Final Fantasy VII

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

By Lucky_Ladybug

Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! I have been intrigued to no end by the title of this story and it has stimulated my imagination for years with ideas much different than its actual book and movie covered. This story was born from my desire to write something with some of the ideas I've had of what a story by this title might be like. It takes place in my Twilight and Dawn verse, where everyone is sent to Earth and Sephiroth regains his sanity. At this point in the timeline, he and Cloud are very close friends.

Sephiroth sat in Cid's airship, his eyes haunted as he cradled Cloud's motionless upper body in his arms. Flashes of memory went through his mind, playing over and over on repeat, telling the story of what had led up to this.

"Dalton's at it again. He thinks he's found something that will lead us to the Promised Land."

"And once again he is dragging us along for the ride?"

"You know it. Ugh, why does he do that when he knows we'll just come after him?"

"For some reason he seems to want his archenemies to witness his triumph."

"It sure is stupid!"

"I know. But we have no choice but to go."

This time Aerith had insisted on going with Sephiroth, Zack, and Cloud to investigate. If Dalton had truly found what he sought, an Ancient needed to be there to verify the information and try to keep him from obtaining it. Angeal had left again on another vain mission to look for Genesis, so Sephiroth had left a message on Angeal's phone before they headed out.

Dalton had discovered a strange, untouched meadow in the wilds of Montana, of all places. An old cavern had led to it, and when they had arrived to investigate, the pictographs left by the early native peoples had been mysterious, vague, and enticing enough that it was understandable for Dalton to believe he might be on to something.

In the present, Sephiroth held Cloud a little closer. Could I have stopped this? Could I have done something I didn't do?

Cloud, please . . . why don't you answer me?

Across from him, Zack and Aerith watched Sephiroth worriedly, just as heartbroken by the scene.

"Seph . . ." Zack finally spoke.

At his other dear friend's voice, Sephiroth tried to pull himself together. He knew Zack was worried too. He didn't want to give Zack even more to worry about by checking out of reality himself. He drew a shaking breath.

"He's still alive," he said at last.

"Yeah." Zack managed a weak smile. "So there's still a chance. Everything's gonna be okay."

"Of course it will be," Aerith soothed. "Cloud will never give up fighting."

Sephiroth held Cloud closer still. "He was so panic-stricken, so determined to keep me from being hurt this time. . . ."

"But you're hurt anyway," Zack said softly. "You can't not be, when someone you love is hurt."

"Yes. . . ." Sephiroth sighed, looking sorrowfully to Zack. "And you have had to deal with all the times we've both been hurt. . . ."

"Hey . . . I didn't get off scot-free either," Zack replied, his smile wan. "I fell off that cliff with Dalton and you guys were worrying about me for weeks. . . ."

Aerith laced her fingers through Zack's. How she hated to remember that horrific time.

"Dalton." The venom slipped into Sephiroth's tone now. "He has caused all of us to be hurt in this world." And worse than that; it had been his fault that Sephiroth had died the first time here. Sephiroth wasn't furious about that like he was his loved ones being hurt, but it had definitely been a serious problem that had put all of them in danger—just like now.

Cloud was still alive. He wouldn't die.

He told that to himself over and over like a mantra. And at least so far it was proving true. Cloud was deeply unconscious but still alive.

"And we've beat him every time!" Zack said, cutting into Sephiroth's thoughts. "We will this time too! Cloud's gonna be okay!"

"He's getting closer to what he's seeking." Sephiroth frowned deeply. "That meadow really looked like what the Ancients would have considered the Promised Land."

"I couldn't sense their presence there, though," Aerith said. "Not in the meadow. But I did feel like they might have been in the cavern centuries ago. They probably left clues in the pictographs, if we could just decipher them. . . ."

"We will!" Zack said. "We took all those pictures to study later! And at least we kept Dalton out of there. They had that cool warning system to keep people out if their intentions were bad."

Sephiroth nodded. "Blasting at us with that ancient magic weapon they found certainly qualified," he said darkly.

