As always, I want to thank you all for your review. Just, please take note that Stella has been dead for three chapters now. I'm glad you're happy from it, but I'm still a big Stella fan (don't wanna explain that part) so let's forget that she's dead and that Storm wrecked her corpse to make it look even worst… Now then, things should brighten up and I'll clear up the question over Lightning's pregnancy. We'll still see Cloud and Squall in this chapter. There's only one more to go after this one and the story will be completed. Don't know if I can pull this off and give you an epic ending. Hope it will be a happy ending at least. ^^ I know it took me time to submit it but I wasn't sure about Squall's part. It could be edited in the future. Or not. Have a great time reading!

Episode 3 – White maiden –Part XII

Time: 19 028 A.D. 20th february

Location: Earth, Boston, Lightning's apartment.

Mission: starting to live again?

Agents: Lightning Farron, Noctis Lucis Caelum and Storm (plus their awesome and only servant, the great Odin and his mount!)

Warning: Sir Noctis was greatly shocked by his last mission. My master also looks quite out of it. Storm has been sleeping ever since they came back. I've been ordered to stay quiet. I'll try to take as little place as I can, even though I want to know if sir Noctis succeeded in his demand towards my dear master. Isn't there some reason to celebrate now that they're free from the Faction?

Message from Odin. End of transmission.

…

"I'm so glad to hear your voice Cloud… You have no idea. Me? I'm going pretty well. I swear it, Cloud. What about you? How was that mission? I know, I know, confidential info…"

Lightning rolled her eyes, absentmindedly looking at Noctis who was trying to cook with Odin's help. It seemed both men had different views about la haute cuisine…

"Say, would you mind taking care of Raine for me a little more? We're all mentally exhausted and Storm could still be pretty unstable. No, no need to worry about me, just worry about Raine. It's your niece after all and you need to get used to it. I heard that Serah was going to have a little girl too!"

She had went over her last emails and that news had been the best one since she returned home.

"What about Storm? … Yes, he'll be staying permanently with us. But I'll get my own place, this is your…"

Noctis yelled as he burned his fingers and decided he had enough of this farce. He willed the food to turn into a finished meal and Odin sighed as he was forced to dressing the table. It was the task the summoned spirit disliked the most around a kitchen. He was a knight, for heaven sake, couldn't he be ask to do anything more knightly? Lightning paused, as Cloud's voice was muffled by noise on his side.

"Oh, I can hear them in the background. Congratulate Yuffie for me then. I'll call you again as soon as things get calmer. Sure you don't mind babysitting Raine? You're really sure, Cloud? Okay then… I love you. And take care. Bye."

She hung up, with the strange impression that she was forgetting something. She hadn't even told her brother that Noctis had asked her to marry him. But then again, she had other things to worry about. She still felt terribly weak and as she looked at the food that Noctis had summoned for her, her stomach churned in protest. But she was hungry and eating would help her in feeling better. At least, it would give her some strength. She frowned as she got up and lost balance. She had to grab onto the couch not to fall.

"Are you okay, Light?" Noctis asked, spotting her weakness almost instantly.

She could have sworn he had been ignoring her during her call, but he was clumsy in his cooking especially because all his attention was on her.

"I'm fine… I'm just tired."

"Come on, then, let's eat and…"

As she heard the word, she felt her stomach revolting and she had to run to the washroom before to turn the living room into a mess.

"Hey, I swear the food isn't that bad even if I wasn't the one to make it, master!" Odin pleaded.

Noctis care more about Lightning's safety and went to her side, to look after her. She was ashamed that he could see her like that, but her body was reacting without her consent. She had been like this for all their travel in space. It had took them a little more days then the first travel. Storm had barely ever woken up and hadn't spoken a word. Noctis almost had to force him to eat and the boy was like a ghost, his blue eyes always looking down, when they weren't filling with tears.

Lightning had tried to help her boyfriend with the kid, and with his own demons, but Noctis had refused to let his pain out, thinking it would fade eventually. Tears were the enemies of men. They made them look weak. He knew it was all false, but there wasn't much thing for him to be proud lately. Keeping a straight face was almost the only pride he had and he was willing to keep it. He had to stand strong. He wasn't going to break again.

"You should really get a good check up. You've been sick for a whole week now."

