Cloud shifted uncomfortably in hell, stifling a sigh of frustration. I hate this place, Cloud thought bitterly. Every time he closed his eyes he could see Tifa's decapitated head smiling at him. Cloud could almost hear Sephiroth laughing at him, Tifa's blood splashed on his cruel face.
"Why am I here? What is happening to me!"
The darkness gave Cloud no answer and he continued to drift aimlessly. I wonder where Tifa is? Cloud's mind began to run a mile a minute. If I'm here, where's Sephiroth? What if he's in my body? Who will he kill next? Cloud paused in his thought process.
"Cloud."
The voice was breathy that echoed loudly in the emptiness.
"Who's there?"
"You let me die Cloud," the eerie voice laughed.
Cloud's head darted around, trying to find the owner to the voice. He looked over to his right and gasped.
Aerith was floating, her dress waving around her legs. She was giving him a bright warm smile. But this wasn't the Aerith that Cloud remembers from before. Her eyes were glazed over a milky white. Her midsection was stained crimson, turning her normally pink dress into an ugly shade of red.
"Aerith," he whispered trying to reach out to her.
"You let us die," a new voice taunted him.
Cloud's gaze focused on something behind Aerith. Cloud's Mako eyes grew in size and he was forced to bite his lip to keep from screaming.
A charred body was floating behind Aerith and to her right. The face and blonde hair belonged to his mother.
"Mother," he whispered.
His mothers black lips opened in a vicious smile. The two bodies floated closer to Cloud and he wanted nothing more than to back up. But the harder he tried to back step the faster they got.
"Get away," he pleaded as Aerith got within a hand width of him.
"Son," his mother moaned, her voice cracking.
"Get back!"
Aerith grabbed onto his right arm, her bleeding midsection pressed up against his side. His mother grabbed onto his other arm. One hand broke off, landing with a thud on Cloud's foot. But that didn't faze her in the slightest.
"We want you to stay with us," Aerith purred into his ear.
"For eternity," his mother said.
Hands wrapped around his neck, making him shiver. Cloud looked over his shoulder as Aerith gently stroked his face. NO!
Tifa's headless body leaned up against his back. Cloud squeezed his eyes shut and screamed. Cloud didn't know how long he screamed, all he remembered was wanting to escape.
"Are you finished?"
Cloud opened his eyes slightly, stopping his screaming. A purple haired woman was staring at him, her arms crossed over her chest. She was wearing jeans and a purple sweater; her eyes were an unmistakable shade of lavender.
"Who are you," Cloud asked.
"Why so many questions, you know who I am," the woman stated with a flip of her purple hair.
Cloud shook his head, long locks of silver hair fell into his eyes. Stupid Sephiroth and his long hair, Cloud thought shoving it out of his face.
"You don't know who I am? Well now isn't that interesting."
Cloud frowned, "What are you talking about?"
"Let me guess, you're not Sephiroth," she said.
"What was your first clue?"
"The attitude. Well then, if you aren't Sephiroth, would you mind explaining just who you are," the woman said.
From the tone of her voice it wasn't a question.
"Cloud Strife."
The woman's lavender eyes widened, "Not the Cloud Strife. The one that killed Sephiroth?"
"The very same. How do you know I killed Sephiroth?" This woman intrigued Cloud.
"Practically everybody has heard of you. Sephiroth never stops bitching about you. Once he got here it was Cloud this and Cloud that," the woman said, throwing up her hands in mock frustration.
"Where exactly is here?"
The woman gave Cloud a smile. Is everything about her purple? Cloud had never seen purple lipstick before. Well there's a first time for everything.
"Why the Promise Land of course."
Cloud blinked several times before finding words. "T-the Pr-Promise Land? I always thought," Cloud trailed off when the woman began to laugh.
"Of course it's the Promise Land. What did you think it was going to look like?"
The woman's eyes grew big and Cloud could almost swear they were sparkling, "Did you think it was full of blue skies, pretty flowers, and talking bunnies?"
Cloud blushed slightly, looking away. I never thought everybody was able to get a Promise Land.
"Let me break it to ya kid. Everybody gets to go to a Promise Land. Nobody goes to the same exact place. The Promise Land each person goes to is based upon the individual. Its about your personality and what you did with your life that will shape your Promise Land," the purple woman explained.
"So how did you get here if this is Sephiroth's Promise Land," Cloud wanted to know.
"All the places like this are the same. You can run into a lot of people around here. I was just talking with Hojo, the slimy bastard, before I came over to investigate your screaming," the woman explained.
"Hojo is here?"
She nodded, "So is President Shinra and a bunch of other people. People that came long before your time kid."
Cloud was not happy with this woman, who was clearly younger than him, calling him a kid. "What's with these visions I've been having?"
"Its your own personal hell kiddo. The worst events in your life you are forced to relive. Or it could also be things in your life that are traumatic that you fear, that have yet to happen."
"How long have you been here?"
The woman looked thoughtful for a few minutes, simply staring off into space. "A long time. Lets just say I knew Hojo long before he was mad. Also long before Sephiroth was a name on the wind. I should get going."
The woman turned to go, giving Cloud a wave.
"Wait," Cloud called.
The woman turned, "Yes?"
"You never said your name."
"Violet. Catch ya later Cloudy boy," Violet said.
Violet blew Cloud a kiss and drifted off.
"She has got to be the strangest person I have ever met," Cloud mussed out loud.
"Cloud," Aerith's voice whispered in his ear again.
Not again!
