Author's Notes: I do apologize for the length of time in between updates, and I hope everyone who is still reading enjoys this next chapter 😉
Through the depths of personal nightmares and the manifestation of fear, the forbidden jungle carried memories and thoughts of anguish every traveler wished to forget about.
The current climate carried one of the regrets Barret had never forgotten as he was being chased by his friend.
The muscular fighter was quickly following an image he would never catch up to, that shortcoming didn't slow him down as the hallucination of his daughter taunted him to keep running.
"Marlene! Stop! Wait!"
The depths of the jungle became darker and more challenging to pass through as Yuffie followed the sounds of broken branches forward into the abyss of trees.
"For the love of everything holy Barret; what are you doing?"
The young girl was gaining on him; her body was much lighter than the gun-armed fighter. She thought he had to tire himself out at some point since he had yet to stop and take a break.
Frustration was building through the ninja's head anyway. She couldn't run after him forever, if he wasn't going to stop himself, she had to find a way to distract him or knock him over to get the illusions out of his thoughts.
("Barret must be hallucinating like I was earlier, maybe I can knock him down and it will clear his head.")
It was worth a try at least.
While running at full speed Yuffie pulled out her weapon and picked up the pace as fast as her legs would carry her.
She could sense Barret in the distance, he was losing steam.
After a few minutes passed she finally saw him tearing forward into the darkness of the green paths ahead.
Yuffie tried to get him to stop with her words.
"Barret! Stop! Please, Barret! Stop running!"
He wasn't listening to her screams, he wouldn't stop for anybody, the mind was fixed with confusion.
Yuffie knew this wasn't going to end well but she had to save him from this cycle of craziness. She closed some of the distance between them and threw her weapon with every bit of strength she had.
The four-pointed wheel made contact with Barret right between the shoulder blades as he landed face forward and slowly picked himself up off the floor.
His determination did not falter as he pulled himself off of the ground.
"NO! Marlene! I have to go get her! She's here!"
Yuffie caught up to Barret, she shouted at him while putting her hands on his shoulders before he could stand up.
"Barret! This isn't real! Whatever you see isn't real! Get a hold of yourself! The jungle is playing with our heads!"
His body was covered with scars, he was bleeding all over his chest and arms, the jungle was literally tearing him apart.
"Get out of my way Yuffie! I have to keep going!"
Barret wasn't in the right state of mind, frustration and worry were at the highest points of his concern and he tried to look forward into the path before Yuffie had finally decided to do something drastic.
She couldn't let him keep going, she hoped her lessons with Aerith and Tifa taught her enough to keep from doing significant damage.
"Please don't hate me for this."
Barret was about to say something when Yuffie knocked him out with a lightning spell. The power of the spell mixed with Barret's fatigue was strong enough to knock him unconscious.
"I'm so sorry Barret, I couldn't let you keep going. It would have killed you. Please forgive me."
Yuffie was not afraid of the jungle anymore, she needed her other friends at her side. She knew her other idea might produce mixed results, but they would never overcome this nightmare apart from each other.
Her spirit was hanging by a thread, if death was going to come for her she wanted to get it over with.
"Please find us…... I hope all of you are alive."
Holding up her weapon; Yuffie fired a fire spell high into the air. The effect the large ball of flame had was incredible in the dark paths of the jungle.
The ninja warrior hoped Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, and Red would be able to see it from wherever they were standing.
Just as tears started to fill Yuffie's eyes over the events of the past several hours two friends shouted in the distance and ran up to her.
"YUFFIE!"
Tifa and Red were running up to her and Barret.
Before Yuffie could even try to ask them anything Tifa ran up to her and embraced her.
The ninja warrior dropped her weapon and started crying. Red walked over to Barret to check on him.
"Did he ever stop running?"
Red had asked the question to Yuffie who wasn't answering because she was openly crying in Tifa's arms.
The raven-haired fighter told Red to wait a minute.
"Give her some time, she needs to rest."
The young girl had not felt safe in so long, her memories were pouring out as Tifa held her in a strong hug.
"I saw my home; I saw it burning! Everyone was gone! Shinra had killed all of them!"
