patterning her high cheekbones. Large eyes the dark red of smoldering coals peered intently at him. As he gazed into them, he found an unfathomable darkness opening before him. They reflected the universe itself, a yawning abyss holding the tiniest pinpricks of light – the light of countless souls consumed on her journey across the stars.
She reached up and, ever so gently, caressed his cheek. He shuddered in revulsion. "My child…" The voice was a whisper, a soft sound that seemed to caress his mind as much as the physical touch had his face. "What have they done to you?" He heard, felt, her sadness.
"W-what…?" It was a struggle for him to speak. Agony from the talons holding him in their stony grip pulsed through him.
She stroked her thumb along his skin. In spite of himself, he found himself leaning into the gentle touch, desperate for the comfort, the momentary relief from the agony it provided. His eyes were locked onto hers. "They've hurt you, my child. They're trying to take you away from me."
"T-they…?" Who? Zack was confused. What was she talking about? Who was going to take him away!
"Shhh… Mother's here now. I will make all the pain, everything, go away."
A warm feeling of comfort washed over him, soothing his troubled spirit, numbing his pain, his thoughts. He wanted nothing more than to relax in the safety of her arms, to have all the pain of the world, of his burning memories, kept at bay. It was all that he needed.
He slumped in her grip, tense muscles relaxing, even as the claw tightened. He only distantly felt the sharp pain. Jenova reached up with her other hand as his head bowed, framing his face. She kissed his forehead. Even the burning brush of her lips didn't reach him.
"…Mother…"
In the long darkness through which Zack had plummeted, something else…someone else…had fallen with him. But instead of being consumed by the cold, it was being devoured by flames of its own making.
Sephiroth…the real Sephiroth, the memories brutally ripped out and left to drift in the Lifestream, still existed.
He hadn't failed when Zack had thrust his energy into the heart of the demon wearing his face, not entirely… As he'd once held back Holy in an attempt to ensure that Meteor would not be interrupted, so too had the demon held him back, the light of his existence imprisoned in a small corner of its heart.
But it had taken nearly the entirety of the demon's concentration and energy, for it had been less than whole, less than Sephiroth, even broken as he was. At Masamune's destruction, some of the shackles of the demon's control had snapped, the blade stealing them away; at the crystal's explosion, his concentration had momentarily shattered, and that had given Sephiroth the chance he needed.
Remember me. The memories had all clamored the phrase, all at the same instant. And all at once, they assaulted him, each demanding the demon's attention.
"My son…Sephiroth…" His real mother, warm brown eyes and a voice so full of love and sadness.
"That, Sephiroth, is called a puppy." Wide, astonished green eyes looked up at the amused voice of the only man he'd ever thought of as a father, even as small hands buried themselves into the soft, brown fur of the bundle in his arms.
"Angeal! Angeal, give that back, you – Oof!" The young brunet collided with his broad-shouldered companion, sending them sprawling into a silver-haired boy coming from the opposite direction. "…Look at that, Angeal, I believe you squashed someone." A rough shoulder shoved him off, and a strong hand pulled the poor victim to his feet. "Sorry about that. My name's Angeal, and this is Genesis. Who are you?" A long pause as a pair of guarded eyes gazed at the earnest face. "…Sephiroth."
Remember me.
"Sephiroth. Don't shut them out, those feelings." The three men gazed sadly at the stone marker, accenting the freshly turned earth. The gruff man turned to the one with stony green eyes. "They're the ones that tell you to remember, to never forget all the good." A pair of shoulders stiffened. "…I…I just don't want…" The voice was solemn, quiet, unable to express his turbulent thoughts. A second, red-cloaked man clapped a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. Neither of us has any intention of going anywhere."
"It's the Demon! Sephiroth!" Battle raged around the man, black coat flapping in the wind, long, silver hair streaming out behind him. He was calm, determined, intimidating, ruthless. Death followed his flashing blade, and screams stained the sky red.
