Chapter Text
A large body of water lied ahead as Avalanche regrouped from the forced attacks coming at all sides. Their offensive barrage met much resistance as the hellish hordes of evil fought the combined force of allies once and for all.
“Don’t any of you go dying on me! We have to keep going!”
Everyone looked and felt exhausted as Yuffie shouted at the front of the rally. Tifa had been injured earlier and could only use her right arm no matter how often Red cast healing spells on her other side.
Vincent had run through so much ammo he considered briefly switching to a blade before tossing away an emptied shotgun and rifle in exchange for his trusty sidearm.
Barret remained as focused as Yuffie while the rest of the group met together in front of the water. The muscular mercenary’s body was covered in scars, and he had lost his sunglasses in all of the chaos. Cid followed at the rear; he switched to carrying Aerith as Red was called to the front earlier to help fight. The flower girl remained unconscious in the arms of the captain from Rocketown.
“Cid, keep a close eye on her here. I have a feeling the most dangerous part of this place lies below.”
Red’s words haunted over the unfamiliar atmosphere as Barret looked ahead at the nearby structure.
“I got a feeling Sephiroth is down there..................wonder if Cloud’s already been this way?”
Tifa shook her head at the suggestion and held her hurt arm, trying to pull some life back into the wrecked muscles that ached.
“No............ don’t say that he’s alive................ I know he is..............we have to see this through to the end.”
A haunted evil answered Tifa’s remark about Cloud with powerful strength.
“YES!................ THE END IS HERE BELOW.................... USELESS FOOLS.................. YOU’RE STEALING THE PLANET........................ YOU’RE TAKING WHAT’S RIGHTFULLY MINE!.....................”
Yuffie’s eyes were larger than they had ever been as the nightmarish voice descended on the lonely nighttime atmosphere. Tifa and Barret looked terrified as the threatening speech amplified over Cloud’s friends.
“THE LAST LIGHT WILL BE EXTINGUISHED ANY MINUTE, AND WE WILL OBLITERATE EVERY OTHER SOUL THAT EXISTS TONIGHT.”
“..........Shutup...........”
After the last threat hovered over the nighttime air, everyone turned to see Aerith’s body stir and speak out.
“.............We..........have to.......keep...........”
Cid tried to talk the last Cetra down from her rebuttal. The rest of the friends stared at the girl in the pink dress with severe concern and were terrified she would try to place herself into the fight.
“Hey! I know you are a magical badass, but you might need to save up your strength.............. don’t push yourself too hard.”
Aerith tried to reply with a grin, but her spirit was far too weak to continue. Once again, the flower girl passed out under the fatigue she was lost inside of.
“You both need to remain close to us, stay near the back with her Cid................. I have a feeling the fate of the planet rests on this next battle.”
Barret and Cid nodded at Vincent’s suggestion. The seven friends slowly took to the stairs leading down the terrifying path of crystal and glass below.
“Do you think Cloud made it down here?”
Yuffie was asking Tifa and Barret what their thoughts were on the outcome of the SOLDIER.
“I’m sure he’s down there somewhere waiting for us.................probably fought his way through all that bullshit up there earlier.”
The former leader of Avalanche was trying to keep a positive outlook on the situation. Still, Yuffie remained unconvinced as the group slowly walked down a stairwell that circled down into the cleanest body of water and shiniest architecture that anyone of them had ever seen.
“I don’t like the looks of this place...............it gives me the creeps.”
As Tifa gave her concern, another voice sounded over the wind; there was no one around, yet powerful words made their way to everyone’s ears.
“Soon you will know your irrelevance.”
Every member of Avalanche raised their weapons at the ready and looked for the sound source.
“None of you belong............... I’ve killed here before.............. I no longer need to waste my time doing it again..................”
Barret started shooting at random targets and was looking for the speech source.
“It’s SEPHIROTH! WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!”
Vincent was scanning for any form of an opponent without success. Yuffie was trying with all her ability as a scout to find someone nearby as the following phrase brought goosebumps to everyone’s skin.
“..........But if you wish this upon yourselves............. I’ll return Cloud to you................the reunion is complete, and our final fate awaits you all..................”
“WHERE IS HE?!”
Barret was shouting and firing at nothing in particular as Tifa waved the attacks down with her good arm.
“STOP! HE HAS TO BE HERE! STOP SHOOTING AND LOOK WITH US!”
The gun-armed fighter stopped sending bullets in all directions for a brief minute before another voice shouted over the waves that crashed below the stone columns.
“Guys! In the middle platform over there!”
Yuffie finally spotted Cloud standing still in the center of the large stone circles below. Everyone tore through the nearby walkways and jumped over to the space close to where Cloud was positioned.
“HEY! SOLDIER BOY! ARE YOU OKAY?!”
Barret tried to get Cloud’s attention, but he wouldn’t respond to his questions. Everyone pushed forward to close the distance between their leader and themselves.
Just as the brawny fighter was about to jump across the next couple of rocks, Vincent spoke up.
“Stop................ something’s wrong..........”
Barret and Yuffie looked at the harbinger of fear with confusion and curiosity.
“What for? We need to get over there!”
The crimson orbs weren’t convinced by their haste to make it over to Cloud. Vincent closed his eyes and tried to examine his friend from a distance.
“I don’t know how or why, but that isn’t Cloud............at least........... it’s not his spirit........... he’s been corrupted................we need to approach with caution.”
Yuffie was about to start screaming hysterically as Vincent’s caution was pissing her off enough to go off the rails.
“HE WOULD NEVER LET HIMSELF FALL UNDER SOMEONE ELSE’S CONTROL! HE NEEDS OUR HELP!”
The hardened expression Vincent kept didn’t waver as he reasoned with Yuffie. “Where are all the monsters we fought earlier? Why aren’t there defeated enemies down here? Cloud didn’t fight his way to the bottom of this place...........he was tricked into coming to where we are now.................. I think something terrible has happened...................it also explains why Aerith is still asleep..............they are still in danger................that may be Cloud’s body, but I know it can’t be his mind or his heart........we need to approach carefully.............be ready for anything.”
Red’s head remained bowed to the ground in defeat. Cid was in the process of lowering Aerith to the floor of the platform when the four-legged friend shouted in anger at the captain of Rocketown.
“STOP! DON’T PUT HER DOWN! NEVER PUT HER DOWN HERE!”
Everyone stopped focusing on Cloud in the distance to stare at Red for a minute. The wise-hearted warrior known as Nanaki looked at everyone with worry and sadness in his eyes. The sudden abrupt warning had caught the group off guard. Everyone finally put two and two together as Aerith remained asleep in Cid’s arms.
“This is where it happened?!......................... ISNT IT?! GODDAMMIT!”
Tifa and Yuffie fought back emotion and started jumping ahead to reach Cloud at the center of the stone pillars. The swordsman remained still and silent with his back turned to the group as they approached. Tifa was the first person walking up to Cloud; the wielder of the buster sword did not move or shift a muscle as his friends walked up to where he stood.
“Cloud...........please............ it’s me.........”
Tifa held still within arm’s length of Cloud and tried to look at his face, but she couldn’t accomplish this without getting closer. The martial artist was terrified something was wrong as she stared at the back of his body, but she had to get Cloud out of this place, and the motivation far outweighed her fear. Yuffie stood behind close by, with the same desires in mind.
“Cloud............... we’ve come to take you back...............we love you.............please........... Aerith’s here too..........come back to us...............”
Barret stood on the next small platform with Vincent; both fighters held their weapons at the ready as Tifa and Yuffie were doing the close range talking. Cid and Red remained further back with Aerith, waiting to see what was happening and keeping a close watch on the flower girl’s breathing as she continued to sleep.
The hazel eyes couldn’t help but break down as she put her hand on Cloud’s shoulder. Tifa threw caution to the wind and tried to spin the still figure around.
“Remember the night you told me you cared about me?! Remember when you said SEPHIROTH DESTROYS EVERYTHING?!............ I KNOW HE CAN’T DO THAT TO YOU!........... CLOUD COME WITH US!”