Tifa was trying to stay strong for Yuffie. She needed to hold it all together before they both lost it.
This jungle was a miserable hell, Red was right, this place was pure evil that preyed on the fears of everyone that crossed into it.
"Hey, you're safe now. Everything is going to be ok."
A giant light just showed off in the distance, the source of the bright spell was incredibly powerful as Tifa and Yuffie gasped at what could only be hope.
"Wake Barret up Red, use my cure materia, something tells me Cloud and Aerith need our help."
Tifa spoke while she picked up Yuffie's weapon and put it in her hands, she found her resolve with the light in the distance.
"We are going to have to fight, be strong, ok?"
Yuffie nodded as the four friends prepared for the next round of challenges that awaited them.
Save Aerith or save your friends.
Cloud would never be able to choose one over the other. Neither his friends nor Aerith would want him to regardless.
He loved Aerith, even in the miserable hellhole with the various truths that he had suffered over the last few hours. He knew he loved her now more than ever, but his friends were so important to him as well.
The truth of destiny and fate brought so much out into the open. All he wanted to do was go back to the beginning of this terrible place and turn around. They never should have entered this domain. Why didn't he listen to Red?
Pride could not be the downfall of him and his friends, he would not abandon anyone to this horrible evil.
Especially not his friends.
("Forgive me Aerith…...")
Just as Cloud was about to speak a voice sounded over his thoughts.
("Don't be afraid.")
It was her; Cloud knew Aerith was somewhere watching over him, he couldn't explain how but her power was here. She may not be in the jungle physically, but her spirit was somewhere in all of the mystery.
Her magic was with him.
("Let's do this.")
Cloud pulled his sword out a second time and shouted at the Necromancer.
"I'll never abandon my friends; I cherish all of them and I'll die before I leave them with you!"
Cloud ran forward with the buster sword. He would go down swinging before making any deals with this evil force of wickedness.
The Necromancer was furious.
"YOU FOOL!"
The demon blasted him with a forceful wind that knocked the SOLDIER'S body off of the ground. The force of the spell had caused the cloak to fall off his tall, broken figure.
Cloud stood back up with his sword and tried to hold back his fear. His terror grew as a new revelation came to his senses.
The Necromancer may not have been human any longer, but his body was terrifying. The shape of countless disfigured faces showing various states of agony were all over his torso, arms, and legs.
Those were faces of the spirits, the spirits Red had mentioned earlier. They belonged to him now, he was their host. The Necromancer controlled the spirits of this jungle.
This evil force was trying to use Aerith earlier as leverage to gain the spirits of Cloud's friends. Why did he want them?
"You are a damn fool! You just gave away the only chance at your happiness! Now you will live a life of pain!"
Cloud turned his body for a defensive maneuver, the force of the next blast ricocheted from the buster sword before the SOLDIER countered in a full circle and unleashed a fire spell back towards his enemy.
The spell landed right onto the necromancer's face.
It dissipated with no effect. This monster had a special kind of power.
Cloud was terrified that he would not be able to overcome whatever he was fighting. This demon might very well have achieved some type of immortality.
("He needed me to take the deal, why did he need everyone's spirits?")
Just as the thought had crossed Cloud's mind the area grew darker. The sound of thousands of voices crossed his senses.
The voices were calling out in pain, Cloud was vaguely reminded of the sounds of the voices of the planet on the bridge in Midgar.
The blonde swordsman put a hand to his head to steady himself.
The Necromancer must have been reading his thoughts. The enemy further tormented Cloud's head as he spoke up through the noise.
"DESTINY COMES!"
As the depths of hell surrounded Cloud in a circle of madness and chaos specks of gold light fell in front of him.
("Aerith.")
She was nearby, he had to keep fighting.
Cloud fired other fire spells in every direction. Spirits of the dead and dying were growing all around him. He was being plunged into the furthest depths of darkness he had ever witnessed. The ability to see was becoming less and less effective as his fire castings disappeared into the depths of the black hole he was falling into.
The Necromancer tormented him further.
"You will live your days in agony! Walking the planet in regret! In shame! You will spend countless nights awake with no hope of rest! You will never be happy again!"