"They aren't even trying, Genesis. Look at them, how will they ever be expected to survive battle like this? Uniforms poorly maintained, shoddy equipment, inadequate training…" The two stalked among the line of SOLDIERs. His companion sighed, flustered. "Heck, I don't know, Sephiroth. Why don't you do something about it, if you care that much?" A thoughtful pause. "…Maybe I will."
Remember me.
"…Genesis tells me you've gotten yourself a new…puppy." There was a bark of laugher at the slight confusion in the voice. "You mean Zack? He's like a puppy, alright…energetic, bouncy, loud, uncontrollable… He needs focus." They had walked out to the practice fields. "There he is, Sephiroth." An arm pointed the boy out, just as he snatched a ball out of the air… right before he was tackled to the ground by several other boys. "…I thought you left them to practice sword techniques." They watched as the spiky-haired boy wriggled out from underneath the pile, clutching the ball, and made a beeline for their makeshift goal, laughing all the way. The dark-haired man groaned, facepalming. "…I did." His friend smirked. "Zack the puppy, indeed."
Remember me. The memories came faster now.
…Genesis…Angeal… It's something I don't want to believe.
Then don't believe it!
…I'll do that.
What are you going to do?
Fail to kill him.
…Really?
Yes, really.
You're seriously the best!
…We'll see each other soon.
I'll hold you to it!
Sephiroth…I trusted you!
Remember me!
Sephiroth!
Sephiroth's spirit was brought to its knees, utterly overwhelmed by the memories surging through him, becoming part of him. His thoughts fled as he remembered.
He remembered.
I…am Sephiroth. For a long time he stared at nothing, as the memories eventually slowed to a trickle and then stopped. He was left gazing at the fragments of the memories of the demon he'd just recently been, fragments that his own memories had shattered. Bewildered, he picked up one of the dark pieces, turning it over in his hands.
"This…was me? How is that possible?" He couldn't fathom now, the person he'd become. He stood, throwing it down in disgust, then lifted his gaze, searching for answers to the thousands of questions racing through his mind. "What…what have I done?"
He gazed back onto the memories of the atrocities he committed. He felt lightheaded. Could this be real? Jenova…Nibelheim…Meteor…the Reunion… He shut his eyes, feeling sick. "Jenova…" The word was uttered like a curse.
Not Jenova…Sephiroth.
His eyes flew open, just as the dark memory fragments grew, joining together and reaching up to wrap around his arms, tangle his legs. The darkness spread around him, seeking to pull him under once again.
"No!" He struggled against it. "I will not…!"
I am you… I am Sephiroth!
He tried to fight it, to resist, but the clutches of the darkness were too strong, and he was losing. If only he had a weapon!
Suddenly, he felt something within his grip, and he watched, amazed, as the Masamune appeared, shining as if made from light itself. With renewed determination, he took the blade and slashed it through the tendrils binding him. They broke, and retreated, unable to stand against it. Quickly, they vanished, but he could still feel their presence.
He searched the area, frustrated. Where had they gone? He could almost imagine a dark laughter echoing faintly around him…and it was unnerving, because it was his own.
"Take my strength, Sephiroth."
He whirled toward the unexpected voice. A man stood there, broad-shouldered, well muscled, gazing at him with clear, honest eyes.
"…Angeal."
"You aren't complete yet, you know." His rugged features looked amused. "That Sephiroth…" He jerked his head, indicating the dark presence somewhere out there. "He can be rather troublesome, wouldn't you say?"
Sephiroth stared at him, then bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement, pain flashing through his eyes. "…Indeed, he can be."
Angeal walked toward him, setting a rough hand on his shoulder, and smirked. "Don't let him get to you." Then he slowly faded, and Sephiroth felt a warmth flood him, bringing strength to his limbs.
"Angeal…thank you." For everything.
For a while, Sephiroth pondered, remembering his old friend. I never told you how much I appreciated what you did for us. You did everything you could to hold us together, even though we were…breaking. …I am sorry I could never see to do more.
"Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest."
Sephiroth started, feeling a presence behind him. He turned his head to glance over a shoulder. "Genesis?"
