Your Guardian Angel

cLerith raven:

awww… this chapter's going to be sad, guys… so I recommend you to have something to eat before you read it, joke!! It's not Like you'LL really be depressed, but I did though… and I'm the one making the story… LOL… maybe, I'm just reaLLy pathetic… haha…

Your Guardian Angel

Chapter 6: Truths and Goodbyes

Nicole and Alyssa stood side by side as they gazed upon Nibelheim. It has been two weeks ever since they sent Aerith to watch over Cloud. The Oracle Twins were worried about something… something evil lurks in the corner; they feel it.

"She's taken long…" Alyssa commented.

"We have to give her more time, Alyssa," Nicole said, looking at her twin.

"Time is something we don't have much…" Alyssa declared, saddened.

Nicole just sighed. 'What Alyssa said is true, but…' she thought as she looked back at Nibelheim. 'We have no choice then,' she realized.

"Aerith…" Alyssa called out to the Angel.

Aerith was watching Cloud, Tifa and Zack eat their lunch on the balcony from afar. She enjoyed seeing the three of them have fun together, arguing and laughing. 'I'll really miss this…' she sadly thought.

Aerith suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. 'They're calling me,' she realized. Aerith slowly went beside Cloud and leaned over to whisper something in his ear. "I have to go for a while," she said, and then she disappeared. Cloud froze, but soon recovered from the shock and acted normal, since Zack and Tifa were watching him, wondering what's with him.

Aerith soared through the sky and entered Nibelheim. She hasn't been here for two whole weeks and she missed everything about it. She immediately went to the Holy Fortress to talk with the Oracle Twins. As she landed on the balcony, Nicole greeted her with a smile and motioned for them to go inside the room.

"You called for me?" Aerith asked, kneeling on one knee.

"Aerith, I'm sorry to tell you this but you have to hurry," Alyssa informed her. "Hurry and finish what you have to."

Aerith was surprised to hear this but soon nodded and stood up, preparing to leave.

"Aerith, do everything that you have to, to get what you want, understand?" Nicole asked as Aerith opened her wings. "It is crucial that you finish today," she added.

"I understand, Oracle," Aerith said, flying off, returning to the human world.

The Oracle Twins watched as she left, with much worry in their hearts.

--

Aerith went straight to where Cloud was, in his room. She softly landed on the balcony, not wanting to startle Cloud. When she entered the room, she had expected Cloud to be there, but he wasn't. Then, she heard his voice coming from the Audience Chamber. She quickly went to where she heard his voice. She saw Cloud, Tifa and Zack together, talking to Vincent.

"Hey, Vincent, you told us you where going to introduce someone to us," Tifa reminded her cousin. "Who is that someone?" she asked.

"That's why I'm here," Vincent announced. He went opened the doors and motioned for someone to come in. Zack was surprised to see who it was, and so was Aerith.

"Lucrecia?" Zack asked, amazed.

"Oh, Zack, I see you're here," Lucrecia said, nodding at him.

"You know each other?" Cloud, Tifa and Vincent asked all together.

"Yeah, we know each other very well. She's my cousin," Zack replied. "And she's… she's Aerith's older sister, her real sister," he added.

"Why didn't I see her at the hospital?" Tifa whispered in Zack's ear.

"Zack, I heard you visited Aerith last week. I'm sorry I wasn't there; I got called out of the kingdom because of an emergency," Lucrecia said, not knowing she had answered Tifa's question.

"How did you two meet, then?" Cloud asked, eager to know more about the two.

"We've been friends for years," Vincent replied. "Then we saw each other again when we were away," he added.

"And now, you're lovers then?" Zack asked in a teasing manner.

Lucrecia giggled then said, "We're engaged, actually."

Tifa smiled widely then jumped up and down. Cloud shook his head then put his arm over Vincent's shoulders. Zack shook their hands and congratulated the two. Aerith just watched, smiling.

'At least I'll be sure that Lucrecia's in good hands when I go away,' she happily thought. She turned around and decided to just wait for Cloud at his room.

It was almost noon when Cloud went to his room. He was startled when he saw that Aerith had gone back. "Aerith, I just met your sister and-"

"I know; I was watching," Aerith interrupted him. She smiled then walked over to where he was. "Listen, Cloud, the Oracle Twins talked to me and I haven't got much time. I'll be leaving today, at dark," she informed him. The smiled on Cloud's face faded away.

"Really? Well, then I guess it's time I gave you this back," Cloud said as he reached for his pocket. Aerith looked at him with much confusion. Cloud took a necklace out of his pocket; it's pendant was a silver cross.

"Are you sure, Cloud?" Aerith asked. She couldn't remember anything about the necklace.

"This was the necklace the girl who saved us dropped and Tifa found it. Tifa was wearing this the second time she went with Zack to the hospital where you were, which was two days ago. Your mother, Elmyra, recognized it as your necklace, the necklace your real Mom left to you," Cloud explained. "Tifa told me that yesterday, but I wasn't able to tell you because I forgot about it," he added.

