Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This is the end.

Aerith’s body dissolved before Sephiroth’s eyes, mirroring the destruction of the world around them. He turned fearfully to the others: Tifa was cowering in Cloud’s embrace, her face buried in his chest; Angeal was staring blankly at the swirling darkness around them. 

“Look!” 

Sephiroth turned at Zack’s voice to see him pointing ahead. A faint light flickered through the darkness.

“Come on, we can’t give up yet!”

Sephiroth shakily rose to his feet, fighting the emptiness in his heart that seemed to physically drag him down. He clenched his fists.

“We can’t let that bastard win.”

Zack pulled Angeal to his feet as Cloud and Tifa stood beside them.

“What about the others?”

“You expect to find them in this?” Sephiroth flung his arm wide, gesturing at the chaos surrounding them. “It may sound cruel, but we can’t search for them. We can’t stay here. We must go on.”

Tifa nodded solemnly, then turned and lead the way towards the light.

The light led them to a vast, endless sea under a glistening expanse of stars. 

Tifa dropped to her knees, the cool water soothing. 

“You okay?” Cloud crouched down beside her, his face etched with concern.

“Our world…” Tifa traced a line in the ground, the water flowing around her fingers. Its surface was smooth, like glass. “Our friends… our family… they’re all gone…” She turned her gaze up to Cloud, her vision blurring with tears.

“What are we supposed to do?”

I did this.

Sephiroth bit back tears as he gazed out across the water’s surface.

That man… that nightmare… he was me. He held his hands in front of him, curling his fingers. Aerith is dead because of me.

“Hey.”

Sephiroth jerked instinctively at the hand grasping his shoulder.

“You doing okay?” Zack peered down at him. 

“Of course not,” Sephiroth snapped. “I… I killed her. With my own hands…”

“That wasn’t you,” Zack shook his head. “That other guy forced you to do it. And look what he did to the rest of our world!” He gestured towards the expanse surrounding them. 

“We shouldn’t have survived.”

“But we did. So now all we can do is-”

“We shouldn’t have survived,” Sephiroth snapped. “How could we deserve to live when everyone else dies!? How could I deserve to live!?” He gasped, biting back tears. “I killed her, Zack. That man, he didn’t appear out of nowhere. He’d been lurking in my mind for years, for as long as I can remember.” He clutched his head, his fingernails scraping at his scalp. “What other dark forces slumber inside me? What if… what if I kill you too? Cloud, Tifa, Angeal…”

“Hey, hey, calm down.” Zack wrapped his hands around Sephiroth’s wrists, pulling his hands off his head. “You aren’t going to hurt us. I know you won’t.” He offered a sympathetic smile. “And we don’t know that everyone else is gone.”

“We can’t stay here,” Cloud shook his head. “We have to keep moving.”

“Right…” Tifa slowly rose to her feet again. 

“Don’t give up yet, guys! It’s like Angeal always says: protect your dreams and honor.”

“I… say that?”

Zack scratched his head. “I… think you do…? It sounds like something you would say.”

Sephiroth’s throat clenched, his breathing rapid and shallow. Are they compromised too? If there’s a dark version of me, what about the dark versions of them? He remembered his helplessness in the grasp of Jenova, how effortlessly SOLDIERs like Zack and Angeal rescued him. 

I’m so weak… and yet the other me destroyed our entire world. If there is a dark Zack, a dark Angeal… Sephiroth gasped for breath, his chest and face burning. He clutched at his heart, trying to will his heart to slow down. 

“...roth…?”

Are our memories even real? Are we even real? 

“...phi… you okay…?”

Sephiroth’s vision shimmered as he struggled to breathe. He stumbled forward.

“Sephiroth!” A hand pressed against Sephiroth’s back, and he retracted at the touch, curling into a ball on the ground. 

“No… no, don’t touch me!” He gasped, his eyes bulging as he tried to sob, tried to feel anything besides this crushing pressure. 

