Helloooooo! Here is the awaited chapter 20, the second to last chapter of this fic! This took a really long time to write and edit because it's a really important chapter, and I tried my best to portray the scenes that played perfectly in my head, but not so perfectly through writing xDDDD So if this resolution isn't as satisfying as you guys have been waiting for, I'm sorry! I really try my best in everything I write, so at least there's that! So much support for this fic, and one more chapter til the end! If you guys haven't already, follow me on twitter (a) cresciejo to get updated with what Im doing and perhaps find reasons as to why I haven't been writing/taking a long time updating (Life updates, etc.)
I am sad to tell you guys that I got summer classes to take, so updates shall sadly be slowed until I'm done LOL Hopefully you guys can wait!
But let's get on to the show! Enjoy~
Cloud stood awkwardly in the lobby of the old Shinra HQ, which now operated as the hub for the Midgar Restoration Council Post Shinra. Standing inside the building where he had once killed and fought for his life gave him an odd feeling, but it was a bizarre sort of nostalgia more than anything else. The people at the front desk were greatly unnerved as they took in the sight of his tense figure along with the gigantic sword attached across his back. None of them said anything as they warily watched the spiky-haired blond stranger, suspicious with his every movement as his eyes scanned the familiar inner structure of the building. Since they were just here for the job, they didn't recognize who he was and would have called security if not for Genesis's timely arrival.
"Cloud, my boy!" the redhead shouted from across the lobby. His hands were outstretched as he approached the swordsman, grin so clear on his face that it made Cloud wince outwardly. "You're here early!"
"Can never be late as a SOLDIER," Cloud said for old times' sake as he closed the distance between them as well. He glanced at the front desk people to make sure they weren't just staring holes at him anymore and smirked a little bit when they all busied themselves back into their work and phone calls.
"You know, you really surprised me when you called the other day. Haven't had the time to meet up with the other first-class SOLDIERs this month?"
Cloud didn't miss the way Genesis indirectly questioned him why he hadn't made it to the hangouts on the 10th and 20th of the month. He decided to give him the deaf ear about the subject because he wasn't planning on outwardly admitting to the former SOLDIER how he had been too absorbed with Aerith to care about the reunions.
"Sorry to spring this up on you," Cloud apologized for his unusual and unexpected request. "It's probably too much of a favor, but—"
"Nonsense. It's something small, so if all you need is access to it with my authority, then it's simple," waved off Genesis with a hand. "But," the redhead's smile disappeared, "Kunsel told me. About your condition."
"Ah…" The merc placed a hand on his neck as he became uncomfortable with the subject.
"I'm not so nosy as to question why you suddenly need this sort of favor, but…" Genesis shook his head, "If what Kunsel told me is still true today, then I don't know if I'm willing to allow this—not when I know the consequences of it all."
"I'll be fine," assured Cloud, not wanting this chance to slip through. "I've received enough warnings already."
"It's all talk until you actually experience it. It goes deep, Cloud. Very deep—I would know. I've been under it."
"…"
Seeing Cloud's adamant silence, Genesis simply sighed, looking at the much younger male before he managed a small smile. "But I'm not your dad or anything, so if you understand everything and what you're getting into, then alright. I won't stop you."
Cloud nodded. "… Thanks, Genesis."
The former commander clapped Cloud on the shoulder before he led the way up the old Shinra building. As he followed him, Cloud controlled his breathing, making sure that he was, indeed, ready to take on what he had signed himself up to. All this wasn't just for Aerith—it was for him too. Once and for all, he was going to move forward, to leave the past behind—to accept it in its entirety.
And it started with this.
~.~.~
"Done!"
Aerith wiped her forehead with her arm as she looked at her finished work. She hadn't taken her tools and materials out since her days of hiding from Shinra a decade ago, so it took quite a large amount of time to finish what she had to do with her rusty skills. However, they weren't rusty by the time she was done. While her spirits were relatively low and motivation near-nonexistent from time to time because of her lack of communication with Cloud for the past week, she always pushed herself back up knowing that she was doing her best, and if she wanted Cloud to get that message, she couldn't just give up in the middle of it.
Elmyra hadn't made things easier for her. Constantly, the Cetra could feel her grey eyes just latched onto her, watching her every movement as she stared disapprovingly at her daughter for doing what she did. Out of all the first impressions she could've formed for the hired mercenary-turned-boyfriend, she just had to form the worst one, and Aerith didn't need to hear it from her to know what it was. Truly, the timing was terrible; Aerith feared that it might take a huge effort to change Elmyra's thinking of the swordsman.
But that was a later problem. Now, she had other things to worry about; at least Elmyra recognized that and kept quiet the entire time.
"I wonder what you're doing, Cloud," Aerith sighed to herself as she threw down her tools and sat on the ground, eyes taking in the beauty of her flowers that she had been cultivating for years. "I hope you're okay."
She began to experience the familiar feeling of heartbreak as she replayed that night in her mind, physically cringing as the pang hit at her chest. The hurt in his eyes, the tears that slid down his usually-expressionless face, the betrayal and anger that coursed through his voice—it hurt her as much as he had been to see just how broken he was when he learned of the truth. Hand clutching the fabrics of her dress, Aerith shook her head to prevent the spiral of negativity.
"Can't think like that yet; not when you haven't shown him your best. You can do it, Aerith—you can."
And she set off to finalize everything before the big day with a phone call.
~.~.~
"Biggs, Barret, hurry it up!" Jessie growled at the two men who dragged behind the rest of the group. "Lunch is waiting, and I'm way too hungry to wait for your slow asses!"
"You think you're the only one who's hungry?" Biggs shouted back as he stopped to catch his breath. The gang had barely made it past the gate that separated the monster trails from the civilian area when Biggs and Barret had to halt and take a breather. Walking back and forth between such large distances underneath the heat of the blazing sun had drained their energy immensely; they weren't quite sure how Tifa, Jessie, and even Wedge were able to keep their fast paces. "We've walked to and from the edge of Midgar so many times already carrying a bunch of stuff. How on earth are you guys still walking so fast?"
"I can't… breathe. Let's just… sit down for a bit," Barret wheezed for air as he plopped right onto the ground. For such a big, musclebound man, the gunman's stamina was quite lacking. Tifa, who had led the way in the front, turned around to look at all of her tired friends, hands on hips as she cocked an eyebrow up at all of them.
"I didn't know you guys were so unathletic," she joked with a small laugh as she waited for them to catch up minus Barret.
"Not everyone's like you, Tifa," Wedge whined as he huffed to catch his breath. "You're dedicated to your exercise routine; I haven't seen Biggs lift any weights since last month. You too Jessie!"
"Don't expose me like that. At least I'm still more fit than Biggs," panted Jessie as she caught up to Tifa and stood next to her. "What kind of men are you? All muscles but no show—bet there's fat underneath that shirt of yours, Biggs. I know you're lying about those nonexistent abs."
In immediate response to her diss, Biggs took a hand and lifted up his shirt so that he could flash all his glory and prove a point. Tifa laughed even harder as Jessie mimed a gag with a finger in her mouth.
"They might not be as good as Cloud's—what the hell does that guy even do to keep them like that?—but anytime you say that, I'll always be willing to show you otherwise," Biggs smirked as he let his shirt fall. "Speaking of Cloud, where is he? We've been helping him transport stuff this entire morning, but we haven't seen his face all day."
"He went to topside to pick something up," Tifa explained. "Though, I'm not sure what it is. He's been going up there quite a bit this entire week."
"And he's not explaining why?" Barret finally spoke again as he stood back up. Now that he was back on his feet, the gang continued their way back to 7th Heaven. "Snarky asshole dares to ask us for a favor, yet he's not tellin' about what he's planning."
