There was a clash of swords followed by a blinding stab of pain. Aeris was quickly losing control of her body. She began to fall and felt someone catch her. For the last moment that she struggled to keep her eyes open, she saw his face: blue eyes wide with horror, and expression of unfathomable pain. Then everything went black.

She was sinking. No! I haven't died yet! She fought to return to the surface, to hold Cloud's face in her hands and tell him that it would all be alright, but she could not. As she began to gain awareness of where she now was, a cold voice filled her thoughts: You cannot reach him. I have made sure of that. Don't bother trying. Aeris mentally scolded herself. How could she have forgotten? Sephiroth had jumped into the mako stream five years ago and his consciousness stayed frozen within the Lifestream. He was strong, strong enough to prevent her from returning to her body. Aeris tried to make peace with reality and could not. How could she? The look on Cloud's face…it looked like his heart had been torn apart. He looked so… perhaps fragile was the right word, though it was a bit ironic to think of him as such. And now, she could not do a thing to help him. Aeris felt helpless and that thought tormented her. However, she was in the Lifestream and as a Cetra, she should be able to use that to her advantage. Revived at the notion, she began to review what had happened and what should happen. She should not have been surprised by this turn of events. If anything, it was a stroke of luck that she had not yet died. Though, reflecting on what had taken place, her friends might take her for dead as she was unable to contact them and tell them otherwise. She knew for a fact that she could not return while Sephiroth was alive. With that knowledge in mind, Aeris decided she would make peace with the state she was in. She closed her eyes and thought back to how things came to be like this.

Back at the Temple of the Ancients, was when Aeris saw him for the first time, the cold, silver-haired man whose presence so mercilessly tortured Cloud right before her eyes. She wished so much at that point that there was something she could do to help Cloud, to stop the man. Then, he told them of his plan. She recalled a feeling of doom at the thought of the man getting his hands on the black materia. That's when they discovered that they may be able to obtain the black materia before he would. Cait Sith had called Cloud, offering to come and solve the puzzle. As he was merely controlling the stuffed body he used from afar, the temple crushing the stuffed cat would not actually harm him. Things might have turned out well. Then Cait Sith arrived. Aeris, giddy from the hope, even asked him to tell her and Cloud how compatible they were, remembering the fortune-telling skills of her complanion. The uncertain look on his face made her slightly nervous, but she pressed on, wishing to hear the answer. The memory made her heart ache. Cait Sith told them that she and Cloud were one hundred percent compatible, perfect for one another. At that point, cheered by the thought, she had left the Temple.

That was when he came… Sephiroth swooped down and took control of Cloud, forcing him to give up the black materia. Cloud was in such pain. She bit her lip at the thought. After that, he fell unconscious and Aeris realized that there was something she could do. It was something only she could do. As the last of the Ancients and the holder of the white materia, she could pray for Holy, a force that would stop Meteor. There was considerable risk in the task. Sephiroth would most likely figure out what she had planned and try to kill her. She didn't have much time to decide what she should do. She was the last living Ancient. There was no one else who could what she could, to save the Planet. The decision should be easy to make. If she were to go, she would save all the people of the Planet. However… she most likely be giving up her life in return. The thought shouldn't have bothered her that much and probably wouldn't have a few months ago, but now she thought of him. Could she cause Cloud so much pain by leaving him? This was silly though. If she did nothing, the whole Planet would be destroyed. Neither of them would exist any longer. She had made her choice.

She had been ready to die. So, why should she complain about being trapped in the Lifestream even though she might still technically be alive back on the surface? Aeris decided that she would make peace with her present situation. There was nothing that she could do about it anyway. But at the same time…what if they will take her for dead and leave her behind? It was quite possible as she could not reach them and convince them otherwise. Then she thought of the look of disbelief on Cloud's face, the agony in his eyes. No… he wouldn't give up until he was certain. She sighed in relief. Though it would all be useless if they could not defeat Sephiroth.

Aeris decided she should better acquaint herself with the Lifestream. Time here passed differently. It all depended on how she wished it to be. She could technically close her eyes and tell herself she would not awaken until Sephiroth was defeated. The thought was definitely very tempting. But what if he could not be defeated… Aeris realized she must have a lot of faith in Cloud if she had so quickly decided that he would succeed. More realistically, she should keep watch. As one of the Cetra, perhaps she could influence the Lifestream to help their cause.

She needed to think.

Her eyes snapped open.

NO! This can't be happening!