Sephiroth… 

A drop of water landed on Sephiroth’s nose. He blinked, taking a shuddering breath. Something warm enveloped him, a comforting embrace.

“Aerith…?”

That’s absurd. Aerith couldn’t be… Sephiroth took another deep breath. The pressure seemed to lift, and he staggered to his feet again.

“Hey, hey, whoa.” Zack pressed a hand to Sephiroth’s bicep, steadying him. “You looked like you were gonna pass out. Sit down for a bit; don’t push yourself, man.”

“I’m fine.” Sephiroth shook his head. “Cloud’s right; we need to move on.”

The endless sea dissolved into a blank expanse of white. Whispers flitted about far in the distance, and colorful swirling portals opened, merged, and closed. It was simultaneously terrifying and beautiful.

“Are these… worlds like ours?”

Cloud glanced around at the portals. He could spot glimpses of people, strange animals, sweeping vistas. 

“Well, well…”

The voice sent a chill down Cloud’s spine. He swung around to see the leather-clad nightmare descending from above.

“Wayward souls, lost and purposeless at the whims of the planet.”

“The Planet!?” To Cloud’s surprise, Sephiroth leapt at the man. “You liar! You destroyed our home! Our friends!”

The other Sephiroth leapt effortlessly out of reach, hovering in the air above them. “Oh, you fools…” he murmured condescendingly. “Your world was doomed to fade from the start. But don’t weep. In the planet’s embrace, all life is as one.” He raised a gloved hand, reaching out to Sephiroth. “Let me help. I can-”

“NO!” Sephiroth practically screamed. “You took away my choice, my freedom! You forced me to kill the woman I love; her blood is on your hands!”

The other Sephiroth chuckled. “I told you; it is her destiny to die by my hand.”

“You bastard! I-”

The other Sephiroth calmly raised his arm, and jets of black energy materialized, encircling Sephiroth, ensnaring him.

“Sephiroth!” Zack rushed forward, but the other Sephiroth thrust his hand out. One of the swirling portals opened behind the group, sucking them backwards like a black hole.

“Sephiroth, no!” 

“Zack!” 

The pull of the vortex was too much; Cloud was swept off his feet, Tifa and Angeal tumbling in the air beside him. They screamed as they fell into the darkness.

Chapter Text

“No!” Sephiroth writhed helplessly against his magical bonds. “No! Bring them back!”

“You don’t need them.” The nightmare waved dismissively, strolling in a circle around Sephiroth. “Their presence only holds you back, makes you blind to your destiny.”

“I don’t give a damn what my destiny is!” Sephiroth thrashed violently, wanting to tear free and rip the other version of him to pieces. “I refuse to stand by and let you hurt those I care about! Now either bring them back, or let me go!”

The other Sephiroth sighed and shook his head. To Sephiroth’s surprise, the tendrils ensnaring him dissolved into nothingness. “Very well. But soon, you will know the truth. You cannot escape your destiny.”

Sephiroth hadn’t known where to start looking. He drifted through the Lifestream, then plunged into the first world he saw. It didn’t look dissimilar to the world he knew, but history had not been kind to Midgar. It lay in ruins, a modest settlement stretching into the wastelands in the shadow of the rubble. Sephiroth wandered through the town, and thankfully nobody paid him any mind.

He spotted a flash of red around the corner of a building in the square. Could that be…? He rushed into the courtyard, scanning the crowd to spot the cape again. There! He ran after the man, his heart pounding as he recognized the shock of long black hair.

“Vincent!”

The man turned; Sephiroth had never been so glad to see a familiar face. “V-Vincent…?” He bit back tears. “Is it… really you?” Vincent nodded silently. Sephiroth rushed forward, squeezing Vincent’s waist tightly, clinging to him like he would his own mother. “I’m so glad you’re alive!”

Vincent wriggled uncomfortably. “Hmm… um… who are you…?”

His voice sounds different. Sephiroth loosened his grip, his heart dropping. “It… it’s me. Sephiroth.”