"I think he's keeping it a secret on purpose," Biggs proposed. "But I don't mind—a little bit of mystery is always exciting."
"Not exciting enough to haul my ass back and forth between Sector 7 and the edge of Midgar carrying cargo," exasperated Jessie. "Cloud owes me big time."
"We got a big day ahead of us, don't get tired just yet!" Tifa encouraged as she held up her two fists and nodded enthusiastically. "After lunch, we got another favor to fulfill, remember?"
"You don't have to remind us," Barret huffed, already out of breath again as his feet dragged across the dirt path. "Why did the both of them have to plan their little thing for each other on the same day? I'm tired, I'm telling ya, tired!"
"Quit complaining and save the rest of your energy because you'll need it," hissed Jessie. "If these two don't make up after all of this, I'm going to flip tables before I can sleep peacefully tonight."
When the group reached 7th Heaven, they didn't expect to see Cloud standing in front of the bar talking with someone. Coming closer, they recognized the person as the one who MC'd at the celebration.
"Cloud, you're finally back," Tifa greeted. She then looked at Kunsel with a welcoming smile. "I don't think we've ever been formally introduced to each other, right?"
"Yup. You're all of Cloud's friends I saw at topside, right? It's a little bit late, but hi, I'm Kunsel." Kunsel nodded. "Former second-class SOLDIER. Assisted Cloud in a lot of our missions back in the day." He stuck his arm out so that he could shake everyone's hand before he returned over to Cloud's side. "I'm terrible at learning names, so I might not get it the first try, but tell me anyway."
Everyone went down the line in introducing themselves as Kunsel tried his best in matching the names to their faces.
"Done with your stuff at topside?" Biggs asked Cloud once all the introductions were done. He didn't miss brown, cardboard box that Cloud carried in his hands. "If so, then let's eat lunch. We finished bringing all the stuff over to the edge. Whenever you're ready, we can go to Sector 5."
"Um, thanks a lot, guys," Cloud sheepishly said as he managed a tiny smile towards his friends. "I know it was a lot—"
"Tell me about it," Barret rolled his eyes. Cloud scowled at his unnecessary interruption before continuing.
"But I couldn't have done it all by myself. I, uh, appreciate it." It was clear how the once-merciless swordsman was not comfortable nor used to showing his appreciation outwardly like this. He was clumsy with his words, but none of his friends minded as they all grinned at him and his ineloquence while expressing his true feelings.
"I expect great things in return—another trip to topside, maybe?" Jessie grinned wickedly. "And a paid meal at a high-class restaurant, thanks in advance."
"If I had that type of money, then you wouldn't even be seeing my face around here," Cloud deadpanned, not amused with her expectations. "A meal at Wall Market—take it or leave it."
"Boo." But the brunette accepted it anyway as she climbed up the steps to the bar. "So, how long do you guys plan on just standing around? I need some food in this stomach, asap!"
Everyone filed into the cold, AC'd air of the empty bar. Tifa had closed it for the hectic day, knowing that there would be no time for her to fit in any work hours in between. Cloud gently settled down the box onto one of the tables, but he never disclosed to anyone what was inside of it as he took a seat at one of the tables and laid the Buster Sword against an adjacent one. He looked extremely tired. Slight bags hung underneath his eyes and his hair was a bit messier than usual. However, no one questioned why; he had been too secretive with his activities up topside for anyone to dare to ask.
Even Kunsel was a bit confused as to why he was here in Sector 7 with the gang. The only thing he knew about Cloud's activity was his access to a certain room up topside, but why he had done it along with the contents of the box were also a mystery to him. Cloud had told him to come, which he did. But the purpose of his visit, he didn't know. Just like the rest of his friends, Kunsel was clueless as to what his former comradehad in store today.
"You haven't talked to Aerith the entire week? And she didn't call or message you either?" Tifa asked once they all settled down with some food in front of them. "Are you sure it's alright to just come to Sector 5 uninvited?"
"We can't keep avoiding each other forever, right?" Cloud mumbled, playing with his food a bit at the mention of meeting Aerith. "Calling or messaging feels wrong, so I'll just come in person and hope she'll… come along."
Cloud's insecurity leaked out immensely whether he knew it or not as his eyes stared glumly at his food. Everyone could see how afraid he was at the possibility of Aerith just rejecting him after how he had treated her, but that didn't seem to stop him and the busy activities he had been running all week.
Biggs patted him on the back encouragingly. "We'll be right behind you, buddy. You got us by your side."
"Thanks," Cloud sighed as he finally put some of the food in his mouth. "Again, sorry that I made you carry so much stuff over to the edge. There's a… reason why it has to be there."
"The mystery is too much—what do you have planned, Pretty Boy?" Jessie mused as she ravaged her meal. "Don't keep us waiting too long, alright?"
Cloud didn't say anything as he continued to eat his meal, silently getting himself ready for what he had to show to not only Aerith, but also to his dear friends.
The rest of their meal was quiet as only small chit-chat encompassed the table. It was obvious how Cloud's mind wasn't completely with them. However, their upcoming travel to Sector 5 didn't seem to be the reason why he seemed so aloof and out of it. What had he been doing at topside for the past week?
"Leave the dishes in the sink. I'll clean them later once we're all back," Tifa assured once everyone finished. "Are we ready to go?"
"Yup," Barret boomed as he placed his plate gently into the sink. "I think my energy's back. This time, y'all will be waitin' for me!"
"Pfft, bet," Jessie snorted. She looked over at Cloud, who already had his sword back on his back and box in his hands, ready to embark on the nerve-wracking journey to Sector 5. "Feeling good, Pretty Boy?"
"Absolutely fantastic," he said dryly. "We all ready to go?"
"Yup."
Cloud led the way out of the bar. Kunsel was right behind him as Wedge and Barret followed suit. Jessie, Biggs, and Tifa made sure to stay behind a bit, and once Cloud was completely out of the door, Tifa took out her phone quickly.
"You going to call her now?" Biggs asked as Tifa scrolled through her contacts list.
"Quick, before he's wondering why you're taking so long. I'll go outside to make it seem less suspicious," Jessie warned before she left the two and took her exit.
"Gosh, she better pick up the phone," Tifa sighed as she bit the nail of her thumb. "I've noticed that she's kind of bad at answering calls."
"We've made it clear that it was going to be today, so I'm sure she'll—"
"She picked up! Hey. Yeah, we're coming. Make sure you got things ready!"
The train ride over to Sector 5 was silent. Cloud's eyes stared at empty space as the wheels rolled along the tracks. No one missed how he would occasionally snap out of it with a small shake of his head and blink a few timesbut he would eventually return to his dazed state anyway. It was concerning, to say the least, but with a lot of other things coming up in the next few hours, no one commented on it.
Tifa had been busy tapping on her phone, so she was actually a bit glad that Cloud wasn't his usual, attentive self as she communicated to Aerith through texts. Kunsel was the only one truly worried about Cloud since he at least had some clue about what the blond had gone through.
"Hey… are you alright, Cloud?" asked Kunsel worriedly. "You're not looking quite alright. Is it because of the—"
"Yeah, but it's fine," Cloud sighed as he rubbed the side of his neck with a hand. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."
"… If you say so."
When all of them stepped foot off the train and into Sector 5, Cloud's alertness came back momentarily as he took deep breaths in and long breaths out. His nervousness took the form of a gradually-increasing heartrate, a cold sweat, and a small, growing lump in his throat, but he willed his feet to move forward towards the familiar pathway to her house. His friends followed closely behind.
Until they reached the bridge that led straight to her home.