Cloud had seen the blast coming and had leaped in, desperate to block it with the fusion sword. Instead it had traveled into the sword and then into him. Sephiroth would never forget the look of agony in Cloud's eyes, or his words right before collapsing to his knees and then to the floor.

"Not . . . this time,"he had rasped. "I'm not letting you be hurt this time."

Dalton's cruel reaction to Cloud's collapse was ringing through Sephiroth's ears as well. "Bravo, Mr. Strife! Yes, dive right in to save your precious friend! Only he will of course be hurt by you being hurt. Did you never think of that? Perhaps you just wanted to spare yourself the anguish of worrying about him this time!"

Sephiroth had felt such rage rising in his heart, such anger and hatred. It had frightened him on some level. He couldn't give in to that. He might lose himself again as in the past. Dalton had to be stopped, however, and sometimes the only way to stop a formidable enemy was death.

Sometimes that didn't stop them either.

He and Zack had at least managed to disarm Dalton and Azazel. When Dalton had then pulled out another weapon, the chamber they had been in had started to shake and collapse, just as at the temple in South America. They had all been forced to flee, and just as then, they didn't know if Dalton and Azazel had made it out alive.

Sephiroth couldn't help bitterly wishing they had not.

The airship descended and stopped. Sephiroth looked up.

"We're home, Pal," Zack said quietly. "Let's go on in, okay? Tifa called Vincent and Cid called Shera and they're both waiting to check Cloud out, see if there's anything they can do."

Sephiroth doubted it, considering Cloud had been struck down by ancient magic. He had been trying to get a reading on it on the ride home, but so far he had had no success. If they were back on Gaia and he could tap into the Lifestream, he surely would know something by now. But here, where something different was used, he was still perplexed by this planet's mysteries.

"I have been unable to learn anything about the magic," he said as he started to climb out of the airship holding Cloud in his arms. "If it truly is created by the Ancients, perhaps Aerith will be able to help the most."

"I wish I could," Aerith sighed. "I can feel something, but I can't get a strong reading on it."

"Well, keep trying and it'll come!" Zack said. It had to.

"The only thing I can really pick up on is that Cloud is badly hurt," Aerith said softly. "And all of us already know that."

Sephiroth looked down. "Can you tell if it's life-threatening?"

Aerith hesitated. "It is," she admitted. "Cloud is fighting hard not to give in, but death is fighting to take him."

"It will not take him," Sephiroth vowed low.

"Of course it won't!" Zack declared.

He hesitated. There was a question he wanted to ask but hadn't dared. He was really pretty sure he knew the answer. But finally he ventured, "What about your bond, Seph?"

As he had been sure would happen, Sephiroth shook his head. "I have been sending to him, but I receive no reply. Either something's blocking him or he doesn't hear me." Or Cloud wasn't answering for some other reason, but Sephiroth didn't want to think about that.

Zack sighed heavily and gripped Sephiroth's arm. "It's gonna be okay," he insisted. "Cloud's going to wake up and be fine. Hey, maybe he's just having a nice sleep or something."

Sephiroth smirked slightly at that but replied, "I doubt that, especially with what Aerith said."

"Yeah." Zack's shoulders slumped. "Me too." But, perking right up again, he added, "He's fighting to get back to us!"

Sephiroth finally smiled too. "Yes," he agreed. "At least we can know that much."

They headed for the house.

Cloud really didn't understand where he was. He was standing in the midst of a beautiful garden in back of an old mansion—not theirs, but something built much longer ago. Flowers were growing in bushes, on hedges, and on the ground, and a fountain of a girl pouring water was in front of him. Beyond it felt dark and ominous for some reason. There was a small pool of water reflecting the dark night, and yet strangely, it wasn't reflecting the stars.

"Good to see you, Cloud."

Cloud jumped a mile. Sephiroth was stretched out on the edge of the fountain, smirking at him. It only took seeing that expression for Cloud to know this wasn't his Sephiroth, the dear friend he had left behind in the waking world. This was the insane Sephiroth, a man Cloud had hoped to never see again.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Sephiroth shrugged, not concerned. He was bizarrely wearing the clothing and sandals of a Greek god. The black wing hung over his right shoulder, beautiful and yet ominous in this setting.

