Ready?

She woke to the sound of water dripping down in the distance, but her eyes groggily opened up to a vast field of darkness. Lightning rubbed the temple of her forehead as she got up on one knee with a groan. Beside her, Cloud remained unconscious on the ground, though he slowly began to show signs of stirring. He seemed to be visible despite their surroundings, and she shook his arm with urgency.

"Cloud. Cloud!"

His eyes gradually fluttered open; with a groan, he pushed himself up from the ground and tiredly held his head. "What happened?" he asked Lightning with a rough voice.

"I'm not sure," she replied, looking back at the darkness. "That Tsviet attacked us…I think we fell into a mako spring."

When his mind was more coherent, Cloud looked at her with confusion. "Mako spring?" Bits and pieces of his memories came back as he watched Lightning get up on her feet and walk forward, trying to figure out where to go from here. The sound of water continued to echo in the distance, the sound jogging his memory more with every passing moment. Cloud reached into the depths of his mind to recall this familiar situation…and it made sense to him.

"Are we in danger of poisoning?" Lightning worriedly asked over her shoulder.

"It's not a mako spring," he said with certainty. It was Lightning's turn to look at him with confusion, and when she turned around, Cloud had already gotten up on his feet and went to her side.

"We're in the Lifestream."

Just as shock was able to reach Lightning's face, a bright green light flashed before them, blinding them for a long moment until dissipating, and they were finally able to take note of the mako-colored platform they stood upon. From all around, the visible Lifestream flowed across the endless space, surrounding them like a barrier.

Lightning noticed droplets of water falling from a random point in space, only to land in a small puddle on the platform. Walking over to it, she reached out a hand to capture one of the droplets, but once it touched her palm, it instantly dissolved into swirling particles before vanishing completely.

"How is this possible?" she asked in a low voice of disbelief. Her wide eyes continued to move everywhere along with Cloud's.

At a loss for words, he couldn't find an answer to give. He only knew their situation was possible, for he and Tifa went through the same experience three years ago in Mideel. The Lifestream had ancient powers that were unknown even to research, and it held knowledge that humanity could not fathom. What Cloud was sure about, without a doubt, was that the people who departed from the world returned to the Planet and joined its blood.

Another flash blinded them, and once their vision returned, Cloud and Lightning saw shimmering images that moved like a movie. They reflected back to them like screens, and though the scenes weren't perfect, they were easy to make out.

As her eyes widened instantly, Lightning saw her beloved sister and her fiancé smiling as they approached her. She remembered this moment as the time when they finally woke from crystal stasis and reunited on Gran Pulse. Hot tears stung her eyes, and her chest felt like bursting from the sight.

This was what she wanted – to see them again and live alongside them just like in Bodhum. It was what she was looking forward to through her dangerous trial as a l'Cie. Even with her resolve to be with Cloud, and despite her choice of staying to help the people of the Planet, Lightning knew that the only way to make it perfect was for both worlds to somehow come together…

And no one was sure if that was in any way possible.

From behind, Cloud watched as she stood like a statue staring up at the faces of her loved ones. He wondered what was running through her head - surprise? Happiness? Sorrow? Looking back, he was speechless at how selfish he had really been. Just because Lightning hadn't mentioned her old life for so long didn't mean she could completely put it all behind her…and he was left in his own little world, thinking they were finally happy together.

More shimmering images surrounded them on the platform, and Cloud saw the usual citizens of Edge roaming the streets on a regular day. Some of them were wrapped in bandages or kept hidden in the dark alleys; even from afar, he could make out the Geostigma symptoms on their persons. Through the hazy vision, he felt that he grew familiar with the fellow citizens, for he saw their faces once again in another shimmering image next to the original one. It depicted the dreadful night when Deepground infiltrated Edge, and he was forced to relive the chaos once again.

As he watched, what irked Cloud the most was how those that had Geostigma seemed to be the ones struck down by the Deepground soldiers that night. While the citizens that were once plagued were mercilessly killed, those that never contracted the disease were rounded up like cattle, only to be taken away by the soldiers.

"What?" he uttered. When Lightning finally snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the images before Cloud, a third mirror-like movie appeared, this time revealing Tifa and Denzel being ambushed by the soldiers.

"This was when I caught up with everyone at the bar," Lightning explained as she joined Cloud's side. "They tried to kill Denzel with the first chance they got…" She shook her head with confusion. "But not Marlene and Tifa."

It finally made sense in his head, and Cloud found himself immobile at the thought. He felt his blood run cold, almost speechless at the correlation. "They're taking people who never caught Geostigma."

Lightning blinked in surprise. "What? You sure?"

"Positive," he replied with a nod and pointed at the people screaming across the images. "All of them never had the stigma in their systems, unlike Denzel."