"Hey, Cloud," Jessie jogged up to him lightly and pulled at his arm, causing him to shoot an eyebrow up at her.
"What's up?" he inquired. He was so close to just walking over and knocking on her door; delaying it heightened his nervousness
"Come."
Cloud let out a small "whoa" when Jessie tugged him over to the side where the tall, flower bushes stood, hiding the view of her house once more. Not understanding why he was suddenly getting pulled away from his destination, he gently, yet firmly slipped out of Jessie's grip, eyes bright as he glared at her.
"What's the deal?" he asked irritably.
"Kunsel, you can stay here too," Wedge nodded as he situated the confused man next to Cloud. "It won't be long, promise!"
"What are you guys doing?" Cloud continued to interrogate. The bewilderment in his eyes shone as his frown creased his forehead. When he glanced at Wedge and Jessie to show his agitation, he noticed that Tifa, Barret, and Biggs were out of sight—where did they go? "Are you guys messing with me right now? I'm not in the mood for any games."
"Oh, just be a good boy and wait here just a while longer," Jessie insisted as she kept him rooted by the shoulders. "Patience is virtue—something you're severely lacking. And these muscles—whew! They need to relax."
"I'm not playing with you, Jessie," growled Cloud, hands flying up to his shoulders to remove her grip on him. "And where the hell did Tifa and the rest go? Let go of me already."
When he escaped out of her grip, Jessie tried to reach out and pull him back, but Wedge had already given the signal with a thumbs up, so she simply stood back to enjoy the rest of the show.
Flustered with how his friends were all acting a bit weird, Cloud's thoughts whirled through hisalready-spinning head as he now wondered where everyone went. Turning the corner, he was about to go and see what they were all up to, but he didn't get far when he bumped into something hard and solid—something that definitely wasn't there before.
"W-wha?"
He stepped back, heart skipping a beat suddenly at the unexpected obstacle in his path. His feet stumbled backwards as he regained his ground while his mind nearly went blank with what he saw.
"Surprise!" Tifa cheered, voice high-pitched as she screamed in glee.
"Surprise," Biggs and Barret followed along, not as excited as Tifa, but the smug smiles on their faces were enough to show their involved participation.
"Surprise," and the face that he had longed to see for the entire week popped up from behind the long canvas held by his three friends.
Cloud's mouth dumbly hung open as his wide eyes darted everywhere, from Tifa to Barret to Biggs to Aerith and, finally, to the panorama that they held in their hands with so much excitement and happiness. His eyes lingered on Aerith the longest before he could examine what his friends were even holding.
Even though it had only been a week, it was an excruciatingly long week. Considering how the last time he saw her was when he was just crying and yelling at her in his mako-induced rampage, he didn't expect such a soft, warm smile from her as she stood in all of her beautiful glory right before his eyes. Her emerald orbs glimmered underneath the light as she looked at him expectantly, waiting for a reaction other than his stupefied gaze.
He had expected her to remain upset, to perhaps realize that maybe, just maybe, their relationship truly wasn't what she wanted and that second thoughts had formed during the time they were away from each other. He had expected her to shut him out, to give him what he deserved for hurting her the way he did—for not giving her the chance to talk and explain herself. She didn't deserve any of his lashing out that night—none of it at all—and he wouldn't be surprised if she decided not to be with a man with his temperament.
Instead, she stood there so bright and so welcoming, her smile never fading. She tilted her head to the side cutely, wondering why he wasn't saying anything as his heart ached at the way she looked at him so lovingly despite everything that went down that night.
And his friends—were they all in on this too? On this plan to throw him completely off-guard and surprise him like this?
In their hands was a beautifully painted canvas that stretched nearly two meters horizontally and one meter vertically. All types of colors splashed on the canvas, but the scenes that they depicted became so alive and vivid in his mind as he recognized each and every one of them in the collage.
From their encounter on his first day of the job to the yellow flower she had given him; from the trees that they had planted together to their dance at topside; from their night at Wall Market to her room where he had patted her to sleep; from the hole she had blasted into his wall to the bench that they had sat on to admire the beautiful weather; from their first hug to their first kiss at the highest floor of the Shinra building; from their dinner at 7th Heaven with all of his friends to the night where they had kneeled before the yellow flower bed, foreheads pressed together as the towering church watched over their figures.
Everything.
Every memory and every moment of their time together was represented so gorgeously through different colors of paint, different strokes of the brush, and different techniques to bring out the life in each picture. Aerith had barely left any blank spots on the canvas; every scene merged to become interconnected.
To top it all off, in the middle of the canvas stood the biggest illustration out of all of them—a painting of just them two, holding hands as they looked at each other so happily as they walked off into the distance and into the painting as all of their memories surrounded them like clouds in the sky. What bloomed at their feet was a single, yellow flower—a flower that sprouted resiliently out of the rock with its yellow petals at full bloom.
"Even though it was kind of sad not talking to you for a week, it gave me a lot of time to do this," Aerith spoke up when Cloud showed no signs of saying anything. She gave a silly thumbs-up. "I drew a lot when I grew up in the Shinra building, so if you're amazed at how good I am, that's why!"
Even though Aerith seemed like her usual, chipper self, everyone could tell that she was a bit nervous with the way she clasped her hands together and twiddled her fingers. Removing herself from behind the canvas, she skipped over so that she could stand in front of him, blocking him from viewing it any longer—he had had enough time. His eyes slowly found hers.
"I don't really have much to say. We're in front of everyone," Aerith smiled sheepishly at all his friends—her friends now—in apology. Everyone simply waved it off with a hand. "But Cloud… I'm really sorry for not telling you sooner. I… didn't think you were ready."
"Ready," he repeated in a flat yet questioning tone, finally saying a word, but his face remained relatively expressionless as he regarded her.
"I knew how sensitive you are about it," Aerith continued to explain, her confidence dying by the second with the way Cloud just stared at her. "I had an idea about how you were going to react, but if I knew that you would find out about Zack the way you did a week ago, then I would've told you all about it in a heartbeat. Really." She pursed her lips in a straight line, smile now gone as she heaved a sigh. "But believe me when I say that I never intended to keep it from you forever. I was going to tell you when the time was right, but I guess fate had other plans."
Aerith reached out and grabbed onto Cloud's hands, startling him as she pulled up another strong smile. She then gestured towards the canvas with a small turn of her head. "This is my gift to you, Cloud. I wanted to show you how much our moments meant to me—how I happy I really am to have met you—and I thought that this was the perfect way. Of course, there are many more moments, but one canvas can only fit so much!" She paused and took a long breath. "Cloud. I've… always enjoyed my time with you, and no history about how you ever got the Buster Sword is going to change that. That's all I wanted to say for now, and hopefully this painting really gets across how much you… mean to me."
"Woo!" Jessie whooped as she threw a fist in the air. It was the instant cure for the settling, somber mood, for everyone else started to yell their encouragements at the blond.
"Cloud, c'mon, you haven't even said a word!" Tifa laughed as she held the canvas. "Don't suddenly be a mute now!"
"This canvas is pretty heavy, so hurry up and take it," Biggs jokingly scoffed.
"You'd be an asshole not to," Barret cursed like usual.
"And a big meanie!" Wedge inputted.
Kunsel simply stood on the side as he observed the collaborative efforts of all of Cloud's friends—friends that he never thought the cold swordsman could ever find and have. Remembering their conversation on the day of Shinra's fall, the former SOLDIER shook his head with a small, knowing smile on his face.
You've finally settled down, Cloud. Told you.
No one kept track of how long Cloud stood there, but it didn't take long after everyone's input for Cloud to finally have a reaction. The type of reaction was unexpected, and so, it threw everyone off when they saw the blond suddenly put a hand up to his face and turn away from everyone.