"I'm here because you called me here," he said. "Don't you remember, Cloud? I always come when you call." Still with the smirk.

"I didn't call you," Cloud retorted. "Look, I need to get back."

"You can't right now," Sephiroth replied. "You're too badly hurt. You'll just have to wait it out . . . with me. That won't be so terrible, will it?"

Cloud kept his distance. "You should be gone," he retorted. "You're not like this anymore."

"But you still remember me, so in that way I can live on, with you," Sephiroth said.

"You're just my imagination," Cloud said. "Or maybe this is a side effect of what I was hit with, especially if it's some Cetra artifact."

Sephiroth shrugged. "Who's to say."

Cloud scowled. "The real you would know."

"You don't think I'm real?" Sephiroth got up and walked over to him, the grass crunching under his feet. "What are our lives but a series of memories? What are we but the Planet's memories? When we die, we return to it to become part of its lifeforce."

Cloud tensed as he came closer. "We're not on that Planet anymore," he said. "And you never accepted being part of the Lifestream. You insisted on keeping hold of yourself and your individuality."

"And surely you can't say that was wrong," Sephiroth replied. He stopped in front of Cloud, looking down at him but not making any move to do anything else.

"No," Cloud had to admit. "That wasn't wrong. Just everything else you did was."

"You're so sure of that too? The Shinra company had to be stopped. You knew that; that was AVALANCHE's entire goal, to bring them down. I did your job for you with a lot less innocent bloodshed than your organization caused by blowing up reactors."

Cloud clenched his fists. After becoming so familiar with the sane Sephiroth's humility and anguish over his actions, it was difficult to hear the insane Sephiroth try to justify any of his horrors. What was worse, had Sephiroth just focused on bringing down Shinra in his insanity and not burning Nibelheim or anything else, Cloud had to admit he would be much more torn on whether the man's actions were entirely wrong. But he couldn't let himself get distracted by this.

"You didn't stop there, though," he said. "You wanted to hurt the Planet and become powerful enough to be a god when it tried to heal itself from Meteor!"

"And would that have been so wrong either, in and of itself?" Sephiroth answered. "The Planet was godless. Any god that had been there had long ago left us to fend for ourselves. Why shouldn't I try to claim the open spot for myself?"

"A lot of innocent people would die because of you trying to claim that open spot," Cloud shot back. "A lot did die. I'm sure you weren't planning to bring them back to life if you really did become a god."

"Well." A shrug. "We'll never know now, will we."

Cloud frowned at that. "Are you saying you really might have tried to save them?" The sane Sephiroth would in a heartbeat. But this wasn't him. This was a twisted and warped mind, poisoned by Jenova and by insanity.

"I might have," Sephiroth said.

"Oh, Sephiroth, you're trying to confuse poor Cloud again."

Cloud jumped. Looking around Sephiroth, he found Aerith now sitting on the edge of the fountain. She too was dressed like a figure of Greek mythology, in a flowing white dress.

Sephiroth flicked his wing in annoyance. "Why do you always have to interfere, Ancient?"

"Someone has to keep you in line," Aerith lightly responded. She stood, walking over to them as well.

Cloud held a hand to his forehead and stepped back. "This is crazy," he said. "No, I'm crazy. I'm the one who got blasted by that whatever it was. Neither of you are really here! You're both out there, waiting for me to wake up."

"We're in your mind and your heart," Aerith agreed. "But because of that, we can still talk to you."

"And why like this?" Cloud countered. "Why are you both dressed like this?! Why not the way I remember you?"

Sephiroth struck a vain pose with a smirk. "It suits me, don't you think?"

"No," Cloud retorted.

"You must," Sephiroth replied, his voice lowering to a dark purr. "You dressed me like this."

Cloud stared at him for a long moment. "Oh, come on!" he finally burst out.

"We are in your memories, as you've pointed out," Aerith said with a smile. "But don't let Sephiroth confuse you, Cloud. He wanted to be a god, so you subconsciously dressed him that way. That's all there is to it."

"And what about you?" Cloud asked.

