Chapter 29: Fallen Depths of Hope
Aeris was pushing herself to her limits now, pushing all her restlessness aside and out of her body.
Breathing heavily, nearly about to fall she still continued forward without even the thought of stopping because she knew they may be following.
She tripped on her way over an up raised root from a nearby tree and fell flat on her stomach hard.
She lay silently on the ground for a few minutes exhausted from running. She gently breathed in with her hair flipped over her head. Aeris closed her eyes as she listened to the ground for sounds of footsteps but none came to her ears.
She then began to sit up but dropped back down into the ground in pain. Aeris gripped her stomach as it started to throb squinting her eyes tightly.
As the throbbing continued to pulse through out her body, Aeris then began to feel sick, almost like throwing up.
"What's wrong with me.?" she whispered to herself.
Suddenly soft footsteps padded against the solid dirt ground sounded nearby and were headed towards her quickly. She almost at once realized whom they belonged to. Despite her pain she thrusted her hands to her side and through herself up, starting to run almost immediately after.
"Aeris!" Cloud cried out, scanning the area for her as he continued to try and follow her. "Come back! We'll help you!"
Ignoring his pleas she pressed on, pulling her dress back behind her legs so she could move quicker away from her.
"Where is it? Come on I can feel it's here somewhere." She whispered to herself, swinging her glances to each side of her desperately for any sign of the warm glowing stream.
"Aeris!" Cloud cried again. Aeris almost regretted running from him now as his voice grew more frighten and desperate to find her.
She continued to go straight though, passing nearby trees as she went to hide herself from Cloud as he edged nearer to her. Beginning to pick up her speed she could start to feel the warm stream growing closer to her. The grass seemed to die at a point before her but she refused to acknowledge the possibilities of the reasons for it.
Suddenly, the faint sound of rushing water came to her ears, and she stopped quickly. Her eyes grew large as she now noticed she was hovering over a deep canyon as well.
Small stones escaped from beneath her boots and bounced off the sides of the canyon. Her whole body seemed to shake in fright as she stared down below but something caught her eye.
Aeris looked a little more over closely and saw the gentle neon green glow of the LifeStream below in the center of the ground at the bottom.
"Aeris! Stop!" Cloud screamed and she turned to see he was only a few feet away from him now.
She feared missing the stream if she attempted to fall into it from that far, but then again if she didn't risk it, then Cloud would surely grab her and pull her back to Costa Del Sol. back to all the strange people that claimed to know her.
Taking in a few deep breaths she stood silently, awaiting Cloud to near her enough.
"Don't. don't do it, you'll die!" he told her breathlessly as he stopped about two feet in front of her.
Aeris's eyes dimmed, and seemed to fade with the setting sun that sat behind her. A gentle breeze swept around her slender thin body.
Her hands lay limply at her side as she stared silently off towards Cloud. She didn't even seemed concerned anywhere about falling, even if it was to her death as she took a step backwards so that her heels were hanging off the edge now.
"Goodbye.." She whispered as a small smile spread across her delicate face.
Cloud's eyes enlarged themselves instantly as she started to lean back with nothing to keep her from dropping.
Before even the first second had passed, wind began to shoot passed her furiously as her body fell below.
Aeris felt as if she was flying upside down and refused to think differently knowing it might ruin her landing.
All thoughts of death vanished from her mind and as she watched the side of the canyon rushed passed her. She started to close her eyes gently then to hide it from herself to keep any fear from her mind.
"Aeris!!" Cloud screamed and Aeris reopened her eyes quickly only to find that he had jumped off after her as well.
He was pushing himself to speed faster towards her but she made no attempt to do the same. Laying her head back she ignored Cloud as she head dived towards the bottom knowing nothing could really stop her from falling as she reclosed her eyes awaiting the impact soon to come as it had done in Costa Del Sol.
"I won't let you do this." Cloud whispered as he finally reached her side.
He quickly wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. Aeris shot her eyes open and turned her head to him as they suddenly stopped in mid-air.
"What are you doing?! Let go!" Aeris screamed as she began to wildly try and break free from his grasp.
Both of them hovered no more then a foot above the warm scream. Aeris grabbed his arm and started to push it away from her waist hard but not far enough it seemed.
Gasping for air he looked to her confusingly and took a few deep breathes as well as he watched her curiously.
"Aeris please don't do this, you'll die for sure if you plunge into the stream."
"I won't! Drop me and I'll only disappear!"
"No, only your soul will, you will die and then all our struggling will be in vain!" he screamed.
"Your struggling?! That is another world in there! Zack is there, and the Cid and Shera I know are there! Please let me go back to them, Cloud!" Aeris begged her voice beginning to grow soft and weak.
"As much as I'd like to help you, I can't let you go."
"Then please forgive me." Aeris told him as she lowered her hands in front of her and clasped them together.
"Wha-" Cloud started but was cut off by Aeris's powerful blow to the side his head with the sides of her hands swung from beside her.
He remained suspended in mid-air but his grip quickly loosened and she slipped swiftly into the cool stream's liquid. Aeris closed her eyes the minute her deep chocolate brown braids touched the surface as she sunk deep beneath its liquid of souls and disappeared from Cloud's view towards the bottom.