“Sephiroth?” Vincent’s voice came out as half sigh, half growl. He narrowed his eyes. “Hm. I do see the resemblance.”

“You’re not… my Vincent… are you?” Sephiroth dropped his arms defeatedly, staring at his shoes. 

“Odd…” Vincent stroked his chin thoughtfully. “He said the same…”

“He?”

“Reeve Tuesti. He was the striking image of an old friend, with the same name. But he wasn’t the same man. The Reeve I know is at Johnny’s Heaven, on the outskirts of town.” Vincent pointed down the street. “This other Reeve is heading to the ruins of Sector 0.” He pointed the opposite direction, towards a looming pile of twisted metal. 

Sephiroth followed Vincent’s directions to the opposite end of the town. The streets, if they could even be called that, were buried in piles of scrap metal and debris. Sephiroth moved carefully, testing each step to ensure the rubble wouldn’t shift underfoot. 

He spotted a man sitting on the rusted hull of an automobile. The man was dressed in a sharp suit and tie despite being in such a grungy, dangerous location. Sephiroth’s foot slipped on a sheet of metal, and it clattered down the other side of the pile. The man looked up at the sound, then broke into a wide grin at the sight of him. “It’s been a while, Sephiroth.” 

Sephiroth shook his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met.” He slid down the rest of the hill, then walked over to the stranger.

“Not directly,” Reeve smiled and stroked his goatee. He nodded to another pile of rubble. “But I’m sure you remember him.”

A familiar black-and-white cat stepped out into clearing. “Aye, last I saw ye, you were in a sticky situation!”

“Cait Sith…!” Sephiroth’s mission to the Gold Saucer with Zack had felt like an eternity ago.

“Glad to see you in one piece, lad.” Cait Sith grasped Sephiroth’s hand with both gloved paws. “You’re the first familiar face we’ve seen in this land.”

“The first?” Sephiroth’s heart dropped. “You haven’t seen anyone else?”

Cait Sith shook his head solemnly.

“What about you, Sephiroth?”

“I was with Cloud, Tifa, Zack, and Angeal. We survived, but…” Sephiroth bit back tears. “Aerith is dead. And… he threw me in this world, separated me from the others.”

“He?”

“It’s complicated.”

Reeve nodded. “You’re welcome to stay here with us for the time being.”

“What are you doing here?”

Reeve looked down at his feet somberly. “You know… I’m not entirely sure myself. After hearing the talk around Edge, about Midgar’s destruction… I had to see for myself.” He turned to the horizon. “I thought this was devastation enough. But if what you say about our world is true…”

“We have to find the others,” Sephiroth insisted. “Find a way back into the Lifestream and pick a different world to search.”

“That may not be a good idea.” Reeve pointed to Sephiroth’s head. “It appears traveling between worlds like this has already taken a toll on you. Just look at your hair!” 

“What’s wrong with my- yaghh!!” Sephiroth peered at his reflection in a scrap of reflective steel, then screamed at the sight of the man staring back at him. “My hair! It’s… it’s…” He ran his fingers across his scalp. 

It wasn’t a trick of the light; the roots of his hair were turning silver.

Chapter Text

Zack awoke to Cloud vigorously shaking his shoulders. “Zack. Zack! Wake up! Get up!”

“Huh…?” He blinked groggily, the memories of the last day drifting into his mind like a looming sense of dread. “Sephiroth…” He shook his head, snapping to attention. “Where’s Sephiroth!?”

“We have to find him! Who knows what that monster has planned?” Cloud clenched his fists. “But one thing’s for sure, he’d never let Sephiroth go.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Zack sprang to his feet. “Let’s get moving!” He glanced around the space, counting the familiar faces he saw. Cloud, Tifa, Angeal… “Wait.” He pointed at a small figure in a Moogle poncho standing in between Tifa and Angeal. “Who’s this?”

“Who am I?” The figure thrust a thumb to its chest. “I’m glad you asked!” 

