Final Fantasy VII - Immortality
-Prologue-
"It has been said that everything in the universe is fundamentally composed of energy. What we think of as matter is really nothing more than a certain type of energy. And since energy cannot be created or destroyed but merely transferred, some speculate that living beings never truly die. Their life energy is simply returned to the universe in its simplest form."
Tifa stretched her hand out towards Cloud, who was perched on a narrow ledge on a cliff of the Northern Crater, where a valiant fight had just taken place. Massively large boulders and debris were falling from above, the walls around Tifa crumbling. The Planet let out a scream as Cloud jumped up towards Tifa. She reached out, grabbing him by his arm, but the perspiration from her body was far too slick for Cloud to grasp onto. He fell down towards the Mako pool below, but instantly something clicked. He turned around, grasping a small rock ledge. The platform Tifa was standing on crumbled as well. She fell downwards towards the massive sea of green Mako. Cloud jumped. With lightning speed, he fell - grabbing Tifa in his arms. They rolled onto a larger ledge, Tifa holding tightly onto Cloud.
"...I think I'm beginning to understand," said Cloud.
Tifa looked up at him.
"What?" she asked.
She held on tighter and leaned her head against his chest.
"An answer from the Planet...the Promised Land...I think I can meet her... there," Cloud said.
Tifa looked up at him once more, then closed her eyes and leaned her head back down.
"Yeah, let's go meet her," she spoke.
Cloud began to pull the two of them up to the ledge. The Mako pool began to glow white, shifting colors. Cloud and Tifa made their way up and sat down. Cloud looked at her.
"Hey, where is everyone?" she asked.
Cait Sith, Barret, Cid, and Red XIII were reclining on another ledge across the crater. Barret looked up and waved.
"Heeeey!" Tifa yelled and happily waved to them.
"I'm glad you're all safe!" she said.
Barret looked at Cid.
"They all seem to be safe, too. But... now what're we going to do?" Barret said.
He looked out across the crater. Red XIII rose to his feet.
"Holy should be moving soon, and that means this place will..." started Red.
Cid stood and looked up out of the crater.
"Oh, Lady Luck don't fail me now..." he muttered.
He gaped and his cigarette fell from his mouth. Cloud and Tifa, then the rest of the party followed suit and looked up to see the Highwind coming crashing down. It shot nose-first into the crater, crashing into the walls and dislodging more rocks and debris before finally coming to a stop, wedged between the stone walls, the bikini-clad woman painted on the side still winking and smiling blankly.
The Mako inside the crater glowed, grew, and exploded from the crater, which sent a circle of energy outwards as it blasted skyward in a perfect white column. The force of the explosion propelled the Highwind out of the crater, which was spinning wildly. The party was sliding this way and that and struggling to hold on to the railing as the ship flipped in the air. Cid caught hold of a steel pipe bolted to the floor.
"Shit!!" he screamed.
He pulled himself up and stretched to reach a lever marked 'Emergency.' He pulled it and the Highwind transforms again into a sleek craft resembling a jet plane. With the extra control, the ship rolled out of the Mako explosion and screamed off toward the horizon.
Now in the sky, the Highwind continued to circle at a safe distance from Midgar. The party, assembled on the bridge, watched the destruction through the bay window. Cloud and Tifa stood together near the panel. Barret came over and stood behind them.
"Wait a damn minute!" he yelled.
He looked over at the rest of the group.
"What's going to happen to Midgar?" he asked.
He slammed his fist down.
"We can't let that happen!" he yelled.
Cait Sith began to gesture frantically.
"I had everyone take refuge in the slums, but the way things are now..." she began.
Red XIII came forward.
"It's too late for Holy. Meteor is approaching the Planet," he began, "Holy is having the opposite effect."
"Forget Midgar, we've gotta worry about the Planet" he finished.
The Highwind continued to circle. Cid was working frantically at the control panel. Cloud was sitting on the railing in front of the window, his back was to the destruction outside, as Tifa continued to watch fearfully. Cloud looked at her as her eyed widened.
"What's that!?" she exclaimed.
A tiny pinprick of green light was visible in one dark moor on the side of the East Continent. The green light grew and one bright tendril of the Lifestream wormed its way out from the ground. A large hole opened in the ground around the stream, which revealed the Lifestream boiling just below the surface, one thread escaped into the air at a time.
Another strand of the Lifestream was emanating from the ground curving gracefully in Midgar's direction. It shifted again. Two more. They grew. Then three. Then four. Then five.