They stood back-to-back; he could sense the man's smirk. "Even if the morrow is barren of promises…"
"'Nothing shall forestall my return.' I know." Sephiroth bowed his head, content to let Genesis stay where he was. "…Genesis, I…"
"What, Sephiroth? Do you seek to apologize? Was it you who wronged me, or I, you?"
"…I…"
The voice turned bitter. "Don't tell me you regret how things turned out."
"…All I have left are regrets."
"Is that so? Has the Great Sephiroth, Hero of the Dawn, Healer of Worlds, finally been brought to his knees? Who is the hero now, hmm?"
"…I told you, I never wanted to be a hero."
"Only the fates decide who we become, Sephiroth. And they are cruel."
Sephiroth gave a short bark of laugher. "Hmph. So we have no control over our destinies? I don't know whether to be reassured by that."
"Believe what you will. In the end, regardless of what we do, destiny is like the wind that sails over the water's surface. It is quiet…but sure."
"Is it now? I grow tired of your poetry, Genesis. In the end, that's all you had; you left the rest of us behind." He still felt bitter toward the man.
"At least I had something in the end, Sephiroth. You had nothing."
Sephiroth stiffened, about to retort…but then his shoulders slumped, realizing that Genesis was right. He could never forgive himself.
"…My friend, forgiveness is the flower that blooms slowly. But it grows, even in the most rugged conditions."
Sephiroth wasn't sure how to respond to that.
Abruptly, Genesis changed the subject. "This false Sephiroth appreciates my poetry even less than you do." He sounded amused. "I hope you're planning to do something about it."
Sephiroth grunted. "If only there were enough strength in the world to both stand your poetry and get rid of him, I would."
A chuckle. "In that case, I offer thee this silent sacrifice." The figure raised his head and leaned back slightly, bringing him into contact with the General. As Sephiroth watched from the corner of his eye, Genesis faded, imparting his energy.
Sephiroth sighed. Genesis. I wish I had been able to do more for you. But… Well, who knows.
He was about to move forward to search out his darker half, when suddenly, there was another figure standing in front of him. It faced away, head bowed, familiar black hair spiking up in all directions.
He hesitated, then reached a hand toward the figure's back. "…Zack…"
"Your strength… There's still part of it missing, isn't there?"
"Zack…I'm…"
The figure shook his head. "Don't apologize to me, Seph." He turned, bringing sad eyes to bear on the General. "I'm just a part of you. I'm not the one who needs it."
Sephiroth closed his eyes in anguish. There was so much between them. "Zack, what can I…?"
"Just…don't forget me, okay?"
He opened his eyes to gaze into the ones before him, violet eyes that held such a depth of pain and sorrow, but still managed to shine with hope.
"…I won't. I promise."
Then Zack grinned, and suddenly his expression was so full of faith and trust… Sephiroth was amazed that it was all directed at him. He fought the urge to see if there was someone else around who Zack must surely be looking at.
Suddenly Zack dashed forward, throwing his arms around his friend to hug him tightly. Before he vanished, sending energy surging into him, Sephiroth thought he heard him say one last thing:
"Take heart, Seph, because this isn't gonna be easy. For either of us."
He was left wondering what exactly Zack had been referring to.
Angeal, Genesis, Zack… Their appearances all reminded him of just how much he'd lost, how much he had to atone for. But they had all been reassuring, in their own way. He'd found himself at last, he knew who he was, when before he'd been drifting in a sea of incomprehensible madness.
Yet, even now, he felt that dark sea lapping at his consciousness, seeking to erode his strength, subvert his thoughts.
He needed to deal with it.
Reaching out with his will, he drew upon that darkness, shuddering at the contact, and forced it to come before him, molding it into a shape he could face:
Himself.
The image appeared before him with the hint of an arrogant smirk upon its face. It was like him in every respect, except that it was a soul bent on manipulation and destruction, heedless of the cares of the world around it. It was selfish, cruel, and unforgiving. It was everything Sephiroth had feared he would someday become. And he had.
Sephiroth staggered, the mental contact with his darker half weakening him.
There was a dark chuckle, and then the demon spoke with his own voice. "You seek to destroy me? How amusing."
Sephiroth grunted and readied the Masamune. He had nothing to say to this abomination.
