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The Dark Depths were normally empty unless Cloud and Sephiroth were fighting there or unless Sephiroth was quietly meditating there. On this night as sunset descended over the cold, blue mountains, they were not empty or quiet. But the sounds coming from among the plateaus were not the harsh clashes of blades.
“Heal!”
A pause. Then, more desperate, “Heal!”
Over and over, Sora the Keybearer struggled to cast the healing spells that normally worked. Scattered around him were two lifeless forms—one, a vicious dragon that was definitely dead, and the other, a man with long, silver hair and three blue wings. It was the man Sora was struggling to revive. But no matter how many times he tried, nothing happened. Even the most powerful of the spells that Sora knew was not working.
Finally his shoulders slumped in utter, complete defeat. “Heal,” he whispered.
Still nothing.
The Keyblade clattered to the ground between them. Sora stared helplessly at the man’s body, blinking back tears before finally allowing them to fall. “Sephiroth . . . come on. . . . Wake up. . . .”
There was no answer. And, finally forced to accept that there never would be, Sora drew his knees up to his chest and crossed his arms on top of them. Lowering his head to his arms, he allowed himself to cry for someone he had never thought he would cry over.
Earlier That Day
It had been a while since Sora had been to Hollow Bastion, and so much had changed! Now that the Heartless were gone, the Restoration Committee had obviously been working overtime to get their world back in shape. Not only were the old buildings revitalized, but new ones were being built. Houses were being constructed again as well, and more people were anxious to move into the land once called Radiant Garden.
Aerith was determined that it would be truthfully called that again. She had orchestrated the planting of many trees and flowers, and more brush. She had also organized nature groups, and Merlin was teaching about herbs. A good number of the houses now had gardens of their own, to grow food as well as flowers.
Children were running in the streets, laughing and happy. They chased each other past the lamps that were being put on all the blocks, around the newly planted hedges, and through the dirt on the new lots. Now that the Heartless invasions were over, they could play outside again without fear. And the Keybearer was very happy to see it. Finally, at least for now, there was peace.
He had been to see Leon and the other members of the committee who were still at Merlin's house. But he had not been able to find Cloud yet, and that worried him. He had always wondered what the outcome was of the battle Cloud had fought with his darkness, Sephiroth. Had he won? Had . . . Sephiroth won? Had it been a draw? None of the others could tell him, but Aerith did say that she saw Cloud very often. He was definitely still alive. And that was a relief, at any rate.
Merlin had then said something odd, when Sora had asked if Sephiroth was still around.
"Sephiroth?" Merlin chuckled. "Yes, he lives here in Radiant Garden. Strange man."
"That's not the word I'd use," Sora retorted. "You should have seen the way he acted with Cloud!" It made him furious, whenever he thought of the way the silver-haired man had taunted the blond about giving in to his darkness. Sora had fought Sephiroth himself, and he would welcome the opportunity to fight him again. Someone needed to teach him a lesson!
"Oh yes, yes, I know all about that," the magician nodded, as he walked Sora to the door. "But you might be surprised by him. He isn't an evil person, despite what he might want you to believe."
Sora turned to look at him in shock. "Why would he want me to believe it?" he retorted. If this was coming from anyone else, he would not believe it at all. But for Merlin to say it, when he was a wise man who had been around for many years . . . Sora did not know what to think.
"He has his reasons," Merlin nodded thoughtfully. "And though I'm not at liberty to tell you what they are, I will say that his intentions for Cloud are ultimately good." He would not say more, but this was plenty to befuddle the Keybearer.
Were he and Merlin even talking about the same man? The Sephiroth he had met in the past had been bent on Cloud's destruction. That had been quite obvious. And he had wanted Sora's Keyblade. Nevermind that it would have gone right back to Sora. If he had managed to lose it to a creep such as Sephiroth, then he would have wondered if he even deserved to carry it.
Merlin had also seemed to act like Sephiroth was his own person, instead of part of Cloud. That did not make sense, either. Cloud had been convinced that Sephiroth was truly the manifestation of his darkness. And Sephiroth had not denied it. But if that was true, then why were they both still alive after their fierce combat? If Cloud had won, Sephiroth should have been absorbed back into Cloud's heart, or vice versa if Sephiroth had won. Any way Sora looked at it, he only became more confused.
Eventually he wandered out near the blue canyons that surrounded the town. It was a beautiful place, and yet ominous, he decided. But maybe that was because he could not help but think of the Heartless that had attacked there, and the encounters with various Organization XIII members, not to mention the battle between Cloud and Sephiroth. But he should try to put those negative memories behind him. Even without thinking of them, though, there was something very foreboding about this location. What had its past been?
