Chapter 6: Milky Twilight, Silver Moon. Always and Forever.
Note: As usual, I own nuthin.
His eyes widened, he felt his heart stop. Could she really be gone? Is this just a dream?
"Go to her.", said a little voice. And his body obeyed. Down the seemingly endless hallway of the ship, past the crew's quarters, bathroom, stable, galley, was the infirmary where everyone stood, crying. They let him through, and he entered, his heart pounding, he was growing light- headed, his fingertips turning into ice. And there she was. Dead. His pupils shrank with fear, for he was alone. She lay there inanimate, her skin was a pale white, her lips were dull, and yet she seemed at peace. He could not control his tears as he threw himself upon her, wishing she had never known him, that maybe today, she'd be alive. He'd would never again hear her laugh, cry, get angry, or forgive. Forgive him. Somehow, he felt, somehow he felt that it was not in his destiny to love. Somewhere it seemed it was written that he would be alone. "In the great scheme of the universe, we are all ultimately alone." The words rang out to him, as if they meant something special. "Alone. . .", he repeated. It felt like there was a hand on his shoulder. It felt warm and comforting, and very familiar, but when he looked up to see the presence, no one was there. "Come. . . ", something said to him. "Outside. . ." And his body felt it lose itself in someone else's control, but he didn't care. At least it was somewhere to go. And he emerged out onto the deck, and saw a slender, female figure, bathed in moonlight with glittering, snow white wings. Aeris. His heart skipped a beat.
"Aeris?", he asked quietly.
"Hello there Cloud.", she said, turning around with a soft smile. "I'm here to help."
"It's too late.", he said in despair. And so she walked over to him, and him to her, and he entered the radiant glow of the silver moon and milky twilight that shone overhead as the Highwind rode above the cotton clouds in the cool nights air. She looked wonderful, but he had other obligations to address. And yet she was right here. Right now. Together.
"It's never too late."
"But-
"Never. There's something I want to give you. Or rather, give back." And she stepped softly to the railing on the deck, looking very luminescent in the gentle rays of the moon. She held something very fragile looking, and it was held up against her heart. A yellow flower.
"I can't take that back. It's yours."
"No. It belongs to the one you love. That is what this flower is about. I love you. So here it is."
"But-
"No. Give it to the one you love. Or perhaps, the one you are destined to be with. Just have it in yourself to forgive her, for something she has done. She didn't have any control over this, the stars said it themselves. Forgive her, because she couldn't forgive herself."
"What do you mean?"
"This was her decision, to die. But she didn't know the true value of herself without you. And so, she sought out to find another to hold on to."
"Reno.", he said with anger.
"But wait. The memory of you, it kept her from him. She truly didn't do anything with him, every time she was about to, you were in her head. You were on her mind. But you were the one thing she felt she always lost. Sound familiar?"
"Tifa. . .", he said with remorse. "Tifa!" He collapsed in tears, the pain searing through him was too much to bear, and he was left on his knees. But Yuffie and the others were looking at them through a window, and saw him alone, crying.
"Poor guy. . . Come on, let's go." And they couldn't see the angel standing right beside him.
"Cloud. . .", she said, and bent down and kissed his forehead, and he looked up into the supple pools of green that were her eyes. "Remember, that even though in this life, we are ultimately alone, there is always something to love. And there is your bond to someone else, your shoulder to cry on, and your person to talk to. Someone to keep you company on the long and lonely journey of life. Remember, Cloud, that you are not alone, unless you really choose to be. And I don't believe anybody truly wishes to be." And she dissolved in the moonlight, leaving a sparkling mist where she used to stand, and on the ground lay that small, yellow rose. Its fragrance was beautiful, and it seemed to almost have her essence as well. "I don't believe anybody truly wishes to be." Those words, so familiar. His memory flashed again to the night Aeris died. "I don't think anybody truly wishes to be.", he said to Tifa. "I won't leave you. Not again."
