FF7 Fanfiction: The Sword of Sephiroth

[Icegaze]

This is a psuedo-sequel to FF7. Set a few years later, everyone from the group has become distant.

EDIT: I didn't really feel like forcing people to download the file.

The Sword of Sephiroth
Prologue: The Sword is Lifted

The wanderer had reached the Northern Crater. Her pilgrimage was finally complete. Traveling north from her small hometown was no easy task. The road had been a twisting, turning one through mountains and ravines. And now she was here, to face her ugly past in the Northern Crater. She pulled her tattered rags close to shield herself from the icy winds.
As she walked on, she could not help but remember her past adventures with her companions. The adventures that had ended in the place she was trekking through. Those were terrible days, but they were her glory days. Those days were a struggle to survive, but they were the days where everybody's character had shown clearest.
Then, she noticed something on the horizon. A long sword, stuck in the ground. It was thin and black, the Sword of Sephiroth. Sephiroth... He was a wicked man. He had attempted to destroy the world. And he almost succeeded. She approached it. The sword was somewhat haunting.
Just a piece of metal, she thought to herself as she wrapped her fingers around it. She pulled, and the sword came free.
Then, it became cold. It became dark. The wanderer felt her veins turn to ice. She watched her own hair become silver. Suddenly, the urge to kill rose in her heart. The Sword of Sephiroth had been lifted.

[Icegaze]

The Sword of Sephiroth
Chapter 1: The Scarred Warrior

The wind flew through Clouds hair as he rode towards the ruins of Midgar City. As he came over the hill, Midgar was plainly in sight. As he came closer, he began to slow down. He slowed until he came to a complete stop.
"Too many memories," he said under his breath, then he turned back.
As Cloud was pulling up to his silent, mountain retreat, he noticed a dark figure standing on his deck. The man was leaning against the railing, wearing a dark red cape and a matching lightweight outfit. Cloud approached the man. It was Vincent Valentine, as genetically altered gunman Cloud had met in the past.
"Hello Cloud," said Vincent. Cloud moved backward a few steps. Vincent chuckled a little under his breath.
"What?" asked Cloud.
"Timid," said Vincent quietly. Then, Vincent lifted a six-foot long, thin case from the deck next to him. He held it out for Cloud to take by the handle, but Cloud withdrew some more. Vincent let out another chuckle under his breath.
"Let's go inside," he said. Cloud lead him into his house. They went into the dining area and Vincent laid the case on the table.
"Open it," Vincent told Cloud. Cloud opened the case, but withdrew upon seeing it's contents.
Inside was a single-edged broadsword almost the length of the case itself. The Buster Sword that Cloud had wielded in the past.
"Is this..." Cloud began, but he couldn't find the words. Vincent nodded.
"The very same," he said, "I've been keeping it for quite some time."
"No," said Cloud, "I don't do this anymore."
"You've been running for quite some time, Cloud," said Vincent, "You need to face you're demons."
"No."
"Yes, Cloud. You can't spend your whole life running."
"I can."
"No Cloud you can't. You have to face the fact that someday you will die. And when you do die, these demons are going to haunt you. If you don't beat them now, they'll only get stronger."
"I can't face them."
"You must."
"What's done is done."
"No, Cloud. You have unfinished business. This isn't the Cloud I knew. This isn't the man I joined in the fight against the unjust. You've become a coward, Cloud! A coward!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No! Get out of my head Vincent! I'm not a coward!"
"Then pick it up," Vincent said, strangely calm. It was at this time, Cloud noticed he had been squeezing his fists so tight that his nails were making his palms bleed. Cloud picked a napkin up from the table and wiped his hands. He then reached to lift the sword, but just as his hand neared the sword. An image of Aeris, his lost love, entered his mind. He shook his head and reached again, but images of Aeris, and Sephiroth, his sworn enemy recently defeated, kept popping into his head. Aeris, Sephiroth, Aeris, Sephiroth. Aeris' tragic smile, Sephiroth's cold eyes. Then, the final image of Sephiroth's sword piercing Aeris' frail body.
Cloud drew his hand back.
"I can't," he said quietly. Then, as fast as lightning, Vincent lifted the sword and crammed the handle into Cloud's hand. It burned. Vincent closed Cloud's finger's around it as he screamed.
"Vincent, no!" Cloud wailed. But Vincent wouldn't let Cloud let go of the sword. Cloud screamed louder and louder, but Vincent wouldn't stop.
"Cloud," Vincent said, but the pain had deafened Cloud.
"Cloud!" Vincent continued, "Cloud! Cloud! What would Aeris have you do?!"
Suddenly, all pain stopped. Vincent let go. Cloud looked at the sword in his hands.
"I'm sorry, Aeris. So sorry," Cloud muttered under his breath. Aeris would have wanted Cloud to face his demons.
"What do I have to do?" Cloud asked.

