Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Hearts Second Chance ❯ Chapter 30 ( Chapter 30 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Tifa ran through the makeshift hospital to find the doctor. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, as she looked into each room that she raced by. Spotting the doctor in a room to the left, she slid to a stop and rushed in.
“Quick I need you in Cloud’s room.” She said, grabbing his arm and giving it a vicious tug.
Dragging the complaining doctor down the hall she raced towards Cloud‘s room then shoved him in. He checked over Cloud’s vitals on the monitor and then looked at Tifa, “I’m not seeing anything to be concerned about.”
“It’s not him. We need to get him awake now.” Tifa said pushing the doctor towards the bed.
The man dug in his heals and growled, “Young lady he needs his rest.”
“That’s not the point, some jackass told Sephiroth Cloud is dead and if we don’t wake him up to talk to the hothead we are all going to die.” Tifa said giving the man another push towards the bed in desperation.
The doctor paled, “What?”
Everyone knew how the General felt for the blonde laying on the hospital bed, which was the major reason he had given it his all to patch the boy up. Yanking open the door he called for a nurse. Looking back at the sleeping man, he hoped he could get him awake before Sephiroth ripped through the entire army.

Laying on the pile of twisted metal and debris she had been thrown into, Lilly panted trying desperately to get air into her screaming lungs. Pain radiated from the spot on her ribs where Sephiroth’s fist had been moments ago. Looking up she squinted trying get her blurring vision to focus. Vincent and Zack were now engaging the raging man, but no matter what they did, Sephiroth was stronger. Jumping to her feet, she barely dodged Vincent as he was thrown to the ground followed by a breathless Zack.
“Damn, I don’t remember him being this strong.” Zack said using his sword to help him regain his footing.
“It has to be Jenova.” Vincent responded as he staggered to his feet.
“Lilly.” Tifa shouted over the headset making Lilly groan. Her head was already pounding from the mixture of the drug and the beating Sephiroth was giving her.
“I’m here.” Lilly said.
“Cloud is awake.” Tifa said with excitement.
“Give me the damn headset.” Lilly heard Cloud shout from the background. “Tifa just told me. Where is Sephiroth?” he demanded.
Sighing Lilly said, “As soon as I get close enough you can talk to him. Hopefully the sound of your voice can bring him out of this.”
“Can you get close enough?” Cloud asked with despair in his voice.
Lilly looked up at Sephiroth as he landed on the collapsed building not far from them, an evil smirk covering his face.
“Absolutely.” Lilly said to Cloud. Taking a deep breath she signaled the guys closer and told them what she wanted them to do for her. Each of the men nodded their acceptance of the plan as they turned to face Sephiroth.
Vincent looked at Lilly a moment before his attention went to the silver-haired man. She looked like she was having trouble, her breathing was ragged, and her body was pale and covered in sweat. Vincent was sure that Lilly should not be in this bad of shape and he was concerned for her safety especially with this harebrained plan she had.
Raising his gun Vincent fired at Sephiroth knowing there was no way it would get through his defenses. As predicted Sephiroth brought up his sword causing the bullet to ricochet away. Zack launched himself at Sephiroth bringing his massive sword down at Sephiroth’s head, which the silver-haired man blocked easily.
Lilly took long slow breaths, trying to build up enough energy to continue the fight and hopefully end it quickly.
Lucrecia, I know I haven’t been able to reach you for some time, but I could really use your help. Looking up at her friends fighting each other, she gripped her shirt over her pain-filled chest. I cannot stop your son as I am now. She whispered in her mind.
As she took another deep breath to ready herself for her part of the plan, she felt a warming sensation filling her from the inside. Smiling she looked back up at the fight knowing the woman who had woken her from her lifetime of slumber was helping her to win this battle.