"Give it to the one you love.", echoed her voice. So he left the windy deck of the Highwind, listening to that voice that seemed to whisper in his ear, and walked back to the infirmary, where Tifa still lay, undisturbed, and never to be disturbed again.
"Tifa. . .", he slowly began, as he touched her icy cold face. "I don't care what you did. I just want you to come back." His throat tightened to a painful degree, and his eyes blurred with tears. "I forgive you. Just as you had taken me back. Please. Just, come back . . ." And he fell upon his knees, and placed the rose over her heart. "Always and forever." And a frozen tear fell upon the delicate petal of the rose as he returned to his feet, and it didn't matter now whether she was alive or dead. He would always love her. Always and forever.
He walked back out to the deck, the cold air rushing against his body, whipping his spike hair back and forth. He looked back up to the sky, the moon, glowing with its light like a candle in the darkness, the stars twinkling brightly. "The candles of our souls.", he thought as he saw one flicker out. "Everyone has their own star.", he remembered Aeris say. "That must have been Tifa's . . ." And then he saw a comet flash by as it looked lit it hit the star that burnt out. He remembered clearly the night he promised Tifa his protection, and now, he felt he failed. He failed to protect her from herself. But that comet. It was so familiar. And now he knew it. It was like that same night. He knew the heavens had its own way of saying things, and he wondered if Tifa was up there with Aeris. And when he was about to close his eyes, he saw something. The star. It reappeared in the sky. Where the comet used to be.
"How . . .?", he wondered.
"It's quite simple really."
"Who's there?", he asked. He looked behind him and saw a dark figure, but it was smaller than him.
"Me."
Hidee ho there, readers. Yet another short chapter, indeed. But, I update this quite a bit, so that should count for something, and, I don't want you to spend all of eternity reading a chapter. Well, I'm not sure how long the rest of the story is gonna be, and I'm already embarking on a different FF7 fanfic, that I'll at least TRY and make funny. So review this, or hell, even leave a flamer on your way out.
Note: As usual, I own nuthin.
His eyes widened, he felt his heart stop. Could she really be gone? Is this just a dream?
"Go to her.", said a little voice. And his body obeyed. Down the seemingly endless hallway of the ship, past the crew's quarters, bathroom, stable, galley, was the infirmary where everyone stood, crying. They let him through, and he entered, his heart pounding, he was growing light- headed, his fingertips turning into ice. And there she was. Dead. His pupils shrank with fear, for he was alone. She lay there inanimate, her skin was a pale white, her lips were dull, and yet she seemed at peace. He could not control his tears as he threw himself upon her, wishing she had never known him, that maybe today, she'd be alive. He'd would never again hear her laugh, cry, get angry, or forgive. Forgive him. Somehow, he felt, somehow he felt that it was not in his destiny to love. Somewhere it seemed it was written that he would be alone. "In the great scheme of the universe, we are all ultimately alone." The words rang out to him, as if they meant something special. "Alone. . .", he repeated. It felt like there was a hand on his shoulder. It felt warm and comforting, and very familiar, but when he looked up to see the presence, no one was there. "Come. . . ", something said to him. "Outside. . ." And his body felt it lose itself in someone else's control, but he didn't care. At least it was somewhere to go. And he emerged out onto the deck, and saw a slender, female figure, bathed in moonlight with glittering, snow white wings. Aeris. His heart skipped a beat.
"Aeris?", he asked quietly.
"Hello there Cloud.", she said, turning around with a soft smile. "I'm here to help."
"It's too late.", he said in despair. And so she walked over to him, and him to her, and he entered the radiant glow of the silver moon and milky twilight that shone overhead as the Highwind rode above the cotton clouds in the cool nights air. She looked wonderful, but he had other obligations to address. And yet she was right here. Right now. Together.
"It's never too late."
