Barret, Vincent, and Tifa sit at a table in a run down old shack while Cloud stands at the window, staring out into the dusty skies.

"What are you saying?" Tifa asks in a near frantic voice. "There's no way Sephiroth is still alive!"

Vincent, not turning to face her, speaks with his hands folded before his mouth. "All I know is what I saw. Whoever the man is, he possesses a great strength. He may even be as powerful as Sephiroth. We don't know just how strong he is. We don't know anything about him."

"That's bull$7!*!" Barret shouts, slamming his fist down on the tabletop and sending his glass of beer flying. "You know as well as I do that that silver haired freak is dead as a doornail. Ain't no way he's ever comin' back! Ain't that right, Cloud?"

Cloud remains silent, giving Vincent another chance to respond. "All I know is that he took out Reno with ease," Vincent said with only the slightest bit of concern in his voice. "He's fast and strong, but whether he is Sephiroth or not..."

"It ain't him, dammit!" Barret exclaims. "Tell him, Cloud!"

Turning toward Cloud, Tifa glares at him, her eyes concerned but still worried. "Cloud, it's not really him, is it?"

His eyes narrow. Cloud lowers his attention to the motionless Fenrir sitting a few feet from the window itself. The crippled Buster Sword hangs across its seat, showing the punishment it received from defeating countless numbers of monsters and soldiers. The bike didn't look like it was in much better condition, but it was one of the more useful contraptions Shinra ever produced. Silently, Cloud turns away from the window and heads for the door. Reacting to his movements almost immediately, Tifa jumps up from her seat and runs to his side. "Where are you going?" she demands. "You're not going after that guy, are you?"

Cloud glares into her eyes, and smirks slightly. With the smallest movement of his head, he looks back toward Vincent. "Did he finish it?"

Vincent nodded. "The old man left it in what's left of the Highwind outside Midgar. It's not identical, but it should do the job."

Nodding, Cloud continues outside with Tifa still following closely behind. "Cloud!" she shouts. "You don't even know who that guy is!"

"That's what I'm gonna find out." Swinging his leg across Fenrir, Cloud starts the engine and looks back at Tifa. His face lost the smirk it held only moments earlier, and she knew that look in his eyes all too well. He was determined to settle things, and there was nothing she could say that would stop him. She lowers her head in approval, and he rides off... leaving only a cloud of dust behind.

Tifa shook her head, thinking, "I never thought anything else would happen..."

Minutes later, Cloud stops Fenrir near a cliff overlooking Midgar. The place was all too familiar, but this was where it all began. And it was time to finish everything. Dismounting the bike, Cloud grabs the hilt of the worn Buster Sword and slowly walks over to the edge of the cliff.

"It's been a long time," he spake, his calm words being carried by the air. "I didn't think I'd come back here... but I guess you knew." Turning the blade's point toward the ground, Cloud felt the corners of his mouth tug slightly. "I won't be needing this anymore." In one quick motion, Cloud impales the sword into the ground. Slowly backing away, Cloud glares at the old weapon like it was an old friend. "I decided to live for your sake... It was my decision, however..." With a deep breath, he heads back for Fenrir.

"This is my life now... and my fight. May you finally rest in peace." Taking one more glance at the old Buster Sword, Cloud's face turns emotionless. The time had come. Fenrir roared to life as he took off again, this time heading down the cliff and toward the rubble formerly known as Midgar.

 

Kneeling before the cloaked figure sitting silently, motionless in the wheelchair, a silver haired man looks up at the figure.

"He's coming. Watch me. My power... it's far beyond even the Cetra. Even Jenova. Even him..."

---

As he nears the damaged Highwind, Cloud's eyes catch the reflection of a shiny piece of metal in the distance. With the main highway of Midgar damaged as it was, he could easily use the wing of the Highwind to leap onto the roadway. If only he could angle himself to grab it all in one motion. What the heck? You only live once, and it was a miracle he'd survived this long.