"Me? I'm an innocent Grecian maiden," Aerith winked. "Or maybe the heroine of one of the myths. What character do you think would fit me?"

"I wouldn't know," Cloud retorted. "I don't read that stuff." He turned away, shaking his head. "This is all too weird. I want to go back. The real you and Sephiroth are out there worrying about me. Zack too, and Tifa. And the kids." He clenched a fist. "I have to get back to them."

Sephiroth appeared in front of him again. "So soon? Stay a while, Cloud. After all, you're one of us too." He waved his hand and Cloud was now dressed in a knee-length Grecian chiton.

"What the . . . ?!" Cloud tugged on the material and tried to pull the kilt lower, to Sephiroth's amusement. "Look, I don't belong like this any more than you do! And how did you do that if you're just a figment of my imagination?!"

"How indeed," Sephiroth smirked. "Are you so sure I am?"

"Well, you can't be real," Cloud retorted.

"That was part of my whole point, though," Sephiroth said. "Memories are more real than you think."

"Even if they are, you said you'd never be one," Cloud said.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Sephiroth smirked.

"How?" Cloud frowned. "Are we going to fight here?"

"Oh no! It's far too pretty here to fight," Aerith interjected reprovingly.

Sephiroth gestured at the area in front of them. "Let's take a walk instead."

Cloud regarded him warily but slowly started to walk with him around the garden. Or part of it, at least; Sephiroth seemed leery of the pond himself and didn't venture beyond the fountain.

"What's the deal with that pond?" Cloud finally asked. "Something about it doesn't feel right."

"Doesn't it?" Sephiroth tilted his head to the side. "There's a siren in it. She targets anyone foolish enough to get too close."

"Making them fall all over themselves for her or something?" Cloud snorted. He had always thought stories of sirens were stupid. Why would someone who had loved ones forget them all for a creature they'd never seen before?

Or maybe it terrified him more than it sounding stupid. He had been mind-controlled more than once, and that was probably what sirens did too, wasn't it? He would probably be all too susceptible to their spells.

"She finds ways to drag them down even if she can't ensnare them in the usual way," Sephiroth said.

Well, that was terrifying too. "What's a place like this doing in my mind?" Cloud scowled.

"Are you sure we're in your mind, Cloud?" Sephiroth replied.

". . . What else could it be?!" Cloud snapped in disbelief.

"Perhaps nothing more than an image of what could have been had you joined me instead of fighting against me," Sephiroth said. "Perhaps . . . this is part of a world we could have had together."

"I wouldn't even want a world with a siren in it," Cloud snorted.

"That's your main objection? I notice you didn't say you wouldn't want a world with me in it," Sephiroth smirked.

Cloud flushed. "I . . ."

Aerith swooped in and took his arm. "Just walk with me now, Cloud," she said. She started to lead him away from Sephiroth.

Still reeling, Cloud said, "I need to get back."

"I know," Aerith told him. "Everyone's worried about you and waiting for you to come back to them."

"So how do I get back?" Cloud asked.

"Don't stop fighting," Aerith said softly.

Cloud glanced back at Sephiroth, who wasn't following them but was watching them every moment. "He probably wants me to stop fighting, doesn't he."

"Why would I want that?" Sephiroth said. "I've never wanted you to die, Cloud. You carry me with you. It's because of you I live on."

"And there's nothing I can do about that, is there," Cloud remarked.

"No," Sephiroth said. "Not as long as you remember me. And you can't remember himwithout remembering me as well."

"And I don't want to forget him ever again," Cloud said. "So that means you're safe too."

And then he frowned, pausing. They weren't really separate people, just the sane and insane versions of the same person. Why had he separated them in his mind? Not to mention, why had he said that about this Sephiroth wanting him to stop fighting? His Sephiroth had said he had cared about Cloud even while insane, and of course that was true that their bond had at least originally depended on Cloud being alive. The insane Sephiroth wouldn't want him to die, even if just for self-preservation reasons.

"What are you thinking about?" Aerith asked.

"I'm just trying to figure out what's going on here," Cloud said. "It still doesn't make much sense to me."

