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Lightning did not expect to wake up in her savior form again, especially not in a realm devoid of time.
And not alone - she recognized the sword and silver hair, from memories she was not supposed to have. Their battle in another world, fierce yet strangely playful, served a noble purpose.
Sephiroth was his name, wasn't it? Ethereal, exhausted, deep in thought - the man did not look like a cruel warrior she had crossed blades with before.
"What is this place?"
"The Edge of Creation."
Lightning simply nodded, as if the name was self-explanatory. Maybe it was, with its two opposite horizons, measuring each other like giant monsters before a fight.
"And you called me because...?"
"A soldier girl turned into a failed angels' puppet. A servant of a diety, erased from the world and able to return only because one person remembered you. A reaper of souls, who turned on her master. You even sent your sister on a journey through time to defy destiny. All of it just to become human again. Why?"
It suddenly made sense, when he put it that way. Sephiroth did not summon her to seek salvation, but to speak with someone capable of understanding.
"I think you already know the answer."
"Oh?"
"You don't really want this world to perish, do you?" It sounded more like a statement than a question. "You just yearn for a place in it."
Sephiroth did not argue, maybe too tired from overthinking his entire existence in this lonely realm, where the past lost any meaning.
Lightning understood. When things are coming to an end, people tend to confront their inner child. Missed opportunities, trampled dreams, unfulfilled wishes... Such emotions linger, no matter how hard or long we ignore them.
"After all that's happened, it's too late for me."
"Maybe. Maybe not. You'll never know, if you do nothing about it."
Silence felt heavier here, on the cold rock under battling stars.
"How did you manage to keep going, against everything?" Sephiroth slowly turned around. "You did it for your sister, correct?"
He stared expectantly, waiting, hiding the real question behind a wall of pretended coldness.
How am I supposed to do this alone?
Again, Lightning understood. Sephiroth summoned her in the savior form, but all she could give was truth. Finding hope in it was up to him and him alone.
"No, not only for her." For brave l'cie, who fought to preserve the world that feared them. For those, who failed, when trying their hardest. For the dead and forgotten, as well as the children, who had no chance to be born yet. "Along the way I... realized it was worth it."
One silver eyebrow raised questioningly, demanding explanation.
Lightning let out a small sigh.
"It would be easier to show you."
He looked at her hand, reached out to him in a gentle, welcoming gesture, like he had done some time ago to a certain another.
And, like that certain another before him, Sephiroth hesitated.
"You want answers or not?" Her directness disarmed him in a blink. "They can't start changing the world without you anyway."
They travelled together through the memories of once dying worlds, chasing particles of fading light. Gathering them one by one, like scattered puzzles swept under the wardrobe.
Sephiroth needed just a small push, a reminder how to get invested into the living - and feeling - side of the world.
Reuniting a lost kitten with a crying child was a nice start. Returning an old ring to a mourning lover. Nursing a wounded chocobo back to health and other little acts that make you feel warmer inside.
The more they gathered, the easier their journey was becoming. Sephiroth was absorbing everything like a sponge; his company more pleasant with every good deed and compassionate gesture. Even scraps of feelings seemed enough to restore his soul.
Was he returning to his true, heroic self or reshaping himself on purpose? It did not really matter. When they finally came back to the Edge, a part of Lightning felt sad it was over.
She noticed something new in Sephiroth's eyes, scanning the starry horizon - a kind of determined focus, so strong she could hear his thoughts.
...if they keep beating Jenova out of me in every world, then bring all that remains here, after reaching my final form, I will have a fair chance to destroy her once and for all...
"See? You already have a plan." A soft chuckle interrupted his brainstorming. "My job is done."
Sephiroth just stood there for a second, evidently caught off guard, then nodded and opened a portal to her world.
"Claire." She stopped halfway, a strange feeling growing in her chest. Was it because of the way he said her name? How did he know it anyway? She'd already forgotten, how annoying the existing-outside-of-time-godlike entities could be. "Will we meet again?"
Lightning turned around one last time and Sephiroth let himself admire her eyes for a moment - cold, crystal blue, but with warm light inside. It was the same light he had touched during their short adventure together. Tiny bits of kindness, able to keep the world's end at bay, just for a while longer...
"I hope so."
The vision invaded Lightning's mind during a nap. She could barely feel it, like an odd echo or a dream within a dream.
Somewhere in another world a new god had risen to defeat a cosmic horror, then was felled by mortals; his sacrifice born out of love, not hatred - as it shoud be.
"I knew you have it in you," she whispered into the pillow. "Find peace. You deserved it."
She got off the train on a small station in the middle of nowhere. The air smelled of flowers and freshly baked bread, like a home should.
A gleam of silver flickered in the corner of her eye, when an elegant stranger reached out to help with her suitcase.
"Hello, Claire." Amused by her expression, Sephiroth added nonchalantly: "Do not worry, it's just a short visit."
Lightning scolded herself for staring, having only 'I need to be sure, if it's really him' as an excuse. Clearing her throat to hide embarrassment did not come out convincingly enough, so she hit him with honesty instead.
"I wouldn't mind having you here a while longer."
Something similar to a blush flashed across his face; a sparkle of joy, which he hid immediately behind those glorious silver bangs.
"Then I'll consider staying."
His smile was surprisingly pure, when their fingers brushed against each other on the suitcase handle, as they walked under the clear sky, free from gods, monsters and destiny.