He never thought he'd see her again. He watched her die right in front of him. Sephiroth . . . the Reunion . . . he'd almost killed her himself, only to have Sephiroth appear from the sky and do it right in front of him. Her emerald eyes lost their shine as the Masumane pierced through her body, her pink dress stained red. Sephiroth's cold laugh and Aeris silent scream would forever haunt him . . . even after all these years . . .
The last time he remembered seeing her was when she was laid to rest in the Holy Water surrounding the Forgotten Capital . . . she had looked so peaceful in death. Someone had mentioned (was it Tifa?) that Aeris could be at peace, they wouldn't be chasing her anymore, she wouldn't be hunted. That always brought a frown to his features.
Gaea had been destroyed – what was it, two years ago now? – the memories had begun to fade, new memories (his new life?) taking over. Instead of corrupt electrical companies, Meteor, Deepground and AVALANCE it was contracts with the devil (Hades), Keyblades and Heartless. Instead of moogle robots, gunarms and flying the sky it was Gunblades, Ducks and Dogs wielding weapons and Gummi Ships.
No matter how much he tried to get used to it, he couldn't.
It was Gaea not the Coliseum, Hallow Bastion – Radiant Garden; whatever they called it.
He had tried to find everyone, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to. It had been two years – what if the others hadn't made it out of Gaea? Perhaps those creatures had got them . . . although, he couldn't imagine the others succumbing to those things.
They had saved the Planet three times . . .
He always figured he'd find them, somewhere, somehow – but never did he expect to find her.
After the Worlds (Planets?) had been saved (shouldn't he have done it?) he had ended up in Hallow Bastion – at least what was left of it. It reminded him of that company (ShinRa?) he wasn't sure though, his memories were fading. Wandering the castle, it didn't take him long – he was surprised when he saw them.
He saw Cid first – cigarette still hanging from his mouth, the old pilot smirking when he saw the blonde, his acknowledgment simply being "shit, you too huh?" Classic Cid. The pilot then beckoned him into a library of sorts, saying the others were there too. He remembered letting out a sigh – all of AVALANCE was there then, right?
He could hear Yuffie before he saw her; she was never one to be quiet. The ninja was standing off in an alcove, tapping those bright orange shoes of hers in annoyance as she laughed before chastising someone hidden behind the bookcase. From the silence that followed it had to have been Vincent right? Cid yelled at the small group, the ninja jumping (obviously, she wasn't "The Greatest Ninja" . . .), her eyes widening as she Cid and Cloud.
The first words out of the ninja's mouth were like a punch to his stomach.
"Aeris, come here!"
He heard the familiar laugh that sounded like the chimes of bells before she came around the corner. Her hair was still braided, tied up by that familiar pink bow. Aeris was dressed the same way he remembered her; the large wound and blood stain that was ingrained on his mind were gone. She looked whole, like nothing had ever happened.
"Why do you keep calling me that, Yuffie?" Aerith asked, clasping her hands behind her back as she moved forward, emerald eyes locking with Mako blue. "Nice to meet you Cloud."
That was like a punch to the stomach – he didn't know what to say to her.
Aerith laughed, bringing a hand to cover her mouth. "You look like you've seen a ghost, you and Leon will get along great!" she added, glancing over her shoulder to the dark clad man in the corner.
Cloud willed himself to look away from Aeris to the dark clad man in the corner. The man's dark hair covered his piercing eyes, dressed from head to toe in black, arms crossed over his chest as he glared at Cloud, before glancing down at Yuffie, the young ninja having placed herself between the men, hands on her hips. "That's just Squall, he's always silent!"
Leon let out a groan. "I told you, it's Leon."
Yuffie just waved the comment aside, rolling her eyes as she let out a laugh. How like Yuffie she used to always to that to . . . (Vincent) . . . it was blank.
The memory was gone, just like that.
Later, Yuffie had snuck into his so-called bedroom (broom closet?) to talk. According to Yuffie, she had found Cid as soon as she awoke outside of his Gummi Ship Shop here in Hallow Bastion and that those creatures – Heartless – had invaded the town a couple months after she arrived. Her and Cid escaped with Leon (who, according to Yuffie, always talked about Gardens "he doesn't look like a gardener" Yuffie had exclaimed) and Aeris – who didn't have any memories of Gaea or their adventure together. Yuffie had tried to explain it to Aeris, to spark her memories, but the once-Ancient didn't understand. Yuffie had eventually given up, her memories fading as well.
Cid didn't remember Shera and the Highwind . . .
Yuffie didn't remember Wutai and her mysterious Valentine . . .
Aeris didn't remember them at all . . .
And Cloud's memories were disappearing . . .
Cloud never stayed in Hallow Bastion, he told Yuffie he was going to find a way home – to Gaea. Yuffie nodded, not remembering Gaea, she'd grown up in Hallow Bastion (Wutai). He didn't like seeing his old friends like this, they weren't his friends . . . most of all, he didn't like seeing Aeris like this alongside her name change – she wasn't his Aeris. She seemed distant, not like the Aeris he had ingrained in her memory.