Had it been two minutes? Two months? All she knew was that she had felt a terribly familiar presence enter the Lifestream. She stood, frozen. Even though she was no longer connected to her body, she felt her heart squeeze in pain. She had been prepared for death at the cost of keeping him alive. This could not be happening…

It took her a moment to realize that he had not died but had physically fallen into the mako flow. She began to organize her thoughts. What could have happened? How could she come to his side? But there was a presence in the Lifestream. It was him… and he would not let her come to the aid of the person she cared most about. The frustration of the situation was almost too much to bear. Luckily, she did not have to bear it for long as Cloud quickly left the Lifestream. She could only hope that he would be found by the occupants of the living world.

But he had left behind his presence in the Lifestream and the wreckage in his mind. So he had not really been in SOLDIER, he was just a failed Sephiroth clone? Aeris couldn't believe these accusations. If he were really just a Sephiroth clone, and nothing but a copy of Zack's personality, how did she find him so distinctly different. She felt like she needed time to just catalog all the new information in her mind. So, Zack and Cloud had been close friends. Alright... that wasn't hard to believe. Zack was friends with everyone. But Cloud's 'memories' were really the memories of Zack? So then why was Cloud somewhat shy and awkward when Zack had been the complete opposite? She stood, thinking hard. The more she thought about these facts and 'memories' the more she felt a presence materializing in the Lifestream. Finally, solid enough to be visible, Zack tapped Aeris on the shoulder. She jumped.

"Zack?!"

"Yo."

Her eyes grew huge. "No... Zack... no…" She said in disbelief, her eyes filling with tears. " You never answered my letters. I just thought…maybe I just wasn't good enough for you…I had never thought…" The tears overflowed as she stepped forward, letting him hug her tightly. They stood for a while, neither daring to say a word. Aeris thought back to the moments they had spent together and the Zack's departure. He said he would be back soon. She had written him so many letters throughout those four years. She had only stopped because she no longer knew where to send them. At least she had figured that he must have forgotten about her and made an effort to forget about him. But if was in the Lifestream now... At last, Zack responded, answering her thoughts.

"Yeah... Those Shinra soldiers got to me. I couldn't fight them all off. I was actually on my way over to see you... Ugh...Shinra. I can't believe I ever worked for them.
Hey. Don't cry. I reached my dream, didn't I? I became a hero." He smiled cheerfully. It was so difficult to dismiss five years with so few words, but Aeris decided to try.

She stepped back, wiping her eyes. She knew that smile well. When she had young, she had found it extremely attractive. She tried smiling back at him. Zack would forever be a dear friend to her. There was nothing that could change that.

"Wait, what about you? Please don't tell me you're also dead."

"Well, it's a bit complicated. I might not be able ever go back to my body, but I'm not quite giving up yet. Sephiroth tried to stop me from summoning Holy..." She trailed off. "This is going to take a while to explain, but you should go first. I really need to know! Is Cloud even real? I mean, I've been hearing some very strange things. Is he just a puppet that's a clone of Sephiroth? And why does he think he's you?"

"Cloud!? Haha! How'd you meet him? He and I were buddies! Hm." Zack took a deep breath. " Let's see... I knew Cloud since he was about 15 years old, and I would say he was most definitely a real person. We became friends when we were both working for Shinra. He was one of the regular guards there, but we were put on a mission together and became friends pretty quick..."

It was indeed a long story, but Aeris was glad that by the end, she learned that she had not been wrong. Cloud was not a puppet at all. He was merely very confused. When it was her time to recount events, Aeris carefully retold all that had happened since Cloud had fallen through the roof of her Church. Zack laughed at the offer Aeris had made Cloud in exchange for him being her bodyguard.

"Trying to copy me, eh?"

"I'm sorry. It was just impossible to pass up, seeing the similarity of the event."

But as the story progressed, he grew more uneasy. "So Shinra and Sephiroth are still out there wrecking the world? Damn… Well, what can we do about it?"

"Well, I used my white materia before Sephiroth got me. Maybe it'll Meteor. For now, I need to think."

"Alright."

"Zack? I've missed you. I'm really glad I've gotten to see you again."

"You know, you can just stay in the Lifestream here with me."

"No…I'm sorry, but Cloud needs me."

"Ah... I see how it is."

"A lot has changed in five years. Really, though thank you so much for the information. I truly appreciate it."

"Hey, what are friends for. By the way, I see you're still wearing my ribbon."

"You know, it has practical purposes too." She said crossly. "I'm really sorry Zack, but I need to watch over Cloud now."

"Heh. You would be good for him. He's amazing at getting himself into trouble."

Sensing that he was no longer needed, Zack began to once again merge with the Lifestream. "Feel free to get me whenever you need me."