Placing a hand on the rock, he slowly turned a corner. No one was here now, and maybe that factor added to the gloomy feeling. He had never come here alone before. And he had to admit that he had been hoping he would find Cloud. Aerith had said that sometimes he came here to think.
"Well, if it isn't the master of the Keyblade."
A chill ran down Sora's spine. He had been wrong about being the sole visitor. And that was not Cloud! That was. . . . He looked up, his blue eyes narrowing into a glare as he saw a silver-haired man peering down at him from the top of one of the lower canyons.
"What are you doing up there?" Sora said at last, defensively. "I thought Cloud kicked you into next week!" Unconsciously he gripped the Keyblade tighter. There might be a battle for it again. And he would not be caught off guard.
Sephiroth jumped over the edge. His three blue wings were spread, allowing him to soundlessly and gracefully hover to the ground in front of Sora. "I am Cloud," he said calmly. In his left hand, he clutched the hilt of the Masamune. His eyes did not appear to hold any lie, and yet, somehow . . . it seemed to Sora that the other was not saying everything, that maybe these words were only a half-truth, if indeed they held any truth whatsoever. And yet Cloud had believed those words before. Sora had, as well.
"Where's Cloud?" the boy demanded, stepping forward in determination. He was not intimidated by Sephiroth, even if he was reportedly the best swordsman in this world. What worried him was, What had happened to Cloud, especially if this man had won their battle? Aerith had said that Cloud was alive, but she had been vague. Maybe he had been hurt. Or maybe he had become even more bitter and had closed himself off.
"He's in the city," Sephiroth admitted finally. He looked at Sora, expressionless. "Is your boldness courage, or over-confidence?" he mused. "You've been able to wield the Keyblade for a couple of years now." He started to bring the tip of his long sword up to Sora's throat. "But . . . that doesn't mean you're worthy to carry it."
Sora stood his ground, glaring up at the other. "I'm more worthy than you!" he retorted. "What happened last time, Sephiroth? Did you beat Cloud?"
Sephiroth tickled Sora's neck with the Masamune, enough to cause discomfort but not to draw blood. "What happened is between myself and Cloud," he answered, "but if Cloud wants to tell you, that's his affair." He pulled his sword back. "I don't feel like fighting you today."
"Are you afraid I'll beat you down, like last time?" Sora watched him, still tense. There was no telling what the other might do. He needed to stay alert. Sephiroth could suddenly attack, if he could get Sora to believe there was not any danger. And he was not planning to fall for it.
"I don't fear anything, especially a boy." For a brief moment, something that almost looked akin to weariness flickered in the green eyes. But then it was gone again, as if it had never been present. He half-turned to his left. “. . . I should warn you of the danger.”
Sora came to attention. "What danger?" he demanded. Or would this be another trick?
"There have been strange and deadly dragons roaming around here from time to time," Sephiroth answered. "They've always been killed before actually entering the city limits." He spoke matter-of-factly, and yet again, there was a flash of something in his eyes—a remembrance, painful and perhaps even frightening. Sephiroth had said that he feared nothing. Had that been another lie?
Sora blinked at the silver-haired man's words. He had heard of the dragons from Leon, but somehow he had not thought that Sephiroth would mention them. "Did one of them attack you?" he asked. It was not likely that Sephiroth would give him a straight answer, but the question came out anyway.
"I killed the first one that appeared," said the other. "Everyone who has battled the creatures has ended up wounded to some degree." He looked away. "Some nearly died."
Sora watched him. "But you can't die, can you?" This was becoming more confusing every minute. He could easily pick up on Sephiroth's implications, but they contradicted themselves and made the boy's head spin. Definitely something to ask Cloud about, if he ever found the blond. Though, Cloud likely did not know what the truth was, either.
"I'm not dead, am I?" A quiet smirk.
Sora had to sigh. "Nope . . . I don't think, anyway."
Sephiroth walked over to a low-hanging part of the canyon that was flat and smooth and almost like a bench. "Sit down," he invited. Climbing onto it himself, he lowered his body down slowly and spread his lower wings against the back of the platform, near where it connected with the part of the mountain above it. He leaned back against it, starting to relax as he watched Sora eyeing him suspiciously. "Are you afraid I'm trying to catch you off guard so that I can take your Keyblade?" he asked calmly.