The figure leapt atop a tin roof, gesturing broadly. “Some know me as a beguiling ninja! Others as the world's greatest materia hunter. But!” The person thrust their pointer finger at Zack’s nose. “Who am I truly? Well, excited onlookers, wonder no more! Before you stands a rare bloom: the single white rose of Wutai… the one-and-only Yuffie!”

With that, the figure threw off its Moogle poncho to reveal a reedy young girl with short jet-black hair. She wore a knitted green sleeveless turtleneck, short shorts and tall socks that made her legs look twice as skinny. She looked no older than sixteen.

“Yuffie?” Angeal tilted his head. “The daughter of Godo Kisaragi?” 

Zack stepped back, his stomach churning. “K-Kisaragi…? From Wutai…?”

“Five years ago, Shinra destroyed my hometown.” She raised a fist dramatically. “My good-for-nothing dad let the enemy too close, and they nearly leveled Wutai with their stupid reactor!”

Zack could feel the eyes of the others boring into him. It felt like he was standing beneath a spotlight, a neon sign reading “I DID THAT”. He gulped.

“And then…” Yuffie clenched her fists, pumping them at her sides angrily, “those bastards decided Wutai wasn’t enough. No, they needed to level everything! If it weren’t for that one guy in black, I’d be done for!”

“Guy in black?” Zack’s heart dropped.

“Anyway, he told me I could kick some Shinra ass here, even find the punk who destroyed the reactor!” Yuffie pounded her fist into the palm of her hand. 

Zack shared a knowing look with Cloud; he was incredibly glad they had decided to change clothes. 

“Did the man… give you his name?”

“Rule one of being a ninja,” Yuffie strolled idly, wagging her pointer finger, “never reveal more information than is strictly necessary for the mission.”

“Oh…” Tifa hung her head. 

“What did he look like?” Cloud stepped forward.

“What does it matter to you, hmm?” Yuffie put her hands on her hips, leaning forward. “Is it because you want to join my mission?”

“Mission? To do… what, exactly?” Tifa wrung her hands anxiously.

“Heh-heh-heh,” Yuffie laughed menacingly, then gestured for them to draw closer. “I’ll tell you only if you swear to be loyal to your leader, the great ninja Yuffie! Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Ooh, I like your enthusiasm!” Yuffie winked at Zack. “Now, listen close. Our first target’s a tricky one. My source says our performance on this mission will determine whether he becomes ally or enemy.”

“Who is it?”

“No clue. I only know his location.” Yuffie reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper, flicking it open. It unfolded into a large map of a series of islands. “A place called Oahu.”

Like a crashing car
Or a dying star
That's racing to the ground

Like the final words
Of the passengers
When the engine's giving out

Will the world
Watch us burn?

Cloud revved the engine of his motorcycle, the wind whipping his hair as he rode up the winding path, past the field of flowers. He breathed deeply, the scent of lilies soothing him. 

For the first time in ages, Cloud no longer felt burdened by guilt. Aerith had forgiven him, Zack had forgiven him. And most importantly, Cloud had forgiven himself. Dropping the burden he’d placed on himself had given him the strength to stop Sephiroth, to send him into the Lifestream for a third and final time.

“I will… never be a memory.”

Cloud shook his head vigorously, turning the music louder to drown out his thoughts.

Until the day (Whoa, whoa)
I'm never backing down (Whoa, whoa)
Just hear me say (Whoa, whoa)
I'll keep it safe and sound (Whoa, whoa)

He glanced up at the sky. Dark clouds gathered along the horizon, promising a much-needed rainstorm. Gotta get Fenrir home before the storm hits. He revved the engine louder, pushing the bike to its limits as he roared home.

Rain poured heavily, trickling down the edge of the awning as Yuffie huddled beneath it. 

“Hmph. I should’ve brought my poncho,” she huffed. “Where is this guy, anyway?”

“He’ll be riding around this area on a motorcycle. Shinra manufactured, of course.” The man murmured from beneath his black hood. “The one with the spiky blond hair.”

“Spiky blond hair?” Yuffie tilted her head. “Wait, you mean like-”

She turned, but the man had vanished.

