[A JOURNEY'S END]
_
It was the afternoon of a warm August day for Cloud Strife—a once strong hero now nothing but an old man. His once handsome face was now carved with wrinkles, his hair much thinner but somehow the spikey form remained, the sandy blonde was now a dark grey, his muscles depleted, his bones achy, and his heart heavy. Despite him turning 82 today, his eyes still looked as vibrant as ever—the one thing that always looked so full of life.
Cloud was sitting at the end of his bed, his hands shaking as he held a picture frame in his lap. He hadn't seen this picture in ages it felt and as soon as his eyes fell on the precious image there was no stopping the smile that gently formed on his old features. He remembered everything about the story behind this picture—where it was, what happened, who he was with. It was easier to fight off tears when he was younger but now, as an old man—it seemed impossible. The memories overwhelmed him and he felt himself succumbing to the heartbreak, his eyes beginning to gloss over. Only a few tears managed to make it past the rim of his eyes before his attention was stolen by the sudden knock of a door.
The sound gave him quite a shock, hardly anyone visited him now and despite it being his birthday, he wasn't expecting anyone. Sighing, he slowly stood, making sure to not allow his wobbly legs to get the best of him. He made it down the hall and to the front door and right as he was about to turn the nob he realized he was still holding the picture frame. He quickly made his way to the small round table nearest the sofa and gingerly put down the memory. Before he could turn back to the door he heard another set of knocks.
"I'm coming!" he growled back, annoyance playing on his raspy voice. He opened the door; "What do you want—" but stopped immediately as he saw who was at his door.
"Cloud," the young man in his early sixties said, amazed.
"Denzel," was all the old warrior could say.
He hadn't seen Denzel in a few years and here he was. As grumpy as Cloud was, this was a good surprise. Even though they weren't blood related, Denzel was someone Cloud saw as family—almost like a son. He quickly stepped aside, inviting him in.
"Denzel," Cloud surprisingly chuckled as the two stepped into the living room, waiting until they were both seated on the sofa before starting their conversation. Once seated, Denzel took the opening; "How are you?"
"I'm turning 82 today, how do you think?" Cloud tried to joke about his age but the saddened look in Denzel's eyes told him it wasn't as funny to him. He never was great at jokes, probably shouldn't start now. He cleared his throat, hoping to get rid of the awkwardness.
"But what about you? How is everything? Marlene's alright?"
Denzel could hear that his voice was much quieter and much weaker than what it once was. He was so much weaker now… it was a shock to see someone who he considered a strong hero now just an old man. Shaking himself from the thought that was about to enter his mind he answered; "Yeah, yeah everything is great, Marlene's good too." Denzel added dejectedly.
Cloud's expression grew curious; "Then what brings you here?" his grey brow lifting in question.
"I just wanted to check on you, Cloud. You're up here alone all the time. You shouldn't be alone on your birthday, too."
Cloud just nodded, unsure how to object to it or if he even wanted to. It was strange. Cloud didn't seem to mind having a guest today.
The men looked to the floor as silence fell over them. Cloud was unsure if it was a good or bad silence. He could see in Denzel's blue eyes that he was worried about him. He sensed that Denzel felt pity and sadness towards him for being in the state he was. It was nice knowing someone cared but it bothered him more so than anything else. He hated worrying the ones closest to him, but it was that look of sympathy in his eyes that bothered him most. He knew in the back of Denzel's mind he was expecting a funeral for his old hero. Cloud had tried his damnedest to avoid any elderly help Denzel and Marlene had tried to offer him over the last few years but when Denzel urged him to come live with him so he could help take care of him, it pushed Cloud over the edge and they stopped talking completely… until now.
Cloud rose, his bones creaky and popping as he came to his feet. He moved a few inches and stopped to face his guest.
Denzel's head snapped up at the raspy sound of Cloud's voice. "Do you want something to drink? I know it must have been a humid as hell out there."