She felt her thoughts settle back to the more general crisis. Sephiroth...Meteor...Holy... Oh no... Sephiroth would stand in the way as long as he still lived. Holy would not be able to rid the planet of Meteor unless Cloud and the others could kill Sephiroth. Somehow, she believed he would do it.

Again?! She steeled herself against the instinct to panic. But Tifa too... How did the two of them manage to fall into the mako flow?

Never mind that now she thought. Aeris knew that Tifa was the only living person who had the most complete knowledge of Cloud and Cloud's past. Knowing now, thanks to Zack, what had to be done, she carefully guided Tifa into Cloud's most inner thoughts. She wished she could do this herself, but she also trusted Tifa after seeing just how much the girl cared for their blond hero.

As Aeris watched, the scene below revealed Cloud's childhood to her. She was partially amused and partially sad to see Cloud be an outcast as a child. Amused because he was nowhere near weak now and sad because she could sympathize with the pain of being alone. Her thoughts suddenly went back to her conversation with Zack. She had basically told him that she was no longer his. How was that? She was certain she had once been in love with him. She had also told him that she now needed to watch over Cloud. Below her, Tifa helped the young boy of the past take back his memories.

She sensed that she had matured much since her time with Zack. His confidence and cheerfulness had definitely rubbed off on her and she was glad for it. She guessed she would have never gotten so involved with this mission if she had remained her old self. She felt happy that she was confident enough to have been so bold with Cloud. She sensed that though he appeared to be very cool and calm, he was not nearly as uncaring as he pretended to be and that he showed more of his true nature around her. She remembered the time in Cosmo Canyon, when she had felt so alone, he had told her that she wasn't alone and that the team was there for her. But he had slipped up at first; speaking as though it was he who was really there for her. She had also heard him laugh within only minutes of having met him. Remembering these moments, triggered more memories of the time they had spent together. There was the time that she had forced him into a dress in order to break into the brothel. She remembered how many times he had told her that she shouldn't come, that it would be dangerous. He did seem to try to protect her very often… She felt like Cloud was her personal hero. After all, he had agreed to be her bodyguard, and was always so protective over her, telling her it was too dangerous to continue on, that she should stay where it was safe... He had also broken into the Shinra headquarters and rescued her. Their date at the Golden Saucer had been fun. Dragging Cloud along to the various attractions had indeed been amusing. Aeris thought back to their ride in the gondola, and to the conversation they were having. She recalled telling him that she wanted to meet him. At that point, she had not been sure about what exactly she was saying. Currently, her eyes widened as she realized. Somehow, she had fallen in love with him. Except now, she would need to revise her definition of being in love. The feelings she has felt for Zack seemed to be so insignificant in comparison. Aeris felt like she could take care of herself if she needed to and yet, she so longed to have Cloud protect her. Even more so, was the feeling of being needed. He was so strong, and yet seemed to be so fragile. She could see how badly scarred he was, and yearned to heal his old wounds, to ease the pain. She now realized why she was uncomfortable in the Lifestream. Being away from him caused her pain that she had not previously come to terms with. She wished she could do something for him, to aid him in some way.

Meanwhile, in the world of the living, Cloud and his companions, reunited once more, gathered information on their enemy and the state of the Planet. They had revisited Cosmo Canyon and had learned that Aeris had summoned Holy but also that Holy's power alone was not enough, that Sephiroth stood in the way and what was left of the journey was to seek out the monster and defeat him.

Cloud stood at the heart of the Northern Crater. The earth beneath his feet shook and crumbled as the presence of Sephiroth faded from the physical world. But Cloud knew, Sephiroth was not defeated yet. He felt himself slipping into the Lifestream again. This time, he did not physically submerge himself in the mako, but rather, felt his mind slip into the flow. And surely enough, there he was, the silver-haired legend, the ex-hero. Cloud felt rage fill him at the sight of his enemy. This was the man who had killed his mother, burned down his home town and had… no, he would not let himself believe that she was already dead. Nonetheless, he controlled his emotions, forcing himself to suppress the anger and keep his calm in battle.

Sephiroth's face lit up with a chilling smile. Cloud showed no response as his opponent darted forward to strike him, allowing him to think he had won. But, the moment the offense was completed, he sprinted forward, unleashing fifteen unavoidable, deadly slashes in the space of a few seconds. The cold smile, still frozen on his face, Sephiroth broke apart, emitting glaring beams of light. It was now finished. Cloud stood, confused. He no longer new which way was back to the surface and which way would lead him deeper away from life.