"I don't know," Sora answered honestly. Sephiroth seemed passive, but he was not someone who was easy to trust. How would Sora know what the other might do? He had certainly seemed interested in the Keyblade before. And of course there had been the thing with Cloud. Gripping his weapon tightly, the spiky-haired boy started to climb onto the rock. "What do you want?" he asked. If not for what Merlin had said, Sora doubted that he would be getting up here.
Now that he was closer, he could see that tired look in Sephiroth's eyes again. He frowned a bit. That was not anything he had been expecting, either. What had happened to him? Had all the battles with Cloud worn him out like this? In those eyes, he looked so much older than the thirty years he physically appeared to be. And, if he was part of Cloud's heart and soul, he would be supposed to be younger than thirty. Cloud was in his early twenties.
Sephiroth laid the Masamune across his lap, with the sharpened side facing outward. "I don't have any desire to take your weapon," he said. "Power, in the wrong hands, can only bring disaster for everyone, and especially for the one who has been granted power."
"I thought you'd figure your hands were the right ones," Sora remarked. He was sitting near one edge of the stone, facing the other.
Sephiroth smirked slightly. "I wanted you to believe I thought it. I was testing your skills as a Keybearer. It wouldn't have been as effective if you had not been certain that I was a threat."
"Oh yeah?" Could that be believed? If so, why had Sephiroth wanted to test him? Sora had not gotten the impression that Sephiroth was concerned a great deal about what happened in Hollow Bastion, or anywhere else. How much about him really was true, anyway? If Sora had not met him before today, he did not think that he would have the impression that this man was particularly bad or evil—just vague and somewhat aloof. And he did not seem like anyone's "darkness", but rather his own person. Or was that all a deception, something he wanted Sora to think?
"Sephiroth . . . what have you done to Cloud that makes him hate you so much?"
Sephiroth regarded him, unconcerned by the question. "It's . . . complicated. But some of it is not so much what I've done, but how he perceives it," he said. "You witnessed our combat the last time you were here. That should give you a good idea of what usually happens."
Sora frowned. "It was pretty obvious you were taunting Cloud, wanting him to give in to his darkness."
"Was I?"
Now the Keybearer was more bewildered than ever, though Merlin's words still echoed in his mind. "Well . . . it sure looked that way," he said slowly. "What other kind of reason would you have for acting like that?!"
"What other reason, indeed." Sephiroth began to lower his dominant wing over his right shoulder. The sun was close to setting now, and bringing with it, dropping temperatures. Even he got cold, sometimes.
Sora shook his head. "I just don't get you at all," he declared.
"Neither does Cloud."
Sora sighed, drawing up his legs to his chest. "You just . . . you don't seem like a bad guy," he mused. "Merlin says you aren't. But I can't forget how you acted with Cloud. You really got him upset. I thought that, when you and he disappeared, he'd beat you back and overcome his darkness by doing it."
"Cloud has a long way to go before he will be able to overcome his darkness," Sephiroth said in a matter-of-fact tone. "He can't even accept it exists. As long as he fears it, hates it, he'll get nowhere."
That actually did make sense. Sora was silent, studying the Keyblade for a long moment. "Are you his darkness?" he asked finally.
Now Sephiroth was silent, and for such a long time that Sora started to wonder if he had fallen asleep. He looked up again, seeing that the other was staring into the distance and seemed to be lost in thought. Was it that difficult to think of how to respond to what should be a simple and straight-forward question? Maybe he was going to lie.
At last he turned his gaze back to Sora, looking satisfied with his decision. "Only in a manner of speaking," he replied.
Sora digested this. "So . . . you're not part of Cloud at all?" he pressed.
"No."
The Keybearer frowned. "Then why do you say you are?" he demanded.
"I don't. I said I am Cloud. There's a difference."
"Okay, okay. . . . But why do you say that?" Sora blinked confused blue eyes at the enigma. This was certainly the last conversation he had ever pictured himself having, and the last person whom he had ever thought he would be talking to. Cloud would probably be really upset if he was told about this.
"I have my reasons. Think about it a while." Apparently Sephiroth was not planning to reveal anything else. Or maybe this was another test, a challenge.
Sora rocked back, still holding onto the Keyblade. Why would anyone claim to be someone else, if they actually were not? And what did Sephiroth mean about being Cloud's darkness in a manner of speaking? Could it be . . .
"Does Cloud remind you of yourself, somehow?"
Sephiroth looked pleased. "You've solved a mystery in several hours that Cloud still doesn't quite grasp after several years."