She shook her head.

"I don't really need a doctor to tell me what's going on here. We've been careless, haven't we?"

It was Noctis' turn to frown.

"Careless about what, Claire?"

She looked at him with tears in her eyes and he kneeled in front of her, worried that she would tell him something awful.

"I'm just turning so emotional, Noctis. I know what it means. It happened to me once. When I was pregnant with Raine."

It took time for the news to turn clear in Noctis' mind. Recognition turned his expression into a bright smile. No threat was on the way this time. They were a family. An expanding family at that!

"Why are you crying, Light? That's wonderful!" he declared, laughing.

"Yes… I guess it is, but are we ready for this?"

"I think we have time to get ready, now? We're not working for the Faction anymore. I'm calling Rufus to tell him we're retiring. If anything wrong pops up, I'll get things right, trust me, Light. I won't let anything tear us apart now. We've been through too much."

"Don't stay stuff like that. You'll sound like Snow."

"Hey, now that's some real insult! Can't a guy be serious about something without being point out as silly?"

"He'll be your brother-in-law soon, you know?"

"I'm more worried about having Cloud Strife as my brother," he chuckled. "Can you get up, Light."

She nodded and he helped her up.

"All you need is rest and most of all, I want you to eat. Feel up for it?"

She blinked but nodded shyly, forcing a smile through her tears. Maybe was she simply facing some emotional breakdown after all the crazy stuff they had gone through.

"I think I need to get checked by a doctor before that we decide that this is official." She said, stroking her flat belly with one hand.

Noctis nodded.

"You still need to eat."

"Alright, Noct."

The food left was cold when Storm woke up. He crawled in the living room, refusing to stand up on his feet. Noctis immediately spotted him and walked up to him. The boy halted, looking up, before to sit in front of his dad.

"How are you today, Storm?"

Storm looked at his father, barely blinking and refusing to talk. He had become quite silent lately. Noctis hated that. He was doing all he could to stay patient, but to see Storn regressing like that was getting on his nerves. He wanted to see the kid smiling and to hear his laughs, even if it was only for his own sake.

"Oh, Storm, I know it's hard."

Storm grabbed on his pants, his mouth closed shut. Bending down, Noctis ruffled his hair, trying to comfort him.

"Stand up, son. I know you can."

Storm looked clueless.

"Come on, give me your hands."

It took time for the boy to raise his small hands. Noctis lift him till he was on his feet and instantly; the child folded his legs, refusing to stand.

"Please Storm, stop playing that game."

Shaking his head, the boy let out a small yell. His voice seemed gone from all the yells he had made. Noctis wrapped the little boy in a warm hug.

"It hurts to see you like this Storm. And I know you understand me. Stella wouldn't want you to act like that. Be yourself."

Storm shook in his arms. He was terrified by himself. He could kill people and thought Noctis was telling him over and over how he hadn't, he was persuaded that his false mother had died because of him. Lightning had tried to comfort him, but he was afraid to see her. If she was his real mom, he had betrayed her and failed her with his terrible attitude. He couldn't really resent himself for it, everyone had been lying to him over everything. But then again, how could he trust anyone now?

"Dad…"

That was his first word since weeks. Noctis felt his heart breaking down a little more. He had let this happened. He had let the faction destroy his poor son. And the pieces were so shattered, he had no idea how to fix him. And it reminded him, who had never been fixed but had lived nevertheless, pretending, fighting against the whole world and himself. He sighed as he held the boy closer to him.

"Storm, please, don't ever stop to talk again. You scared me…"

"I'm sorry…"

"There's no need to be. I know this has been terrible for you."

"I see her each time I close my eyes." Storm whispered.

"I know. It's the same for me."

Being honest seemed to be the only thing Noctis could do. And suddenly, he felt another embrace wrapping around him and Storm. Frail arms, inhabited by a strong will. How he knew that will. It was Lightning.

"Stop pretending as if you're the only one who can understand what happened. I've been there too. You can also rely on me, you know."

Storm looked up to her, for the first time. He was still scared beyond words. But Lightning's eyes were firm and just as honest as his father's words.

"I'm really ashamed." The boy whispered.

"Why's that?" Noctis asked.

"I hate her now. Not all the time, but she lied and I hate…!"