Lightning shook her head with disbelief, trying to connect the pieces. "So they take people who were never infected…but still kill them through a sacrifice?"

"Deepground's planning something big," Cloud assured. "Especially when they need specific tributes." The mass amounts of missing persons started to make sense. Deepground needed them for some ultimate hidden agenda…

But that was one piece of information they still needed.

"What's their angle?" Lightning speculated in a soft voice, but they couldn't find the time to figure out an answer when another white light flashed in their eyes, blinding them for a few long moments. They brought their hands up as shields, but as Cloud dared to take a peek, he noticed two figures approaching from the depths of the light. One was a little shorter than himself and Lightning, but the other one beside it was significantly taller than all of them. As they drew closer, the first thing he could make out was the familiar pink dress; he felt the air sweep out of his lungs, dropping his arms to his sides slowly.

Lightning could sense that he made out some recognition of the two figures before daring to take a glance as well. Once the pink dress and red jacket came into view, she quickly ran through her memories to find the single incident where she had seen them before. "Y…You're…"

The two figures were finally close enough when the light began to recede; as they watched Cloud and Lightning watch them with pale faces, they merely smiled. The shorter figure turned out to be the young woman Lightning saw in the fields near Healen, though her features were much more angelic and graceful close up. The tall man beside her resembled Cloud in a way, save for the jet black hair that was slightly longer. He wore a special kind of uniform Lightning had never seen before, but she vaguely recognized the SOLDIER emblem on his belt.

"Hello, Lightning," the woman greeted in a gentle voice. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Though she wanted to be wary and hesitant, Lightning couldn't be anything but soft to her. "You know my name?"

In return, the woman calmly nodded. "Yes. My name is Aerith, and this is Zack." When she gestured to the man beside her, he gave a small welcoming wave of his hand. Lightning felt nothing but a calm aura from him, and it was hard to be wary, even in the slightest bit.

"Aerith…Zack…" Cloud's jaw remained hanging as he looked at them in shock. Once Zack's attention went to his former comrade, he walked up and placed a carefree hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"How's it been?" he asked so casually that it didn't seem like he ever died in the first place. Cloud never imagined he would be able to see them again, now that he had found the strength to keep going in life.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud asked, his mind still racing about the situation.

Raising his eyebrow, Zack lifted his hands up to gesture all around them. "Uh, Lifestream? Dead? Hello?" He and Aerith tried to hold back chuckles as Lightning and Cloud remained dumbstruck about everything.

All the while, Lightning couldn't rip her eyes away from Aerith. Though no one said anything, she could tell this was the woman Vincent talked about back in the church. She was a dear friend to Cloud, Tifa, and everyone else back on the surface. In just a few minutes, Lightning could understand exactly why she was so cherished by everyone – along with her kindness, she never seemed sad about her predicament as being part of the Lifestream.

She suddenly realized this was the woman Cloud mentioned on the gondola ride in the Gold Saucer. Despite the twinge of jealousy at the time, Lightning now regretted ever allowing that feeling to grow inside.

"Thank you, Lightning."

The words came to her as a surprise, prompting her to refocus her gaze on Aerith. "For what?" she asked curiously.

"Helping Cloud," she simply answered. "He's been through a lot these past three years, and we're grateful for you by simply being there for him."

Cloud struggled to keep his lips from pulling downward – not out of disapproval, but the simple inability to stay calm in the presence of her caring heart. "Aerith…"

All he got in return was a warm smile. Meanwhile, Zack smirked and crossed his arms before his chest. "Just remember: we never blamed you. Not once. Well…maybe for not saying hi to Aerith for me." Next to him, Aerith lightly shoved him as if in chiding.

Cloud breathlessly chuckled at how calm they were about everything…and Lightning was a bit amazed how at ease he was with his two friends that were no longer with him. She knew how serious the guilt over their deaths affected him, and it came as a relief to be assured Aerith and Zack never held a grudge.

"It will be a shame once you go back to Pulse," Aerith lamented. At first, her words shocked the both of them, but once their meaning sank in, Lightning and Cloud felt the distance between them grow tenfold. Without a doubt, Lightning knew it would break her heart to leave Cloud and the others behind if she ever managed to return home. Whether or not she decided to stay on the Planet, it was certain grief would claim a piece of her heart forever.

In an instant, Cloud wished he could take back the strife he had given Lightning since WRO headquarters. It was never in his place to tell her what to do or where to go, and it hardly occurred to him that he had been doing such since the first day he met her. It was like telling a bird not to fly and reach for freedom, which would have surely led to its death.

"I'm sure you love Cloud…" With a gentle smile of sympathy, Aerith clasped her hands together and brought them close to her chest. "But even though you can't be with him physically, can you still keep him in your heart?"