[Icegaze]

The Sword of Sephiroth
Chapter 2: The Wanderer's New Pilgrimage

The wanderer had arrived at the secluded village of Wutai. She needed to kill Yuffie Kisaragi. She didn't know why, but Yuffie had to die.
Upon entering, the wanderer approached a local vender.
"Do you know where I can find Yuffie Kisaragi?" she asked the vender.
"Ah, yes," the vender replied, "The Kisaragi clan lives in the house atop the hill in the eastern part of town, but be careful. She's a tricky one, that Yuffie."
A few moments later, the wanderer found herself at the door to the Kisaragi house. She knocked and an old man answered the door.
"Come in," he said, opening the door widely. He lead her into the central room, which had a low table and several cushions on the floor.
"Have a seat," he said, sitting at one end of the table. The wanderer sat at the opposite end.
"What brings you here?" the old man asked. He was very cheerful
"Is this the Kisaragi House?" the wanderer asked.
"Indeed it is," the old man replied, "I am Mister Kisaragi."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not here for you," the wanderer explained, "I am looking for Yuffie."
"She's training at the pagoda," said Mr. Kisaragi, "Are you a friend?"
"Yes. Tell me about the pagoda," answered the wanderer.
"Well, the pagoda is at the north end of town. It has five stories, one for each of our gods. If one can defeat the five masters of the pagoda, he or she will be granted control of Leviathan, the magic sea serpent of Wutai."
"So you fight in a house of worship," said the wanderer, "How very interesting... And how very wrong."
With that, the wanderer stood up, drew her sword, and slayed Mr. Kisaragi. She wiped her blade clean on the inside of her rags, and left for the pagoda.

Yuffie was on the top floor of the pagoda, deep in meditation, when several screams pierced her concentration. She ran down every flight of stairs until she reached the bottom floor, where she stood face to face with a silver-haired woman in rags. There were bloody bodies all around the room, six in total. The woman was holding a bloody sword. Yuffie recognized the sword. It belonged to Sephiroth, the man she helped Cloud defeat. Yuffie reached for a ninja star tucked into the back of her belt, but it was too late. The woman lunged forward, knocking Yuffie down. Yuffie shook with horror as the woman lifted the sword into the air. Suddenly there was no woman in front of her, in her stead was Sephiroth, with his crazed eyes. Sephiroth held his sword high in the air above Yuffie, looked down at her, and said, "Yuffie Kisaragi... I've waited too long."

[Icegaze]

The Sword of Sephiroth
Chapter 3: The Temple of Ancients

Cloud was riding his motorcycle through a forest with his sword strapped to his back, following Vincent, who was on a motorcycle of his own. Vincent hadn't told Cloud where they were going, but he had told him it would be the biggest step on the road to defeating his demons.
"Vincent!" Cloud yelled, "How much longer until we get there?!"
"Not long now!" Vincent yelled back. The areas that Cloud was riding through were hauntingly familiar, and were becoming more-so the further he went.
Then, they emerged at the Temple of Ancients. It was only rubble and a hole in the ground now, but it used to be a towering temple. Vincent stopped, and Cloud followed suit. Instantly, Cloud's blood felt like it was on fire.
"Come on," Vincent said as he dismounted and walked over to the edge of the deep hole. Cloud followed and stood next to him. The stood, looking into the hole for quite some time. As they stood staring, Cloud started to feel angrier and angrier.
Then, suddenly, Vincent pushed Cloud into the foundation of the temple. As he was falling, Cloud blacked out.

He was in the temple. It was filled with water. Across some stepping-stones was a small altar area where Aeris was kneeling. Cloud walked across and approached Aeris. She looked up, beaming at him. Her green eyes and brown hair were showing best in this light. Then, Sephiroth leapt down from the ceiling, sword pointing downward, with his long black coat and silver hair flowing behind him. It happened in slow motion. Sephiroth came closer and closer and finally, his blade pierced through Aeris. Her smile faded, her eyes closed, her head fell forward and her life ended. Sephiroth looked up, deep into Clouds eyes, and grinned wickedly.

