A/N: This is an AU version of the Highwind scene; not better, not worse, just different.
"I want all of you to find your own reason to fight. But don't worry; I won't hold it against any of you if you choose to not come back."
Cloud turned away from them all, looking out through the front of the Highwind, arms resting heavily on the railing. Aeris glanced around the members of Avalanche and the Highwind crew as their attentions turned inwards, each now musing on Cloud's words. Vincent was the first to leave the bridge, his cloak swishing as he turned and stalked away. Cid went next, head bowed, trailed a few moments later by the crew; loyal to the end. Barret fidgeted nervously, almost stepping forward to say something before reconsidering and just walking away. Nanaki nodded to the flower girl before he too slipped from the room, passing Yuffie who was frowning, eyes turned towards the deck. She looked straight at Cloud, taking a few paces forward and opening her mouth before she stopped, blinking. She smiled sadly, and caught Aeris's eye; the ninja mouthed 'Take care of him' before she darted silently away.
The echoing footsteps of the others faded into silence; there were now only three of them left on the bridge. Aeris glanced to the mechanical moogle and the cat perched atop it. She couldn't tell if Reeve was still observing them via the robot, or he too had taken some time to find his own reason to return tomorrow. She suspected she could count him as gone too. So only two now remained. Softly she walked to Cloud, and laid a hand on his back.
"Cloud..."
He stiffened and turned in surprise, before smiling sadly. "Aeris... I thought you'd have gone by now."
She studied him for a moment. "What about you though?"
"I said before; I already have my reasons to fight. I'm just going to wait here. I'll be grateful if you and the others come back tomorrow, but I'm still prepared to go alone." He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Please, don't worry about me. Go see Elmyra. I'll be fine."
She held his gaze as she turned his words over in his head. "I'm not sure I should do that. I can't just leave you here on your own."
"You can't stay though. I won't let you lose this last chance to see your mom." He lapsed into silence. "I need to stay and be ready. What Sephiroth did... it still hurts."
"It still hurts me too," she replied quietly. "I... I'm thankful she saved me like that, but..." She stared into his eyes. "I miss her."
"So do I," murmured Cloud, his gaze drifting forwards again.
"I'm not leaving you alone though," she said more brightly, stubbornly resting on the rail beside him.
"I don't have anyone."
"You've got me, Cloud." She turned to meet his mako-tinged eyes.
"But you've got Elmyra. I can't intrude on that."
"Yes, you can."
He shook his head vigorously. "No, that's just not fair."
"It's perfectly fair! And... I want you to intrude. It's not going to do you any good at all being all alone here. So come on!"
Aeris grabbed his hand and began pulling him away from the bridge. He could halt her easily with his enhanced strength, but let her slowly inch him away from the rail.
"I could visit her," he said abruptly, making Aeris halt with a chill, memories of the lifeless body sinking into the lake now playing out in her head. She turned back to him, and found the swordsman staring guiltily down at the decking. "I could go and see her and apologise."
"If anyone should apologise, it's me," she added quietly, and then an idea struck her. "Cloud? Let's go see her together. If we go to see her first, then you have to visit mom with me. Deal?"
Cloud nodded slowly, sadly. She kept hold of his hand as they walked to the chocobo stables, gently pulling him forwards the whole way. Quickly saddling up two of their mounts they took a final look at the abandoned Highwind and set off.
It didn't take them long to work their way back through the winding passages and hidden pathways that surrounded the City of the Ancients. Coming here made Aeris feel so conflicted; on the one hand there was a comforting feel to simply being here in the metropolis, the knowledge that this could have been her home and that the city had furnished her with sufficient knowledge to halt Meteor. On the other, this place was home to uncomfortable, unforgettable, sorrowful memories. At the bottom of the lake was the body of her best friend, the friend who had pushed her aside when Sephiroth attacked, who had found herself impaled on that horrible blade. The utterly courageous Tifa Lockhart lived no more; her death had been shocking for the entirety of Avalanche, but it had been especially agonising to feel her slip away and join the chorus of voices in the Lifestream. Aeris's last memory of her friend alive was red eyes widening in horror and pain before she collapsed forward. The martial artist had slipped through her fingers, her life returning to the Planet no matter how much the last Cetra had cried, begged and pleaded with the babble of voices that made up the voice of the world. Even now she could no longer pick out Tifa's voice amongst so many others.