Yuffie was also crying as Tifa finally got the swordsman to turn around; as the changed eyes finally made contact with their friend’s gaze, both women gasped with horror and shock at what they beheld.
The evil eyes now filled with wrath and hatred were not nearly as terrifying as the voice accompanying them. The speech was hollow and without emotion, the syllables deep and disturbing in every utterance from the former SOLDIER’S mouth.
“YES........... I remember Tifa...........now............do you remember what my son did to you in Nibelheim?”
The martial artist tried to bring her arms up to defend herself but couldn’t comprehend the speed or strength an infected Cloud now possessed as a black sword swung with incredible force. The first slash was so strong the female fighter couldn’t possibly block or deflect the attack in time.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Tifa had taken a vertical strike upwards across her chest and went to the ground hard. Yuffie and everyone else shouted with fury and shock. Barret started shooting, and Vincent rushed over to pull Tifa back from the fighting. Barret and Yuffie charged Cloud to try to subdue the swordsman.
After all Cloud and Tifa had been through together, after how much they had grown together and come to terms with the trauma of their past. Watching Sephiroth destroy their village, their parents, their homes, and their youthful innocence. How could all of that history come to an end in such a tragic manner?
“You pathetic fools..............”
“CLOUD! THIS ISNT YOU! STOP IT!”
Yuffie was shouting while fighting without her preferred weapon, but the ninja had several tricks up her sleeve. The fast-paced scout threw grenades and tranquilizer darts at her opponent quickly to try to bring him down.
The explosions and sleep darts did little to slow the hellish enemy’s movement. Cloud simply was in another class, and the remaining friends were nowhere close to this new power. Yuffie tried to attack from above but was blown off course by a wind gust from the sword the horrific villain was holding. The counter caused the young girl to land awkwardly at another platform. Yuffie was worried she might have broken her ankle when she landed.
“Damn................”
Barret fired everything he had at Cloud, not that it mattered. The bullets simply did not find their target, and this kind of power was unexplainable. The metal projectiles didn’t make contact, and everyone was at a loss for what to do next.
“It’s no use! RUN! RUN BACK WITH HER CID!”
Cid nodded and started jogging back up the first stairwell. Red and an injured Yuffie limped behind the spearman carrying Aerith’s comatose body.
Barret finally stopped firing for a minute to fall back to the next walkway as Vincent was doing his best to revive Tifa.
The stoic fighter slowly stood back up and shook his head in defeat.
“Before you ask; she isn’t dead but........... I can’t revive her...........there is a calamity that is stealing her life force, and its power is more potent than any elixir or healing spell can remedy. We need Aerith, but I’m afraid we are on our own here.”
Vincent’s warning hovered over the terrifying ordeal. Cloud’s body levitated over the waters before landing right in front of the remaining two opponents. The other four friends were on their way up the stairs in full retreat.
“You are correct...................you are on your own. There is nothing and no one that can save you now. Lay down your weapons, become my children like Cloud has, and give yourselves to my purpose.”
Barret spit to the side in disgust as the harbinger of fear answered the awful request with his contempt.
“I would rather live my horrible life over a thousand times than become your servant.”
The evil eyes across the former Turk widened frighteningly as a menacing voice sounded over the confrontation.
“Then YOU WILL KNEEL IN PIECES!”
Vincent cast destruction magic while Barret tried every type of firepower he had against the new form of Cloud, but whatever was inside of him was either immune to the physicality of the world or simply contained an indestructible barrier. The bullets and rockets and spells bounced off of the swordsman’s muscles as he easily slashed Barret’s gun arm off of its appendage.
Barret cried out in agony at the sight of seeing his altered arm severed once again and shouted for Vincent to fight until the end before passing out from the pain of the injury.
The harbinger of fear shifted through the elements in the air and fired at point-blank range from behind Cloud. The shot surprised the swordsman as he spun around to counter Vincent’s incredible speed. Still, the element of attack had appeared not to do any damage. Vincent then flew further back to stand at the bottom of the glass stairwell.
(“Aerith.................are you sure this was going to work?................. I don’t know how much is left............ We might not all make it out of this one........”)
The possessed Cloud closed the distance instantly as Vincent traded blows against the invincible enemy that was wearing him down. As the mercenary’s grip grasped onto the former Turk’s wrist, terrifying threats hovered over the skirmish between the two fighters.
“DO YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO BE IMMORTAL?...................”
Vincent was not afraid of the question and answered as he twisted his arms out of Cloud’s grip.
“Yes.............more so than your sickness will ever understand............unlike you................. I would give it all away for one more life with the people I love.”
The black sword swiped down to deliver a killing blow, but as the attack fell to make contact, a bright light exploded over the harbinger of fear. A flash covered the gun specialist in smoke; as the fumes and screen of vapors faded, the stoic fighter of Avalanche simply ceased to appear. Nothing remained in front of the staircase now.
A possessed SOLDIER looked up to see the retreating enemies and slowly walked up the glass stairs without any show of emotion. The final villain spoke loudly enough for all to hear. The sinister voice amplified with magic over the surrounding structures that once supported life.
“Three of you down......................four more to go..................”
-
“We have to hurry!”
Yuffie was doing her best to get away from the building past the body of water outside and kept falling. She was trying too hard to run on her own, and Red kept trying to help her up but so far, the four-legged friend was only making a bad situation worse. Cid kept having to slow down and wait while balancing the sleeping Aerith in his arms.
The captain finally gave up keeping the flower girl up in the air, the fatigue of keeping his arms horizontally positioned with the extra weight was exhausting him, and he needed to help his friends fight. Being one of the only members left that wasn’t injured, immobilized, infected, or asleep.
“My turn to fight back this demon. Red, you know what Aerith told us earlier..............”
Yuffie looked confused as Red nodded his head. The warrior known as Nanaki asked Yuffie for help before approaching the last Cetra lying on the ground near the waters nearby.
“Yuffie.......................gently remove Aerith’s hair ribbon and hand it to Cid..............”
(“What the hell, guys? Really?! Sheesh........”)
The ninja of the group looked at both of her remaining friends with anger and confusion but understood that none of them had time to argue. She gracefully removed and put the hair ribbon in Cid’s hands and gave Red a look that vaguely resembled outrage, but if this was Aerith’s last request before she passed out, then so be it.
“RUN!”
Cid shouted with a cigar hanging out of his mouth as the demonic form of Cloud emerged from the nearby building. Red put Aerith on his back and started trotting away from the waters. Yuffie dragged behind, helping her friend keep the last Cetra and hope for the planet alive as long as they could go.
The outgoing pilot everyone came to rely on pleaded with his friend to end the chaos and bloodshed.
“Cloud! Stop this! You aren’t this person! You are a good man!”
“..............USELESS WORDS SHALL FALL UPON MY EARS ALONE.................”
The black sword held in the SOLDIER’S hands blocked several thrusting attempts by Cid’s spear before simply cleaving the weapon in two and striking Cid directly across his midsection. The engineer beloved by all of Rocketown and his friends had now fallen.
The last thing the evil form of Cloud did was reach down and collect the hair ribbon Cid had tied to his jacket.
“.............NOW THE LIGHT WILL EXTINGUISH...........”
With the force of one hand, the possessed swordsman crushed the spent Holy Materia within the pink ribbon. Cloud tossed the traces of the materia into the nearby water without any show of consideration as he marched forward.
“............OH AERITH.............YOU WERE A FOOL TO COME BACK................”
-
“That’s not possible!”
Yuffie and Red had run as far and as fast as their feet could carry them, with Aerith’s body remaining unconscious. Before the two of them could even clear the trees and make it to the outskirts of the city, the evil Cloud stood at the end of the road. The terrifying figure remained still, waiting for their arrival and possibly their surrender.
“...........YOU HAVE ONE LAST CHANCE TO GIVE YOURSELVES TO ME................... OR YOU CAN AWAIT THE SAME FATE THAT HAS ALREADY MET THE REST OF YOU...........”