"Does the mind ever make much sense?" Aerith said lightly.

Cloud scoffed. "No. Especially mine."

Aerith stopped walking and turned to face him. "I told you I wanted to meet you, Cloud. I like the real you."

"Even with my messed-up mind?" Cloud countered.

"Of course," Aerith said. "And I will always be with you, both in here and outside in the world you need to get back to."

"Good to know," Cloud said. "But I already figured that."

He didn't know how it happened. But as he walked, the ground suddenly slipped from under his feet and he was falling, down, down, and then somehow splashing into the pond.

Aerith screamed. "Cloud!"

Cloud sputtered and gasped, flailing in the water. The ominous feeling he'd felt from here was growing stronger, stronger. How was he even at the pond?! He hadn't been anywhere near it! But now he was there and the siren was there, reaching for him, trying to pull him down with her. He wouldn't fall for her tricks, he wouldn't, but she was trying to drown him and there was nothing for him to grab onto to save himself . . .

Then, suddenly, strong hands were curling around his wrists. "Fight it, Cloud!" came Sephiroth's voice—stern and urgent and concerned.

Cloud reached up, gripping at Sephiroth's wrists. How could he fight any more than he already was? He was kicking so desperately, so frantically, trying to keep the siren away from him, trying to get out of the water. But even though he could swim, he was getting nowhere. Why? Why couldn't he do anything but struggle to keep up the mental battle against the sea witch?

"Get me out of here!" he yelled.

"It has to be you, Cloud," Sephiroth replied. "Use me to pull yourself up."

That didn't make sense either. But Cloud strained, throwing all of his weight into pulling himself out of the pond. The siren still reached for him, talons raking through his back with an icy chill, but he was out of her reach now and Sephiroth was drawing him away from the pond, depositing him on the grass coughing and sputtering.

Finally Cloud looked up at him through drenched blond bangs. "Why . . . ?" he rasped. "Why didn't you just get me out?"

Sephiroth knelt down near him, while Aerith ran over on his other side. "The reason you suddenly teleported to the pond and fell in is because you nearly died in the real world," Sephiroth said grimly. "You had to fight death yourself. I couldn't do it for you."

Aerith laid a hand on his back as he continued to cough. "It was really bad this time," she said softly.

"This time?! It hasn't even felt much like I've been fighting except now," Cloud remarked.

"We've been helping you," Aerith admitted. "Buoying you up and giving you strength. You've been fighting more than you know. Outside of this world, you've nearly died more than once."

Cloud paled. "What?!"

Sephiroth nodded. "Admit it, Cloud—every time I've goaded you, teased you, it's given you another burst of strength. You want to prove me wrong in whatever I tell you. Until now, that was enough."

Cloud frowned. "And you've been doing that to help me?"

"Haven't I?" Sephiroth replied.

Cloud looked down at the grass. "Yeah," he said quietly. "You have."

"Now you've finally thrown death off. It won't take you now." Sephiroth waved his hand and Cloud was dressed in his normal clothes again. "Go home, Cloud. And tell him . . ." He leaned in, whispering in Cloud's ear.

Cloud's eyes widened in disbelief. "How am I supposed to tell him that?! Come on, you're . . . !"

But he vanished from that world before he could finish his sentence. And then, as he was careening back through space and time, he could hear all the voices of his loved ones calling him home.

It had been such a long and agonizing several hours. Vincent and Shera had examined Cloud and had indeed not found that they could do anything with medical means to counter a magical blast. Not knowing what to do, everyone had simply gathered in Cloud's room around the bed, praying to God and pleading for Cloud to wake up.

Vincent and Shera and Cid had stayed just in case they could help, and when Cloud had nearly flatlined more than once, their presence had been very welcome. This last time Cloud had very nearly not come back. But after the fourth try his heart had at last restarted and now was steady again.

Everyone was tense, not sure if the worst was over or just beginning. Sephiroth was holding one of Cloud's limp hands in his, exhausted after the endless battle. Tifa was holding Cloud's other hand, while Zack was gripping Cloud's shoulder and the kids were up on the bed. Aerith stood nearby, her hands clasped in silent prayer.

