I watched as Cloud led us towards the center of the Forgotten City. I went to follow him, but he held his arm out, gesturing for me to stop. I did so, and let him leap from stone to stone, to the center of the altar where Aeris was praying.
"I hope he don't get his spiky ass in trouble." Barret muttered as I stepped to the edge of the platform, desperately wanting to leap after him.
I saw the look in his eyes when he spoke about Aeris, or looked at her, or thought about her. Those deep blue Mako eyes, filled with raw emotion for a girl that wasn't me. I'll admit that I was jealous. But I couldn't comprehend why he felt so much for her. She was just a simple flower girl from the slums...Just like I was just his simple childhood friend from Nibelheim.
"What the hell are you doin'?" Barret's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. My head shot up, and I looked at Cloud, who was holding his sword above his head, ready to strike Aeris.
"Cloud!" I shouted, jumping to the first stone. I saw him shake his head and draw back in shock. Aeris looked up at him, locking eyes with him and smiling slowly. I didn't like that smile...It was like she knew something that we didn't, and she would never tell us.
I heard a whooshing sound, and felt my hair blow in a sudden wind. I looked up at the sky and saw a shadow bringing itself down towards Aeris. A long blade protruded from the figure, and I felt a cold blast of air and a feeling of dread that could only mean one thing.
"Sephiroth!" I shouted, jumping towards Cloud and Aeris as quickly as I could.
But I was too late.
The Masamune was thrust through Aeris's chest, and pulled out just as quickly. "No!" I screamed. I hardly noticed the soft green Materia that fell out of Aeris's ponytail and into the waters below. Cloud collapsed next to Aeris, pulling her up into his arms.
I watched the exchange between Sephiroth and Cloud with no real interest. All I could think about was Aeris. Had she sacrificed herself for us?
I watched Sephiroth fly up into the sky, watching Cloud as well. I wanted to comfort him. I wanted to hold him in my arms and comfort him, hush him to sleep, sing our childhood songs. But I didn't have the time - Jenova had been left as a gift for us.
After an arduous battle, we sat around Aeris's cold, dead body for a few moments. "Should we bury her?" I asked, looking at Cloud. He was staring down at her, holding her hand to his chest. He looked like a little boy, clutching a stuffed animal when he was scared. He looked weak and vulnurable, nothing like the Cloud I thought I knew. The Cloud I knew was tough. The Cloud I knew was strong, and didn't falter...Ever. It was like he was letting down his facade for the first time.
In the end we decided to drop her into the lake that lay in the Forgotten City. We figured that she would be happiest close to hom, close to where her ancestors lived.