A/N: So here we finally are. The last chapter, it was a long time coming but we finally made it. I apologise in advance if I have offended any readers in this chapter with my lousy attempt at gangsta speech, I'm not gangsta myself so that probably doesn't help. Any who enough of my ramblings on with the chappie, credits at the end.
Disclaimer: I own nothing so don't sue me.
Ariana had spent another day in the hospital before she was able to be released; when she walked outside she had a special car waiting for her because she couldn't take two new born babies on a motor cycle. The car took herself, Kiyoko and Yukito back to her place while Cloud and Zack brought the motor cycles back. When the car arrived Ariana had this feeling something suss was going on, she had some trouble opening the door because she had two babies in her hands, "I see you have you're hands full I'll help you Ariana. Why thank you Zack that was very thoughtful of you. And you too Cloud, oh this is all too much, you're treating me too well" Ariana mumbled to herself making her way through the door almost dropping Kyoko and Yukito several times.
"SURPRISE" yelled everyone from Midgar including Kadaj which was a tad surprising for Ariana because she thought he just wasn't into that kinda mushy girly stuff, but she was happy he was there none the less.
"Holy fuck" Ariana jumped about ten feet in the air, she looked down and the twins were still both asleep, well they take after their mother, she thought calming down "ah hey guys what's going on" she said looking at everyone's smiling faces, she hated being looked at.
"Oh my God congratulations!" Yuffie half screamed running towards Ariana giving her a huge hug.
"Watch out for the babies."
"Oh right sorry" Yuffie said apologetically backing while backing away slowly.
"That's ok, well I'm gonna put these two up stairs and we can all gawk at them up there while they're in bed, kay?" she said walking past everyone to the stairs and they soon followed.
"They are so cute" said Loz getting to the front of the crowd in the room Ariana had made for them prior to her being too fat to get up the stairs.
"Yeah they are" agreed Kadaj everyone looked at him in shock "it's disgusting" everyone relaxed when he added the last part.
"That's my Kadaj" said Ariana wrapping am arm around his shoulders, "but you know if you were someone else, I'd have to slap you down" she smiled and walked off resting against the door watching everyone huddling around the cribs. As Ariana was getting into a zone thinking about how her life had turned upside-down then right way up again with a smile on her face.
"Yo space cadet" said Tifa in Ariana's ear.
"Huhwa?" jumped Ariana.
"I said 'yo space cadet' you were in a zone and I've been trying to talk to you for the past five minutes."
"Oh I didn't know you spoke hood Tifa, yo what's going down in ya hood home dog."
"Um not much actually, just Loz and I getting married."
"Dats cool homie g insert record skip and double take here, I'm sorry what?"
"Loz and I are getting married."
"OH MY GOD THAT GREAT" yelled Ariana, everyone immediately turned and stared at her "As you were ladies and gents. So have you set a date yet?"
"Not yet but it will be a couple of years from now I'm guessing."
"Well that's so cool, I'm really happy for you" Ariana smiled.
"So, what are their names?" asked Yazoo who was playing the role of arm candy for Reno.
"Oh the girl's name is Kyoko and the boy is Yukito" Ariana informed as Cloud walked up to her and gave her a passionate kiss which encouraged wolf whistles and a groan from Kadaj, "back to gawking people, there's nothing to see here."
As people made their way out to the motel they had rented for a couple of days everyone gave their congratulations and goodbyes, Ariana was very surprised to see Vincent there but that wasn't the surprising part, he had a smile on his face, that was the real shocker. Cloud stayed behind at Ariana's request, she told him not to be stupid and like fuck she was taking care of those two all alone.
6 months later
Cloud had been living with Ariana in Gongaga for a while now and had caught Ariana, on several occasions, feeding Yukito a bottle of non-alcoholic beer instead of formula (Yukito had taken more of a shine to it than Kyoko had).
"Why do you insist on feeding the poor boy that Ariana?" asked Cloud walking to the fridge catching her in the act without even looking at her.
"I'm training him for later in his life when he can take down his school pals" Ariana exclaimed with a determined tone.
"Somehow I don't think his school pals will be drinking 'til their at least 16" Cloud said getting the formula ready for Kyoko, "are you planning to make him an alcoholic before he can walk."
"This is non-alcoholic beer. I think" Ariana said worriedly looking at the label; she let out a sigh of relief when she saw she hadn't grabbed one of her own light beers. She had been rehabilitating herself slowly since she hadn't had an alcoholic drink while she was pregnant; Cloud had insisted she take it slowly because he feared she might overdose if she consumed the amount she had before she was pregnant, needless to say the evil bottle of absinthe was locked up in a cupboard that only Zack had the numerous keys and combinations to, it needed that many because sometimes she would get cravings and try to pry it open with her sais.