Cloud, Tifa, and Barret were gripping the railing at the very front of the bridge, watching with wonder as more and more arms of green burrowed out from the ground.
"What the hell IS that......?" yelled Barret.
Cloud showed an empty expression on his face.
"...Lifestream," he answered quietly.
The Lifestream emanated in three more spots, twisting together as they moved along the ground. Back in Kalm village, a light came on in one window, then another opened, and another. Within moments, every soul in Kalm was leaning out one window or another, watching silently.
"It's coming," said Marlene from the tallest house.
The Lifestream continued to rush from the earth. It was streaming from nearly every spot on the ground now, which turned the earth into a massive pool of green. Midgar continued to crumble.
A tidal wave of green closed in on the city, arms of Lifestream were swaying and undulating gracefully, marching along. The air was nearly a solid mass of green.
The power of Lifestream and Holy combined radiated a giant bright light. Everyone closed their eyes as Meteor shattered.
*** The engines of the Highwind rumbled loudly, the boosters surging with energy behind the clan. Cloud's eyes opened, and he blinked a few times. Loud footsteps echoed from the hall to his left.
The metal door slid open, and in came Cloud's childhood friend - Tifa Lockheart. She smiled, noticing that he was up, and approached him slowly; sitting down on the mattress he was on. He looked into her eyes, and she looked into his. They both smiled at each other, and Tifa began to speak.
"Hey Cloud," she stuttered, "Thanks for. saving me back there".
Cloud nodded. "No problem. I owe you from before, you know. You. did help me find myself". Cloud shrugged, lying back down in the bed.
Tifa leaned over top of Cloud, kissing him on the forehead.
"Rest up, Cloud. We've got a long journey ahead of us. Sephiroth wasn't the only Jenova, y'know," Tifa said.
Cloud cringed. Jenova. The one thing he hated. Jenova. The single thing that caused him all of his troubled. Jenova. The devil herself. Reincarnated by a mad scientist, and distributed about by an even madder one. Jenova.
Cloud's eyes slowly began closing. As his eyelids closed together, and Cloud drifted out of consciousness, Tifa bent over and kissed him once more; someday dreaming that she and Cloud could be together as they are in her dreams. Tifa just wanted a mere relationship with Cloud that could last. Something to remember. But she knew it would never happen, for Cloud had the eyes of Mako. He had the eyes of SOLDIER.
-Prologue-
"It has been said that everything in the universe is fundamentally composed of energy. What we think of as matter is really nothing more than a certain type of energy. And since energy cannot be created or destroyed but merely transferred, some speculate that living beings never truly die. Their life energy is simply returned to the universe in its simplest form."
Tifa stretched her hand out towards Cloud, who was perched on a narrow ledge on a cliff of the Northern Crater, where a valiant fight had just taken place. Massively large boulders and debris were falling from above, the walls around Tifa crumbling. The Planet let out a scream as Cloud jumped up towards Tifa. She reached out, grabbing him by his arm, but the perspiration from her body was far too slick for Cloud to grasp onto. He fell down towards the Mako pool below, but instantly something clicked. He turned around, grasping a small rock ledge. The platform Tifa was standing on crumbled as well. She fell downwards towards the massive sea of green Mako. Cloud jumped. With lightning speed, he fell - grabbing Tifa in his arms. They rolled onto a larger ledge, Tifa holding tightly onto Cloud.
"...I think I'm beginning to understand," said Cloud.
Tifa looked up at him.
"What?" she asked.
She held on tighter and leaned her head against his chest.
"An answer from the Planet...the Promised Land...I think I can meet her... there," Cloud said.
Tifa looked up at him once more, then closed her eyes and leaned her head back down.
"Yeah, let's go meet her," she spoke.
Cloud began to pull the two of them up to the ledge. The Mako pool began to glow white, shifting colors. Cloud and Tifa made their way up and sat down. Cloud looked at her.
"Hey, where is everyone?" she asked.
Cait Sith, Barret, Cid, and Red XIII were reclining on another ledge across the crater. Barret looked up and waved.
"Heeeey!" Tifa yelled and happily waved to them.
"I'm glad you're all safe!" she said.
Barret looked at Cid.
"They all seem to be safe, too. But... now what're we going to do?" Barret said.
He looked out across the crater. Red XIII rose to his feet.
"Holy should be moving soon, and that means this place will..." started Red.
Cid stood and looked up out of the crater.
"Oh, Lady Luck don't fail me now..." he muttered.
