"I'll come back when it's all over..."
Can you hear? The words ringing in your ears.
I touched her beautiful face, as a single tear ran down my face. I knew it had to be hard for her. It was too hard for me. All I wanted was to kiss her hand and tell her how much I loved her, to run my finger along her smooth subtle lips. But she was cold, so very cold. Everything had turned dark for her. She had no light, nothing to guide her back to me.
I held her, gently but firmly, in the cool crystal clear water. It was so still everything around me was still. As I held her holding back my sobs the tears welling in my eyes until the salty liquid brimmed over falling down the side of my cheeks onto her pale forehead. Why was she so very still, not moving. Her chest was still, there was no steady rise and fall of her breaths, no gentle laughter was emitted her perfect lips. There was nothing. Her eyes remained closed as I ran my finger down her face begging, praying for the slightest movement in her eyes to tell me she was still alive, still with me.
But her face was till. Peaceful... The woman he loved was no longer in pain. She was with the planet now, one with the world she had tried so hard to save.
The tears continued to roll down the side of my face gently falling on the soft beauty I held, dead, in my arms.
It was time to let go, to give her body to the planet, her soul had already gone. This was all her had left of her. The one he felt so much for but could never share his emotions with.
As he gently let go of the only woman her would ever love the pain he felt ripped through him like a thousand knifes.
Her body fell slowly under the blue heavenly surface, taking with it everything.
As she slowly disappeared under the soft blue river her beauty so clear, so painfully obvious, Cloud knew, he knew this was the last time she... She was gone.
Slowly the images came back to him as he stood alone, waist deep on the keeper of his loves body.
The look of shock and pain on her features, Sephiroth had tore her from this world, and he would pay.
"Someday we'll look back on all these hard times and laugh..."
There would be no laughing, no more happiness, no more joy. I will not rest, not until he is dead.
Aeris was gone.
She was gone and there was nothing I could do about it.
"I love you"
The words were whispered softly from my quivering lips.
"Good Bye... Aeris"