By a Fraction of a Degree

A FFVII Fanfiction work by findthetiger129

Rated T for Violence and Language.

I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters, trademarks or likenesses from Final Fantasy VII or its spin-offs That honor goes to Square-Enix.

Matt and Alistor are original characters.

Part IV: Stigma

Chapter 91, Picking Up the Pieces

? ? [ ν ] – εуλ ?

For a long time, Cloud had the sensation that he was floating. He wasn't sure in what or why, just that he was there. The only thing that really penetrated his thoughts was how peaceful it felt. He wouldn't mind lingering here a while.

That was when he suddenly felt a hand tucking his bangs away from his face. The presence attached to it felt familiar. He mumbled an incoherent complaint but then he heard a light voice echo through his thoughts. "Come on, Cloud. How are you going to see everyone when you wake up if your hair's in the way?"

"Are you finished playing around?" another voice asked.

"I'll go when I'm good and ready," the first voice replied.

"Suit yourself, but I won't wait forever."

"Go ahead if you want. I still have something I want to do, and I'll catch up. I don't know how long I have before I return to the Planet, but I promised I'd help you as long as I could, so I'll help you. That's my mission, and no mission is impossible for the Turks!"

"By the Goddess! In the time we've been here you've repeated that at least three times," The second voice griped.

Cloud was uncertain if he was dreaming or not, but shortly after, the voices faded and he had the sensation that he was falling…

April 17th [ ν ] – εуλ 0009 4:00 AM Mideel Central Time

The village outside was quiet as Aerith sat at Cloud's bedside in Seventh Heaven. Tifa had gone to sleep a short while ago after she had traded out with her. Zack would be coming up to take over soon, but for now, she held a book in her hand, occasionally looking over to check on her patient before going back to turning the pages. While he had indeed made it through the night, near death experiences were hardly something a person just got over and it had been a very near miss. Thankfully, Loz had not been nearly as accurate as Yazoo had been in the Ancient City, but it had been enough to throw off his heartbeat for several seconds. According to Dr. Rayleigh his chances for survival had been incredibly low, but Zack had gotten to him quickly enough to help get his heart going again. Unlike Freya, whom according to Rayleigh's assessment of the situation after they'd told her what happened, had probably been dead before she'd hit the ground. She swallowed at that thought, reaching down to touch her abdomen again. If Freya had not protected her when she had…

Cloud stirred and Aerith stood, walking to his bedside. "Cloud?" she asked gently. As she spoke, she heard the sound of someone walking up the stairs and a shadow from the hall light looked in.

"Is he awake?" Zack asked.

"Shh…" Aerith whispered as her husband walked into the room.

"…Mother?" Cloud murmured.

Aerith shook her head sadly. "Sorry Cloud, I'm afraid I'm too young for that…"

Zack put his good arm around her. "Maybe," he said softly, "But it won't be too long."

Aerith looked up at him with a bemused expression. "I think he's a little old to adopt, and besides, he's already part of the family, so does it matter?"

Zack smiled. "I guess that's true…" He turned his attention to his friend, who seemed to have drifted back off to sleep. "You hear that Cloud?"

"Don't make him rush," Aerith whispered. "After what he's been through, he needs rest."

"Yeah, but we'll be here," Zack murmured. The two of them stood there for a few minutes in the comfortable twilight of early morning, contemplating the past, the present, and especially the future. After a while, Zack spoke again. "You know, at some point, we'll need to pick a name."

Aerith nuzzled into his chest. "I think I have a few ideas."

Kunsel was sitting at a booth in Seventh Heaven, a drink at his elbow as he looked over reports from GUARDIAN's scouts. He was vaguely aware that this didn't make any sense. GUARDIAN didn't need recon anymore now that they were no longer a proper army but fighters for hire. But still, he looked over the documents. It was something he had often done during the war. In fact, he could vaguely hear Tifa cooking behind the bar, and the children chattering in the living room though he was pretty sure he didn't actually see them. Zack seemed to be outside with Cloud, talking about something, for he could hear his best friend's voice as it occasionally rose and then broke into laughter as he told a joke. Though he couldn't make out more than a shadow of them outside the picture window with the bar's logo painted on it out front.

That was when the bell rang as the door opened and there she was. Her faintly glowing copper eyes glanced over the bar, and then she approached him. He was almost afraid to look at her, for fear that she'd disappear. "I'm dreaming again, aren't I?" he said.

"Yes," she answered and he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"You can't help it," he said, still not looking in her direction. "It's not your fault."

"Maybe not. Leaving was something I never wanted to do. Sometimes, things happen that we just can't control." She looked out the window thoughtfully before turning her attention back to him. "But before I go, I wanted to tell you something."