He couldn't say Stella's name. He couldn't even start thinking over the Faction. But both adults understood what the boy meant. It was harsh to learn your own mother had lied on the fact that she was your mother, only for her own selfishness. Storm was too brilliant for his own age, and he could understand what had brought her to decide to agree to all of this, somehow. He thought he could understand. But at the same time, it was impossible to accept it.

"It's okay, son."

And Lightning nodded and stroked his hair. Slowly, for the first time, Storm accepted to slip out of his father's hug to hide in her arms. He didn't cry but his body was shaking from every limb. To think he still had a mother, after all he had done. To think he had a real sister, to the very last gene.

"I want a real name." he pleaded. "From my real parents."

Noctis bit his lips as he stared at Lightning, excepting her reaction. She simply smiled, stroking his, well her… their son's back.

"We'll give you one, my little boy. There won't be any lies anymore. You're my little darling."

She exchanged one look with Noctis. As if to ask, any ideas?

"Shawn. If you like it, I think it could suit you."

"Oh no, he's too brilliant for such a name!"

"Hey, it was my best friend name!"

"Precisely!" Lightning retorted. "That guy wasn't always that bright."

That got Storm to laugh.

"I don't care about the name; he said when he calmed down. As long as you choose it. As long as I belong here."

Lightning gave him a quick kiss on the head.

"We'll have to think carefully. You know, you have a little brother on the way, Odin was pretty certain of it."

"That summoned spirit knows all kind of things…"

The said spirit appeared next to them, as if he had been there the whole time, watching over them from behind the walls. He was smiling under his helm.

"How about a knight's name? Siegfried would be good. Or Yvain? Oh wait, I know, Percival!"

"You can't be serious!" Storm complained. "I can't have something that silly as a…!"

"I thought you didn't mind the name we'd choose?"

"But I will mind if he's the one to choose it. I mean, come on, it's a freaking summoned spirit!"

Noctis hold back a laugh.

"How do you think you're talking young man?"

Storm looked down as his father reprimanded him. That was a first. But Lightning gave him another kiss on the cheek, still wondering over a name.

"Could it be Frey? Or Logan? Maybe Locke would fit you? Hmmm…"

She started playing with his silver locks and he laughed. Noctis felt really relieved to see them acting like that. It felt as if everything was over. He missed Raine. He couldn't wait to have her with them now that Storm was a little more himself.

"Don't forget that he will have Caelum as a last name. We can't choose just anything."

"Something latin then?"

"Oh no!" Storm protested.

"Frey Caelum? Percival Caelum?"

"How about Andrew?"

"And how about Julius? Or Marc-Anthony?"

"The more you suggest stuff, the more Storm sounds better for him." Noctis observed.

"Maybe you're right, dad…"

At this point, it didn't really matter. All that counted was that they were a family. Lightning decided that she would go see Cloud to get Raine back before that night arrived. Her brother could come back too, but the apartment would feel kinda crowded. Though she wouldn't mind having him around again. She wondered how he was doing right now.

…

Time: 19 028 A.D.

Location: Earth

Mission: babysitting Raine

Soldiers: Cloud Strife, Yuna Albhed

Warning: everything looks normal. But Yuna could have a visit that she didn't expect.

Message from Bunkle, who just learn how to type on a computer. Bunkle likes the internet… He'll go look around for more on it. End of transmission.

…

"Bunkle, don't play with her like that, you're gonna hurt her!" Cloud pleaded, trying to catch the dog.

Raine was lying on his back, giggling and grabbing on its green fur as the alien was walking around the living room. Yuna had suggested to take Cloud back to her home with his niece, so that they could relax away from his squad. He had welcomed the idea, but Bunkle was still trying to prove that he could do everything better than the soldier.

"She likes me!" Bunkle retorted.

As soon as he had seen Raine playing with mako thunder, the alien dog had decided that he wouldn't resent her for being from the same family as Cloud Strife. She had shocked the dog by accident, and since it was an electric Carbuncle, the animal hadn't mind at all. But Cloud did mind. He had to help Raine in learning how to keep her mako restrained and the dog was encouraging her at using it. At such a young age, she hadn't the resistance to face such strength. She would only hurt herself if she kept on summoning the mako in her veins. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes look feverish, though she was smiling.

