:: X :: The Meeting Ended

Cloud awoke the next morning, his joints stiff, but his mind at peace. Aeris was beside him, in his arms, still asleep, breathing placidly. He was glad to see that she was still there with him, and as he looked into her dreaming face, he realised how fragile and delicate she seemed, just like she had used to. He held her a little tighter, knowing that his time was almost up, and stretched his worn muscles, trying not to jar her head. She, however, awakened anyway, and they both sat together for several minutes, wordless, simply holding each other.

"Elmyra will be coming tomorrow," he told her eventually, his voice sounding strange in the quiet. He had not wanted to spoil their togetherness with words, but he knew he must warn her soon.

"Mother is coming?" Her voice, still thick with sleep, seemed a little troubled.

"Yes," he nodded.

"Who asked her to come? You?"

"No. Barret did."

She looked up at him questioningly, and he hastened to explain things to her.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you before. Barret's going to propose to your mother. And I somehow think she's not going to refuse."

A wide smile began to light up her face.

"Mother and Barret...together? How wonderful!"

"Does that please you?"

"Of course - if she's happy, then I'm happy too." She sighed, and looked a little regretful. "So, Marlene will have a proper mama at last. Everyone will be happy again."

"Including you," he added. "Elmyra will be overjoyed to see you again."

"I daresay she will," Aeris remarked, her brow furrowed in thought. "It's been such a long, long time. I'd forgotten what it feels like to be in the embrace of a mother, to feel the eternal love of a mother. That's strange, isn't it."

"No, not really. Sometimes, I forget too." He sneezed, and she laughed lightly at him.

"It's a pity we got caught in the rain last night. Now you'll be in for a cold."

"Then we'd better go back and catch some warmth before we freeze to death in this hell-hole."

"All right," she agreed, and they both stood up. For a moment they looked at each other, considering how they should end this last parting of theirs. Her hand reached out to touch his own, and then briefly; they saw in each other's eyes that the feelings that were once there had changed once more. She dropped her hand, and after a moment, smiled softly again.

"Well then," she began. "I suppose it's time to go."

They wandered back towards the camp, and soon the others came into sight. Tifa was standing on the edge of the encampment, and the look on her face was one of expectancy as they approached her.

"Did it happen?" she asked of Aeris, her voice taut.

"Yes. It's all right, Tifa. Everything turned out fine."

Tifa took in a breath of utter relief, and Cloud thought that there was a strangely thankful look on her face. He had no time to think about it though, for Tifa threw herself into his arms and held him tight.

"I'm so glad, Cloud!"

He did not know why she was so glad, nor why she appeared to know about what had happened the night before. Aeris, however, laid a hand on his shoulder for a moment, then walked down to meet Vincent before answering any questions he might have asked her.

Cloud followed her with his eyes until she was gone, and then put his arms around Tifa, and held her closely to him.

The next morning, when everyone had just finished eating breakfast, a helicopter-taxi touched down just outside the ancient city. Cid had been particularly jittery, as had Barret.

"It looks like the first of the visitors are coming," Red observed with interest as the helicopter finally rose into the air and hovered away.

"Who is it?" Cid demanded, standing up.

"I hope it's Elmyra and Marlene," Barret added, looking out over into the distance. Aeris looked troubled at his words, and Cloud noticed that she was trembling.

"Are they really coming now?" she asked apprehensively.

"Yeah." Barret looked excited. "Isn't it great? You'll be able to see your mother again, Aeris."

"Yes, that's true," she grinned at him. "Congratulations, Barret. I know you'll make my mother happy."

Barret looked shocked.

"Who told you? Cloud?"

"Yes."

Barret glared at him. "It was meant to be a surprise, Cloud. You killjoy."

"Sorry," Cloud shrugged, and Barret scowled at him.

It was, however, Shera who had been dropped off from the helicopter, and was approaching them from the horizon. As her figure became clearer, everyone realised that there seemed to be a rather hefty bundle in her arms. Cid, too, noticed, and his mouth dropped wide open.

"Well, Cid," Barret said slyly, nudging the man next to him hard. "Aren't you going to welcome her?"

"Her?!" Cid cried, amazement in his voice. "Don't you mean them?!"

He raced up the hill leaving the other's grinning behind. It was not long before he had returned with a beaming Shera, and the rest of the group had gathered round to look at the newest additions to their little family.