Yuffie predictably told Jenova’s influence to go to hell and pulled a short sword from her back. The blade resembled a long knife, but the wounded speedster would be defeated easily by this opponent, and Red knew at this point the war had been lost.
“I will take her back into the city’s interior, Yuffie. I will bury Aerith in the water so she is given a proper goodbye and doesn’t have to submit to this sinister force of wickedness. Can you hold out long enough? I will fight him if you think you can’t, but Aerith deserves love at the end, not this sadness.........I can’t believe what has happened..............remember that we are friends.............always friends.........all of us......remember that.........not what happened here today.”
The young girl started to cry while looking over at Red’s yellow eyes and the impossible situation ahead. She nodded and gave the warrior Nanaki a strong hug, then tore towards her end across the adjacent walking path.
Cloud stood still in place, waiting for the royal member of Wutai to strike. The intensity of the attacks came quickly with fury and volume in the speedster’s speech.
“YOU WERE MY FRIEND, YOU ASSHOLE!”
A quick succession of blows were blocked without effort by the possessed SOLDIER as Yuffie shouted with rage and anger at Cloud’s influenced form.
“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU ARE GOING TO LET SEPHIROTH WIN!”
Cloud went in for the kill, but Yuffie was incredibly gifted at dodging attacks and shifted her weight to dodge and weave around the sword used in the fight. Her ability to jump had improved from her earlier injury, and the adrenaline appeared to have kicked in over the pain at this point.
Throwing several metal discs at the hellish foe, the fast-paced fighter tried to keep Jenova off guard. The speed of her offensive barrage certainly helped, but none of the attacks made contact. Cloud blocked the throws with his left arm, holding the terrifying sword in his right. The final hope for Red and Aerith continued her shouts of emotion.
“I WON’T LET YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE, YOU BASTARD!”
Jenova enjoyed tormenting her opponent as she chuckled in Cloud’s body. The newly released monster spoke as the calamity traded attacks that didn’t connect with Yuffie.
“DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THEIR LAST WORDS WERE?........... I CAN TELL YOU FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS....................”
Yuffie tried to close her mind to the taunting but was getting upset.
“SHUTUP!”
“DO YOU LIKE HOW I KILLED TIFA? HOW ABOUT HOW BARRET WENT DOWN?.................HOW ABOUT CID?”
More sideswipes and slashes failed to connect as the psychological warfare increased.
“YOU WILL ALL DIE...............EVERY................SINGLE....................ONE OF YOU.”
The young warrior was losing her cool and ability to defend against an invincible enemy.
“SHUTUP! SHUTUP! SHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPP!”
Cloud chuckled as he caught an arm from the female attacker coming in for a vertical slash and pushed Yuffie down to the ground with his free hand. The impact of the stone floor caused the last hero to drop her weapon. The malice and wrath of unnatural green eyes flowed deeply inside the surrounding darkness. The powerful foe lowered his sword and kicked the knife away before Yuffie could pick it back up.
Holding the powerful blade over the kneeling and defeated ninja, Jenova’s influence offered one last salvation before the end came.
“............SURRENDER YOURSELF TO ME.............. OR DIE............”
Yuffie spat at the ultimatum and shouted with defiance.
“Go.............To......................Hell!”
-
The young warrior from Cosmo Canyon stared sadly at the pool of water that lied undisturbed in the moonlight. The trees perfectly highlighted the mirror of serenity as the four-legged friend gently and reluctantly lowered Aerith’s body onto the ground and shook his head in sadness at the horrible situation the last three fighters of the planet faced.
“I never would have thought we would have gotten here. Cloud would not have let himself be destroyed or controlled by that demon............how did it come to this? These wonderful people who fought and gave their lives so that the planet could live.................. it’s not fair.”
The wisdom of Cosmo Canyon showed powerfully in Nanaki’s yellow orbs as he spoke over the silent atmosphere of misery.
“Grandfather............ I don’t want to do this............you once told me my friends needed me but is this what you were talking about?! I can’t put Aerith away to sleep forever like this! IT’S NOT WHERE SHE BELONGS!”
The moon never looked clearer above the wind and brilliant stars. Nanaki’s wish hovered over the ground that contained enough balance of magical history and wisdom to overshadow everything he had ever learned in Cosmo Canyon. During his soliloquy, the evening wind appeared to pick up. Still, there was no feeling of magic or hope as the final defender of Aerith’s body begged for answers to the encroaching hell that approached with an unstoppable force.
“But none of that matters, I won’t let Aerith be killed in her sleep by her lover without a chance to see or fight back against the evilest force this planet has ever seen.............”
The kind and considerate companion paused before sighing and seemed lost in thought. Distractions were welcomed to Red, though the hour of the end drew ever so close, Yuffie couldn’t hold out forever.
“What happened to Sephiroth? Did he possess Cloud? Did he unleash Jenova? I don’t understand why we are even here........Cloud...................where are you?”
Waiting for a reply that never came, the strong-hearted friend went to move his friend’s body towards its final resting place before something happened that gave him a shock to his core.
-
“NOW.............YOU...............DIE”
The young girl thought of Wutai and her father before closing her eyes. She sadly waited for a blow to return her to the planet and her ancestors. After a few tense seconds Yuffie realized the strike had never arrived.
Opening her eyes instead to see Cloud struggling with his weapon caused the surprised rebel to cautiously stand and start backing away from the swordsman.
“................WHAT..............?”
Cloud tried to move forward but could barely get his foot off the ground. His arms shook with trouble and difficulty as the sword in his hands refused to move in any direction.
“WHY.........WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!”
Jenova shouted and screeched as the possessed form of Cloud tried to pull forward to attack.
“WHY CAN’T I MOVE?!”
An even angrier voice shouted back at the chaotic demon with a power that understood its enemy.
“Because I told you not to!”
Yuffie finally realized that two of her allies were standing right behind her.
“AERITH?!”
The flower girl didn’t respond to Yuffie as she summoned another spell that caused Cloud to shake with rage and fury.
“Let him go!..............”
Cloud shouted and screeched as pain multiplied ten-fold onto his body. Aerith’s hair was no longer braided as her ribbon had disappeared earlier. Her appearance looked much worse than Yuffie and Red would have guessed before, but right now, she had Jenova at a standstill and was gaining ground. The spellcaster’s appearance without her signature look highlighted the strength and importance of the final ancient battling for control of the planet with the calamity that ended her people’s existence.
The evil eyes stared wide open at the last Cetra and clamored in defiance.
“NO.....................NO..............NOT YOU!”
The flower girl cast a bright golden light that illuminated the night sky; Jenova’s cries grew more intense as the mother of all calamities summoned another legion of monsters from every direction the final four figures remained standing.
“KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!...................... STOP THEM!..................... STOP THEM NOW!”
A whole host of monsters emerged and roared from a distance. Yuffie and Red looked worried, but Aerith’s eyes glowed with incredible intensity before the magician pulled her hands together and slammed her staff down into the ground. The weapon stood without support as the last ancient chanted an old spell she remembered from long ago.
Red and Yuffie could not make out most of the words Aerith recited as she spoke quickly and quietly into prayers that were summoning magic nobody had ever witnessed before, lights and powers of old towered to life in retaliation to the darkness standing across from the forces of good on the bridge. A few of the incantations made their way to Yuffie’s ears.
“We know the hate moves inside the ground...........
.......but I ask that love shall always be found..........
...........the promise you bore me may never be seen.............
.............I now can find what’s not to be...........
............Restore the hope to waters below.............
........and hold my prayer forever be shown.”
A rumble more intense than any of the earlier earthquakes shook the foundations of the stone pathways as the largest bubble of light glowed powerfully over the city of the Ancients. The gigantically shaped dome exploded into view with illumination. It covered the entirety of the land around the final three members of Avalanche as Jenova’s influence started to recede from Cloud’s soul.
“Please shield us from harm!”
(“NO, YOU STUPID GIRL! STOP!”)