"Well, she's just a child and doesn't know what's best for her. She can't use mako like that. She's gonna hurt herself!"

"Please Bunkle, listen to Cloud. Raine is just a baby."

The dog accepted to obey and let the uncle take his niece back in his arms. The child smiled and giggled happily. She still looked tired, but that was only normal. A baby of her age, with all the terrible stuff she had to endure, had to develop great endurance, but still, adaptation was something demanding.

"You'll see your mom soon, Raine. I'm glad you like it around Yuna. She could be your aunt someday."

Yuna blushed at that thought. Cloud was a little older than she was and may have more plans for the future. She was still a mere student pursuing her dream of becoming a top engineer. But as she looked at him, holding his baby niece, she felt that she could accept a simple normal life with him. As long as she would have a right to work on her machinery once a day, or twice. Anyway, he had brought them both on his motorcycle. As worried as he could be about Raine, he couldn't accept the idea that there was an age limit to get on a bike.

"Is that some kind of proposal?" Yuna asked.

Cloud looked up, taken aback. He hadn't meant for her to hear it, though he didn't entirely mind. He just didn't know what to say.

"I can't say I would mind living with you for the rest of my life. But I know you don't want things to go too fast and we've already burned a few steps, so… We'll try to be a couple in normal life for some more months. I still need to adapt to the idea and to get the army to accept it. In space, with a near death experience close, it's something else."

Yuna was half wounded in her pride at that, but she had to admit that she would never have become bold enough to pull something like what she had done with Cloud on the day he'd woken up. Fortunately, he never thought anything wrong about it. He respected her and loved her to a point she had never thought a man could. And right now, if he had asked for her hand, she would have said yes without hesitation. But she had to admit waiting was way more cleaver. They needed to calm down, to rest properly. She couldn't wait to receive her first flowers from him and to experience their first official rendezvous as a couple.

"You're so mature about it, it's almost scary Cloud."

"I don't want to give you the impression I'm afraid about engagement, Yuna, but I'm thinking of you too. If you get sick of me…"

"I won't get sick of you!"

"Easy to say now. We've been living together for a few weeks, as two love birds and I didn't mind that at all. But we had nothing to worry about."

"Except our return to Earth, and I had to keep the shuttle in good shape."

He smiled and walked up to her, holding Raine with one arm and hugging Yuna with the other. He kissed her face and went down her neck, tickling her with his nose.

"I love you, Yuna. It's just not the time for an engagement. Lightning is settling down with her Noctis, Serah is pregnant. I can't put them through any stress. And to be frank, I'm terribly scared that what we have may not last. I know I should let you study and I'm afraid I could hinder you right now. I dragged you in the army more than you wanted. I stained your beautiful hands, I…" he paused, looking at Raine, before to continue. "I hurt you a great deal and you almost die twice because of me."

"And you saved me, and you protected me as much as you could."

"I had to do more. I want to give you more, but I'm not sure if you were honest about what you really want. You used to say you hadn't time for love, remember?"

"Well, I have time for you. Alright, my studies were delayed from all those missions, but I will be able to get back to my classes soon. I should get my diploma in two years if things go well. Then, I will have to get into a big company that would accept my project for the greatest airship ever made."

"If you need contacts, I can help."

"We're going to squeeze Raine at this rate." She reminded him.

He let go of her with a regretful smile. Yuna looked around for a place where they could let the baby girl sleep. Her apartment wasn't exactly made for a child. Then, her phone rang. She ran to answer it, happy to find something to do. She was kinda shocked when she recognized the voice on the other line.

"Mom? Wait, you're coming here? No, no, it's not a bad timing. I know, I wasn't around home lately, I just came back. If I'm busy? No, of course you can come. What? What did Rikku told you about that blond guy? Well…"

She looked at Cloud, who looked back questioningly. Did she want him to leave? Because he could if she wanted to. Yuna raised one hand and made a sign that meant he had to stay where he was, as if she had read his mind.

"Actually, he's going to be with me, that will be a good chance for you to meet him. He's my boyfriend."

Cloud sighed. Now it was going to be official. That meant that Jecht had every chance in the world to learn about it. Who knew if the army hadn't taped Yuna's line to make sure she wouldn't let out any military secret?