"Shera," Cid was rebuking her, "you should have told me! I would have come round to see you through the birth straight away!"

"Oh, never mind," Shera replied placidly. "I didn't want to worry you in the middle of your big adventure."

"Worry me!" Cid repeated, rolling his eyes and tutting.

"Why are you so up-tight Cid?" Reeve questioned him. "I thought you'd be happy."

"I am happy," Cid replied, looking a bit bemused. "But I wasn't expecting her to have twins!"

"Twins!" Tifa looked delighted "Oh, let me see!"

Shera pulled back the white blanket she was cradling to reveal two healthy, perfectly identical yet bewildered looking boys.

"Oh, how sweet!" Tifa cried.

"Yes, they look like their father." Aeris remarked with a small smile.

"Hmm, they do you know." Cloud agreed, looking from father to sons. "Except for the wrinkles of course."

"Hey, don't push your luck," Cid glared at him, then turned to the two gurgling babies and tickled them. "Hey you two, it's your old man. And I can tell from the look in your eyes that you're gonna be two great aviators."

The two boys stared up at him with wide, timorous eyes, and then the next moment they were in tears.

"Oh Cid." Shera cried, rocking the twins gently in her arms. "Look at what you've done now!"

"What did I do wrong?" he asked, looking injured.

"I think it was that big, ugly face of yours," Barret joked, and everyone tried to stop laughing, though unsuccessfully.

No one saw much of Cid and his family for the rest of the day, though it was taken for granted that Cid and his wife were fighting over suitable names for their twin boys. It was near evening time when another helicopter landed nearby the site.

"It's Elmyra and Marlene!" Barret exclaimed, and before anyone could stop him, he had run down to where his daughter and wife-to-be were waiting. It was several minutes before the three reappeared, and everyone had wondered what had took them so long. When at last they returned, everyone greeted the girls with vigour.

"Well, Barret," Cloud began slyly. "How about it?"

"I already did it," the older man replied, looking more than just a little pleased with himself. "Back there in private, where none of you jokers were there to cheer me on."

"Barret, I never knew you could be so sly!" Cid remarked.

"Elmyra," Tifa interrupted eagerly, "let's see the ring."

Elmyra obligingly held out her hand, revealing a large diamond ring.

"It's beautiful," Tifa breathed in awe. "Cloud, why don't you buy me one?"

Cloud ignored the question and said nothing, but conceded a blush.

"This is cause for a double celebration!" Cid cried. "No, a triple celebration! Where did I hide my whiskey bottles!"

"Cid!" Shera shot him a warning glare, and he stared at her meekly.

"Well, we are here to have a party..."

While everyone was reproaching the unfortunate Cid, Elmyra turned to Cloud.

"Well? Did you purge yourself of the demons my daughter caused you?"

Cloud was temporarily in a state of shock. He'd forgotten completely about Aeris for some strange reason. On closer inspection, he realised that she was not in the group or anywhere in sight.

"Elmyra, there's something I have to tell you," Cloud stopped and he suddenly realised how hard this was going to be. "Elmyra...Aeris is alive."

Elmyra's face went white.

"Aeris...alive?" She shook her head. "You're lying to me! How can it be true?!"

"I'm not lying. It's too long to explain. Perhaps it would be better if you heard things from Aeris herself." He looked about. "But she doesn't seem to be here."

He turned to walk back to the camp to find her, but Elmyra stopped him.

"Cloud...?"

Cloud looked into her eyes, and saw the painful questions that lay beneath them. Elmyra was as afraid as he had once been, afraid of remembering, of being faced with the love that they had once had for the girl. He tried to comfort her by taking her hand.

"Elmyra...I once loved your daughter." He did not know what else to say, and did not dare to look into her eyes again. Letting go of her hand, he walked back to camp, to bring Aeris back to her mother again.

She was in her tent, and she was packing her small bundle of possessions quite methodically. She did not look up as Cloud approached.

"Aeris, what are you doing?!" he began in shock.

"Packing," she answered his question simply.

"But why?" he continued, hardly able to speak. "Aeris, your mother's here."

"I know," she answered again, her voice still quite casual.

"Then why this?"

She did not reply until she had finished her work, then she slowly stood up and faced him.

"Cloud, do you still not understand?"

He stared at her for a moment, then he hung his head. He knew, he understood, and in his heart he did not want to accept it. She knew his thoughts and spoke kindly to him.

