For one final occasion, the gargantuan sword was lifted in the air, twirled about as if possessed by the lifeforce of its owner, and flung into the ancient, hallowed ground with intense, limitless rage. Dust floated up as the lifeless metal lay quivering in the soil, swaying slightly as the energy ebbed from its stained, scratched surface, worn from years of merciless death and endless battle. Drained of its life, empty of its meaning, the battered weapon lay near the shore of a great shimmering lake, standing guard over the abandoned remnants of a forgotten time. As if burdened with the weight of great sorrow, a single, pale-skinned hand lightly brushed the surface of the blood-stained hilt, caressing it gently, feeling the worn grip.
Sobs wracked her throat in great heaving gasps as she tore a tiny piece of her blood-stained pink dress, kissing the worn fabric softly before tying it to the hilt of the mighty blade. Aerith's tears were an unstoppable torrent of sorrow now, drip-dripping onto the frozen soil and stone beneath her, carrying the echoing metronome of death across the forgotten, hallowed place. None dared to speak in this most sacred of moments, leaving only the tiny wavelets carrying across the lake, lapping gently against the frigid shore, as the only other source of sound, the only other indication that life carried on.
With surprisingly gentle care for such a massive being, Barret lay the cooling, lifeless body of the spiky-haired warrior upon the shore, turning away as if to hide his own sadness and shame. Only the single drip that followed, echoing through the frigid air, gave testament to the burly man's innermost thoughts. Aerith knelt before Cloud's still form, stroking his cheek gently with loving care, as if afraid to hurt him.
"Who... will help me.. carry him." Aerith's voice cracked, breaking the spell of silence which had fallen upon them. Without a word, without even the slightest nod, Tifa fell to her knees beside the body, her tears rolling down her cheek, dripping onto the fallen warrior. Her strong hands curled underneath him, lending the flower girl immense strength, as together they lifted the lifeless form, carrying him into the frigid waters. As the shore fell away, and Cloud's body gently floated on the surface, the water supporting most of his weight, Tifa stopped herself. Her choked sobs came from deep within as her worn, hardened hand gripped his, squeezing it tightly as if she could never let go. Then she turned away as her tears dried on her face, trudging back to the shore without looking back, unable to bear the sight before her any longer. As if seized by sudden undeniable impulse, as if her own mind had lost any semblance of self-control, Aerith's body jerked forward violently. Almost without her realizing it she found her lips pressed against Cloud's in a first, and final, kiss. Frozen water lapped around her, even as her lips brushed lovingly against his, feeling the fading warmth within them. Before she allowed herself to fall into that limitless expanse with him, that cold, lifeless abyss, she turned away, unable to watch him disappear from her life forever.
"Cloud.. ya lucky &#)!. Ya' got two women giving ya a send off." Cid whispered. Perhaps if the words had come from any other, they might have been thought cruel and heartless. But from the vulgar pilot, the words represented a deep, solemn respect, and no one admonished him for them. No other words were spoken as the group silently left the sacred place, leaving their comrade behind in eternal slumber; leaving him to watch over the place which had long ago been at the very heart of the world. A part of Aerith fell with him in that lonely place; the tattered remains of her lost innocence; the shattered ruins of her broken heart.
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"Now what do we do? Sit around on our #(!! asses? Hell with that, I want that piece of #&!# dead." As usual Cid's vulgar tongue cut through the icy haze which had gripped everyone, echoing across the ruined city beyond the shell-house. Tifa lay dejected behind him, stirring occasionally, her red-rimmed eyes haunting and dreary as she moaned softly. Across from her Barret simply stood motionless, like a gargantuan statue, permanently fixed in place with that look of unbelieving shock etched on his features.
"Spike... we're gonna make Sephiroth pay. We're gonna make the Shinra pay. They all gonna pay." Barrets fist suddenly lashed out against the wall, crashing against the worn surface with sudden, intense anger. Then he was as stone again, unmoving, silent and watchful, his eyes flicking towards Aerith's motionless form with the slightest tinge of worry. For her part, Aerith said nothing, her silence saying more than Cid with his curses or Barret with his fist. Her legs dangled from the edge of the bed-frame as she rocked gently back and forth, her eyes cast to the floor, emptied of their tears.
The eerie silence threatened to fall over them again, draining their hope and leaving them in misery. Nanaki fidgeted uncomfortably on the floor, his usual wisdom silent, the constant flick-flicking of his tail having long since ceased. Surprisingly it was Vincent who broke the shared reverie, his quiet, methodical voice almost a whisper.
"Cloud wouldn't want this. We must go." The whisper carried loudly in the dimly-lit room, the soft words like the fearful screams of creatures in the night.
"I don't care anymore. He's gone. Cloud's gone, don't you get it?" Tifa's voice hovered on that thin precepice overlooking insanity, her desperate screams carrying her sorrow.
"Tifa..." Barret began, his voice oddly soft and caring, emotion creeping into the edge of his voice.