2 and a half years later.
Cloud, Ariana, Zack, Yukito and Kyoko had now bought a house in Midgar to be closer to their friends, actually it was only a couple of minutes away from 7th Heaven, so whenever Ariana wanted to go drinking she would walk over to the bar and get Marlene and Denzel to take care of the twins while she got shitfaced and was needed to be carried home by Cloud.
Now it was time for Tifa and Loz's wedding, actually take that back, it was half way through their wedding and Ariana, who was the brides made, was completely zoned out. Yuffie was on Ariana's left and Kyoko, who was the flower girl, was holding on to Ariana's hand. Across the alter from the brides maids and flower girl were the best men and the ring barer which were Cloud, Kadaj and Yukito. Ariana was thinking about how someday this could be her, now if only Cloud would get his rear in gear and ask me. Before Ariana knew it she was the reception and Cloud was about to give a speech, the last thing she remembered was something in Loz's vows about how he really didn't want to kill her two years ago when he first saw her or something like that, she really wasn't paying attention at all.
So here she was at the reception in the middle of Cloud's speech and he came over beside her. "Ariana" he said grabbing her hand taking her out of her zone, "from the moment I met you I knew that you were special and I should have done this two and a half years ago and I apologize for not being able to work up the courage to do it sooner, I guess I was looking for the right time to do it. Ariana Fair will you be mine and be by my side for the rest of our lives, will you do the honor of marrying me?" he presented Ariana with a large white gold emerald ring.
"Oh my god do you know how long I've been waiting for you to ask me that" she laughed starting to cry, "so that means we can finally crack open that bottle of absinthe in the cupboard that Zack so dutifully locked with a thousand bajillion locks" she glanced over to Zack in the crowed who gave her a grin.
"So that's a yes?"
"Of course silly head. You think I'd have two kids to a guy, live with him, tell him day and night non-stop that I love him and not marry him?" Ariana bent down and gave Cloud the biggest kiss she could and toppled off her chair falling on top of him, the whole crowed, including the bride and groom, clapped wildly at the newly engaged couple who just grinned sheepishly and kissed one more time showing off for the audience.
As the night went on Ariana got drunker and drunker and much to Ariana's dismay Zack had requested there be no absinthe at the reception venue, he still wanted to have a sister by the end of this.
Hmm I should contact Aerith somehow, I know she wanted me to take care of Ariana but now she's got Cloud, but I don't wanna go and I wonder how you go back to the Lifestream I hope it doesn't involve pain, he thought, despite the fact he didn't want to go back he did miss Aerith terribly.
Zack left the reception earlier than everyone else and made his way down to the church in the old Slums; he hoped that he could talk to Aerith there. "Aerith if you can hear me I need to talk to you" he yelled into the nothingness wading into the large pool of water. As he made it to the centre the world around him changed and he found himself in a large field of flowers. "Zack you finally came."
"I miss you, what do I do now? Am I supposed to come back or what?" asked Zack looking at Aerith.
"I miss you too. There's no way for you to come back the only way to get into the Lifestream is to die" Aerith looked away sadly.
"Oh" was all he could say, but then a thought struck him what if Aerith came back too? "Why don't you come back, it'll be perfect then" he exclaimed excitedly though the smile on his face was wiped when she turned away.
"You have a visitor" she said over her shoulder as the world came rushing back to him, he turned to find Tseng, who was invited to the wedding along with the other Turks, walking into the church.
"It's been to long Zack" he said walking over to Zack with a package marked 'sealed'. Zack looked at Tseng confused as he handed over the package. "The 88 letters Aerith wrote to you while you were being tested on by Hojo for four years" Zack opened the package and shuffled through a few of the letters and when he looked up Tseng had vanished. Zack decided he would go back to Ariana's place and read over the letters and ponder things for a while. By the time Ariana and Cloud had got home (the twins were staying with Marlene and Denzel) they were both considerably drunk, "hey Zack missed you the party, where you go? I need sleep" Cloud managed to string together, his best attempt at a sentence that night after 9 o'clock, Ariana just laughed hysterically hanging off Cloud's arm.
"Ok time for little children to go to bed" Zack said ushering Ariana and Cloud to their room, Ariana had their room put on the bottom floor because it would be too hard to get up the stairs pissed Cloud agreed at this because he didn't want to have to carry her up the stairs.