Something’s not right.

The hair on the back of Cloud’s neck stood on end as he rode into town. It felt like he was being watched. He slowed his motorcycle to a crawl, scanning the buildings for any sign of movement.

A shuriken whizzed past his face to his left, and he screeched to a halt, leaping off his motorcycle and grabbing the Fusion Sword. He traced the arc of the shuriken back to its source-

Steel met steel, and Cloud gasped at the sight of the familiar blade. How is that possible? Who-?

“Hyah!” 

Something solid slammed into Cloud’s back, knocking the wind out of him as he fell forward. I recognize that grunt. “Tifa!?”

“Cloud!?” Tifa gasped. 

Cloud groaned and struggled back to his feet. “What’s going on?”

“What’s going on?” His voice seemed to echo from the alley. Cloud turned to the source and reeled back in shock.

A second, identical Cloud stood in between the two shops, the awning shielding his spiky hair from the rain. The second Cloud turned angrily. “Yuffie, what’s the meaning of this!?”

Yuffie dropped from the rooftops, shuriken in hand. 

“Y-Yuffie!? What the hell?”

“Wait… you know me?” Yuffie whirled around in obvious confusion. “You guys look identical! Are you twins or something?”

The second Cloud shook his head, pressing his hand to his face. The sight made Cloud intensely uncomfortable; it was like looking into a mirror, but his reflection moved on its own. “Did your ‘source’ not tell you? This is another world.”

“Another world?” Cloud peered at the group. “What are you talking about?”

“The Planet is made up of all different worlds.” A man moved to stand beside Tifa; Zack’s Buster Sword was strapped to his back, the blade as shiny and pristine as if it were new.

“Our world was destroyed,” Tifa growled. She balled her hands into fists, the way his Tifa always did when thinking about Nibelheim, about-

“Sephiroth.”

“You have a Sephiroth too?” The voice was unfamiliar, but the tone, tickled Cloud’s memory. “Heh, of course you do.”

Cloud turned to see a face he never thought he’d see again. “Zack!?” 

“Uh, yeah… heya?”

“You… sound different than I remember.” Cloud furrowed his brow. “You all do. But you look exactly like the… the versions of you I know. So you are from different worlds…” He walked over to Fenrir slowly, brushing his gloved hand across its soaking wet surface.

“We’re looking for our friend.” Zack scratched his head awkwardly. “Um… Sephiroth.”

“Wait… I thought you said he destroyed your world.”

“Oh, no, not our Sephiroth! He wouldn’t hurt a fly!” Zack shook his head vigorously. “Trust me.”

Cloud burst out laughing. “I’d have to see that to believe it. A Sephiroth who doesn’t delight in tormenting me?”

“Who is this ‘Sephiroth’ guy, anyway?”

Cloud turned to face Yuffie. “You never fought him?”

Yuffie shook her head. 

“He’s a nightmare. He thinks his mother is an alien, one which destroyed the Cetra millenia ago. He believes the planet is his birthright, and all the humans on it…” Cloud took a shaky breath, “...his puppets.”

“Like he did to Sephiroth… our Sephiroth, I mean.” Tifa scowled. “This is too confusing…”

“Hold on. Back up. You guys know that it was Shinra that destroyed everything, right?”

“Shinra?” Cloud shook his head. “No, we saw this other Sephiroth destroy everything. He kidnapped our Sephiroth, threw him into who-knows-what world.”

“Wait… wait, no. No!” Yuffie took a shaky step back. “Then who was it that told me it was Shinra? Gave me the map?”

“Targeted me…” Cloud unsheathed the Fusion Sword and held it aloft. “Get behind me,” he growled. The group willingly obliged.

“SEPHIROTH! Show yourself!”

A cold laugh echoed off the buildings ahead. “Good, Cloud. Very good. You always were such a clever little puppet.”

“Your voice…” Cloud tightened his grip on his sword, his heart pounding. “You’re not from my world.”