Aerith slowly went near Cloudand took the necklace. She looked at it, carefully touching the pendant. And as she did, a searing pain in her head made her fall to the ground.

"Aerith!" Cloud shouted as he caught Aerith. Aerith held onto the necklace, but the pain made her bury her head in her hands.

Inside Aerith's head, images and scenes of her past flashed through her mind. But one scene had a strong impact on her.

Aerith saw her Mom get shot in the chest. And the killer pointed his gun at two children. She rushed to bite the killer's hands and he fell off.

Aerith opened her eyes and looked at Cloud eyes full of tears and fear. She remembered everything, absolutely everything. "I… You… We…" she was at a loss for words. She started to cry hard.

"Aerith, I'm here," Cloud said as he put his arms around her. She was shaking. "Calm down, Aerith," he whispered softly in her ear.

Aerith slowly broke away from Cloud and ran towards the balcony. She opened her wings and flew off. 'I… I need… alone… I… confused…' she thought.

Cloud ran to the balcony and saw her flying unsteadily. He couldn't do anything. 'I guess you need some time alone to think…' he realized.

--

Aerith wanted to fly away, away from everything. She was confused and scared. She didn't know where her wings will take her. She wasn't sure where she was going; her eyes were closed. After a while, she slowed down; she was getting tired. She slowly landed on the ground, a meadow full of flowers. She lay down on the grass and closed her eyes. She needed to think, to rest. 'What am I doing? I'm an Angel!' she thought. 'What are you doing, Aerith? You shouldn't be like this!' she scolded herself. 'That's right; I have to… return… Nibelheim." Finally, she slowly opened her eyes and sat upright.

--

The Oracle Twins saw this and were worried.

"Our vision didn't show us anything about this, Alyssa!" Nicole blurted out.

"Yours didn't; mine did, although it didn't show me why," Alyssa confessed. Nicole was shocked. It was the first time that they had different visions of the future.

"You knew this but didn't tell me about it?" Nicole asked loudly, hurt that her twin had kept this secret from her.

"I'm sorry. But I knew you would react like this," Alyssa replied.

"What else did you see?" Nicole asked, her voice was now calm.

"A prophecy fulfilled," Alyssa simply replied. She closed her eyes and said, "Aerith…"

--

Aerith felt the touch of a hand on her shoulder. 'They're calling me…' she thought. She weakly opened her wings and flew to Nibelheim. As usual, she landed on the balcony. But her knees gave in and she tumbled. Alyssa and Nicole saw this and immediately ran toward the Angel and supported her; they took her inside their room.

"Aerith, I'm so sorry about this; I knew this would happen, but I didn't think it would be because of your past," Alyssa apologized; her voice was full of sincerity and sorrow.

"Why this?" Aerith asked.

"This is all part of a prophecy Nibelheim holds," Nicole replied.

"What prophecy?" Aerith asked, puzzled.

Alyssa and Nicole led her into another room, concealed behind a large mirror. Inside, a tall black stone was standing at the center of the room. She didn't understand the writing on it though.

"This is the Stone of the Ancients," Alyssa informed her. "It tells of an Ancient prophecy that has yet to be fulfilled," she added.

"What does it say?" Aerith asked.

"Aerith, there's something you need to know about who you really are," Alyssa said. "You are one of the Ancient Angels of Nibelheim."

"Who? Ancient Angels? What?" Aerith asked, even more confused.

"We had an older sister, Aerith; her name was Holly. She didn't have a twin so she was sent down to the human world to live there," Nicole began. "But she suffered so much, and she became an Angel when she died. She had the blood of an Oracle, but wasn't an Oracle."

"And so, the Gods made her the very first Ancient Angel, an Angel of both human and Oracle blood," Alyssa finished. "And you are one of her descendants, chosen to fulfill the prophecy, as your ancestor did."

"Every sixty years, a descendant of Holly is chosen to fight off an evil being; his name was Sephiroth," Nicole informed Aerith. "Sephiroth was the first male Angel here on Nibelheim, but he resented being the only one. He sought revenge over the Gods for his miserable life, because the woman he loved, Jenova, had died before he even had the chance to confess his feelings for her. He wanted the power of the Gods, to bring her back," she added.

"Holly was the one who stopped him; she sealed him away with her pure and honest soul," Alyssa stated. "And from then on, males were never allowed to be Angels. But every sixty years, the seal weakens and breaks, and Sephiroth would rise again. He was sealed away every time," she finished.

"And I'm the next one?" Aerith asked, finally understanding everything. "I needed to be complete before my Ancient blood would awaken," she realized.

Alyssa and Nicole nodded. "Now that you are complete, your real powers have awakened," they chorused.

