Final Fantasy VII
At the End of the World
By Lucky_Ladybug
Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! Those who were following my stories for this fandom years ago may not be surprised that I am suddenly writing a fic of connected scenes knitted together. I did several of those years ago when I really wanted to share something but hadn't got up to it yet in the story for which it belonged. I am honestly not sure if I will ever fully write Twilight and Dawn to its completion, nor that I still want certain things from the proposed sequel Sunrise and Midnight to have happened in the timeline. But I suddenly had a burst of inspiration for writing out the final battle against Jenova in that saga and just had to pen it. I was going to just stick it on Tumblr as a blurb, but instead I'm going to post it here even though it will probably confuse the heck out of anyone who doesn't know what I'm doing. Those who do know, hopefully you will all enjoy this! The first scene I basically wrote years ago, when I first started this timeline, but I have altered much of Sephiroth's dialogue to reflect his sane personality as shown in wonderful things like Crisis Core. The basic premise of my Twilight and Dawn verse is that Sephiroth sends everybody to Earth after Dirge of Cerberus and they end up in a Once Upon a Time situation, with different jobs and memories. (And I came up with that several years before Once Upon a Time premiered.) Memories return, Jenova returns, and chaos results. But Sephiroth, thankfully, is sane again, and that just may be what they need to turn the tide here. . . .
Cloud could see him, silhouetted on the opposite side of the roof. He was dressed as Cloud remembered him—wearing that infamous black coat, open to reveal his chest. The ends of the cloth blew in the breeze, nearly resembling dark wings amid the furious winds. In one hand he clutched the Masamune's hilt, as he gazed out across the city—probably ready to turn and give battle at any moment. Well, Cloud would beat him to it. Now they had a score to settle, as always. Their brief respite was at an end. It seemed a joke now, to think that they had actually been business partners.
"Sephiroth!" he screamed, glaring at the other as his blond bangs flipped and tossed around his face. It was going to rain soon. The scent of it was on the wind. But that would not stop this battle. It had been fated to take place between those who would always remain enemies.
"Turn and fight me, Sephiroth!" Cloud continued. "It's because of you that all of this happened! I remember everything now—everything you did and everything you took from me! And now you've been trying again. You took away my, and everyone's, memories, sending us to this other planet!"
The silver-haired man was silent for a long moment, his long locks flying out and being tussled by the air. "Yes, I sent us here," he admitted at last. But instead of dark and uncaring, he honestly sounded . . . sad? Regretful?
Cloud wasn't about to be fooled. He gripped the hilt of the buster sword tightly.
"This has all been part of some plan of yours!" the blond accused. "We've all been puppets in your game! It was fun for you, wasn't it—knowing that none of us remembered you at all! And you had some sick sense of humor, putting me with you! We were working together day after day, talking, trying to work out problems in the company! I trusted you again, just as I did before what happened at Nibelheim! And you took advantage of that now, just like you did then!" He started to raise the heavy weapon, preparing to lunge. "You must have had a good laugh at my expense, didn't you, Sephiroth?"
He did not notice the other's hand curling further around the Masamune's hilt, nor did he see the green eyes fill with pain and sorrow.
"Tell me something, Sephiroth!" he demanded now. "Tell me why some of us remember everything, while most of us don't remember anything at all! Did you think that would be funny, too?" He thought of Rude, refusing to have anything to do with Reno. He thought of Marlene, with no memory at all of Cloud and Vincent. And he could not even get out of his mind the image of Yazoo coldly rejecting his brothers. Both Kadaj and Loz had been crushed and stricken by that, and while Loz had dissolved into tears, Kadaj had gone to find "Mother" in the hopes that she could cure the distant and sarcastic brother. He had found her, alright—and now she was having him do her every bidding.
"No," Sephiroth responded. "What happened wasn't planned. I don't think it's funny at all." He half-turned now, the long bangs blowing across his face as he studied Cloud. From that distance, Cloud could not see the details of the other's expression, but he could hear the sadness in the voice.
"This world's probably going to be destroyed because of what you've done!" Cloud retorted. "Jenova has been taking over, just like you wanted to happen with Gaia. All these people are starting to fall under her control!" He charged forward. "And I'm not going to see everything fall to her and to you!"
The Masamune was drawn in an instant. Sephiroth lunged as well, and the sparks flew as their blades crashed. Cloud glared viciously as they struggled, while Sephiroth's expression was steel, but not hateful. At last Cloud forced his hated nemesis back, and charged again. Once more came the clang of metal on metal. And the rain began to fall.
"Do you really think Jenova wants anyone to help her rule the planet?" Sephiroth growled, backing Cloud towards the edge. A metal railing ran the length of the roof, with heavy glass beneath it. There was no telling how sturdy that glass was or was not. Sephiroth doubted that it would hold, with enough pressure. Not that he intended to test it.
"She wants it all for herself," Cloud snapped, spinning around abruptly and striking harshly at the other's long sword. It did not fly out of his hands, but the former SOLDIER stumbled back, and for a split second had to gather his bearings.
"So what would I gain from this?" Sephiroth retorted then. He lunged once more, feinting, hoping to catch Cloud off guard.
"Nothing!" Cloud roared. The rain was pelting down hard now, making it difficult to both see and hear. Most of all, it was creating a slippery surface on which to battle. He met Sephiroth's pretend assault, desperately pushing on the force of the Masamune. Both of them stumbled, skidding across the roof. Then Sephiroth broke away, leaving Cloud to plunge forward. The blond held his weapon in front of him, desperate to brace himself. The buster sword rammed into the glass barrier, cracking it.
Sephiroth stood by, watching, expressionless. "Then you figure it out, Cloud," was all he would say. His opponent was up again then, lunging. He met the attack firmly, their blades scraping against each other as they each leaned in with determination. Neither felt that he was going to lose, but in spite of that, they knew that somebody would.
