A/N: I APOLOGISE FOR HOW INSANELY LONG THIS HAS TAKEN ME! '''OTL ... Five months. Yep, I just counted and it's been five months since I last updated a chapter! Kill me now, or forgive me for my complete incompetence and unreliability. I leave myself at your mercy! :'( Sorry sorry sorry!

The next chapter is currently under construction, so I'm desperately hoping to break this terrible streak of not updating for months at a time, 'kay? Thank you so much for sticking with me through all this! I really appreciate it if you've been putting up with my sporadic updates for ... years ... now. Thank you so much! You guys are the best and hey, why don't you ask me for a request? Yeah? :D Just message me with an idea for a short story that you would like written (FFVII universe, of course) and I'll write it! Thanks for being so dedicated, guys. You rock my world!

CHAPTER 21

"Give me control!"

"You're nothing but a puppet ..."

"If you live, you'll only hurt them more. Don't you want to ease their burdens once and for all?"

"Give me control!"

He knew this place. It was so familiar now. The ethereal expanse of pure white, holding him, caressing him. Cloud was calm here. He was at peace.

It was a feeling unlike any he had felt in such an unbearably long time.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply and allowed the serene atmosphere to permeate every molecule of his being. Muscles that had been tense for months relaxed, worry lines smoothed out and the dark shadow that seemed to have been hanging over him for years simply vanished. Nothing could stand against the light of this place.

Right?

Something niggled in the back of Cloud's mind, an unwelcome feeling in his state of total relaxation. He pushed it away, wanting to linger on the languid stance of his body a while longer. Why did his mind always conflict with his desires?

The gut-wrenching, skin-prickling weight of the presence of Sephiroth was gone.

Cloud's eyes snapped open at this realisation and he gasped, focusing his mind and searching for any trace of his nemesis. The memories lingered beneath the surface, but there was no sense of another's mentality in his head, no sense of invasion.

Cloud was finally, truly, free.

He looked down at himself and felt a strange sensation sweep over him. The stern lines of his face broke, giving way to a shy, bashful but purely joyful expression that Cloud had not expressed from the depths of his soul since Zack had died.

He smiled.

"He's gone," Cloud whispered to himself. "He's really gone."

With the look of absolute delight consuming more and more of him with every passing moment, Cloud threw his head back and laughed. The sound was pure and clear, crystalline and it seemed to draw strength from the ethereal world he hung in, being amplified and played back to him. The laughter sounded brighter and more honest than it ever had before. Cloud laughed again.

All the hallucinations would stop now, right? Cloud vaguely remembered someone saying that Sephiroth had been the one causing his hallucinations. If Sephiroth was gone, the hallucinations should be gone too.

He would finally be able to start living a normal life. He would be a real father to Denzel and Marlene, giving them all the devotion and love they needed. He would tell Tifa the truth and do everything he could to make up for lost time. He would tell her the truth about his past and Zack ...

Zack. The man was truly alive, wasn't he? Joyful disbelief filled Cloud's mind and his heart twisted inside of him as he remembered the coldness in which he had treated his best friend. It should have been impossible. Resurrections just didn't happen! And yet, here he was. Zack Fair was alive.

The niggling feeling in the back of Cloud's mind grew stronger, refusing to be ignored any longer. He frowned ever so slightly as he allowed the feeling some thought. What was it? What had he forgotten?

Debts.

Cloud owed someone a debt, a very large debt. A life debt. A debt that he would never repay until the end of his days, yet a debt that he would never stop trying to repay. The fearfully familiar melancholy began to creep back at the edges of Cloud's being as he lingered over this thought, brooding on it and threatening to lose all that he just regained.

"Don't give up hope, Cloud!"

"What?"

His head snapped up and Cloud looked around, searching the white expanse of nothing for the owner of that beautiful, lilting voice. A light hand rested on his shoulder and he sucked a breath in. Every nerve in shoulder screamed in sensitivity, never wanting that touch to end.

"Don't give up hope. You've come so far and gone through so much! Don't give up now, not when you're so close to the end."

Cloud closed his eyes and swallowed hard while his body subconsciously leaned backwards, drawing strength from the small figure behind him.

"Aerith."

"Yes Cloud, it's me." She sounded amused. "The real me, this time. Not the one from your nightmares."

"Why are you here, Aerith? Why am I here?"

"You're here because your mind has finally been released from the torment that has plagued it all these years. And I'm here because this trial is not quite over yet. You still need one final push to get you through it."

"Aerith, is ..." Cloud bit his lip for a moment. "Is Zack really alive again?"

"Yes Cloud, he is."

"But then ... you ..."

"Don't worry about me, Cloud. I'm not lonely, nor alone. And Zack is still needed on this planet, no matter how confused or hurt he may feel. He needs you, just as much as you need him."

"How do always know exactly what to say?" Cloud asked softly. He dearly longed to turn around, to take Aerith in his arms. There had been a time when he thought he loved her but Cloud now knew those feelings had belonged to Zack. But that did not dim the strength of Cloud's own, real feelings towards her. Aerith was a precious friend and it had cut him to the soul to lose her.

Aerith gave a soft giggle and Cloud could see her amused smile in his mind.