The darkness was encompassing him deeper and deeper into a new level of hell, Cloud was about to succumb to the enemy's wrath when something small caught his attention.
A transparent butterfly came up to him. The beautiful manifestation showed him a source of comfort before rising back into the air.
He needed just another few minutes, something special was about to happen.
"It's time for your reign to come to an end."
Cloud stood tall with defiance as he spoke in front of the demon of the jungle, the Necromancer shouted with fury.
"Bind him!"
The black space filled with spirits of the dead and dying tormented souls were closing in and just as all hope seemed lost a blinding light powered through everything.
The light was the brightest Cloud had ever witnessed; it was like the sun had just appeared right on top of the entire space between them.
The Necromancer's mouth widened in fear. He was not familiar with this kind of magic; the enemy wasn't ready for it either.
Countless magical butterflies descended into the madness to surround Cloud with a defensive aura that prevented the spirits of the jungle from attacking him.
The light was glowing stronger and was countering the darkness that stood around the Necromancer.
"STOP HER! STOP HER! SHE'LL RUIN EVERYTHING!"
Cloud could finally see in all directions as the black hole started to disappear.
Aerith was standing in the distance behind him, he knew she was deeply focused on her magic.
The battle that was taking place between him and the nightmarish figure must have broken the barrier between Aerith and the jungle, Cloud didn't question why his luck was returning to him. They had to fight, they had to live.
He was tempted to run back towards her, but his body remained where he was as he lifted his sword back up to attack the Necromancer again.
The butterflies were swarming into the battle, thousands…. No…. tens of thousands of magical-looking orbs with wings were pushing back the enemy's advance.
The final battle for the jungle had begun.
The Necromancer shouted above the struggle.
"Let there be war upon you both! Kill them! Kill them all!"
The dark spirits rushed against the orbs and powered forward in Cloud's direction as Aerith shouted words to another spell Cloud had never seen before.
"Please shield us from harm!"
Aerith's staff was levitating above her head as defensive barriers appeared around his position.
The mercenary marveled at Aerith's hidden abilities, this magic was powerful. He felt safe because of her prowess. How powerful was the flower girl? How much did she know about the planet? If they made it through this, Cloud was determined to find out.
Aerith made it to Cloud's side and caught her staff as it fell into her hands.
"Did you miss me?"
No one else could smile the way that she did, there was no denying this was the real Aerith.
Cloud was amazed at her moxie in the current situation; he wanted to tell her how much he missed her. He wanted to tell her how terrified he was of their future, he wanted to tell her so much.
Dropping his sword, Cloud simply hugged Aerith, he didn't say anything in all of the chaos that was surrounding them.
Aerith thought Cloud must have gone through hell and back to embrace her like this while destruction approached them on all sides.
"This is nice but not here Cloud, we have something else to do first."
She reminded her bodyguard that they had unfinished business. Cloud nodded and picked his sword back up.
"What's your plan?"
The flower girl looked towards the Necromancer's position. He was flanked with spirits on both sides and was shouting orders at them while pointing at where they were standing.
"We have to connect with his heart, he's the guiding force of all these lost souls. To release them from his command we have to end his power over them."
Cloud wasn't sure what this meant but he knew how to follow orders, he held the buster sword at the ready and responded.
"Just tell me where you want me, you have all the power in this battle of good vs. evil."
Magical forces that no one could understand were clashing in the middle of the standoff. The invisible barriers of protection were holding against the tidal waves of darkness splashing just outside of Cloud and Aerith's reach. The light shining above them was overtaking the darkness that was on the retreat as more and more spirits rushed into battle at the Necromancer's side.
"We could use the others here, their materia would certainly help but I don't know where they are."
Just as Aerith finished her sentence, gunfire sounded nearby. Cloud smiled at the noise.
"I guess that answers your question."
Aerith was just as happy to hear the sounds of their friends nearby.
"Ready to get out of here?"
Cloud nodded as they both ran towards the sound.
The Necromancer shouted at full strength.
"After them! Don't let them get away!"
The barriers and butterflies vanished, and the enemies of the abyss followed them into the maze of the jungle.
Barret was always the type to shoot first and ask questions later, Tifa shouted as the gunfire was tearing into the skyline.