"Uh, sure. But let me get it for us, Cloud—" he only made it a few inches off of the couch before the demanding tone in Cloud's creaky voice stopped him.
"I can get us some drinks, I'm not gonna die from it."
Before he could object, Denzel followed Cloud's form with his eyes and watched him slowly walk into the small kitchen, noticing a weak limp in his right leg. Denzel rested his face in the palm of his hand and sighed sadly. No matter how much he tried not to, the thought of Cloud one day leaving this world plagued his mind. He couldn't understand why Cloud wouldn't just let him help out from time to time. There was nothing wrong with it so why was he so against it? He figured it was the hardened hero past that was to blame. He knew it must be hard going from protecting others to needing protecting.
Denzel heard some silverware clanking together followed by a few curse words from Cloud.
"You need some help?"
"I got it," Cloud answered back dryly in a raspy tone.
Denzel sighed again and looked to the coffee table; something on it caught his eye. It was an old picture frame with an image of a much younger Cloud… but with a woman Denzel hadn't ever seen before. He picked up the frame and examined it more closely. Right away Denzel noticed how beautiful the woman was.
The woman was sitting on the ground of a flowery meadow, Cloud sitting by her side with his arms crossed, his elbows resting over the top of his knees as if to brace him up. She had her hands outstretched towards a chocobo that looked to be eating some kind of food from her hands. It looked as though the photo was snapped during a fit of laughter because the girl had her eyes closed as she smiled uncontrollably. However, it wasn't the unknown woman that caught Denzel's attention most. It was the way Cloud looked next to her, it was the smile on his face that astonished him most. He had seen Cloud smile before, even laugh—but this was different. There was a look in Cloud's eyes that Denzel never saw before, a look that he never saw him give to anyone else.
Although his head wasn't turned directly towards the woman, Cloud's eyes were tenderly focused on her, an affectionate and soft smile on his features. It wasn't a large smile, it was much more composed and discreet then the wide grin on the woman's face, but somehow the way he was looking at her seemed to reflect more happiness and love than any smile Denzel ever saw from one person. He looked at her as if she was the light of his world, someone to cherish more than anything else.
Denzel's eyes slowly darted across their faces, trying to decipher just what it all meant. He was about to call out to Cloud when he heard Cloud's feet shuffling into the living room.
He sat the tray of their drinks down on the table and let out a weak chuckle; "I hope you don't mind drinking ice tea, it's all I hav—"
"Who is this?" Denzel interrupted abruptly, his eyes never leaving the photo.
Cloud brought his gaze to meet the object that Denzel held in his hands and his expression softened as he saw the picture. He hadn't intended for anyone to see it, let alone Denzel.
"Who's this woman?" Denzel asked once more, turning the picture to face Cloud.
Cloud slowly made his way to where Denzel was and gently took the picture from him. He didn't quite know what to say or do so he turned away and let his gaze fall upon the image. There was a very long pause and Denzel could sense that Cloud was lost in thought. He couldn't see Cloud's face but if he could, Denzel would have seen the ex-mercenary's steel blue eyes glazing over.
"Cloud—"
"Aerith." Cloud murmured, cutting of Denzel's sentence.
He paused again for what seemed like even longer than before.
"Her name was Aerith." He said once more, his back still turned to Denzel.
"She was a woman I used to know when I was younger…"
Denzel noticed Cloud's voice trail off, his head bowed in silence. He looked like a husband mourning the loss of his wife. It was strange for Denzel and it was a little hard for him to understand. The entire time Denzel knew Cloud, he knew Cloud wasn't one to put his problems or emotions out on show for everyone and yet, here Cloud was, putting on a display Denzel had never witnessed before. He knew she must have been someone important to him but, if she was, Denzel wondered why this was the first time he had ever heard of her.
Unknown to Denzel, Cloud avoided speaking of this woman simply because... it was just too hard to talk about. He couldn't handle it...
A few moments passed and the silence was too doleful for Denzel to endure so he spoke what was on his mind;
"Did you love her?"