The spell kept all of the monsters at bay outside of its influence. None of the vile creatures made their way past the illuminated shield. The enemies crashed, slashed, and charged into the magical walls with all of their might but simply could not penetrate the barrier Aerith had created. The screeching echoed as the hellish horde rammed into the incredible field of protection.
Cloud’s eyes did something that had not happened in a long time as his body continued to twitch horribly from the magical pull his spirit was now fighting within.
The mako-infused eyes changed from a hellish green to a dusty blue for a split second as the blonde swordsman’s facial expression changed from anger to confusion.
“What...........what am I?..........”
Yuffie shouted at Aerith as the last ancient concentrated all of her power at Cloud’s influenced heart. Wind gusts and powerful blasts of forces battling back and forth kept her words drowned out, but the young girl would scream for all she was worth in this final battle between good and evil.
“IT’S WORKING! IT’S WORKING! KEEP GOING AERITH!”
Jenova was not going to let go of Cloud without a fight.
“NOOOOOOOOO...........my son.............return to me the power of death! RETURN TO ME THE VENGEANCE OF THE PAST!”
Yuffie and Red could no longer keep close to the forces battling one another in front of them. The wind and rush of magic blew them off of their feet and caused both allies to slip further away from the carnage. Aerith was now standing in front of Cloud and fighting Jenova spirit against spirit. Cloud’s body looked like it was balancing between hell and the planet’s surface as the last Cetra placed her hands on his face to push back the calamity’s influence. The black sword fell to the ground and disappeared as the never-ending struggle continued in the whirlwind of destruction.
“What’s happening up there?!”
Red answered Yuffie’s question. He shouted as loud as he could because of the overpowering sounds.
“Aerith is fighting for Cloud’s soul! She appears to be winning, but Jenova still controls him! I don’t know how much longer she can keep this up!”
Yuffie was worried about the stress and toll the battle was taking on Aerith because neither of them seemed able to help her.
“CAN’T WE DO ANYTHING FROM BACK HERE?!”
Red shook his yellow eyes and planted his and Yuffie’s feet firmly into the ground with magic to keep them both from sliding back further.
“No.........we can only wait until someone achieves victory in this struggle. Be ready Yuffie; we can still lose here.”
“I WON’T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!”
Aerith calmly stood toe to toe with Jenova’s hatred and spoke back against the wrath that came from the skies.
“.........I won’t let you remain a curse to the people I love any longer.........”
“YOU ARE JUST LIKE YOUR TROUBLESOME RACE! JUST LIKE THOSE FOOLISH ANIMALS!”
The green eyes never looked so determined as Aerith calmly stared into the face of pure evil.
“You will never touch any of us or our home ever again..............”
A final scream drowned out of Cloud’s body as Jenova’s influence pulled free of the SOLDIER’S form.
“......THIS.......... ISN’T.........OVER.......”
The powerful forces of magic and destruction ceased as the sound of the monsters and Jenova vanished without a trace. Yuffie and Red were floored to see an end to the last round of the battle. Cloud fell towards the earth the second Jenova ceased to possess his soul. Aerith caught him before the blonde fighter landed as Red and Yuffie were making their way back to the spot of the road the other two friends were standing. The sound of Jenova’s horde ceased in the background, but the large magical shield cast by the flower girl earlier was still in place.
“Aerith, that was incredible!”
Yuffie helped the last ancient lower Cloud to the ground. Red immediately started healing magic with Aerith and told everyone what to look for next.
“Vincent, Barret, Tifa............. Cid, they might still be alive, but I don’t...........”
Aerith nodded in understanding and stood with her hands held together; she paused for a minute and closed her eyes in concentration before answering Nanaki’s concern.
“They are all alive, but we have to hurry. Let’s try to revive Cloud before we go back to help them.”
Yuffie, Red, and Aerith combined cast healing materia magic on Cloud as the SOLDIER stirred and slowly lifted himself off of the ground. The awakening from what he had been through brought dizziness and confusion to the troubled swordsman.
“What............. What did I do?........... Tell me Aerith...........”
Pulling and holding Cloud’s figure upright into place with her torso (he couldn’t stand under his own power), Aerith gently spoke over the concern at the moment with her head on her bodyguard’s shoulder.
“Nothing we can’t handle Cloud..........”
Yuffie and Red still looked extremely worried; they were not only concerned about the turmoil and pain that had befallen the swordsman but their other friends during the last round of unspeakable tragedy.
The green-eyed girl leaned and whispered into the SOLDIER’S ear before everyone could continue back towards the inside of the city.
“Were you able to find me?.....................”
Cloud gasped as the smile Aerith always wore returned to her face and continued. “Because I wanted you to, and I’m so glad to see you back here with me again..........”
The mercenary almost smiled as he realized he was done with the dreams and the nightmares; the bodyguard realized they had finally defeated the chaos of tomorrow and sealed their fate for the future he and Aerith both deserved. There would be a lot more talking and more work to do for Midgar, their friends, and their lives to be built where they would be placed together. Still, in the here and now, Cloud now knew he would never let this woman leave his side so long as he drew breath because of how much Aerith meant to him.
Another voice appeared out of nowhere and spoke hauntingly, menacingly, and terrifyingly through the wind.
“.........SO.......AM.......I.......”
Yuffie’s eyes almost exploded out of her head as she screamed with fear and reached for her weapon. Red immediately tore in the direction of his two friends as another threat resurfaced to finish the job the forces of evil failed in their last encounter.
“Cloud! Aerith! NOOOOOO!”
Sephiroth’s grin appeared menacingly and completely caught everyone off guard as he thrust the Masamune through Cloud’s back and into Aerith’s midsection. The force of the thrust was so powerful it penetrated through both bodies of the power couple. Yuffie tried to attack in retaliation but was knocked away without any real effort by Sephiroth’s magic. She landed in the nearby water with a splash.
“You will pay for this!”
Red fired a fire spell at Sephiroth but was pushed away from the fighting as well with a strong blast by the silver-haired swordsman.
Pain, severe incredible pain, and agony met the bodyguard’s body as he fell backward in what felt like the slowest motion of all time.
The dome of light surrounding the Forgotten City with safety and security disappeared after Sephiroth’s attack found its target.
Cloud landed with a hard crash on the back of his head; Aerith also landed with a loud thud onto the SOLDIER’S body. The blonde adventurer stared terrified at the back of his soulmate’s head and was about to start screaming in rage and sadness when something under Aerith’s body caught his attention.
Light, powerful golden light shined inside Aerith’s hands, and words accompanied the fascinating phenomenon.
“Remember............... don’t worry Cloud..........please.................remember...........”
Aerith was still alive, but she didn’t sound good. Tears flew down Cloud’s face as he held the flower girl close against his chest with all the strength he could muster.
“Remember..........I..........love you..............you............tried............to..............save me.”
Cloud cried and spoke soothingly to talk over Aerith’s trembling whispers.
“Hey.........Shhhhhhhhhh........ we’re going to be okay; I promise........... I’m
so sorry I left............I-”
The green eyes finally met the mako-infused eyes once again and were full of tears as well.
“Not here..........Cloud..........please..............remember back then..........”
A tear fell on Cloud’s face and caused a flash of memories to pull into the SOLDIER’S head.
Sephiroth watched the exchange with mild interest and spoke over the two defeated opponents on the ground.
“Pathetic...........maybe one of you can tell me.............what will be your last words to each other before mother conquers this planet?”
The images flashed violently and cleared into the swordman’s memory—the blade penetrating Aerith’s body, her falling into his arms. The Holy materia was falling into the water, and his anguish, his sadness, his terrifying screams, and shouts of unspeakable pain. Cloud didn’t kill Aerith in the past; he was deceived; the SOLDIER had once tried to save her in this very place.
The memories brought the wielder of the Buster sword back to reality as Aerith fell unconscious in his arms and caused his muscles and body to roar back to life in a fit of terrifying anger that needed to be taken out on the asshole that stood a few feet away trying to separate his soulmate from him a second time. Setting the Cetra gently on the ground, the shorter swordsman flew upwards from where he was lying and arose in an incredible triumph.