"Is Cloud ever going to wake up?" Marlene said sadly.

"Of course he is!" Zack said, trying to smile.

Denzel gripped a handful of the quilt. "He got hurt saving Sephiroth, didn't he?" he said.

Pain flashed through Sephiroth's eyes. "Yes," he said.

"Why is everything always about you?!" Denzel spat. "You get hurt and Cloud can't stand it! Cloud tries to save you and he gets hurt!" He shoved Sephiroth and jumped off the bed. "I hate you! Everyone else loves you now, but I never will! I hate you! I hate you!"

"Denzel!" Tifa exclaimed.

Sephiroth showed no resistance. He allowed himself to be shoved, not even looking surprised. Instead, he said quietly, "I'm surprised that isn't how more of you are behaving. Yes, it's because of me that Cloud is hurt." He started to get up, gently laying Cloud's hand down on the bed. "I shouldn't even be here."

"Seph . . . !" Zack protested. "Of course you should be here! And we'd never blame you!"

"You wouldn't," Sephiroth agreed. "But how can everyone feel the same way?" He looked especially to Tifa with tortured eyes.

"Sephiroth . . ." Tifa got up and walked around the bed to the man she had hated for years but hated no longer. "You love Cloud so much, and he loves you," she said. "That's beautiful and I'm happy for both of you. But caring about people means things like this will happen, especially when we keep running into problems. It's not your fault that Cloud is hurt. Cloud chose to try to save you, even though he knew he would probably get hurt instead." She laid her hand on his upper arm. "And I know no one could be hurting about that more than you are right now."

"Yes, that's true," Sephiroth said. "But I realize Denzel must see me as an intruder in this family, someone who doesn't belong."

Denzel looked down. With the outburst past, he looked like he felt bad for what he had said. ". . . Cloud wouldn't want me to feel that way," he mumbled. "And . . . when Cloud loves you so much, you belong. I know we wouldn't even have all that we have now if it wasn't for you. I'm worried about Cloud, like we all are, but I shouldn't be taking it out on you. Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Sephiroth said quietly. "But thank you." He sat back down, but didn't reach for Cloud's hand again. He shouldn't have been holding it anyway, he decided. That should have been for Zack or the children. He was intruding.

He closed his eyes, again searching for Cloud's presence. As before, he still couldn't sense the other. But he struggled to send a message anyway.

Cloud? Please answer me.

Now I sadly know how you must have felt when you couldn't get a response from me. Although at least you are still alive. I know it was far worse for you and Zack with me.

We are all worried about you and want only for you to come back to us. Please, hear me and follow me back, just as you and Zack were able to do for me.

And he hesitated. There was more he wanted to say, but should he? He had been taught restraint and had learned to withhold his true feelings. After what Denzel had said, he felt all the more that he should now. But on the other hand, perhaps saying the rest would give Cloud more strength to fight.

I don't know how to stand it without you. I love you, Cloud. Please come back to me.

For a time they sat there, Zack and Tifa and sometimes Aerith talking quietly to Cloud. Occasionally Marlene would join in, pleading for Cloud to wake up. Denzel stayed quiet, not knowing what to say but desperately wanting Cloud back.

It seemed an eternity later when Cloud stirred with a groan, turning his head to the side. Everyone perked up, with Marlene squealing in joy. "Cloud!" She promptly hugged him, a gesture which he returned.

"Cloud!" Tifa echoed, squeezing his hand and then bending down to embrace him. "We've been so worried!"

"Yeah, I know," Cloud mumbled as he hugged back. "Sorry."

"We almost lost you a couple of times!" Zack exclaimed as he hugged next. Although he hadn't wanted to express his hate with the kids there, he had been boiling at Dalton and Azazel both, as he knew Seph also was. They had to be stopped, if they had survived this misadventure. This couldn't go on another time.

Cloud looked disturbed by this news. "I really did almost die?"

"Yeah!" Zack said. "Vincent and Shera got you back, but oh man, that was scary!"