"But-
"Never. There's something I want to give you. Or rather, give back." And she stepped softly to the railing on the deck, looking very luminescent in the gentle rays of the moon. She held something very fragile looking, and it was held up against her heart. A yellow flower.
"I can't take that back. It's yours."
"No. It belongs to the one you love. That is what this flower is about. I love you. So here it is."
"But-
"No. Give it to the one you love. Or perhaps, the one you are destined to be with. Just have it in yourself to forgive her, for something she has done. She didn't have any control over this, the stars said it themselves. Forgive her, because she couldn't forgive herself."
"What do you mean?"
"This was her decision, to die. But she didn't know the true value of herself without you. And so, she sought out to find another to hold on to."
"Reno.", he said with anger.
"But wait. The memory of you, it kept her from him. She truly didn't do anything with him, every time she was about to, you were in her head. You were on her mind. But you were the one thing she felt she always lost. Sound familiar?"
"Tifa. . .", he said with remorse. "Tifa!" He collapsed in tears, the pain searing through him was too much to bear, and he was left on his knees. But Yuffie and the others were looking at them through a window, and saw him alone, crying.
"Poor guy. . . Come on, let's go." And they couldn't see the angel standing right beside him.
"Cloud. . .", she said, and bent down and kissed his forehead, and he looked up into the supple pools of green that were her eyes. "Remember, that even though in this life, we are ultimately alone, there is always something to love. And there is your bond to someone else, your shoulder to cry on, and your person to talk to. Someone to keep you company on the long and lonely journey of life. Remember, Cloud, that you are not alone, unless you really choose to be. And I don't believe anybody truly wishes to be." And she dissolved in the moonlight, leaving a sparkling mist where she used to stand, and on the ground lay that small, yellow rose. Its fragrance was beautiful, and it seemed to almost have her essence as well. "I don't believe anybody truly wishes to be." Those words, so familiar. His memory flashed again to the night Aeris died. "I don't think anybody truly wishes to be.", he said to Tifa. "I won't leave you. Not again."
"Give it to the one you love.", echoed her voice. So he left the windy deck of the Highwind, listening to that voice that seemed to whisper in his ear, and walked back to the infirmary, where Tifa still lay, undisturbed, and never to be disturbed again.
"Tifa. . .", he slowly began, as he touched her icy cold face. "I don't care what you did. I just want you to come back." His throat tightened to a painful degree, and his eyes blurred with tears. "I forgive you. Just as you had taken me back. Please. Just, come back . . ." And he fell upon his knees, and placed the rose over her heart. "Always and forever." And a frozen tear fell upon the delicate petal of the rose as he returned to his feet, and it didn't matter now whether she was alive or dead. He would always love her. Always and forever.
He walked back out to the deck, the cold air rushing against his body, whipping his spike hair back and forth. He looked back up to the sky, the moon, glowing with its light like a candle in the darkness, the stars twinkling brightly. "The candles of our souls.", he thought as he saw one flicker out. "Everyone has their own star.", he remembered Aeris say. "That must have been Tifa's . . ." And then he saw a comet flash by as it looked lit it hit the star that burnt out. He remembered clearly the night he promised Tifa his protection, and now, he felt he failed. He failed to protect her from herself. But that comet. It was so familiar. And now he knew it. It was like that same night. He knew the heavens had its own way of saying things, and he wondered if Tifa was up there with Aeris. And when he was about to close his eyes, he saw something. The star. It reappeared in the sky. Where the comet used to be.
"How . . .?", he wondered.
"It's quite simple really."
"Who's there?", he asked. He looked behind him and saw a dark figure, but it was smaller than him.
"Me."
Hidee ho there, readers. Yet another short chapter, indeed. But, I update this quite a bit, so that should count for something, and, I don't want you to spend all of eternity reading a chapter. Well, I'm not sure how long the rest of the story is gonna be, and I'm already embarking on a different FF7 fanfic, that I'll at least TRY and make funny. So review this, or hell, even leave a flamer on your way out.