A Wing and a Prayer
An original work of FF7 fanfiction by Ry (OzZMaN)
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"The only way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost."
--G. K. Chesterton
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Chapter 6
Return to your place of origin, my child.
"Where?"
The city of your ancestors, the place where Planet's presence surrounds everything.
"The Forgotten City?"
Yes. You don't have much time; Planet is weakening. Soon all will be lost.
"Who are you?"
Go now, you mustn't delay…
"Wait, what about Cloud? I can't just leave him, not after what he's been through!"
A white light came before Aeris and blinded her mind. A peacefulness, a serenity beyond comparison existed here. Aeris felt this even in her deep state of sleep, and knew where she was.
This land awaits you, as does your mother.
The voice was beautiful, calm, and gentle. It came from all sides of her, and seemed to envelope her in a loving blanket. She thought she was in heaven, but soon realized that Cloud wasn't here. And wouldn't be here, either. She knew what was happening as well. Her resurrection had been a test of love. The Planet tested Cloud's love for her by granting her life once again, and by doing so put itself at great risk. Surely Cloud and her were predestined to be together because of this, and she was anxious to see what Planet had in store for the two of them….
The light then faded and she was returned to reality.
Wake up, dear, she heard the tender voice say again, just as her eyes slowly opened.
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I looked around the Forgotten Capital where Aeris and myself had apparently washed up. Nothing unusual about it, with the exception of slight tremors that had begun to hit at regular intervals of about every eight minutes. Aeris had passed out in my arms a few hours earlier, and slept ever since. I laid her underneath the only tree in the entire city, right near the lake where we had returned from the Lifestream. I was still baffled as to why she had started talking in a crazy manner about how she couldn't stay with me, how by doing this I was killing everyone. It was beyond me, and I brushed it off, thinking she was still in shock from being alive again. At any rate, I wouldn't let her leave my side again, I was going to protect her and keep her always, until death do us part….
I looked over at the tree where Aeris had been sleeping only to find an empty space. My heart jumped into my throat where it lodged as I instinctively ran to the tree, frantically searching in all directions and desperately shouting her name.
Not here, gone… my mind continually shouted. I was panicked, where did she go? I thought. Then, out of nowhere, what sounded like faint whispers came from within the shell house. They didn't say anything distinct, more or less just mumbles are what I made out. Slowly but cautiously, I walked towards the structure. Upon entering it, I found the fish in the center to be replaced by the familiar crystalline staircase. I knew she had to be down here, but for what I had no idea. I rushed down the long, spiraling walkway until I had reached the stepping stones, which served as a bridge across the lake. What I saw next will haunt me for the rest of my days. Looking exactly as she did on that fateful day years ago, Aeris was kneeling down on the altar, her hands clasped in prayer and her head bowed. Chills of fear shot down my spine as images of a monster with a giant blade coming down towards the innocent creature bombarded and clawed at my mind. I looked far above her head, waiting for the same scene to reoccur. Nothing. I would've been ready this time, as I had already drawn my sword and leapt across the circular pillars. Another tremor rocked the city, however, and I nearly lost my balance. I quickly jumped from the last pillar onto the altar where Aeris knelt. The tremor must've interrupted her, for she looked up at me and opened her emerald green eyes.
"Cloud, what are you doing here?" she asked, as if she expected me to have not followed her.
"I've come to get you, Aeris. We're going home. Why did you run out on me like that, you nearly gave me a heart attack."
"My home is here Cloud, within the Planet, in the Promised Land where I belong. I….I can't stay on the Planet anymore, Cloud. I have to return to the Lifestream and restore its balance. If I don't, the whole Planet will perish, including yourself."
Then it hit me. All at once, I saw what was happening. Planet had tricked me, and made me believe in something that it knew could not happen without a catch. So many emotions coursed through my nerves at that point, and I simply didn't know what to think of all this. I felt furious, deceived, hurt, and confused. I couldn't let Aeris go, not a second time, I swore to myself that it wouldn't happen, and now I am once again powerless to do anything. She's making this decision herself though, isn't she? What right to I have to interfere? If the Planet truly is dying, then I can't stop her.
"Cloud, stop!"
I turned around at the recognizable voice from behind. There, to my surprise, stood Tifa, Barret, and Cid. I soon noticed Red come galloping down the stairway shortly after Tifa shouted.
"Tifa, what are you doing here? Stop what?"
"This is the end," panted Red, "Aeris has been revived, and we're too late."
"There must be something we can do," Tifa replied, "Cloud, do you realize what is happening?"
I answered honestly, and with great remorse at what I had come to understand. I took for granted all that I had to pursue something else, and at the would-be cost of everything I ever fought for. But, I was in love. I had never in my life had these types of feelings for anyone, and I simply didn't know how to react to them. I'm not one to give up easily, either. All I knew was that I was in love with Aeris, and that I couldn't live without her, so that's why I did what I did. I had to know for sure if it was over, which it wasn't, obviously.
"I do understand, Tif, but you have to understand something as well. Now that I've seen Aeris alive again, I'm simply not going to lose her again, no matter what the cost. I won't allow it to happen; I'll fight to the death with anything that tries to take her away from me."
"Cloud, come up here," Aeris interrupted.