"Give me a moment," everyone heard him mutter, and at that instant, coos of aw's circulated the entire group of friends.
"Is Cloud Strife shedding a tear? Wait a minute, I gotta see!" Jessie giggled as she jumped over so that she could take a peek at his face. She earned a push by the shoulder instead as he avoided her.
"Stop," he murmured, but it wasn't enough to stop his friends.
"Wait, lemme see, this cannot be a missed opportunity," Barret said excitedly as he dropped his hold on the canvas and went around just so that he could cop a view too, but Cloud skillfully evaded their bombardment.
"You guys are seriously annoying," he scowled, recovering himself by discreetly wiping said tear from his eye and turning back around. He went over to the canvas, where his gloved hand ran over its edges delicately as his eyes glazed over the beautiful artwork once more in admiration.
Aerith laughed as she watched him get teased by all his friends, relief drowning her by the second to see his positive reaction and the light atmosphere returning. Her ears especially tuned in to hear his answer to her heartfelt confession after seeing her effort in the painting, but she wasn't receiving it just yet.
"Aerith, I…" Cloud trailed off as he tried to find the words to say. "I got something to show you too, which is why I came, but it seems like everyone else had different agendas." Cloud glared at all of his friends as they all grinned mischievously at the success of their operation. "And I want to show it to you first—before I say anything."
Aerith blinked, confused. "You do? Is that why you came?" She then looked questioningly at everyone, whose sly smiles never disappeared. "I thought you came here because your friends dragged you here."
"Looks like some people are playing double agent here," Cloud crossed his arms, unamused with the setup his friends put up for the two of them. "But it doesn't matter. Would you… like to come and see?"
Cloud awkwardly shifted his feet against the dirt as he considered the possibility of the Cetra actually saying no despite the happy mood that filled the air. Luckily for him, Aerith didn't plan to extend the duration of his insecurity as she nodded enthusiastically, braid waving around her back,following her excited movements.
"I'm excited, I'm excited! Lead the way, everyone!"
While Aerith's canvas was enough to patch up their fall-out and the void that grew during the week they didn't see each other, Cloud wasn't going to settle yet until he fulfilled his own part, and as the group rode the train, he hoped that his own message would be successfully delivered through everything he had prepared for her.
During the whole trip, Aerith sat on the edge of her seat, and seeing everyone else's curiosity didn't help settle her excitement. While his friends seemed to have assisted in whatever the merc had planned, they too looked unsure with what was going to happen next. The thing that threw her off the most was Kunsel's presence—there could only be one reason why he was tagging along with them.
The Cetra glanced over at Cloud, whose figure was rigid against his seat. He didn't seem to pay attention to anything, which was a rare sight since the swordsman always had his senses keen and sharp no matter what and no matter where. It had only been a week since she last saw him, but already he seemed different with the way he simply looked so…
Tired.
What are you going to show me, Cloud?
Her excitement was tinged with uneasiness when Cloud and the group led her and Kunsel past the outskirts of the cities and into the badlands that stretched far from the edges of Midgar. However, she didn't dare question why he was taking her here in the middle of what seemed like nowhere.
Over a couple of more mounds and hills, Aerith finally saw some wagons and crates from the distance, and when the group came closer, she saw the contents of them.
"Yellow… flowers?" Aerith wondered out loud as her eyes landed on the pots of dirt, footsteps slowing to a stop when everyone finally reached their supposed destination with tired breaths. She looked around to study the landscape, wondering why Cloud had brought everyone here to these valleys of rocks. Turning around, she overlooked the entirety of Midgar with its intricate lines of infrastructure and the familiar Shinra tower that stretched into the sky above all the other sectors.
"This all better be for something, Spikey," Barret lowly grumbled as he looked at all the stuff he and everyone else had to carry up here. "I'm not as young as I used to be; my shitty excuse of a back is killing me with all this crap we had to bring up here."
"Talk about aches," Jessie groaned as she rolled her shoulders. "I'd choose patrol over this sort of transport service any day."
"What's all this?" Aerith finally asked, but Cloud didn't answer any questions as he settled the odd box onto the ground and surveyed the area, making sure that they were at the right spot.
"Yup, this is it," everyone heard him mutter to himself as he studied the space before them.
"Um, Cloud?" Kunsel's eyes swallowed thescenery as it began to dawn on him. He was the only one who started to get an idea of what was going on. "Is this…?"
"It is," Cloud nodded, firm with his answer as he got to work and began to rummage through the contents of the box he had carried the entire time. Everyone got closer to peer over his back, wondering what had gotten him traveling between the sectors and topside so frequently during the week. Expecting something grand, Cloud's group of friends only frowned deeper when the blond took out a simple-looking projector that was small enough to be carried with only two hands.
"You've been carrying that thing as if it was your newborn baby," remarked Biggs as his eyebrow cocked up against his forehead. "What is this dingy thing? Don't tell me that's all you got in that mysterious box of yours."
"It's not 'dingy,'" Cloud quoted as he settled it down onto the ground and angled its lens towards the sky. "It might look like some piece of recyclable debris, but you don't know what kind of lengths I had to go through just to have this equipment in my hands for half a day."
"Really, now?" deadpanned Jessie, sorely not convinced with the way Cloud kept fidgeting with the tech so clumsily. "That thing looks so—"
Before Jessie could finish her phrase, a bright light projected out of the lens of the tiny machine as a large, rectangular hologram materialized in the air in front of them. With physics unknown, the blue hologram stretched across the sky with its imaging non-transparent. Everyone's mouths dropped open as they looked up at the overwhelming, holographic screen—a screen bigger than what they saw in the movie theaters.
"—ancient," Jessie finished in a half-whisper, eyes filled with awe as they witnessed the power of one of the latest, most advanced technology developed under years of research from Shinra engineers.
Any speculations that Aerith had about Cloud's plans died as she took a few steps back so that she could take in the entire screen within her field of vision. Everyone followed her lead as their heads tilted up to see what Cloud had spent so long preparing, silent as their amazement left them mute.
"Wow… it's like it's solid in the air!" Wedge exclaimed. "When it's just light!"
"They really got neat stuff up there, don't they? Things we usually don't see around in the slums," murmured Tifa as she folded her arms across her chest. "And I thought we saw most of it when were at topside."
Cloud clicked a few things on the holographic menu that popped up once he had turned on the projector, and once everything was done, he fished out the last, most important element of the whole entire thing from the box: a chip. Inserting it into a certain slot on the machine, he configured it a bit moreuntil he finally finished setting everything up.
"So, um, what you guys are about to see might be… a bit sensitive—at least, to some people," Cloud began. He glanced over at Aerith and Kunsel, who shot their eyebrows up at him in wonder. "But I believe that it's something that deserves to be seen, especially after being buried for so many years because of my cowardness, and I just…" Cloud inhaled deeply for a long three seconds before exhaling shakily, nervousness at the maximum as he felt his hands shake. "It's something I should've done a long time ago to honor… him. And I wanted to show everyone what I've gathered for the past week. It's the least I can do for him. And for you guys." A weak smile splayed at his lips as he gave a singular nod towards Aerith and Kunsel. "I hope it's okay."
"Cloud?" Aerith barely managed to whisper, voice soft as her heartbeat started to grow quicker and quicker.
Cloud pressed a button, and instantly, the blank, blue screen showed rolling footage as sound boomed across the valley from the tiny device.
