Cloud had nearly put Sephiroth out of his mind, or at least he'd tried.

After all, he had started a new life in sunny, beautiful Costa del Sol.

Unlike what many people had anticipated, Tifa had decided not to open a new bar in Costa del Sol, mainly because there was enough money left from their adventures to last a lifetime and a half. She mainly spent her days now on the beach, and Cloud usually was with her. But today he had been feeling a little under the weather, so he had decided to stay in and watch TV.

This headache is driving me crazy, he thought as he took a few aspirin. Every step back to the couch made his head feel like it was going to burst into a million pieces. He sat down on the couch, slowly, so as not to disturb his oh-so-fragile head.

He lay there staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, trying to focus on anything but the throbbing pain.

"Augh!" A sudden wave of intense pain shattered his senses. His vision blurred for a few seconds and he shot up from the couch, staggered, then fell back again, now sitting with his head in his hands.

Then, as if nothing had happened, the pain subsided instantly. A look of bewilderment crossed Cloud's face. After a few moments, Cloud thought he truly had gone insane. A voice spoke to him in his head.

"Hello, Cloud," it said. After the initial shock of hearing a voice in his head had worn off, he screamed in anger.

"Sephiroth!"

"Yes, it's me. And no, you haven't gone insane. I have been waiting here for months."

"But how? We killed you!" Cloud yelled.

"That was merely an illusion. When you fell into the Lifestream, I used that as an opportunity to inhabit your brain. The "Mako poisoning" you suffered was just the aftereffects of having a second personality inside your own. But you don't have to worry about that now. I am taking control."

Cloud felt his body go numb, bit by bit from the head down. He tried to scream but he couldn't. He got up from the couch, but he hadn't tried to. Sephiroth was in total control now.

"What are you going to do?" Cloud said in his mind.

"I'm going to get the Black Materia and finish what I started," Sephiroth replied. "I know where AVALANCHE hid it. I know all of your memories."

"NO!" Cloud screamed. He tried to fight, but Sephiroth pushed down his efforts with ease.

Cloud watched Sephiroth go to the closet and take the Buster Sword. He then proceeded out the door and headed for the edge of town. Cloud fought every step of the way, with Sephiroth laughing at his efforts and easily remaining in control. They were far from Costa del Sol now. Then...

"Hey, Cloud, where ya going?" Tifa's voice came from behind.

Sephiroth turned and called back, "Leave me alone."

He continued walking. Rapid footsteps approached, and Sephiroth stopped.

Cloud could feel that Sephiroth was waiting for something. He waited until Tifa's footsteps were just a few feet behind him, then turned and swung his fist.

It hit Tifa in the side of her face, knocking her to the ground. She lay there for a second, shocked, looking at Cloud, who was now simply staring at her. He drew his hand back, fingers spread, then lunged at her. He grabbed her throat and started choking her.

Cloud felt Sephiroth's anger rise as he continued to choke Tifa. His anger grew to the point where his grip on Cloud's mind loosened for just a moment. Cloud was able to pull his hand away, but then Sephiroth regained his focus and seized control again.

He drew the Buster Sword and swung at Tifa. She rolled out of the way just in time, and the sword left a deep slash in the soil. He pulled the sword from the ground, and Tifa stood up to confront Cloud, to ask him why he was doing this. She didn't have time to speak before he swung the sword again, sideways, like a baseball player swinging a bat. Tifa ducked under it and then jumped forward and hit Cloud in the face with a strong uppercut.

"Ah!" He staggered backward. Cloud felt the pain, but it was very dull. Sephiroth's anger started to rise again. Cloud offered no resistance. Only a little more...

Sephiroth swung the sword with all his might. Cloud was able to get control in mid-swing. He curved the sword, making it turn to where the cutting edge was pointing to the sky. The momentum carried the sword up in an arc back toward Cloud/Sephiroth. Just before Sephiroth seized control again, Cloud pulled the sword down.

It neatly cleaved Cloud's/Sephiroth's head in two. Both pieces fell to the ground. The decapitated body fell backwards, stiff as a board and still gripping the sword in both hands. Blood poured onto the grass from the remains of Cloud's neck.

Tifa stood in shock, staring wide-eyed at Cloud's remains. She would never come to understand why Cloud had attacked her, or why he had killed himself. No one would ever know that Sephiroth had returned that day.