A/N: Okay! Here we go… The last chapter! For those of you have favorited, followed, or reviewed this story, thanks so much!
Disclaimer: I only own my original characters.
For a brief period, I didn't know what was going on. I was pretty sure I had blacked out when Cloud had lifted me. Now I found that I was laying on my back and his energy was missing altogether. However, I wasn't alone. I sense someone near me and my eyes fluttered open. To my surprise, a lady now stood in front of me, silhouetted by an expanse of white, cloudy, mist.
"Mom?" I mumbled groggily, blinking to focus my vision. It felt like something was missing, and it only took me a few seconds to realize that the heaviness in my body was completely gone. I stood easily, feeling as light as a feather, and faced the woman. It was then that I realized that I was mistaken as to who she was.
This girl had long, dark brown hair done up in a braid tied with a pink ribbon. Her gentle eyes were round, and green like emeralds. She wore a pink and white dress, a short, red jacket that was open in the front, and two silver bracelets. She seemed to radiate both power and peace, and part of me wondered if she was some kind of angel or other magical being.
"Again? Why is everyone calling me their mother lately?" the woman asked, an amused smile lighting up her face.
"Sorry." I said, thinking that must have been the Geostigma talking, but when I glanced down at my left hand, the black spots were gone! Questions bubbled over in my mind and I hoped the lady would do me the kindness of answering at least some of them. "Who are you?" I asked curiously.
"I'm Aerith." The lady answered cheerfully, her voice soft and sweet like syrup, offering comfort with each word spoken. "And I already know who you are." She finished. I blinked in confusion, wondering how that could be… Unless she was like Cloud… someone forewarned about my identity and the power I wielded.
I looked down at the ground momentarily, trying to think of what to say, when something caught my eye. I couldn't help but notice that little yellow flowers were blooming all around Aerith's feet, as if we were standing in a field. They seemed to complete the feeling of peace she brought with her, as if they were an extension of her spirit.
Realizing Aerith was waiting for me to say something, I tore my eyes away from the yellow blossoms and looked around at the expanse of pure white that seemed to stretch on forever. A question came to mind, but it was horrifying to think about. Instead, I asked another question. "Where… am I?"
The woman's gentle, green, eyes gazed softly down at me, sparkling like little jewels. "You're in the Lifestream." she answered pleasantly.
"The Lifestream?" I muttered, puzzled, remembering that both Cloud and Sephiroth had mentioned something like that at some point. I leaned forward, my interest peaked, hoping she'd tell me more.
"Yes." Aerith said with a nod. "This is the where all living things come when their time on Gaia comes to an end."
Gaia? That definitely wasn't part of my world. Had Cloud managed to take me to his world before I blacked out? And if so, then where was he now?
Thinking about all of this only further reinforced the answer to the question that I was afraid to ask, but I had to know for sure before I started panicking. "Am I… Did I…?" I started, but the words seemed to trip as they passed my lips, and I couldn't bring myself to finish.
Luckily, the flower girl seemed to know what I was asking. "Don't worry. This isn't a permanent trip." She replied gently. "In fact, your time on Gaia has only just begun. Your friend, the one who shares your light, brought your soul here briefly so that your body could handle Cloud's teleportation."
That was a relief, not that I understood what she meant completely. All I knew was that I couldn't allow myself to quit on all the worlds who needed my help. If Anti-Junior had somehow brought me here, he must have been working pretty hard protecting other worlds to have not done more than that. I had to rejoin him as soon as possible.
"Where's Cloud?" I wondered. "He was supposed to be helping me."
Aerith looked at me, her eyes filled with compassion, and I almost wondered if she could see into my soul. "Don't worry! He'll come around." She reassured.
Then, slowly, steadily, Aerith and the swirling clouds of white began to fade away, and the empty silence was replaced with a new sound; the faint splash of water as it swished and bubbled merrily nearby. Unfortunately, the dead tiredness and dizziness of Geostigma returned as well, my few moments of freedom from the disease having expired. But, as my other senses aroused, I realized that Cloud was now half carrying me, and I was indeed on a new world altogether.
I opened my eyes and found that we were in some sort of sanctuary, and though the place looked like it had seen better days, everything was so peaceful here. The warm sun beamed through a large hole in the roof, and flowers bloomed, bathed in the sun's warm light. The sound of the rippling liquid echoed off of the walls, and I noticed that sparkling water had collected in a pool in the flower bed. Was this peaceful place part of Cloud's world?
Suddenly, a little girl's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Welcome back!" she greeted Cloud, her blue eyes shining at the return of the blonde soldier. The girl couldn't have been more than six or seven years old, and she looked sort of like Aerith. Her brown braided hair was tied with a pink ribbon similar to the flower girl's, and she wore a white and yellow dress.
Cloud regarded her for a moment, then continued walking to where two other people stood waiting near the pool of water. "I'm back." He informed with quiet triumph in his voice.