“It was YOUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Cloud picked up Aerith’s staff and started bashing with everything he was worth at Sephiroth. The two fighters traded blows and struck both directions with incredible speed and strength.
There was no mistaking that Cloud had been stabbed and was seriously injured, but the truth finally revealed made the stoic hero resurge with a powerful energy that couldn’t be explained. Cloud felt stronger than he did before he entered the city with Sephiroth in the lead earlier; he felt like he could tear an entire stone building down with his bare hands.
“You killed her, you bastard! You killed her! You used me to come here and unleash your sick plan! I won’t let you take this planet! I won’t let you kill anyone else!”
Sephiroth seemed to resemble an unbeatable opponent, but the force coming from his nemesis had grown ten-fold since the last time they had sparred. It was all the Masamune wielder could do to keep up with the strength of the other’s attacks. The silver-haired villain stared mesmerized at the ferocity that came from his nemesis as he questioned the situation that came storming towards his arrogance.
“How?!”
Cloud’s eyes burned a powerful glow of blue as he finally contacted Sephiroth’s arm. The power behind the strike caused the enemy to gasp in anger and shock.
“What?! How are you doing this?!”
The fury didn’t soften as another golden light entered the fray and surrounded Cloud’s body.
“What are you?! WHO ARE YOU?!”
Sephiroth gasped with awe as Aerith’s staff rematerialized in Cloud’s hands as a new and improved mechanical sword. An unknown entity provided the weapon, which looked even more powerful and menacing than the older one that had been left behind on the outskirts of the Forgotten City.
An old spirit softly spoke into Cloud’s ear, and he could vaguely make out the words from someone who had once wished a better destiny from long ago.
(“Finish this for me and my daughter Cloud.............take care of her.”)
Ifalna’s words were acknowledged with a respectful nod from Cloud’s head as he charged towards his enemy with every ounce of power his arms and chest could pull from deep inside himself.
A successful round of blows had crossed Sephiroth’s defenses with great results. The terrifying monster looked to the skies in defiance of the flipped scales and cast a black orb above to recite another spell of malice for the planet.
“MOTHER.........join me! Bring the darkness down to cover the light!”
The menacing sounds from earlier returned and entered Sephiroth’s body. The clear, green eyes filled with a strange haze and changed to an even deeper shade of color as the first SOLDIER looked back at Cloud with anger and an infused voice.
“YOU DIE HERE............. YOU AND YOUR PATHETIC GIRLFRIEND WILL FINALLY BE OUT OF MY WAY!”
The hellish enemy launched off of the ground and rushed at the Buster sword wielder with all the power in the world aimed at Cloud’s heart from high within the air.
A memory triggered within a shout of encouragement to help defeat the enemies of the past, present, and future.
(“Do it now!”)
“You will be the one who dies today!”
Without knowing how or why he was able to fight back against Jenova and Sephiroth’s power combined, Cloud swung his sword in a circle above his head and launched a flurry of blades into the air. The circle of celestial weapons caused the nightmare and calamity to stop at a grinding halt with shock, anger, and rage. Shrieks of vengeance sounded off as the powerful offensive barrage countered the terrifying foes.
Motions of grace and beauty accompanied the following strikes of brilliance as the bodyguard used sword after sword against an influenced Sephiroth’s defenseless position. Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal strikes made hit after hit against the nemesis’s body with tremendous strength in each blow. The never-ending struggle of sadness, anger and suffering poured out of Cloud’s hands as he put every second of pain in this life and his former one into the force of each sword.
“This!........................ THIS CAN’T BE!........................NO!.................NOO!”
As the final blow descended with incredible strength, a bright light showed through the power of the last blade. The heavenly glow preceded the contact with the green and dark lights coming from Sephiroth’s eyes. The calamity shouted against the forces of the planet one last time.
“I’M IMMORTAL!!!!!!!!!”
The mercenary shouted back for everyone that had ever suffered from the corruption of Jenova and Sephiroth’s legacy as the final blow rained down from above. Cloud’s voice shouted from above as he fell with unrecognizable speed towards his eternal tormentor.
“Only in our nightmares! And now WE ARE ALL GOING TO WAKE UP!”
The explosive force collided with its enemy, and a blinding light shined over the air above the Forgotten City.
Yuffie and Red gasped in shock as they came running up to Cloud. Nobody could see what had happened as the intensity of the glare had covered the entire land in a never-ending light. The victorious warrior landed softly back to the earth and could hear his friends shouting for him nearby.
“CLOUD! Are you okay, Cloud?!”
As the bodyguard who led his group of friends to the end of the planet stood up, he finally felt peaceful for the first time in ages. Not only Sephiroth but Jenova itself had been defeated, and the last defense of the planet finally purged itself of the darkness that had reigned powerfully for so many ages.
Turning towards his friends, Cloud led Yuffie and Nanaki towards the source of his voice.
“Yeah......... I’m alright............everything is alright.”
-
Tifa didn’t know how or why she had awoken at the bottom of the glass stairwell, but the bright lights shining from above would help her understand what had just occurred. Specks of golden orbs descended from the sky to cascade onto the ground. The effect could be felt, even in the unique space of glass and crystal below.
“What’s going on up there?!”
The bartender of Seventh Heaven knew that voice.
“Barret?! Are you here?! You okay?!”
The gun-armed mercenary sighed and shook his head as he stood up.
The brawny fighter felt as though a semi-truck had run over him.
“Yeah, I’m fine but.............damn this hurts............ what’s happening?”
Another friend sounded off behind the two allies and caused them to jump.
“It appears that we have won the battle, Cloud and Aerith defeated Jenova and Sephiroth, the small orbs you see above show residual magic coming from the freed Forgotten City.”
Vincent remained the same as he always looked; Barret could have sworn they had both fought an invincible enemy earlier and had lost, but as he looked at his body, Tifa’s health and his gun-arm all seemed right with the planet and himself.
“Weren’t we-?”
The crimson eyes interrupted the concern and reminded everyone to get back upstairs.
“There will be time to talk about what happened later. Let’s go check on Cloud and Aerith.”
-
The blinding effect of the final blow had finally faded and brought a sunrise to the outskirts of the Forgotten Capital.
Cloud wasn’t in the mood to talk to Red or Yuffie as they tried to discuss so many questions and concerns with their leader. The bodyguard knew who he needed to see, he knew what he wanted to say, and there was so much more to do, so much forgiveness that needed to be begged for.
Running back to the spot where Sephiroth had stabbed him and Aerith earlier, the swordsman found the flower girl still lying on the ground.
“Aerith!”
Yuffie and Red were close by but had stopped speaking when they realized Aerith was still on the ground.
“..........Cloud.......I.........”
The words came slowly and painfully from the green-eyed girl, the final ancient had appeared to be severely wounded, and the pain remained from the inflicted attack.
Cloud’s eyes went from concerned to overly terrified as he found the stab wound below the flower girl’s chest. She had lost a lot of blood and was having trouble breathing at a steady pace.
The bodyguard didn’t know what to do and could only question the entire sequence of events as he lifted Aerith off the ground into his arms.
“How?!...........why did this happen to you?! I took the bulk of the attack......and I’m still okay.........I.........”
The magical woman simply looked at Cloud’s eyes for a second and tried to explain without words, but Cloud realized what she was trying to tell him instantly.
“The spell............you cast the spell for Holy again........... didn’t you?”
Aerith’s face started to show a hint of sadness as her answer brought more fear and pain to the bodyguard’s heart. The other voice spoke with confusion and pleading.
“But.......... we’re okay now.........you and me..........we can go home..................we can move forward Aerith...............please.............I can’t lose you again.............”
The loving touch of the spellcaster’s hand found the swordman’s face as a tragic answer helped uncover some of the mystery.
“There was no meteor to stop this time Cloud..........the spell was for you..................and our friends...........but I’m afraid there’s nothing left...........you did it..........I knew you could save all of us again..........”