"I'm sick of your lies, Sephiroth!" Cloud said darkly, righteous fury flashing in his turquoise eyes.
"Look at me, Cloud," Sephiroth responded. "Look at me! There is no lie in my eyes. I have never deliberately lied to you since we came to this planet. I was affected by the memory spell too."
Cloud did not reply. He glowered, shoving the other back with all his might. Before Sephiroth could recover, Cloud lunged again, viciously, thrusting the other off his feet. The silver-haired man fell to the roof, roughly, against the already-weakened glass. It shattered, the pieces flying out into the air as they were carried away by the breeze.
He gripped at the roof for balance. He would not go out through the opening. The section was easily large enough that a man could tumble out, but he was not going to. And Cloud was the honorable sort of person who would not try to push him through it while he was still getting his bearings. Slowly he began to inch his way past the deathtrap, his long hair whipping against his face as he made the attempt. He did not dare stand until he was far enough away from it.
Now Cloud stood by, watching and waiting. "Your words don't make any sense, Sephiroth," he said then, gripping the buster sword tightly as the other swordsman got to his feet. "How can I believe you?!"
"You probably can't. And I can't blame you. But I'm not the one you need to worry about this time," Sephiroth replied, bringing his sword in front of him again. "This duel is pointless! We should be fighting Jenova, not each other."
Cloud swallowed hard, but then ran towards him, raising his own weapon. Again they crashed. He recalled the many long nights they had stayed up, trying to iron out problems with the company, or attending long and frustrating business dinners. They had talked at times, and Cloud had actually come to feel somewhat close to the other. Was that how Zack had felt, all those years ago, before Sephiroth had lost his mind at Nibelheim?
"That's ridiculous," he snapped now. "If anything, I need to worry about both you and Jenova."
Sephiroth drew back, then abruptly lunged again himself, forcing Cloud to back up. "Kadaj is her puppet," he responded. "He's the one who's managed to bring so many people under her control."
"And he is you!" Cloud said. He knew that he had to be on guard now, if he was being backed toward the part of the roof with the broken glass. Sephiroth could be trying to get him to fall through, or even to push him out. He hated that he had been trusting his enemy again, for an indeterminable length of time. How could he have been so oblivious? He had never suspected that anything was wrong, or that there were holes in the life story he had thought to be factual. But then his memories had come back and he realized now what a fool he had been.
"Are you sure?" Their blades met again. Sephiroth moved back, and Cloud ran forward, water splashing up as he did. The buster sword crashed against the Masamune, and he pushed with all his might to thrust Sephiroth off-balance. The green-eyed man did the same in turn, and Cloud felt his control slipping. Desperately he held on, throwing all of his strength into keeping his position. Still, when Sephiroth lunged again without warning, Cloud fell back.
The slippery surface was not kind to him, and as he flailed frantically to stay standing, his legs became tangled. The heavy sword plunged into the roof, and Cloud plunged through the opening left by the broken glass. He gasped, feeling the air rushing at him from all sides. He was going to die. But no, he could not. He had to stay alive, to protect the people he cared about, to stop Jenova's reign of terror.
He reached up, catching onto the edge of the roof with one hand just before it would have been too late. But he could not sigh in relief, or relax. Would he be able to pull himself up? Already he was starting to lose his grip. Frantically he moved his other hand into position as well. He was having a hard enough time not falling, without trying to haul himself back onto the roof. He was not going to be able to do it, not in this weather.
Footsteps above him caused him to struggle to look up. Sephiroth was standing above him, his eyes veiled by his long bangs. He held the Masamune at his side, bringing it dangerously to Cloud's throat.
"You know I could kill you so easily right now," he said. "Or I could stand here and just watch you die. You'll plummet to your end in a moment."
Cloud glared, feeling the tip of the long sword against his neck. If he dared to move at all, to try to get up, it would impale him. Sephiroth had him trapped.
Abruptly the blade was pulled back. He blinked, staring in confusion. The silver-haired man stepped closer, bending down as he grabbed onto the railing with his right hand. He extended his left, continuing to regard Cloud without hate.
"Give me your hand," he ordered.
Cloud shifted, narrowing his eyes as he met the green gaze. "Why should I?" he retorted. "You'd probably take it and then shove me back."
Sephiroth's eyes narrowed too. "You don't have much choice right now," he pointed out. "You don't want to die, do you? That wouldn't serve any purpose." He paused. "Even if you think I'll kill you anyway, you should know that you'll be killed of a surety if you do nothing."
Cloud knew that his nemesis was right. And this was not a matter of pride. If he would be killed either way, then he had nothing to lose. But if Sephiroth would indeed help him, then Cloud would lose if he refused the possible assistance. Still, that did not mean that trusting the other would be easy. Cloud had trusted before and had been let down, and in spite of Sephiroth's strange words during their fight, there was no guarantee that he would be willing to do Cloud any favors.
Slowly he reached up with his left hand, and Sephiroth grabbed hold of his wrist. Cloud grabbed at the other man's in turn, and with Sephiroth's support, Cloud managed to use his right hand and arm to begin pushing himself back onto the roof.
At last he felt the cold surface completely underneath his weary body again. He fell to his knees, breathing heavily. Sephiroth released him then, and he could hear the bigger man walking across the rain-drenched space. Shakily the blond looked up at him. "Why . . . why did you do that?" he demanded, reaching up to brush the soaked bangs out of his eyes. He had not at all been expecting to be deposited safely back on solid ground. Now he had been, he fully realized just how much he had been figuring that Sephiroth would fling him out to his death.
In response, Sephiroth drew the Masamune once more. "This isn't over yet, Cloud," he informed the other. "Pick up your weapon and fight me." His eyes were filled with steely determination, which could be clearly seen despite the furious rain and the drenched bangs, half-plastered to his face.