"Alright, we'll be waiting for you. Be careful on the road, right? See you then! Bye bye!"

Yuna hung up, blinking as if she still couldn't believe it.

"Your mother is coming?"

"She should be here in a few minutes. She was just around the block and she decided to check if I was alright suddenly. That's pretty…"

She hesitated, looking around the room, as if it was hiding the word she was looking for.

"…nice?" Cloud guessed.

Yuna shook her head.

"Of course it is, but why would she do that? I haven't seen her during the whole last year. She was busy with her life and I was busy with my studies, and she had found some clues about where my dad could be, so she went looking, though it's pointless."

"You resent her for waiting after him all this time, is that it?" Cloud asked.

Yuna shook her head a second time.

"I don't know… I don't know what to think about her. I don't know what to think about her coming here. I don't even know if I should try to make this place look good. Rikku has wrecked everything with her husband. You know that she stayed here for three whole weeks with her Seymour? She sent me messages. I checked them just a moment ago. About how that poor guy was…"

Yuna looked so angry at the said guy that Cloud declared he didn't want to hear it. At least, not with a small Raine still wide awake around.

"I hope she won't get any idea from the fact Raine is here."

"Well, we can't let a child of this age alone, so we'll have to explain the truth. My mom will understand and find you even more wonderful. Get ready to hear about weddings now."

"It's that bad?" he asked playfully.

Yuna smiled at his carelessness.

"I'm her only daughter after all."

He frowned at that.

"Don't you think she'll be mad at me then, for taking you away from her, or something?"

"You're way too dashing for her to get mad at you. If anything's certain, she'll try to steal you from me."

"There's no fear on that side. If I was fish, I'd say I'm totally hooked."

Yuna blushed, unsure of what she should think of that comparison. But the doorbell rung and she had no time left to reflect over her mother's visit. It was going to happen. All she needed to do now was to hope that everything would go well.

…

Time: 19 028 A.D. around february

Location: earth, Boston, Squall's apartment

Mission: retrieving Aeris' confidence since

Agents: Squall Leonheart

Warning: The Faction is slowly being reorganized since the death of its top GI, Caius Ballad. Sephiroth's and Jenova's death had thrown the Feds in utter chaos. Things are looking bad on the outside. Our only hope is that no new threat shows up.

Message from a still really confused Rufus Shinra. End of transmission.

…

It had been a month and a half since Squall had killed Sephiroth. Aeris had been really closed off on herself lately, and the young man had accepted it. They would still talk at least once a day and she would sit close to him on the couch and they would even hold hands. But sometimes at night, she would wake up screaming and he would run to her side, hoping to comfort her, only to be pushed away, because the fact he was a man scared her just as much as the nightmares from the past. Squall tried being patient. That was something he was really good at, so he didn't entirely mind. But even his patience had limits. One night, he wrapped his arms around her as they were sitting on the couch and dared to kiss her. And she answered to him, desperately, giving him all the hope he needed to guess he could take them to the next step.

Rinoa was still fresh in his mind, and somewhere deep inside, Squall had the impression of betraying her, so he decided to show more patience. Maybe the fact that Aeris yelped with fear as he tried to slip one hand under her shirt helped a bit. He could kiss her and hold her, as long as he was gentle and not over demanding. And still, he could read her mind and see that she craved him, despite all of her fears. Sometimes, she would imagine what could happen if she didn't stop him. And Squall was ashamed to be able to see her phantasms. It was a little too exciting even for someone as patient as him.

He decided to make up a plan. First, he bought flowers. It wasn't entirely to serve his final goal, but more to get the ancient girl to smile. And that part worked. He took her out and her smiled stayed on and they even danced around a few nightclub. He bought the top of the building's block, so that she could start growing a garden. He accompanied her to many stores, so that she could get herself all the dresses she could want. And slowly, Squall realized all the little attentions he showed around her weren't about his plan.

Her smile was making his heart jump in his chest. Holding her hand was enough to make his cheeks warm at first and he never really got accustom to have her touching him. It felt so intimate every time, even if it was only a tap on the shoulder or her hand in his hair. He tried not to peek in her head. Not to read her feelings as their skin would brush when they cooked dinner together. But his senses were able to see, as clearly as his eyes saw the glint of lust in her eyes, and how ashamed she looked whenever that glint came.