The mercenary wouldn’t accept what was being told because the world would never allow this kind of pain to happen again. Yuffie started crying and turned her face away because she couldn’t handle the situation. Red looked beyond miserable to witness what could only be unimaginable misery as the yellow eyes moved to the ground, away from the view of Cloud’s sadness.
“No! That is not what happened! I won’t let you tell me that! YOU SAVED ME, DAMMIT! You saved me again, and you’re trying to tell me something I WON’T ALLOW TO HAPPEN AGAIN!”
Vincent, Tifa, Cid, and Barret had finally arrived but didn’t say a word at the scene that unfolded before their eyes. Cloud was still in tears and shouting in sadness and anger, with Aerith holding on to his body, inside his arms.
Everyone was finally back together, and the entire group of friends watched with trepidation and sadness at the flower girl’s departing life.
Cloud shouted with panic and pleading in his voice.
“Cast another spell to heal you!”
Aerith shook her head, and the reaction caused the swordsman to scream louder.
“DON’T BE LIKE THIS! HEAL YOURSELF NOW!”
The green eyes didn’t fight back or contradict any demands as they spoke softly into Cloud’s ears.
“The last of that prayer was to save you and everyone else if I could have saved myself with you.................... I would have already done that............ You brought back a gift Cloud but...........we both knew that something like this could happen.”
There was not enough magic left in the old materia to bring healing to Aerith’s wound; the old power brought through the lifestream from another hope, and another promise had been spent to bring Cloud’s spirit back to normal and revive the friends that had been destroyed by the darkness earlier.
Aerith once again saved her friends and the planet from Sephiroth and Jenova. Cloud’s heart and mind were finally free from the influence and corruption that haunted the troubled soul for so long. The weight of endless suffering finally removed had brought yet another form of endless suffering that the bodyguard would never recover from, and he wasn’t going to accept the outcome of the battle.
“You aren’t going to die again!.................... I won’t.................. I won’t let you!”
The flower girl didn’t have enough strength left to argue with Cloud. Closing her eyes and taking in the brilliant sunrise, the spellcaster kept her attitude positive and asked the mercenary for a simple request.
“Cloud............we don’t have much time left, and I don’t want you to think this way...............remember the good times...............remember the wonderful nights I spent around you in Wall Market, the Gold Saucer...................when you stayed at my house............... I wouldn’t trade those times for anything.........”
Aerith started coughing, and from the looks of it, internal bleeding had started to catch up with her condition. Cloud was starting to lose control as Tifa and Yuffie approached on either side to calm him down. Both women put a hand on the swordman’s shoulders as the balance of life held still in the adventurer’s arms.
The martial artist whispered gently with all the love she could summon into her next words.
“Cloud...........Aerith...........let us walk both of you into the city.................so we can all give you a loving goodbye.”
As soon as the words hit Cloud’s ears, he was about to start shouting, and the only thing that kept him from losing his mind was what Aerith mentioned next. The words came from the point of weakened strength; it took every last ounce of fight for the flower girl to bring the speech to her bodyguard’s ears. The sentence was soft but heard as the sadness washed over the man holding his soulmate within his arms.
“They want to tell me goodbye too............... it’s not fair to reject the sacrifices they made for both of us Cloud............they love both of us................we love them too...................”
Looking back at all of the somber expressions, the leader of the strange group of friends realized he wasn’t going to be the only one suffering when Aerith had to leave them all once again. The emerald orbs of grace and peace softly spoke with difficulty, but that struggle came with more than enough courage as the end drew closer.
“I want..............all of us..............together.............return me to where we said goodbye..........”
Through unspeakable sorrow and unbearable pain, the agonizing swordsman profusely refused the impossible request of the green-eyed girl.
“No.............please...................please no..........”
In a final motion of strength, Aerith pushed her lips to connect in a kiss with her bodyguard before leaving him with a final sentence. The words were simple, and Cloud would cherish them for the rest of his life.
“I.............love you.............”
The final Cetra’s body went limp in her lover’s arms, and the last ancient was reunited with her people.
No longer keeping any control over his pain. Cloud broke down and let the sorrows of his past return to the place he stood in the present. Aerith had once again saved her friends and the planet from the evils of the cosmos. Crying heavy tears, the swordsman felt and heard every one of his companions try to comfort him because of the events that transpired.
The words couldn’t reach his heart as the remainder of hope and grace for Cloud’s soul became extinguished.
-
The walk felt like it took an eternity from the front of the Forgotten Capital back towards the small river that fed into the heart of the old structures. The earlier sunrise had brought light to the area, but the swordman’s heart remained as dark and somber as ever. None of the friends or group spoke as Yuffie, Tifa, Barret, and Cloud couldn’t shake the tears that kept pouring over their emotions.
Red and Cid briefly asked if they could help carry Aerith’s body back to give the bodyguard a rest. Cloud didn’t respond but shook his head to signal that he would be the only person who would move the flower girl back to her resting place.
The group did not walk quickly or with any type of gusto in their movements. The pacing of everyone’s footsteps felt drawn out, slow, quiet, and purposeless. The motion almost seemed to resemble a silent march that led to unspeakable grief.
The water moved with small bursts of wind in the distance as Cloud stopped at the edge of the hauntingly horrible pool.
(“I hate this place..................this horrible place....................why did you want to be buried here again?”)
Every one of their friends stood behind Cloud as the bodyguard sighed and turned around to try to project strength to the sorrow-stricken group of adventurers. The leader and sword wielder failed miserably as he spoke with poorly enunciated words that couldn’t help hide his sadness.
“Aerith..................she was always so helpful to all of us..............so kind..............so strong......”
Yuffie and Tifa turned their faces away and kept their eyes lowered because they couldn’t keep their tears from running down in front of Cloud. Red lowered his head with respect and grace. Vincent, Barret, and Cid stared at the speaking SOLDIER, waiting to hear what words the saddened bodyguard wished to share about his significant other.
“I was a fool.................... I kept having visions that something like this was going to happen and........... I thought if I left........................ I thought I could stop this.........................but Aerith knew.......................there was no keeping this from happening..............”
Tifa and Barret looked like they wanted to interrupt. Still, nobody dared speak as Cloud kept moving forward with his thoughts of regret and remembrance.
“Aerith would tell me this wasn’t my fault..................she would tell me this is how everything is supposed to be and that we can all carry our future forward but................................ I think that’s wrong..........”
Everyone held Cloud’s gaze now and hung on to every word the swordsman was saying. The bodyguard had yet to let Aerith down from his arms, and the mako eyes burned with rage and sadness as Cloud’s voice grew with intensity.
“I don’t believe that any future where any of us are dead is right! I don’t want to accept this! I don’t want to bury or say goodbye to ANY OF YOU! I loved Aerith................and what we are about to do together here in this horrible place.................. I can’t walk out there and let her go again!”
Tifa finally stopped standing at a distance and walked up to Cloud. The two figures stood very close together as the martial artist put a hand on the SOLDIER’S arm.
“You won’t have to do it alone......... I’ll help you......”
Yuffie stormed forward and hugged the swordsman awkwardly as she mentioned her wish to help Cloud as well.
“I’ll come with you too.............
Vincent, Barret, Cid, and Red all spoke their desires to help Cloud, and the entire group followed the blonde fighter into the water. Cloud stopped and stood in the middle of a half-circle at the center of the old burial ground of celestial beauty. The water stood at waist height as silence remained for the next minute.
Cid walked up to Aerith and carefully set his hand on hers with a tender touch of affection. The captain gave Cloud a quick word before walking back.
“We’ll never find another lady like her.....................she was a special one.........Aerith........I can tell how much you both meant to each other.......”
The saddened mercenary tried to return a thank you but could hardly get the words out as Yuffie approached next.
The girl of Wutai had yet to stop crying; she kissed Aerith on the forehead and bawled before hugging Cloud around the neck with a lot of affection and care. Not saying much of anything because she couldn’t keep from choking up, the ninja of the group expressed her sympathies emphatically before moving back away from the spot Cloud was standing in.