"What?" He turned in his seat to see her standing there, just as he remembered, her luxurious copper hair and vibrant eyes, so full of confidence and determination to succeed at everything she decided to do.

He was suddenly standing as she came closer and put her arms around him, and in that moment there were no words, but he knew exactly what she was trying to tell him. For several moments, he just held her not wanting to wake up but knowing he would have to… and when he did, it was far, far too soon…

Kunsel blinked. Lifting up his head, he realized he had actually fallen asleep at the same booth he'd been sitting at in the dream. Even so, he remembered it so vividly. He reached for a glass of water nearby gripping it tightly in his hand. What he had experienced in that moment still felt as real as though it had actually happened and as irrational as it was, he committed it to memory, even as he fought back tears.

"I know I can't share it with you anymore, but I want your life to be long, and happy, because if it isn't, you'll regret it, and you know what I think about regrets. I love you Kunsel…"

April 17th [ ν ] – εуλ 0009 10:00 AM

Cloud was suddenly aware of the warm and soft sensation of bed sheets against his skin and he allowed himself to simply contemplate what had happened. Had he died? He was certain he'd heard Freya's voice for a few moments, and Genesis too… he guessed that made some sense, the other man had just died himself. He'd seen it up close. Vaguely, he wondered what had happened to Rapier. Was Zack okay? Were Tifa and the others all right? As he headed closer to wakefulness, the greater awareness of his own personal condition ruled out death as a possible cause for it. He felt very sore, like a freight train had rammed headlong into his chest. That didn't seem like something that he would feel very much if he was dead. He let out a groan and finally opened his eyes, instinctively trying to pull himself up.

"Cloud?"

He relaxed and turned his head, searching for the person who had called his name. Long dark hair surrounded a familiar face with wine-colored eyes. Sunbeams illuminated the room from a skylight he remembered helping to build into the ceiling. "…Tifa?" The martial artist smiled down at him.

"Welcome back," she said, kneeling down in front of him. "How do you feel?"

"I'll live," he said.

She took his hand and squeezed it. "I'm glad."

At that moment, he heard Zack's voice echoing up the stairs. "Hey, was that Cloud? I could have sworn I heard him say something!" This was followed by the sound of boots coming up the stairs, and then Cloud spotted his friend standing in the doorway. Upon seeing that his eyes were open, Zack walked over to look down at him. "Glad to see you're awake," he said. "You know, your heart stopped for a couple of seconds?"

He blinked. "It did?"

Zack nodded. "We were afraid you weren't going to make it." He sat down on the edge of the bed, looking a bit embarrassed. "The doc said I cracked a few of your ribs trying to get you back, but we'd lost enough people already."

Cloud took that moment to try and pull himself up to a sitting position again, and this time he succeeded, though he was definitely moving very gingerly. "That explains it."

Zack took that moment to put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm just glad you're okay. When you dropped… I thought… well never mind."

"Probably best…" Cloud mused. "It feels good to be back."

April 17th [ ν ] – εуλ 0009 11:00 AM

About an hour later, Cloud found himself ushered down the stairs for a very late breakfast. Kunsel and Aerith were down in the dining area with Barret, Denzel, and Marlene when he arrived, closely flanked by Zack and Tifa. The bar had been closed for the time being but he still could see Jessie working in the kitchen. He was also surprised to see Argento sitting quietly at a table near the center of the dining room. "I see you are conscious again," she commented.

He nodded as Zack sat down next to him, and Tifa walked over to the bar to help Jessie. The bladesmith offered him a small smile. "It would be a shame for the Fusion Swords to lose their master so soon. I am relieved. And I am sure Genesis was grateful for your assistance."

"What does that mean?" Cloud noticed that Denzel had appeared next to his chair.

Argento turned her attention to the boy. "It means that if the rest of the Planet's strategy succeeds then neither Sephiroth nor Jenova will ever return, and the Stigma will finally heal. But there is still much work to do."

"I don't get it," Zack said. "What was Genesis thinking, just throwing his life away like that? I know Aerith said something about how he'd have to die for whatever the Planet had in mind, but I never thought it would be so soon."

"Perhaps you wouldn't understand," Argento murmured. "But that is partly why I have come here. To explain, at least, as best I understand the situation."

"Then, what happened?" Cloud asked.

"As Aerith surmised when she first saw Genesis, what Minerva did when she healed him… it was not simply purifying him of the G-cells that were slowly degrading within him, but to alter his physical structure to contain them," Argento said, threading her fingers together under her chin as she spoke. "Genesis told me himself that during the time he slept under Midgar, the goddess spoke to him often about what the Planet's intentions were. He was also making use of that time to train himself to operate within the Lifestream, as a new sort of WEAPON. One that possessed a sentient awareness, and could absorb Jenova's influence within it. Unlike the WEAPONs that exist at the Northern Crater, which according to him are gigantic, and could level entire cities, as such a being, Genesis, the Planet believed, could make educated decisions about how to target the threat he was reengineered to contain."