Angling the wheel of the bike as close as he could, Cloud made sure the front wheel caught the wing of the Highwind at just the right edge. Fenrir climbs the broken airship losing only the slightest of speed, but the tricky maneuver had also brought him close enough to snag it... a second before Fenrir launched itself into the air and onto the damaged highway that used to lead directly into the heart of Midgar... straight to Shinra, Inc.

Testing its weight in his hand, Cloud twirled the new Buster Blade in his hand. Amazing how it felt just as familiar as Zack's.

"You've come..."

Looking up, Cloud noticed the man standing a distance away. It was him. Cloud punched the pedal. Fenrir growled and accelerated.

"Fool." With a grim smirk, the man extended his arm in Cloud's direction, firing off a beam of energy at Fenrir. Adjusting his speed, Cloud barely managed to escape an ongoing hit from the materia attack. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to escape the impact the spell had against the ground. It erupted beneath the burning tires, sending both Cloud and Fenrir high into the air and breakneck speeds. Never losing focus on his target, Cloud readied his Buster Blade as he began his descent toward the unforgiving ground.

The silver haired man, still feeling confident in his abilities, spun around--revealing his deadly double bladed katana--to give a devastating blow that would no doubt finish his blonde-haired adversary in one blow... if his skill lacked in the least. As he delivered the backslash, his blade met the resistance of another sword only a moment before the sound of metal crashing against the ground rang loudly.

"Heh heh heh. A fool's attack..."

Getting up from the wreckage as quickly as he could, Cloud still held on to the hilt of his Buster Blade. "Who are you?" Cloud asks.

Smirking, the silver haired man charged forward and attacked Cloud viciously and swiftly. Cloud blocked it again with his own blade. "Who are you!?!" Cloud asked again, trying to push the mystery man's blade back.

The man chuckled. "One you will never be rid of..."

Scowling, Cloud pushed harder, repelling the man's sword. The man used the extra force to hurl his body backwards into the air, seemingly spiraling out of control until he landed on both feet. Relying on the weight of the Buster Blade, Cloud used its momentum to shift his charge into a backflip. Without hesitation, the silver haired man charged Cloud again. His blade meeting the Buster Blade again.

Not wanting to press his attack against the weight of the Buster Blade again, the mystery man hopped backwards and twirled his own sword. "Take your best shot."

Accepting the invitation, Cloud charged forward and attempted a horizontal slash. Quickly, the man performed an aerial sideflip, his head barely escaping the business end of Cloud's Buster Blade. But before Cloud could even mount another attack with the huge weapon, the mystery man raised his sword to keep the Buster Blade in place.

Eyes narrowed, Cloud spoke, "You're not him..." The mystery man didn't respond. He just held that same confident grin

 

Abruptly, the mystery man pushed Cloud's Buster Blade away and charged forward with a downward slash attack. Once again, Cloud relied on the weight of his weapon to carry him back just far enough to barely escape the range of the double bladed sword. Now that he'd gained some distance, Cloud freed his left hand to summon a bolt of lightning. A heartbeat later, it struck the ground where the mystery man had been standing only moments earlier. Quickly looking upward, Cloud found his opponent descending from above. He reacted--faster than even the mystery man anticipated--by rolling to his side, the Buster Blade clenched in both hands. But by the time Cloud got back to his knees, the man was already on top of him charging again at full speed.

The man lowered his body just enough to attempt a low running slash aimed for Cloud's neck. He swung forward with all his might, but the blade met no resistance. This time, Cloud had taken to the sky. Even though his back was turned to his blonde-haired nemesis, he knew what to expect.

"That pathetic attack won't work on me..." The silver haired man simply rolled forward, feeling the wind of a powerful--and no doubt, would-be deadly--attack behind him. A moment later, a small cloud of dust rose to either side almost immediately after he heard the Buster Blade strike the ground. "Don't tell me you're already reaching your limitations?" the man asked with a smirk as he stood straight and turned slightly to face Cloud.