The sound of a carriage rolling its wooden wheels against the gravel of of an unpaved road echoed into everyone's ears as the screen displayed the scenery before them from a first-person point of view. Smooth green hills rolled in the distance while the road passed underneath the wheels as they moved forth towards their destination. A pair of legs were outstretched in front of the person's eyes as he sat in the back of the carriage, shaking with every bump the road encountered. The lack of context was confusing; it was impossible to tell exactly what was going on.
However, Aerith was quick to catch on as she recognized the features of the film being shown.
"Is this a memory scan?" she immediately questioned, eyes wide as she listened to the realistic sounds flooding out of the projector. At the mention of the memory scan, lightbulbs lit above everyone's heads as they remembered their time topside.
"That's right, all those memories we saw topside," Tifa gasped, hand flying over to her mouth as she began to connect the dots. "They were presented like this, in this weird first-person—" she stopped talking as her eyes flew over to Cloud, who simply stood there with arms over chest and figure tense as his mako eyes watched the memory scan intently.
Knowing about his fragile mental state better than anyone else there, Aerith shook her head slowly as she began to realize what Cloud had done. "Cloud, don't tell me you—"
"Man, isn't the sun so bright today—it's beautiful!"
Aerith snapped her jaw shut the moment her ears heard his voice—the voice that she had longed to hear just one more time so many years ago after countless nights of wailing and despair. Her eyes couldn't open up any wider as the view shifted away from the legs and slowly over to a face—Zack's smiling face.
"You hanging in there, Cloud?" His black hair danced in the wind as a light breeze blew past them, shaking the leaves of the trees that stood by the side of the trail. "You're a fighter, aren't you? It won't be long until we reunite with my troops. Look, isn't the sky pretty? Bet you're used to see something like this every day at Nibelheim." His soft, black eyes had gazed deeply into Cloud's comatose-like ones, allowing the memory scan to detail so vividly everything he had seen as Zack's eyes not only looked into his, but into everyone's as Cloud's memories laid exposed to everyone like an open book. "Real shame for those who live underneath those huge plates in Midgar. When they look up at the sky, all they see is just some metal blocking most of the view. If only they could see what the real sky looks like at least once in their life!"
The scene switched, and now, Zack stood in the front as his hand extended out with a spoon. His worried and urgent eyes showed as clear as day in the memory scan.
"You have to eat, Cloud, or else we aren't going to get anywhere. C'mon, you can do it. It's been only a week, and you're already starting to move again! Hey, maybe when you're all better, you can join me in SOLDIER—you definitely got the guts for it after all that mako." The spoon approached until it disappeared from view. After a few seconds, it reappeared again as Zack scooped some stuff out of the can so that he could continue feeding Cloud. "We're almost there. If I'm correct, my troops should be stationed somewhere near Midgar edge. One more week and I'm sure we're gonna get there. I'll protect you, Cloud, so no worries!"
Just when the peaceful memories began to calm everyone's initial astonishment and eased everyone into the memory scan, things took a sharp turn for the worst. The beautiful scenery of life and the wilderness was gone, only to be replaced with red, licking flames as buildings burned into nothing but black, hot ashes.
Nibelheim.
Tifa gasped loudly as she now held both her hands over her mouth, reliving that day from Cloud's view, a day she never wanted to go back to. She never wanted to see again that place where her friends and family died right before her eyes with just a couple of strokes from that sleek, silver blade.
Screams and cries rang so clearly from the projector as Cloud's view locked onto an ominous, shadowy figure whose face was barely visible despite the bright, scorching fire. With long, silver hair flowing in the hot winds and sinister green eyes glowing so intensely, the figure held the tip of his long, thin sword on the body of a girl who laid sprawled against the floor unconscious.
"Tifa! Tifa!" cried the voice of a young boy. A hand came to view as it stretched towards the girl—the girl that everyone now realized was Tifa. "Tifa!"
"Is that you, Tifa?" Jessie croaked, fist against her chest as she struggled to take in the horrible scene and continue standing. She then looked over to Cloud, whose lips remained pursed and straight. "Cloud, you—"
"Sephiroth! No, stop!"
Cloud's shaky view turned over so that everyone could see Zack with Buster Sword in hand, holding it defensively against Sephiroth. The man's blade removed itself from Tifa's face, only to turn towards Zack as he pointed the Masamune at his fellow first-class SOLDIER with ease and grace.
"Kunsel! Find any survivors you can and leave!" Zack commanded as his eyes never left the silver-haired. "Now!"
"But—"
"We cannot deal with both Shinra and Sephiroth at the same time. I'll buy time, so go! Quickly!"
Kunsel's face scrunched up in pain as he watched the memory scan of him receiving the heartbreaking orders from not only his leader, but his best friend to leave him behind for safety.
His heart truly ached because this moment was the last time he ever saw Zack alive.
"Yessir!" and Kunsel left to do what he was told.
Before anyone could see how the fight had unfolded, Cloud had lost his consciousness, and the memory scan faded into blackness. Nobody had the time to recover from the trauma of what they had just seen, for in the next second, the scene switched once more. Now, everyone saw some sort of lab room as an evil cackle rang off the walls sickeningly. An ugly face popped up, hand reaching towards Cloud as a disgusting grin stretched across his face.
"Yes, finally! This wretched boy is finally accepting the mako! What a beautiful color, your eyes, my little dog!"
Aerith nearly threw up when she saw that horrid man's face again, She held her hand against her stomach as she observed the way his unsightly wrinkles creased and rippled with every laugh that escaped out of that sick mouth.
The memory scan tilted in view as Cloud fell onto his side and onto the floor, eyes now seeing a chained-up Zack.
"Now you two be nice, okay? I'll be back soon before you know it. Make sure the boy doesn't go dying on me just yet. Let out a holler if he does though! I want that data. Hahaha!"
"Cloud, do you hear me? You have to stay strong. Fight it, or else you'll lose yourself!"
The memory scan began to get fuzzy as details began to become omitted and skipped, for one moment, Zack was tied to the walls, and in the next, he was helping Cloud up as alarms blared to warn of their escape. With a hole blasted into one of the walls of the lab revealing the outside, Zack carried Cloud over to the edge.
"Hold on tight, Cloud." Zack's determined voice gently sounded through the speakers even though their surroundings were anything but, and without another second, the two dived into the sky and down the Shinra building towards freedom.
"Holy shit…" Biggs trailed off, eyes never removing themselves from the hologram. He shook his head in disbelief as he watched their descent down the Shinra building from heights that no normal human could withstand with just their feet. "This is crazy."
Another scene finally switched over, and this time, a daunting sense of recognition spread through everyone as they realized where it took place: the very ground where they currently stood. The same towering wall of rocks, the same barren wasteland, the same blue sky—Cloud had brought them to the exact location the memory scan showed.
Only two pairs of feet were in sight as they dragged across the rough terrain, the shuffling of their efforts being the only sounds against the vast land that stretched far out in front of them. The memory bobbed as Cloud's head lolled with each step as the two marched onward.
"We're almost there, Cloud. Almost there," Zack huffed as he dragged the fourteen-year-old boy along. "I can see it. If my sources are correct, my troops should be—"
Zack halted abruptly in the middle of his sentence, and the footage shook violently as the first-class SOLDIER roughly shoved Cloud over to the side in order to hide behind a couple of boulders. The point-of-view was sideways until Zack straightened the boy up again against the wall of rocks from behind, eyes alert as his face turned towards the direction of something in the distance—something Cloud could not see from his view.
"Just my luck, huh?" Zack could be heard chuckling darkly as he surveyed the area beyond the rocks. He shook his head slowly and solemnly to himself before a small, bitter smile stretched across his face. "And we were so close too."
Zack fully turned back around so that he could face Cloud, who had stared at him blankly as the SOLDIER gazed at him warmly. His hand stretched out as he ruffled the blond's head with affection, eyes soft as his smile never wavered.