It was a simple question yet it felt so invasive for him to ask the old hero, nonetheless Denzel had to know. Denzel didn't know how to take the silence that had fallen between the two, then suddenly, Cloud spoke.
"She was my best friend." His croaky voice paused momentarily then picked up again, "She saw things in me that no one else ever saw—things that I couldn't even see myself…." His words were slow and Denzel noticed his jaw movement was restricted from either the old joints or his attempt to fight back succumbing to the immense pain he was falling back into. There was a very long pause again before Cloud continued after clearing his cloggy throat.
"She made me a better man." His voice broke as he delivered the words and Denzel couldn't tell if it was from his aged vocal chords or just a sign that he was breaking down.
He took a few steps away from Denzel, his back still turned to the only son he ever knew. As unbelievable as it was, Denzel could sense that Cloud was on the brink of tears. Denzel stood to comfort his old hero but stopped at the sound of Cloud's voice that, despite the deep raspy tone of it, somehow reminded Denzel of a lost child, overwhelmed with loneliness and sadness and ready to finally just go home.
"I would have stayed by her side forever if only—"he paused once more to clear his thoughts, realizing that he was about to delve back into an old issue that he had long since forgiven himself for. No matter how many years had passed, he still felt regret over what had happened but he knew that she didn't blame him for it and that was a good enough reason to stop blaming himself. He wasn't quite sure what had pulled him to go into such detail about their relationship in the first place. It was sort of funny to him, he always heard how the older you get the more you ramble on, and now it seemed that it wasn't as false as he once believed it to be.
Denzel asked a simple question, so he should answer it simply.
With the picture still in hand he faced Denzel, briefly making eye contact before averting his gaze back to the woman in the picture. His boney and wrinkled thumb gingerly brushed across the dust covered glass, his old mind yearning for it be her face that he was caressing and not just the faded image of a memory.
"Yes." He trailed off again and turned his back to Denzel.
"More than anything, I loved her." His voice, although shaky with age and emotion, sounded ardent and beyond a doubt.
There was a long pause as Denzel straightened his thoughts. He had so much to ask him. Were they ever married? How long did she know him? What happened to her? And most importantly, why didn't he ever speak of her until now? He wanted to ask those questions so badly but then he realized. He didn't have to know anything more about this woman other than the fact that Cloud loved her. If he loved her this greatly then she must have been a very good person, that much Denzel was sure of.
"She was beautiful, Cloud." Denzel said softly, hoping that his words could somehow console him.
For the first time in years, Denzel heard Cloud chuckle, "She was beyond beautiful." his laugh turning into a fit of coughs towards the end as he paused to think.
Cloud smiled back genuinely as he remembered the curve of her face, the round shape of evergreen eyes, and her sweet smile. It hurt him to think about her features that he loved so dearly, especially knowing that he would never see her eyes or see her smile ever again, but at the same time—speaking of her after all these years felt like a relief. It was nice having someone to talk to about this woman that he adored more than anything.
Denzel frowned as he saw the smile that was on Cloud's face had faded and his cheerful tone gone with it. He looked to the ground and thought for a moment before finalizing what he was thinking of. If it would make Cloud happy then that was a good enough reason to hear more about this woman.
"Tell me more about her, Cloud."
Cloud turned, his creaky bones popping as he whipped around to face him. Cloud's Mediterranean eyes looked at him with confusion, unsure if he really heard what Denzel had said.
As if reading his mind, Denzel spoke again; "I wanna know everything." A warm smile spread on his face as he waited for Cloud to reply to his request.
Cloud averted his now hazy gaze to the floor and cleared his throat, his upper lip stiffening as he spoke.
He tripped over his words, "I-I don't know where to start."
"Then just start at the first day you met." Denzel smiled back warmly.
Cloud hesitated for a moment, and looked around the room as he contemplated what to do. He opened his mouth to say no but he found himself wanting the complete opposite. He looked at the younger man and nodded, a weak smile playing on his old face.