“Hmph. Very perceptive. No, yours is yet another world doomed to fade. Tell me… when’s the last time you turned your gaze to the sky?”

“Stop playing your little mind games, Sephiroth! Come out where I can see you!”

“Look up, Cloud.”

Tifa gasped. “Look!”

Cloud glanced up at the sky. His heart plummeted to his stomach; a glowing crack stretched across the clouds, a deep, shimmering rift.

“Wh… what the hell is that!?”

Sephiroth chuckled darkly from the shadows.

“It’s a homecoming.”

Chapter Text

Sephiroth’s hair had turned entirely silver; the sight had been so unbearable each time he saw his reflection that in a fit of rage he had lopped it off with a pair of scissors. In hindsight, it was the worst thing he could have done—he’d hacked off the last bits of his natural color, and all that was left was a frazzled, silver mess. He still wasn’t used to how light his head felt, which only deepened the feeling that a part of him was missing.

Beyond the emotional turmoil the silver gave him, it created another problem. The people of Edge loathed him. The last time pretty young men with silver hair were seen around town, they had kidnapped dozens of children and unleashed ravenous hounds on their distraught parents. Vincent explained that those men were “remnants” of Sephiroth, bits of fragmented memory given form by Jenova cells and Sephiroth’s will.

“Could the Sephiroth in this world… be the one who destroyed mine?” Sephiroth ran his thumb anxiously along the side of his hand.

“Hmm… I can’t say.” 

A long moment stretched out between Sephiroth and Vincent, the silence tense after Vincent’s non-answer, like the echo of a discordant chord waiting for a resolution.

“Perhaps he could help…” Vincent finally broke the silence. He gazed thoughtfully into the middle distance. “He should be at Seventh Heaven tonight.”

“Who?”

“A man who knows Sephiroth better than any other.”

“Usual?”

Cloud sat down on his usual stool at the bar, resting his elbows casually on the wooden surface. “You know, Tifa,” he smiled, “I think I’m due for something special tonight.”

“Say no more!” Tifa whirled around, shaking a mixer dutifully before masterfully pouring the drink into a glass. “The Cosmo Canyon.” She poured a second glass for herself, then hopped up to sit on the bar in front of Cloud.

“Must be a quiet night,” Cloud grinned, tempted to reach out and tickle Tifa’s bare side. The bar’s still open, he reminded himself. It was a good thing he hesitated; the door opened, and a familiar red-caped man strolled in.

“Vincent!” Tifa hurriedly hopped off the counter. “What brings you here?”

Vincent simply stood aside, to reveal-

“Sephiroth!?” Cloud immediately reached for the Fusion Sword strapped to his back.

“Wait, wait! It’s not what you think!” Sephiroth raised his hands defensively. “I’m not your Sephiroth.”

“What?” Cloud was able to get a closer look at the man. He had Sephiroth’s face, Kadaj’s hairstyle… but his eyes were a warm, dark brown. 

“This is going to sound absurd, but… I’m Sephiroth. From another world. Another version of me separated me from my friends and sent me here. He… destroyed my world.”

“Destroyed it?” Cloud shook his head. “No… that doesn’t sound like the Sephiroth I know. His mother wants to use this planet as a vessel, and he’d never go against his mother’s wishes.”

“Are… are you sure?” The other Sephiroth’s shoulders drooped.

“Positive. Besides, Sephiroth is dead. He doesn’t have enough strength for a body, let alone strength to destroy an entire planet.”

“Then who is he…?” The other Sephiroth muttered, more to himself than to Cloud.

“Don’t worry.” Cloud spoke to himself as much as to the alternate Sephiroth. “He’s probably just some clone or a Remnant or something. And if this version is anything like ours… he’ll want to find me.”

“Or the other you!” Sephiroth fretted. “I have to find the other Cloud, my Cloud!” 

Cloud watched Tifa jerk uncomfortably, her fingers curling slightly, before she slowly reached out and patted Sephiroth on the shoulder reassuringly. “If your Cloud is anything like him,” she nodded to Cloud, “he’ll be able to hold his own.”

