"Tifa," he said, softly, barely more than a whisper. His eyes fell downwards, to his lap. "I don't know if you're awake or not. I just wanted to tell you how very sorry I am.
"I know the rage takes me sometimes, and I cannot control it. It is something that's a part of me, though I don't know where it came from or why it chose me. Perhaps it's a remnant of when Sephiroth invaded my mind.
"I only want that you could forgive me. I will never forgive myself. I could very well have killed you and Cid. If any harm were brought upon you, I would have been distraught with fear and concern. The fact that it could have been by my own hand terrifies me."
Slowly he looked up. Tifa's glistening brown eyes stared back at him, her head laying on her hands. He had not even heard her turn over.
"You are forgiven, Cloud." She smiled at him weakly for a moment, but then the corners of her mouth wilted and drooped so that her face, like his, was expressionless. "I know you would not hurt me deliberately so. We still don't know what possesses you; you are the one not in control. All is forgiven."
Cloud shook his head. "It is as you say; I am not in control sometimes. But that shouldn't excuse me from...."
"Cloud," Tifa said sternly. He looked up at her. "I love you. All is forgiven."
Cloud nodded this time, and let the matter drop. He turned his head over to Aeris' body, laid out on her back across the stone pagoda's floor some distance away from him and Tifa. Her hands were crisscrossed over her breasts, clutching the emerald Magicite shard.
"What do we do about Aeris?"
"We can do nothing about her, Cloud." Tifa's head lifted somewhat to look at the still form. "Neither of us knows how to trigger the power of a Magicite shard. I doubt anyone would; they have been lost to us for well over several thousand years."
Cloud nodded, understanding the wisdom in Tifa's words. He removed his arm from around the Ultima blade's scabbard and went to his feet. "There's nothing we can do about her," he agreed.
After a moment's hesitation, Tifa kicked off her blanket to the side, and rose to her feet as well. "Are we going to return her to the waters of the City of the Ancients?"
"Yes," Cloud said. "It's only fitting that she remain in the home of her ancestors." He took one of Aeris' arms and motioned to Tifa to take the other.
As soon as Tifa's hand wrapped around Aeris' wrist so that both she and Cloud had an arm each, there was an explosion of green light. There was no sound, like lightning without thunder. It filled their eyes, and illuminated the entire room with a ghostly green patina. Green-white energy poured out of Aeris' chest-- no, Cloud though, that wasn't the word for it. It was like water spraying forth from a crack in a dam. It was a torrential current of energy. Slowly, sound came back to their ears, and the energy spewing from Aeris' chest roared all around.
"What is it," Tifa screamed. "Cloud, what's going on?"
"It's Aeris!" Cloud shouted back. "I don't know what it is, though!"
"No," she said, shielding her eyes with her forearm as she pointed. "It's not Aeris... it's the Magicite stone!"
Cloud squinted through the brilliant light, although it was like staring at the midday sun from up close. Then he saw it, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
The Magicite shard, nestled between Aeris' breasts, was aglow with a furious light. Deep in the center of the glassy shard, like a candle inside a lantern, was a red flame. It flickered and danced, and the green light pulsated in time with its movement.
"I know the rage takes me sometimes, and I cannot control it. It is something that's a part of me, though I don't know where it came from or why it chose me. Perhaps it's a remnant of when Sephiroth invaded my mind.
"I only want that you could forgive me. I will never forgive myself. I could very well have killed you and Cid. If any harm were brought upon you, I would have been distraught with fear and concern. The fact that it could have been by my own hand terrifies me."
Slowly he looked up. Tifa's glistening brown eyes stared back at him, her head laying on her hands. He had not even heard her turn over.
"You are forgiven, Cloud." She smiled at him weakly for a moment, but then the corners of her mouth wilted and drooped so that her face, like his, was expressionless. "I know you would not hurt me deliberately so. We still don't know what possesses you; you are the one not in control. All is forgiven."
Cloud shook his head. "It is as you say; I am not in control sometimes. But that shouldn't excuse me from...."
"Cloud," Tifa said sternly. He looked up at her. "I love you. All is forgiven."
Cloud nodded this time, and let the matter drop. He turned his head over to Aeris' body, laid out on her back across the stone pagoda's floor some distance away from him and Tifa. Her hands were crisscrossed over her breasts, clutching the emerald Magicite shard.
"What do we do about Aeris?"
"We can do nothing about her, Cloud." Tifa's head lifted somewhat to look at the still form. "Neither of us knows how to trigger the power of a Magicite shard. I doubt anyone would; they have been lost to us for well over several thousand years."
Cloud nodded, understanding the wisdom in Tifa's words. He removed his arm from around the Ultima blade's scabbard and went to his feet. "There's nothing we can do about her," he agreed.
After a moment's hesitation, Tifa kicked off her blanket to the side, and rose to her feet as well. "Are we going to return her to the waters of the City of the Ancients?"
"Yes," Cloud said. "It's only fitting that she remain in the home of her ancestors." He took one of Aeris' arms and motioned to Tifa to take the other.
As soon as Tifa's hand wrapped around Aeris' wrist so that both she and Cloud had an arm each, there was an explosion of green light. There was no sound, like lightning without thunder. It filled their eyes, and illuminated the entire room with a ghostly green patina. Green-white energy poured out of Aeris' chest-- no, Cloud though, that wasn't the word for it. It was like water spraying forth from a crack in a dam. It was a torrential current of energy. Slowly, sound came back to their ears, and the energy spewing from Aeris' chest roared all around.
"What is it," Tifa screamed. "Cloud, what's going on?"
"It's Aeris!" Cloud shouted back. "I don't know what it is, though!"
"No," she said, shielding her eyes with her forearm as she pointed. "It's not Aeris... it's the Magicite stone!"
Cloud squinted through the brilliant light, although it was like staring at the midday sun from up close. Then he saw it, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
The Magicite shard, nestled between Aeris' breasts, was aglow with a furious light. Deep in the center of the glassy shard, like a candle inside a lantern, was a red flame. It flickered and danced, and the green light pulsated in time with its movement.