He sat down on the couch beside Denzel and slowly began; "It was early December when I first saw her, I had just finished my first mission with Barret and was heading to Seventh heaven to meet up with the rest. She was selling some kind of flowers, and to be honest I can't remember what kind. All I can remember is not being able to take my eyes off of her-she had these eyes and a smile that you wouldn't believe..." he trailed off momentarily as a bittersweet sensation washed over him. "I had never seen something so beautiful, even now..."
He carried on with his past, his voice was hesitant at times as he made sure he was getting the exact details right but for the most part he seemed comfortable with telling his memories, and Denzel continued to listen to Cloud recall every detail about his past with this woman and the journey they took to save the world with the others.
The more he heard the more amazed he was. As bizarre as it seemed, Cloud had managed to make himself sound even cooler and more heroic than ever before, even at the age of 82. But he was both intrigued and saddened by Cloud's past. He heard of the times Cloud faced most danger, like when he gallantly snuck into Shinra Headquarters to save her or when he fought Sephiroth alone. But the thing that shocked Denzel most about Cloud's past was hearing about his memories with the sole cetra. The more he heard about him and this woman the more Denzel knew just how much Cloud loved her. He felt sad that Cloud had to spend his life alone and without the one he loved... he wanted to console him but didn't know how. Maybe listening was good enough, he thought.
Without even realizing it, minutes turned to hours and the sun was slowly inching behind the horizon, the velvety night sky treading closely behind it. Cloud had told his story, every inch of it—good and bad, happy and sad. Although at times it was hard to continue speaking about her, he was happy that the person who Cloud had always felt Aerith brought to him finally knew of the woman that saved him in more ways than one—her.
It was now dark and Denzel had been gone for a few hours, Cloud was already tucked away in his bed for one. The old hero was a little surprised at how much he enjoyed this birthday. He didn't get any gifts or even cake (nor did he want either) but being able to talk of his past was uplifting. Before long, Cloud had drifted off into sleep. He dreamnt of the things that he always did—a time when he was younger, the previous battles he faced, but more often than those he dreamnt of being with her. It was the same every day. He would fall asleep in one reality and wake in another—only to have it torn away from him with each daybreak.
And before long, Cloud awoke from his sleep, the sun that was brightly shining down at him being the culprit of his sudden awakening. As he shuffled from his side to his back he growled under his breath, annoyed that the curtains weren't keeping the sun from disturbing him. As he settled on his back he took a deep breath and smelled a faint fragrance that he hadn't experienced in years. It was a delicate and graceful smell—one that always soothed and gave Cloud a sense of peace. He loved that smell and he could never forget it.
"Lilies." He thought.
A drowsy and soft smile played on his lips as he drew in the dainty fragrance. As much as he adored that smell he wondered how the smell was in his old, dusty room, When he opened his eyes his breath was stolen by what he saw. He didn't see the faded and peeling paint of his bedroom roof but instead opened his eyes to see a deep blue sky and large clouds passing over him, casting a large fleeting shadow to move over his body.
He sat up in a flash, shock pulsing through his body—noticing that his creaky back and sour muscles were just as elastic and lively as they were in his youth. He looked at his hands as if to discover why he could move so easily and what he saw amazed him.
His hands weren't boney, his skin wasn't the pale flesh color that he had gotten used to, nor did his hands show any signs of swollen joints or prominent veins. He closed his hands and made a fist, feeling the effortless flexibility of his muscles, his grip was strong and sturdy like it once was.
Along with his body being able to bend and move with ease, Cloud noticed that his eyes weren't foggy like they used to be but instead, he could see crystal clear.
He stood and saw that he was in a field made of rolling hills of yellow and white lilies. In the far off distance he saw a familiar place. A place that always gave him peace and happiness. It was a sacred place but above that, it was a place he loved. It was their secret place—their church.
He inched forward breathlessly; the lilies sinking around him seemed unfazed by his movement. Was this a dream? It had to be, Cloud thought. But this wasn't like his usual dreams—this one felt different but he didn't understand why.
