"Claire...I'm so sorry...Sorry I couldn't be there...When it really mattered..."
The rain fell heavily over the outskirts of Palumpolum. Clouds of sorrow shadowed over the desert, with Palumpolum just on the horizon, as they wept, and poured their tears all over the wasteland...And the man who had fought on this battle-scarred plain. Cloud Strife.
He was covered with blood, and dirt.
He lay flat on his back, struggling just to hold on to his final memories. To his final thoughts. To his final few blinks. His final breaths before he would leave this world, and join the Lifestream.
He had come to Cocoon due to the fact that he was stationed there. In that time he had gotten to know Lieutenant Claire "Lightning" Farron.
From the time he had met her, feelings stirred within him. When she turned against the military...Against the world...He had decided he'd join her, and fight with her. He shared her fate in becoming a L'Cie.
It wasn't long until they had fallen in love together on their journey...However it wasn't long before the party was separated along the way.
Cloud with Snow.
Sazh with Vanille.
And somehow or another, Lightning got stuck with Hope, or "Hopeless" as Cloud referred to him.
They had all found communication with eachother and agreed that they would all join up once again at Palumpolum.
Light, Sazh, Vanille, and Hope had already met there, and were waiting on Cloud and Snow's arrival. However one wasn't gonna make it back...
Cloud and Snow had ran into big trouble on the way to Palumpolum. About 5,000 PSICOM soldiers greeted them.
Apparently, the two L'Cie had been tracked.
"Damn..."
Cloud spoke drawing out his sword...The sword Zack had given him before his death.
He closed his eyes, clasping the sword, and whispered to himself.
"Embrace your dreams...If you wanna be a hero...You need to have dreams...I'll live up to your words Zack. You died a hero's death, and if I do the same, so be it."
Snow had gotten in a fighting stance. Cloud soon joined him.
"You ready for this man? Let's kick some PSICOM ass."
Snow said cracking his knuckles.
A half-smile crossed Cloud's lips.
"Yeah. Let's do it...For Lightning and Serah."
"Their heroes are on the way!" Snow said in reply as he lashed out and started attacking the soldiers, with Cloud joining soon afterward.
The fighting went on for what seemed like hours. Clouds were starting the take up the sunny, fair sky.
The two were getting exhausted... And Snow had injured his leg...
A soldier was charging at the kind-hearted, determined L'Cie.
Cloud jumped, intercepted the attack, and killed the soldier before he could get to Snow. Cloud himself, already had plenty of injuries by that time, and if he went on fighting alone, he'd surely be killed.
"Snow...HURRY!..."
He said, gasping, trying to keep his breath. Blood gushing out of the various wounds on his body.
"Cloud...No...I can't...What about Lightning...You've gotta propose to her remember! It was your plan once we all met back up!"
"Snow...You've got a future...You've got a purpose...And who's gonna be there for Serah if you're dead huh? At least this way, one of us comes back alive."
The gunfire was becoming more intense.
"NOW GO!"
He commanded.
"Cloud..."
Snow spoke... He was right though...They'd both be killed if Snow didn't leave NOW. With that, he mounted the Shiva Cycle, and made a quick escape, with Cloud absorbing all the damage.
He had fought valiantly though.
Cloud killed all but five of the PSICOM soldiers. But they gunned him down.
"CLAAAAAAAAAAIRE!"
He screamed as he hit the hard ground.
One final shot through the heart finished the job, and he lay dying, with his buster sword in hand.
His death was going to mirror his best friend's.
"For you Claire...I love you...I'm sorry I couldn't be there when it mattered...I'm sorry I couldn't show you all the things I wanted to. I'm sorry I wasn't able to marry you, and have a beautiful family with you...But your future...Serah's future...Snow, Sazh, Vanille...Your lives are all easily worth my life."
And as he breathed his very last breath, his soul finally left his body, ready to join the Lifestream.
He saw Zack right in front of him.
His best friend brought him into a warm, brotherly hug.
"Great work, hero."
And now that body and soul were separated, Cloud's body crystalized, forever to remain as the mark of a hero.
He had completed his focus as a L'Cie by giving his life for the one he loved.