"I wish I had better news to give you. Cloud, you have your strength of mind back. But there is a corruption within it, placed there by an enemy. This corruption is not strong enough to conquer you without the crippling power of Sephiroth, who is now gone."

"Then why should I be concerned?" Cloud asked, confused.

"Does he ever really stay gone, Cloud?" A small silence fell between them and Cloud suddenly wished that he never had to leave this serene place, that he never had to go back to the painful world out there. "Remember to trust your friends, Cloud. Let them help you. Don't try and do this on your own, because you're not meant to."

Slim arms gently glided around his torso and held him tightly. Cloud held his breath and clung to Aerith's arms, never wanting her to let go. He might not love her in the same way he loved Tifa, but he still loved her.

Aerith gently pulled away, her touch drifting out of his reach.

"Be strong, Cloud. And remember, you're not alone."

Cloud stood still, his senses still ringing with the memory of Aerith while his mind rung with the echoes of her words. Suddenly feeling the grief more intensely than he had in a long time, Cloud wrapped his arms around himself and sank to the indiscernable ground.

"Aerith."

Rufus, Reno and Dr Wright watched with bated breaths as the eyes of the blond man in the tank before them slowly opened. They gradually focused, scanning the faces of the men before him. Dr Wright smiled and stepped forward to help Cloud up to a sitting position.

"Cloud. How are you feeling?" he asked kindly as Cloud leaned against the glass and took a few deep breaths.

"Good," the blond replied. "Very good."

Rufus arched an eyebrow in surprise at this response.

"No violent urges? No lingering voices haunting your thoughts?" he asked crudely and Dr Wright whirled on him angrily.

"Mr Shinra, please!"

"No," Cloud answered. "None." He scanned their faces once more; Dr Wright still annoyed but pleased, Rufus surprised and intrigued, Reno nonchalant as ever. "How long was I under for?"

"One week," Rufus answered. "You collapsed before we could get you into the mako tank and had a seizure. After running a few tests, the only logical conclusion I could come up with was that it was Sephiroth, making a last-ditch attempt to wrest control of your body away from you." Rufus snorted softly. "He was the greatest SOLDIER in the world. Defeat was something that his enemies knew, not him. Never him. He cannot accept that he would ever be defeated."

Aerith's words came back Cloud and he resisted the urge to shudder.

"Does he ever really stay gone, Cloud?"

"Well, he's gone for now," Cloud said firmly. "I can't sense him anymore and I feel ... I feel better than I have in years."

Dr Wright searched Cloud's eyes to verify the truth of this statement, yet Rufus seemed quite content with this declaration.

"Good! You'll be up and about in no time, then." Rufus shot a sly glance at Cloud. The look did not go unnoticed by Reno who resisted the urge to frown in confusion. Rufus was up to something, that much was obvious. Yet Reno was skilled enough to know that this was not the time nor the place to squeeze the information out of his boss. He would have to bide his time and wait for Rufus to tip his hand.

"No." Dr Wright shook his head. "Cloud's not one hundred percent better until I say he is. Cloud, with your permission? I'd like to conduct a few evaluation sessions to see how you're really doing. Then we'll go from there."

Cloud nodded with only the slightest hint of reluctance in his body language.

"Sure, doc."

"Why?" Rufus asked in irritation. He had plans, great plans! They should not be held back by this foolish, meddling psychiatrist! Dr Wright sighed and turned to glare at Rufus.

"Because Cloud was suffering from mental illnesses before the hallucinations occurred. I need to ensure that he is well on the road to recovery before feeling comfortable to end our sessions completely. Even if I deem him healed, I would still recommend check up sessions every six months for the next two years. I am a professional, Mr Shinra. I deal with people's minds, which hold their lives in the balance. And I take my job very seriously."

"It's alright, doc," Cloud said. "I'll go to the sessions. I want to get better, too."

Dr Wright nodded in approval and smiled.

"Would you mind if we started soon?" he asked.

"As long as I can shower and eat first," Cloud replied.

"Of course."

Dr Wright helped Cloud out of the mako tank and handed him a towel. Gratefully accepting it, Cloud rubbed his body down. The acrid scent of mako remained but he did not care for the moment; he would be showering soon anyway. Cloud straightened up and looked around.

"Where's Zack?" he asked.

"Out on a little job for me," Rufus replied. "He could not stay here while we were neutralising your Jenova Cells, so I gave him something to distract him."

"Oh. When will he be back?"

"As soon as he finishes the job." Rufus turned back to the computer terminal, losing interest in the conversation. Cloud gritted his teeth at the arrogant man's behaviour but said nothing. A part of him was greatly disappointed. He had been looking forward to seeing Zack again through clear eyes. He had hoped – no, expected – that his best friend would be waiting by his side, anxious for any progress.

Dr Wright touched Cloud on the shoulder, bringing him back to the present. Agreeing to meet up for a counselling session in an hour, Cloud left the lab and headed towards the bathroom to get himself cleaned up.

Reno lingered in the lab as Dr Wright left after Cloud, heading to the kitchen. The red-head was good at being invisible when he wanted to be and this was one of those times. Silently drifting to a dark corner of the lab that still gave him a clear view of the computer terminal, Reno remained quiet and still while he watched.

Rufus was up to something and Reno was determined to figure out what it was.