I had seen this illusion before, and had never hoped to see it again. It was so powerful I could feel it in my soul, and I knew that, though everyone had seemingly disappeared from view, they saw every false image as clearly as I did.

The field and faded to the void of space, and the people and swirling dust around me were replaced by stars. I felt the coldness of space pierce my shirt, though my mind knew that I was still standing outside on a warm day. My heart beat rapidly, just knowing what would come next. I was too well braced and experienced to panic when I saw the white streak of a meteor flying through the blackness. My soul quaked but my knees did not buckle when I saw that same meteor plow through a planet and reduce it to scattered gas.

Suddenly, I noticed that the meteor was slowing. This was not part of the illusion. The blinding, white-hot streak should have only sped up as it crashed through the remaining planets and finally, the sun itself.

Hope led me to breathe, "He's fighting back." The Jenova within him had past her limit, but Sephiroth had not, and was fighting to stop the release of Supernova's power. I wished that I was not consumed by the illusion, that I could be by his side and support him.

The illusory images of Supernova vanished with a shudder. In the space of the seconds that it had lasted, however, Sephiroth's hair had turned from silver to white, and his face was haunted with disgust mingled with determination. The ground beneath him was the color of carbuncle. Cloud appeared stunned at first, but recovered from the illusion with reborn fury. I watched as he picked up his battered, broken, bloody sword and commenced with almost mechanical repetition of the same thing he had done to his enemy so many times.

The crowd, no matter who they sided with, turned white with the first strike, green with the second, and froze with the third. Horror froze them in place, soundless. Which of them would have expected that what they wanted to see was so terrible? None- they were just people, most of whom never saw anything more than a paper cut, let alone one man turn another into ribbons. And Sephiroth, the only one of the two I knew I could love, not would, but could, took every blow without a yell, though tears flowed freely. His shirt fell in tatters along with his skin.

Cloud jumped upwards, weak light beaming from the top of the mangled sword. He was weaker now, but his strength was still superhuman. A few years ago the light would have been as a second moon. Like everyone else watching, I felt the crushing doom in spite of the light, and I wanted to run. But I wanted to run forward, not away.

Tap.

Tap. Tap.

Several more taps came in increasing speed. A silly thing to notice at this time, but the rain had begun again. I was still dry, lost in a split second that took an eternity.

Bang.

I ran forward as Cloud fell back. An arc of blood sprayed from his right shoulder, its droplets mingling with the raindrops as they landed next to the dropped Buster sword.

"Sephiroth…" I held him up as best I could. Sephiroth's back was like a mutilated cut of steak from a butcher. Warmth pulsed against my chest, but it was his blood. I felt nothing but coldness in my veins. "Cure!" I whispered hoarsely, calling on magic from the one materia I had bothered to bring. Nothing came forth.

"It will not work Tifa. We are beyond the Planet and all it's wisdom." He spoke fluidly, but the effort needed to do so caused his voice to tremble. "I had thought, I had thought I had known what forgiveness was. What merited forgiveness. I had thought that there would be no way I could earn it if I did not change. I read once that you do not get cleaner by wallowing in your own filth. I believed that."

"But it's true…"

"Is it? I damned us both. I am dead, and you are heartbroken. The rain still fails to fall on our heads. I was ignorant." Blood welled up from his mouth, "If I were arrogant as well, I would die claiming that it is because we are far above anyone else, but no. I have no arrogance left, not even enough to claim a lie."

"I… I'll die with you." I said, "There's nothing left. I can't love anyone else, having known what it is to love you. I can't love this Planet, knowing it will always be empty for me."

"Do not cheapen yourself." It was Vincent who replied. His gun was still smoking.

"I thought you would never be alright with us."

"I said, 'I will be there, though I cannot approve.' I still do not approve, but I am here. For you, not for him."

"If only you were my father." Sephiroth lamented. He closed his eyes, "I agree with Vincent, but you are still your own woman."

I hesitated, thinking through their advice. How could I cheapen myself? I was worthless to the crowd, priceless to my friends. I grabbed a bayonet out of Vincent's its place in Vincent's shoe. He had always had it as a back up, but never needed it. Repositioning myself behind Sephiroth, so I could hug him from behind, I gave him one last kiss.

"I never want to be apart from you." I whispered, and then plunged the bayonet through both of our hearts.

The Lifestream that left our bodies was not the red that marked an enemy of the Planet. Nor was it the green that rightfully circulated through below the Planet's crust. It was a white purer than snow, and as it left, it ascended skywards.

Author's note: Thanks to everyone who waited! That took waaay too long to finish, but I'm glad now that I didn't force the ending. I still abhor closing stories with a suicide (Vincent is voicing my opinion at the end). If I was a bit too ambiguous: They were forgiven long ago by the Planet, but they didn't realize it. No rain fell on their heads because they didn't need to be cleansed. It's a complete 180 from what I originally thought of, but I realized that if I kept as I started, then I would go against what I wanted to say at the end.