The memory of me
The new Seventh Heaven had always worked well, as well as the old one located in old Sector 7 in Midgar. Her proud proprietor was also one of the strongest being of the Planet, the best bare handed fighter of the world. Tifa Lockheart was also running a shelter for lost children. But since a few months now, Cloud's delivery services were shut down, mostly because the delivery boy had had trouble with his health recently. The bar was full, as usual, and her doorman was currently helping a few people out, so there was no brawl in view for tonight.
The said doorman, after closing the door , came back to sit down at the bar, his long black hair hiding his fiery red eyes. Usually, Vincent Valentine wasn't working at the bar, he was rarely visiting, but he had made a favour to Cloud, formerly delivery boy, and taken up his new work as doorman for the night. However, if the pale man was a little slimmer than Cloud, his height was a clear advantage; he was imposing in himself, his claw was even more effective, whenever he used it, infuriated drunks were immediately recoiling back. The blond had come down with an inexplicable illness since a few days, and Tifa insisted that he should take the night off. She had also asked something to Vincent lately, and he was coming back with what she wanted, which was information. But both of them knew better than to talk in front of drunken people.
The night went without further incidents, and both friends closed at 3 am, sweeping down the floors and turning off the lights. They went upstairs, locking down the bar access to prevent the kids from playing with the coloured bottles. Vincent calmly followed the woman in the kitchen, where Tifa put a boiler on the stove, both sitting down at the table and waiting for the promised tea. The fighter breathed a sigh.
"So, you found something, I assume, since you came back so quickly", she said slowly.
"Yes, I did. But all I found are suppositions, nothing clearer or sure, no diagnosis or experimental treatments. Looks like Hojo did not have time to go beyond the theory… What did the doctor told you?"
She was about to answer, but the shrill sound of the kettle brought her back to the tea. She poured the hot liquid into two mugs before adding a tea bag and returning to the table.
"Not much… but he suspects that Cloud might know more about his ailing than what he wants to say."
"So, basically, we're back at square one. We will have to ask, eventually. The others are getting worried."
"I know,", she finally whispered, "But, I can't explain all of this… you… could you tell them? I don't think I'll be able to…"
"I will. Nothing is sure, though. Even if Sephiroth is gone, he may only be purging his body of the JENOVA cells. No one knows for sure if he's dying."
"But him. He knows, but he won't tell us… He'll never learn anything."
Tifa breathed another sigh.
"That is for sure. Cloud is too stubborn and too wrapped up in guilt to tell you. He wouldn't stand to see you cry, Tifa, and even less to saddened the children."
Both turned around to see the ghostly form of a man standing behind them, a white wing flapping in his back. Long silver hair cascaded down as he smiled, green tendrils swirling around him. Lifestream. The Planet had send them Sephiroth to answer their questions. But somehow the apparition of their nemesis did not frightened Tifa, and it was bothering her. The angel looked around and saw Vincent, looking at him with a hint of a smile.
"Oh, I didn't know you would be here, Father."
Tifa's eyes almost bugged out of her head.
"Don't look at me this way, I learned a lot when I ended up here. And to answer your question; you do not feel fear because it is the Planet who sent me. Since I had a few debts toward Her, she made me a messenger. And a guide."
Vincent smiled in return, Tifa just gaped at the ex-Turk.
"Yes, I've seen him before. In fact, I saw him in Nibelheim. I was a little shocked at first, but now I understand what fuelled Hojo's hatred towards me. That's also how I knew for Kadaj and his gang."
"But if he's here… as a messenger…"
She could not continue. Silent tears ran down her cheeks. Cloud would die soon. She knew it. Vincent asked Sephiroth why he had been sent.
"Cloud had, unlike me, given a lot of himself for this Planet. So She wants him to pass away surrounded by the ones he loved, people he knew… so I am here to tell you that you have until tomorrow night. He would be glad to see everyone one last time, but don't tell them he's going to leave… He's feeling it, Aerith and I are often going to him while he sleeps. He is prepared. You just have to let him go."
Tifa couldn't believe what she was hearing. Cloud would leave them tomorrow night! She was shaking all over, her heart stuck in her throat. She wanted to cry out, scream and thrash, but she held on. She needed to be strong for him. A gentle hand was laid on her shoulder.
"Go to sleep, Tifa. I will call everyone. Cid will take the Sierra and bring them all here tomorrow morning. We could hit the beach, get out of Midgar… He loves the sun…"
"… Y-yes…", she answer a little shakily
"I will be the one to guide him to the Lifestream. I am sorry, for everything, Miss Lockheart, Father."
"Go to him, Sephiroth. Help him for the time he have left. Make him happy."
Cloud woke up a little disoriented, shaking and panting. Overall, he was feeling faint. But when Marlene bounced in his room, he forced himself to smile; soon Denzel was there, transporting a tray with a light breakfast on it. Grateful he didn't have to get up, he accepted the food.