"It's better if she doesn't know I was here, Cloud." She sighed. "I don't belong here, I don't belong to mothers and families and friends and lovers."

"She knows you're here," he replied regretfully.

"Then don't tell her that I'm going." She smiled sorrowfully up at him, then turned to walk past him. He, however, grasped her arm tightly, and she looked at him in surprise.

"Don't try to stop me Cloud!"

"No!" he stopped her before she could speak anymore. "I can't bear it, Aeris. I can't bear to know that you're in this world, living, but not loving, no heart, no soul! Aeris, please go back! Go back to your mother!"

"I can't," she said, this time more softer. "The human world is not for me."

"But you can't live like that!" he persisted, amazed to feel tears in his eyes. "Aeris, I can release you."

"Can you?" her voice was wary.

"Yes, if you want it." He took in a shaky breath. "Aeris, I'd rather see you dead than the way you are now."

"Dead? Are you saying that you would kill me and release my soul into the Lifestream?"

"Yes," he answered without a second thought. She smiled softly at him.

"Cloud, I have no soul. My soul passed long ago into the Lifestream. I am a puppet of the Planet, I told you that. Death would prevent me from carrying out the job set out for me. Forget about me, Cloud."

He was weeping now, he could not help himself from doing so.

"Aeris, how can I forget, when I love? Aeris, I can't."

She stopped, and her fingers gently touched his face.

"Cloud, we've met each other. Now wait to meet her in the Lifestream."

Yes, he would have to wait now, to pass his life in this eternal waiting. It was too painful to think about it, and yet he knew, in time the pain would pass. He embraced her, thinking over their past, the things that they had shared.

"Goodbye, Aeris."

She let go of him, passed a watery smile, then turned to go. He trailed her for a while, then stopped and watched her travel, slowly, up towards the ridge that led to Corral Valley.

"Cloud!" The others had seen him standing there alone, and had gone to see if her had found her.

"Cloud?" Tifa was beside him. "Did you find her?"

He said nothing. He knew that if he attempted to speak, nothing he said would make sense at all. He stared up at the solitary figure in the distance, and felt his eyes fill. He understood that she was gone and that he was never meant to search for her again for as long as he lived. His life, he realised now, would be free of the past that had haunted him, free of her and Sephiroth and the questions that had tortured his mind. How and why he did not know, but the cycle of life would continue - and at last for him his own life would pass, and he would return to the Lifestream and meet her there. It had begun to snow and the soft ice crystals gently flitted downwards, deliciously icy cool, like the cold lump in Cloud's own heart.

"She's going," he whispered. Tifa looked up into his troubled eyes, and though she recognised the pain in them, she felt happy inside.

"No," she told him tenderly. "She's not going."

He gazed down on her, his look questioning.

"The life she gave up and the dead life inside her went away, but their souls passed into the Lifestream," Tifa explained softly. "They'll live again, Aeris told me that. They'll live again in the life of another." She took Cloud's hand and gently pressed it to her stomach. "Aeris gave me a very special gift before she left. She gave us a very special gift."

Cloud's eyes widened.

"You mean...?"

"Yes, Cloud," Tifa nodded. "She chose me to carry the life that went."

Cloud stared at her, speechless. That girl, he thought, had she been a child of the future, as well as the past...?

"Look!" Marlene's voice had interrupted them. "There's the flower lady!"

Elmyra looked up, and saw the slowly receding figure on the hilltop. For a moment, her face was still - shocked, surprised, amazed - and then her mouth opened, and let out a loud cry that echoed all about the frosty city.

"Aeris! My Aeris!"

Before anyone could stop her, she had begun to race up the hill, almost tripping over the scatterings of grain and stone on the ground, still screaming at the top of her voice.

"Aeris! Aeris! Stop, turn back!"

For a moment, Aeris stopped - then with regret on her face, she quietly swivelled round and disappeared over the hill.

"Aeris, no!"

Elmyra was still running, her arms outstretched, but Barret, sensing that Aeris' fate was to disappear at last, ran forwards and stopped her. Elmyra struggled against him at first, then she fell, weeping into his arms.

"Barret...!"

"Elmyra," she comforted her gently. "Let her go."

"I know I must!" she sobbed into his chest. "But that was Aeris, Barret. That was my daughter!"

Next: Nine months later…