At 10 the next morning Ariana was having an oddly familiar dream, it was about bottle of alcohol only this time it wasn't a vodka bottle smashing itself against her head but a bottle of beer and a bottle of Jack Daniels saying "Mummy wake up" she just replied to the smashing with "well that's not a good combination at all". Yukito just sighed and looked at Kyoko they knew the drill they had to go through when their mum was like this "Mummy, Daddy through out all the beer in the fridge and uncle Zack drank your bottle of absinthe" they said distressed in her ear, hearing this her eyes popped open and jumped out of bed muttering "oh he is sleeping on the couch for the rest of his soon to be shortened life" marching out of the room in her Oscar the grouch pyjamas, which she had miraculously managed to button up properly. When Ariana got out into the living room she found Cloud sitting with a bottle of pain killers and a bottle of beer while entertaining Marlene, Denzel, Tifa and Loz. She then went to check the fridge and found all he bottles of beer there.
"Tricked by the kids again?" yelled Cloud from the next room.
"They are so getting a visit from the tickle monster when I'm not hung over" she said grabbing the bottle of pain killers in her medicine cupboard along with a beer and joined the others on the couch across from Tifa and Loz, she just held her head in her hands while Cloud rubbed her back. "You ok?" Marlene asked concerned she only replied with a thumbs up which everyone took as a no. "I haven't been this hung over since I was sixteen and it was my best friend's birthday party, boy was I in shit then."
"Ariana you know what today is don't you?" asked Cloud.
"Well obviously not, so why don't you tell me" she said irritated.
"It's Yukito and Kyoko's 3rd birthday today."
"Oh shit! Cover for me" she said grabbing her purse and keys running out the door in her pyjamas.
"Um what about her…?" asked Tifa referring to the pyjamas.
"She has a spare pair of clothes in the car for these kinds of emergencies, like there's no beer in the fridge" he explained and they immediately understood because that was how Ariana was, Cloud wondered if she actually had any brain cells left from her alcoholism.
When Ariana had got back an hour and a half later she was fully dressed and had two large presents in her hands. "Yukito, Kyoko come down here for a minute" she yelled and the two twins came down from their bedroom on the second floor. Yukito was happily playing with a toy monster truck and sucking on a bottle of non-alcoholic beer and Kyoko with a play kitchen set. "How do you come up with the money to buy this stuff?" asked Cloud.
"Oh you know some bar work for Tifa every weekend and Tuesdays, what did you think I used to do in Gongaga, I was a full time bar tender you know."
"Oh really so let me guess you've been sneaking absinthe every Tuesday?" he said giving her a quick pack on the cheek.
"No, sadly Zack got it taken out of the bar. Which gets me to wondering where on earth he is? Has he gotten up yet?"
"Hmm not that I know of" he said worried, Zack was usually always up at around six doing squats or something.
"I'm gonna go check up on him" she said going up the stairs to his room; she found him asleep with a note in his hand it was the last one from Aerith in the package; his floor strewn with letters from her. "Ahh Zack, you miss her don't you?" she whispered shaking him lightly "Zack wake up."
"Huh, what's going on?" he said waking up.
"Its 11:30, time for you to get up and say happy birthday to your niece and nephew" she said opening the curtains "please wait 'til after the wedding" she said walking out of his room, he knew what she meant and he decided he would.
Ariana made her way back down stairs to Cloud, "Cloud I want to get married in two months."
"Uh, what?" he asked confused.
"What? You can't do it?" she said sceptically.
"Whatever you want" he said slightly taken aback by her sudden request. So preparation for the wedding began immediately, Cloud and Zack found themselves overrun by excited women so they decided to go bowling with Kadaj and Loz everyday for the next month from 12 'til 5.
The wedding day.
Ariana was so nervous that she was drinking loads of Jack Daniels to help settle her nerves, but it didn't seem to be working. "Honey somehow I don't think that that's going to work" said Tifa doing up the Zip on Ariana's dress.
Out at the alter Cloud was wringing his hands, Zack put a hand on his shoulder silently telling him there was nothing to be nervous about. Because Ariana no longer had a father to take her down the isle she would settle for Yazoo who was like a brother to her, always taking care of the kids while she, Cloud and Zack got crunk (crunk as in crazy drunk). The music started and Kyoko walked down the aisle spreading rose petals as she went, Ariana soon came out after with Yazoo holding her arm, she was wearing a very light green strapless dress with a vine leaf pattern across the body that went down the side of the skirt it suited her eyes perfectly and brought out the colour in her them, the colour matched Clouds shirt, Yuffie and Tifa came behind her wearing light pink strapless dresses that matched Loz and Reno's shirts.