Cloud glowered up at the other as he slowly got to his feet. He reached for the buster sword, pulling it out of the now-cracked roof, and charged forward. He would still win this battle. He could not lose to Sephiroth.
The wind howled, and the rain beat down furiously, as their desperate duel continued. Their swords clanged loudly, blending in with all the other sounds around them. Each was completely focused on emerging the victor, determined not to lose. Both were soaked through from the violent storm, though not even the heavy rain could entirely tame Sephiroth's bangs or Cloud's spikes.
Cloud was not even certain how it had happened. Maybe, he thought later, it was the wild rain that had attacked him in the face. Maybe it was the wind violently tearing at his back. Or maybe it was just that his concentration and fighting skills were not as good tonight as he had thought. But he found himself backed against the wall, staring up at Sephiroth as the buster sword was knocked from his hands. It slammed to the roof hard, sending up another spray of rainwater. Cloud barely noticed. All he could see was the Masamune pointed at his face.
Well, this was it, he thought bitterly to himself. Sephiroth had won. Sephiroth! Cloud had failed to bring him down. And now he would not have the chance to make things right from Jenova's catastrophe. Sephiroth would probably either try to rule himself, overthrowing Jenova, or else attempt to join with her. Of course, when this had happened, when Cloud had lost to his worst enemy, how would he have even been fit to fight Jenova anyway?
Suddenly he realized that the final blow had not happened. He frowned, snapping back to the present. Why was he still alive? Sephiroth should have finished him off by now. But Sephiroth was not there.
Bewildered, Cloud straightened up and looked around the roof. Off to the side, Sephiroth was walking toward the door leading back inside the building. The Masamune was held behind him. Cloud looked after him, opening his mouth as he tried to get out words that would not come.
"Sephiroth!" he cried at last.
The silver-haired man paused, but did not look back.
"Why didn't you finish me?" Cloud yelled, wanting to be heard over the wind.
Sephiroth was silent as he opened the heavy door. "Keep asking yourself those questions and maybe you'll get an answer eventually," he said as he walked through the entryway. The door shut firmly behind him.
It was the sound of crying that awakened him.
Cloud slowly stirred in the snow, grunting in pain as the wound above his left eye continued to bleed. He moved his left hand, finding the hilt of his sword before trying to push himself upright.
The scene before him was disastrous. Almost everyone there had fallen to the snow as well, while Jenova stood before all of them in terrible majesty, a cruel smirk on her lips. Some of them were starting to regain consciousness and discovering their or other's wounds. She observed this, allowing the reprieve from battle for the moment.
"I could have killed you all immediately, but that wouldn't have been much fun," she sneered. "I want you all to suffer tremendously and fully realize how you've failed against me."
Barret and Cid both cursed her at that, with Cid delivering a long string of obscene insults.
Cloud barely heard. He looked around, soon finding Tifa stumbling to her feet. He tried to get up too, to go to her.
The fight against Jenova had been devastating. Everyone had known it would be, especially as she had reanimated and possessed the body of an evil sorceress to further her wretched schemes, but now, with so many lying hurt and wounded on the snow-covered battlefield, it almost seemed hopeless that they would ever win. Even Sephiroth was down on one knee, clutching his chest.
The crying Cloud had heard was Loz, still weeping over Kadaj's lifeless body. Jenova had manipulated him all along, using him to help her gain followers by promising to restore Yazoo's memories if he did. And when her use for him had been exhausted, she had taken his life force as she had all her followers', to power herself up even further. Yazoo, badly shaken and stunned by what had happened, hadn't told Loz once to stop crying. His memories had been gradually coming back on their own, and by this point he had them all. Shera, overwhelmed and sickened, was just holding the boys close. She and Cid had been looking after Yazoo since their arrival on this planet, and when the other two had appeared, she had taken them in as well.
Cloud wiped the blood away from his left eye as he headed for Tifa. This was a nightmare. What was left to do? They had to keep fighting; they couldn't let Jenova win, and yet they were out of ideas on what they could try next.
Or most of them were.
Out of everyone who could have seen their last ray of hope, it was Reno of all people who caught sight of Marlene determinedly sneaking across the battlefield. One last Materia was clutched in her hand. Those were rare on this planet; the only ones around had ended up here with them when Sephiroth had brought everyone here. Who knew where Marlene had found this one. She was moving as stealthily as possible, clearly heading for Cloud. But there was no way she could get it to him without Jenova seeing.
And indeed, the witch soon focused her gaze on the small child when she slipped out from behind a tree. "Pathetic," she sneered. "You actually believe you still have a chance? I will destroy any fledgling attempt to even try to defeat me." And she raised her hand to strike.
Cloud looked up in horror. "No!" He was too far away; there was nothing he could do.
In fact, Reno was the only one close enough to Marlene to possibly do something. "Oh, seriously?" he exclaimed. She wasn't close enough for him to grab and pull out of the line of fire, so there was only one choice, even though he knew what the outcome would be. He had always scoffed at the idea of sacrificing oneself, but backed into a corner like this with only one possible way out for Marlene, what was left? "Okay, hang on, kid!" He ran out, getting between Marlene and the blast. Although he desperately used his rod to try to shield himself, it was useless.
Marlene screamed, flying the rest of the way to Cloud, who was running to her. He, Tifa, and Barret all reached her at the same time from different directions and hugged her close as she sobbed.
Reno stumbled as Jenova's blast stopped at last. She had struck out with more than enough power to kill a kid . . . or anyone else, really. So . . . this was it then. He lost his balance, collapsing in the snow in a crumpled heap. Marlene was still crying, probably more just out of horror at someone being killed for her sake than any personal feelings about Reno. They barely interacted.
This really wasn't how he had intended to go. He had hoped to still worm out of dying in this battle somehow. They'd probably all get it; one more Materia wouldn't make much difference.
And Rude. . . . The one person present who would have cared about him personally still didn't remember him. They'd slipped into a comfortable interaction, at least, with Rude letting Reno hang around him again, but he didn't consciously remember.
