Finally, after nine years, here is the awaited conclusion of "Returner". I struggled for some time trying to plan the ending. I hope it turned out okay, and I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading - I had fun with it!

The planet was burning.

Gaia was doomed.

Cloud watched in semi-suppressed glee as his lover walked through the seaside town of Costa del Sol, the man's arm extending left to right, casting spells of fire and destruction in his path. The blond was not innocent by any means: he'd been the first one to set fire to the seaport and to set aflame the ship that was docked there. Sephiroth chuckled in dark delight as the people trapped inside screamed.

Gone was Masamune. Sephiroth wanted to see the world burn by his own hands. And Cloud was right by his side through it all.

Through every town, city, and village, they triumphed. While everyone and everything died around them, they fucked beside the flames. Their moans seemed to overpower the sound of the screaming victims.

"The very last sacrifices," Sephiroth said, waving a hand over the village of Wutai. They stood on a mountainside overlooking Wutai, sneering at the people living their lives below. "They were all our sacrifices. It's what had to be done."

A shadow passed over Cloud's face as he thought of the innocents. And yet, Jenova's cells in his body reacted, pushing away all thoughts of backing out. He turned to Sephiroth, his brow furrowing and eyes that reflected the dying memories of rejection, pain, and loss.

"May they all burn in Hades' hell," Cloud hissed. "May I do the honors?"

Sephiroth smirked at him. "But of course, Cloud. You can have anything you want now," he replied. He snaked an arm around Cloud's waist and planted a kiss on the back of Cloud's sweaty neck. Cloud visibly shivered, his knees almost buckling beneath him. Sephiroth inhaled Cloud's scent and chuckled. "No time for that, Cloud. After they burn, we can celebrate." He grabbed a handful of Cloud's ass, his leather gloves squelching, and sank his teeth into the blond's neck.

"Oh my gods," Cloud moaned, leaning back into Sephiroth. The General yanked on blond spikes to further tilt Cloud's head back, licking blood from the wound he had made.

"Burn them, baby. You know you want it just as bad as I do," Sephiroth heatedly whispered into his ear.

Cloud let out a yell and threw his arm out, focusing all his power into one large fire spell. He and Sephiroth watched as the town exploded into flames, lust clouding their view. Cloud turned around to face Sephiroth and cocked his head to the side. Words weren't necessary when everything had already been said. They grabbed each other simultaneously, slamming each other into the mountainside, hands fumbling through clothing and mouths continuously working. Cloud grabbed Sephiroth's cock as if it were a lifeline; fell to his knees as if he were praying to a god.

He worshiped at Sephiroth's altar at his own free will.

Sephiroth hissed as Cloud took him down his throat. He watched the man blowing him, his fist full of the blond hair that bounced in time to Cloud's motions. He groaned in abandonment, shifting his view to the burning village below them. The screams of the dying turned him on even more than Cloud did. He yanked Cloud's head up by a long spike and looked him in the eyes. "You need to stop right now," he warned.

Cloud pretended to pout. "But Sir, don't you enjoy it?" he asked. Sephiroth grunted and quickly pulled Cloud to his feet. He shoved him over to a boulder and yanked his pants down in one fell swoop.

"You're gonna get fucked, Cloud."

Cloud braced himself over the side of the boulder, lifting his ass in the air and planting his face onto the rocky surface of the boulder in a show of absolute submission. Sephiroth smacked him hard on the ass and groaned loudly as he sank his cock quickly and deeply into the small blond. He sank his fingernails into Cloud's hips and drew blood. The sight excited him even more. He smoothed the dripping blood over Cloud's lower back, then dipped his head down to lick a trail of it. His blood tasted like sex. Freedom. Power. He couldn't get enough.

Sephiroth yanked Cloud up to almost a standing position, the angle allowing him to fuck the blond much deeper. He could feel Cloud clenching around his cock, almost driving him over the edge. He didn't care. He needed to come, needed to see it leaking from Cloud and running down his legs and mixing with ashes.

"S-Sephiroth, i'm going to come..." Cloud panted beneath him, his hand working on his own cock furiously. "I need it..."

"Beg for it, baby," Sephiroth hissed in his ear. "I want to hear you beg for it."

Cloud threw his head back and yelled. "Fuck me harder, General! I need to come now!"

"Or what?" Sephiroth grunted, slamming into him harder. "What will happen if you don't come?"

"I'll fucking die, Seph! Please spare me! I don't want to die!" Cloud shrieked the words, his voice all at once needy and seemingly tinged with tears.

Sephiroth pulled out and spun Cloud around to face him. In a quick motion, he picked him up and slammed him onto the top of the boulder, lifting his legs at the knees and spreading them wide. He plunged deep into Cloud once more, their eyes meeting as Cloud fisted his aching cock. The blond's mouth hung open as he cried, panted, and moaned. He felt his back becoming bloodier as the boulder scraped open his skin. Sephiroth leaned down and claimed Cloud's mouth in a hot, searing kiss.

And then they were tumbling, careening into ecstasy. Their cries and hoarse shouts filled the air as ashes began to fall onto their sweat-slicked bodies. When Sephiroth went slack against Cloud, he heaved a heavy sigh.

"That's the lot of them, Cloud."

"Mmmhmm."

"Are you ready?" Sephiroth asked, raising up to prop his chin on his hand as he stroked Cloud's blushing cheek with the back of the other. Cloud nodded in response.

"Good. Our work is almost done, then we are free forever."

After dressing, they took one last look at the smoldering remains of Wutai. "It begins," Sephiroth said in a low voice. Cloud tilted his head as he began to hear a rumbling.

"What is that?"

"The Lifestream. Hold my hand. Feel it?" Sephiroth asked as Cloud grabbed his hand. Their fingers intertwined, he felt a jolt of power surge from Sephiroth into him. "Now that we're joined, we can complete the planet's transition. Are you ready?"

Cloud nodded in response, his eyes wide in amazement at the power he was feeling. The rumbling and shaking became stronger as the seconds ticked by. He was suddenly nervous that they would die, and his breath picked up. Sephiroth squeezed his hand.

"We're safe, so long as we don't let go of each other," the General assured him. "Just keep holding on."

There was a planet-shattering sound, and suddenly, their view of the sky changed. No more sun to give light, all they saw were distant planets coming closer and stars as far as they could see. The horizon was filled with the cosmos, like an ocean of glitter. Sephiroth waved his free hand in the air, and Cloud could see - and feel - the planet shift in the direction Sephiroth had motioned toward. He looked down at Cloud and smiled.

"Mother has given us control now. We're free."

"Oh my gods," Cloud whispered as silence filled the planet. He watched as the charred remains of Wutai disappeared. Grass regrew almost as quickly as it had burned. The planet had a life of its' own, and light of its' own; no longer did it need the sun or any other heavenly partner to help provide life for it. "It's fucking beautiful, Seph."

"Where do you want to go, Cloud?" Sephiroth inquired. Cloud smiled at him.

"Anywhere, my love. Anywhere."

Far away, on a distant planet in another realm, there lived a village of people who liked to tell stories around the campfire about a comet-like planet that often sailed quickly past every few years. Their stories were mostly myths, for they knew not of what had really transpired. They spoke of two lovers in a death pact who had burned their planet down in an effort to escape.

If only they knew the real story.