Cloud looked into Sephiroth's eyes as he began to speak.

"Place her on the ground."

"What do you want with her?" Said Cloud in a tone that sounded slightly more anxious than he would have preferred.

He smiled grimly. "To kill her. Place her on the ground now."

Sephiroth tightened his grip on his sword, and let his eyes bore a hole into Cloud's head.

Cloud, holding his ground, straightened his back as much as he could and scowled.

"No."

Sephiroth looked at Aeris.

"She wants you to. Can't you see it? Just put her on the ground and step away. You don't want it to end like this, do you? It's not fair."

Cloud shook his head slowly, and as soon as he did so, he felt Aeris's body being lifted into the air. He tried to hold her down, but she was ripped up from him anyway. Sephiroth's grin grew all the more frightful as Aeris was dropped down to the ground and he began advancing towards her. Cloud unsheathed his blade.

"Hurt her, and you won't live to enjoy yourself."

Sephiroth stopped, amused. "What will you do? Cut me? Make me bleed?" He began to circle around Aeris, his eyes set on Cloud. "Kill me, even?"

"Cloud, don't…." Aeris's voice resonated within Cloud's own head, "Don't do this…you'll die!"

Cloud stepped back, and ran at Sephiroth, his blade behind his back, ready to swing. He was almost on him, when Cloud froze. He couldn't move his feet forward. He couldn't cover himself. He couldn't move his arms.

Sephiroth simply stared at him. "…Well? Weren't you going to…destroy me? What happened?" He began to laugh. "Cloud, don't you see? You shouldn't have come here! You shouldn't have dragged your friends into your wild plan." He lifted his hand and punched Cloud in the face, causing him to fall over. Then he drew his blade, and paced back to Aeris. "This is your time."

Sephiroth raised his sword in the air.

Cloud saw Aeris's smile in his head, with blood trickling from her lip from when Sephiroth dropped her on the ground.

Sephiroth closed his eyes, indulging in his moment of victory.

Aeris slowly turned herself over, so that she could look at Sephiroth.

Cloud concentrated all of his strength in moving his limbs, but to no avail.

Tifa and Barret slowly came to consciousness, with their eyes opening to the unfolding execution.

And that's when the blade fell.

NOOOOO!

Everyone felt her pain. Cloud regained control of his body just as blood began to flow from Aeris's wound. Barret instinctively raised his gun-arm and let the bullets rip through the air towards Sephiroth. Tifa winced and could barely move from the pain.

Aeris's mouth was frozen in a forced smile, trying to hide the pain.

Sephiroth was still, his job done.

Cloud got up. "You son of a bitch, I'll have your fucking head!" He lunged at Sephiroth, and fell right through him onto the floor. In a moment, he got up again, and tried slashing him again, but to no avail. Sephiroth hasn't moved since he stabbed Aeris, and nothing Cloud could do could hurt him.

Tears came to his eyes as he continued to slash the air. Nothing.

Then, as if he wasn't there at all, Sephiroth was gone. Cloud continued to slash out of frustration, until he finally fell to his knees. It was over. Sephiroth had won. Aeris was dead.