We're at the final regular chapter of this story! There will be an epilogue next and then I may continue with a second part someday, once I get other fic ideas out of my head.
I want to share with each and every one of you how much your likes and reviews mean to me. This was my first multi-chapter fic in the fandom and I've been shown nothing but love and support. I'm not much of a person to reply but you can bet I read every single review and get flustered and grateful over each one. In addition, I want you all to know that I will always love and support you, too.
Regarding recent events on Twitter: I will never condone ship wars, because in the end we should all create good content for others to enjoy without hating on others for having a different preference. I will always try to be a small bridge between two ships who have been hurt by each other for too long. Please know there is a way to be peaceful, positive, and loving just like Aerith would want us to be. Keep creating the content you love and know there are other ships that support what you do.
Thank you to my beta and fellow author Rand0mSmil3z for helping me through each of these chapters. She's an amazing writer too and her stories are incredible. I started reading her fic Halcyon Days and fell in love, even though the ship was Cloti. If you're looking for an amazing story that'll pull you in from the get-go, I highly recommend Halcyon Days!
On that positive note, let's escape from the Shinra building already!
Aerith
Taking the elevator all the way from the executive suite to the second floor of the Shinra building won Aerith's mental contest for the longest ride she'd ever had. As she nervously wrung her hands and anxiously glanced between the passing floors and the partly-cloudy night outside the glass wall, her mind drew back to the long elevator ride from the beginning of the week. It seemed like a lifetime ago now, when she and Kunsel were ambushed by Rufus' bombshell news that her guardian expected them to marry. The word "engagement" still felt foreign in her mind, and the idea that her supposed fiancé was now locked in a battle with Cloud, somebody who had continually stepped up on the premise of wanting to keep her safe, was a notion that should be completely ridiculous…
And yet it wasn't.
When did I become so popular? she inwardly groaned, unsure if this was a good thing or not. Her heart fluttered a moment as she thought to Cloud's piercing gaze, his grim resolution when he had told her to escape without him. Will he be okay?
The lifestream's image of Zack in the back of her mind out offered a shrug and a small chuckle. The chuckle was his, a noise she hadn't heard in years. The sound thrust her back in time, back to when they would meet in secret and he'd bring her souvenirs from his missions. She felt the ribbon at the top of her head – one such souvenir – and relished in its familiar cool silk.
If Spikey can do anything, it's survive, the image told her plainly.
Yet the image didn't just tell her. Zack told her; she could hear his cool voice whisper in her mind, untouched by the world burning below her. Aerith froze in shock. This entire time, was Zack really here?
…Zack? she eventually dared herself to ask.
The image of Zack's face softened, and he flashed a quick smile accompanied by a thumbs up. The one and only, in the flesh! Oh, well maybe not the flesh. In your mind? From the planet? I don't know, take your pick, his cheery voice responded. It took a long time for me to convince her that I was the best choice for liaison for you. You know how insistent I can be!
She heard him speak, and all she could do was stare out the window in open-mouthed shock.
Zack was in her mind.
Zack.
Aerith took a step back and gasped as he chuckled again. She had assumed the lifestream had given her the face of somebody she trusted to help her trust in the planet, but for it to actually be Zack? She raised a shaking hand to her parting lips.
"Are you all right?" Nanaki, otherwise known as Red XIII, asked. Aerith blinked a bit and focused on her newest companion. He was eyeing her warily with his head tilted. The flame at the end of his tail twitched lazily around them like a soft beacon for her eyes to follow.
"I…I think so," she answered softly.
Red nodded and resumed his glancing around the elevator as they continued their slow descent. He sat down and almost looked relaxed. Aerith returned her focus to Zack and carefully asked, Are you always going to be there?
This brought an outright, welcome laugh out of Zack's lips. Why, do you need some alone time? he teased.
Aerith flushed at his implication. This is very…strange. Not unwelcome! she added quickly. But very new to me.
I get it, don't worry. No, I'm not 'here' all the time, he reassured her with air quotes around the here. The planet was worried about you and wanted to make sure you got out safely. I probably don't even need to be here now, with your guard dog and all that.
Glancing at Red, she let out a small giggle. I don't think he's a dog.
Well, whatever he is. He seems perfectly capable of handling any issues. As do you, I might mention. Nice staff there!
Thanks. She tightened her grip around her staff and felt its waiting power thrum into her palm. She smiled wryly at the sensation. I like being able to defend myself.
He chuckled. Between you, your guard not-dog, and Spikey upstairs, you have yourself a good team, Aerith.
That isn't even all of them; I've been working with Kunsel too. And a friend of Cloud's, Tifa.
There was a cheer from the other in the back of her mind. Kunsel, my man! And Tifa, I remember her! I met her a few years back. She's feisty, but she's strong. She'd be great in a fight, he said enthusiastically and approvingly.
It felt amazing to hear his voice, even if it was just in her head and just for now. She was already feeling more relaxed and more determined. She felt stronger, which was something she desperately needed as the elevator slowed while they reached their destination.
The doors slid open and they walked forward to the room beyond. Aerith squinted into the atrium's off-hours darkness beyond the glass wall.