The demon smirked, beginning to circle him. "There is nothing you can do to get rid of me. I am you. I am all your fears, your insecurities, your anger, your suffering. I am the truth of your existence, your very purpose."
Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "You lie."
The other shook his head in amusement. "No. You are the lie. I…" He spread his arms. "Am the reality."
A growl. "How I could have been so blind as to become you, I will never know."
"You are incapable of understanding, of course. You are the weakness that bowed to my truth. You are the pathetic existence that I once was. I wouldn't expect you, an empty shell of memories, to understand."
Sephiroth stiffened. The other was trying to make him doubt, to question his own existence. He couldn't let that happen! Gripping the Masamune, he dashed forward, swinging it in a swift, downward cut. "I am Sephiroth!"
Not unexpectedly, a long blade appeared in his opponent's hand to block the attack. The metal was black. "No. You are the useless memories Sephiroth discarded. The memories I discarded."
They exchanged a few blows.
"You are everything Sephiroth does not need. You are his weakness. His liability." The other smirked.
Sephiroth shoved him backwards, unleashing a series of rapid strikes. It couldn't be true! He was Sephiroth. …Wasn't he? How would he know for sure?
"I can remove you as easily as I discarded you before. Without me, you are nothing, wretched fragments drifting uselessly in the Lifestream. But without you, I am everything."
"No." Sephiroth grunted as the other attacked in return. "You're just a pawn of Jenova."
"Jenova?" He laughed. "She is merely the puppet dancing on the strings of my will." And with that, he flourished his blade, taking Sephiroth by surprise, and impaled him straight through the shoulder.
Sephiroth gasped and fell to his knees. "No…" Had all his efforts been for naught? All of Zack's incredible efforts in bringing him back from the brink of extinction a waste? It couldn't end like this! He gripped the blade, trying to force it back.
The other slid in close. "You were always nothing," he whispered. Then he withdrew. He gave the blade a savage twist, causing Sephiroth to cry out as additional pain exploded in his shoulder. Finally, he yanked the blade back. Sephiroth slumped forward, clutching at his injury.
The demon turned away, not caring to spare a backwards glance. "You're still as useless to me as before. At least when I cast you out this time, there will be no Zack Fair to pick you up and piece you back together." He chuckled. "That boy was always a fool."
Sephiroth's head jerked up. "What do you mean?" he demanded. "Where is Zack?"
There was a dark smirk in the other's tone. "I don't think I'll tell you."
Sephiroth growled in rage, and jerked himself to his feet. But he staggered. He was so weak!
Suddenly, he heard a tsking noise.
"He never listens to us!" A voice, both frustrated and amused. Genesis.
"Hmph. He always did like to do everything himself." Deeper, more gruff. Angeal.
"And here he kept saying he never wanted to be the hero."
"I think he's just showing off for you, Genesis."
"Well, he's not doing a very good job of it, is he?"
"Jeez, you guys, give him a break! Do you have any idea how hard it is to fight a copy of yourself?" Bright, cheerful. Zack.
"…Zack, your failure to defeat an old simulation of yourself was not impressive."
"…That's not the point! Genesis copies are bad enough, but can you imagine Sephiroth copies?"
"…My copies were inferior creations."
"That's…that's not the point! Fine, you guys can sit there like the old men you are, but I'm helping out my pal."
"…He just called us old. Angeal, discipline your puppy."
"…To be fair, Genesis, the degradation didn't help our appearances any."
"You…you're taking his side! I don't believe you."
"Hey, move over!" A warm, unexpected feeling spread over Sephiroth's sword hand, and he glanced to the side to see a faint image of Zack standing there with his hand placed over Sephiroth's own. His friend grinned. "Hey, Seph! Let's defeat last month's data together."
"Last month's data? That's an understatement if I ever heard one." A larger hand fell over Zack's, and Sephiroth looked up to see Angeal's confident expression.
There was a dramatic sigh. "No sacrifices this time, I suppose." A red-gloved hand was placed atop Angeal's. Genesis did not turn to meet Sephiroth's gaze, but the General noticed the beginnings of an amused smirk crossing his lips.