Years had past, he found no way back to Gaea. He had run into Sephiroth quiet a few times – he vowed he'd destroy (the One-Winged-Angel? The ShinRa General?) in this world too . . . he'd done all this to Aeris . . . to them.
Aeris tried to get him to stay, but he couldn't. He couldn't see her like that . . . besides she had Leon and Yuffie there – the latter two now believing they had grown up in Hallow Bastion as well. Cid never spoke about what he did and didn't remember.
It didn't take long for the small group to decide to rebuild the town – he left before they got started. He didn't want to rebuild another town, hadn't he already done that? (Edge?) He knew he had to find the others . . . Tifa, Tifa, Tifa, his mind would think out. The levelheaded, bartender would know what to do – but had she survived? He wasn't sure; it'd been so long, his memories fading, would he recognize her? Would he recognize any of them?
Everything had been peaceful for a while, but then the Heartless had appeared again. He didn't want to admit it, he was worried about Aeris, Aerith, whichever. She didn't have her Fairy Tale Rod; did she still have the power of Great Gospel? Yuffie, before her memories had faded, said when she awoke; she couldn't pull out her All Creation, her materia not working either, the colours fading till it disappeared all together.
He didn't want to leave Aerith (Aeris) and the others, but they would be okay – Sora was here now, the new hero.
He wasn't needed to save the Worlds (Planet?) anymore . . . none of them were.
"Is something wrong?"
Cloud jumped out of his thoughts, hearing Aeris's chiming voice behind him, wearing a new pink dress. Her emerald eyes looked from Cloud to Sora, a frown marring her features as she looked back up at Cloud – emerald eyes meeting Mako blue.
"Uhhh . . ."
Cloud rolled his eyes – shouldn't a hero have more to say then that? "It's nothing. I don't want you involved."
How true that was, he didn't want her involved with Sephiroth – even if she didn't remember that anymore. He couldn't watch the brunette die in front of him in this World as well . . . that would be too much to bear.
Aeris sighed as Cloud turned his back to her, heading back into the town – away from her. She couldn't explain it – she was captivated by the loner blonde. Clasping her hands behind her, she bypassed Sora, emerald eyes trained on the blonde; there was something familiar about him . . . "You mean, you don't want me there when you go away again?" The thought made her frown.
Cloud had to grin – she was persistant in this life as well. "Listen, even if I go far away, I'll come back to you."
Even though she wasn't his Aeris, he didn't think he could stay away from her, the . . . (Ancient?).
"Do you mean it?" she asked, smiling up at him, holding his gaze.
Cloud suppressed a sigh – of course Aeris(th) wouldn't make it easy; she hung out with Yuffie too much. "Yeah . . ." but as he said it, he wasn't sure.
Maybe he didn't want to come back, not here anyway. Gaea was where he belonged – not Hallow Bastion, Radiant Garden, whatever.
Aerith frowned at him, crossing her arms over her chest, frowning at him. That place (Sector Five) came back to him, she had done the same thing when he tried to leave her there. "See, you don't look too sure," she commented, shaking her head, her chiming laugh starting up again. "Well, okay, I understand. Go – get things settled."
"Huh?"
His Aeris wouldn't say that. Aeris would demand to go – or like before, simply get ahead of him.
She wasn't his – that proved it.
Aerith just smiled at him, hands clasped in front of her as she fell back, frowning. "No matter how far away you are . . . once you find your light, I'm sure it will lead you back here again, right?"
That sounded familiar – hadn't someone (Tifa?) had told him that during something . . . (The Advent Incident?).
He had to remember. He just had to.
"I suppose . . ." he eventually said, aware of Aerith – and Sora – staring at him, waiting.
Aerith sighed, a couple feet in front of Sora now, the brunette teenager following after them, curiously. "So, I'll stay here – I'll cheer for you, okay Cloud?"
Cloud sighed – this was his life now. "Okay."
He had to leave then – he couldn't look at her anymore.
He could never look at her for long . . .
Turning his back on the two brunette's – tuning out their idle chatter – he started down the stone stairwell, the half rebuilt town before him.
He could feel it – the darkness was pulling at him; Sephiroth was going to arrive.
He'd finish it this time – he didn't care.
Cid didn't remember Shera and the Highwind . . .
Yuffie didn't remember Wutai and her mysterious Valentine . . .
Aeris had been replaced by Aerith . . .
Cloud could only remember shadows if he tried . . . he seemed consumed by Sephiroth's presence . . .
Tifa, Barret, Reeve, Vincent, Red XIII, ShinRa, Turk's and Shelke . . .
Nibelheim, Midgar, Edge and Forgotten Capital . . .
It didn't mean anything anymore.
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a/N: For halfdemon-kai's birthday . . .
& & obsession with Cloud . . .