The elevator entrance was on the second floor, and her view of it was flanked on either side by staircases that dropped down to the first floor lobby below; it was there that she caught light flashing in bursts of white. The walls trembled in rhythm with the blasts, and she thought that she could see dark silhouettes moving amongst the shadows while distant yells permeated the space.
Is a fight happening? she wondered, suddenly unsure. "Do you see that?" she asked Red while pointing.
The creature nodded his head slowly as the elevator dinged to a halt. "It could be trouble."
The doors separating them from the main room opened, and they were thrust into absolute chaos. The shouts of dozens of troopers carried through the glass doors the elevator bay was hidden behind. This was accompanied by the ringing of gunshot after gunshot, the sort that belonged to a fierce battle and not the lobby of the Shinra building. Had some kind of monster gotten into the building? Was this the Avalanche coup still playing out? Aerith summoned her staff and warily approached the glass doors.
The staccato pops of gunshots only increased tenfold as the doors silently slid open and they joined the same air as the battle ensuing below. Up on the second floor no movement stood out to her apart from the flashes coming from the first floor, but she peered into the shadows all the same to make sure she wouldn't be ambushed. Red had lowered onto his haunches in preparation to spring on anybody who dared attack, but for the time being they were alone. It was over the railing and down on the main floor that the flashes and shouting were coming from. In fact, as she prepared to walk over to the edge and see just what the hell was going on down below, she caught one very loud voice laughing boisterously above the fray as a whirlwind of bullets flew up into the air above her head. She ducked out of reflex.
"What the hell is going on down there?" she whispered frantically to Red, who perked his ears towards the noise below.
After listening for a few tense moments, he replied, "I hear murmurings of infiltration. The infantry is being ordered to kill 'the man,' whomever that may be."
"My guess is that he's the loud one," she predicted as she eyed the railing and determined no more stray bullets were coming their way – at least for now. "I'm going to go check it out."
"Be careful," Red warned as he covered her when she stepped forward. Keeping in her crouching position, she half-crawled, half-walked to the ledge and stood up just enough to wrap her fingers around the metal bar and peek over railing.
The scene below was nothing short of confusing. From her position, the first thing Aerith spotted was easily 'the man' the infantry had been ordered to kill. He was large in stature, tall and muscular with a cutoff jacket and a gigantic gun for an arm. He had cropped hair, sunglasses on despite the darkness of the room, and a wicked grin. As she watched, he braced his gun arm and shot a handful of large explosions towards a concentration of troopers.
"Take that!" he shouted with glee.
It was then that Aerith caught something even stranger. There was a trooper farther off to the left, closer to the stairs, who was subtly sneaking behind other troopers and taking them down one by one with their fists. They moved so quickly she wasn't surprised the troopers never saw it coming. The trooper glanced back to the parking ramp entrance to the building and nodded once, their standard helmet bobbing with the action.
Over at the parking ramp entrance, the doors slid open to reveal SOLDIER second class Kunsel sans his favorite helmet, standard issue sword out and ready as his mako-infused eyes glinted in the muted light. She could see him calculating his moves carefully, because even a second-class SOLDIER had his limits. And then, with fresh resolve, he dove into the nearest group of uncertain troopers watching him.
Aerith almost sighed in relief at the sight of it all. It took her only a quick second to piece together that the trooper in disguise was Tifa, and somehow the man with a gun for an arm – which she now recognized from the wildly publicized video footage of the Mako five reactor explosion – factored into their plan too.
"Those are my friends Kunsel and Tifa," she pointed out to Red quickly. "The other big man is a friend of Tifa and Cloud's. They must be here to help!"
Red studied the scene below and glanced back at her. "Do you feel comfortable joining them?" he asked carefully. Aerith thought for a moment and glanced at her staff.
"Maybe I can do more help from up here," she pointed out. "What do you want to do?"
"I will stay and guard you," Red replied instantly. "I can help elsewhere if need be."
Nodding firmly, Aerith resumed watching the scene below. Kunsel had plowed through the first group of troopers like they were an autumn harvest and was focusing his efforts on helping keep the large man's steadily growing group of enemies at bay. Meanwhile, Tifa was doing a great job blending in as she worked her fists' magic and continued to bring down the infantry, one by one. Aerith stood up fully and started firing off spells towards those closest to her friends. Once her fire materia was ready, she cast fire on a trooper who had finally caught onto Tifa and had tripped her. She fell, her helmet falling off in the process. The man went down in a burst of flame and none were the wiser except Tifa, who looked around in confusion, before spotting Aerith a moment later. Her eyes widened in surprise when Aerith launched a cure her way, and Aerith offered an enthusiastic wave in response.
My friends are alive, her entire being sang in relief. They came to help.
There was an angry man in the corner that Aerith recognized as Heidegger, the Director of Public Security. He was shouting incoherently at troopers, flailing his arms this way and that and emphasizing the need to bring down the large man with the prosthetic gun. Meanwhile, Kunsel spent a couple of quick seconds disarming and knocking out the troopers that flanked him. He offered a wave and a grin to the director that Aerith could see even from up here, and Heidegger's face went beet red as he started screaming, "INSOLENCE! TRAITOR!"
