Disclaimer: I do not own the Final Fantasy Franchise, and that all Rights goes to Square Enix.
A/N: If you are looking for a Clerith fanfic, this is not the fanfic for you. If you are looking for a very cheesy Zerith fanfic, this is also not for you. If you are a super CloTi shipper and loves reading stories about bashing Aerith, this is not a fic for you either (Go read Aerith's Manhunting Guide if you are into that stuff.) However, if you are unsatisfied with Aerith's ending or Maiden like me, this may be the fic for you. It is my vision of Aerith's opinion after her death and reuniting with Zack. Attempted Clerith, implied Cloti and semi-implied Zerith were made.
In the Forgotten City, I prayed for Holy, a powerful white magic that would save the planet from the Meteor and its destruction. I prayed as hard as I could, and hoped that it would be summon in time to stop all this mayhem.
As I finished, I looked up, and I saw him. His stern beautiful face, his perfectly blond spiked hair, and his deep Mako-enhanced blue eyes. I guess he got my hints and clues from the dream I influenced over, my hero has come to save his princess, I couldn't help, but smile.
(The sound of Sephiroth stabbing Aerith from behind)
A sharp pain came rushing from my spines down to my legs, so unimaginable and unbearable. I could see the shock reaction on his face, his light smile turning into a bittersweet frown, and I had no knowledge of what had happen.
Within those split second, I felt cold, and stone-like. I lost everything, my feelings, my mind, my senses; I have forgotten what it was like to smell, taste, hear, touch, and finally see.
I realized that I, Aerith Gainsborough have died.
It wasn't what I expected, but the lights did come closer to me, and I could see nothing but the blankness surrounding me now.
I tried to steal my final glimpse of life, I knew it would his beautiful face that would be the very last thing I would see before I leave this world. I also knew he would be the one who would carry my cold corpse to lay my body to rest. However, only half of my expectations were true. The last thing I saw, wasn't him, it was you.
When I looked up after my prayer, My blond hero was there, until that split second his face began to fade out and resembled to yours. I didn't understand why I saw you, but it just happened.
My eyes saw the raven spiked boy I once encountered when I was 17, and the cheerful smile that words was indescribable to explain. Did it mean something? Where have you gone for these past four years? I wrote you 89 letters, did you ever receive them? Or did you forget about me? I never did. I missed you...
Too much thoughts were rushing through my mind, I was dead, how could I still be thinking? The light shone brighter on me and a hand reached out for me from that lights, I assumed it was time to leave the planet and move on. I took the angelic hand as it pulled me up closer to the clouds, until I realized it wasn't an angel's hand. It was yours.
You welcomed me to the life stream.
"Hey Aerith!" He held me in his strong arms like he once did when we were younger.
"Zack, have you been here all this time?" I asked while embracing his warm hug.
"Not exactly..." he replied as he released me. He placed his hands on my shoulders, there I was, mesmerized by his soul blue eyes. A lot different from Cloud's eyes, I could see serenity, calmness like the sky in Zack's eyes, while I saw angst, conflict in Cloud's. "Let's just say that there was some conflicts in Nibelhiem, and things got out of hand. So Cloud and I were locked up for some time due to some research, We broke out and tried to make our way back to Midgar to see you."
"You know Cloud?" I asked again with most interests.
"Yep! He's one of my closest buddy!" Zack exclaimed.
"I see," I said. I can't believe that all this time, I thought Zack forgotten about me or left me for another woman. A tear escaped out from one of my eyes and rolled onto my cheek.
"I've watched you two." He looked concerned as he wiped that single drop of tear off my face. His hands, never have it felt so right. "His mind and memories, aren't his. Because of the project, he lost who he was and attached my memories with others."
"Really? I thought I saw something off. Something about him that reminded me of you." I finally confessed.
"Oh Aerith, can't seem to move on and forget me huh?" He laughed.
"You're wrong, Zack." I lied and blushed. I didn't want to admit it, because I was embarrassed, so I had composed a lie. "Four years has been pretty long, I felt as if I was a little girl, waiting for her mother to come back, even though she knew that her mother passed away, yet she still waits, in denial and disbelief. I'm sorry but, I couldn't wait for you forever, I have to move on. I know that there's something about Cloud that attracts me. Something different from you..."
"Oh really now?" He asked. "What is it?"
"He's awkward, and simple." I replied. "It's kind of charming..."
What I really wanted to say was that you are nothing like Cloud. No man would ever make me feel the way I felt about you. Your eyes would always give me butterflies in my stomach. Your smile would always brighten up my day. Your arms, would give me the most warm even when it's not even cold.
The former soldier lost the smile that was drawn on his face and sunk into a light frown. Once again he tried to put on a fake smile, but I could see through it. Inside, he was hurt by my remarks.
"Well, that's sweet." He lied with that fake smile still glued on.
I lightly smiled back, hoping he wouldn't take it seriously.
"Hey, why don't we see what's going with our buddy down there?" He suddenly changed the subject.
I looked down from the life stream again, I could see my former hero lying in a bed, in a state of comatose, and being nursed by Tifa, one of my close friends I made during the adventure. She has always been a sweetheart; I admired how much she cared about her friends.
The city of Mideel suddenly came crumbling below, I could see the two racing to beat it, however, they were unsuccessful and slipped into the exposed life stream.
"Zack! What should we do!" I shouted frantically.
"Quickly! I have a plan!" He let out his hand to me, I quickly grabbed it and began to pray with him. We pray that she and Cloud would get to a safer spot.