Somehow, Squall realized he had pictured Aeris as a pure, naïve woman. She was like a flower. Like his mother. Like everything he'd ever wanted. But she could be so daringly pretty sometimes. He did all he could not to think it, but sometimes, he could swear that she was teasing him. Dressing herself in all those dresses. That short skirt she wore every Friday, which showed her legs so much. Bending down absentmindedly, showing more curves than she should. Forgetting her clothes in her, well, in his room and walking out of the shower wearing only a towel. He liked seeing her like that. He wanted to see more. To see everything. To touch and to smell and to taste and to…

He buried his head in his pillow. He didn't remember ever wanting Rinoa like that. It wasn't forbidden in the same way at the time. There was no risk in rushing her, she was as passionate as he could get. And she was so more outgoing than he could be. But Aeris. Aeris was like a puzzle. Her mood could change easily. She would get happy for small, simple stuff, and would get sad for even simpler things. And how he wanted to make her happy in every possible way. He dreamed that he could. He often doubted himself. He thought he was a creep for thinking so much about it. But it was important to think before to act, even if it meant that he'd never act in the end. Squall groaned. Aeris was in the shower right now, humming gently.

He would have joined her if he dared. And he felt pretty daring tonight. Hadn't he been charming enough? Of course, he was scared about the whole question of Sephiroth. They had barely talked about it and he was sure Aeris would feel better if she talked about it. Girls always felt better when they talked. But he was the killer in that case. And he was scared that she could resent him for that. He had put her through more suffering. He wasn't sure anymore if Sephiroth's death was the right thing to have happening around her. So with all that in mind, how could he approach her with a straight face?

He had no idea that his answer would come this night. The humming in the bathroom was interrupted by a sudden yell and he jumped on his feet. Could Aeris have been attacked? The windows were closed, he knew the only door to enter the apartment was locked and no one could have gotten to the washroom with him around. So what could it be? He walked up to the bathroom's door, biting his lips as he wonder if he should just barge in.

"Aeris, are you alright?" he called out.

She was the one to barge out of the room, with a towel wrapped around her shaking form.

"He was here," she said. "In the glass, I saw his face. His eyes."

Squall didn't have to ask who she was referring to. His arms immediately flew around her, to hold her to his heart, but she pushed his hands away.

"I can't stop seeing him. I feel him. I washed my skin as much as I can, but I still feel his hands."

Her exposed skin was red were she had washed too hard. He realized that her back was worse at the spot of the number shaped scar. He tried to calm her down, but her hands grabbed on his shirt, pulling him down to her. She wasn't crying, but she was close to tear and Squall had no idea how to quiet this crisis.

"I don't know how to make him leave. Was it really the good one that you killed Squall? Is there more of him left in this world? Won't they come for me? Why am I thinking like that? Why would there be more than one of them? Why can't I be content that he's dead? Why does his ghost hunt me like that? Drive him away, Squall! Drive him away, for heaven's sake, before I go crazy for real…"

She sounded desperate and Squall could understand. He tried to get a hold of her, moving as gently as possible, but she wouldn't let go of his shirt, pulling on the fabric as if it was some evil creature.

"Get it off," she asked, surprising him even more.

"What?"

"The shirt. Get it off. I need to feel you. I need to share the visions before that they consume me. I don't know if it's right, I don't know what I'm doing anymore… Just get it off, please!"

He obeyed, hardly gulping down. He wasn't sure what she wanted to show him. Wasn't sure if he had the nerves to see it. She wrapped her arms around him, her naked shoulders coming in contact with his bare skin. She was shaking even more now. Since it felt alright to do so, Squall held her in his arms. He never had been in such an intimate contact with her. And the visions came, claiming all of his senses, almost knocking him off. He saw the chains on her wrists. He felt her pain, as if it was him living the memories. She cried, and he held her closer, closing his eyes to shut away the visions. But they came back anyway.