Aerith wanted to get closer to the action. She glanced at Red and jerked her chin towards the chaos below, signaling her intent, then took off towards the stairs. She used the rails as cover before she reached them. If she could make it down to the halfway point on the stairs, she would still have protection and she would also have a better vantage point for casting spells. On her way down she shot another cure, this time towards Kunsel as a passing bullet sliced his arm.
Kunsel finally spotted her as she reached her destination halfway down the stairs and the relief on his face was palpable. In a flash he was cutting through troopers as he sprinted towards her, which alarmed Red. Red moved warily in front of her as the SOLDIER approached, but Aerith stepped around him to accept the one-armed hug Kunsel sent her way.
"You're here!" Kunsel exclaimed the moment they were together. "How did you escape? Did Cloud find you? What happened?" The questions Kunsel was firing off were both frantic and relieved, and then he let go of her to position himself between her and a stray trooper who had followed got too close.
"I can tell you all about it later," Aerith responded as she sent fire towards another trooper who was approaching the gun-arm man. "Are you the backup for the rescue mission?"
Kunsel grinned at her from over his shoulder with a quick, "You bet!"
"And the other man is…?"
"Barret," he said quickly as he fended off another two troopers. "He's the leader of Cloud and Tifa's branch of Avalanche here in Midgar. He has the temper of an angry gorger, but he is very loyal to his team."
Aerith eyed the other man with new eyes as she remembered something else – she also recognized him from a more recent memory, the one the planet had supplied to her. He was part of her found family.
"We should finish this reunion another time," Red mentioned as more troopers started heading their way.
Kunsel looked down at him, shook his head for a moment, and laughed. "I like you, man," he said. "I agree. I'll draw their fire elsewhere so Aerith can work her long-range magic."
Aerith beamed at him before hitting another trooper on his way up.
The SOLDIER did his best to draw the troopers away as he shouted to get their attention and danced out of the patterns of their bullets. The few that remained were left for Red and Aerith to take care of. The former was pretty powerful at close range as he scratched across the chests of unsuspecting men and sunk his teeth into others. Aerith kept up the steady stream of magic and materia use, pausing only to check that the others were still okay. It looked like they were going to win, after all – despite the stream of troopers that continued to line up, they were steadily battling their way to victory.
Her momentary eyeing of the battlefield proved to be a bad choice when a bullet sailed past her ear and startled her while a second shot in quick succession found its mark in her calf. "Shit!" she swore as a pain like she'd never felt before blossomed up her leg and caused her to crumple before she realized what she was doing. The fresh wound burned angrily and forced tears to form in her eyes from the shock of it.
"Aerith!"
Red's concerned shout drew her watery gaze and she saw him slam into a final trooper before sprinting back her way. His eyes narrowed as he glanced over her head, and then Aerith felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Reflexively, her hand curled defensively around her staff.
"I come in peace," Tseng's smooth voice reassured as he positioned himself in her line of sight. She glanced upward and noticed that his other hand was clasped around a green orb. "I have healing materia."
Red snapped as he approached, "Get away from her. She does not trust you."
"Please let me go," Aerith choked as she shied away from his touch and winced when she moved her leg. "Please, Tseng."
When she finally met his dark eyes, she saw his were warm and not at all the steely professional he'd exhibited in front of Rufus earlier. He held the materia out to Red. "It's healing materia, I assure you," he repeated calmly. "Let me heal her."
Red sniffed the materia carefully and then bowed his head. Aerith watched as he stood protectively next to her. Tseng curled his fingers around the materia once more, closed his eyes, and then the horrible, twisting pain in her leg began to recede. She gasped in surprise as a warm comfort fell over her. Then she reflexively sighed and stretched her leg out to look. Her calf looked good as new, and a small, brass object was resting innocently on the carpeted floor next to it. She picked up the bullet in wonder and stared at it.
"I have a mantra I've been trying to instill in the Turks since I took over," Tseng murmured carefully as he remained crouched next to her. She looked uncertainly back at him. "It's important to separate work and personal life. We should never bring our personal lives to work, and we should leave our work behind when we clock out."
He smiled wryly at her confused expression before continuing, "It just so happens I clocked out for the day a couple minutes ago."
"You're…letting me go?" Aerith asked in a small voice, nerves still flooding her. Tseng was nothing short of an enigma.
The Turk in question stood and offered his arm to help her up. She accepted it slowly, aware that Red was still watching and waiting for a wrong move. For now, she was safe.
"If your desire is to leave Shinra with your friends, it's of no concern to me personally. When I'm back on the clock, I may be ordered to pursue, however. I can't guarantee I won't catch you and bring you back again. But for now… it's out of my hands," he finished with a small smile.
The loyalty Tseng had for Shinra was well-known, and Aerith had experienced it first-hand. And yet, she now realized he had always been loyal to her, too – as much as he could be within Shinra's employ. He'd always been there, since she was a little girl: he had always stuck by her side, he had personally escorted her on her visits to Hojo's lab when she was younger, and he had initially kept her relationship with Zack a secret until it became an issue with President Shinra. While she was still upset at his bringing her in and leaving Cloud incapacitated back in Wall Market, she realized it was his job. Tseng had to protect himself and his Turks so they could remain in the position they were in. If he proved himself untrustworthy to Shinra, he would be expendable – and if there was anything she understood, it was how dangerous expendability was to Shinra.
