by Kevian August
The wind blows calmly across the canyon stirring up loose bits of leaves, dirt, and grass softly around, almost in a dance. A dance of sorrow for the lone person sitting near the edge glaring at the remains of a once great city, now being nothing more than twisted heated metal, red as if covered in blood, to symbolize the so many lives lost in a second... and also in the life of that accursed city. He stands straight like a well-trained soldier, his clothes ripped and reeking of many battles... and many deaths, and his blond hair blowing in the wind behind him, seeming to have been let down just recently from a position where it was less free. He brushs away his hair from his eyes, his oddly green glowing eyes, with a delicate touch, as he touchs his lips and with a cry falls to his knees weeping. He was no longer a battle hardened soldier, he was a boy, innocent and pure, crying, his eyes showing a despair touched only by the unlucky few. His tears falling the ground seeming to explode with the green energy burned into his eyes.
"All you wanted was to get there." he breaks the silence with reaching towards the city closing his hand seeming able to hold it in the palm of his hand. But opening it again just proves that it's still there, the ruins are still there. "But you never got there, you only got to see it once more, still as it was, before you left me." he continues picking up a single flower that had grown where he had kneeled and looks at it. "You used to love just smelling these, to remind yourself there was still beauty in this world. It's funny, I can remember each one of your favorite spots now to just pick flowers, your favorite flower, how it smelled different from the rest, why it was so important for you... I'll be sure to get you some next time."
He lets the flower go as it joins the dance of sorrow gently spinning itself over the edge on a hopeless journey. But yet it kept going, just following what the wind tells it to do, not caring about life or death. Not caring about brothers, sisters, parents, loved ones, or even their own self. They were mindless... clones.
He is forced to laugh softly as he thinks of the clone thought "I told you I was once convinced I was a clone of...." he winces not even being able to bear saying his name. "In some way he is responsible for this, but he can't do anything even more, we stopped him." He pauses as he thinks of his final battle with his ultimate enemy... the one he wanted to take revenge on and yet got no comfort or release from it.... just even more sadness.
"It wasn't his fault, that damn scientist caused it all, he set off these chains of events leading to the earth almost getting destroyed and the death of so many good people.... including you." with that he stands up and unstraps the large sword that was strapped to his back and places it in front of him.
"This belongs back to the ground... it's so stained with blood no shine shall ever clean it... and it carries too many memories for any man to hold and still live with his sanity. With this I shall return it to where it belongs" and with a scream so full of pain, of anger, of an eagerness for forgiveness he plunges the sword half-way into the ground and yet still stays unbroken.
"And this I shall return with it" he says as he gently takes off his armor from his chest and then slowly eases out of the rest of it leaving him in a t-shirt and a small pair of pants. It emphasizes his broken self more as the fabric clings to him seeming to have shown that he has not starved himself for quite awhile now. He takes the various materials and kneeling down places them around the sword, finally leaving the breast plate on top of the sword. Smiling sadly at the image before him.
"You would be so happy right now if you could see this, the world is rebirthing itself... people are coming from all over to see the remains, to realize how easily life can be destroyed." He begins to stand up. "They are living your dream, to be free of the opression, and to see life as it should be, to stop being criminals, but see that's where we were wrong, for the criminals of the world saved it.... kinda of poetic in a way."
He looks to the sky as the sun is hight today and shining brightly. "The day is so beautiful" he reachs into his pocket "you always told me to cherish them" he takes out a slightly crumpled item in his hands "I promise I will from now on" flattening out the picture between his hands he kisses it ever so gently "I love you" and with that he places the picture in a crease in the armor where it's held in place for an eternity to come.
And with that he turns away.
As he is out of distance the wind blows again sending shivers through the armor and the picture it holds.
In it contains painful memories, revenge, trickery, deception, death, but over ridden beyond all it lies the truth.... and love.
It's a picture from Nibel town of Sephiroth, Tifa, and Zax back before the great turn of events that would forever change their lives and below it is a simple message.
Farewell, Sweet Lover Of Mine, Zax
X-Cloud