Still . . . it was comforting, somehow, when he heard someone running across the snow and kneeling down beside him . . . lifting him into his arms. . . . Weakly Reno opened his eyes again, looking up blearily at his old friend.
"Rude . . . hey. Sorry. . . . Looks like this is my last stand. I'm on my way out." He managed a wry smile. "Never thought I'd be a hero, but hey, what can you do?"
Rude just held him, trembling, staring down through those ever-present sunglasses at his old friend. He only managed one tortured word. "Reno . . . !"
And Reno knew. Peace and joy swept over him in his last moment and he smiled in relief. "You remember! Finally. . . ."
Then he was gone.
Rude's heart shattered. He held the lifeless body close, shaking, while everyone else stared in shocked horror.
Jenova's visage twisted in a cruel and heartless sneer. "He was a fool to think he could possibly stand against me," she taunted.
Cloud looked up, rage and anger in his eyes as he held the sobbing Marlene close. "He knew he couldn't," he said icily.
"Then he deliberately sacrificed himself? Such a waste." She came forward, her white gown trailing on the snow. "But that will happen to every one of you. There is no hope left, only despair. I will take away everything that matters most to all of you."
Cloud stiffened. Those words sounded all too familiar. He looked to Sephiroth, who had also stiffened.
Words similar to what Sephiroth had spoken to him in the past. . . .
It was as an arrow slamming into Cloud's heart. Jenova had spoken through Sephiroth. It hadn't been Sephiroth saying those things. Had Sephiroth been in control at all? Had Jenova only let him believe he had overpowered her?
They might never know for sure. But right now, it was hardly important.
Sephiroth struggled to his feet, stabbing the Masamune into the snow for balance. "That's enough," he said frostily.
Jenova looked to him with a sneer. "And not even you can defeat me, Sephiroth," she said. "Oh, you are still powerful, I'll grant you that. You should have died from that blast I struck you with. It was the same strength as what just killed that foolish man, but you didn't even lose consciousness! Still, there is nothing left you can do."
"You're wrong. I have one course of action left." Sephiroth took a deep breath and concentrated hard. His body began to glow.
For some reason, Cloud was suddenly afraid. But not of him. Not of what he could do. Cloud was afraid for him. He gently passed Marlene to Tifa and Barret and stood. "Sephiroth . . . !"
Sephiroth ignored him. When the light faded, he was wearing only a black kilt and seven wings were sprouting from his back, one black and six white. He was still standing; the wings hadn't replaced his legs. He had somehow modified his most powerful Safer form.
Cid swore under his breath. "I never wanted to see any version of that messed-up form again."
Marlene looked confused by that. "But all the wings are so beautiful. . . ."
Barret looked to Sephiroth again. He hadn't been able to think of it that way when they had been forced to fight him in his original Safer form. And seeing wings on people just seemed wrong, especially when it was Sephiroth. But now . . . under these circumstances, maybe he could kind of see Marlene's point. In any case, he appreciated her innocence. After all she had just seen, she could still see beauty in something.
"Sephiroth isn't our enemy now," Tifa said to Cid. "He's our last hope."
Did that mean she had forgiven him for Nibelheim? She didn't know. That wound may have gone too deep to ever be healed. But she recognized, at least, that this Sephiroth was sane. This Sephiroth might be the only one among them who had even a shred of hope of beating Jenova. And ironically enough, he was only this powerful because of what Jenova had done to him in helping to drive him insane and leading him to gather knowledge from the Lifestream.
Cloud hesitated, looking down at the Materia Marlene had risked her life to bring. It was unlikely they could all join in this last stage of the battle. Most of them were hurt to varying extents and Sephiroth was prepared to take the duel into the skies. And he needed every bit of power he could get. Cloud's anger at Sephiroth had faded before, although he had never as yet told the older man. But even if it hadn't, even if Cloud still hated him with all his heart, he would have had to make the decision he was making now.
"Sephiroth!" he called at last. "Catch!"
Sephiroth turned, easily catching the Materia in one hand.
"Sephiroth needs every advantage," Tifa said. "Everyone, give what Materia you have to him!"
Cid scowled. "And just how do we know he won't use them against us after he beats Jenova?"
"You can't," Sephiroth replied. Of course he wouldn't, but he wouldn't expect them to believe him. Not after everything he had done in his madness. He would never forgive himself for those abominable actions, but there was nothing he could do about that now. They had to stop Jenova.
"We have to trust him," Tifa said. "You know that isn't at all easy for me to say, but I recognize what we're up against right now. And . . . Sephiroth hasn't shown any signs of insanity or cruelty since we got here. He's helped us before. It's important we believe in him now."
"And what if I won't allow you to give him this advantage?" Jenova interjected.
Sephiroth spread his wings, shielding everyone else from Jenova. "You'll have to get past me to stop them."
"Gladly!" She promptly blasted at him. He retaliated, the blasts colliding in mid-air.
"Hurry!" Tifa instructed the others.
Finally Cid relented, and he and the rest brought their few Materia in a cross-body bag to Tifa. She then threw it to Sephiroth, who caught it.
"End this," Cloud said.
There was more he wanted to say. . . . "Don't die if you can help it!" "Come back." "I . . . don't want you to die."
But he said none of those things.
Sephiroth nodded in silent acknowledgment of Cloud's spoken words and turned back to Jenova as he started to flap all seven wings. "We'll take our fight into the Heavens and I will send you to Hell," he vowed.
Jenova just sneered. "You're so ungrateful to your mother, Sephiroth."
His pupils narrowed to cat-like slits. "You're not my mother." He took off into the sky, all wings pushing him upward.
Unconcerned, Jenova shot upward as she followed.
Everyone stared into the sky as the battle raged. Sephiroth's attacks were fierce and deadly, as they had always been in that form. But Jenova held out against them, fighting back just as ferociously. It looked as though they might be evenly matched.