"Tseng, I…" she trailed off and hoped her expression conveyed her honest sincerity. "Thank you. For everything."
The smile on his face didn't leave, but she thought she saw his eyes tense for a brief moment. It could have been a trick of the light, however; Tseng never showed emotions. He offered her and then Red a quick bow before he retreated the way he came, back towards the second floor. After a couple steps he slowed and then stopped altogether, and Aerith followed his gaze to the top of the stairs.
Whoop, there he is! Zack crowed in excitement. Aerith's heart leapt into her throat.
Cloud.
The man himself stood there, his baby blue and mako green eyes drinking in the sights below. His hair was windswept and his face and arms were covered in soot. A large gash had just begun to heal on his cheek, and there was evidence of previous bleeding from the drying drops of red that marched their way down his chin. As his observation panned around the atrium, his gaze rested on her. For the longest second, the world stopped – the fighting behind her dimmed, Red's flickering tail slowed to a crawl, and Aerith heard her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.
You're okay.
The clear message of liberation melted his arrested expression, and his lips parted slightly as she found she couldn't look away. A soft pink flush appeared on his cheekbones and he took an involuntary step towards her.
Then he saw movement and flicked his eyes away towards Tseng, who was standing calmly on the steps below him, between them. Cloud's expression morphed from relief to anger, his mouth twisting into a snarl as he whipped his sword off his back and pointed it at the other man's throat.
"Cloud, wait –" Aerith tried to warn him, but before she could get out much more there was an exclamation behind her and then Red was whipping around and charging down the stairs. She followed the creature's movement, using the staircase railing to pull herself to her feet and feeling nothing but phantom pain from when she'd been shot a couple minutes earlier. Fingers clutched her staff protectively as she whirled to face the threat.
Tifa, who had shoved her trooper helmet back on, had been trying to make her way over to Aerith and was almost there, except that she had a few troopers behind her. She flung herself around and launched a well-placed kick in the closest man's stomach, sending him flying. As she took on the second, Aerith began her own volley of magic on the another. Red snapped threateningly at the others to hold them at bay.
Beyond Tifa, the gun-arm man – Barret – had realized where she was heading too. He took a moment to wipe sweat off his face and shout in their direction, "Are we ready to get this show on the road or what?"
Aerith sent a cure his way and bobbed her head up and down. She was ready to leave Shinra behind – for good.
"Do we have everybody?" Kunsel called over his shoulder as he swung his broadsword and cleaved a trooper's gun in two.
She glanced back towards where Cloud had been, but he had disappeared; so had Tseng. For a tense heartbeat she thought Cloud had gotten into a fight with him after all, but then she heard a strange sound begin to roar over the slowly lessening noises of battle below.
A split second later, Cloud was back, but this time he was on a huge motorcycle, one hand gripping the buster sword while he started down the stairs. She pressed herself against the railing in surprise as he approached and then slowed to a stop. Then he met her eyes again and gave her a small smile.
"Hop on," he ordered with a nod of his head to the space behind him, and before she could stop herself from saying no Aerith complied, minimizing her staff and clambering over the large seat. She adjusted quickly and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Hold on tight," he told her, and then the vehicle rumbled and shot down the rest of the stairs. Involuntarily, Aerith squeezed Cloud's waist with shock. The power emulating from the vehicle shook her and sent a thrill of both fear and excitement through her. Without realizing it she had squeezed her eyes shut, so she peeled them back open to see where he was going – and then yelped as they went airborne and landed in the middle of everything.
The impact of the motorcycle on the ground floor of the building swept troopers in a ten-foot radius off their feet. Barret, who was nearby, skidded back and almost fell over himself: his arm and gun swung wildly as he tried to fix his balance. On his other side was Kunsel, who gave him a light shove forward so that he steadied himself. "Nice to see you again, Cloud," the SOLDIER greeted with a quick nod as he kicked an approaching infantryman.
"Likewise," Cloud replied, bracing the motorcycle with a leg. "Do you have an escape plan?"
Kunsel rolled his eyes and let out a smirk, answering, "When don't I?"
Aerith glanced around for Tifa only for the fighter to appear on her other side. She took off her trooper helmet and gave a quick thumbs up. "It's great to see you, Aerith!" she said breathlessly as she tossed the helmet aside. "Thanks for the assist back there!"
"It's the least I could do!" Aerith responded just as enthusiastically.
Then, a low grumbling from underneath the motorcycle caught her and everybody else off-guard. Aerith looked uncertainly at the motorcycle – it was humming too, but this was something much, much larger that was approaching. It was accompanied by the undeniable cackle of Director Heidegger.
"You're not getting out of this one alive, sewer rats!" the director scoffed with one hand pounding on his puffed-out chest.
Cloud and Barret had a short, silent conversation. Aerith watched the exchange while her heart drummed nervously in her chest to the beat of the rapidly increasing grumbling below them. Cloud finally nodded.
