Starla's Dance

Glumly Sephiroth stared at the scene of chaos. He'd seen dozens of people brought in. Most of them hopeless cases. Cloud done his job good in his sudden burst of violence. Few people survived, or would survive. Yet, somehow, people looked at him like it was his fault. He didn't blame them, however. At one time, he too tried to kill all these people.

The figure beside him moaned drawing his attention away. Sephiroth reached over and touched her hand reassuringly.

He didn't know why he stayed with this one. It was coincidence that he was passing through. It would have been easier to save her life then leave. Still he stayed. Watching her, caring for her. The loss of blood was great by the time he could get help for her; she would be one of the few to survive.
Thank goodness Cloud was usually always a sloppy one.
"Hello." Sephiroth said softly.

Her eyes opened blinking confused. Reaching up she touched the wrapping around her neck, and suddenly begun to panic. Standing up he took her arms gently and pushed them her side. Shushing her lightly, comfortingly. He bet that she probably wished it was all a nightmare.

Starla thrashed, the feel of danger still fresh in her mind. She did just wanted this all to be a dream. This all to be normal, as normal as her life could have been. Trying to fight her way up, she felt someone grab her. The soft shushing, like she was some child. Like a child, she calmed.
Focusing she saw the frame of a lean male over her. His face was shapely, his hair grey, and the greenest eyes she had ever seen. Green eyes only belonging to only one person in history. Starla's eyes popped open wide in absolute fear.

Sephiroth!

"No, it's all right." Sephiroth said realizing what she might be thinking. "I know I've tried to kill you once, but I swear, that is over."

"Yo-Your dead." Her voice cracked. "Cl-He-Killed."

Casually Sephiroth smoothed back her hair. "I thought so too at that time. Rather surprising to find out I lived."

Uncontrollably Starla found tears coming to her eyes. Sephiroth gently shifted her to slide unto the bed and hold her in his arms. His mind still mulled over why he stayed. He glanced at the masumune leaning menacingly on the wall. His mind drifted to the poem he herd by the author Ish.

With changing times,
We find our hero our enemy.
And our hero,
Is long time threat.
Good,
Shall be bad.
Bad,
Shall be good.
And thus the last battle begins.
Not the last battle of humanity,
But the last for them.
~Ish Ro

Shaking his head he rocked Starla. That poet was never really good anyway. Looking down at her, he stared at her features. For the first time he really knew why he stayed with her. It was something she probably couldn't return either. Nonetheless it wouldn't bother either if he could stick around as long as he could.

"What's your name? I didn't get it."

"Starla Estrella Seriphina Loire." She mumbled on the verge of being inaudible.

"Well, Starla, it's a pleasure to know you." Sephiroth hugged her tight. "Get some sleep, and don't worry about Cloud. If he comes around I dare say, I got issues to settle with him."

Weakly, Starla nodded and drifted off to sleep. Closing his eyes he took a breath and turned his head to the chaos. Opening his eyes he saw more bodies being brought in. Not really even bodies, just minced pieces of what was left, and lots of entrails.

The bandage crackled as Cloud pulled it off the gash started in the middle of his forehead and down into his right eye. Grimacing he curSephSephiroth, and peered into the mirror. He'd most likely, would never see in his right eye again. His looks, now ruined, forever to bear the ugly mar Sephiroth placed. For what? One woman.

Under the dried caked blood, sickly white skin surrounded ugly swollen skin. For most part it was a clean cut. This wound just because for just only a second he was distracted with a slow murder.
Why had he even gone for that woman? That was easy, he herd villagers talk of her like Aeris many of times. Like she was her, and it hurt him. She was not pure and innocent like Aeris. That woman, that Starla, could be a cold heartless bitch at times... Aeris didn't have the heart to be cruel.
So she had to die, she should have been the first to die.

Gingerly Cloud touched the cut. He didn't even wince as his finger ran across the mar. His mind was in to much turmoil. The massacre he thought would happen with ease, would have complications now. But nothing he hadn't dealt with before.

Screaming Cloud tossed the mirror into the wall watching it shatter into pieces against the cracked wall of his shack. This was the thanks he got for saving them. First his love, his life, now his site. Cloud found himself drawn back into that fight.

[Slowly Cloud drew his knife across Starla's throat. A thrill ran through him, excitement of the kill. Blood ran over his hand. Warm, slick, beautiful. Blood just like any other of the people he had murdered today. His stomach eager to hear her last breathe. His skin tingled with the sound of her whimpers, and the fear in her eyes. He could feel himself aroused.

A glint caught his eye to late. He looked up to see a blade coming down towards him. Quickly Cloud jumped back, but not fast enough. The masumune had sliced across his eye before ricocheting off the blade Cloud was holding at the time. It slipped from his hand in the impact, blood making his hand slick to hold it.

Cloud drew his sword, and brought his hand up to his eye. Blood, his blood, stained his hand now. Anger swelled up in him. His blood was not supposed to be shed today. He shed enough for these forsaken people.

Screaming he launched at his attacker; Sephiroth. Sephiroth leveled the masumune. Their swords clashed, and sparks flew with their force. However Cloud was loosing to much blood. He had to run from the fight, or die before he won. So he ran from Sephiroth.

Left her to live.]

The blood hadn't stopped. Moving the the fire place he pulled a red hot dagger from the flames. Knowing where the wound be, he pressed the hot knife to the broken flesh. It hissed as flesh burned under the heat. Cloud gritted his teeth to the pain, to the smell. Not caring if he saw again he placed the knife were his eye was rent. He would never see in that eye again.

Standing he grabbed his sword, there was no reason anymore that this fight could not be finished. It would be settled tonight, and he and she would die. This time he would take Sephiroth's head to make sure he was dead. The price his sword would fetch him, would give Cloud the life he wanted.
Insanity ruled him.

A/N: NOW the fun begins.