Cloud woke up screaming, his body completely rigid. Pain went through every inch of him. When he finally stopped, he noticed he was in the foundation of the temple, with Vincent looking down at him. Vincent helped him up.
"No..." Cloud said quietly.
"Yes," said Vincent.
"No."
"Yes."
"No!"
"Yes, Cloud! She's dead! Aeris is dead! You can wait and wait, but she's never coming back! Sephiroth killed her!"
"No!" Cloud screamed. He pressed his hands against his head. "No!"
"Yes, Cloud! We were all there; Barret, Cid, Tifa, Red, Cait Sith, Yuffie, you and me! We all watched her die, Cloud!"
"No!"
"Yes! You can't hide from the truth! Face it!"
"No!"
"Face it!"
"No!"
"Yes, Cloud!"
"Stop it! Why are you doing this Vincent?!"
Vincent drew close and looked at Cloud face to face.
"Because, Cloud," he said quietly, "The Sword of Sephiroth has been lifted."

[Icegaze]

The Sword of Sephiroth
Chapter 4: Honor

At Cosmo Canyon, Red XIII, a fire-red intelligent doglike creature, and Bugenhagen, an old professor, were deep in their studies of the planet. They were used to the murmuring sound of the villagers but today it was simply unbearable. Red XIII left the observatory to see what the fuss was about.
When, he got to the center of the village, he was surprised to see that the village had a visitor. A silver haired woman was talking to one of the villagers. She looked strangely familiar to Red XIII, but he couldn't quite remember why. As he stepped nearer, she noticed him.
"Ah, there you are," she said. Then, she cast some of her rags aside, revealing the unforgettable Sword of Sephiroth.
"Run!" Red cried out, "Get Bugenhagen! Go through the tunnels!"
The village erupted in commotion as villagers began running everywhere. In the mob, Red XIII and the stranger stood stock still, their eyes locked on eachother. Within moments, Cosmo Canyon was empty, except for the silver haired woman and Red XIII.
"What do you want?" Red growled.
"I have come bearing a message from the one winged angel," replied the woman.
"Sephiroth..."
"He has come to claim your soul," continued the stranger.
"Sephiroth's dead!" exclaimed Red XIII.
"No, my friend, he is only at rest."
Then, the wanderer raised her sword into the air.
"Father, I shall join you soon," Red XIII muttered just before lunging towards his opponent. He connected, knocking the woman down. Then, he sunk his teeth into her flesh. She rolled and threw the beast off of her. Red pounced again and once again connected. He began to maul the attacker, but as she was being mauled, the wanderer began to slash Red XIII repeatedly. Blood sprayed from both fighters. When they seperated, the wanderer had a large hole in her midsection and Red XIII had over a hundred deep cuts.
"You..." the wanderer said, pointing her blade at Red XIII, "You should be dead nine times over. Why won't you die?"
"I will not go without honor," said Red XIII. Then, he mustered all his strength and lunged at his enemy. His outstretched nails caught her in the face, leaving three deep gashes, but she was able to drive her sword through his chest.
Red XIII fell on the ground, breathing heavily. He looked up to see Sephiroth staring down at him, feeling a wound on his face. Then, Sephiroth turned and walked away.
"Father," Red XIII said as his vision began to fade, "I am truly your son."

[Icegaze]

The Sword of Sephiroth
Chapter 5: Cloud's Awakening

Vincent walked through the ruins of Midgar, with Cloud behind him. They were trekking through the Sector 7 Slums, approaching Aeris' house when Vincent stopped.
"What's up ahead is for you and for you only," he said, "It's the last step."
Cloud nodded and continued on along the makeshift road until he reached the house Aeris used to live in. It was hard to believe it was still standing. Cloud opened the door and went in.
The wallpaper was faded and it smelled awful. The faded photos of Aeris and her mother brought searing tears to Clouds eyes. He picked one up off of the table and examined it. For the time he spent looking at it, he felt completely free. Then Cloud put the picture down and turned around only to be confronted by Sephiroth.
"Cloud," Sephiroth began, "You're not really sad."
Sephiroth then dissappeared and rematerialized in a corner, leaning against the wall.
"You're not really sad, angry, or afraid," he said, "So why do you act like you are?"
Sephiroth teleported again, reappearing behind Cloud. He began to pace.
"Do you force yourself to act emotional?" he said, "Is it because you want to feel more human than you really are, Cloud?"
Then, Sephiroth faded and rematerialized behind Cloud, so close that Cloud could feel Sephiroth's breath on his neck.
"You're not a real human, Cloud," Sephiroth whispered in Cloud's ear, "You're just..."
Then Sephiroth was gone. Cloud began looking for him frantically. When Sephiroth did reappear, he was holding his sword. He lunged in at Cloud. Cloud drew his own sword and blocked the blows, but had no time to be on the offensive. Sephiroth had attack after attack and each one seemed to be effortless, like he was toying with Cloud. Sweat was beading on Cloud's forhead. Then, Sephiroth was gone again, but a whisper ran through the room, "A puppet."
Cloud heard the door open behind him. He turned to see Vincent standing in the doorway.
"Congratulations, Cloud," he said mysteriously, "You're awake."