Well, that was great, if it was true, but it still left a lot of unanswered questions. In some ways, Sora was more bewildered than ever. "Why, Sephiroth?" he found himself exclaiming. "Why do you hang around Cloud? Why do you say those things to him when you know it will get him angry?" He shook his head slowly. "I just don't get it. Don't you have anything better to do?"
Sephiroth's gaze was steady and still unruffled. “Why would I do it?” he mused. “If I’m not trying to drive him to ruin, what could I actually be trying to achieve?”
Sora frowned, pondering again. If Sephiroth was pointing out things about Cloud that Cloud didn’t want to accept about himself, and he wasn’t trying to make Cloud give in to the darkness, then . . .
“. . . Are you trying to help Cloud?” he asked at last. It sounded crazy, but it seemed like it was the only option left. And it fit with what Merlin had told him.
Sephiroth was pleased again. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, I am. I want Cloud to become better, stronger." He leaned further into the rock. "He believed that I was his darkness, but he never approached me in the correct way. He loathed me, he could not learn from me."
"You say he 'believed.' So he doesn't anymore?"
Sephiroth smirked slightly. "Cloud has also believed that I'm some kind of a demon assigned to torment him," he said. "He may still think that."
Sora observed the other in the waning light. Merlin's words were starting to make more sense now. And surely Merlin knew what he was talking about. Sephiroth could try to trick Sora, but the thought of him being able to do the same to a famous wizard such as Merlin seemed ridiculous.
"I'm still not sure what I think of you," he announced, "but Merlin seems to think you're okay, and I trust Merlin." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I don't think you're a demon," he said slowly, "and you're not an angel, even though you have wings. . . . I thought maybe you were a Nobody or a Heartless, but you're not those things, either."
Sephiroth watched him, quietly amused. "Oh really. Then what am I?"
Sora shrugged vaguely. "I think . . . I think you're just a man," he said at last. "Yeah, you're really good with a sword, and you're strong, but I don't get why people are afraid of you if they’re not fighting you.”
“People are like that.” Sephiroth still looked relaxed, but there was something else in his eyes as well. Was it regret? Sadness? Sora could not tell. Maybe it was something entirely different.
Sora frowned. "Why are you telling me all of this?" he asked. Of all people, why him? He was probably half Sephiroth's age, if that. And they could not be more opposite. Sephiroth was serious and aloof; Sora was friendly and liked a good joke. Sephiroth seemed to believe in shades of gray; Sora saw the world in black and white. Sora also had friends; Sephiroth seemed to be a loner, but not necessarily by choice. Sora could not imagine that Sephiroth was a very happy person.
"Who knows." Sephiroth's smirk turned self-depreciating.
Silence reigned for several long moments. Sora leaned forward, crossing his arms in front of his drawn knees. It was only now that he realized he had let down his guard. The Keyblade was still being held in his hand, but he did not have a deathgrip on it now. Did he believe that this winged man would truly not try to get it away from him? It seemed as though Sora must have at least that much confidence in the other.
“. . . Maybe it’s because you remind me of Zack,” Sephiroth spoke at last.
Sora blinked in surprise. “Who’s Zack?”
“Zack Fair, a young boy who dreamed of being a hero. I think you would have liked him. Almost everyone did.”
"So he was worth liking?" Sora asked.
"Oh yes. He was like you . . . determined, cheerful, friendly . . . unable to stand injustice."
"You sound like you think a lot of him." And that surprised Sora too, he supposed. Zack did not sound like the sort of person whom Sephiroth would think much of, with his cold, serious nature. He really did keep much of his true self hidden.
Sephiroth was looking out at the sky as the sun sank lower. "You find it strange."
"Yeah . . . I guess I do. Especially since I was just thinking that you probably aren't close to anyone."
Sephiroth leaned back against the rock again. "I've become jaded, embittered, over time. I don't have much hope left. And then I find people such as you and Zack, people who never seem to lose any of it. It can't be naivete, because the hope persists no matter what kind of treacherous, abominable things have been witnessed. And it can't be stupidity. Zack, at least, was too intelligent. I don’t know you well, but you seem to be smart for your age as well." He looked back to Sora, who was watching him with a puzzled expression.
"People such as you and Zack just see life in a way that I cannot. I admire that trait, and I can see how it makes you happy, even though I can't accept it for myself."
Well, that had been unexpected again. Sora stared at the other. ". . . Zack was your friend, wasn't he?" he said, with sudden understanding.