"Time to go," Barret insisted again, this time turning his back to them and shooting a shower of bullets towards a suddenly spluttering Heidegger. Tifa ran alongside him, her gloves coming up while she punched anybody that got too close. Cloud's hands reached down and enveloped Aerith's, bringing them tighter around his waist. Aerith pressed into his back in a strange state of euphoria at their proximity and continued fear at the unknown quickly approaching. Then Cloud kicked off the ground and they were off again, this time at a slower pace as he kept the motorcycle behind the sprinting Avalanche members. Glancing behind her, Aerith watched Red and Kunsel pick up the rear, the latter with his broadsword and a determined expression. He nodded in encouragement to her before slashing out at the last of Heidegger's security team. Red kept his eyes on the motorcycle.
"Gate 2, right?" Tifa called over her shoulder as the entourage made it out the side doors and into the parking garage. Aerith wasn't too familiar with the location, but the question wasn't directed at her as Kunsel shouted an affirmation back. He darted around the motorcycle while reaching into his pocket to produce a set of keys. In front of them, Barret shot at a gate – one with a bright yellow "02" on it – and it blew off its hinges. Cloud rolled the motorcycle to a stop as the other SOLDIER leapt over the fence and approached a waiting truck with the keys jingling in his hand.
After what felt like an eternity of Aerith nervously biting her lip and glancing back at the doors as the Shinra military forces regrouped inside, Kunsel had the truck door unlocked and was ushering Tifa inside. "You two get in the back," he told Red and Barret before he climbed into the driver's seat.
Aerith felt Cloud shift underneath her fingers. "Do you want to ride with them?" he asked, his voice sounding unsure. She lifted her head off his back and watched the others, remembered her feeling of freedom the last time she was on a bike, and then shook her head.
"I'll stay here if that's okay," she replied softly. She nuzzled into his back again and inhaled his now-familiar scent of leather and earthiness, reminding her of freshly turned dirt in a garden bed like she'd come across once on a trip with her guardian. That smell grounded her, rooted her. She knew she felt safest with him.
He coughed once and his ears turned red, but he didn't give any other indication of a reaction. Just then, Kunsel had the others loaded in the truck and he began backing out of the spot. "Hey Cloud," he called over the noise of the engine, "do you want to lead the way?"
"Which way are we headed?" Cloud asked back as he shifted the sword in his hand.
"Anywhere, as long as it's out of the city."
Cloud nodded and kicked the motorcycle back into its balancing act. Aerith pressed tight against his back and waved quickly at her friends as he eased them forward. In no time, they were leaving the parking garage behind as they sped up to hop on the empty midnight expressway.
The wind whipped her braid and Aerith realized for a wild moment that she wasn't wearing a helmet like last time. She sucked in a sharp breath as she watched the world speed by at an incredible pace, the only thing stopping her from tumbling being her tight grip around Cloud. Her heartbeat picked up as she stared up at the slowly clearing skies above Midgar, to the sparkling stars that winked ominously at her in between patches of dull green puffs. A canvas of the deepest navy blue was still tinged the slightest with mako green, but as they sped away from the Shinra building she swore the foreign color began to recede.
The skin of her arms underneath the soft wool of her light jacket and long-sleeve shirt was prickling with goosebumps at the chill, but at the same time she felt warm and safe like she'd never felt as she clung to Cloud's waist. He seemed to be very good at handling the large motorcycle; he steered with the slightest touches to the handlebar and didn't jostle her at all as he sped down the asphalt. Kunsel drove the truck alongside them before he grinned and sped up ahead. They were moving so fast, the ground beneath her was a blur of black. Finally, she chanced a peek over her shoulder to see if they were being followed.
"Um, Cloud?" Aerith leaned forward and pressed her lips close to his ear. "We've got company."
At the same time she let Cloud know, the truck slowed down again so that they were matching paces. "Got any ideas for our bogeys?" Kunsel shouted over the roar of the two vehicles.
Cloud craned his neck for a moment to glance behind them before looking back. "Barret might be our best bet to hold them off," he answered.
Kunsel nodded and sped up again while Cloud maneuvered behind the truck just as Barret and Red were poking their heads out of the flap of the canvas top. Cloud used one hand to signal behind them and the other two followed the movement before fixating on the company they were about to have.
"Think you can take care of them?" Cloud asked.
Barret laughed deeply and a little wildly, cocking his gun-arm and winking at Aerith. "You bet your hard-boiled ass I can!"
Cloud maneuvered out of the way again and sped up, causing Aerith – whose grip had loosened as she followed the discussions – to squeal and grab tight again. This caused the bike to falter for a moment and a hand came gently tapping at the back of her hand.
"Mind loosening your grip a little?" Cloud asked her over the noise.
Aerith instantly loosened her hands enough so that he could comfortably breathe again, her face feeling warm suddenly even in the chilly night air. "I'm sorry," she apologized in his ear again. He shook his head once as if it wasn't a big deal but didn't try to say anything else.
And then the first hail of bullets erupted out of the back of the truck. Aerith hid her head against Cloud's back as a volley of lights responded, one whizzing so close to her face she heard it. The recent feeling of being shot made her seize up in terror at the thought of feeling such a pain again, but it seemed that Cloud had other things in mind. He sped up around the truck and took the lead, so that their flank was protected.