"You think he's really got a chance?" Barret finally spoke.
"He's the only one who does," Cloud replied.
Tifa looked from the fight to where Rude was still kneeling in the snow, still cradling Reno's body. He had completely shut down, unable to cope with not only losing his best friend, but not having remembered him for weeks until this critical moment. Tifa was suddenly afraid for him. Would he even be able to go on under such circumstances?
She got up, quickly going over to him. "Rude?"
Finally he looked up. "He's gone," he said, his voice saturated with pain and grief.
Nothing Tifa could say would be able to make it better. "I'm so sorry," she said. "He saved Marlene. . . . We'll never forget that."
Rude could only nod.
In the sky, the fight was persisting with ferocity—and not only with physical attacks. Jenova was bound and determined to drag Sephiroth under her control again.
"Why do you fight so hard for these people?" she asked. "Not one of them cares about you. They will never forgive you for the past. You were insane, you were influenced by me, but none of that matters. They will only ever see what you did."
"I don't hold out any hope otherwise," Sephiroth retorted. "I became a monster. Why should they forgive me? I am fighting for them because it's right."
"Right?" Jenova scoffed. "For so long you believed it was right not to help them, that they had stolen the Planet from its rightful rulers."
"You fed me those lies, and in my warped mental state I believed you," Sephiroth said. "If I had never found you, so many people would not have suffered. And I might have been happy."
"Were you happy before you found me?" Jenova countered. "You were weighed down by so many sorrows."
"But I knew what love was," Sephiroth replied. "Not the love of a mother, no. I still don't know what that's like. But I had the love of someone who cared about me unconditionally. By now I've broken his heart many times over."
And yet Zack still cared about him. Even in spirit form, he had been rooting for Seph all the way—helping him remember, comforting him when he did, and encouraging him to go forward in the second chance he'd been given.
"And Cloud Strife, whom you worked with at that company you formed, turned against you the moment his memories returned," Jenova jeered, sliding over what Sephiroth had said.
"He felt betrayed anew," Sephiroth said. "He thought I remembered all along and was toying with him."
"And yet it wasn't true. You were affected by what you caused as well," Jenova said.
And for a while, Sephiroth had been happy again. He hadn't remembered the truth or all the heartache and horror he had brought upon so many. When he and Cloud had dueled on the roof of the company building at Cloud's insistence, the sharp contrast of reality had been hard and painful. Nothing he had said had convinced Cloud that Sephiroth had forgotten too, that he had been sincere in their friendship. As far as he knew, even when he had saved Cloud from falling off the edge of the roof and when he had later refused to end Cloud's life upon winning the duel, Cloud had not believed him.
And yet now they had been brought to this, with Cloud entrusting Sephiroth to defeat Jenova. Something must have changed; the angry young man he had fought would have sooner drank poison than entrusted Sephiroth with anything. And he wished in his heart that Cloud would have told him what happened. He had not wanted to pry, and of course now there had been no time for conversation, but . . .
No, he would come through this. Somehow. They would talk again.
"Yes," he said at last. "I was."
"And nothing I say will change your mind about what you are doing?" Jenova asked.
"Nothing," Sephiroth said.
"Then talk is a waste of time." Jenova struck out with a vicious blast that Sephiroth only barely managed to dodge.
He reached into his bag for a Materia and then stared in utter shock and disbelief. It couldn't be! But it was. The last Materia, the one Marlene had found and brought, was Aerith's White Materia.
"What is it?" Jenova demanded.
Sephiroth quickly slipped it back in the bag. It just couldn't be. What were the odds that he of all people would wind up with that? He couldn't even use it. It required a Cetra, of which he was not despite his past erroneous beliefs in his insanity.
"Sephiroth."
He started in shock. Aerith's voice was in his ear, but she was not visibly there.
"It's alright. Pray for help."
Pray for . . . that was insane. They weren't even on the same planet anymore! The White Materia's whole purpose was to communicate with their home planet, Gaia, for casting Holy. Even if the Materia would respond to him despite him not being a Cetra, communicating with Gaia would be fruitless.
He struck back at Jenova with a Heartless Angel attack. It hit and she roared in pain and rage.
"Very well, Sephiroth," she snarled. "If I can no longer affect your mind, then you will perish along with everyone else." She took out her staff, the orb at the top black as night.
Absolute horror swept over him. The Black Materia. Jenova had found the Black Materia on this world.
"What are you doing with that?!" he demanded as he tried to blast it out of her hand.
"I'm not casting Meteor . . . yet," she said. "But I found it works extraordinarily well with the black magic learned by this human's body. It makes it far more potent. Now I will give you a raw example!"
Immediately he blasted her back. She was only momentarily stunned, but he took the opportunity to reach back in the bag for the White Materia. His hand closed around it and, for one of the few times in his life, he prayed.
Help us! I know I'm not worthy, but I'm doing my best to stop this. Please. . . . Not for my sake, but everyone else's. I was a protector once. I want to be that again. I want to do the right thing. Give me the strength to end this fight.
Jenova had recovered now and was coming at him again. But he had also been charging up a Super Nova attack. It was finally ready and he unleashed it in all its fury.
She shrieked as it hit. "It doesn't matter what you do, Sephiroth," she said. "You will never be enough! You weren't then and you aren't now!"
"No," Sephiroth replied as a bright glow surrounded him. "I'm not. But together with everyone else, I am enough." He took out the White Materia. It was also glowing.
Now she knew what it was. "How do you have that?!" she cried. "And why is it responding to you?!"
"I don't know," Sephiroth said. "Maybe whatever God is on this planet is listening. Maybe in this world, it doesn't take a Cetra to fix this."
On the ground, everyone was tensely watching the blasts back and forth. Caught in the clouds, Sephiroth and Jenova were not visible. But the intensity of the fight was still obvious.