"You… stay here, alright, Cloud? I got some business to take care of. And whatever you do, don't come out from here, okay? Stay here!" Zack unstrapped the Buster Sword from his back as he held it tightly in his grasp, grip firm as he nodded to himself one more time. "I'll… see you later."
A moment later, and all Cloud heard were gunshots.
Kunsel had to look away from the footage as he discreetly wiped some tears away, unable to handle seeing the death of his friend like this. Cloud had already informed him of Zack's fate many years ago when he first joined SOLDIER, but to witness it through this memory scan instantly drowned his heart with sorrow for a second time—a sorrow that pierced deeper than the first.
Tifa had to hold onto Aerith's shoulders when she wobbled a bit, hand over her mouth tightly as she cried silent tears over the gunshots that now echoed all throughout the valley, replicating what was heard on that very same day. She had always wondered how he had died, how he had fallen, and what he had done to protect everyone he loved, but she never thought it would be like this. To stand alone against the hundreds of bullets that punched through him, only to die in a place where no one ever walked.
Cloud's eyes never left the images of the memory scan as he watched it a second time, fingers nearly cutting off the blood flow in his arms as he grasped onto himself tightly in remembrance.
The memory scan became silent and then black. Just when everyone thought it was over so that they could finally take a breather, a voice continued to bleed through the projector as the hologram remained imageless.
"Cloud, I'm not going to make it. You… need to get out of here. Before they do another search. My comrades, they're still out there—fighting. Find them, they'll—" cough, "—they'll help you out."
Some shuffling against the ground was heard before Zack continued to speak.
"My honor… my dreams… they're yours now. You're going to be alright… go. Go to the others."
Finally, Zack delivered his last words.
"Oh, and do you mind… saying hi to her for me? And that… I got her eighty-ninth letter. That'd be great."
And then the memory scan ended.
"Zack," gasped Aerith, hand clutched against her chest painfully as she sank onto the ground. Tifa followed her descent as she rubbed the girl's shoulders , trying to comfort her through her loud sobs. The raven-haired girl threatened to join the Cetra in her weeping as she too basked in the fact that on that day, Zack had saved her life before Sephiroth had the time to strike her down to join the ruins of her village.
"You're going to be okay, Aerith," Tifa assured, lips quivering slightly. "We're here for you."
"Cloud…" Barret trailed as he watched the blond sigh at the black hologram. If Cloud looked tired before, then he looked almost lifeless now as he shook his head lightly and went over to Aerith, who immediately shot her eyes up to look at him.
"Cloud, how—how did you get this?" She gently removed herself from Tifa's grasp and rose, holding her hands out to take Cloud's. He willingly stretched his hands out so that she could grasp onto them tightly. "You couldn't have, not with your—"
"That's why I look like I just went to hell and back," Cloud muttered with an odd laugh as he let out another lengthy sigh. "Genesis was not happy dealing with me, but we got it done. And that's all that matters, right?"
Aerith shook her head defiantly, still not okay with the idea of what Cloud had to go through to get such a memory scan. "You didn't have to do this, not at the expense of your—"
"I… am the only one who knew what happened to Zack," interrupted Cloud, bitterness laced with every word he said. "Yet I… never shared what had happened and only kept it to myself—because I was scared. I was too scared and too guilty to accept my past for what it was, and I even tried to bury it by just forgetting it all. I didn't want to revisit, but I realized that… doing that would just be a huge disrespect towards Zack and towards the people he loved and cared for, so…" Cloud gestured towards the holographic screen, a small smile playing at his lips. "After our, uh, yeah, I decided to finally honor him the right way. Not just by carrying around his sword and a nameless legacy. To let everyone know what had happened to him—that's why I brought everyone here today and to show you that I…" Cloud cleared some of Aerith's hair from away her face and behind her ear, a small smile on his lips, "I have also moved on. And that I'll accept any sort of past that you may have, just like you already did for me, so, uh, don't feel guilty or anything."
Cloud ended his little speech lamely as he grimaced, realizing himself how he ended none of it mattered when Aerith suddenly burst out laughing as she threw her arms around Cloud, tears still wet on her face as she pulled him over for a tight hug.
"Thank you, Cloud. Thank you for going through all of that just for this. It means so much to me. It really does—so much."
Her laughing quickly returned back to sobbing. Cloud hung his arms around her tightly, letting her tears fall into his shoulder as she took the time to finally remember Zack the way she was supposed to after all these years, to finally know the truth of what had happened and to accept it wholeheartedly.
Everyone stood by the side as they watched the two embrace, happy to see them reconcile, but also in sadness as their hearts weighed heavy in their chest as they realized that there were so many people like Zack who had died just for the sake of their freedom.
"I'm sorry that I burst out the way I did that night without even trying to understand," Cloud finally apologized as he relished the feeling of having her close again. "I should've talked it out with you and everything. And I shouldn't have—"
"Cloud, enough," Aerith shook her head as she pulled back. The smile that he had fallen in love with shined so brightly as her green orbs gazed at him fondly. "This is enough—more than enough. I'll never forget this. Ever. Thank you, Cloud, thank you."
Aerith laughed again as she fully pulled away from Cloud and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I look like a mess right now, don't I? I'm just crying my butt off."
"No, you deserve it, girl," Jessie assured. The brunette also managed to let out a sniff as she rubbed underneath her nose with a finger, her own emotions getting the best of her as she nodded. "Crying is for the strong. Just let it all out."
"Yeah. And I'm sorry for not being able to get a clearer scan for the end," Cloud helped Aerith stand back up as he held onto her hands, "It was… hard for me to fully visualize it, but at least I got the sound and everything."
"Stop it, Cloud. How many times do I have to say that this is more than enough?"
"Sorry to interrupt," Biggs popped up, smile sheepish as he felt bad for interrupting such a tender moment, "But we're still a bit lost, and it seems that only Kunsel and Aerith know what kind of stuff went down for him to get this sort of scan. Is that why you look like you just someone dug you out of a grave?
Cloud rubbed the back of his head as his friends looked at him imploringly. He then proceeded to explain what kind of things he had to go through to get the memory scan.
~Four days ago~
"This is it."
Cloud walked into the room with a bit of apprehension. It was dimly lit with only the light from the large screens as a source of illumination. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust as he studied the tech-filled room, having not seen any of it since the last time he ventured topside four years ago. Having a newer sense of awe with all of the technological advancements, Cloud saw a stark contrast between life in the slums and in the better sides of Midgar.
"No one operates this room?" Cloud noted as he saw things running, but no people to man it. Only a lone person in front of one of the screens went at it with his work as he typed a few things on the large control panel.
Genesis laughed as he pushed in a few chairs left untucked underneath the tables. "We don't use it often since it's only for really important stuff, like memory digging for outrageous crimes or something like that. People are not too keen with this sort of technology—violates their rights of privacy and all that sort of boring stuff. And it's not a toy either; the power to generate the thing is way too large, so no one gets to walk in just to get some footage for fun."
"Sorry," Cloud winced at the way he indirectly jabbed at him for this favor. He could feel the fear Genesis could instill in people if he tried, the very same fear which had made him the commander of the SOLDIER revolt.
"Cloud Strife doesn't walk in for fun—that I know," assured Genesis, but that didn't really make Cloud feel any better. "Plus, if you say it's important, then it's important. But I got to let you know one thing though."
"What is it?"
"When we run this baby on you," Genesis led Cloud over to the place where he was going to lay for the memory scan. On it was some sort of helmet scanner, something the blond figured would be put on his head during the scan. "When we run it on you, we're going to have to monitor what kind of things are going through it."
