Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.
Slight AU warning.
Don't forget to review when you are finished reading!
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Flowers Growing In My Mind
Chapter IV – What He Wants
At the mention of her name, the girl next to him shifted and turned around, turning to look at Cloud. She opened her beautiful green eyes and looked at him sleepily, smiling. "Morning."
Cloud stared into her eyes. He couldn't believe this. No, this was just another dream. It was going to end soon...most likely with Aeris lying bloody on the ground, like they always ended. He reached out and touched her cheek. She smelled like lilies, like the ones in her church. And...the flowers from her Promised Land. She felt so soft against his fingers. "You...you're dead..." he managed to say. Aeris' eyebrows rose. "How sweet of you. Were you having a nightmare?" she asked him, stroking his hair. In all my dreams...I've never been aware that Aeris was dead until the end...he thought. "You...you're alive?" he asked. "You sure have the most depressing dreams," Aeris said, her soft voice comforting the man. He sat up, the blanket sliding down his torso. He looked down and noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt. He reddened and looked at Aeris. She sat up, her wavy brown hair falling down her back and shoulders. She was wearing a short pink nightgown. He reddened further. He had never seen her wearing so little before. She giggled when she noticed his face. "You're acting like you've never seen your wife wearing this before," she said.
"Wife?" Cloud asked. "You really are slow in the mornings," Aeris said with a giggle. "Three years ago, we met. A year ago, we married." She pointed at a framed picture on the opposite wall. It showed a picture of Aeris, wearing a beautiful white strapless wedding dress and holding a bouquet of—surprise!—yellow and white lilies. Cloud had his arm around her waist and had his head tilted towards her, wearing an expensive tuxedo. A whole bunch of facts began to register in his mind. That was their wedding picture. This was their house. And Aeris was alive. He jumped out bed, wearing only blue pajama bottoms, and ran out the room, down an oak-floored hallway, and out the front door. The cool air whipped against his skin as he went outside and turned around. His eyes widened. "Midgar..."
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"Ok kids, it's time to go now, Cloud needs his rest," Tifa said, shooing Marlene and Denzel away from the bed. "Cloud will wake up soon, right Tifa?" Marlene asked. Tifa eyes fell to the ground, but she smiled. "Yes, soon." "When he wakes up, let's all take him out to his favorite restaurant!" Denzel suggested. "Yes, let's do that...when he wakes up," Tifa said. "We'll be at home, ok?" Marlene said. "Be careful," Barret said, hugging and kissing his daughter on the cheek. Marlene giggled. "I'll be fine, daddy," she said. She took Denzel's hand and they left the hospital room.
"Sometimes, I wish I were as naïve as they," Barret said. The hospital door opened and Reeve entered, looking tired but worried. "I came as soon as I heard. Where's Cloud?" he asked. He looked over at the bed. "Oh, Cloud...what happened to you..." he looked at Tifa and Barret. "Is he in pain?"
Tifa looked at Reeve. "No...he's...happy."
XxXxXx
Midgar was down below the hill their home was on. Gone were the huge grey machines. Gone was the grey, dead land around the capital. Gone was the ever-grey sky hanging over the city. In fact...nothing was grey.
The city looked beautiful. There were large buildings, yes, but everything was green and beautiful. The sunlight was shining down on the metropolis, and everything looked so...wonderful. Cloud couldn't help but smile at the city.
He heard footsteps and Aeris appeared next to him, gazing down at Midgar. "Such a great city," she said. "What about...the slums?" he asked, the thought coming to him. Aeris looked at him. "There are no slums. There might be a few spots here and there that aren't very classy, but...Shin-Ra makes everything great." Cloud's eyes narrowed. "Shin-Ra..." "Yes. They recently gave the Chocobo farm to the east a huge amount of money to expand. The government was skeptical, but they allowed it in the end," she said. "Government? But...Shin-Ra had overthrown the government, pretty much..." he said. Aeris laughed. "Hardly! The government still has good control over Shin-Ra."
Shin-Ra...a good company...looking out for the people of the Midgar continent. No mako reactors, nobody using the Lifestream as an energy source. He turned. "Let's go back inside, it's chilly," he said. Aeris nodded and walked back into the house. Cloud made to follow, and then stopped, looking at the front of his house. It was a nice ranch house, with a beautiful arrangement of flowers and bushes decorating the front. Cloud's bike was parked to the side of the house. They also had a perfect view of Midgar from there. Cloud froze. The hill overlooking Midgar. This is where Zack's grave is. This is where Zack was shot and killed defending Cloud. Zack was supposed to be buried here. He shook his head. "No...this world...is different..." he said. He walked back into the house.
At the beginning of the entrance hallway, there was a closet door and an opening leading into the dining room. Beyond the dining room was the kitchen. Connected to the kitchen was the living room, which led back into the hallway, where there was a bathroom, their bedroom, an office, and a storeroom. He began to salivate from the smell of bacon entering his nose, and he walked into their bedroom. Nothing fancy, just a queen sized bed, two dressers, two side tables, a lamp, a clock, a few paintings, a vanity, and a closet. He opened his dresser and looked for something to wear. He opted for a sleeveless green turtleneck and dark blue pants, with black boots.