“Now!” Lilly screamed as she gripped her swords and dropped into a crouch. Vincent dropped back as Zack took the high ground. Taking aim, they engulfed Sephiroth with a giant fireball. Lilly jumped high, aiming for the space above Sephiroth‘s location. Reaching her arm out, Zack appeared above her and gripped her outstretched hand. He spun in the air dragging her with him, and then he let go, sending Lilly rocketing down at Sephiroth. The fireball dissipated from the burst of power Sephiroth had let out. Looking around for them, his head jerked up and his hollow eyes met hers. She reached him before he could raise his sword high enough to run her through. Blocking with one of her swords she drove the other through the wrist of his sword arm causing the Masamune to spin away and bury itself in the ground with a burst of dirt and debris.
Roaring from the pain, he grabbed her by the front of her shirt and jerked her close.
“Cloud’s alive you asshole.” Lilly hissed as she pulled the headset form her ear and held it out. Sephiroth’s other hand found her neck, but before crushing her windpipe, Cloud’s voice came through the speaker.
“Seph…Seph, please are you there?” Lilly felt Sephiroth’s grip tighten on her neck squeezing off her air supply, but she did not move to stop him. If this did not work, she had no other ideas.
Sephiroth heard a familiar voice from the blackness surrounding him. Opening his eyes, he looked around in confusion. Who had been calling him? Then he heard his name echo through the void. Cloud, his mind screamed at him. Struggling in the oppressive darkness, Sephiroth tried to pull free of the trap Jenova had laid in his mind. He could feel her trying to keep him locked in, but his desire to reach Cloud was becoming too much for the alien as he struggled to break free.
“Seph answer me!” Cloud shouted. Lilly watched Sephiroth’s eyes as they focused on the headset in confusion. “Damn it Sephiroth if you don’t answer men I’m never having sex with you again!”
Lilly would have laughed at that threat if the situation had not been so dire. She sucked in a gasping breath as Sephiroth’s grip loosened and said, with a raspy voice, “Cloud?”
“Seph, you need to stop. I’m alright, just a little banged up but I’m alive.” Cloud cooed through the speaker.
Lilly sighed as Sephiroth’s dead eyes came to life while he stared at the speaker.
“Bout time.” She said wrapping a hand around Sephiroth’s wrist.
His eyes met hers then dropped to where his hands gripped her shirt and neck, “I’m so sorry,” he said, gently lowering her feet to the I-beam.
“It’s okay, go to him.” Lilly said smiling as she pointed the direction of the hospital and base. Before she could say anything further he was gone. Raising the headset to her ear she said, “He’s alright now, let him through.”
Dropping her hand, she closed her eyes. As the last of her strength left her, Lilly said, “Guess I did it Lucrecia.” Then her vision began to darken.

Sephiroth could feel the alien bitch trying to regain control over his mind, whispering that Lilly had played a trick on him and that Cloud was in fact gone. Sephiroth gave her a mental shove, envisioning a prison deep within his mind and locked her away within it. Once her whiney voice had ceased to echo through his mind, Sephiroth speed up, needing to reach the hospital and see for himself that Cloud was alive. Bursting through the doors in the front of the building, he looked around. Cid was standing off to the right by a set of stairs. “That way.” He said pointing up. “Third floor.”
Sephiroth raced by not caring that he looked so desperate in front of his men. Taking the stairs two and three at a time he knocked the third story door off its hinges as he pushed through. A nurse squealed and jumped out of his way. Tifa was standing at the end of the hall holding a door open. He did not need her to say anything as he came to a halt not far from her, suddenly afraid to enter the room. Tifa smiled as Cloud shouted from the room, “Is he here yet?”
Sephiroth stopped breathing from the euphoric feeling Cloud’s voice gave him. Closing his eyes he tried to suck in a breath but his lungs would not respond. Cloud was alive. A strong grip on his shoulder started him enough to force his lungs to work, with a gasp he turned to look at Barret over his shoulder. The big man gave him a shove towards the door. Sephiroth looked across the room to where Cloud laid on the bed propped up by pillows and covered in bandages. He took a step forward then stopped, for the first time in ages he felt doubt. What should he say after loosing his mind and attacking their friends?