"Why are you shooting at them?! I don't think these are mortal enemies Barret!"
Dark spiritual manifestations were all converging nearby towards the same location, they appeared to be meeting all in one place.
The large muscular fighter may have been injured but his determination to attack anything that moved held strong inside of his resolve. The cure materia from earlier had done a good job of returning his strength.
"I'm just so damn pissed I was made a fool of Tifa! I'm gonna kill all of these bastards if I get the chance!"
Yuffie's shuriken was flying in the air, she took the same advice Barret had given when he started firing his gun.
"Yeah! I'm just as pissed off Tifa!"
The bartender shook her head at her friend's frustrations as the four friends kept running further towards the light clashing ahead with the darkness.
And just as they approached the border where all the action was Cloud and Aerith were running in the other direction.
They shouted at them as the group of four slowed down to talk.
"Don't stop running! Follow us! No time to explain! This way!"
Not having to be told twice, the six friends ran as one away from all of the action into an open clearing nearby and came to a stop.
Tifa hugged Aerith and Cloud quickly while trying to talk to both of them.
Everyone wanted to catch up, they had been through so much turmoil when they were apart, but Cloud shouted above all the noise.
"Focus guys! We can all talk later! Right now, we have to listen to Aerith and fight the power of this jungle!"
Red jumped out near the front of the pack and spoke with Aerith quickly.
"Raise your defensive magic spells and I'll reinforce them with my barrier materia!"
Aerith didn't know how Red could do this, but they worked together anyway and had a powerful magic combination join forces in front of the six friends.
Everyone looked amazed at this level of spellcasting they hadn't seen before now.
The barriers looked sturdy enough to repel the power of the enemy. Just as the defensive magic held in front of everyone the first wave of spirits crashed in front of them and the sounds of the tormented screamed against the protective auras.
Barret was confused and was holding his weapon at the ready.
"What do we do now?! I can't shoot through that thing, can I?"
Aerith shook her head and spoke up without looking back. Her focus was on the darkness that was charging in their direction. The Cetra's hands were held together, she appeared to be reinforcing the barriers.
"Wait for my signal, you'll know when to attack. Everyone who has destructive materia get ready to hit them with it! Cloud, you will use your sword when I give you the sign."
Cloud knew she had an idea; the Necromancer was approaching for the final showdown. It was time to end this era of torment, they needed to return this dark spirit to the planet once and for all.
The Necromancer walked from behind the tree line at a slow pace, his presence automatically darkened the atmosphere around them as more and more spirits rushed forward to attack Avalanche on all sides.
The barriers were still holding, there was a deep concern with a few of the friends as Yuffie and Tifa winced at the powerful enemies that crashed repeatedly mere feet from where everyone was standing.
"What will happen when the magic goes away?"
Aerith still stared forward and answered Yuffie's question. Her voice was steady and calm.
"We will attack with everything we have, don't worry. Everyone is going to be ok. I promise."
The tension was building as the Necromancer pulled back his attack and addressed the group as a whole. The surrounding area came to a calm silence.
"I commend all of you on fighting against my power. Nobody else has ever lasted this long in my domain but now it is all finished. Surrender and the end will come quickly. If you continue to resist, every one of you will die slowly and painfully. Your worst nightmares will haunt you every second your pathetic bodies stay on this planet."
Cloud scoffed at the threat, this villain needed their spirits for something, he may never find out what it was, but something warned him they weren't going to be killed under any circumstances.
"Don't listen to his threats, he's already revealed his motivation. I think spirits are what give him his power. He needs them to keep going."
The Necromancer laughed at Cloud's determination, he pointed a hand back towards the group and the spirits started to rush forward again.
There was an opening, Red saw the opportunity and shouted:
"Aerith! NOW!"
The barriers came down and Aerith lifted herself off of the ground with another spell none of her friends had ever seen before. Her eyes glowed blue as a bright turquoise beam shot from her staff with a force so powerful it cut through the entire army of spirits that stood in front of the demon that had tormented them up to this point.
The spell connected with the Necromancer's chest as he started shouting in pain and anger.
"NOOOO!"