Aerith looked at the Stone of the Ancients. Suddenly, the writing seemed to clear; she understood every word. She went near the stone and carefully ran her fingers through the elegant writing etched on the stone. She read the prophecy in her mind.

The Ancient's Prophecy:

One born of Ancient blood,

Descendent of Holly,

Shall rise to fight and take a stand

Against the curse that is Sephiroth.

One of pure light,

Soul of an honest Angel,

Shall seal away the evil

That the cursed Angel brings.

But one Angel stands out from the rest.

She is the one; the key to eternal peace.

Love and friendship will be her only weapon,

To banish the darkness away from the Holy Sanctuary.

"I'm that Angel, aren't I?" Aerith asked.

Alyssa and Nicole nodded in reply. "We know that you still have something to do in the human world," Nicole stated. "Go, Aerith, and do what you must," Alyssa added.

Aerith smiled and flew away. She needed to say goodbye to them, one last time.

--

Aerith was still, watching her family from outside the window. Marlene and Denzel were sleeping beside each other on the couch. Her mother, Elmyra was making drinks for Zack and Tifa who were standing near the window, talking to each other. Vincent and Lucrecia were beside her bed, talking to her, informing her of their engagement. And Cloud was nowhere to be seen.

'Marlene, Denzel… I'm going to leave to you the task of telling them how I feel…' Aerith thought. She put her hands together, clutching her necklace, and closed her eyes. She went inside Marlene and Denzel's dreams, putting them in one dream.

"Marlene… Denzel," she called out to them.

Marlene and Denzel looked at her with happiness. "You're back!" they chorused.

Aerith smiled. "Tell everyone, I miss them. And please tell them that I'll never forget them," she said, tears fell from her eyes.

"Why are you saying that?" Marlene asked, tilting her head.

"Marlene, take care of Denzel, Lucrecia, and Mother, okay?" Aerith told Marlene. "Denzel, be strong and make sure that Zack doesn't get into trouble," she told Denzel.

"Okay…" Marlene said, nodding. "But why are you saying this?"

"Won't you be with us?" Denzel asked.

Aerith smiled then hugged the two. "Take care," she whispered. In a flash, everything faded away.

Aerith opened her eyes and saw that Marlene and Denzel had awoken. They were crying so everyone went to them and asked what was wrong. Slowly, and in between sobs, they told them what they had dreamt of. Aerith left, not wanting to see her loved ones cry. She had only one more place to go, one more person to say goodbye to. This will be the hardest thing she'll do.

--

Cloud waited for Aerith on the balcony. He was looking up at the sky, hoping to see an Angel flying towards him. It was already dark that time so he went in. Then, he heard the sound of flapping wings, her wings. He turned around and saw her, gracefully landing on the balcony floor. But there was something wrong; he could feel it.

Cloud ran over to Aerith and smiled at her. Aerith looked at him and slowly forced a smile on her lips; a tear fell from her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I have to go… I came to say goodbye," Aerith said, forcing to stop her tears from falling.

"Is it really time for you to go?" Cloud asked, holding Aerith's hands.

"Cloud, I want you to have this to remember me by," Aerith said. She took Cloud's hand and put something on his hand. "I have to go," she said, turning around.

Aerith was about to spread her wings when Cloud suddenly wrapped his arms tight around her. Aerith's eyes widened with shock. She held onto Cloud's arms then she closed her eyes, treasuring the moment, letting her tears flow.

"Don't go," Cloud whispered. Aerith turned around to face him.

"I have to go, Cloud, for the good of everyone," she said, holding Cloud's hands. Cloud looked at her and put his hand on her cheeks. She looked up at him, smiling. Cloud slowly leaned over and kissed her on the lips. Aerith also kissed him back.

Slowly, Cloud and Aerith broke apart. Aerith opened her wings and slowly ascended towards the sky. Aerith still held Cloud's hands.

"Please look after my family for me, okay, Cloud?" Aerith said as her hands slipped away from his. Cloud nodded. "Don't forget me…" she added.

"I can never forget you, Aerith," Cloud said. Aerith smiled as she slowly let go. She mouthed the words, 'I love you,' before turning around and soaring through the sky.

"I love you, Aerith," Cloud whispered, clenching his hands. He felt something in his left hand and slowly looked at it. It was her necklace. He looked at the pendant and turned it over, feeling something engraved behind the cross. "To you, my beloved Aerith, your mother, Ifalna," he read aloud. 'Thank you for everything, Aerith,' he thought as he looked up at the sky. "The sky's full of stars tonight…" he whispered, closing his eyes.

cLerith raven:

aaawww… it's sad… but hey, this isn't the end… hehe… actually, the storyline changed a bit since there were so many characters… hehe…

I think everything happened so fast, no? pLease tell me what you think, okay? I appreciate any kind of review, but pLease don't be harsh… (--)

oh, and pLease don't hate me… (--)

there's more to come anyways…

LAVYAH ALL!!