Barret calmly looked at Aerith’s body and back at Cloud. The brawny fighter looked very upset and couldn’t seem to get what he wanted to say out.
“It doesn’t seem right...................why should she have to be the one who..............”
Cloud sympathized and tried to speak from his heart.
“If I could have traded places with her-”
Barret realized he was making a bad situation worse and tried to apologize quickly.
“SOLDIER BOY..........I know! I was just about to say the same thing! I promised to die protecting her!.......... Aerith was the best out of all of us..........Marlene............I don’t know how I am going to tell her...............or Elmyra.”
At the mention of Aerith’s stepmother, the grief-stricken adventurer realized that he had broken another promise. Cloud would have to tell that poor woman that her daughter was gone. The task was not welcomed as the swordsman tried to reason with Barret.
“They may not understand but...................we will try............ you’re right Barret it isn’t right...........none of this is.”
Barret put a hand on Cloud’s shoulder and tried to bring comfort to his friend.
“She loved you, ya know?”
The swordsman nodded in understanding. “Yeah........I............I know.”
Barret finally moved away and left Red to bring his farewell. The four-legged companion swam with difficulty, but he appeared to be moving well enough into the deeper part of the expansive pool.
“Cloud............ I am so sorry............ Aerith never wished for any of this to happen..........”
The yellow eyes looked so sad and concerned for the man holding his beloved’s body for one last goodbye. Red spoke with wisdom and elegance as Cloud waited for an opportunity to respond.
“She was holding on to so many secrets from back then....................she wanted more than anything to change the course of events, but I’m afraid she was only moving her fate into a circle, and we appeared to have turned around.............. I would never have thought that something like this could come again........... I can’t imagine your pain right now, but you are both forever in my heart............. I will watch over this spot for the rest of my days. Aerith deserves that.........”
The young man finally got a word in and tried to reassure Red that his apology wasn’t necessary.
“You do not need to be sorry, Red............... Aerith knew what she needed to do to keep us all alive. I wish I would have figured it out sooner..........I wish I wasn’t so weak by the control and influence that built up inside of me.............maybe I could have stopped him. Maybe-”
The wise friend interrupted before Cloud continued to beat himself up.
“There was no weakness in you, my friend, Aerith recognized a struggle that needed to be tamed, and you rose above this. Who you are today and the person you have become is a testament to that strength, leave this place and rebuild the world in that promise because of her sacrifice and your courage. What you have done took tremendous power, and no one else could have stopped Sephiroth.”
Cloud understood Red’s encouragement as the warrior known as Nanaki howled to the sky to acknowledge Aerith’s passing and returned to dry ground.
Tifa finally walked up to wish her friend a sorrowful goodbye. The hazel eyes looked so miserable as the martial artist put a hand on Aerith’s face. Tifa stifled a sob before hugging Cloud and kissing him on the cheek with as much respect and care as she could give. She didn’t say much but wanted her hurting childhood friend to know how much he mattered to her in this unbearable moment of suffering.
“You matter to me Cloud............... Aerith meant so much to both of us.......... I’m so sorry, and I know you won’t ever be the same but please...................come find me any time you need me.................let me know when you’re hurting..................let me know because you fucking matter to me.......... I’ll let you say a long goodbye now because of how much you loved her................ I loved her too, not as you did but...............she was such an incredible person............ I’ll miss her so much.............”
Cloud wanted to reassure Tifa that she mattered to him too but didn’t have the strength or the power to continue talking about sorrow and loss. The martial artist didn’t wait for a response as she turned to walk away from her childhood friend.
Vincent was the last to approach and wish Aerith a goodbye. Surprisingly, the former Turk appeared emotional for a split second before sharing a moment of pain with his troubled companion.
The swordsman gave the crimson eyes a respectful nod in understanding as he waited for the harbinger of fear to speak.
“I don’t understand the result, but I knew what her mission was..........”
Cloud remained still with Aerith inside his arms, her body partially floating in the beautiful water and the sun rising high above the old city that would once again become the last ancient’s resting place. The swordman’s expression pivoted with minimal movement as the two me stared one another down in the deep waters of the Forgotten City.
“Did she ever say what that was?”
The mercenary was curious about what Vincent wanted to explain as the crimson eyes shook to the side in dismissal. The words sounded the same way the strange figure always spoke, but they weren’t from a sad point of view. What was the peculiar ally trying to say?
“Even though I have achieved unnatural immortality, I cannot see deeply into the magic of the Ancients. Aerith had a special power I only knew the existence of, I cannot understand the details or the power of her healing magic and their protective properties....................the spells of this place have something unique inside.................almost otherworldly.”
After the explanation, the former Turk removed an orb of materia, and the reveal made Cloud gasp in shock.
“Was this..................... Aerith’s?”
Vincent once again shook his head but only to give a quick response.
“Yes..........and no.............. The materia Aerith inherited from her mother was lost in battle against Jenova; the magic has already died within that vessel, but another form of this still exists from our battle against Sephiroth long ago............ I cannot call upon that magic, but this may provide one last hope to discover an old promise that may have been made.
-
Everyone on the shore remained curious about the conversation Cloud and Vincent were having. The two men appeared to be deep in discussion as Cid asked Barret what he thought.
“What do you think they are talking about?”
Barret didn’t seem too interested in the discussion and was trying to keep his feelings in check.
“Dunno, but we all need to be careful when Cloud comes back with us. We need to help him through the pain that will stay for a long time. Every one of us is going to need to be there for each other.”
Tifa finished her approach and put a hand on Barret’s arm.
“We’ll stay close to Cloud when we go back...................right?”
The gun-armed fighter nodded his head in approval. Cid wasn’t watching or paying attention to the nearby chatter when he made a startling observation.
“What’s Vincent doing?!”
-
“This is the only way now......................”
Turning the special orb of materia from his own hand onto Aerith’s body immediately caused a bright light to glow within the harbinger of fear. As quickly as the sight jumped into view, the occurrence darkened and started carrying the opposite effect.
The former Turk that had been such an ally to Cloud and the rest of his friends started to fade from existence.
The mako eyes couldn’t realize the significance of the magic happening in front of them and struggled to simultaneously keep Aerith upright while reaching over to see why Vincent’s body was deteriorating from view. The surprised ally almost didn’t notice that something wonderful was happening within his arms as all the confusion started to bubble to the surface of the mesmerizing pool.
“...........Cloud.............”
There was no way he heard the voice that just spoke.
Terror running through his brain and eyes, Cloud’s gaze shot down to his hands. “AERITH?!”
The flower girl snapped out of Cloud’s arms and threw her arms around the bodyguard. Aerith wanted nothing more than to fall all over her ecstatic lover and tell him everything was going to be okay, but the Cetra realized immediately her life was only given because of a sacrifice, and she needed to tell that person something first.
Jumping out of Cloud’s embrace and shock, the flower girl rushed over to express her sympathy and disapproval to Vincent.
“You shoul-”
Vincent stopped the lecturing with his hand. His body was becoming more translucent and clairvoyant with every passing moment.
“Don’t say I made the wrong decision Aerith, .......................my new life has not been for any other purpose than this moment................. I paid for my sins............... I fell into an eternity of rest and now.........................”
Cloud was trying to keep a lid on his emotions, walking up behind Aerith and putting his arms around her. The SOLDIER looked on in understanding of what had just transpired.
“...........Now I will finally find the peace I need to move away from this world..................... Seeing you brought back will help me cover a multitude of regret..................... This is the way it has to be.............for both of us.”
The emerald eyes tried to keep strong for the sacrifice that had just been made. One life had been retired for the other one to shine brightly once again.
“Vincent.....................you used your special materia to return the other Holy’s power?”
The harbinger of fear nodded as he motioned down into the waters below. Aerith felt Cloud’s arms around her waist and looked back at their friends on the nearby shore. Everyone was shouting in jubilation and started running into the waters to get a closer look at what was happening.