Aeris took her chance. She reached down to him, leading him back to the living world. She saw him lift his hand, trying to take hers. At that moment, he broke through the surface and Aeris hoped that he would be alright. Now, the chilling presence was finally gone. There was no longer a bind on her to remain trapped in the Lifestream and Aeris rejoiced. She looked around herself. Getting back to life might prove to be a challenge, but it was one she could not wait to get started on. Calling out goodbyes to Zack, she began her journey.

The pain was tearing him apart once again. Cloud Strife stood on the porch of a quaint little house on the outskirts of Kalm, staring off into the sea. The bleeding sun was setting, turning the sky to various hues of orange and blue, as the dying light scintillated off of the surface of the water. The world looked to be at peace in the dying amber light. A light breeze ruffles his untidy hair. It had been two weeks since Sephiroth had been defeated. Two weeks since they had saved the planet. Two weeks with nothing to distract him from the nightmares and agonizing memories of the fateful day up on the alter when he had seen her fall.

Back then, they had judged that the wound may not be fatal, that she may recover. They had taken her to Nanaki's grandfather for the time being and then transferred her to the Highwind when they had finally obtained it. Sure enough, her body had begun to heal, slowly, but steadily. After the final battle with Sephiroth, they had found this small house and had transferred her there. The wound had completely healed days ago, but she had not so much as opened her eyes since she had closed them three weeks ago.

Every day, he went and sat by her side. Sometimes he wondered if her eyes were as vividly green as he remembered them as he would gaze at her sleeping face, her long eyelashes casting shadows onto her cheeks. He would brush stray chestnut hairs out of her face with such tenderness that his hand would often shake. Sometimes, unable to resist, he would take her small hand in his and close his eyes, willing her to wake up, to return to his side. At the end of each of these sessions he would leave the room more broken than when he had come in. But the next day, he would always return.

Looking off once more at the glimmering ocean, into the dying light, Cloud turned and walked back inside, back to her.

She was not sure how long the journey had taken, but she could feel herself growing weary. There were no markings in her surroundings to judge by, but lately, she could feel a sort of heaviness that seemed to only grow on her. Regardless, she toiled on. Suddenly, she felt a rather substantial tug. She reached for it. Reaching for it, she felt more and more weight gather on her arm until she felt it become quite physical. Then, the weight settled on her fully.

She could feel herself lying in a bed, blankets weighing down on her, restricting her movement. She was comfortably warm and no part of her seemed particularly sore. The room smelled pleasantly of fresh flowers; she guessed she must have had visitors, and of the clean linens tucked around her. The light must have been soft as it wasn't penetrating her eyelids strongly enough to cause any discomfort. Her arm, forgotten, had been free and presently, she felt it slowly fall and land upon something. It took her a moment to recognize the texture of the cloth and the warmth which meant that the cloth was being worn. In another moment, she felt the intermittent pressure of a heartbeat beneath her fingers which was steadily accelerating. At the same moment, she heard a low gasp and felt a large, warm hand over hers, keeping it in place. A blush heated her face. Slowly, she lifted heavy eyelids to see the vividly blue eyes she was expecting, shining with awe and disbelief. Still blushing slightly, Aeris tried a smile. She knew her first words to him would be crucial and she need choose carefully.

"Cloud," she began. She sat up and instantly, her head swam. Dizzy from the motion, she began to fall. Strong arms closed about her gently as her head fell against his chest, hearing at once, the pounding of his heart. Taking a few seconds to remember to breathe regularly, she concentrated on speaking. These words shouldn't be so difficult to say and yet, she almost couldn't voice them. "I love you," she whispered. His heart sputtered to a stop, and restarted, beating erratically.

"I...I love you too." He managed. Then, slowly, carefully, he freed his left hand, transferring it slowly to her face, gently lifting her chin. She blushed and closed her eyes as she felt his breath draw near. Softly, he pressed his lips to hers.

The warmth she felt almost take her remaining consciousness and causing her head to swim much more fiercely than before as her heart threatened to stop altogether. She freed her hands, raising them to hold his face, feeling the smooth skin at his temple as she brushed some hair away from his eyes. He held her more tightly than before, deepening the kiss and a few moments passed in this manner before completely breathless, he released her, letting her lie once more among the pillows. However, her hold on him was unbroken. Slipping out of his shoes, he climbed under the blankets beside her.

Hearing her breathing turn regular, he felt a panic rising up inside him. Sensing the tension in his body, she nuzzled closer to him.

"Please don't worry," she murmured, feeling pain at his worry. "I'm only going to sleep for a little while. Travelling the Lifestream isn't as easy as you might think."

He smiled, revived by her familiar spirit. Relaxing, he wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes as well. For the first time in years, Cloud slept in peace, breathing in time with the girl by his side.

~Fin~