Switched

To Wander or Not?

A/N: Here is another FF7 fic that I have finished and will cross posting.  I should have it all edited and up in the next couple of days.  I hope you enjoy!

---------------------------------------------------

Sephiroth could hear the lifestream around him and had expected to be reduced to part of it by now. The fact that he wasn't, only mildly surprised him. After everything that he had done, it wouldn't shock him to find that the planet didn't want to accept him as part of its lifeblood.

He could vaguely recall the events that had brought him to this point. He knew that it would be deserved if he was damned to wander for eternity, never being allowed to be reborn or become a part of the planet he had tried to destroy.

He wanted to feel bitter and rail against the judgement but could not. Although most of the happenings of the last decade or so only came to him like it was through a haze, he knew he deserved to be where he was.

As he was contemplating how he might spend the rest of his eternity, he began to hear a voice. It seemed to be coming from all around him, but it took some time for him to understand that it was speaking to him directly. Once he realized it was calling his name, he put more focus into trying to distinguish it from all the other voices in the lifestream. It cleared up to be a voice he thought he recognized but was unsure of who it could be.

It was a bright, high voice, and he found it was pleasant. It was coming in clearer now, and he could tell it had been waiting for him to focus. "Oh Sephiroth, do you really believe you deserve the worst the planet can throw at you, that you don't deserve another chance?"

He tried to answer but realized he didn't have vocal cords to answer with. While he was separate from the lifestream, he still didn't have a corporeal body anymore. He settled for thinking on his response instead. I almost destroyed this world to gain power. I deserve whatever punishment the planet deems necessary.

"Whatever punishment?" There was almost a lilt to the question that made Sephiroth pause, but he soon realized it didn't matter. He felt ready for whatever the punishment would be.

The strange voice almost sounded sad as his thoughts were broadcast. "You know you weren't blameless, but you should also know you weren't entirely to blame. The calamity has used and tricked many through the millennia."

He couldn't help but scoff at the voice. I may not have had complete control, but I allowed my control to slip away. It was my power that allowed things to go as far as they did. I cannot accept pity when I know I am to blame.

He heard a soft sigh, as if the voice was exasperated, but not surprised. "Sephiroth, you are being given a choice. You can wander the lifestream for eternity, or you can go back and make it up. Think about this before you decide. Also know that although we know you were not in control, the world still sees you as the symbol of their near destruction, and it will not be an easy path."

The thought that he may be given a choice and a chance at redemption completely surprised the General. Why would I be allowed to go back?

"I already told you that you will have a chance to make amends. It is still up to you." The voice had lost all traces of both the sadness and humor. It almost sounded like a judge.

He took some time to think over his options. He knew if he had the chance to make up for what he had done, he should take it; even if the world still viewed him as an enemy. He had more questions, though. He was almost afraid to even think some of them, but he couldn't continue to hide them from himself. If... if I go back and manage to somehow make amends, will I be allowed to become part of the cycle again?