They'd stopped talking at the city's edge and now guided their chocobos in solemn silence along the path to the lake-shore. In the shadow of the shell house that hid the entrance to the vast under-city, the mourners slipped from their mounts to gaze at the still water and the glowing trees that surrounded them. Aeris spared a glance at Cloud; it didn't look like he would be willing to speak first. She drew in a breath, wondering what to say.
"Hi Tifa," the flower girl began as brightly as she could. "We came to visit you. I don't know how much you know of what's been happening, but we're running out of time, and we need to defeat Sephiroth. If we don't then Meteor will hit and that'll be the end of everything. So we're going to fight him. We're going to fight him for all our futures. We're going to fight him for you. I... I wish you were here with us for this though. Cloud needs you. I need you." She knelt close to the water's surface, now whispering.
"Thank you for saving me, Tifa. I just wish it hadn't cost you so dearly. Cost us so dearly. I'm going to try and take care of Cloud for you. I'm going to try and make him happy like you would. I think you might have been able to do it better; I'm worried about hurting him. If we succeed... we'll come here and see you again. All of us. All of Avalanche. If not... Well, either way, we'll see you soon okay?"
She blinked away her tears as she rose and turned to Cloud. He still gazed at the water's surface, rapidly blinking. "Do you want to say anything Cloud?"
He shook his head, rubbing a hand roughly across his face. "No. Not now. When we come back here. Afterwards."
She smiled at him and gently embraced the swordsman. He started, alarmed and unsure at first, but then relaxed and brought his arms up around her. She relaxed and let her tears flow as he held her.
They remained quiet as they sped away from the city, now headed for the small town of Kalm. Aeris began to worry that the visit to the lost city had done Cloud more harm than good, but thankfully Cloud brightened as they travelled. There was a weight he was dragging with him, but it wasn't weighing him down in quite the same way anymore. He'd shouldered his burden slightly differently, made it more comfortable to carry. She just hoped he would be able to put it down later. They were able to chat agreeably a short distance out from the town, talking about the future, and what they would do once this was over, trying hard to not dwell on the recent past.
Kalm was in the same perpetual mild-panic as every other settlement at present; Meteor hung red and malevolent over them all and it took a few tries to find someone willing to point them to the correct street, and after some confusion a little longer to find even vaguely accurate directions. Aeris took Cloud's hand again as they walked to the small house. She threw Cloud a small smile as she knocked on the door. Elmyra peered cautiously out, her face breaking into delight as she caught sight of her visitor.
"Aeris!" exclaimed the older woman, wrapping her daughter in a fierce hug.
"Hi, Mom," the flower girl replied, choking back tears as she returned the hug. "We've just come for a brief visit."
"'We've'? Oh. Oh, Cloud."
He looked up at her voice, nodding. "Elmyra." His eyes widened in surprise as the older woman enveloped the would be SOLDIER in a hug all his own. Aeris smiled to see his shock, happier still to see Cloud relaxing into it. The older woman eventually released him and then looked at them both.
"You'd better both come in. We were just about to have dinner, but I'm sure I can make more."
"'We'?" now echoed Aeris curiously.
"Flower lady! Cloud!" a child's voice called, and then a small form collided with her legs. The Cetra looked down to find Marlene Wallace hugging her legs.
"Marlene!" Her surprise was only momentary as she noticed Barret sat on the sofa. He raised his hand in greeting, nodding at Cloud as he closed the door behind him. Of course; Barret had come to find Marlene, and Marlene was with Mom. "It's good to see you sweetie!" The young girl smiled up at her before taking her hand and pulling her over to the sitting area. Elmyra bustled off into the kitchen as Marlene returned to enthusiastic chatter and drawing on paper with thick crayons.
The three members of Avalanche chatted agreeably while pausing to admire Marlene's handiwork; though all three were lost for words when the young girl produced a picture of Tifa and Mommy together. Barret looked sullen afterwards, Cloud despondent, and like so many times, Aeris wished she'd had more time to better get to know the person now missing from their lives. Dinner distracted them all and was able to wash away some of the awkwardness. The five of them crowded around Elmyra's table, enjoying what could easily be their final meal.
Aeris gazed around at each of them as they ate and talked happily. She was still not entirely used to having as many friends as Avalanche now afforded her. This gathering was a new experience too; in all her years growing up, no meal had ever included more than her and mom. She felt warm inside, and even though she had never for a moment entertained the idea of not returning to fight Sephiroth, she now realised that she needed to safe-guard this moment and ensure it could happen again. She wanted to come back here and repeat this experience. And maybe next time share it with all of Avalanche.