A woman with a white shirt, black vest, and black shorts hurried up to us, her waist length brown hair blowing slightly in the breeze from outside. Beside her stood a boy about my age with sandy brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a green button-down shirt and dark jeans. They both seemed as if they had been waiting for Cloud's return as well.
"Is this that kid from another world?" the lady asked, giving me a pleasant smile. She seemed like the kind of person who's warmth and cheerfulness could break through anyone's mental or emotional walls, including Cloud's, to a certain extent
"Yeah." The soldier answered, nodding, and I wondered if he had told her about me previously.
The woman must have seen my uncertain expression because she leaned down and spoke to me. "It's okay." She said reassuringly, a nurturing smile on her face. "I'm Tifa, by the way." She introduced. "This is Marline," Tifa said, pointing to the little girl. "And Denzel." She motioned to the boy.
Something inside told me that I could trust her, so I relaxed a little. "Mm…" I said quietly, nodding slightly, which was all I could manage at the moment.
Denzel looked down at me, his eyes resting on the black spots on my hand. "You have it, too?" he asked empathetically.
Marline, having seen this, gently touched my arm. "Does it hurt?" she asked, pointing to my hand. I wished I could tell her that it didn't, but I didn't think I had the strength to.
Tifa looked like she wanted to ask Cloud something else, but decided that it could wait for now, and offered an arm to help him support me.
"Last chance…" Cloud muttered, more to himself than me. "Let's get it right…"
Tifa and Cloud carried me towards the spring in the flower bed, the two kids jogging on either side and looking down at me with concern and comfort in their eyes.
"Don't worry." Marline said to me. "Cloud helped fix Denzel. He can help you feel better, too!"
Denzel nodded, glancing up at Cloud as if he were his hero. I wondered if he had been one of the kids at the spring in my dream. If Cloud had cured him, then had he already cured the other children, too?
We made it to the edge of the pool of water, which sloshed and rippled energetically, as if inviting us to come nearer. Cloud walked forward, disrupting the water ever so slightly as he stepped into the shallow pool. Tifa and the kids edged closer, watching with anticipation and curiosity.
Cloud bent down, reached into the water, and brought out some of the clear, sparkling, liquid into his cupped hands. Some of the excess water trickled back into the pool as he brought it to me, but he still moved slowly and carefully, trying to save as much of the precious liquid as possible.
I stared down at the black spots on my hand for a moment. Would they really go away? Would this disease that had caused me so much misery finally be gone?
"Come on. I'm here." Cloud's gentle voice brought me out of my thoughts. Slowly, trembling, I held out my left hand. I closed my eyes as Cloud gingerly placed both his hands around mine, completely submerging it in the water he had gathered.
The water felt cool and tingly, like liquid energy. Within a second, the bubbly water became warm, as if my hand were resting in a hot spring. Before I knew it, the water wasn't water anymore, but it felt as if it had been changed into actual magic. The warm feeling shot up my arm and spread through my entire body. "Huh?" I breathed as I felt my strength returning, particularly when the magic reached my heart. It was as if I had been frozen and the warm sun was melting the ice.
Cloud slowly let go of my hand and the water's magic faded, but the warm feeling remained. I hesitated, then lifted my hand and examined it. At first, I couldn't believe my eyes, but oh, what an amazing sight! The dark spots had vanished completely without a trace, and my hand was restored like new.
I broke into a grin, my joy about to burst like a fountain! Geostigma's plague was now nowhere to be found, and I felt like a new person. Finally, nothing was holding me down anymore, and I was free!
"It's gone!" Denzel observed, staring at my hand. "You're okay now, right?"
I took a moment to appreciate the fact that I had the energy to move again. This was too good to be true, but it felt too real to be a dream. "Yeah!" I exclaimed, baffled and ecstatic, as Tifa let go of me.
"Hurray!" Marline cried. "Since you're better, do you want to come play with us?"
"Oh, um…" I stammered, trying to think of a way to explain myself to these kids. As I thought, I tested the cosmic energy around me, expecting Anti-Junior to be dealing with some sort of trouble in the stars, but to my surprise, everything was perfectly calm.
I grinned, excitement building like a balloon inside of me. After being bound by Geostigma's chains, a little fun with other kids was just what I needed. I probably should have at least gone home and told my family I was all right, but running around in the fresh air and sunshine was just too tempting, at least for a few minutes, anyway. I didn't think my mom and Angel would be too worried. This wouldn't be the first time they came home to the house in shambles.
"Yes!" I cried eagerly, glad for this chance, and ran outside with Denzel and Marline.
"Be careful!" Tifa called after us as we exited the sanctuary. I made it outside and was greeted with the sun's warm embrace. The land around the sanctuary looked a little barren, but nothing could bring my spirits down at this moment.
"Tag!" Marline exclaimed, taking me out of my thoughts with a nudge in the arm. Then, she and Denzel ran away, laughing playfully. I smiled, and quickly joined in the game.
It didn't take me long to catch one of the two kids. "You're 'it'!" I cried, lightly slapping Denzel on the back, then running faster and faster, as if to leave any care in the world behind.