Walking to the kitchen, he heard Aeris humming a song, similar to the song he played on the piano during lessons. He smiled at the familiar tune and entered the kitchen. It was slightly cramped, but always smelled good. He sat at the table. Eating breakfast, made by Aeris, in our own house. This world, whatever it is, is perfect. Aeris set down a plate of bacon and fruit crepes in front of him, and sat down with her own plate, with sausage instead of bacon. "Enjoy," she said. "Itadakimasu," they both said in unison as they began to eat. They ate in silence for five minutes, before Aeris decided to speak. "Cloud, did you call Zack back yesterday? He needed to talk to you about the latest vacation," she said. Cloud's eyes went from his plate to Aeris. "Zack called me?" he asked. He stood up and went into his bedroom, grabbing his PHS-brand cell phone off his nightstand. He searched through the numbers and found one listed as ZACK CELL. He pressed the dial button and walked back into the kitchen, pacing around while Aeris ate her crepes, amused. The phone rang three times before someone finally picked up. Cloud's heart lifted as he heard the familiar voice enter his ear.
"Yeah, 'sup?" asked Zack from the other end. After a moment of silence, Cloud answered. "Zack...it's Cloud...I...um...well..." the black-haired man cut him off in an excited tone. "Finally! I thought you forgot about me. So, you up for this weekend? You, me, the ladies, Gold Saucer?" he asked. "The ladies?" Cloud asked. "Yeah, you know, your lovely wife and my honey Tifa," he said.
Cloud blinked and looked over at Aeris with a puzzled look on his face. She raised her eyebrow at him, as if to ask why he was giving her such an odd look. "Um..." he said, "could you...hold on a minute?" he crossed the kitchen and entered his bedroom, scanning the picture frames on the shelf. One caught his eyes. It had also been taken on their wedding day. Zack, looking handsome with his odd black haircut and blue tuxedo, had his arm around Cloud and was winking at the frame. Tifa and Aeris were hugging, with Tifa wearing her bushy hair up in an intricate hairstyle, and with a short blue dress. "Best man and maid of honor..." Cloud thought out loud. "Are you looking at your wedding pictures again? You obsessed freak," Zack said over the line. "I bet you look at your wedding pictures the same way," Cloud answered. To his surprise, Zack replied in an irritated tone. "Ok, I get it. You're trying to drop hints that I should get married. Geez, everyone's rushing me! At the bar, at work...the only person who isn't is Tifa!" I've never had a conversation like this in my life. What am I supposed to say! Cloud thought desperately. "Um...about the Gold Saucer thing..." he said, trying to change the subject. It worked. "Oh yeah, Shin-Ra's given me plenty of vacation days, so I'm not skipping or anything. Oh, by the way, you're accompanying me to work later this week, but don't bring a lunch, the cafeteria's food is amazing. Of course, that's because Tifa volunteers there," he said in a proud tone. Cloud remembered, Tifa always was a great cook. "Yes...um...here, I'll give the phone to Aeris," he said. He quickly went into the kitchen and thrust his phone at her before going outside.
So many emotions were rushing to him at one time. He felt confused, happy, annoyed, ecstatic...all at once. He didn't know why Aeris was alive, why Zack was alive, why Tifa was going out with him, why he and Aeris were married, why Midgar was beautiful-looking, why there appeared to be no mako reactors anywhere, why Shin-Ra wasn't controlling everything...yet, the more he thought, the more he realized he didn't care. He didn't need an explanation. He didn't want one. This world was full of things he wanted. He didn't have to know why, as long as it was there. Right?
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"You need to get some rest," Reeve said kindly to Tifa. She had been on her feet all day working, and then she had been in the hospital the whole night, sitting by Cloud's side, waiting for him to wake. So dedicated, he thought. Barret had gone to 7th Heaven in order to look after Marlene and Denzel. Tifa looked over at him with weak eyes. "Reeve, I'm not leaving him," she said.
It was like at the Mideel hospital. Tifa didn't care about anything else, only Cloud, at this point. Reeve knew this, but he didn't want her to be there alone. He knew her mind couldn't take the thought of Cloud dying. In fact, he wasn't sure he'd be able to accept it. The strong man who went against all odds, who was a nobody in a small town and ended up saving the world—twice—was lying in a hospital, with Jenova cells the only thing keeping his brain—and his whole body—from shutting down. Reeve shook his head, sighing. He stood up, his long blue coat brushing against Cloud's bedside. "I'll get you something to eat," he said to her. He was going to add, don't go anywhere, but he knew she wasn't going to be leaving the hospital anytime soon.
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Blech, I don't think this chapter was written very well. I'm not very good with describing rooms of houses, or houses in general. But, for those of you who are having trouble visualizing Midgar, just think of Midgar from the game and movie, and how it was depicted 500 years in the future. Then get ride of all the destruction and the over-wild look and the slums, and there's Midgar.
Yay! Aeris and Zack are alive! Yes, Tifa is going out with Zack, they aren't really going to have the spotlight but their relationship will still be obvious. There will also be others you recognize in the fantasy world, but they'll be different in certain ways. Pretty much, this entire world is different. Well, review, and I'm sorry for the lack of fun in this chapter.