Aerith peeked around his shoulder to watch the world fly by. A series of tunnels lay before them, and as she watched, she felt more than heard Cloud's breath catch in his throat. He sped up more, if at all possible, and waved his sword in a quick motion meant for Kunsel.
"Hold on tight," he shouted as he ducked his head and took off like a rocket. Aerith followed suit and did her best to hold on. Around them, there was suddenly a loud rumbling as pieces of the top of the tunnel began to catapult to the ground in large, earth-shattering crashes. The ground underneath them shifted and threatened to collapse and send them careening into the slums below the plate. She shrieked in surprise and squeezed her eyes shut. The tumultuous ground and screeching of brakes was all she heard.
A few seconds later, the sounds of bullets ceased. Beneath her, the ground no longer rumbled except by what was expected with the motorcycle, even as Cloud eased the speed down a bit. Aerith took a shuddering breath and dared to open her eyes. The first thing she saw was Cloud's ear as he glanced back to see the damage. Following his gaze, she saw the truck hot on their heels. Behind the truck was a pile of twisted metal and concrete. A soft, gray cloud of ash and smoke was just beginning to rise from the fresh rubble that had cut them off from their pursuers.
They'd made it.
We made it, she breathed. In the back of her mind, Zack cheered and gave her two thumbs up.
Cloud slowed down minutely and flexed the fingers around his outstretched sword. He shook his head for a moment as if clearing his thoughts and took a deep breath. The sound of the truck behind them and the feeling of the motorcycle underneath her was almost enough to make her cry from happiness. She was free of Shinra, free from Midgar, free of a life she'd never wanted.
While her heart soared as it sang out the promise of freedom, freedom, freedom, the bike suddenly lurched forward and Aerith almost careened into Cloud as she yelped and resumed her vice grip on her driver. The bike was screeching to a halt, and the truck did the same a half moment later.
"What's going on?" she asked out loud as the noise subsided and Cloud killed the engine. "Everything okay?"
She peeked around him again to see the end of the road, which was a disappointing sight. Don't all the roads connect to the wastes outside of town? she thought to herself with a frown. But then she caught the reason Cloud had stopped, the reason he was shaking beneath her right now. His heart was pounding enough for her to feel it as she still clung to him, and she finally let him go.
"What the hell?" Cloud growled, his fingers tightening around his blade as he threw the kickstand of the motorcycle out and climbed off his bike. Aerith quickly followed and laced her fingers through his free ones, trying to do her best to keep him grounded and not lose himself in memories. Her gaze turned back to the lone figure waiting casually at the end of the road, long, silver sword gleaming in the greenish glow of the mako reactors behind them. He was smiling, slitted eyes calm and calculating as they bore into Cloud's.
Sephiroth, Zack said with newfound fury.
Cloud
There was a roaring in Cloud's ears that he couldn't decipher – was it some kind of outside noise? Was it the rush of blood fueling the adrenaline spiking in his veins? Anger and fear coursed through him. His skin felt hot and his hand was aching at the tightness with which he gripped his sword.
His other hand seemed to be rooted to something cool and reassuring, a strange combination with the screams of danger and vengeance in his mind. He wanted to look, but found he couldn't tear his eyes away from their horrified fixation:
Sephiroth extended his arms as if in invitation, lips pulling into a smirk as he settled his gaze over Cloud. "I've been waiting, Cloud."
Cloud felt an involuntary shudder run its course through his body. After the handful of times he'd dealt with hallucinations, there was an unsure part of him regarding the realness of the moment. Then, the coolness in his left hand gave a gentle squeeze. He glanced to see Aerith next to him, watching his face anxiously. His heart skipped a beat.
"Is he really there?" he asked.
Her gaze slid beyond his to the other and back, nodding. "He's real," she reassured gently. "He's there."
Sephiroth.
"Isn't this a touching reunion," Sephiroth emphasized calmly as Cloud found his feet slowly scuffling forward, his hand tugging free from the cold anchor that had kept him in place. There was an alluring canvas to his the other man's voice, one that had him strangely compelled to listen.
On edge and anxious, he carefully held his sword out as he approached, answering, "This isn't anything. You're dead."
The smirk grew more pronounced and hands drifted silently back to his sides. A single eyebrow quirked up. Distantly, Cloud heard the noises of others talking behind him, but he couldn't distinguish any specifics from their words. There was only Sephiroth, who was definitely supposed to be dead. Cloud had killed him…right?
"Cloud," Sephiroth said, his name gracing the other's lips in a fashion that made his insides recoil. There was a strange possessiveness to the tone that almost frightened him. Almost. "If I am dead, how am I here?"
"I…I don't know, you're in my head again or something," Cloud muttered in reply, not bothering to speak at a tone the other could hear, because he usually could. Of course he could, he was Sephiroth.
Sure enough, there was an unholy chuckle from the other, a sound that cut through his mind and latched itself there. As if he'd been hit on the head, he found his mind beginning to pound against his skull in a sickening, angry beat. Cloud almost dropped his sword as he reached up in shock and agony to clutch his temple.