"Reengineered?" Kunsel took a step closer. "You mean, physically enhanced beyond what he already was?"

Argento nodded. "He maintained his body to sustain a solid presence for himself until he was mentally strong enough to maintain that presence within the Lifestream. Once he was ready, and the moment was right, he sought out Sephiroth, as you know, and crossed over."

"What did you mean by contain?" It was Tifa who had asked this question.

"Exactly what I meant," Argento said. "Genesis was reengineered by the Planet in order to facilitate a new Reunion." Seeing the horror in everyone's expression she held up a hand. "Calm yourselves. I assure you, this Reunion is nothing like the one GUARDIAN halted two years ago, because this Reunion was not conceived to destroy the Planet. Its design is to expel Jenova permanently."

"How?" Cloud asked, leaning forward attentively.

"By way of Genesis," Argento said. "His part has already begun. By neutralizing and absorbing Sephiroth's influences within the Lifestream, he will travel its recesses until all of Jenova's influence, physical and otherwise have been taken into his being. He will then eject himself from the Planet and will most likely purify Jenova's remains at the heart of the sun."

There was a heavy silence as she finished and then an uproar. "But won't that destroy Genesis for good too?" Zack demanded.

"That's terrible!" Tifa said.

"Why would the Planet do that?" Barret asked.

Argento sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, he chose this of his own free will. But then again. Perhaps you are forgetting the first line of the Fifth Act."

"Who gives a damn about poetry right now?" Zack grumbled.

"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return," Everyone turned around at that moment to see Cissnei standing at the door. "Am I right?" she asked.

"Quite correct," Argento agreed. "You see, the Planet specifically rebuilt him for this task. You would think it would provide him some way to withstand it. But this is neither here nor there. There is a task that must be fulfilled before this is complete, and by necessity, it won't be completed within any of our lifetimes. Except perhaps, Nanaki, and Mr. Valentine's."

April 19th [ ν ] – εуλ 0009

Kunsel put away Freya's cleaning kit before walking back into the living room at the lodge, carrying her shotgun over to the mantelpiece. It had been decided that they would keep it there, as a reminder, and he had spent the last half hour, going over the wood finish, oiling the joints, and cleaning out the barrel so that it practically shined. Now that he was done, he mounted it on a pair of supports they had installed into the mantel's stone-work, and took a step back. He'd say it looked perfect, if not for the reason it was there.

"It looks good," Cissnei commented as she walked into the room.

"I guess," he said, reaching up to run a hand over the wood finish.

"Are you all set? Zack said everyone should be there in a few minutes." It was only when he turned around that he saw she was wearing her Turk uniform.

"Yeah," he said. The two of them stepped out onto the porch and started down the path that led through the trees. It had taken a few days to get an appropriate memory stone carved, but now that everyone had more or less recovered from the physical rigors of the last week or so, Freya needed a proper funeral. As they approached the clearing where the hot spring waited, he saw that Cid and Barret were already there, along with Nanaki, Reeve, Ruvie, Cait Sith, Vincent, Yuffie, Freya's parents, and though he should probably have been less surprised than he was, every single one of the Turks, including Tseng and Veld, as well as Elfe, and Shears. He could also see Shelke, Argento, and Shalua, standing by Aerith's garden, apparently speaking with Tanjuu about the blooms.

He saw Lou had her arm around Elena as they waited by the warm water in the morning air which was starting to chill as the leaves on the trees were beginning to turn.

Yuffie came up to Kunsel as Cissnei left his side to speak to Mao. "Where are Zack and the others? Aren't they coming?"

He nodded. "They should be here pretty soon I would think." He was surprised to see Reno walking over to him. "You didn't have too much trouble finding the place I hope."

"No," The man replied. He looked around. "So this is where you were hiding out all this time?"

Kunsel nodded.

"Dang, no wonder we didn't find you." Reno offered a wry grin.

At that moment, they heard the sound of several more people coming down the path from the lodge, and soon, Aerith, Tifa, and Dr. Rayleigh emerged from the trees with Marlene, Denzel, Alistor, Sasha, Matt, and Zack's parents. Aerith walked over to join them. "Zack and Cloud are coming," she said as the others dispersed, some joining a few of the Turks in looking over her flowers, but for the most part they were waiting.

