A story, someone challenged me to write. I changed it a few times. Now it is done in the German fan fiction network. Read and enjoy
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of FF, they belong to Square Enix. (Or I would not write here, lol)
"So everything should be ok for them now." says the black haired man to the girl who sits next to him. "Yeah, the Geostigma is gone, Kadaj und his brothers are here with us and behave themselves. What is so funny Zack Fair?" she looks at the man who giggles "Sorry Aerith, but I just remembered as they all called you mother, even Cloud!" Now begins Aerith also to giggle "True, now we are all here and contend, except for him!" She points to a figure who sits alone in front of a puddle of the livestream. "He keeps watching the living all the time." she sights. Zack nods. "I guess he envies them. But maybe he'll join us." Aeris shakes her head "I believe he never will be happy again. Not Sephirot."
Half a year has passed since the Geostigma. Everything is back to normal in Edge and Gaea. Cloud is still running his delivery service and helps the WRO to rebuild the lives of the inhabitants. Tifa runs her bar; Barrett still looks for energy sources other than Mako. Yuffie, Cid and Vincent work mostly for the WRO now, developing new technologies and vehicles too. Red stays in Cosmo Canyon to teach people about the planet and the livestream. Even Rufus helps with the aftermath; he and the Turk play police to keep the citizens safe from the monster that are still out there. Denzel and Marlene are still living with Tifa and Cloud. Cloud has changed, he is more open now and even cracks a few jokes with his friends, but otherwise is still shy and sometimes lost in thoughts.
"Where is he? He was supposed to be back last night, darned he knows to call me if he's late." Tifa stands in the door of Cloud's room, which is empty. Until today has Cloud called her every time he's running later or can't make it. Denzel and Marlene come out of their room. "Tifa, is Cloud gone all ready?" asks Marlene as she notices the empty room. Tifa thinks about that. "That can be." she says "I call him later, off to school with you two." A few minutes later leave the children and Tifa calls Cloud. He picks up. "Where are you?" asks Tifa. "On the roof!" comes the answer. Tifa stares at the phone, is he kidding. She walks to the stairway that goes up to the roof, opens the trapdoor and peaks through it. No he was not joking; there he's lying on his back on the roof. "Can I join you or you want to be alone?" asks she him. He smiles at her. "If I wanted to be alone I had not told you where I was." She sits down next to him. "Ok but why are you up here?" He looks at the sky "I...I don't know. Last night as I came home I wanted to go to bed, instead I came up here." Tifa looks at him. "You were here all night? Why?" Now Cloud sat up too. "Something kept calling me. No Tifa I'm not nuts!" says he as he notices her face. "I heard a voice in my head. I wanted to see if I can hear it again up here." Tifa questions. "I know you saw and heard Aerith. Was it her?" Cloud shakes his head "No, not quite. That voice I heard came from there!" he points to the sky.