Aerith doesn't believe in alternate universes, only the one she sees in her dreams. When she can't remember whether she's real or dreaming, she tells herself a story until she falls back to sleep:
Once upon a time there were two boys, both training to be knights, who forged friendship from rivalry; and a girl who carried flowers in her arms as she ran to keep up with them both. There were games of tag through winding streets, dreams shared in secret, scraped knees bandaged with a teasing smile. But once upon a time there was a castle that crumbled like sand, and a wave of darkness that crashed down to sweep away everything they'd ever known.
Waves break and so do people, and once upon a time there was a boy who broke. Bitter with mourning, delirious and desperate, he offered his heart to the darkness. He flew through the night on shadowed wings, letting the screams of his victims drown out the soft whisper of memory. Something was missing, but he no longer cared.
Once upon a time there was a boy who fought for the home he was unable to protect, and slew the fears he could not face. He made hope and innocence his enemies, and dashed them to pieces with a bloodstained sword.
Once upon a time there was a girl who grew flowers. She watched and wished and waited, hoping even when all hope was gone.
"Happily ever after," is never believable at 2 AM, so "The end," Aerith whispers, and closes her eyes.
Aerith doesn't believe in alternate universes, only the one she lives in every day. When she can't remember whether she's dreaming or real, she tells herself a story until she wakes up:
Once upon a time there is a world poisoned and dying. Tears are bitter there, and endings bittersweet. There are no princesses or princes or funny talking animals- and no Aerith, not any more.
Remember, it's someone else's dream, but this one ends with happily after and fields of flowers. Or is that where it begins?
She takes one last lingering look, and opens her eyes.
But this is the story she doesn't tell herself, because she sees it happening every day:
Once upon a time, Aerith knows, there is an island of sunlight and laughter and long, lazy days. Once upon a time there is a broken boy who put himself back together; a boy who lost his innocence, but not his hope; and a girl who awakened from sleep deeper than death to find her best friends reunited right by her side.
Aerith doesn't believe in alternate universes, but she believes in happy endings- and that somewhere among the stars, there is a place where everything went right.