Aerith's spell was strong but losing steam fast, her feet had once again connected with the ground as everyone else started casting every spell they had at the Necromancer, Barret was shooting his weapon and Aerith shouted above the sounds of the attack.
"Cloud do it now!"
Cloud jumped over the spell and ran as fast as he could towards the villain that towered above him because of his height.
Cloud tried to hit him with his sword but a recoiled blast from the enemy knocked him back to the ground.
Aerith's attack had let up but had done incredible damage, the Necromancer was breathing heavily with a strong hole that had formed in his chest where his heart should have been.
The spirits had started scattering in every direction, his power over them was starting to diminish. Aerith's plan was working, Cloud knew he had to finish this.
Everyone started attacking the enemy again as his shouts of agony penetrated through the jungle.
"You fools! You don't know what you are doing! Stop it now! Before it's too late!"
Cloud stood over the villain. He raised his sword behind his back, he aimed it right at the Necromancer's head as the demon looked deeply into Cloud's face with agony. His voice lowered into a pleading whisper:
"We can save her together Cloud, please trust me. If you kill me, YOU WILL NEVER BE TOGETHER!"
A tear had formed on the mercenary's face, he was terrified this evil demon was telling him the truth. A memory rushed through his head as he struggled to complete the kill.
("What about the scar you mentioned? What will happen after I fight this enemy?")
Cloud couldn't give in to his fear, he had to finish what he started.
"I can never trust you."
With the final shout of defiance from the darkness, Cloud's buster sword came down in a powerful swing as the head of the enemy was severed from the rest of the body.
The entire jungle started to fade, the surrounding trees were slowly disappearing as the screams of the spirits fell further and further away.
"What's happening?!"
Aerith answered Tifa's question.
"They are all returning to the planet. After ages of torment."
Red spoke up.
"I never thought I would see this happen, such a beautiful time to be alive."
Barret chimed in:
"We did it! We defeated the monster of the jungle! I told you we could do it Red!"
Red nodded in humility, he didn't share the same sentiments that Barret did, the wise four-legged animal was happy about the result but wouldn't openly celebrate.
"I don't think we were the ones to overcome the jungle, powerful magic within Aerith kept us all from losing our minds. Her determination and love kept us from giving in to our fears. That could very well be why we are still here and not floating as spirits in the Necromancer's possession."
Red spoke barely above a whisper, only Barret and Yuffie could hear what he was saying. The whole argument made perfect sense, Aerith had indeed cast several powerful spells none of them had seen before, there was a lot of mystery that surrounded her background too.
How powerful were the ancients? By comparison, how powerful was Aerith?
"But…. how?"
Barret stuttered as he looked back at their other friends. Tifa and Aerith were hugging. Cloud looked miserable, he looked down at the Necromancer's body with trepidation, almost like he was regretting something.
Tifa and Aerith had stopped embracing each other and walked over to Cloud. They both placed a hand on his back, they were worried about him.
"Are you ok?"
Tifa asked the question out loud, Aerith simply looked at Cloud's eyes as he looked towards the ground.
Was he ok? Cloud had no idea; he didn't even know how to respond.
"I… I don't know."
Aerith and Tifa were worried as they watched the stoic swordsman walk away from them without another word.
Cloud walked away from everyone without saying anything else. He wanted to know why this place had left the scar his vision had warned him about in his earlier dream. He wanted to know what else was going to happen.
("You will never be together!")
Those last words terrified him, and they stayed rooted in his mind. Words that flooded his thoughts and poisoned his heart. Shooting a look back at Aerith talking with all of their friends, Cloud felt like an asshole for not taking part in the conversation.
He couldn't bring himself to talk to anyone right now, he needed to clear his head.
The blonde tried to tell himself everything was going to be ok as he sat down alone.
"We are only half a day's journey from Cosmo Canyon now, I dare say we could all use some rest when we get there."
Red reminded everyone where they were at as the jungle became clearer in the distance, a path was forming before them as the minutes passed.
Nature was becoming more organic and less spiritual. The sun was starting to shine, and the feeling of hopelessness and despair was lifting from the surrounding trees.
There was an exit not far off in the distance, it was easy enough to walk to.