"I'll always be in your head," Sephiroth said amusedly, and his words echoed in Cloud's ears and reverberated around his skull. The silver-haired man raised his arms again. "You're far too important to leave unchecked, not when you're still useful to me. To her."
H…her? his mind shakily repeated in a haze of confusion and pain. Who is he referring to? Steeling his resolve and gritting his teeth in an attempt to bite back the pain, Cloud stood up straight and took another defiant step forward. He was ten feet away from Sephiroth now, still well enough away to avoid the all-too-familiar steel of Masamune but close enough that if he wanted to, he could leap in and try to finish the job. "I'll bring you down, here and now," he snapped towards Sephiroth.
But Sephiroth was shaking his head with a smile. "Maybe if you were in SOLDIER, but even then…it's unlikely."
The pain increased tenfold and with it came a sickening tint of swampy green. Cloud grunted and this time the buster sword clattered to the ground as a spasm of pain ripped through his entire body. A strange, soothing voice was licking up the sides of his mind, promising it could quell the pain, stop the tremors…and at the same time, it left him chilled and terrified. He felt small and insignificant, like his younger self had been before he could protect himself. He felt like a child under the scolding gaze of its mother.
Mother…
"I'm an ex-SOLDIER," the last shred of hope in him stated, pleaded. He was strong, he was able to protect those he cared about… He was a SOLDIER.
Sephiroth raised his arms higher and a purplish glint shone in his feline-like eyes, its rim of violet overtaking the bright green around the slitted pupils. "If you're sure of that, then strike me down, Cloud. Kill me, as you did all those years ago."
His mind was torn into a raging battle of two wills. A part of him desperately wanted to take Sephiroth up on his offer, and he even eyed his sword while it lay useless against the asphalt. This part struggled against the larger, angrier force that forced him rooted on the spot. A helpless desperation began to creep around his heart and into the rest of his chest, filling his lungs and making breathing difficult. "I…I…" he croaked as he struggled with himself. What's happening?
Just as a bead of sweat dripped down his cheek and he began to think that maybe staying put was the better option after all – a small part of him screamed, NO! – Cloud found something else in his vision.
A…hand?
Palm out, fingers splayed, the hand was accompanied by a strong, solitary, feminine voice:
"Don't."
The swampy green in his vision intermingled with sickening purple that reminded him of his episode in the elevator, and with wide eyes Cloud sought the owner of the voice and hand. He had barely begun to turn his head when she stepped forward even farther, placing herself in between him and his foe.
"Don't," Aerith said again in a voice so firm that, if he didn't know her better, Cloud wouldn't know it was her. She shot a look over her shoulder, plait of hair swinging over her shoulder as she did, and their eyes locked. Through the green and purple and utter confusion his body and mind were in, he suddenly forgot about everything else, body going completely still at the burst of revelation.
The emerald green. Suddenly it all made sense to Cloud, where he'd been having that nagging feeling of seeing that color before, where he'd been struggling to figure out where he knew her from. That shade of green had saved him once, and before he realized it, he was being brought back again. He'd anchored himself in those eyes once before, and he used them now to force down the angry purple that whispered threats into his brain. He let the sparkling emeralds become the green his eyes fixated on, so that the mako green slipped away until he was left with nothing but a clearing night sky, an empty expressway, and Aerith.
She gave him a quick smile. "I'm here," she reassured him. He swallowed and gave a quick nod as the world flew back to him. Suddenly there was noise all around, as if he'd been immersed in water before and now he had finally resurfaced. Behind him were the rest of the group, anxiously twitching about as they murmured to each other.
Behind these noises, Cloud could make out the distant rumble of the nearest mako reactor, its deep machinery almost shaking the concrete expressway beneath his feet. There was the soft scattering of monsters and animals alike down below, working their way through the edge of the Midgar wastes in search of food and prey. If he listened closely, he could hear a distant helicopter in the inner city.
Aerith, who was waiting patiently for him, gave his face a quick once-over when his gaze slid back to hers again, back to those sparkling emeralds. His heartbeat slowed to a more normal pace and he stretched his fingers that had been clenched into fists to alleviate the pressure to his knuckles.
He nodded, and then finally looked beyond her back to where Sephiroth was standing –
Just in time to see the former SOLDIER raise his arms wide and fall backwards in a graceful drop. The last thing Cloud saw before he disappeared over the end of the road was a knowing smile. An accompanying voice rang in his ears as his nemesis disappeared:
Come and find me, Cloud, it whispered. Follow me.
After the beat of shock that came with the voice, Cloud scooped up the buster sword and dashed around Aerith to the edge of the road. He glanced down quickly, but by the time he got there, even with his enhanced vision, the drop was too far and too dark for him to make out anything more than the subtle boulders of the wastes against a dark gray backdrop.
Cloud let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and he dropped to his knees and kept a keen eye out anyway, Sephiroth's last message ringing over and over in his ears like a broken record:
Follow me.
The coolness returned, this time to his shoulder, and he felt more than saw Aerith kneel next to him. She was silent, patient, and he inwardly thanked her for that. The revelation he'd just had about how her eyes brought him out of his memory lapses before weighed fresh on his mind, lingering there like the scent of a fresh flower – or like Aerith, for that matter. She smelled like flowers and freedom.