We had been playing for about ten minutes, and I was having a great time, when realization struck, putting a halt to our fun. "Oh no!" I exclaimed mentally, remembering something. I ran back towards the sanctuary, Denzel and Marline watching me go.
"Cloud?" I called out as I re-entered the building. Cloud and Tifa were still standing by the flower bed, their heads bent close to one another as if in deep conversation. At the mention of his name, the soldier looked up with a start.
The two kids lingered near the doorway, chattering excitedly to one another as I walked slowly up to Cloud. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at the blonde soldier. "Th-thank you." I stammered, barely able to speak.
Cloud looked surprised for a second, then nodded, gazing down at me, but, his eyes weren't the same cold, distant ones that I had stared into at the Smash mansion or any time after that. He seemed like a different person, as if he had been cured of some sort of sickness, too. I never knew that a warrior who seemed so hardened from battle and disconnected from the world could have this much compassion in his eyes.
The soldier was silent for a moment, as if willing himself to speak, but not finding the courage. He glanced over at Tifa, who flashed a reassuring smile, then sighed heavily and stared down at the ground for a moment. "I'm sorry." Cloud said quietly.
"Huh? For what?" I asked uncertainly. Why was he apologizing? He had just saved me! I stared, wide eyed and continued listening.
"For… not being there when you asked." Cloud shifted awkwardly as he tried to choose his words. "I didn't want you involved… but then Sephiroth… he… I should have done more! I should have prepared you…!" The words were spilling out of his mouth faster than he could select them, but then he stopped, took a deep breath, and voiced his next question. "Is that… request still open?"
"Request…?" I wondered, racking my brain to figure out what he meant. Wait… the only significant plea I had asked of Cloud was during the Smash tournament. "Oh, that one." I said solemnly.
I listened to the sounds of the gently bubbling spring and the kids' excited whispers echoing through the building, then hesitantly, nervously, voiced a question that was on my mind. "Why… did you refuse when I asked you before?"
Cloud's eyes rested on one of the yellow flowers near the water, as if it held the answer to my question. Then he spoke, his voice quiet and calm again. "I just thought… if I didn't show interest… then Sephiroth wouldn't, either." The pain was now visible in his eyes and his voice cracked as he continued. "People close to me… tend to get hurt… and I thought… if I kept my distance… then Sephiroth would stay away… that he wouldn't try to hurt you… That was a mistake."
At that second, clarity shot through me like a dart, but it took a while for it to sink in. Cloud had wanted to help me all along, and thought the best way of doing so was to keep his distance so Sephiroth wouldn't grow wise to the power I possessed.
But, my doubts concerning him were by no means extinguished. "You seemed… pretty upset when my power light wouldn't leave your heart, as if you didn't want anything to do with it… or me."
The soldier stood quietly, gathering his thoughts as if they were scattered puzzle pieces. "I just… It seemed too important for me to get involved with. I… didn't trust myself with that responsibility… But, now I realize… it's too important for me not to get involved." He stopped speaking, but his eyes had an inquiring look in them, as if to ask the question that his mouth could not.
I thought I knew what Cloud was getting at, and decided to answer his question with one of my own. "Cloud? Does this mean you'll help me protect the multiverse now?" I inquired, my heart pounding in anticipation of his answer.
The blonde warrior stared directly into my eyes for a long moment. "Yeah." He said, nodding firmly. I thought I was happy before, but at Cloud's reply, the fountain of joy inside me grew into a gushing river!
The light in my heart sparked inside me, and I knew that a connection had been made between Cloud and me. Though we hesitated for a fraction of a second, the soldier and I shook hands, sealing our deal and making a promise that we would have each other's back from now on.
"Thanks." I said in barely a whisper. Gratitude for everything Cloud had done welled up inside me, and I knew one little word wasn't going to do it justice, but for Cloud, it seemed to be enough.
The soldier nodded, but then his gaze shifted to something behind me. I sensed a serene energy, and turned around to see what he was looking at.
Aerith, the flower girl, was standing by the entrance of the sanctuary. I was kind of surprised to see her again, and wondered why she had come. She looked at Cloud, her smile like calming water, but when she spoke, I had the feeling she was talking to both of us.
"You see? Everything's… all right." She said softly, her voice like honey. Then, with a nod and a gentle wave, the flower girl left the sanctuary, seeming to vanish into the afternoon light.
Cloud gazed around the sanctuary, first at Tifa, Denzel, Marline, and then at me. He looked back to where Aerith had been, and for the first time since I met him, a genuine smile graced his countenance. "I know." He said contentedly, seeming to mimic my thoughts exactly. "I'm not alone… Not anymore."
A/N: Isn't that nice? Junior gets cured, and he and Cloud gain a friend and helper in each other! Thanks so much for reading, and please leave your thoughts in a review.
If you like this story, be on the lookout for another one called Breaking My Limits. The first chapter will be in the Final Fantasy/x-overs section hopefully within a few days.