Denzel and Aerith also took their turns reuniting with Cloud, to which he responded warmly. Then he looked to Sephiroth, who had been hanging back. The older man's eyes were filled with joy, relief, and also awkwardness and uncertainty. He still didn't feel he belonged there.

Denzel looked down guiltily. "I yelled at Sephiroth and shoved him," he confessed. "He hasn't been the same since I did that. He was holding your hand before. . . ."

"It wasn't my place," Sephiroth said quietly.

Cloud glanced to Denzel with a look of understanding. After he had yelled at Sephiroth so many times, sometimes when he hadn't deserved it, he could hardly fault Denzel for doing the same. They would talk privately later on, but right now there was one more dear loved one to reunite with. He rose up shakily, holding out his arms to Sephiroth. "C'mere," he said.

Surprised and uncertain, Sephiroth leaned over as Cloud drew him into his arms.

"Of course it's your place," Cloud whispered to him. "This is where you belong—with me. With us. Always." He paused. "I heard you. And I love you too."

Sephiroth trembled, clutching his former enemy close to his heart. "Cloud . . ."

"He said you're lucky," Cloud said. "He's right. You've got so much now—your mind back, a new life, me and Zack and Angeal. . . . And that's yours for always now. You won't lose any of that."

"'He'?" Sephiroth repeated in confusion.

"The crazy you," Cloud said. "I know it doesn't make sense, but I was with him in my head. Aerith too. They were both trying to keep me safe so I could come back."

"I don't understand," Sephiroth said.

"Me either," Cloud said. "I was in this weird garden place with a fountain and some pool with a siren in it. The other you and Aerith were there, and you were both dressed like people in Greek mythology."

"Well!" Aerith said. "That must have been some experience."

"It sure was," Cloud said. "But I'm really glad to be home."

"And we're all so thankful you are," Tifa smiled. "I'll go let Vincent, Cid, and Shera know you woke up." She got up to leave.

Cloud looked to Sephiroth and Zack. "What happened to Dalton and Azazel?"

Sephiroth sighed heavily. "We don't know," he admitted. "After you were hurt, the cavern collapsed. They might have been caught inside."

"Good riddance if they were," Zack muttered.

"We probably can't depend on that," Cloud said.

"I know. We won't," Sephiroth said. "But for now, I don't want to think about them any more tonight."

"Me either," Cloud said again, settling into the bed.

Sephiroth hesitated. "You said you heard me, Cloud," he said. "Was that the only time you did? I tried repeatedly to get through to you and never received a reply."

"Yeah," Cloud said. "I didn't hear anything when I was in that garden place. And then the one time I did hear you, I didn't have the strength to figure out how to reply. But you gave me strength to work on waking up."

"Then that is the most important thing," Sephiroth said, moved.

Cloud sighed. "I'm sorry. I know I freaked everyone out. I just . . . I couldn't let you be hurt again. Not after what we went through the last time."

"I know," Sephiroth said. "It's alright, Cloud."

"We all get it!" Zack said. "And you're gonna be okay! That's also the most important thing!"

Cloud smiled a bit. "Thanks."

"So, what about this garden place?" Aerith wondered. "Could it have been something the artifact showed you after it hurt you?"

"I wondered that," Cloud said. "I just don't know. We don't have the thing, do we?"

"Unfortunately, Dalton still had it when everything collapsed," Sephiroth sighed.

"Maybe we should go back and dig around in the mess," Zack suggested. "We might find it or something else important."

"I've thought of that," Sephiroth agreed. "We probably should. We need answers and we were possibly close to finding some there. And if Dalton and Azazel have survived, they'll be looking into it as well. We can't allow them to get ahead of us."

Zack nodded. "I've got all those pictures we took! We can blow them up big on the supercomputer! But that can wait until you're feeling better, Cloud. We all need a good rest after tonight."

"Yes," Sephiroth said in complete agreement. "We most certainly do."

"No arguments there," Cloud said with a sleepy blink.

The rest of the night passed peacefully and Cloud woke up feeling much better than when he had fallen asleep. When Sephiroth and Zack brought him a light breakfast, he was ready for it.

"Did anything else interesting happen last night?" he wondered, picking up the newspaper Sephiroth had left folded on the tray.