"So, you're going to see my memories," Cloud finished for him, getting a bit irritated with the way Genesis kept beating around the bush with his statements.
"Straight to the point as usual, aren't you?" he smirked. "Exactly. And it's more so that we can monitor how things are and see what kind of problems we're going to deal with. Derek over here," Genesis pointed a thumb over to the lone figure who was fiddling with the control panel as he set things up, "is going to extract as much as he can, so whatever you want to try to remember, we'll pinpoint it and amplify it as much as possible to form some of the footage. Got it?"
"Got it," Cloud replied dryly as he sat on the hard bedside.
"… You sure you're going to be okay?" Genesis voiced his concern one last time. He sighed as he tapped a finger incessantly against his leg, a habit of his whenever he was unsure about a situation. "This machine isn't a joke. It goes deep in, and if there's any resistance, it can really mess you up. That mako poisoning of yours—it's not sitting with me well right now."
"It hasn't been 'sitting' with me for nine years," Cloud joked darkly as he grabbed onto the helmet and toyed with it a bit in his hands. "But I gotta move on somehow, right?"
"You can't force it."
"You won't know if you don't."
"… Annoying brat. Don't blame me if your mind gets all fucked," Genesis guffawed as he shook his head and went over to Derek. "Let's get started, shall we? Put that thing on your head, think of what you want to remember, and we'll take it from there."
"Sounds easy enough," Cloud muttered before he laid down and put the helmet over his head.
When the thing turned on, Cloud took it as a signal to start thinking about what he wanted to bring to life again. The first thing he thought of, of course, was Zack, and all the things he could remember about him within the short time they had together. It was harder than he thought, however, because of all the mako overloading his body to a near comatose state at the time.
That wasn't a problem for the machine.
"We're getting a weak signal, but it's stronger than the rest. Shall we amplify it?" Derek asked as he rapidly tapped a bunch of things on the holograms that began to pop up by his side. "It seems like he can't get a clear image, but we can begin a deep dive into his subconscious."
Genesis looked warily over Cloud, worried for his being, but because this was what he wanted, the redhead gave Derek the go.
"Pump it up."
On one of the screens, images started to from as pixels began to fill the void. Peering into it, Genesis quietly gasped when he started to recognize what Cloud was trying so hard to remember.
"… Zack?"
Cloud immediately screamed, body twisting and turning as his hands naturally flew up to his head to grasp it. His howls of pain could be heard from the outside as his screeches thundered throughout the room, intensifying as the memory scan reached deeper and deeper into his mind.
"You said this guy had mako poisoning, right?" Derek muttered as he adjusted the settings of the memory scanner. "The trauma is interfering with the reading. Reading memories that are mako-influenced aren't good for the head, and he knew?"
"He's a stubborn kid," Genesis growled as his eyes remained glued to the screen.
If Cloud never felt body-ripping pain before, then he did now as his entire being convulsed violently in an attempt to withstand the intense agony his whole body experienced under the memory scan. Mako-induced headaches had always been mind-splitting affairs but never in his life had he ever felt this feeling before—the feeling of his entire mind unfolded and forced to straighten out by a clothes iron. Memories that he had kept locked up for so long began to get wrenched free from the recesses as they flooded his consciousness, overloading his brain as his unearthly screams bounced off every corner of the room.
He remembered his time in Hojo's lab, his escape with Zack, that fateful night where the ones he loved were killed an instant, the flames of his precious hometown, his comrades dying left and right, Zack's death—everything drowned him at once as he felt his shallow reserves of air get punched out of his lungs. Usually, these sequences came in a swarm of overwhelming memories, but at least there was a sequence. He didn't know how the memory scan was doing it, but everything hit at the same time, rendering him completely vulnerable to the typical side effects of mako.
With intense pain came intense relief. So when the memory scan was stopped, Cloud finally pulled himself together enough to rip the helmet off his head, panting forcefully as he settled back into reality.
"I told you," came Genesis's knowing voice as he approached the blond. "I told you it won't work with the kind of mental state you have going on for you right now. Let's stop here before your mind gets completely shattered."
"Fuck," Cloud cursed as his hands shakily held the helmet within their grasps. He wasn't going to lie; he did not want to continue the scan. The pain and the feeling of just being exposed was too much to bear and too much to experience willingly again. The adrenaline still rushed through his blood as the mako in his eyes shined brighter than before—a typical sign of the active mako in a person's body. Knowing this, Genesis shook his head, urging the blond to just give it up.
"Since I had to, I saw what you were trying to conjure up. Are you trying to make a memento about Zack or something?" The redhead's tone of voice became soft; he knew about Cloud's history with Nibelheim and Zack from Kunsel, but never did he ever try to ask questions about it. The boy was young at the time, and with the war raging on, there was never any time for anyone to go down memory lane. "It's something a lot of people would appreciate, but kiddo, you don't have to do it. It's literally wrecking you."
"It's fine," grunted Cloud, but he didn't look it as the weariness from such a short experience began to show on his face. "Continue. You saw it—that means it's working."
"Cloud," Genesis snarled. He was not intent on humoring this stubborn boy any longer. "Now that I see what you're trying to do, I understand that it's important, but I'm not going to watch one of my juniors get his mind destroyed just because he was trying to force it. Mako is serious business even though all SOLDIERs were exposed to it at some point. But you…" the former commander narrowed his eyes at the blond when he failed to react. "You practically swam in it. The mako is integrated into your system more than you know, so any more disturbances to it, and you'll be out in a flash. Do you understand?"
"… It was my mistake the first time."
"Mistake?"
"Do it again," Cloud requested. "If it's coming out, then I'll do it again."
"You little piece of—"
"If I can't even think about the past, how am I supposed to move on and live with this fucking stupid mako?"
Genesis snapped his jaw shut. If the blond had ever spoken like this to him back in the day, he would've whipped him good. But now that those times had passed, he had enough patience to hear what reasons the younger boy had.
"Like I said, you can't force it. That's not how it works. I'm sure that Cetra already told you before already about how it all works too."
"The Cetra?" Cloud instantly became guarded. His eyes reverted back to their usual sharpness as he stared at Genesis.
Knowing why he suddenly got defensive, the redhead laughed obnoxiously one more time as he shook his head mockingly. "You think I didn't spot her with you at topside? I won't ever forget a beautiful face like hers, nor the blood that runs through her veins, and all those years that disgusting bastard kept monitoring our physique just so that he could have his Ancient babies. No need to get all cautious."
Remembering how Aerith once told him how she knew every one of the top-class SOLDIERs back during Shinra's reign, Cloud relaxed. But he was still uneasy because of how the former commander brought her up into the conversation.
He was doing all this mainly for her too.
Genesis saw the conflict raging in his eyes and groaned a bit before he licked his lips and sighed. "You're not going to give up, are you?"
"… I can't. Not when I have things to do." Things to finally forgive.
Himself.
"Guess I can't convince you otherwise anymore. Here, we'll run the memory scan again, but listen; I'm gonna give you some advice."
"Advice?"
Genesis clapped Cloud on the shoulder and he shook him a bit roughly. Cloud took the treatment anyway as his ears tuned in to see what the redhead had to say.
"You have to set yourself free. You have to accept the feeling of the memory scan, because if you fight it, not only will the analysis get all messed up, but so will your consciousness. It's going to go in deep, it's going to go where you don't like it, but you have to look past all that and feel yourself, mako or no mako. It's all about comfort; comfort with both the memory scan and your memories."
"Sounds like you're experienced."
"I don't know how you got friends, kiddo," Genesis growled, but quickly chuckled as he swiveled around, coat flapping, to head back over to Derek. "But who do you take me for? I'm one of the founders of the rebellion—you don't think I haven't seen stuff in my life? Trust me, kiddo—I've seen far worse and done far worse than you."