"Are you going to be okay?" she finally asked in a soft, gentle voice. It was like hearing music, and he inhaled again and let the air rush out in one big movement. Behind them, the shifting of their friends waiting distracted him for the slightest moment, but there was no sound of approaching footsteps. In fact, Kunsel seemed to be having the rest of them search the truck for supplies, if he could hear right.
Which he couldn't, because he was thoroughly distracted by that emerald gaze staring at him again. Her features were soft and kind, and she reached up with her other hand to cup his cheek. Involuntarily, Cloud closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.
"We have to go after him," he finally whispered into the air as he squeezed his eyes shut and forced the remnants of the headache to the farthest recesses of his mind. He needed to address a lot of things, but for now, he knew where their focus needed to be. It pained him to admit, but it would mean postponing whatever she wanted to do with her newfound freedom. As he opened his eyes again, he cast his gaze downward to study his old SOLDIER pants and the sand on the road below them. "Aerith, I can't ask you to –"
She cut him off by moving her hand from his cheek to his chin, and, tilting it up a bit, Cloud found himself looking into her eyes again, but only briefly as she moved forward and pressed her lips against his.
The rest of his pain melted away, and with it went his sense of the world around them. Cloud gasped in surprise against her mouth, a shuddering intake of breath inhaling the lovely lavender of her clothing and skin. She smiled into his surprise and pressed harder, cupping his face in her hands. As his heart roared happily and his chest burst with warmth, Cloud found himself reaching back, caressing her neck, her hair. He pulled her closer and tilted her face a bit as some unknown instinct took over.
Then Aerith giggled against his lips, and for a moment the spell was broken. Cloud pulled back self-consciously, feeling the heat build on his face and neck as he suddenly felt self-conscious, shy. This isn't like me, the last shred of his sanity half-complained. I don't have time to go around kissing girls. As amazing as it was…
"I'm sorry," Aerith whispered against his cheek where she placed another heated kiss. "I know now is not the time, but Cloud… I want to go with you. Wherever you go, I want to go."
Her confession caught his attention once more and he pulled back slightly to meet her shining gaze. She was looking at him as if he were the only person in the world. Cloud felt the opposite – surely she was the only other person in his world.
Instinct taking over once more against a futile reminder that they were being watched, he brought his lips to hers again, enveloping her in his arms and relishing in the electrifying feeling that came over his body as he did so. His lips moved against hers and a small part of him took pride in her being the one caught off-guard this time. She responded quickly, running her cool fingers through his hair while she inhaled sharply. She was warm and felt like home in his arms.
"Are you sure?" Cloud murmured against her lips when he broke the kiss off a few moments later. His chest was pounding and his breathing was erratic, and it may have been the distant whooping from Kunsel and laughter from Barret that distracted him from the moment, but he had to make sure. The last thing he wanted was Aerith being put in danger, but the second-to-last thing he wanted was to part from her.
She looked up through her eyelashes at his face, her expression open and honest. "I'm sure," she whispered firmly.
"Not that this isn't fun," Kunsel called from over by the truck, effectively startling them both as he continued, "but we should probably put some distance between us and Midgar before they figure out a way around the debris."
Cloud felt his face flush as he finally stood, offering his hand to Aerith to help her do the same. They met their friends halfway between the truck and the edge of the road where Sephiroth had stood, and he did his best not to notice the knowing smile Tifa sent his way or the smirk of amusement that was taking up residence on Barret's face. Instead, he looked towards Kunsel, who was crossing his arms and trying to maintain composure and was failing to stop a grin from spreading across his face. Cloud appreciated his attempt.
"What's the plan, then?" he asked in a bid to direct the attention away from himself and Aerith, who had snuck her hand into his.
Kunsel was the first to answer. "Well if we're going to get Aerith away from Shinra for good, we need to go farther than the edge of the city."
"There's a town not too far from here, Kalm," Barret supplied. The smirk had left his face and instead his eyes were scrunched up as he looked back towards the city. "We could start there and figure stuff out later."
It was then that Cloud realized what was bothering the larger man. "Is Marlene…" he started carefully, hoping the answer wouldn't be negative.
"She's safe, don't worry."
Tifa's response was quick and reassuring. Cloud let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. While he and Barret's four-year-old daughter hadn't exactly been close – then again, when have I ever been close with kids? – the girl was a regular at Seventh Heaven, Tifa's bar he sometimes ended up playing busboy for. She was talkative, too; he once heard her have an entire half-hour conversation about cats with Wedge.
"She's staying with Marle for now," Barret added with a quick sniff. "I don't want to be gone too long, but after today, I'm not sure if I have much of a choice."
Cloud stepped forward, squeezing and letting go of Aerith's hand quickly to meet the taller man's eyes. "We'll get you back to her," he promised solemnly. This seemed to alleviate Barret's concerns for a moment, and he nodded firmly in acceptance.
That settled, he sighed and returned to Aerith's side, where she quickly intertwined their fingers again. He glanced downward at their hands, his face adapting red as its new permanent color in the process. He could feel everybody's eyes on him.
"So…" he started lamely as he coughed once and shot a quick glance to the SOLDIER second class. "Shall we mosey?"