Yuffie was about to celebrate when she looked over at the other girls.
"Where did Cloud go?"
Tifa shook her head and signaled for her to be quiet.
Yuffie's face carried the same worry as everyone else, they were all tired, no they were all more than exhausted after the events of the jungle.
Everyone but Red had been terrified from all the suffering their hearts had endured, they had all gone through a challenge that brought them close to the edge of losing their minds.
Something equally terrible must have happened to Cloud. What did he see when he traveled through the abyss that tormented everyone else?
Just as Yuffie was about to say something, Red had an idea.
"No more celebrating everyone, we have overcome so much in the past day. We have fought the most cunning enemy on the planet and are lucky to be alive. Let us walk to the edge of the jungle and rest for a little bit. My people will be very hospitable to everyone here when we reach my hometown."
Everyone agreed with Red and walked over to the exit of the jungle.
The wise friend looked up at Aerith as everyone moved.
"I think you need to talk to him; he won't have anything to say to us right now, he has probably been through so much. Cloud has such a troubled soul for someone as young as he is. The jungle would have stirred up so many memories in him."
Aerith nodded and patted Red's nose with affection, Red smiled and walked away.
The flower girl wasn't a fool, she knew exactly what the Necromancer tormented Cloud with, she wasn't looking forward to talking about it with him either.
Turning a corner nearby, Aerith found Cloud sitting on the ground with his sword lying in front of him. He looked like he was trying to get some sleep. His breathing was steady, and his eyes were closed.
Aerith's footsteps brought him out of his state of mind.
"Heya."
She sat down next to him without leaving any space between the two as she always did. This conversation wasn't going to be easy but Aerith didn't see the need to keep apart from him when it happened.
Cloud stayed silent and just looked out at the jungle as the plants transferred into a living space that resembled something alive.
The effect almost felt like waking up from a long dream, a terrible dream. One that Cloud would have preferred to forget.
Aerith broke the silence.
"We are all worried Cloud, everyone here is concerned for you, what are you thinking about?"
He didn't want everyone to worry about him, he wanted to know what the future was going to bring but somehow, he already knew. The path ahead carried death and sadness, a fate he couldn't escape no matter how hard he tried.
Why did it have to be this way? Why was the world so cold? Why couldn't they all just be happy together? Cloud was angry, he was pissed off, he needed to vent, and he wanted everyone to leave him alone.
Even Aerith.
"I'm tired, I want to be done."
Aerith looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"What are you saying Cloud?"
Cloud was frustrated with talking, he had done more than enough talking the past several hours to last a lifetime.
"I want to be done with everything, the planet, Shinra, Sephiroth, our friends. You, I want everything to go away. I can't be the man all of you want me to be."
Aerith's face started to tear up, she was stronger than this but never thought Cloud would say something so terrible.
Not the man she had known for so long, something was wrong.
Something was horribly wrong.
"What?! Cloud, what happened back there?!"
While she knew what Cloud would have gone through with his torment, she had no idea what the details were, and her heart just took a major shock to its core. The Necromancer could very well have broken his spirit and it would take a small miracle to bring him back from where he was.
"I learned something, something I can't accept, and I think you know what it is."
Cloud had stood up, Aerith shot up to stand close to him as they continued their talk.
Aerith was worried but she couldn't let that get in the way of this conversation. She had to fight for him, whatever it took.
"The future is never set in stone, whatever you learned Cloud we can face it together, all of us-"
He shook his head and held his hands over his ears while shouting.
"STOP lying to me!"
Aerith put her hand over her mouth, Cloud never talked to her like this.
Something terrible did happen.
The SOLIDER stared her down with his mako eyes, they shined brilliantly with fury and anger.
Tears grew on the flower girl's beautiful face; Cloud paid no attention to them as he continued.
"All of us?! Are you kidding me right now?! You lied to me! I saw the truth Aerith, all of it! Why didn't you ever tell me what was going to happen?!"
Whatever Cloud was claiming there was no way he could have seen the whole truth; they wouldn't be having this conversation if that was the case.
Nevertheless, Aerith fought through her sadness and tried to help him with his pain.
