When Tifa opened her eyes she was met by white. She looked around and saw that she appeared to be in some kind of long hallway that stretched on forever with a soft pale light emitting from the path to her left. She carefully stood up and started taking steps towards the light, it felt so warm, so comforting...
"You're going the wrong way"
Tifa turned around and saw a bench that hadn't been there before with a pretty woman sitting on it, her legs delicately crossed, her hands clasped on her lap. Tifa held her breathe when she saw the woman and took a hesitant step forward, she had often sensed this woman's presence throughout the years but had never actually seen her since she joined the lifestream. "..Aerith..?" Tifa whispered, the question making Aerith smile.
"Do I really look that different?" Aerith teased gently, a smile spreading across her face. "It has been awhile I suppose." She patted the empty space on the bench beside her and when Tifa hesitated she again smiled and said "I won't bite you know."
Tifa took a seat "it's been 3 years since you..." she tried to sound as casual as Aerith, as if talking to the dead girl was a common occurrence. "Well you know." Aerith nodded so she continued, "Where are we? Why are you glowing?" Aerith was dressed in her familiar pink dress, her long brown hair tied with her traditional pink bow. She looked just like she did when she died Tifa realized as she stared at the other girl who was she had noticed emitting the same comforting pale glow as the left path.
"We're in.." Aerith paused searching for the right words, "We are in the lifestream but sort of the in-between I suppose you could call it although really it is more complicated then that. I glow because unlike you I belong on the path to our left." She chuckled and looked up at Tifa, green eyes meeting brown. "It's what happens when you die you know." Tifa opened her mouth to speak but Aerith continued on. "I have to be quick because we are going to be interrupted." answering Tifa`s questioning look she said, "You're going to wake up soon. What I would like to talk about it Cloud" a sudden stern, motherly look came onto her face. "Why have you not told him that you love him yet?"
Tifa stared at Aerith and took some time to put together her answer. "Well it's not that simple, especially when he doesn't return those feelings." Tifa smiled wistfully. "Besides why of all people are you telling me this?" She searched Aerith's beautiful face for answers before adding softly, "Cloud's heart has always belonged to you."
Aerith threw back her head and laughed when Tifa said that, the sound of her pleasing voice filling the room. "You never were one for mincing words were you? Perhaps it did belong to me once" her smile faded with her laughter and a look of sorrow flickered over her face. "Time heals all wounds doesn't it though? Now even I cannot see into Cloud's heart." She smiled again and looked at Tifa, holding her eyes "Cloud deserves a happy ending Tifa and so do you."
"I will be whatever Cloud needs me to be" Tifa said seriously. "Revealing my feelings might ruin our family even if I will always like him more then I should." She sighed in frustration "I will be whatever he needs whether that be a friend or a mother or whatever because my relationship with Cloud is more important then my feelings and I will just have to be happy with that. "Besides" A look of pain flitted across her face but it was gone as soon as it came. "Clouds left when he got the geostigma remember? He turned away from his family..he turned away from me. If that doesn't prove he doesn't love me I don't know what does." She sighed again before adding questioningly "is this dream your way of giving some kind of blessing?"
Aerith chuckled and stood up offering a hand to Tifa who took it. "That kind of blessing was never mine to give Tifa" she said gently. "Everyone deserves a chance to find happiness myself, Cloud, and especially you who has sacrificed much of your own happiness for others, please rethink your decision."
Tifa ignored Aerith and instead hugged the other girl tightly "I miss you so much." She whispered. Aerith hugged back but suddenly cocked her head to the side, listening intently before giving one of her serene smiles.
"It's time to say good-bye, I think." She stepped back from Tifa, "Take the path to your right and you'll return to Midgar. I'll always be watching over you Tifa" She grinned before adding "I'm not just Cloud's guardian angel" Tifa chuckled and hugged Aerith again before she started walking. Just before she disappeared Aerith called out
"Remember what I said about happiness! No more dilly-dallying." Tifa turned with a sad, regretful look in her eyes but only nodded. She wasn't about to tell Aerith her advice had been in vain. When Tifa disappeared Aerith smiled contentedly and glanced at a seemingly vacant spot in the hallway.
"You know it's not polite to eavesdrop" she said fixing the spot on the floor with her best stern face before adding more softly "do you think I did the right thing?"
Pale light gathered in the spot where she was staring until it formed a tall handsome man, also glowing, who walked over to Aerith and wrapped his arms around her.
"Aerith" Zack said, kissing the top of her head gently as she leaned into him. "You know they'll be fine. I think she needed your push though" He smirked before adding "Maybe you should have given it to Cloud, he's always been too much of a bone-head to see love staring him in the fa-."
Aerith turned and smacked him slightly on the arm. "Be nice Zack," she ordered as they started walking towards the light on the left side of the hall. Zack grumbled something quietly before adding louder.
"Well they at least better name their kid after me!" They disappeared into the light but not before Aerith's sweet laugh floated into there air as she said
"I think Zack, that if the are going to name a child after one of us they had better her Aerith first!"