“With the help of his friends,” Cloud added. He shot a quick smile at Tifa, who returned one in kind. 

That seemed to assuage Sephiroth. He sighed, his brown eyes wide. “You think they’ll be okay?”

“I know they will.” Tifa offered one last reassuring pat before she withdrew her hand. Cloud noticed her wipe it discreetly against her skirt, as if wiping off some remnant of the man. 

“Sephiroth.”

Cloud and Sephiroth both jumped slightly; Cloud hadn’t noticed Vincent come in. He emerged from the shadowy corner of the bar. “Reeve just contacted me - your Reeve. He and Cait Sith have found a portal. It appeared just outside Edge.”

Cloud’s eyes darted back to Sephiroth, who stiffened at the word ‘portal’.

“There’s no telling how long it will remain.” Vincent lowered his gaze, then nodded to the door of the bar. “Go.”

The portal closely resembled the crack Sephiroth’s alternate version had thrown his friends through, but a glowing, rainbow sphere rather than a rift. Sephiroth kept his distance, peering closely at the shimmering energy. Could they really be there, on the other side?

“I told ye it looked promising!” Cait Sith hurried forward, bending nearly double as he raised a gloved hand to his eyes. “No telling what awaits on the other side.”

Sephiroth gulped and turned to Reeve. He wished he had a fraction of the confidence of his alternate self, that his heart wouldn’t threaten to leap out of his mouth from fear. He reached out his hand. “Together?”

Reeve nodded solemnly and took Sephiroth’s hand. “Together.”

Sephiroth took a deep breath, steeled his resolve, and jumped into the portal.

Chapter Text

The rift had overtaken the entire sky. A mixture of white and black Whispers flowed from the wound; the white Whispers swirled around the black ones, fruitlessly trying to wrangle them back through the void from whence they came. 

“No…” Yuffie could barely believe her eyes. What Cloud had said was true; Shinra couldn’t possibly be responsible for the chaos descending from above.

A cry caught her attention, and she glanced up at the sky to see a black-and-white blur crash into the rooftops, skidding across the concrete and bouncing from awning to awning. The cat hit the pavement, limbs splayed out like a cartoon. Before Yuffie could process the fact that the cat wore gloves and shoes, it hopped to its feet and brushed the dirt from its fur. “Ach, I suppose this means I’m down to eight lives, eh?”

“Cait Sith!?” Zack rushed forward, his eyes wide. “Is it really you?”

“In the flesh!” Cait Sith gestured broadly with a wide grin. “Good to see ye, Zack!”

Zack laughed and scooped the cat up into his arms, squeezing him in a tight hug. “Man, I’m so glad you’re alive!”

“In a manner of speaking.” Cait Sith’s ear twitched and he let out a nervous laugh. “This must mean Reeve ended up okay as well. And if he’s okay, so must Sephiroth!”

“Sephiroth!?” Tifa gasped. “Sephiroth’s here too?”

“Aye, though I dinnae know where he landed.”

“Hopefully the other Sephiroth hasn’t found him yet,” Cloud peered at the sky. The dark leather that had stained the clouds had vanished. 

The wind had reached a fever pitch. The ground trembled beneath Sephiroth’s feet as he ran, leaping from one fragmented chunk of earth to another as he raced towards his friends.

“Cloud!”

Cloud squinted, and Sephiroth waved so furiously he felt his arm would be torn off. Cloud’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he nudged Tifa next to him to look. The two broke into beaming smiles.

He was so close—just two more sundered pieces of earth-

The ground fell from beneath Sephiroth’s friend’s feet. 

“NO!”

Sephiroth reached blindly over the edge. His fingers grasped something solid—it grasped him back. He pulled, straining against the weight of whatever he’d caught and the chaos unfolding around him. 

“Sephiroth…”

“Cloud…” Sephiroth could cry at the sound of his friend’s voice. He tried to pull Cloud onto solid ground, but the void beneath them had become like a black hole, sucking in loose streetlamps and cars and filling the air with debris.