Hours later, Aeris crept through the darkened house. Cloud had refused to take one of the beds and was instead on the sofa, despite Aeris's insistence she could share a room with her mother that night. He'd warmed up significantly over dinner and as the group chatted afterwards. They'd cleared the table and washed the dishes; acting as though this was no different to any other meal, or perhaps it was part of their hope that they would win out; that this day would begin and end like any other day. Barret and Marlene retired to bed early, Elmyra vanishing shortly afterwards to give Cloud and Aeris some privacy. Frustratingly they soon found themselves at a loss of what to say and Aeris wound up bidding the swordsman goodnight as well, regretting not spending more of the evening with him. Try as she might though, sleep eluded her. She spent an hour or so tossing and turning in bed before deciding she couldn't let the situation lie. She had to see him again.
"Cloud?" she murmured softly as she crept into the living room.
"Aeris?" he said surprised. "I didn't think you'd still be awake."
"And you shouldn't be!" she hissed as she crouched beside him. The mako glow from his eyes let her know he still had his eyes open and wasn't even trying to feign sleep.
"I know. I just keep thinking about things. I'm worried about failing tomorrow."
She sighed. "Worrying isn't going to help with that. A good night's sleep is what you need."
He sighed. "I know. I know I should just stop thinking about this and get some rest, but I just can't let go."
Aeris paused for a minute. It didn't feel quite the right moment now, just before this last battle. She'd been planning to say something afterwards, after everything was done. After the mourning was over; after they visited her once more. But Cloud desperately needed sleep, Cloud needed to relax and she needed to let him know her feelings. Her fingers picked at the blanket, lifting it away from him as she moved towards him.
"Aeris? What are you doing?"
"I'm getting into bed with you," she replied matter of factly. Cloud fidgeted across in the cramped space the sofa afforded and wound up lying on his side facing her. She wriggled a bit closer, seeking better support and less risk of rolling off the furniture.
"I'm not sure your Mom is going to be entirely pleased if she finds us like this..."
"Don't worry about my Mom. This is about you and this is about me. Cloud; I was going to tell you this after-, if-, when we make it. But I'm not sure I can wait anymore. I need to tell you this now, otherwise I'm going to regret it if anything... if anything happens." Aeris took a breath and looked into his glowing eyes. "I love you Cloud. I love you and I want to be with you when all this is done. I... I'm sorry I didn't day anything more after our date. And then after... what happened, I could barely think straight, and it wasn't right. It wasn't what you needed then. But I think you need it now. I think you need another reason to fight, something to look forward to when this is over. And I'm hoping I'm sufficient reason."
Cloud blinked at her, the mako ring appearing and disappearing in rapid succession. "Aeris..." he breathed. "I don't know what to say." She smiled, wondering if he could see it.
"Then don't say anything and just kiss me." She brought their lips together, Cloud reacting tentatively at first, but then increasingly passionately. Hands slid around waists, pulling them closer together, pressing one warm body against the other. Aeris broke the kiss to strip her pyjama top away, wriggling out of the bottoms, before tugging urgently at Cloud's clothes as she kissed him again. They made love together for the first time in the midnight hours before the end of the world.
"Rise and shine love-birds," a deep voice rumbled. Aeris's eyes snapped open in the brightened room as she saw Barret looking studiously away from her and Cloud. He'd switched the overhead light on and she pulled the blanket slightly closer to her chest realising that they were both naked under it; their various items of nightwear were scattered across the floor. "It's 5 am. If we want to get back to the others we best be leaving about now."
Aeris nodded, before asking Barret to give them a few minutes to dress. She hastily put her pyjamas back on as Cloud rubbed sleep from his eyes and began gathering his clothing. She smilingly held his gaze for a moment, delighted to see him smile back at her before she darted a kiss to his lips. The Cetra crept quietly upstairs to dress properly, picking up her staff and the still glowing white materia. She murmured a final goodbye outside Elmyra and Marlene's doors before she slipped back downstairs.
Cloud, Barret and Aeris mounted their chocobos and left Kalm, heading North. Cloud looked happier, she felt happier, even Barret seemed to have found what he needed from his visit to his daughter. The former Avalanche leader smirked pretty much the entire way there forcing Aeris in turn to studiously ignore him and his comments about exactly what they'd gotten up to once everyone else was asleep. Cloud had flushed slightly at the former miner's insinuations, but still looked far more prepared for whatever they would find waiting in the North Crater. All that remained was Avalanche's final battle, their final conflict with the being that had once been Sephiroth.