"My closest friend." Really, the only person Sephiroth considered to be a friend at all was Zack. Zack had been his polar opposite, and yet somehow, they had held a deep understanding of each other. He prized that, above all else.
Sora was silent for some time. So even Sephiroth had someone dear to him. The other's eyes were shadowed, both by the setting sun and by the bangs drifting into his face. But his voice, which carried tones of firm devotion, said it all.
"I think everyone needs someone like that," said the Keybearer. "No one should have to be all alone."
Sephiroth nodded slowly. "Many people are," he pointed out.
"I know that. But it doesn't mean I think it's fair."
"Many things in life are not fair. One can't alter what already is."
Sora looked over at the other. "I think a lot more things can be changed than most people believe," he said firmly. "And I'm going to prove it someday." He stood up, stretching his legs. How late was it by now? He should probably be getting back. He hoped no one was worried about him and had gone looking.
Sephiroth smirked slightly. "Heh. When you say it, I can almost believe it will happen." He slowly got to his feet as well, spreading his wings a bit as he stepped down from the platform. He walked ahead, past Sora, and in the direction of the town. Then he glanced back over his shoulder, his expression thoughtful. "Though . . . I suppose you've already helped to change some things quite a bit," he mused. Sora had been a vital link in the war against the Heartless and Organization XIII. Without him, it was hard to say how things might have ended up.
“Yeah, I hope so!” Sora said. “But I couldn’t have done anything without my friends.” He paused in sudden realization. “Where is Zack anyway?”
Sephiroth went silent again. “I don’t know. He was . . . lost.”
Sora frowned. “What happened?”
Sephiroth stared out at the fading light of day. “We were fighting Heartless. There were too many of them. Zack fell off a cliff because he was . . . distracted by a problem with me.”
Sora was chilled. He could tell Sephiroth was not telling the whole story. And he could also hear the grief in the man’s voice.
“. . . You blame yourself, don’t you?” he realized.
“Yes.” The answer was immediate. “It was my fault. You asked why Cloud hates me. The largest reason is because he blames me too.”
“I’m sure Zack wouldn’t think so,” Sora tried to say.
Sephiroth shook his head. “I don’t know how even Zack could deny it. I will never give up looking for him, but I know it is highly unlikely I will ever find him.”
“You’ll find him!” Sora insisted. “I bet he’s looking for you too!”
“. . . I would like to believe that,” Sephiroth admitted.
The vicious roar from behind them made them both spin around with weapons drawn. Sora stared in shock. He had never seen that big a dragon. Where had it even come from so suddenly?! The only thing he could think of was that it had come out of a portal, as crazy as that sounded. Dragons making portals? But otherwise they would have heard or at least sensed it approaching! Nothing that big could be silent.
Sephiroth lunged at it without a word, using Octaslash and then Shadow Flare. Sora dove in right after him, using his Keyblade to attack.
The dragon was fiercely bloodthirsty. It fought off their attacks, only now and then being wounded a small amount. Sephiroth increased the power of his attacks, eventually resorting to his Fire assaults as well as Shadow Flare and Octaslash and his other dangerous attacks. Not even Heartless Angel seemed to slow it down enough.
“How do we beat it?!” Sora exclaimed.
“This one is more difficult than the others I’ve encountered,” Sephiroth said grimly, which wasn’t encouraging at all.
As the battle raged, they both landed some critical hits on the beast. Sora even managed to protect Sephiroth from a vicious swipe of dragon claws. But as he hit the huge foot with his Keyblade, the dragon struck out at him and he was thrown off-balance and fell backwards, his leg and the Keyblade becoming caught in a fissure in the blue rocks. The dragon, seeing its chance, lunged for him.
Sephiroth was immediately in its path, hitting it full in the face with Supernova. The beast roared and backed up. Before it could recover, Sephiroth was flying at it again with a furious Octaslash.
Sora watched in shock and awe while frantically trying to extricate himself from the fissure. It was different seeing Sephiroth work when Sora wasn’t the one fighting against him. He was so powerful, and the wings not only added to that power but supplied a certain grace and beauty. He was, well, cool, honestly.
Finally the dragon landed a hit, sending Sephiroth out of the sky with a huge swipe of its mighty tail. Sephiroth hit hard and rolled a couple of times before stopping.
Sora pulled his leg free at last. “Sephiroth!” he cried. He grabbed for the Keyblade, desperate to pull it out.
The dragon lunged for him again.
“Descend Heartless Angel.”