“You have to let me go!” Cloud shouted over the sound of the wind. 

“No!” I just found you! I can’t lose you again. He tightened his grip on Cloud’s hand.

“Sephiroth…”

Cloud stared deeply into Sephiroth’s eyes. The wind continued to tear at him, and Sephiroth’s feet slipped on the precarious ground. 

He had no choice.

“I’ll find you again!” Sephiroth’s vision shimmered and a tear rolled down his cheek. “I promise!”

He let go of Cloud’s hand. 

In an instant, the rainbow swept around his friend’s form, sucking him into an unknown world. Sephiroth broke; tears streamed down his face, and he did nothing to stop them. He clenched his fist, the gloves still warm from Cloud’s hand.

Who are you? 

The question echoed back to the forefront of Sephiroth’s mind. The multitude of worlds and the duplicates of himself and his friends had made it impossible to fathom. What set him apart from the man who had destroyed his home, who had now separated him twice from those he cared about? Sephiroth closed his eyes and wiped the tears from his cheeks. “I am Sephiroth,” he murmured. “I am not the son of Jenova. Instead I will be its end. I will defend this planet, and all who live on it!”

“This isn’t about me, though. It’s about saving the world… and you.”

Aerith’s heart broke at Cloud’s expression. She wished she had the time to explain, the power to protect him from what was to come. She held out her mother’s white Materia and called upon the power of the Planet. The world shimmered around her, glistening with a multitude of colors, and Cloud gasped in awe at its wondrous beauty. Aerith hurried forward and pressed the orb to Cloud’s palm, curling his gloved fingers around it before he could comprehend what was happening.

“So thank you, Cloud - for everything.”

“What is this?”

Aerith placed both her hands on Cloud’s chest, allowing herself a fraction of a second to enjoy the soft fabric beneath her fingers, a single beat of his heart before she pushed. Cloud tumbled into the Lifestream, one hand gripping the precious Materia, the other stretched out to her, vainly attempting to reach her.

She heard the doors to the church open behind her, and one look at Cloud’s expression told her exactly who had entered. She bit back one last sob. “It’s been fun.”

“Aerith!”

The portal swirled shut, and Aerith took a shuddering breath. The floor creaked as her killer strode up the aisle, his steps calm and determined. She curled her hands into fists and turned to face Sephiroth.

“Aerith…” 

Aerith’s resolve faltered. The word didn’t drip with Sephiroth’s usual arrogant condescension; it was instead croaked out with a heartbroken gasp. 

“Come with me.” Sephiroth lifted his gloved hand. “I’m not him. I know you know that.”

The hair on the back of her neck prickled. This had to be some sort of trick… wasn’t it? She took a cautious step forward, but Sephiroth remained still, his hand outstretched, his eyes wide and pleading.

“He wants to kill you.” Sephiroth gazed deeply into her eyes. “Every version of you, until there’s not a hint of you left in the Lifestream. But… that’s not what I want.” He took a tentative step closer, his voice cracking. “I just want my friend back.”

In an instant, Aerith understood. She stepped forward, hesitantly reaching forward. But instead of taking his hand, she instead rested her hand on his cheek. “Sephiroth…”

“I know you’re not her. You’re not my Aerith.” Sephiroth choked back a sob. “She died by my hand… because of him. I can’t let that happen again.” He squeezed his eyes shut, his lips trembling as he tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to burst forth. 

Something stirred deep within Aerith. Like the call to the Forgotten Capital to pray, she knew from the depths of her soul what she had to do. She closed the distance and pressed her lips gently to his. Sephiroth’s eyes sprung open in surprise, his gloved fingers brushing against his lips as if in disbelief. 

Aerith’s heart surged in her chest. Perhaps, with Sephiroth, there was still hope—and a way to save Cloud. She gently grasped both of Sephiroth’s hands in her own. 

“Let us defy destiny… together.”

THE END