The question was so simple that it caught her off guard, and she glanced over to Cloud to see his reaction. As impossible as it may seem, Lightning couldn't think of finding any other man better than him, not that she wanted to try in the first place. He fixated his gaze in the other direction, waiting for the damage that came with an unfavorable reply.

"It's not a question of can or can't," she declared in a firm voice. "There are some things in life…you just do." Surprised, Cloud turned around to see her aqua eyes glistening toward him. All this time, he failed to see that not all her thoughts were black and white; even though she couldn't deny the wish to go home, she never wanted to leave him behind. It was like losing her other half, and he was sure Lightning wasn't looking forward to being incomplete for the rest of her life.

"Nice," Zack praised sincerely before jabbing a thumb to his chest. "It's what's in here that counts, and as long as you don't forget about each other, you'll always be connected."

Lightning couldn't help but smile as she nodded. The warm nurturing presence she felt from the two was nothing to be afraid of, and she felt relieved knowing that the Planet and Lifestream were in good hands.

Echoing wails suddenly surrounded them, bringing fear into Lightning and Cloud's hearts. Among the bright green waves surrounding them, they could make out blurred faces filled with terror.

"It's getting a little crowded down here," Zack said nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

Cloud thought for a moment until he figured out where those spirits were coming from. "The sacrifices…"

"The Lifestream's growing bigger," Aerith explained with a hint of worry. "It won't be long before Omega awakens." She then focused her attention to Lightning and Cloud, who looked around with confusion. "You two should get going. They need you up there."

"Wait, hold on. What's Omega?" Lightning wanted to get her answers as soon as possible, hopefully in time to devise a plan, but all Aerith gave her was a shake of the head.

"Look for Lucrecia Crescent's files. They'll explain everything." After taking a few steps toward them, Aerith's lips pulled up into a gentle smile that seemed to radiate warmth and light in the midst of their predicament. The glow of the Lifestream began to consume them in one gulp; Lightning and Cloud felt their feet leave the platform, and they were left suspending in a blinding light. In a desperate attempt, Cloud stretched his arm out toward her, and Lightning gratefully grabbed a hold of his hand before nothing else could be seen.

"Ready?"

The light seemed to finally die down, but it started to concentrate on a fixed point in the corner of his eye. He could feel the sun's rays striking his cheek along with the incoming waves of the ocean. It was subtle, but Cloud definitely noticed his lack of breathing, and once he tried to inhale, the salt water settling in his pipes began to choke him. As he coughed and turned himself over to spit it all out, his hands dug deeply into the wet sand he laid upon, and he worked to take in deep breaths of fresh air.

Cloud felt something gently rubbing his back throughout the fit; once his hand reached out, he felt gentle fingers wrap around it, assuring that the figure beside him meant no harm. Peeking out of one eye, he saw Lightning, drenched and soaked like him, watching him carefully.

"Take it easy," she eased softly.

"Where are we?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"Western Continent, I'm assuming." He felt one of her hands leave his body while her head looked straight ahead. "That's the Ancient Forest, right?"

Once oxygen was flowing normally through his system, Cloud's mind began to work. "So we should be by headquarters."

Lightning slung one of his arms over her shoulders, and without much trouble, she hoisted him up to his feet before he quickly regained his balance. When she worked to dust the sand off of him, Cloud tried to grab hold of her arms and keep her still for what he was about to say.

"Lightning…I'm sorry for the anger. It wasn't right for me to be hurt because of what you really want."

"Cloud, it's all right," she assured with a small shake of her head. "I understand—"

"No, it isn't," he urged. "No matter what, I'll stand by whatever you choose. I can't be selfish." His hand went up to cup her cheek, and she tilted her head into his palm, relishing in the touch. Lightning felt that it had been forever since she basked in his gentleness; the stress of Deepground and Chaos had been drowning her mind for far too long. With every second, she continued to regret ever having the wish to go home…but now she was stuck at a crossroads.

Should Lightning really continue looking for a way back to Pulse…or ultimately give up the search and stay with Cloud and the others?

Before she could get lost in her thoughts, the two of them felt the ground tremble beneath their feet, and a howling whistle ended in a large explosion just southeast of where they stood. Whipping their heads to that direction, they found smoke billowing up to the sky; aircrafts encircled it like vultures, dropping miniscule pods and parachutes above the hotspot.

Lightning's eyes widened as she realized their target. "Headquarters!"

"Deepground's making a second strike," Cloud growled as he reached back and pulled out the main blade from the holster. With his other hand, he grabbed hold of Lightning's and darted toward the pillar of smoke. "Let's go!"

Together, they dashed to WRO Headquarters, and though their personal matters were finally behind them, it was hard to say how much will they had left to carry on in this devastating war.