He started his way towards the small building of his past as if being pulled by something. He walked through the sea of lilies for a few moments and finally arrived at the large wooden door. He touched it softly, letting his hand run over the designs carved into the door. He felt a yearning inside of him and hesitated a few times about opening the door—what if this woke him up? He thought for a moment and came to a decision. Slowly, he pushed open the chapel doors, ready to face the outcome of whatever would happen next.
As the doors gave view down the aisle Cloud saw the figure of a woman in a floor length, white empire waist gown made of lace. She had her back turned and all Cloud could see of the woman was that she had long wavy brunette hair that cascaded down her back.
He felt the yearning sensation in his heart return and he suddenly knew exactly who the woman was. He slowly made his way to her and as if sensing him behind her she turned to face him, a warm and tender smile caressed her features as they locked eyes.
Even after all these years, he knew instantly who it was. He could never forget those eyes or that smile.
"Aerith," Cloud breathed gently in disbelief.
He had seen her plenty of times in his dreams—she always appeared in front of him how he remembered her but now, she looked different this time. She wasn't in her pink maxi dress or her red denim jacket—her ribbon was even gone.
Was this real? And if it was, how could it be?
Not caring how any of this was possible, Cloud pushed aside all thoughts and quickly inched forward and pulled her into an embrace, his arms encircling around her delicate form. He felt at peace here… and he felt even more at peace with her in his arms. He held her tighter than ever, holding her close to make sure she wouldn't be taken from him again.
Aerith buried her face in his shoulder, tears of joy streaming down her snowy cheeks as she held onto him, never wanting to let go.
"Is this… the promised land?" Cloud murmured, still holding her close.
She nodded against him and although she didn't utter a word, he knew her answer—and he couldn't hold back the smile that was spreading across his face. He pulled her closer and soaked up every second of the moment, taking the time to memorize every detail.
Cloud couldn't believe what was happening. This wasn't a dream like all the rest... this was real. He knew what it meant to be in the Promised Land but, it didn't bother him at all. He felt sad when he thought about the people that he left behind but at the same time he knew that this wasn't in his control. When it was your time, it was your time.
And truth be told, he was happy that he could finally return to the planet and return to her after so many battles and so many years.
Every hero must have their end... and this was his.
Smiling, he pulled out of their embrace, leaving only a few inches between them, their arms still wrapped around one another. He looked into her evergreen eyes longingly, his steel blue eyes darting across her face as he breathed in this moment. Her coral pink lips were pulled into a soft smile as tears escaped her eyes and trickled down her face. Seeing the tears, Cloud moved his hand to wipe them away, his thumb caressing her cheek gently.
He didn't want her crying… not on a day as great as this. They were finally together in their promised land, what better ending could they have had than this?
"I'm home." he smiled warmly.
Aerith nodded at his murmur; assuring him that he really was home.
"Welcome home, Cloud."
Just as a gentle smile began to form on her face Cloud hesitantly inched his mouth closer to hers as his arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer. Their mouths were just a breath's distance away now, their lips just barely brushing against each other, making sure that this long awaited embrace wasn't going to wake him from this perfect ending. The anticipation of this moment was so overpowering to Cloud all he wanted was to just... kiss her—to finally taste the lips of the woman he had dreamnt of for years.
Smiling, he pulled her into a long over-do kiss, taking Aerith by surprise. Their mouths evenly moved with one another, gently caressing each other passionately. They kissed for what seemed like forever, locked in the warmth of their embrace, never wanting to let go.
After so many years of fighting for the planet and missing the one person he longed for more than anything… his journey had arrived at its ending. Their eternity together in a place of supreme happiness had finally begun... and Cloud Strife couldn't have been happier or more at peace than he was in this very moment.
The end.
A/N: Cali here. Well, I wrote this with inspiration from the Clerith forums. I've honestly been wanting to write up a fic dealing with this very same issue for a few years now and so, here it finally is. I hope you enjoyed it. ^_^