"I doubt anything that concerns us," Sephiroth said. "Of course, the paper doesn't mention that collapse or anything about Dalton and Azazel."

Cloud snorted. "Of course it wouldn't." He spread it out and glanced over the stories. Suddenly he went stiff in shock. "When did this paper come out?!" he demanded.

"Early this morning," Sephiroth said with a frown. "I didn't read it myself until an hour ago."

Cloud shakily pointed at some color photographs in a specific article. "That's where I was last night!" he cried. "There's the fountain and that's the pool with the siren in it back there!"

Zack stared. "Are you sure, Pal?! This is some mansion in New Orleans! They were doing an article about the house because the owners are refurbishing it or something and it's from the 1700s."

"It's where I was," Cloud insisted. "Sephiroth, do you recognize it at all?!"

Sephiroth studied the images. "I really couldn't say," he frowned.

"If it wasn't a dream, then it had to be . . . I don't know, the you and the Aerith of the past reaching out from the past to help me," Cloud said. "And if that's the case, you have to remember!"

Sephiroth shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't, though."

"It's like that show The Twilight Zoneor something!" Zack said with wide eyes.

Sephiroth was still thinking. "Did the . . . other me explain anything last night?" he asked.

"Yeah," Cloud said. "But he contradicted himself, first saying he and Aerith were just memories of the past and then later acting like there was more to it." Worry flickered in his eyes. "You don't think maybe he saved part of himself in my mind to be separate from you or something?"

"I don't think that's what happened," Sephiroth said. "I hope that isn't what happened. I have no memory of doing something like that. I'd say it was all just in your subconscious if not for these pictures. Are you sure you never saw another story about this property before?"

Cloud shook his head. "I can't swear it, but I'm pretty sure I haven't," he said. "This kind of place would have stood out to me."

"To me too!" Zack said. "Maybe we should find out some more about it!"

"Yes," Sephiroth said. "We definitely should."

The sound of a door creaking open brought the captive man's attention up. He had been slumped forward and dozing against the wall, where he was held manacled by one arm. Now he was all at once wide awake and alert, watching with attentive eyes as his captor limped across the floor and stopped in front of the glass cage wherein he was trapped.

"So," the prisoner remarked, "your latest attempt didn't go so well, did it."

"A minor setback," his captor replied. "I know we are on the right track now! These photographs we've brought back of the pictographs in the cavern tell a story rife with the Ancients' influence!" His eyes gleamed behind his glasses.

"All that awaits you is a somber morrow," the prisoner replied.

"So Mr. Fair's girlfriend told me," his captor answered.

"Did all of them make it out alright?"

"Mr. Strife was most unfortunately injured when he leaped in to protect Sephiroth. I don't know his fate. He was hit by an magic artifact we found in the cavern. We're running tests on it now."

"And I'm sure you were the instrument of his suffering." The prisoner adjusted his position, drawing one knee up to his chest and resting his free arm on it.

"Quite so. I had intended to hit Sephiroth, but . . ." A shrug.

"And what do you intend on doing with me? Abducting people isn't your style unless you believe it will further your goals."

"I must admit, that was more Azazel's idea than my own. He saw the scheme you were putting together to make it appear as though you were leaving town and said we should take advantage of it. Were we to allow you to go underground, you might have proved an actual hindrance to our plans. Also, this way you and I are able to continue our stimulating discussions."

"Only since it is no longer on my terms, it will not be as stimulating as you might hope."

"Yes, that is an unfortunate consequence of this aspect of the plan." Dalton came closer, looking in at his prisoner. "But at least you are further fulfilling the storyline of your favorite literary work. In the end you decided you were the prisoner, did you not?" He smirked.

"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing will forestall my return." The sound of something unfurling brought out the large black wing, traveling the length of the cage.

"Why do I have the feeling that despite the power-blocking cell you are in, you are simply biding your time and only allowing me to believe I have the upper hand?" Dalton remarked.

"Believe what you'd like. But you will not hold me indefinitely."

"No," Dalton mused. "No, Mr. Rhapsodos, I am sure I won't."