"What's going on up there?!" Yuffie exclaimed in frustration. "Why can't we see?!"
Red XIII was silent, frowning as he took it all in.
Cait Sith was not so silent. "Take cover!" he yelled as the cloud suddenly lit up from within.
The sudden explosion in the sky was absolutely chilling. White feathers blasted out of the clouds and swirled down to the ground, along with an occasional black feather.
Tifa gasped. Marlene flinched and then clutched Barret closer, staring into the sky for some sign of Sephiroth.
Cloud had gone pale. He caught several feathers in his hands, staring at them. There wasn't blood on them, at least, but . . .
Jenova's body abruptly fell from the sky, striking the snow hard. As everyone stared, she dissolved into nothingness, the snow briefly turning green before the coloring dissolved as well. In her hand, the staff fell harmlessly into the snow.
"The Black Materia?!" Tifa exclaimed in disbelief.
Barret would have swore if Marlene wasn't present. "How'd she end up with that?!"
"She must have found it somewhere on this planet," Cloud said, his voice tense. "Like Marlene found the White one."
". . . That was the White Materia?!" Barret cried. "And you gave that to Sephiroth?!"
Cloud drew a deep breath. "Yeah. There wasn't any choice." He looked up desperately into the sky. Where was Sephiroth?
"It's not even supposed to work for anybody other than a Cetra!" Yuffie said in disbelief.
"I took a chance anyway," Cloud said. "I was hoping maybe . . . I don't know . . . that being on a different planet would make it work different." Inwardly he was screaming. Why were they calmly talking about this?! Sephiroth hadn't come down. Why?!
Vincent bent and picked up the staff. "Apparently it did. Now Jenova's been stopped."
"Well, good riddance!" Cid spat. "It's over now, isn't it? Unless Sephiroth's gonna turn on us and come after us too."
"I don't think he's in any condition to do that even if he would," Tifa said. And somehow, she didn't think he would.
And where was he?! He should have definitely come down by now, if . . . if he was still . . .
Cloud couldn't take it anymore. He ran over near where Jenova had fallen and stared up into the cloudy skies. "Sephiroth!?" he screamed. He was still clutching the feathers tightly in his hands. Was this . . . all that was left? Had Sephiroth finally . . . blown himself up to get Jenova?
. . . Was it Cloud's fault for giving him the White Materia, which he wasn't even supposed to be able to use?
No. . . . Don't be dead. Come back. Come back! I wanted you to come back. . . .
Words he had never thought he would so much as think regarding Sephiroth. How . . . why had his anger started to cool? Had it been thinking back on Sephiroth's actions during the duel Cloud had forced on him? Had it been remembering the happy times they had spent at the company before their memories had returned? Perhaps really being able to process that Sephiroth was sane and not at all the madman who had brought so much heartache on all of them? Somewhere along the way, he had come to believe Sephiroth had been sincere ever since their arrival on this planet. And now he couldn't bear to lose him.
And then Sephiroth's body was finally falling from the sky, whole but badly hurt. He hit hard in the snow on his right side, all seven wings completely limp. The White Materia rolled from his hand.
Cloud dropped the feathers, running to his former enemy's side and kneeling beside him. "Sephiroth!" he cried. "Say something!" He gripped the other's bare shoulder. "Answer me!"
But Sephiroth was too hurt or too near-death to reply. Cloud could see he was still breathing, but it was pained.
"He needs help!" Cloud cried. "Help him, someone! Do something!"
Vincent went over, kneeling on Sephiroth's other side as he began to examine him. Cloud could only sit back and watch helplessly.
"He took a tremendous physical and emotional shock," Vincent said at last. "If he wasn't actually struck by the Black Materia, he must have been hurt by the explosion when it and the White Materia collided. Even if they can't release their full power on this world, they obviously still have some magic properties that can be tapped into."
Cloud stared at the loose feathers all over the ground and then back at Sephiroth. ". . . Will he be alright?" He hated to even ask. If Sephiroth wouldn't be alright, then . . .
Vincent hesitated, then shook his head. "I don't know."
Cloud's shoulders slumped. Sephiroth had been so dangerous when they had fought him in the past. He had tried to use the Black Materia to bring down Meteor on the Planet. But that Sephiroth had been insane. This Sephiroth was very sane and the White Materia had apparently responded to him. He was the strong protector he had once been. Now he was laying so limp and still and it wasn't right and Cloud wanted to do something, but he didn't know what. He just wasn't good at bedside manner. But no one else there knew Sephiroth as he did. The one person who might have been able to help just wasn't there.
He reached out, gripping Sephiroth's shoulder again. "Hey," he tried. "Wake up! I . . ." But he couldn't figure out how to say anything else. He dug his other hand into his hair.
Marlene stared at the scene from around Barret's shoulder. "Is he going to die too?" she asked.
That seemed more heartbreaking than if she had asked if he would be alright. Barret held her close. "I don't know, honey," he said gruffly.
"He saved us," Marlene said. "He shouldn't have to die. Reno shouldn't have died either. . . ."
That simple statement sobered everyone. None of them quite knew how to react to Sephiroth laying hurt in their midst because he had protected them. But Barret figured it out and got to his feet.
"Okay!" he called. "Get him up and let's move out. He's not gonna get better layin' in the snow. He's a mortal just like . . . most of the rest of us. We'll go back to the city, take him to his home or to the hospital, whatever'd be best."
That was a problem Cloud wasn't sure of the answer to either. Sephiroth surely needed the hospital, and yet they wouldn't know how to treat him or what to make of all the wings. It could be dangerous for Sephiroth to be placed in that situation.
Vincent had thought of all of that too. "We'll take him home," he said. "I'll treat him." In this world, Vincent had discovered himself working as a doctor. Even after his memories of home had returned, his memories of the medical knowledge he had gained here had remained. He had decided to keep his job, considering it part of his penance for the past. It was certainly more constructive than the way he had been handling it before he had met Cloud and the others.