“Cloud.” He could not think of a single way to apologize for what he had done. He wasn’t even sure how many he had injured during his blackout.
“Seph.” Cloud called out to him. Looking up he saw the blonde smile and raise his hand. Deep inside he felt like a child who wanted to cry and run into the arms of his parents. Pushing that urge back, he slowly walked over to the bed. Cloud reached up and circled Sephiroth’s wrist with his hand, gently pulling the man down. Dropping to his knees beside the bed Sephiroth sighed as Cloud pushed his fingers into his hair.
Sephiroth hissed as Cloud tightened his grip in his hair, “Don’t you ever do that again.” He growled. “How dare you believe some foot soldier that you don’t even know.”
Sephiroth felt the corner of his mouth twitch, “Than who should be the one to tell me of your departure?”
Cloud began to visibly calm as he thought on that question a moment, “Zack, Mom, Tifa, Lilly or Vincent should be the only ones to bring either of us that kind of news.”
“I understand.” Sephiroth said as he rose from his spot beside the bed leaned into Cloud gently brushing their lips together. He didn’t care anymore that Cloud had a death grip on his hair; he just needed to feel him, to know that Cloud was not a figment of his imagination.



Vincent let out a sigh of relief when he heard Lilly tell everyone Sephiroth was fine. He was positive that they had lacked the ability to defeat Sephiroth when he was in that berserker state. Looking up at Lilly, he watched her drop her head back to look at the sky. He heard her whisper something a moment before she dropped the headset in her hand and began to fall backwards. His heart stopped as he ran towards her falling body. Vincent jumped into the air, wrapping his arms around her as they landed on the ground, the impact driving him to his knees. Zack rushed to his side, “What happened?”
“I don’t know.” Vincent said brushing her hair from her forehead. “She’s burning up,” he added.
“Vincent.” Lilly gasped.
“Lilly, what…” Vincent began but Lilly interrupted him.
“I was shot with these.” She said reaching into her pocket to produce the darts. “I don’t know what they are.”
“When?” Vincent demanded taking the offending objects from her hand.
“Before the battle with Sephiroth.” She whispered as her eyes began to drift closed.
“Lilly.” Vincent shook her, but it did not do any good, she was already unconscious.
“You need to get her to the hospital.” Zack said but Vincent was already in motion. If she had been poisoned before the fight with Sephiroth it may have been too much for her body to handle. Now he knew why she looked so exhausted and so out of character.
“Tifa.” Vincent said into the com.
“Yes.” she answered.
“I’m on my way in with Lilly she is unconscious and has a high fever. Have the doctor ready,” he growled pushing himself to his limit as he changed shape to get to the hospital faster.
“We’ll have a room ready on the third floor.” Tifa said quickly.
With every beat of his wings, he could hear Lilly’s breathing become irregular and her heart slowing down. Not wanting to take the time to race through the building Vincent found a window on the third story and burst through it as he transformed back to his human form. Tifa was waiting for him outside a room. “In here.”
Vincent pushed past her and laid Lilly on the bed as the doctors and nurses began to surround her, hooking up various leads to Lilly’s body for the monitors circling the bed. A gasp drew his attention to the other side of the room where Cloud laid on the bed with Sephiroth at his side. Vincent did not have time to address the guilt he could see on Sephiroth’s face.
“She said she had been shot with these.” Vincent said holding out the dart cartridges to the doctor.
“Looks like it could be some kind of poison.” The doctor said taking the cartridges.
“Why is it even working on her?” Cloud asked.
“They most likely used a high dose of the poison and mixed it with tainted Mako.” The doctor said. Holding up the cartridges he added, “I need to know what it is so we can give her an antidote.”
“Go.” Vincent barked. Turning, the doctor scurried out of the room as the nurse hovered over Lilly. The monitor beside her started making weird noises then let out that dreaded tone.