I stayed up way too late thinking this up AND this is my first fic, so... be nice!!!!!! This is based upon the idea of there having been a way to resurrect Aeris in the game (before that was edited out) but because I don't know how you were supposed to do that, I'm just making up my own way. But then again, that's what it's all about, right?
Disclaimer: I do not own FF7. If I did, there would be some MAJOR revisions to the story. But then this fanfic would never have existed, so it's just as well.
I. Building Bridges
He saw her through the mist, a slender silhouette with beautiful long hair and dancing green eyes standing not three yards away from him. Giggling, she turned, saying, " follow me, Cloud!" He followed, running as fast as he could, trying with everything in him to catch up to her. But it was to no avail. She ran deeper and deeper into the mist as he followed, getting a little further ahead of him each minute. Then, she was lost in the mist. Gone. Again, like always. Like she was forever gone to him now.
"AERIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!!!!!!!!"
He jerked awake with a start, startled from his sleep by his own yell of helpless fury. Sighing, he pushed his spiky blonde hair out of his deep blue eyes and got out of bed. He wouldn't be able to sleep again, anyway. He tugged on his clothes and descended the spiral shell-like staircase and walked outside, grabbing his Ultima Weapon from its customary place hanging on the wall. If he wasn't going to sleep, he might as well practice with it. Not that there was really any purpose to the practice anymore. They had saved the planet, Sephiroth was gone, and nothing even remotely threatening lived anywhere in the area. The only reason he practiced these days was to have something he could do to keep the depression away, just a little longer. Aeris...
He always dreamed of her, these days. Most recently it had been the mist dream, not always, but... it was always of her, whatever it was. Her laughing, her praying in the chapel in the sector five slums, her dragging him around at the Gold Saucer... always Aeris. A whole year... hard to believe it had really passed. It seemed like just yesterday that they had had that whole fiasco with Sephiroth and the planet. Just yesterday, that Aeris had been alive. The whole group had gone their separate ways now: Barret returned to Corel to help rebuild, Red XIII returned to Cosmo Canyon to study the planet with his grandfather, Vincent off to places unknown for reasons he kept to himself, Cait Sith in Junon, powered down for most of the time, since Reeve spent all his time as the president of Shinra now, Cid returned to Rocket Town with the promise from Reeve that at the first opportunity they would reopen the space program, Yuffie returned to Wutai, and Tifa had gone home to Nibelheim. She had asked him go with her, but he had chosen to remain here, in the City of the Ancients… with Aeris.
His days passed like a blur here, one blending into another. He hardly did anything anymore, except practice... there was little else TO do. The silence had bothered him at first, but he was now accustomed to it, even fond of it. He rarely left the City, only about once every two weeks to go to Bone Village to stock up on food. He never got visitors, which really wasn't too surprising, since no one could get through the Sleeping Forest but him because he still had the Lunar Harp.
He snapped himself out of his reverie and opened the door, walking outside into full sunlight. Surprising, actually... this was the latest he'd managed to sleep recently. He stretched, warming up, and finally began the familiar exercises that were second nature to him by now. He just closed his mind off and let his body do the work. By the time he finished, about thirty minutes later, the sun was high in the sky and it was promising to be a hot day. Tired, but not hungry enough to want breakfast yet, he decided to visit Aeris while he cooled down. As he walked the path to the pool where she lay, he noticed that his feet had almost worn the stones smooth from constantly walking here. The observation brought a small smile to his lips, but it was a sad, bitter one.
He had arrived. Walking over, he sat down by the pool, at the same spot he always sat, staring into the water. So close, he could see her there... and yet so far beyond his reach now. He studied her lovely features, somehow perfectly preserved in the water, her long brown hair spread out behind her, pink dress looking the way it always had, except for the hole in the stomach which made his blood run cold even now, her beautiful green eyes closed forever. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes to shut out the sight before it made him weep uncontrollably.
"So what do you intend to do about it? Clearly neither your mind nor your heart has changed during this past year. So what do you intend to do?" a voice asked softly, a hint of curiosity in it. Cloud jerked around, his hand on Ultima Weapon's hilt when he came face to face with the person who had spoken. Dark hair falling a little past his shoulders, dark eyes visible above a red wrap that covered part of his face, dark clothing and a cape, a gun at his hip...
"Vincent?!" Cloud's voice held both shock and disbelief. "But, the Forest, it should have... how could you..." he babbled, only vaguely coherently.
"I'll tell you in a minute," replied Vincent, "but first answer my question."
"What do you mean, what do I intend to do? What can I do?" he asked, a little confused.
"Well, the way I see it, you have four options."
"Which are?" he asked now starting to get irritated as well as confused. He didn't like his solitude being interrupted.
"Number one... is to continue living the way you have been. However, I don't consider that an option. So let's move onto the others." Ignoring both Cloud's indignant look and half-formed protests, he continued. "Number two is to go out into the world and find yourself a real life, and leave everything from the past in the past. No, don't even argue yet, I know you don't like that one, but I'm just listing them as I see them. Option three is to join Tifa in Nibelheim and apologize for not seeing her for so long and build a new life there. And your last option...lies with Aeris."
"Aeris is gone," Cloud interrupted, his voice a little harsher than was really necessary. "And me 'n Tifa... I dunno about that. I feel nothing for her, having been harshly disillusioned from my 'memories' of our 'childhood friendship.' I don't think that she's really the kind of person I could love, anyway... there's too much distance between us now. Perhaps with time we could grow to be friends, but... no more than that."
Vincent nodded. "Good, that's what I expected you to say... but about Aeris..."
"There is nothing I can do about Aeris!" Cloud yelled, fighting back tears for the second time that day.
"Yes, there is. Listen to me. While you've been moping for this past year," here he held up his had to forestall Cloud's protests, "I've been searching for a way for you to bring Aeris back..."
"Vincent, stop," Cloud cut in, "this is pointless. There is no way. Aeris is gone and if there had ever been a chance for Tifa and me, it's gone by now. I've separated myself from her for too long, there's no way... I've burned my bridges behind me."
"This has nothing to do with Tifa. I've been up on the Northern continent and heard rumors about an item...the Phoenix Staff, a mysterious rod with phoenix tears and blood forged into it. It supposedly has the power to restore dead, but it only works once..."
"Rumors. Nothing more... I can't go off on a wild hunt like that... it'll only raise my hopes, just to have them crushed again..."
"So you're telling me you're just letting the opportunity slip away?! Because you're too afraid too try? In that case, I'm sorry for wasting your time. I though you cared enough for her that even the chance to help her would be enough." The first two sentences were shouted, but the last two were tinged with quiet disgust.
"Why do you care, anyway?!" Cloud yelled in return, stung by the remark.
"I'm giving you the same chance that I had... with Lucrecia. To change things, and not let the chances just slip through your fingers for no better reason than fear... Cloud, you may have burned your bridges behind you, but I am offering you tools to build one again. But I can't build it for you... the choice is ultimately yours, and I hope for your peace of mind that you've made one you can live with. Sorry to bother you, then." He turned and began to walk away.
"Vincent! Wait!" "What?" "Umm... can I borrow your phone? I kinda got rid of mine a year ago, and, um… I need to contact Cid... I think I need a ride to the northern continent."
Vincent actually smiled, something that surprised him. "No need to call Cid...how did you think I got here? Come, you can ask him for that ride personally." For the first time in a little more than a year, Cloud let a real smile reach his face. But before he left, he turned back to the pool.
"Wait for me, Aeris," he said softly, "I'll be back soon, I promise. I'm just off to go build bridges..." he smiled again, and then turned and followed Vincent at a run. "Wait for me!!!!"