Cloud looked to him in relief. "Thanks."
Vincent nodded.
As they looked around to see if there was anything they could use as a makeshift stretcher, a dark sedan drove up and parked near the company limousine and the other vehicles. Tseng and Elena got out from the front, looking thoroughly exhausted from their fight against many of Jenova's followers in the city. And then, from the back . . . impossibly, incredibly . . . Aerith and Zack were emerging, solid and alive.
Cloud could only stare in shock. "Z-Zack?! Aerith?!"
Zack beamed. "It's really us, Pal! We're back!"
Cloud could barely find any words. "How?" he choked out.
"We were meant to be restored too," Zack said. "It just . . . took a little longer in our cases. And then we got brought back right in the middle of that fight in the city, so we had to lend a hand on that."
Tseng smirked a bit. "It was . . . startling, to say the least."
"And then all the followers just dropped dead or something!" Elena exclaimed. "That was bizarre!"
"Jenova drained their life forces to power herself up," Cloud said bitterly.
Zack's eyes flashed. "That's sick!" He sighed. "Now that she's beat, hopefully their life forces will go back to them. We heard stuff like that happens in this weird city." He hurried over, hugging Cloud close. "It's so good to see you again, Pal."
Cloud clutched at him. There was really no time for a proper reunion right now, but this hug, this amazing, wonderful hug . . . that was indescribable. This was something he had never thought he would experience again with Zack in this life.
Zack smiled, then pulled back to kneel beside Sephiroth. "Seph?" He reached out, laying a hand on his other dear friend's shoulder. "Can you hear me?"
At first, as before, there was no answer. But then the wings started to move. Zack had gotten through where no one else had been able to. Sephiroth stirred, opening bleary green eyes to look up at Zack. He just lay there, staring up at the cherished friend he had started to believe he would never see again. "Zack . . ."
Zack bent down and hugged him close. "Oh man, I missed you! Everything's gonna be okay now, Seph! You beat Jenova and saved everybody!"
Sephiroth curled his arms around Zack. "You're alive. . . ."
"Sure am!" Zack said. "And you'll be okay too!"
Sephiroth smiled. Yes, he would be now.
Aerith, meanwhile, was also reuniting with everyone. She and Tifa shared a joyous hug and then she smiled at Cloud when he came over. "Did you miss me?" she asked impishly.
"Aerith . . ." Cloud was not good with words. Or initiating hugs. He just stared at her, trying to comprehend that this was real, that he wasn't dreaming, that they weren't instead all dead now.
She laid a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to answer that," she said kindly. "I know you did."
Cloud just nodded in a daze. "You're really back for good?"
"That's right!" Aerith assured him. "And we've brought some friends with us."
"Friends?" Cloud looked up and around. At the scene with the Sephiroth clones, Kadaj was stirring. He sat up with a groan, holding a hand to his head.
Loz was overjoyed. "Kadaj! You're okay!" He immediately hugged his brother, to Kadaj's shock. Even more startling, Yazoo also joined the hug.
"And I remember you," Yazoo said. "Both of you. But it wasn't because of Jenova."
"Yazoo. . . ." Kadaj finally hugged them both as well. "I was a fool," he said bitterly. "Mother didn't care about us. She was never going to help us."
"She's not really Mother," Loz said. "Aerith is Mother. And . . . Shera is Mother too."
Shera smiled. "Yes, I am. And I'm so glad you're going to be alright, Kadaj." She also hugged the boy close.
Kadaj settled into the embrace. "Mother. . . ."
Cid observed with a gruff smile. "Looks like we're stuck with all of them now," he said. But he was glad too.
Rude looked from the happy scene back to Reno, still lifeless in his arms. Wouldn't he be restored too? He had given his life for Marlene. He deserved to live!
At last finally, gloriously, Reno gasped for breath, his eyes flying open.
Rude's heart was full. He hugged Reno close. There were so many words, but he didn't know how to say them now. This was good enough.
Reno hugged back. While they had never been so affectionate in general, preferring to show their caring in other, quieter ways, this situation called for it.
"You came back," Rude finally said.
"Yeah," Reno said with a smile. "And you did too."
Marlene looked at all the happiness around her and beamed. Everything was going to be okay now. This would be a wonderful place to live, with everyone she cared about.
Zack and Vincent were helping ease Sephiroth to his feet now. Sephiroth leaned heavily against them, especially Zack.
"How does it feel, Seph?" Zack asked. "You were a hero again."
"Yes." Sephiroth stared off into the distance. "Right now it feels . . . surreal. It's hard to comprehend that it happened or how it happened." He looked to where Cloud was hurriedly picking up the White Materia so they wouldn't forget it. "How . . . why did that work for me?"
"Well . . ." Zack looked like he wasn't sure either. "Could be because Aerith shot up a prayer of her own asking that it be allowed to work for you. Or it could be because different planet, different rules." He smiled, hugging Sephiroth close. "The most important thing is that it worked, right?"
Sephiroth nodded. It was, and yet given what he was and all he had done, he would like to know the answer.
". . . You'll live at my house, won't you?" he asked as they started to walk towards the limousine. "You and Aerith are both welcome there. . . . If Aerith is comfortable, of course. . . ."
"Wasn't thinking of anything else!" Zack said grandly. Several of the others had taken up residence in Sephiroth's mansion. Cloud had been there from the start of their time there, when their memories had been blocked. Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel had moved in later, after they had been found. Barret was there at times when he came from working at the nearby mine—although he definitely found it uncomfortable and usually stayed away except to see the kids.
Sephiroth smiled a bit but had to ask, "You're sure Aerith would be alright with that arrangement?"
Zack hugged him. "We already talked about it before," he assured Sephiroth. "It's okay, Seph."