"Cloud; I don't think you realize-"
He wasn't having any of it.
"No! No! Don't start talking to me like that!"
Aerith was about to break down, this wasn't what she expected at all.
"Please Cloud, stop..."
Cloud knew he was going too far; this wasn't fair to her. He couldn't treat the love of his life like this, but he was suffering and needed to take it out on something or someone.
"You let me make a fool out of myself! You let me believe we could be together! I've never felt anyone love me like you did, and it was all bullshit! ALL OF IT!"
Cloud picked up his sword and threw it… hard. It hit a small tree nearby and almost knocked it over.
The SOLDIER'S anger was reaching a boiling point.
"That's not true…. I tried to tell you…I didn't want to hurt you…"
Aerith had started crying, she couldn't deal with this anymore. She had to take the risk, she had no idea what would happen, but she put her hand up and was going to erase the entire day from his memories.
His link with Sephiroth be damned, she didn't care about the consequences.
Her hand almost contacted with Cloud's head.
He was too fast for her. Realizing what she was trying to do, Cloud's eyes shot open and he caught her wrist with his hand and forced her to hold still.
"Don't you dare! How dare you do this?! Magic?! Really?! You ought to be ashamed of yourself! How many people have you used your magic on?! I don't want to forget! I don't want you to hide anything from me anymore!"
Aerith ran out of strength, she pulled her hand back from his grasp and started crying as hard as she had wanted to, Cloud's broken spirit pushed her over the edge, and she was only human after all.
The emotion that overtook her was felt in every word that poured out of her mouth.
"I…. never…wanted…to…hurt…. you."
Cloud felt like the world's biggest asshole; he not only ignored his friends after they had overcome the most powerful enemy any of them had ever faced. He was now emotionally attacking the most important person in his life and he wasn't going to let up.
"Then why didn't you tell me the truth?!" The bodyguard was starting to tear up as well.
"Why did you let me hold you?!"
The drops were made of sadness and frustration.
"Why did you let me kiss you?!"
He shouted as high as his voice would go.
"WHY DID YOU LOVE ME BACK?!"
Aerith had fallen to her knees with her face in her hands, this was her worst nightmare. The jungle had practically returned to bring her the worst torment she could have ever faced.
She needed to fight; this was her challenge. Overcoming Cloud's sadness, telling him the truth. Or what she would be able to tell him.
"Because you wouldn't have been able to follow the path you must take if I did! We can't sacrifice the planet because you love me!"
The mercenary scoffed loudly and shouted back at his beloved.
"What kind of future is that?! I have to choose between you and humanity?! How impossibly unfair is that?!"
Aerith stood back up and put her face right next to Cloud's, her tears had not dried yet.
"Life is not supposed to be fair! You and I are special Cloud. There is more to do for this world than fall in love! Trust me and we can make it through it all together, in case you didn't notice, I love you too dammit!"
Cloud's face started to hurt with all the pain that was laid out in the open. He started to physically cry for the first time and spoke through the feeling.
"Then why will I have to say goodbye to you? Do you care about me enough to stay with me?"
Aerith was about to hit him over the head with her staff. She took his hand in hers as the shouting had died down.
The anger in him had slowed as the flower girl grabbed his hand, they were remarkably familiar with this as a couple.
"Do you trust me Cloud?"
He did not have a choice here, he wasn't going to say no.
"Yes."
"Would you fight for me, no matter what happens?"
Cloud started to calm down.
"Yes."
"Will you keep that trust no matter what we face? No matter what happens to you or me?"
He hesitated.
"But…."
Aerith wasn't going to let him get distracted.
"Answer me!"
Cloud was visibly frustrated, he looked away. Aerith grabbed his face with her free hand.
"Don't look away, promise me!"
The tears were still on Cloud's face. He didn't wish to cry in front of her.
"I can't lose you."
Aerith was sympathetic to Cloud's reaction.
"That's a risk you are going to have to take. We might very well have to say goodbye to each other, but I honestly don't know everything that's going to happen."
The day had brought too many painful exchanges, too many paths crossing for Cloud to be able to keep track of all of them.
"I trust you Aerith, I'll always trust you. Why couldn't you just tell me what was going to happen to you?"