"Don't you talk to me. Don't any of you talk to me. You just let him die!" Tifa's eyes flicked across the room angrily, coming to rest as they focused on Aerith, still rocking softly back and forth, seemingly unaware of angry tirade. Barret's fist quivered for a moment, as if searching for some opponent to strike, some angry creature to vanquish; but none was forthcoming.
"Enough of this !" Cid's voice cut through the angry haze, all eyes snapping to him, all except for Aerith's. Her body turned without the slightest hint of sound, without the slightest hint of acknowledgment. Soon she was pulling up a blanket, covering herself as her body shivered from the biting cold. Silence hovered again as the others watched her in astonishment, not knowing what to do or say to the silent woman, still clad in her blood-stained pink dress.
"Let her alone. We should go outside." Vincent whispered, his voice solemn and stern. Nodding in agreement, Cid trudged outside, expelling a cigarette butt from his mouth with a quick puff of air. The pilot tore through his pockets for another light, almost frantic in his need, until his hands came to rest comfortingly on the small pack. Selecting one of the few remaining cigarettes, he popped open his lighter with practiced ease, lighting the cigarette and taking a long drag, inhaling as his eyes closed peacefully. Outside the shell-house, the stars shone brightly, shimmering down upon them, standing watch over the ancient, forgotten city.
"We need to sort this out." Vincent began as the others watched him intently.
"Sort out what? Stop talking in #! riddles." Cid replied between puffs.
"Who is going to lead us onward." Came the simply reply. A soft breeze carried through the city in that moment, a thin wail of sound echoing across the ruined land.
"Yeah. Who's gonna do it, huh?" Yuffie added, speaking up for the first time. Though she still bounced around with apparent enthusiasm, it seemed as if she had been drained somehow, as if her boundless energy had simply whittled away.
"It should be decided by council, by vote." Nanaki added solemnly, his voice a dark, deep whisper.
"Well I think Cid should do it." Yuffie responded almost before Nanaki was finished speaking, her youthful voice echoing loudly into the cityscape beyond. Cid merely rolled his eyes in response, taking a long drag and expelling a cloud of noxious smoke with apparent indifference.
"Hell with that idea." Came his responsed, laced with dark cynicism.
"What about you, Barret?" Tifa offered, wiping a tear from her cheek, her hollow eyes staring about wildly, as if possessed by some dark spirit.
"Done with that. Don' want that anymore, ya know? We did some things... well no, I'm not doin' it." Barret finished decisively, closing the verdict on that particular train of thought as his fist lashed out against the exterior of the ancient structure. Cait Sith strode out in that moment, the toy body leaning against the structure as its unwieldy arm pointed at Vincent.
"What about you?" The toy began in its bizarre accent. Vincent merely shook his head and lay back, gazing at the stars for a moment as if questioning them for an answer.
"It should be Cid." He began. "The rest of us... are too broken for this." When no objections followed, Nanaki nodded his head as if delivering the final pronouncement. Behind them, Cid lay against the ruins, smoke wafting from the crushed rock and shell underneath him where the remnants of a cigarette had lodged itself. Soft, gutteral snores began to emanate from the man as he dozed off, oblivious...
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Even here, in this dreamworld, in this extension of reality, Aerith could smell the scent of death about her. She felt the vileness of it all over her, covering her, weighing her down like a great anchor pulling her into that frozen abyss. Staring upward, she felt her body fall into the depths, dragged down by that great burden, pulled ever further into the limitless expanse. Screams tore at her throat, but her body could not, would not respond to her. She knew she was dead, leaving the mortal world behind as she stared up as the shimmering light, not with eyes but with spirit. Above her shapes wavered, as if they were reflections from another place and time, somehow torn from her.
This is what it must feel like to die. This is what I have done to him.
Light faded from her world as she drifted deeper into the frigid waters, the last remnants of the mortal world fading from her thoughts as her form continued its endless plunge. Memories flowed from her awareness, images and feelings of another time; faded remnants of the past. Cloud smiled at her nervously, his cheeks flushed in deep scarlet as he turned away. Terrifying pain followed the errant memory, clawing at her soul as the deep blue waters faded to black nothingness. Unbidden, more memories clambered to the surface of her mind; they were riding together across the night sky, punctuated by bursts of wondrous color; they were laughing together atop the remains of her old childhood playground. Now he was reaching for her one final time, his hand opening towards her, as if somewhere in the depths of his soul he was holding her close to him, as if he all he wanted was to touch her face, to assure himself that she would live, that she would continue on. Aerith's eyes met his even as the last hints of life faded away, even as the last remnants of Cloud vanished from his body; in that final moment she knew him as no other ever could, nothing was hidden from her. The old shell Cloud had built up around himself, that emotionless act he presented to the world, was no more. In that single moment between life and death, Aerith saw the Love in his eyes, and could not deny the Love in her own heart. She continued to fall into the omnipresent darkness around her, the anchor of intense guilt pulling her down deeper into the wallowing abyss of her nightmare, forever torn away from the light.