Aeris was pushing herself to her limits now, pushing all her restlessness aside and out of her body.
Breathing heavily, nearly about to fall she still continued forward without even the thought of stopping because she knew they may be following.
She tripped on her way over an up raised root from a nearby tree and fell flat on her stomach hard.
She lay silently on the ground for a few minutes exhausted from running. She gently breathed in with her hair flipped over her head. Aeris closed her eyes as she listened to the ground for sounds of footsteps but none came to her ears.
She then began to sit up but dropped back down into the ground in pain. Aeris gripped her stomach as it started to throb squinting her eyes tightly.
As the throbbing continued to pulse through out her body, Aeris then began to feel sick, almost like throwing up.
"What's wrong with me.?" she whispered to herself.
Suddenly soft footsteps padded against the solid dirt ground sounded nearby and were headed towards her quickly. She almost at once realized whom they belonged to. Despite her pain she thrusted her hands to her side and through herself up, starting to run almost immediately after.
"Aeris!" Cloud cried out, scanning the area for her as he continued to try and follow her. "Come back! We'll help you!"
Ignoring his pleas she pressed on, pulling her dress back behind her legs so she could move quicker away from her.
"Where is it? Come on I can feel it's here somewhere." She whispered to herself, swinging her glances to each side of her desperately for any sign of the warm glowing stream.
"Aeris!" Cloud cried again. Aeris almost regretted running from him now as his voice grew more frighten and desperate to find her.
She continued to go straight though, passing nearby trees as she went to hide herself from Cloud as he edged nearer to her. Beginning to pick up her speed she could start to feel the warm stream growing closer to her. The grass seemed to die at a point before her but she refused to acknowledge the possibilities of the reasons for it.
Suddenly, the faint sound of rushing water came to her ears, and she stopped quickly. Her eyes grew large as she now noticed she was hovering over a deep canyon as well.
Small stones escaped from beneath her boots and bounced off the sides of the canyon. Her whole body seemed to shake in fright as she stared down below but something caught her eye.
Aeris looked a little more over closely and saw the gentle neon green glow of the LifeStream below in the center of the ground at the bottom.
"Aeris! Stop!" Cloud screamed and she turned to see he was only a few feet away from him now.
She feared missing the stream if she attempted to fall into it from that far, but then again if she didn't risk it, then Cloud would surely grab her and pull her back to Costa Del Sol. back to all the strange people that claimed to know her.
Taking in a few deep breaths she stood silently, awaiting Cloud to near her enough.
"Don't. don't do it, you'll die!" he told her breathlessly as he stopped about two feet in front of her.
Aeris's eyes dimmed, and seemed to fade with the setting sun that sat behind her. A gentle breeze swept around her slender thin body.
Her hands lay limply at her side as she stared silently off towards Cloud. She didn't even seemed concerned anywhere about falling, even if it was to her death as she took a step backwards so that her heels were hanging off the edge now.
"Goodbye.." She whispered as a small smile spread across her delicate face.
Cloud's eyes enlarged themselves instantly as she started to lean back with nothing to keep her from dropping.
Before even the first second had passed, wind began to shoot passed her furiously as her body fell below.
Aeris felt as if she was flying upside down and refused to think differently knowing it might ruin her landing.
All thoughts of death vanished from her mind and as she watched the side of the canyon rushed passed her. She started to close her eyes gently then to hide it from herself to keep any fear from her mind.
"Aeris!!" Cloud screamed and Aeris reopened her eyes quickly only to find that he had jumped off after her as well.
He was pushing himself to speed faster towards her but she made no attempt to do the same. Laying her head back she ignored Cloud as she head dived towards the bottom knowing nothing could really stop her from falling as she reclosed her eyes awaiting the impact soon to come as it had done in Costa Del Sol.
"I won't let you do this." Cloud whispered as he finally reached her side.
He quickly wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. Aeris shot her eyes open and turned her head to him as they suddenly stopped in mid-air.
"What are you doing?! Let go!" Aeris screamed as she began to wildly try and break free from his grasp.
Both of them hovered no more then a foot above the warm scream. Aeris grabbed his arm and started to push it away from her waist hard but not far enough it seemed.
Gasping for air he looked to her confusingly and took a few deep breathes as well as he watched her curiously.
"Aeris please don't do this, you'll die for sure if you plunge into the stream."
"I won't! Drop me and I'll only disappear!"
"No, only your soul will, you will die and then all our struggling will be in vain!" he screamed.
"Your struggling?! That is another world in there! Zack is there, and the Cid and Shera I know are there! Please let me go back to them, Cloud!" Aeris begged her voice beginning to grow soft and weak.
"As much as I'd like to help you, I can't let you go."
"Then please forgive me." Aeris told him as she lowered her hands in front of her and clasped them together.
"Wha-" Cloud started but was cut off by Aeris's powerful blow to the side his head with the sides of her hands swung from beside her.
He remained suspended in mid-air but his grip quickly loosened and she slipped swiftly into the cool stream's liquid. Aeris closed her eyes the minute her deep chocolate brown braids touched the surface as she sunk deep beneath its liquid of souls and disappeared from Cloud's view towards the bottom.