They both sighed in frustration.
"It was too hard; I made a mistake. I wanted to tell you, hell I even tried to tell you, but I couldn't explain everything. It wasn't right, the timing was never going to be right."
The mercenary understood that, but he wasn't done.
"Do you have any idea what we are going to face now?"
Aerith shook her head.
"A vague idea but my mind was confused every time the whispers came into contact with me, I won't recollect any memories until we continue further on our journey. There are some thoughts I will never remember no matter how hard I try."
Cloud gave her a curious look. Aerith shot back at him.
"I'm telling you the truth the best way I can!"
He didn't want to fight anymore, he was tired. They were both tired. For what felt like the hundredth time in their relationship the two let go of each other's hands. He never wanted to lose her, that was what this whole fight had been about, he wished he could have said it better. Painful feelings rushed through him and their talk did not help find a cure.
Cloud felt selfish for a moment.
"Can I hold you?"
Aerith actually smiled for the first time since their battle. She knew there was more to say, they were not done with this talk but for now, they needed to end it. For both of their sakes.
"Yes."
As Cloud hugged her and let his pain simmer to a full cooldown, he spoke into her ear softly.
"I'm sorry I yelled; you didn't deserve that. I am just a stupid fool. Like the Necromancer said."
Aerith wasn't going to let him suffer like this.
"Just shut up and hug me Cloud."
The bodyguard knew when to say enough was enough.
"Okay."
After taking the time to hold each other, the power couple picked up Cloud's sword and walked back to the edge of the jungle to be reunited with their friends.
All of the group had suffered enough of the location and told the place a heartfelt goodbye as they walked away from the terrible domain of suffering and came out to the other side of the nightmare.
They were now standing in the vast canyons of Gaia. A lovely sunset was falling in the distance of the open skyline as rocks of all sizes towered all around them.
Red sniffed with his nose strongly into the air with gratitude.
"I have missed the smell of the canyon. After so many years I am finally home."
Cloud remembered that Red was going to leave their group. Another painful truth that didn't help him feel any better.
Aerith had left his side and went up to Tifa and Yuffie, the ninja-like girl threw her arms around Aerith when they started talking.
Everyone was exhausted, everyone was miserable. Cloud felt like an even bigger jerk for not realizing his pain wasn't the only pain that was put on display over the past day. His suffering could be kept hidden while the group figured out what to do next.
Knowing no one had died brought his heart a small sense of relief.
("I can't lose any of you, I just can't. It would kill me.")
Barret walked up to his friend and put his hand on his shoulder.
"You ok buddy?"
Cloud just looked at the ground and gave a half-hearted response.
"I will be, just need to rest."
Barret looked up at Aerith after Cloud had responded, he nodded at him with understanding and said they should all get a move on.
As everyone walked through the canyon a few random monsters tried to attack as they turned several corners.
Barret quickly shot them with his gun with minimal effort.
"Sorry everyone, we are almost there."
Red was apologetic as the journey continued; everyone was so tired.
The six friends were all walking with their eyes closed by the time a tall cliff with a sturdy staircase stood high above their position.
The sound of drums were falling from high above. An old stone mountain town with lights shining through the dark atmosphere intimidated everyone as Red started running quickly up the stairs.
"We are finally here! Everyone this is Cosmo Canyon!"
Cloud looked up and ran to the top of the stairs with Red. He took in all of the unique homesteads and was amazed to see such beauty in the mountains.
A giant telescope stood tall at the top of the cylindrical rock tower that was the pinnacle point of emphasis in the town.
The stars looked so clear all around them, this place was the polar opposite of Midgar, everything felt so clean and alive. Cloud realized everyone was probably going to love it here.
"I understand why you have missed your home so much Red."
Red closed his eyes and held back some emotion, he felt a strong sense of relief that they were here. It had taken so long but they kept their promise.
"Thank You Cloud, I hope all of you enjoy your visit. You will be our honored guests. I want you to come to the top of the Canyon with me, there is someone you have to meet!"
Out of curiosity, Cloud asked who it was. "Who is that?"
Red smiled, "My grandfather, Bugenhagen."