He gaped and his cigarette fell from his mouth. Cloud and Tifa, then the rest of the party followed suit and looked up to see the Highwind coming crashing down. It shot nose-first into the crater, crashing into the walls and dislodging more rocks and debris before finally coming to a stop, wedged between the stone walls, the bikini-clad woman painted on the side still winking and smiling blankly.
The Mako inside the crater glowed, grew, and exploded from the crater, which sent a circle of energy outwards as it blasted skyward in a perfect white column. The force of the explosion propelled the Highwind out of the crater, which was spinning wildly. The party was sliding this way and that and struggling to hold on to the railing as the ship flipped in the air. Cid caught hold of a steel pipe bolted to the floor.
"Shit!!" he screamed.
He pulled himself up and stretched to reach a lever marked 'Emergency.' He pulled it and the Highwind transforms again into a sleek craft resembling a jet plane. With the extra control, the ship rolled out of the Mako explosion and screamed off toward the horizon.
Now in the sky, the Highwind continued to circle at a safe distance from Midgar. The party, assembled on the bridge, watched the destruction through the bay window. Cloud and Tifa stood together near the panel. Barret came over and stood behind them.
"Wait a damn minute!" he yelled.
He looked over at the rest of the group.
"What's going to happen to Midgar?" he asked.
He slammed his fist down.
"We can't let that happen!" he yelled.
Cait Sith began to gesture frantically.
"I had everyone take refuge in the slums, but the way things are now..." she began.
Red XIII came forward.
"It's too late for Holy. Meteor is approaching the Planet," he began, "Holy is having the opposite effect."
"Forget Midgar, we've gotta worry about the Planet" he finished.
The Highwind continued to circle. Cid was working frantically at the control panel. Cloud was sitting on the railing in front of the window, his back was to the destruction outside, as Tifa continued to watch fearfully. Cloud looked at her as her eyed widened.
"What's that!?" she exclaimed.
A tiny pinprick of green light was visible in one dark moor on the side of the East Continent. The green light grew and one bright tendril of the Lifestream wormed its way out from the ground. A large hole opened in the ground around the stream, which revealed the Lifestream boiling just below the surface, one thread escaped into the air at a time.
Another strand of the Lifestream was emanating from the ground curving gracefully in Midgar's direction. It shifted again. Two more. They grew. Then three. Then four. Then five.
Cloud, Tifa, and Barret were gripping the railing at the very front of the bridge, watching with wonder as more and more arms of green burrowed out from the ground.
"What the hell IS that......?" yelled Barret.
Cloud showed an empty expression on his face.
"...Lifestream," he answered quietly.
The Lifestream emanated in three more spots, twisting together as they moved along the ground. Back in Kalm village, a light came on in one window, then another opened, and another. Within moments, every soul in Kalm was leaning out one window or another, watching silently.
"It's coming," said Marlene from the tallest house.
The Lifestream continued to rush from the earth. It was streaming from nearly every spot on the ground now, which turned the earth into a massive pool of green. Midgar continued to crumble.
A tidal wave of green closed in on the city, arms of Lifestream were swaying and undulating gracefully, marching along. The air was nearly a solid mass of green.
The power of Lifestream and Holy combined radiated a giant bright light. Everyone closed their eyes as Meteor shattered.
*** The engines of the Highwind rumbled loudly, the boosters surging with energy behind the clan. Cloud's eyes opened, and he blinked a few times. Loud footsteps echoed from the hall to his left.
The metal door slid open, and in came Cloud's childhood friend - Tifa Lockheart. She smiled, noticing that he was up, and approached him slowly; sitting down on the mattress he was on. He looked into her eyes, and she looked into his. They both smiled at each other, and Tifa began to speak.
"Hey Cloud," she stuttered, "Thanks for. saving me back there".
Cloud nodded. "No problem. I owe you from before, you know. You. did help me find myself". Cloud shrugged, lying back down in the bed.
Tifa leaned over top of Cloud, kissing him on the forehead.
"Rest up, Cloud. We've got a long journey ahead of us. Sephiroth wasn't the only Jenova, y'know," Tifa said.
Cloud cringed. Jenova. The one thing he hated. Jenova. The single thing that caused him all of his troubled. Jenova. The devil herself. Reincarnated by a mad scientist, and distributed about by an even madder one. Jenova.
Cloud's eyes slowly began closing. As his eyelids closed together, and Cloud drifted out of consciousness, Tifa bent over and kissed him once more; someday dreaming that she and Cloud could be together as they are in her dreams. Tifa just wanted a mere relationship with Cloud that could last. Something to remember. But she knew it would never happen, for Cloud had the eyes of Mako. He had the eyes of SOLDIER.