I turned back towards my love and slowly approached her. She was now standing up, looking upon my face as if searching for something. She reached out and touched my cheek with her fingertips. I stepped closer to her. Her eyes began to sparkle in the light, reflecting the tears that were now forming.
"I love you, Cloud, with all my being. But there is a special place set aside for you and I within the Lifestream. I know it exists, because I've felt it in my conversations with the Planet. The Planet didn't deceive you, Cloud, but only wanted to see if a human being was capable of feeling such incredible affection toward another, yet be willing to sacrifice everything for the chance at being with that person forever. You passed with flying colors, Cloud, and now you and I will be together forever, in a different place, in a much better place. But that place isn't here or now, but later, when you return to the Planet as well. I must return now, or the Lifestream, along with the Planet, will die."
I took her words seriously, but they nonetheless penetrated my heart and the very depths of my soul. It was obvious to me now that nothing could be done, that nothing I could say or do would dissuade her from going back. But she told me we would be together again, in a special place, for the both of us. Still, I had to live the rest of my pathetic existence in the absence of her presence.
"I….I don't know what to say, Aeris. You complete my life, you make it whole, but without you I am nothing, wasted, part of me is missing. How am I to live the rest of my years on this Planet without you nearby? I can't do it, Aeris, I just can't part with you again…."
"But Cloud, our parting is only temporary. And I will always be nearby you, Cloud. Part of me lives in you. Your feelings for me Cloud have given me something to be hopeful for. Our intertwining destinies, continually mirroring each other; me saving the Planet from Meteor, you destroying Sephiroth. We each had a mission, and now our mission is to be together until the end of time. But not right at this moment. Life is nothing but a series of moments, and then it is gone, and in death begins a whole new adventure, encompassed in a different world with new beginnings, and new moments to relish. There are no ends in death, only beginnings, and what is begun will last an eternity. That's why I am hopeful, Cloud. Hopeful for that time to come, and it will. I promise you, Cloud, we will be together forever, in our place, within the safe protection of the Planet. Our spirits will become one, and we will never die."
Her words touched my soul, and almost immediately I became comforted, when I thought that there was no chance of my ever being normal again. She promised me, and I trust her with my life. I looked back for reassurance from my comrades, and they all stood on, wearing masks of certainty. As I looked back upon my love, I walked to her and kissed her, one last time, one last moment. Then, Lifestream began to creep from within the ground, and slowly surrounded us. I pulled back and stepped away just as the green wisps of energy swirled closer to Aeris. She was smiling, smiling at me, even when the end was imminent. As I watched, a figure appeared behind her, a beautiful figure, in the shape of a woman, with two glowing white angel wings attached to her back, along with a pair of peculiar yet breathtakingly gleaming eyes. She smiled at me, then down at Aeris. As she touched Aeris, two beautiful, feather-coated wings sprouted from Aeris' back. She truly was an angel, I thought. The Lifestream snaked its way around Aeris' body, and an incandescent green light grew around the altar. When it vanished, her body fell, lifeless. Her spirit flew, with the angel, back to the Promised Land, back within the Lifestream, back to a place where I cannot see her, hear her, touch her, or be with her. But I will always love her. I jumped forward and caught her lifeless form as it slowly pitched forward just as it had when Sephiroth had taken her away from me the first time. The tears began pouring from my eyes upon seeing her still, unresponsive form. I leaned my head over her body and rested it upon her chest.
"Aeris…." I whispered softly.
Epilogue
Before me, two glowing eyes looked for the love mine showed. The eyes, his blue shrines that contain within them the knowledge and wisdom of my ancestors, the ones that emit a brilliance unimaginable, the ones I fell in love with at first glance. Now that the light in my eyes is fading, his are searching for an answer. It hurts me deeply to leave him, knowing he truly feels he has nothing without me. I am simply another trifling creature on this Planet, caught up in the cycle of life. I return now to the Promised Land, to my mother, to my ancestors. But I will never forget about Cloud, nor give up waiting for him. He will make it here eventually, and when he does we will be reunited, spending the rest of time together, in the comfort of each other's arms, without fear of death to tear us apart as it has now. But, for us, in death lies life….
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At the far corner of the universe, in a small spiral galaxy, there lies a medium-sized star. And one of its satellites, a green and insignificant planet, lives the last cycles of its life. Within it, there is energy, snaking its way throughout the veins of the meek planet, acting as its blood, keeping it nourished and maintaining the life which lives upon it. In the vastness of that energy, a swirling mass of green tendrils, two pair of eyes can be seen floating together. One pair is as green as emeralds, brighter than the energy itself. The other is bluer than blue, a brilliance to which the likes of no one has ever seen, such as the crystal clear blue of an ocean, shining the powerful lifeforce they contain. Any turn or any course this energy decides to take, the two pairs of eyes are always intertwined, never for one second straying from the other.
THE END
So, is the outcome acceptable? I found the last chapter to be the most interesting, but some of it might sound a bit hurried, because believe me I was ready to finish this one. I think I'll stick to single-part fics for quite a while actually. There's two more fics I already have all the ideas for that I'm about to start writing, but after a short break from this one. Please read and review this one along with the other 5 chapters, because it gives me a chance to at least see how people are responding to my work. If you have any comments/suggestions/flames, send them to ozzman547@aol.com. Later…
Signed Ry…..