[Icegaze]

The Sword of Sephiroth
Chapter 6: Nightmares

That night, Cloud had a dream. It began with a moment from his past. He was sitting next to the well in Nibelheim, his hometown. It was cold out, and Cloud was getting lonely.
Then, she finally showed. Tifa came walking around the welll and sat next to Cloud. She was an attractive girl that Cloud had a crush on in his youth. Later on, she joined him when he fought Sephiroth.
In the dream, Tifa and Cloud talked all night about how Cloud was leaving to work for SOLDIER, an elite combat group that was, ironically, later defeated but Cloud, himself.
"Cloud?" Tifa asked.
"Yeah?"
"In the future, if I'm ever in a bind, you'll come for me, right?"
"What?"
"If I'm ever in a bind, you'll come for me, won't you?"
"Yeah, sure," Cloud said.
"I want you to promise," said Tifa.
"I promise," said Cloud. That had all really happened, but then, fantasy came into play.
The ground began to shake. A slight tremor at first, then a violent quake. Cloud lifted Tifa to her feet as the ground shook harder and harder. Cloud began to run away, but Tifa stood stock still.
"Tifa!" Cloud yelled, but she just stood, frozen, watching the well. Cloud looked at the well, too, and he felt his face pale with horror.
Sephiroth was rising out of the well, but he looked different this time. His eyes had no pupils, and his skin was milky white. Large purple viens rose out of the pale skin and his muscles bulged. To top it all off, he had one large, black, feathered wing attached to his back.
The One-Winged Angel lifted his arms and blackened the sky. Lightning ran through the dark sky as it began to rain. Cloud drew his Buster Sword to fight. Sephiroth laughed a dark, sinister laugh and extended his finger toward Cloud. A piercing pain shot through Cloud's head and he collapsed, dropping his sword. Then, Sephiroth turned to Tifa, who still wouldn't move, and opened his hand, as if to motion for her to follow him. As he did this, five spindle fibers shot forth from his fingertips and attached themselves to Tifa's wrists, ankles, and back. Tifa went limp and fell, but before she hit the ground, Sephiroth lifted her using the threads. She was his marionette. He moved her over to Cloud. He looked up at her blank face and screamed.
Cloud woke up drenched in sweat. It was dawn already and Vincent was sitting by a fire closeby. Cloud stood up and looked at the ruins of Midgar. They had camped next to them. They were haunting now more than ever. As Cloud approached the fire, Vincent looked up at him.
"Bad dream?" he asked. Cloud nodded.
"Well then," said Vincent, "You're not exactly in the mood for what I have to say, but you can't run from it so..... Reeve, the man who controlled Cait Sith..... The day I came to your house, I had seen him."
"Where?" asked Cloud. He was very interested in finding an old ally of his. Vincent stood up and looked at the ground.
"He was nailed to what's left of the Shinra Building."
Cloud nearly vomitted. He looked at the Shinra Building, which was the highest point in the Midgar Ruins.
"Don't bother," said Vincent, "He's gone... To add to that shock... Yuffie and Red XIII are dead."
"What?!" exclaimed Cloud.
"They were all killed by the same person. He's coming after all of us, everyone involved in the Meteor incident. Aeris was just the first step."
Cloud was quite distraught. He looked at Vincent.
"What are we gonna do?" he asked, "What are we gonna do?!"
Vincent turned back toward Midgar.
"There's only three people left, not including ourselves," he said, "Cid, Tifa, and Barret. You need to save them, Cloud. Go to them."
"What about you?" Cloud asked.
"You're awake... Physically, mentally, emotionally," Vincent began, his back still to Cloud, "My job here, Cloud..."
Just then, a wind picked up. The fire crackled and Cloud glanced at it just in time to see it go out, but when he looked back, Vincent was gone. The wind died and an echoing whisper filled the air.
"...Is done."

[Dev]

woah, cool story.

[Icegaze]

The story is finished. I posted it on Fanfiction.net. It has the same title and my name on the site is Serax.