Ariana took Cloud's hands with a smile as the priest started his speech, "ladies and gentleman, we are gathered here today to join Cloud Strife and Ariana fair in holy matrimony. Blah, blah, blah we've already been through all of this a million times, thought Ariana once again slipping into another world going over her memories, of all the new friends she'd made. Before she knew it, it was time to recite the vows, she and Cloud had decided to make up their own vow because it would come from the heart rather than copying some old coots words and they could not tell each other what the vows were so in rehearsal they had to recite the vows in their heads, it was quite amusing for the brides maids and grooms men to see this and had to refrain from laughing their guts out.
"Cloud have you prepared any vows?" he asked knowing full well that he had. Cloud squeezed Ariana's hands to get her out of the zone she was in and got out the piece of paper he had written the vows out on.
"Yes
I have Father, well here goes" he said with a nervous smile, "The
life stream, the river of life that encircles our planet, giving
life
to the world and everything in it. When people die, they are
transported back
into the life stream.
My friend, Zack Fair,
went there. I tried to forget, I tried to push the
memories out of
my head, but they all came back one day. That was when I saw her.
Ariana Fair.
She looked so much like him… it actually brought
tears to my eyes. That
night she stood in the middle of the 7th
Heaven Bar, drenched in rainwater,
she announced her name, Ariana
Fair. Then all my memories came whooshing back.
I remembered Zack
saying to me 'I have a sister back home. She really wanted to come
with me, but I wouldn't let her, this is dangerous stuff we
do
here.' I had nodded, agreeing completely. I never thought I
would meet her.
And when I did, my world was turned upside-down. I
met this alcoholic,
fun-loving person. For the first time in two
or so years, I opened up to
someone. She was all that was on my
mind. 'Ariana Fair, Ariana Fair, Ariana Fair.' I didn't do
anything much about it though, I thought maybe I was just glad to
meet someone like Zack again. But, in time, it evolved. Zack's
voice was in my head, acting as my conscience, telling me I was in
'love', but I wouldn't believe it until Ariana was about to
leave.
All I could think of for six months was her. Did she find
someone else? Why
hadn't she called? Then, one day, she did
call. In the background though, I
heard a voice. A male voice. 'It
was my brother Zack; he came back from the Lifestream this morning
and made me some of his scrambled eggs, Cloud I love you so much why
would I cheat on you?'
I was a fool. I didn't believe her. I
didn't believe the woman I loved so
much. The woman I had loved
for more than half a year." Cloud paused. His
vows were getting
quite long but people looked eager to hear more.
"When Zack
visited me, telling me it was time to go see Ariana, and he took
me
to the hospital, I was freaking out. Was she hurt? Was she dying?
But
when we turned toward the maternity ward I was a little confused.
I
then found out I was the father of two beautiful children…
In
short, it was a long hard road, but here we are. We fought. We
endured.
And we kept our love. Cloud Strife found An Unexpected
Love. A permanent one." Everyone in the audience let out an 'aww',
Cloud thought he heard Tifa say "That is so sweet", and then
whispered to Loz "why couldn't you come up with something that
sweet for our wedding?" Cloud let out a small laugh hearing this.
Now it was Ariana's turn. "Ariana have you prepared any vows?" repeated the Father.
"Yes Father, but they ain't gonna be as good as his though" she said holding back the tears of happiness that threatened to spill, oh no you don't not 'til after I give my vows, she threatened right back.
Ariana
took a deep breath and recited her vows. "Cloud Strife, Cloud
Strife, Cloud Strife. The man that is standing before me right now."
She said gesturing to Cloud. "We met in the 7th Heaven bar. I
stumbled in one night looking for a place to stay and Tifa kindly
offered for me to stay there. She introduced me to everyone
individually but the final person I met was him. Cloud Strife. That
name rang through my head like bells, over and over and over. He
looked so deep in thought that I didn't want to bother him. To tell
the truth, at first I thought he was a little creepy. But his blue
eyes were what caught my attention. The same eyes as my brother. The
eyes of
someone with Jenova Cells. The eyes of a SOLDIER.
"The
first night I met him I got drunk and he had to carry me to my
room.
Apparently I mumbled something like 'you smell nice', to
him. Which, of
course, is true." She said blushing slightly at
her own stupidity and everyone laughed, Cloud let out a small chuckle
remembering the night all to well.