He backed away, though he didn't let her go, and his back hit the wall. Just as her back was hitting the floor in her mind. And the grunts. And the moans. And the pain. Squall wished for a second that it could stop. It was too much information. He couldn't erase something like that. Nothing could. He felt so enraged, he wanted to kill Sephiroth another time. And then, he saw that the man would cry sometimes in Aeris' shoulder, when she was lying unconscious beneath him. He realized that Aeris was even more pained because she couldn't see her own torturer as someone purely evil. She couldn't explain his actions. But she saw his own pain as he inflicted pain on her. And she remembered, even if sometimes he had laughed at her, and slashed through her broken heart, and bite and…

The sickening pictures were going so fast, Squall couldn't see anything clearly anymore. All that he knew was that he had to hold on Aeris. He held her as firmly as he could, because somehow, he was certain that she would vanish if he let her go even for a second. And she held on him so tightly, it was hard to breathe. Or was that Sephiroth crushing him as he'd been crushing her? Squall hated himself for his sensitive powers. But as the visions died down and as he came back to himself, to a body that wasn't in pain, he felt lighter. Now at least, he knew what had been going through her head for the last month. He realized he was shaking. And she was crying, making herself as small as possible in his lap.

"I'm sorry," she said.

He didn't answer immediately. He couldn't trust his voice right now. The pictures were still too vivid in his mind. Her hands shyly slipped through his hair, as she tried to comfort him somehow from all she had shown him.

"Why?"

"I shouldn't have imposed these visions on you…"

He shook his head, but he wasn't agreed with her.

"You didn't have to bear this alone."

"But…"

He shut her with two fingers on her lips. And she didn't push his hand away.

"I just don't know if I can have you forget something like that."

Her tears dripped down her cheeks and he wiped them away.

"I don't wanna talk about it. I shouldn't have…"

"It's okay."

It was a lie, but he felt that somehow, sharing her terrible past had helped her feeling better about it. She wasn't alone anymore and though it had hurt him at the same time, Squall could now truly understand her.

"He's really gone now, right?" she asked, looking down to his chest.

It was covered with goosebumps and she shivered herself.

"He's gone and he'll never come back." He assured her.

She looked up, hearing his voice breaking down at the end of his sentence. Squall had the terrible impression that Sephiroth was a little part of him now.

"Don't think that please. You'll never be like him." She whispered.

He smiled faintly.

"I don't know how to act with you, Aeris."

"Call me Ris, please.

"Ris…"

She seemed a little calmer than and her smile was brighter.

"We're going to get cold if we stay like this. And you need to rest."

He gently put her back on her feet and leaded her to the room.

"Squall…"

Her voice sounded hesitant and he knew what she thought.

"I don't have my mind on anything of the sort. I think you should sleep. And I'd like to do the same."

"You'll stay with me?"

"Only if you want me to."

She accepted and it was the first time that they slept together that night. But she held his hand as she fell asleep, apologizing again. And in the morning, he was woken up by her kiss on his cheek and dared to reply with his mouth on her own. Only then did Squall understand that she was finally on the path of healing. And even if he was quite sure he would still have a few nightmares from this harsh sharing of visions, he understood that it was the greatest way he could accept her and help her.

"If I ever scare you, you must tell me, Aeris," he warned her as he held her close the next night.

"If I hurt you, you have to be frank too."

"You'll never hurt me, unless you get hurt yourself."

"Then I have nothing to fear, since you're here to protect me."

To be continued…

I gotta mention that next chapter is supposed to be the last one in my schedule. It seems strange to think that the story could really end in only one chapter. Alright, things are looking up for everyone. But what about the message from the Goddess? And how on earth could I keep on writing this at the speed I write? It took so much time for each last chapter. I must say that I'm sorry for taking so long. Next chapter should really be the conclusion to Black Faction. But there could be an epilogue. I'll just have to see how things turn out. I really don't know if I like the part with Squall and Aeris. It was supposed to be different at first… Do you think I insisted too much on the whole rape thing? I stopped planning the whole story, since I decided to cut it shorter, because I realized I would just repeat the same stuff over and over again and because I understand that the favorite couple is lightis, not squall x aeris and cloud x yuna. Thank you all for reading so far! We'll see each other in the next and very last chapter of Black Faction. It will be the end of this adventure, but the start of a new one, since it should give me time to get into other fics. And I can't wait, cause I have loads of ideas. For a FFXIII-2 fic especially. Hope could finally turn into my central character, if I don't decide to mess around with Snow, Noel and Serah. ^^ And I need time to finish my FMA request and to start some serious gundam fic. Anyway, please review!