"Tifa says to hurry, we're going to the beach!" she chirped
To that, Cloud raised an eyebrow. Tifa did not want him to leave the house since his health problems started. So this was unexpected.
"So you can feel better." Denzel added with a smile. "Everyone is here! Even the talking lion!"
"I have a name, young one," said a familiar voice, " and it is Nanaki. Good morning, Cloud. How are you?"
"Not very good, but it could be worse. It's good to see you, Red. What brings you here?"
"Cid, of course. The old gang wants you to feel a little better. We're taking you to Costa del Sol. Tifa and Vincent say that you are tired of being stuck in the city…"
With a smile, he finished his food. He felt relieved all of a sudden, enough to get up on his own and to climb down the stairs. His eyes and smile widened when he saw that effectively all of his old comrades were gathered, ready to go. Tifa returned his smile, showing him his swimming trunk. He was ready to go, too. With Cid's help, he made his way to the Sierra, and they installed him in a cabin. When the door closed, almost immediately, a familiar form appeared, flapping his wing and gently helping him to get to sleep.
Yuffie was splashing Barret, Marlene and Denzel were burying a sleeping Cid in the sand while Nanaki and Tifa were building a sand castle. It was the perfect day; not too hot, with a soft breeze to accompany their picnic. Cloud, with Vincent at his side, was laid under the parasol, shielded from the sun. Once in a while, the ex-Turk was taking him into the water. The last time they dipped in the ocean, Cloud had had a very hard time just to move his legs, and Vincent knew he would have to take him inside soon. A surprised cry made the blond smile tiredly as Cid woke up, making the children run for their lives, giggling. After getting himself out and shaking the sand out of his swimming trunks, he came closer to the parasol, his skin having already a very appealing shade of red.
"You should go inside and put a shirt on, Cid." said Cloud, albeit a little feebly.
"Ya should shut up, kid. You're the one who looks like a fried up fish."
"Indeed," Vincent added, "You seems to be incommoded by the heat. You would be more at ease inside, with the air conditioner. How about it?"
"Yeah… The sun is setting soon, anyway. I'll take a nap inside."
"Cid, could you help me? We'll take him in the living…"
As they pulled him up, the blond gasped painfully, letting the two other men support him through the crowded streets to the mansion. The fresh air immediately eased his breathing, but didn't stop the hacking coughs that followed. His vision became fuzzy and he was feeling very faint, his body was heavy… He felt someone lift him suddenly, placing him on his side. He did not move, not until the coughing fit receded. Only to turn on his back and succumbing to the fatigue.
Vincent calmly wiped away the blood on Cloud's face, hands and sheets with a wet cloth. Cid was completely dumbstruck; then, as if he had been hit by a train, he grabbed the ex-Turk by the shoulders and roughly pulled him out of the room.
"Care to explain to me what you are doing? The kid's almost coughed up a lung to you and you don't even tell me to get some help! I-"
"He's not going to wake, Cid. In fact, the only help we can give him is to make him feel he can go back to the Lifestream anytime."
This struck the pilot like nothing before. He had to take a deep breath before asking how he knew this. When he got his explanation, Cid was asked by Vincent to gather the rest of their gang.
As Vincent said, Cloud did not wake up when it was time to eat, even if Marlene and Denzel tried their best to make him open his eyes. Tifa had to tell them the truth, because she refused to lie to them, and she ended up telling everyone about Cloud's fate, Sephiroth, and Aerith.
"Don't be too sad, okay? Even though he's going into the Promised Land, he'll stay in our hearts forver…"
"But why now!", Denzel cried, "Why does he have to leave us?"
"Denzel… Do you remember when he saved us from Kadaj, how sad he was after he did it? Well, Cloud knew Sephiroth before, and it was a good friend of his. How would you feel if something happened to Marlene, something so bad that the only way of saving her would be to kill her?"
"I… I would be very sad, I guess…"
"Exactly. It would hurt your heart. And you remember the night when you woke up because someone was screaming?"
Both youths nodded.
"Well, I did not tell you because I did not want to scare you. It was Cloud. That's when he started to be very ill. I had to get out that night, remember? I went to the doctor's house, and he told me Cloud was too ill, he couldn't do anything to cure him. Now, his heart and his body hurt so much, Denzel, that the best thing we can do for him is let him go to the Promised Land, where he won't suffer anymore. It's the only thing we can do to save him, like he did when he saved us. Do you think you can do it?"
Through clenched teeth, the young Denzel nodded, but he latched his arms around Tifa's legs and began to sob quietly, while Marlene was reassured by her father. There was nothing they could do, only to wait for the inevitable. But Vincent was not convinced; he still thought that they should go see him one last time.
"I'm sure he can still hear us, and Sephiroth told Tifa we had to let him go. We should go tell him that he can."