It was Sephiroth’s most powerful attack, and the dragon wasn’t going to stand for it again. It turned, blasting at Sephiroth as the attack hit. The two magic blasts collided in a violent eruption. Blue feathers exploded everywhere.
Sora was thrown back by the force of the blast. He coughed, waving away the smoke. “Sephiroth?!”
Finally the air cleared. The dragon was lying dead. Sephiroth didn’t look much better. He was laying mostly on his stomach, his head resting against one arm. The wings were spread in all directions.
Sora ran over, crashing to his knees next to the man’s limp body. “Sephiroth?! Sephiroth?! Come on, wake up! You’ve gotta wake up!” He shook Sephiroth on the shoulder. There was no response.
“Heal!” Sora called. It would work, wouldn’t it? It had to work. . . .
Nothing happened. Sephiroth lay just as still as before.
Sora wasn’t giving up. “Heal!” he yelled again, more forceful this time.
Still nothing.
Sora just kept trying, refusing to concede defeat. But with each frantic call, a bit more hope faded away. Sephiroth was not getting up. Even the most powerful healing spell Sora knew couldn’t bring back the dead.
That Night
Sora didn’t know how long he’d been there, crying over a man he hadn’t even liked hours earlier. Sephiroth was still laying as he had when Sora had found him, the loose feathers fallen around him like how people sometimes put flowers around bodies in coffins. It was a chilling, heartbreaking sight.
At last Sora looked up, blinking away the tears. He couldn’t keep staying here. And he couldn’t get Sephiroth back to town all by himself. He’d have to go for help. Maybe Merlin.
“I’m sorry, Sephiroth. . . . I’ll have to leave you here,” he said. “I’ll come back. . . .” He stumbled to his feet, wiping away fresh tears.
Sephiroth could have teleported away from the battle any time. He wouldn’t have been likely to have left a fight, but he could have, if it became too much. Instead, he had stayed protecting Sora. He wouldn’t have had to do that. He could have even decided to kill the dragon while it was distracted going after Sora, but he hadn’t wanted to risk Sora’s safety.
He had risked his own instead.
Sora took a few steps back. He would have to turn around and run, forcing himself to leave. Part of him wanted to stay, still hoping against hope that Sephiroth would move. He didn’t want to leave if there was any hope.
He knew there wasn’t, though.
“Sephiroth . . . come on, wake up,” he whispered. “Please. . . .”
Then, miraculously, the lower left wing moved.
Sora ran back over and dropped down. “Sephiroth?!”
Slowly Sephiroth pushed himself into a sitting position, holding a hand to his head. “Ugh. . . .” He looked to Sora, who seemed ready to burst with joy. Before he could say anything more, he was enveloped in a hug of exuberance.
“Sephiroth! You’re okay! You’re really okay!”
Shocked beyond belief, Sephiroth just let himself be hugged for a moment. Then, slowly, he laid a hand on Sora’s shoulder.
So like Zack indeed. . . .
“I’m . . . sorry I worried you,” he said at last, incredibly awkward. How long had it been since anyone had cared that much? “When the blasts exploded, I was thrown out of my body.”
Sora looked up at him. “But you’re okay now?”
“Yes,” Sephiroth said. “When you kept casting Cure on me, you healed my body enough that I could finally get back in it. I was apparently unconscious for a while after that.”
Sora hugged him again and drew back. “So I really helped,” he said in amazement.
“You did,” Sephiroth said. “And you helped with wearing down the dragon as well.” He took up the Masamune and pushed himself to his feet. “. . . Thank you.”
Sora hopped up too. “We made a good team!” He grinned, then watched Sephiroth in a bit of concern. He was still moving slowly and seemed to be in pain. “Maybe I should use Cure some more,” Sora said.
Sephiroth shook his head. “Save your strength,” he said. “I know you used the more powerful Curaga as well. I’m alright. Hold on to what you have left until we get back to town and you can replenish your supplies.”
“Okay, if you’re sure,” Sora said slowly.
“I’m sure,” Sephiroth said firmly.
They started back to town, walking side by side.
“I just came back here to check on my friends,” Sora remarked. “I didn’t think I’d make a new one. Or that he’d ever be you.”
“Oh?” Sephiroth looked down at him. “We’re friends now?”
“Yeah!” Sora said, placing his hands behind his head. “You’re a good guy. I still don’t completely understand you, but I know that much.” He grinned.
Sephiroth considered that. Friends. . . . It certainly wasn’t what he had expected either. But he wasn’t opposed to it. Not at all. It was nice . . . to be cared about.
Finally he smiled. “Friends then,” he agreed.