I knew where to take her, somewhere all the troubles and conflicts are locked, a place where she could figure it all out and save him from the lies he has been living. I took her to his heart.
"Tifa, can you hear me?" I closed my eyes and began to whisper, hoping that she could receive my message. All I could heard was her confusion, so maybe I was able to reach out to her.
"Tifa, I know you can save him, only you are able to." I encouraged her once again, but once again more confused shouts and screams came out of her mouth.
It took a while for our prayers to take her to the destination, but when she made it into Cloud's closed heart, it seems as if she knew what she was doing all along. I watched her glue back the pieces of Cloud's memories, and restored his life once again. Through watching what was being unveil right before my eyes, I finally met the real Cloud Strife.
The real Cloud, was a shy and private person that had a dream of becoming a SOLDIER to impress and get notice. The Jenova cells that affected his life, made him forget what he was fighting for and lost his memories, but thanks to his childhood friend, he finally realize his true self.
She was the key to his closed heart, and the anchor to his sanity. It was obvious who he was in love with all this time. Her name is Tifa Lockhart.
I could see that she loved him too. I was quite jealous of her, to know what it's like to be loved and to truly give love back. I wished that I had a love as pure as theirs and call it my own.
"Well done, Spiky." Zack chuckled. I turned and stared back at him, wondering why he had just said that.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You saw his memories in Nibelhiem. Or mine.. haha" He laughed. "I'm glad we took her to his heart, otherwise she would never see how he felt about her."
Thinking about what Zack just said, I understand now. Everything he has done, was for her. Joining SOLDIER, and keeping that dear promise to always save her. They loved and cared about each other, I can't believe I almost took something special away from them. Both Tifa and Cloud once told me that they were just friends, however, during the time I spent with them, Cloud's mind was consumed by multiple personalities, while Tifa's insecurities were well-hidden, made no one able to see how she truly felt. Learning from what was inside Cloud's heart, it was selfish of me that I wanted to move on without realizing the truth about my friend.
However, truth be told by me, I never let Zack go let alone move on. Those four years I waited and longed for him to come back to me, were the longest years in my life. The way Zack made me feel was a lot different from Cloud too.
I didn't understand what love was when I was younger, and I always convinced that I may have been in love with Zack. I felt as if I was placed first and was more important than anything else in the world whenever I was with him. During those four years, I used to replay my ideal future with him in my mind: A white wedding in my rebuilt church before I turn 25, and three children before I'm 30. A son named Alexander, and two daughters: Ifalna and Elmyra.
This fantasy of a knight in shining armor who would save his princess, his damsel in distress and lives happily ever after was everything I wanted. I wanted to escape my imaginary and head back to reality, but I couldn't. I still held onto silly things he impacted my in life as close to my heart:
I adopted his outgoing and flirting traits to socialize with people other than the Turks.
I sold flowers because he suggested it was a way for me to conquer my fears of the public.
I now wear pink instead of my white dress because he thought it made me look cute.
But most importantly, I wore the pink ribbon he gave me during our date. The same ribbon that I held the white Materia in that would one day save the planet.
Maybe this was infatuation I felt for Zack Fair, after all I didn't know what love was, but after watching Tifa embraced Cloud, it was one of the most heartwarming moment ever, could this be what love was?
"Zack, I'm sorry." I apologized from the bottom of my heart and broke the awkward silence between us. "I was being judgmental and foolish about things I thought about you."
"Heh, I don't know what you're talking about Aerith." He looked surprised.
"It's just, I wonder if you never received my 23 wishes. I wanted to spend more time with you, but you left without saying good bye. I didn't build my wall strong enough. It just came crumbling down like sand." I began to tear up.
"Hey now. You don't realized how important you are to me." He assured me with another of his carefree smiled. I felt the warm of his arms wrapped around me. The special feelings that were once again were too indescribable. Maybe I was falling for Zack again, or maybe it had always been there...
"You know, you're the one who gives me the most comfort. Comfort and happiness...and annoyance and disappointment, too!" I joked.
"Annoyance and disappointment? I was everything, BUT that!" He retaliate with a joke of his own.
"Oh you!" I blushed. I missed all of these small silly conversations with him, it was easy to joke around and express myself around Zack.
"You haven't change that much Aerith." he said so kindly.
Ha, maybe I didn't. I couldn't help but blush even more.
"Hey, let's get back to watching what's down on Gaia. The battle isn't over until Sephiroth is gone." Zack mentioned once again. He was right, my mission for the planet's peace isn't over yet. I can't abandon it and head off to the promise land yet. I nodded and agreed with the raven hair man. Watching Cloud, I realized how much I missed my friends, I wished I was there with them.
However, death wasn't too bad, and I don't regret it. However, I was glad that the final face I saw Zack's, I feel more completed and less lonely now that I know where he, my mother, and my father are. I glimpsed back down to Gaia again, and prayed that they can save it.
"Cloud... Tifa.. Good luck." I whispered with a smile on my face.
A/N: I wrote this story because I felt that Maiden and Lifestream white didn't satisfy me.
I am more of 30% Zerith, 30% CissneixZack, and 40% Clack ;D
However, I wanted Zerith to have that ending along Aerith to have her closure with Zack.
Maiden didn't have that feel of closure, but rather "Zack who? Zack I've moved on, despite the fact that during the past 4 years I written 89 letters along with the fact that my 23 wishes was to spend more time with you." was forgotten.
I hope you guys enjoy it!