"Goodbye, Cloud…"
Tifa bent down and kissed his forehead one last time, a few tears falling down her cheeks. She was the last one, and like many of the other Avalanche members, she ruffled the blond's spike as she left the room, leaving Vincent and Nanaki alone. She didn't have the strength to watch him die, she almost lacked courage to come and tell him to go. She disappeared behind the door, where Yuffie and the others were waiting.
Vincent wished Sephiroth wouldn't be too long, for Cloud's raspy breathing seemed more and more painful at each passing minute. He stood up, walking to the bed and he took out the blond's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before sitting next to him on the bed. Nanaki followed him, sitting on the floor in front of the ex-Turk.
"You have changed, my friend. Serenity seemed to have dawned on you, recently.", he said.
"Since I have come to term with Lucrecia's and Sephiroth's death, I have learned a lot. Helping a friend in this phase of life is more important for him than having myself dwell in grief."
"In Cosmo Canyon, the elders say that a soul is never lost. The body goes back to the Lifestream, and very strong souls are returned as guardian angels and messengers, while the others are sent back amongst us as infants. Cloud saved the Planet twice, I wouldn't be surprised if he came back as a guardian angel, who knows…"
There was a short silence after that, and Vincent turned his gaze to Cloud's face, gently letting go of the hand he was holding. The room was completely silent, apart for a slight flapping sound, which turned out to be Sephiroth's messenger form. His transparent arms were holding a limp spirit, Cloud's spirit.
"I have to take him away, now. Once in the Lifestream, he'll wake and come to you in your dreams. The Planet thanks you all for helping her champion, the Promised Land will be open to all of you."
"Just don't forget to come for your father, Sephiroth, and take care of him. He needs it."
"Of course, I will. Just don't hasten your time, you have a lot to live for."
And he disappeared. Vincent pulled the thin sheet over Cloud's peaceful face, then left the room. Nanaki followed him, grimly announcing the bad, but expected, news.
Tifa, Barret, Denzel and Marlene closed the door of their hotel room. Yesterday they had buried Cloud's body, deep into the caves of the Northern Crater, where no one will ever come to disturb his final rest. That's what Tifa had made up for the others, because Cloud had told her the real reason why he wanted to be buried there. He had come to her in a dream, asking to rest near his old friend. He had looked at peace with himself in death, serene. Which was reinforcing her idea that she had done the right thing. To let him go. Even if it has been only a week, everyone, even Denzel, seemed to cope fairly well with Cloud's death. Surely something to do with that odd dream they all had…
She turned around and filled a tea pot with water. The kids were already sleeping, and the big black man, after tucking them into their bed, left, saying something about a bar and Reeve. As it began to boil, she took it off the burner, pouring the hot liquid into a mug.
"Some things never change, is it not?"
"Indeed, Sephiroth, some things never change. How is Vincent?"
"Good, he returned to Wutai, trying to get back to his old life. He is learning the old martial arts, in a traditional school. Nothing similar to what Shinra used to train us… And you'll never guess, he had convinced Cid to come with him. It is a shame I'm not alive anymore to knock some sense into him…"
That made the woman laugh.
"Afraid that your father can embarrass you? Well, I'll be darned… I always knew there was something between those two. Poor Shera… Oh, you surely have a message, if you're here. May I ask…?"
"You're right. Aerith sent me…"
"Sent /us/ you mean… Geez, Seph you-"
"Just spoiled the surprise, Cloud."
Cloud was floating next to Sephiroth, six wings flapping behind him. She had thought it was only a legend; the doors to the Promised Land guarded by an Archangel which soared in the Lifestream, gathering the deserving spirit with the Holy staff, his six wings creating the holy winds…
"Cloud…"
"Hey, Teef… I just wanted to thank you. For everything. Everyone of you, you'll have a special place in my Promised Land. I have to go now, the Guardian of the Doors cannot stay upon the earth for too long. Next time you'll see me, well… you know. But Seph and Aerith will take care of you before that. Goodbye. And thank you again."
In pure shock, she almost dropped her mug. She was happy to see Cloud, even for a moment, but she wondered if she would really see him again.
"As he said, I'll come for all of you, in due time. Since I am a messenger, I am free to roam around, so if you ever want to talk, or send him a message, I'm your spirit. Just call. I owe you, anyway."
Tifa nodded. An idea began to form in her mind. Maybe… maybe she should go to that traditional school of martial arts with the kids. To keep her mind off Cloud for a few weeks, to allow the kids to learn more, and to see if really, there was something going on between Vincent and Cid. And somewhere, she was sure, there was a silver-haired angel messenger who sighed in despair, and an Archangel laughing his head off. Yep, she could definitively hear him.
End
Author's notes
I know! I'm bad!
Two deaths, and I still managed to slip a hint of yaoi… Bad, Htress…