"A few days later, we shared
our first kiss. Obviously this kiss was just a
means of shutting
me up, but it felt like more than that. After a while and a
few
more not-so-secret meetings I knew I loved Cloud, but I couldn't
stay. I
had to go back and cure the children in my village. It was
hard, but I said my goodbyes and I was given a beautiful bottle of
absinthe, which is sadly still locked up in the cupboard, we'll
talk later about that Zack.When I made it back to the village, I
found out I couldn't drink it. For fear of harming my soon-to-be
children. I was going to be a mother. The mother of Cloud Strife's
children. I couldn't call, I couldn't do anything. I was too fat
to fit up the stairs to get my phone. And worst of all, that damned
bottle of Absinthe was still sitting on the table mocking me. It was
a nightmare.
"When Zack arrived to make me scrambled eggs, he
got the phone. I tried
calling but Cloud didn't believe me. How
could he? I told him my brother
came back to life!
"But,
when the children were on their way, Cloud arrived. He arrived,
and
he was happy. I thought he'd be mad. Angry at me for giving
birth to his
children. I didn't know if he'd want them. But,
he did." Those damned tears were now spilling and running down her
cheeks, you may have won the battle but you
wont win the war, this was of course directed
at the tears, she forced them back and thanked the inventor of water
proof eye makeup.
"And just look where we are now." She
continued but those tears had apparently won the war and she was
bawling her eyes out, but once again managed to regain composure so
the father could continue. She gave a nod to the priest and he spoke
again.
"Do you, Cloud Strife, take Ariana Fair as your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live until death do you part?" he turned his head to Cloud awaiting his answer.
"I do."
"Do you, Ariana Fair, take Cloud Strife as your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live until death do you part?"
"Of course, why do you think we're all here today preach" she said getting irritated this was taking so long. Everyone, including the priest was taken aback by this sudden out burst
"Ariana" Cloud said sternly.
"Sorry, I do" she apologised sincerely.
"I now pronounce you man and wife; you may kiss the bride" the priest finished. Cloud moved forward and kissed Ariana and she deepened the kiss passionately. Everyone clapped and a wolf whistle was sounded from somewhere in the mass of people coming up to congratulate the newly weds.
"Now to the bar!" Ariana yelled over the crowd and everyone cheered. The reception went smoothly and everyone got successfully smashed, the notorious bottle of absinthe was bought out and consumed, Ariana even gave Yukito a sip of it on the sly without Cloud noticing.
The next day came and the whole group went into the Strife's living room, solemn and sad. "Aw come on guy I'm not really dying just going back to the Lifestream, I'll see you all again soon, you know 50 years isn't that long in the Lifestream" Zack said with the only smile in the room "hey cheer up I want to go with a smile on everyone's face."
"Yeah all right just lay down its time to go" said Ariana bringing over the materia that would allow him to slip painlessly into an eternal sleep and return to the Lifestream. Zack lied down on the large couch and grabbed Cloud's hand "don't for get you're my living legacy."
"I'll never forget, thank you" said Cloud his eyes welling with tears.
"Why do you have to go back? Just when I thought I had you forever you have to leave me all over again, it's too painful" said Ariana trying to stop herself from crying.
"My place is not here with you, you have Cloud for that, and my place is in the Lifestream with Aerith, everything happens for a reason Ana" he said seriously giving his little sister a hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Yukito, take care of your mum for me will ya" Yukito nodded "Kyoko, keep an eye on your brother, make sure he doesn't get to drunk, the way your mum's going" Kyoko poked her tongue out at Yukito as if to say 'I got my eye on you'. Ariana bought over the black and white swirled materia and gave it to Zack, who was about to push it directly into his heart until he stopped and gave it to Ariana, "you do it" he said putting it in her hand, she nodded and he closed his eyes as he waited to die, he winced slightly as Ariana pushed the one of a kind materia into his heart and made his way back to the Lifestream. Back to Aerith.
When Zack arrived back in the grassy plains of the Lifestream he was hugged from behind by who he guessed was Aerith, "I'm so proud of you, you were able to leave everything behind and come back to where you belong"
"So I read those 88 letters you gave to Tseng, I didn't know you wanted to spend so much time with me" he said turning to face Aerith with a smile and catching her off guard he kissed her lightly, "everything is as it should be."
The End….or is it?
Somewhere in the deepest darkest corner of the Lifestream Sephiroth was sharpening his humungous sword with a terrible glint in his eye as two new remnants were born…..but who from?
A/N: Sorry for the long chapter it just kinda turned out that way. Firstly I would like to thank Suzuki Yumi '.' for making me some lovely wedding vows because I'm just to shit at it folks and for being a great reviewer, I would also like to thank my sister shadow of a fallen angel for her support (hehe sounds like I just got an Oscar, ah if only, if only) and lastly thank you to Square Enix because if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have any sexy characters to write about now would I lol.