Sephiroth stared off into the distance. Okay. . . . Everything was more than okay. He was sure he didn't deserve such happiness, but it was his to have. The world was safe . . . everyone here was safe . . . and he had been able to do the right thing and protect them all again.
He had originally sent everyone here as part of a new scheme to try to conquer Gaia. Instead, he had found sanity and healing . . . and love again.
He looked over at Cloud. The blond hadn't said one word to him since he had revived. Yet . . . Cloud had given him the White Materia. Why? The stakes had been too high for him to do it as a gag, but he had known it shouldn't have even worked for Sephiroth or anyone else. Perhaps it had been a last desperate gamble.
"Cloud was real worried about you," Zack told him, following his gaze.
Sephiroth grunted. "I find that hard to believe."
"He was," Vincent said. "He was calling in a panic for someone to help you."
Genuine surprise went through Sephiroth's eyes. "He hasn't said anything to me since I woke up."
"I don't think he knows how to," Zack mused. "You know how bad he is with words. He was worried, but he'd probably deny it up and down if you pinned him on it."
"Heh. Probably," Sephiroth agreed.
Cloud did finally look over when they neared the limousine, and the relief in his eyes was clear, as was his awkwardness. "Sephiroth . . . are you okay?"
"Yes," Sephiroth said. He knew he was badly drained; recovery would take time. At the moment he couldn't even muster the strength to undo the Safer form. That would certainly make a statement if any of the neighbors were out when they got home. But he would still say he was fine because . . . well, that was what he did. It was almost an automatic response most of the time, whether or not it was actually true.
Cloud nodded. "You saved us all. Thanks."
Sephiroth nodded in turn.
Zack looked to Aerith as he helped ease Sephiroth into the car. "They're getting there," he mouthed. He was convinced that both of his best friends would come to accept that they were also friends now . . . sooner or later.
Aerith smiled knowingly. She was sure of it too.
Cloud and Sephiroth badly needed to talk, but they weren't about to do it with so many people around. And Sephiroth was seriously drained; he desperately had to rest. He collapsed into his bed as soon as they arrived home.
He wasn't sure how long he slept. Sometimes he roused up with Zack there watching over him. When he woke up at another point, it was Cloud, awkwardly peering in at him from the doorway.
By that point he felt well enough to stay awake for at least a few minutes, and he said, ". . . Zack told me you were worried about me."
Cloud flamed red. "I . . . of course he'd say that," he muttered.
"Is it a matter of shame?" Sephiroth pointedly asked. "Something had to have changed between us, Cloud. I haven't felt the hatred I felt from you when you forced us into that duel. I haven't felt it for a while, and especially not today. Is it the same day?" he grunted as an aside, honestly not sure.
Cloud finally ventured into the room, but stayed near the doorway. "You're not the person you were when you hurt everyone," he said. "I finally grew up enough to acknowledge that. You're . . . you're a good person."
"That means a great deal coming from you," Sephiroth said. "But why did you give me the White Materia? You knew that on Gaia I wouldn't have been able to use it."
Cloud sighed and shrugged. "This isn't Gaia," he said. "And everything was so desperate. I didn't want Jenova to know we had it, but I wanted everyone else to give you their Materia for that last part of the fight. So . . . I figured I'd have to do it too sooner or later. Everyone knew I had the Materia Marlene brought."
"I see," Sephiroth mused. "So it seemed the only choice then."
"Yeah." Cloud shifted. "Where were you?! After everything blew up, I mean. You didn't fall for ages! I thought . . . I thought you'd been . . . there were feathers everywhere. . . ." He shuddered.
Sephiroth looked surprised at that. ". . . I remember falling backwards . . . barely conscious while struggling to keep myself aloft. . . . It was almost an automatic action at that point. Then my strength gave out before I could make it down. I heard you screaming as I fell."
Cloud went even redder. "You heard that?"
"Yes," Sephiroth said. "I was surprised. I didn't think anyone would worry over my fate, especially you."
Cloud looked away. "I didn't want you to die. Not now. And especially not when I'd sent you into that mess. . . ."
"It was my choice, Cloud. I knew I had to be the one to beat Jenova. No one else could have endured it long enough to stand a chance."
Cloud nodded. "I know. . . ." He shifted, torn between clearly wanting to say something else and not sure he should. Finally he just backed up towards the hall. "Just get better, okay? Work's going to be piling up without you around."
Surprise went through Sephiroth's eyes. "You still want to work with me at the company?"
Cloud looked incredibly awkward at that, but he nodded again. "Well . . . yeah. I mean . . . this is what we do in this world. . . . I could probably find work somewhere else, but . . . I've already got a good job, so . . . might as well keep it. Maybe we could get Zack set up there too."
Sephiroth started to smile. "I've already thought of the perfect position for him—promotions director."
Cloud smirked. "He'll love that." He stepped backwards more. "So . . . I'll just go, I guess. . . . Zack'll come back in, probably. Just get some more rest."
"I will." Sephiroth relaxed into the bed. Part of him still wondered what else Cloud had wanted to say, but that would keep.
He had already said so much,
Sephiroth smiled more, at peace as he dozed.
Ending Notes: Why isn't Angeal here? Basically, because I didn't want to go against what happens in A Simple Mission in Triplicate. Which is also why I didn't go as devastating on the Sephiroth hurt/comfort as I otherwise would have. I still want Triplicate to stand out there! On Kadaj-tachi, I prefer the fanon idea of them as Sephiroth clones imbued with Sephiroth's will instead of being literal pieces of Sephiroth's spirit. As for Reno, while he may be a surprising choice for such a heroic act, that is a nod to the fact that he was the original main protagonist of Twilight and Dawn. I wanted to let him be a hero as a logical conclusion to that aspect of the story. That, and . . . well, I always wanted Rude's memory problem to resolve in this manner. I just needed something dramatic enough so it wouldn't be cheesy.