"…"
"Derek, let's have another go, shall we? And if he starts screaming again, just keep going because the kid's asking for it."
Cloud looked at the helmet one more time before he mustered all the willpower in his body and placed it over his head again.
"Let myself free, huh?" he muttered to himself as he laid back down. "Set myself free…"
The memory scan started up again, pulling him back into the torturous process that laid his life so simply and flatly against the table. Groans escaped his lips as the fragments of his memories began getting sorted and materialized, getting brighter and clearer than ever before as the machine amplified it. The urge to rip the helmet off again flooded his senses, but he kept it down—he had to.
For him, for her, and for everyone who loved and cared for the fallen SOLDIER.
"Better?" Genesis asked Derek as he watched the technician fumble around once more with the settings.
"Better," he replied. "Less resistance. Still a little hard, but if he's willing to deal with the repercussions of it, then we'll still get some clear footage."
"Alright."
The redhead turned his eyes back towards the blond, who squirmed where he laid as the memory scan did its magic. Genesis merely sighed again.
"Good to see you alive and well, kiddo. Stubborn as always, eh?"
~.~.~
"Oh gosh, Cloud…" Tifa came up to get a closer look at Cloud, finally seeing how fatigued he looked as he stepped away from her observant eyes. "I didn't notice before, but it looks like you really did come back from the dead."
"Alright, let's stop rubbing it in my face, okay?" he replied irritatingly. "Hope you guys enjoyed the show at the expense of my sanity
"Cloud," Kunsel stepped up, finally speaking his first word ever since he began watching the memory scan. "You didn't need to put yourself through that at all—just saying it would have been enough…" He stepped up to place his hand on his shoulder, "Seriously, thank you. Like what Aerith said, this means so much. You've really outdone yourself with this. I'm sure others won't be able to thank you enough either once they watch this. It really does give… closure."
Cloud blinked when Kunsel gave him a one-armed hug, not used to receiving this type of treatment from other men, and awkwardly returned it by gently patting the back of his shoulder. All of his friends kept their snickers in as they watched the uncomfortable blond return his friend's embrace.
"Alright! I think I've recovered myself too," Aerith declared when the two pulled away. She scanned her surroundings and noticed the potted plants. "Since the show is over, shall we all head back? I'm feeling for some tea and cake; anyone care to join? I know just the what's with all these flowers here?"
"Wait, I'm not done," Cloud blurted out, stopping Aerith in her tracks. She watched as he jogged back over to the projector and fiddled with it. Taking out another chip out the box, Cloud ejected the current one in the slot and inserted the other. Everyone watched in curiosity as the projector started up again with its blank, blue screen.
"You have another? What's this?" asked Aerith.
Cloud came back to his friends before he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
"The next few things you're going to see is mainly for you, so um," the swordsman looked at his friends uncomfortably. At first, no one understand why he glanced at them like that, but when the smallest hints of red tinged his cheeks, Jessie guffawed.
"I see how it is! What, you want us to turn our backs around? We'll do that just for you, honey," she teased sickeningly-sweetly as she mockingly turned her heels and faced away from the memory scan. "Will this do?"
"Forget it—watch all you want," grumbled Cloud. The second memory scan began rolling, piquing Aerith's interest.
"What else do you have for m—"
"Kunsel, you're one of Zack's close friends, right?"
Once again, the memory scan entranced everyone into silence as the face of Kunsel popped up against the familiar lab walls they had seen before in the previous scan; it was the day Shinra was finally defeated.
"Why, yes."
"Do you happen to know who Zack's… lover is?"
Aerith's lips parted as she began to feel where the memory scan was heading, tears already pricking her eyes again as she listened to Cloud's cold, yet soft, broken voice—a voice she never knew of and wish she had known sooner.
"Uh, no, I don't," Kunsel had lied, "but why?"
"I'm going to find her. And deliver his last words to her."
The scene changed as many different areas were shown. From snowy mountains to dry deserts, to bustling marketplaces to near-ruined villages—the memory scan began to show all the travels that he embarked on after Shinra's defeat as he trudged determinedly in search for Aerith. Some scenes showed him laying in a nice inn with a bed, and others showed the rock-hard floors as he camped in some random cave. Parts of the Planet that his friends never had never seen before made their appearance, enlightening them to how large this world truly was outside of the slums. And all through Cloud Strife's eyes.
"Become a mercenary. You said you needed connections to find what you're looking for? Then please, consider being a mercenary. It's better than just wandering around the Planet blindly. Build connections to make what you're seeking for more visible."
Tifa's voice rang as the footage switched over to the familiar setting of 7th Heaven as Cloud sat at the counter with drink in his hand. The raven-haired girl's warm and kind gaze looked right into him as she harbored a small smirk on her mouth.
"Hey, Cloud. I know you probably thought about actually settling down at some point, so… I have a job for you."
"Settle down? What is it?"
"How do you feel about bodyguarding?"
"… Excuse me?"
At this, nearly everyone laughed at how typical the stoic's response was, and it was more humorous with the way the projector captured it so perfectly and everything.
"It's really good pay. Higher than the usual. And it's a long-term job too."
"Not digging the idea of following some girl around."
Aerith threw an accusatory look towards Cloud's way, earning a meek attempt of a smile back from him. Nonetheless, she giggled happily as the memory scan came to an end.
"Loosen up a bit. I'm sure you'll enjoy this job; I heard she's quite a nice girl. You won't be babysitting. I promise."
"…"
Finally, the montage came to an end, but not without one more special moment that changed his life forever.
"Hello, how may I help you?"
There she was, so cheerful and full of mirth as she stood on that bridge with her flowers surrounding her like a bouquet and with her house magnificently towering behind her. With hands behind her back and eyes staring straight into Cloud's, Cloud and Aerith's first meeting was documented in this memory scan. Her smile, her kindness; they were the first things he ever saw, and this moment was going to stay in his heart forever, never to leave.
When the hologram went black, Cloud went up to her, hands reaching out for hers as she continued laughing.
"What are you, a romantic?" she giggled, but a few tears still slipped down her face as she took one of her hands and wiped them away. "Cloud…"
"Even though it happened in a really round-about way, I finally found you," Cloud declared. A real smile graced his lips as he too felt the emotions that brought him to this very place—to allow him to stand in front of her like this. "I didn't think becoming a merc would ever lead me to you, but I guess I should start following other people's advice more often if it leads to things like this.
Tifa crossed her arms by the side as she watched the two with soft eyes.
"I didn't know you became a merc for me," Aerith said, astonished. "You looked like such a businessman… who knew you would have such a selfless motivation?"
"Gee, thanks," he rolled his eyes, but he nonetheless brought a hand up so that he could rearrange the hair framing her face more neatly. "But there's the truth. Aerith."
"Yes?"
"I'm glad I met you," he confessed, and even though they were such simple words, they didn't fail to spring up more tears from her eyes as if there hadn't been enough already. "Meeting you like this with our shared, messy historieswas unexpected, but if I had the chance to meet you again like this, I wouldn't hesitate. Thank you for just barging into my life like this and turning my whole world upside-down, but without all the shit you give me, I don't think I would be here with you today. With everyone. Today, my journey ends."
"Journey?"
Cloud grabbed both of her hands and held them tightly, eyes gazing calmly into hers as he relayed the message he had waited nine years to finally deliver.
"Aerith. Zack told me to say hi. And that he got your eighty-ninth letter."
So like, sorry if Cloud was OOC in this chapter, but we've made it this far, and if our boy doesn't have any character development, then it would be such a shame! XD