Without being able to make out the shouts, Aerith could have sworn that Yuffie was screaming profanities a hundred miles a minute, and Cid of all people was hollering for her to keep a lid on the bad words.
The exchanges made the flower girl chuckle for a second before turning back to her old friend for one final goodbye.
Cloud was the next person to speak.
“Vincent................. I can’t-”
The former Turk looked Cloud dead in the eyes and spoke the most powerful words the swordsman would ever remember in their friendship.
“Had our roles been reversed and I was standing where you were.................... I know in my heart you would have done the same for me.................... You both have to go live a happy life together now..............so that today is never forgotten.”
Aerith returned Vincent’s farewell with her own promise.
“Today is a day no one here will ever forget.................you saved us both, and we cannot thank you enough.”
The disappearing harbinger closed his eyes and allowed the disappearance of his unnatural immortality to complete.
(“I’m sorry I couldn’t share another life with you Lucrecia..................but I know we will be reunited again...........now I will find true rest, and it will be beautiful...........”)
As Avalanche finally saw the completion of Vincent’s journey, there were a lot of tears, a lot of hugging, and a lot of sacrifices that would be remembered. Everyone spoke about Vincent and his interesting role among their band of freedom fighters. They chose to honor his decision and move forward to the next part of their journey.
Aerith tried without success to keep Yuffie and Tifa from smothering her with hugs at the same time. Red was beyond happy to see the flower girl standing amongst the land of the living. Cid and Barret told everyone they needed to stop playing in the water and beckoned everyone to come back to the shore.
Cloud remained the last person to walk back to the patch of land near the beautiful pool of serenity and turned back around for a quick second to look deeply into the never-ending river.
There were no voices, no dreams, and no more memories.
Taking a moment to look above, the mercenary gave a parting word to the life force inside the Forgotten Capital.
“Thank You.”
-
Epilogue
The sun shined brightly over Midgar as the gate of sector five welcomed a host of travelers returning from their temporary home in Kalm. Barret stood at the entry to the district with Marlene’s hand in his own. Elmyra followed close by, watching the two talk and walk together with happiness shining on her face.
“I can’t thank you enough for keeping her while we were away, I know you have done a lot for us, and I want to repay you starting tomorrow.”
Aerith’s stepmother shook her head to either side and talked down the mention of repayment to Barret.
“Marlene has done so much more for me than I have for her. I was grateful and happy to have her in my home and the house we shared in Kalm. She can come back anytime you’d like. Her room will always be ready just in case.”
Barret looked delighted to hear that from Elmyra as Marlene skipped with a cheery expression and tremendous purpose.
“Hey Daddy, when can we go back to the bar?”
The gun-armed fighter hadn’t even thought about returning to Seventh Heaven on the trip back to Midgar, but there were loose ends to take care of. Barret would have to go back with Tifa soon to see the progress of the sector’s rebuilding. Still, for now, he needed to celebrate life and the planet’s freedom with all of their friends.
Having reunited with his daughter, Barret knew the rest of the walk would be smooth sailing back to Elmyra’s house.
Where Cloud and Aerith were waiting to surprise them all, Barret kept that last part of the news to himself.
-
“Shouldn’t we be worried they are going to be here any minute?”
Aerith ignored her bodyguard’s caution and chuckled with passion as the two lovebirds were all over each other in the guest bedroom.
Having the place to themselves for a while since Barret left to pick up Marlene in Kalm, the power couple had plenty of time to talk about what they had gone through since Cloud left the group at the Gold Saucer. They had time to laugh, cry, reminisce, and promise to continue their struggles and successes together.
“Cid may have dropped him off, but we both know Barret had to take a car or train back with Marlene; we have time, don’t worry.”
Cloud wasn’t worried about spending quality time with Aerith alone. What made him concerned was anyone arriving downstairs to find they weren’t in the living room together. The dots wouldn’t be that hard to connect.
The cautioned swordsman also needed to be more careful about pushing himself too hard. Cloud had fractured several bones and drew several deep scars on his body that wouldn’t heal with normal remedies. Aerith made sure he checked in to a nearby clinic after the group touched down in Midgar to set up welfare appointments for his body and physical rehab; he would need to be at full strength in the future.
For now, healing would be taken one day and one moment at a time. For once, the young swordsman could hold it together and focus on what was more important.
“Alright...............maybe a few more minutes.”
-
“Just as lovely as I remember, this place almost stays untouched by time...............”
Elmyra nodded at Barret’s compliments and walked up to the door; she gasped when she noticed who waited for her in the living room.
“Aerith! Honey! Oh, thank goodness.”
Knowing full well that everyone but Vincent had made it out of the Forgotten City, Elmyra wasn’t overly surprised to see Aerith at the house to greet her; she simply had not expected her to be back so soon. Barret arrived at the house in Kalm alone and had mentioned everyone was on their way back to Cosmo Canyon to bid Nanaki goodbye before making the journey back home.
The surprise had worked well enough; the next part was about to commence.
Aerith and Elmyra hugged and talked about everything on their mind. The older woman nodded at Cloud while mentioning she was happy to see he was back in one piece. The conversation felt friendly enough, but the SOLDIER wasn’t sure why he was getting level-faced looks from Aerith’s stepmother.
Barret stepped in shortly after the exchange to help with the confusion.
“Bro.............. you’ve got lipstick on your neck.”
Trying to keep his cool but failing miserably, the bodyguard tried to wipe away evidence of his earlier transgressions.
“............Shit............”
The gun-armed mercenary chuckled and exchanged banter with Cloud about how he couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Just as the mercenary was about to die from embarrassment, the front door burst open with the next part of the surprise.
Bugenhagen and Red were standing in the front entrance with Yuffie, Cid, and Tifa.
“Heya?! Did we know you were coming?!”
Aerith rushed to the front to hug Yuffie and Tifa. Bugenhagen remained floating in mid-air during his visit as Cloud walked over to speak to Red about their arrival.
“I thought you were both going to take some time at your house to look over his poor health?”
The yellow eyes smiled in response and spoke with a hidden joy rising to the surface.
“Grandfather said he wouldn’t miss this get together for anything. Our age and health will come for us all one day, and lying in a bed wishing to be better won’t change any of that. I chose to honor his wish.”
Yuffie and Tifa sat at the round table with Aerith and Elmyra. Marlene took turns sitting on the flower girl and martial artist’s laps. There was so much friendship and camaraderie in the air as the day continued into the evening. After long hours of fellowship, everyone started to file out away from the loving home in Sector five.
................Later that night.............
Cloud stood alone at the top balcony to wave goodbye to Tifa, Yuffie, Marlene, and Barret. The four friends mentioned returning to sector seven to see the reconstruction. They were going to look for old contacts that may or may not still be around.
Watching the shapes of his friends disappear in the distance, the nearby door slowly opened to show the flower girl studying her bodyguard with intrigue.
“Knew you’d be up here. What are you thinking, Mr. Merc?”
The beautiful stars shined in the distance of the vertical plate through the open skyline. Somehow in all of the slums, no place felt near as alive as the area around Aerith’s home. The flowers glowed with intensity around the translucent waters, and the last Cetra’s gaze stared powerfully into the mako orbs once again.
“Remember what you told me when you pushed Jenova out of my body?”
Aerith had not expected that to be the question Cloud asked, but she didn’t miss a beat when responding to her bodyguard’s inquiry. The flower girl stood at the wooden barrier and overlooked the incredible landscape. She allowed Cloud to put his arms around her before answering.
“I asked if you were able to find me?”
The blonde adventurer gently rested his head against the Cetra’s shoulder before speaking a soft reply.
“Yes and............... I did............ And I know no matter where you go or where I end up.................... I will always keep finding you...................No matter what, with or without my dreams. Because what you and I have means so much more than just a dream.”
The green eyes looked lovingly into Cloud’s eyes before humming a soft melody to the tune of the evening ambiance.
“Welcome Home Cloud.”
The End