Lifting the Buster Blade with one hand, Cloud settled it over his right shoulder. "I won't ask you again... Who are you?"

Pointing the sword at Cloud, the man's eyes narrowed sharply. "Who do I look like?"

"Hmph." This man was clearly not Sephiroth. Nothing about him gave off the aura... the dominating presence that Sephiroth had. Even to this day, the mere thought of Sephiroth actually surviving that mess in the crater sent a chill down his spine. He had hope that day... that day when strength was needed. It took the strength of all of his friends to rid the world of the calamity from the skies and put an end to the "angel of death." Despite all those who lost their lives in the process--those who returned to the planet and will forever be remembered when the stars grace the night sky (especially her)--he still had hope that it was all over.

This guy came and ruined it all, returning the fear to a world that had just begun to recover from the pain of loss. Feeding hatred into those who just wanted to live normal lives. Sacrificing people as though they were mere puppets, all in the name of a dead demi-god.

"You're not him..."

He wouldn't allow it. He couldn't allow it. This would be the last time he'd ever step foot in Midgar again. Whatever this man represented, whatever his origins, whatever his motives... one thing stood out clear in his mind now.

"Your god is dead!"

Lowering his sword, the man chuckled and prepared to charge forward. "Is he?"

 

The mystery man would have been lying to himself if he said he wasn't enjoying this battle. To humor a being such as this Cloud Strife this way was very fulfilling in its own. If Cloud truly believed that he has any chance of winning, that would be the delusion! The only superior being here was him, and Cloud would bow down and become the first of a new world. Everyone will bow before the chosen one. He'd positioned the wheelchair perfectly so the entire fight could be monitored, every move witness by the chosen one. Now was the moment of truth. Shifting his step swiftly, the mystery man charged forward, clenching the sword's hilt tightly in his left hand.

Cloud saw the man's position change. It was fast, very fast, but not undetectable. Quickly, Cloud grabbed the Buster Blade's hilt with both hands and swung it downward. As the blade struck the ground, it caused a shockwave of energy to streak out in the mystery man's direction. Not missing a stride in step the mystery man lunged his body back into the air, taking him over the blade's beam as well as Cloud. One thing Cloud had to keep in mind was that this guy was good. He was no Sephiroth, but he wasn't a pushover either. The main problem was that his mind kept slipping back to Sephiroth in the first place. This guy looked like a child compared to the Sephiroth he knew, but the thought has crossed his mind more than once to if Lucrecia could have had another child in her condition. It seemed doubtful, but maybe not impossible.

As soon as the mystery man landed on the dirt, he planted his feet hard and pushed off, hurling his body backwards. At the last moment, he spun around with the blade outstretched. It stopped with a loud clang as it met the Buster Blade. Cloud had guessed his next attack. It was an irritating fact, but he knew better than to underestimate this man. The mystery man allowed the force of the parry to throw him a few feet to his left. He landed flawlessly, leering at the blonde haired man who had not wavered in his determination to finish this battle. In fact, he even looked a little different now. There was a clarity in his eyes that wasn't there a moment earlier. Was that because of the Mako or even the Jenova cells? It didn't matter that much. He still held all the cards.

The adrenaline was coursing through his veins now, and Cloud could feel the Mako... no, the Lifestream fueling him with the energy he needed to keep going. For a moment, he even thought the Buster Blade felt a little lighter. The moment quickly passed when he realized the mystery man was attacking. Cloud ran toward him as well, and met deflected the double bladed sword again. The force from the two weapons caused a small shower of sparks to erupt on contact. This time, when the man attacked, he didn't have that confident smirk. He was deadly serious, and Cloud decided to make sure his mind did not lose focus. The man pressed his attack. There wasn't room to counter in any way. The only thing Cloud was able to do effectively was use the Buster Blade as a wall of protection. However, he realized that doing so made him constantly step backwards, seeking more room to maneuver. Finally, he saw the opening he needed.

 

-To Be Continued