Slowly, Sephiroth nodded. "Together."
The three faded, but he could still sense them, standing there beside him. He straightened. All at once, he felt rejuvenated, his determination returning. He reached out a hand to the dark apparition before him.
"Stop," he commanded, bending his will over the other.
The demon was halted in his tracks. "…What is this?" He struggled to move, but failed. "Impossible…"
"This is my mind. I, and I alone control it. You have no more power here."
He strode forward, and lashed out with the Masamune. He felt Genesis beside him.
My soul, corrupted by vengeance…
The demon attempted to summon a reserve of darkness to swamp his attacker.
Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey…
Angeal was there, as Sephiroth banished the darkness with another slash from his gleaming blade.
In my own salvation…
Zack guided his final attack, straight and true, through the heart of the monster.
And your eternal slumber.
For a moment, Sephiroth gazed into the shocked eyes of his dark counterpart. Then the Dark Sephiroth dissipated, fading into the back of his consciousness. The spectre was diminished, weakened almost to nothing.
"…He's still there, you know," Angeal commented.
"…I know." He was a part of Sephiroth, after all. He could never be truly eradicated, not without Sephiroth in turn losing a part of himself. But he would never again hold sway over Sephiroth's mind.
In a moment, Sephiroth had constructed an iron barrier against the demon, ensuring it would never come forth again.
"…Stay where you belong. In my memories." He bowed his head, recognizing that Cloud Strife had once said the same thing to him. Perhaps this time, it really would come to pass.
"Wow. It's finally over! Imagine that." Sephiroth turned to view the transparent form of Zack, as his friend scratched his head. "Where are the fireworks?"
Sephiroth grunted. "This is hardly a case for celebration."
"Isn't it? You regain your memories and your sanity, and big, bad Sephiroth bites the dust… Sounds like party time to me!"
Sephiroth turned away. If only he did feel that way. But all he felt was emptiness. There was no feeling of joy, no sense of accomplishment, not really. He was unsatisfied. There was too much he had to answer for, and, much as he wished it were otherwise, everything that the demon had done had been done under his watch. He bore all the responsibility, for it was he who had gone mad, who had fallen for Jenova's lies. The demon had been right about one thing…he was Sephiroth.
He didn't know how he could live with himself, to have so deeply betrayed the ones he cared for most. Zack… Why he had chosen to push them away was a mystery to him. He replayed the memories in his mind as if he was someone else watching, not understanding how he could have committed such atrocities. How? Why? Oh, Gaia…forgive me.
"…Hey…" He started as a comforting hand was laid on his shoulder. "I know it's all…impossible, right now. But it wasn't all your fault."
"Wasn't it? Who freed Jenova, if not me? Who burned Nibelheim to the ground, if not me? Who tried to kill you, if not me?"
"That wasn't you. I know you, Seph, I'm the one who picked up all your memories, remember? That wasn't you."
Sephiroth whirled on him. "Well then, tell me who it was, Zack," he demanded. "When, and correct me if I'm wrong, I still had all my memories when it all started."
Zack took a step back, a bit hurt at Sephiroth's tone. "…That was…" He hesitated, at a bit of a loss. Who had it really been? "It was…it was Jenova…"
"Not good enough." Sephiroth turned away again.
Zack gave a heartfelt sigh. "…Then I just don't know if I can help you," he said, sadly. "Like I said, I'm just a part of you, Seph. I don't know anything more than you do." Helplessly, he shrugged.
"…Then what am I supposed to do now?" Sephiroth gazed around him. Though he hated to admit it, he was lost.
"Well…you can't do anything here, that's for sure. Guess you just gotta wake up and face whatever's next!"
"…Wake up? Am I not in the Lifestream…?"
Zack smirked. "'Fraid not. Seem you've been given a second chance! Man, some people have all the luck."
As Sephiroth turned to watch, Zack began to fade away. "Zack…"
"See ya later, pal! I'll tell Angeal and Genesis you said goodbye!"
Zack vanished, and all the world faded to black.
to be continued…