Cloud sat cross-legged, staring into the pool. It mirrored his brooding face and the water in the corners of his eyes. Cloud sighed. He'd come here to find relief in the solitude of Aerith's church. Reaching backwards, he pulled the buster sword out of its sheath on his back and laid it beside him. He looked around at the stained glass, the worn stone walls, at the flowers that grew in abundance around where he sat - anything to take his mind off the pain inside.

He thought again of the six swords, the familiar black wing, and then the dying soul, held in his arms. A soul that just wanted comfort and someone to look to when times were rough. A soul that was like any other, not changed in any way by its vessel. A tear slipped down Cloud's cheek and left a wet stain on the flowers.

"Brother."

Cloud was startled out of his reverie by a voice; the voice that he'd thought was gone forever. It called again.

"Brother."

The blond swordsman knew of only one person that had ever called him that. The thought filled him anew with sadness. The voice whispered through the walls of the church like the wind that ruffled the glassy surface of the pool.

"Brother."

This time Cloud answered.

"Kadaj?"

Cloud felt a wave of affirmation wash over him.

"Yes, Brother, it's me. Look around. What do you see?"

Cloud thought that was a rather odd question. Still, he supposed it was best to answer. "I see Aerith's church. You know, with the flowers and the stone walls and the pool of water that healed the Geostigma."

"Yes, Brother. I remember." The voice paused and Cloud caught faint whiffs of hesitation and sadness. He'd never thought that those two words would ever be associated with Kadaj. Then, haltingly, the voice spoke again.

"Brother, you've been forgiven, haven't you?"

Cloud was lost in the memory of that moment, standing with his back pressed against Aerith's. He thought of the warm surrender. He remembered - the burden that had turned him into a person who could never truly live again - how it had vanished in that moment.

The moisture in his eyes disappeared. I am not alone. He spoke to the air around him.

"Yes."

There was a long silence. Then, from the shaft of sunlight pouring in through the stained glass windows, Kadaj spoke again.

"Brother, can…can I be forgiven?"

Cloud thought of Sephiroth, of his hatred, and of his three brothers who were Sephiroth incarnate. Somehow, the atrocities of the past did not seem to apply to Kadaj. Almost as if…

The soft, familiar voice spoke to the bowed swordsman and to his lost brother. "Yes, Cloud, almost as if he's already been forgiven."

Cloud raised his head as the church flooded with the radiant presence that he knew so well. His heart shed the chains that shackled it to memory. A true smile touched his lips and he closed his eyes. The blond head nodded. Sprawled in the flowers, Cloud fell asleep with a peace he'd not known in some time.

"Mother?" Kadaj's voice, full of uncertain hope.

The amused voice of Aerith spoke into the stillness over Cloud's prone form. "You, too?"

The ethereal Kadaj fell silent. Finally, Aerith spoke again.

"Kadaj, you will never be genuinely free until you accept that what's done cannot be changed."

"I know this, but…what Sephiroth did…what I did…can anyone forgive me? Can I forgive myself?"

Aerith's voice took on an intense tone. "No matter what you've done in the past, though, forgiveness can reach to the depths of your very being. You have to start by forgiving yourself."

"How? Please, tell me…" Kadaj's voice held a note of desperation.

A gust of wind swirled through the church, rustling the flowers and Cloud's hair. With it came reassurance, like the serenity of a sleeping infant being held in its mother's arms.

"Forgiveness starts with accepting that everyone has limits. Forgiveness means letting go of your past, of the things that you can't change. And you have to learn to trust in yourself, to believe that you can change."

Kadaj did not speak for some time. The only noise in the church was that of the rustling flowers and the whisper of the wind. Cloud slept on, oblivious to the world. Finally, almost inaudibly, Kadaj addressed Aerith.

"I've been forgiven, haven't I? By Cloud, and everyone else?"

Aerith's voice was tender. "Yes, Kadaj. But the most important thing is – have you forgiven yourself? Have you let go?"

There was no mistaking the surprised sincerity in Kadaj's voice as he answered.

"Yes. I…I feel…almost like…"

Aerith saved him the trouble of trying to put feelings into words. With a smile in her voice, she beckoned to Kadaj.

"Come, Brother. Let's go."

A great gust of wind rattled through the church as the two vibrant presences swept up into the rays of the morning sun. Startled out of his slumber by the petals brushing his face, Cloud sat up and rubbed his eyes. His piercing blue gaze took in the peaceful surroundings and fell upon his sword, still lying where he'd left it.

He got to his feet and hefted it into the sheath on his back. With a small smile, he glanced once at the pool and the sun still streaming in the window, then turned and left. The wind whispered again, three voices in a muted harmony.

We are forgiven.