Revitalized Dream (Book Three)

Year Five, Day Sixty

Cloud POV

We're finally here. The Northern Crater. This is where Sephiroth is waiting for us, I just know it. Hang on a little longer, Sam. We'll be there soon. I won't let you die, too.

They say that long ago, something large fell from the sky and crashed here. Meteor, my mind tells me. Could it be the calamity from the skies that wiped out the Cetra?

Standing on the cliff edge looking down into the swirling white storm gathering around the center of the crater, energy fills the air. Mako. This place is full of it. The Planet is trying to heal this wound. Does Sephiroth think this place is the Promised Land? No, he's going to rob all this energy from the Planet and use it to summon Meteor again. If he succeeds, more than just another crater like this will be left. He'll destroy the Planet.

"Cloud, we should hurry. Sam's waiting for us down there," Tifa says, putting a hand on my shoulder. 

"I know, let's get going."

As we descend down into the crater, more of those people in black cloaks keep popping up. Each of them looks about ready to breath their last, going on and on about Sephiroth and the Reunion. I almost feel sorry for them.

It takes us a couple of hours to get to the crater floor. The dark storm clouds overhead now block out the sky. Rumbling thunder echoes around us, accompanied by the occasional flash of lightning.

"This don't look good," Barret grunts, looking warily up at the sky as we press on.

"Let's hope we can find Sam before this storm gets any worse," Tifa adds.

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Sam POV

I drift in an empty void, unable to move or see. Sephiroth's voice fills my mind and the emptiness all around me,

"You are worth nothing to those you believe are your friends. They won't come for you. They only care about defeating me for fame and glory, to be thought of as heroes. You were just a means to an end, a disposable tool."

"Shut up!" I cry, wishing I could block him out.

"Deep down, you know it's true. Even Cloud doesn't care about you as much as you think. In his mind, he hates you. Think of your past. Think of the feelings you buried in your heart. Think of the experiments you were put through. He knows about them. How do you think he could ever love you when he knows how strongly you are connected to the one person he hates above all others?"

"Cloud..."

Sephiroth chuckles. "You don't believe me?"

"Of course not! Every word you say is a lie!"

"But you used to believe me, didn't you? Why is it any different now? Samantha, don't you remember how things used to be? Who was the one who took care of you? Who was the one who comforted you when your aunt passed away? Who was the one you shared all those happy and sad memories with?"

My heart quivers. My resolve falters. He's right. Deep down in some remote corner of my heart, I still have feelings for the man he used to be. And I hate it. I hate this weakness.

"You're not him," I murmur into the void. "You're not the Sephiroth I fell in love with all those years ago. The man I loved would never have killed Aerith."

"I didn't kill Aerith. The one who did it was one of the many clones of me created by that bastard, Hojo. I had ordered them to capture her alive, but my control of them wasn't strong enough. I know my apology means nothing to you, but I swear it wasn't me that killed her."

I want to scoff at him, but at the same time, I just feel like crying. My mind is a mess. I don't know what to believe anymore. Is this real? Is the Sephiroth I love still in there? Can I save him?

A warm hand touches my cheek. After all this time, I still recognize it as his. It's so familiar and, although I hate to say it, comforting. Finally able to move again, I reach up, and hold onto that hand.

A pair of soft lips soon follow, pressing a soft kiss to the top of my forehead. I suddenly find myself back in his apartment in the ShinRa building. The aroma of freshly baked chocolate muffins is in the air. When I open my eyes, there Sephiroth stands, eyes back the way they used to be, no longer slit-pupiled. 

"It's my fault, Samantha. Everything that happened to you is my fault," he says, guilt in those breathtakingly beautiful eyes of his.

"That bastard Hojo is to blame for a good portion of it, Sephiroth," I find myself telling him. Why am I trying to alleviate some of the blame from him?

"Do you remember when I promised I'd come back to you?"

The question catches me off guard, and I look up into his eyes. "Yes. I do."

"I'm keeping that promise. I'll always come back to you. I'll always keep you safe. From here on out."

A red flag lights up in my mind. What am I doing? Sephiroth is my enemy...isn't he? A fogginess has settled in my brain. I can no longer think straight. I want to stay here with Sephiroth. We can be happy together again.

He pulls me into a warm embrace. "I love you, Samantha. I won't ever let anyone or anything hurt you again."

I hug him back. This security and warmth, his comforting scent, it's hard to put into words how much I missed it. My breath hitches, and my eyes sting. Tears form, and I begin to cry into the leather-like material of his black coat. "I...I love you, too."

Bet you didn't see that coming! Yeah, plot twist! I hope you guys enjoy.