At long last, they saw the last two members of GUARDIAN arrive, a cart with a large stone in it behind them. As they pulled it to a halt near the edge of the clearing at a lovely spot that overlooked the rocks jutting out of the surf beyond the beach, Zack straightened and looked around "Is everyone here?"

"I think so," Cissnei replied.

Zack nodded. "All right then, I guess we should get started." He considered for a moment before reaching for a scrap of paper that he'd been keeping in one of his pockets. All chatter had gone silent as he gazed over all the people who had come before speaking. "We're here today to honor the memory of someone who is no longer with us, because she made the ultimate sacrifice in the battle to defend the Planet. We may not always have been on the same side, and we may not always have agreed on everything, but Freya faced every challenge with resolve to carry on even when the odds looked hopeless, and to always look to the horizon, because if there was one thing she believed in, it was the future, and that it would always be better, if we just lived up to the potential we all have within us…"

The ceremony was a muted affair, Veld spoke for a short period of time about her time as a Turk, and her parents thanked everyone for coming. Finally, Zack and Cloud, with the help of Kunsel, and Tanjuu who had wanted to be involved having been her partner during her time as a Turk, lifted the memory stone out of the cart, and put it in place on a high point on the hill, overlooking the sea. It had been inscribed with her name, her date of birth, and her date of death. After they were finished, everyone walked up to the stone, holding one of Aerith's flowers, and placed it in front of the marker before walking up the path to the Lodge, until only Zack, Kunsel, Cloud, Aerith, Cissnei and Argento remained.

The swordsmith picked that moment to walk up to Zack who had reached into the cart, retrieving Rapier to hand to her. "I guess you're planning to take it to Banora?" he asked.

She nodded. "Like Genesis over Sephiroth's destruction, Rapier will watch over the Masamune. It seemed like the thing to do."

"What'll you do after that?" Cissnei asked.

"I will go home," Argento replied.

"That's good," Aerith said. "I'm sure Gin misses you."

Argento nodded, and gestured to her eyepatch as she spoke. "It's been so long since he has seen me, he may not recognize me. But if I can give an old man some piece of mind along with retrieving my own, it can at least be a start. She looked down at her hands, now clean of the Stigma and then offered Aerith a small smile. "I would like to thank you once again."

"Think nothing of it," Aerith said. "We may even come and visit at some point. There are still a lot of people who need the cure, and I expect Zack and I will be traveling a lot in the next few months."

Argento smiled. "Then please, take care until we meet again," with that, she pulled her rucksack over her shoulder and started towards the Lodge to once again find the path leading north.

"You too," Zack called after her. They watched her go, and then Kunsel turned his attention back to the small pile of flowers that lay in front of Freya's memory stone. "Do you want a little time?" Zack asked.

Kunsel looked up at him with a sad smile. "It's all right," he said. "I think I've said what needs saying. And we still have a lot to do. If we just stay here, we'll regret not doing something, and as she used to say, living in regret isn't living at all."

Cloud nodded. "We still need to find the rest of Jenova, and destroy it, right?"

Zack nodded. "Like Argento said. Though if she's right, then nothing'll be able to happen until after the last SOLDIER has passed on. And then once Genesis has done his part…" He trailed off, thoughtfully.

"At that point, the rest will be up to the Planet, I suppose," Aerith said.

"Perhaps," Cissnei agreed.

At that moment, Denzel came running down the path and stopped in front of Cloud. "Everyone's waiting back at the lodge," he said. "Tifa wanted to know when you'd be coming."

Cloud placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We'll be there soon."

"We should probably get going now," Zack said, putting his good arm around Aerith as the two of them started towards the path. Kunsel and Cloud were following along behind when suddenly they noticed that the two in front of them had stopped and were looking across the hot spring at something in the woods. Looking to see what it was just as Cloud did, he blinked in surprise.

At the edge of the trees, were two figures, illuminated in the sunbeams through the red leaves that still hadn't quite fallen to the ground. A man with familiar red hair and SOLDIER blue eyes stood slightly further into the shade than his companion and was watching the proceedings impatiently, his red leather coat blowing slightly in the chill autumn breeze, while a familiar woman with copper-colored eyes and hair leaned against a nearby tree, her shotgun over her shoulder as she was watching them. When their eyes met, she flashed one of her crazy grins, just as Genesis walked into the light and vanished. Readying her shotgun, the lady Turk gave them an affectionate wave before following after him into the light and disappearing after him. At that moment, Kunsel had the distinct impression that it would be the last time he'd see her for a very long time. Yet, in spite of his sadness at that fact, he determined that eventually, things would be all right. No matter what. He would continue believing in that better future. That something that was definitely waiting for them over that horizon. Because they'd do everything they could to make it so.

We're not quite done. The very last chapter comes out next week! See ya then!