Chapter - 16: The Promised Land

Cloud opened his eyes to see he was sitting in a patch of beautiful, perfect flowers. All around him, flowers covered the field as far as the eye could see. He slowly leaned back only to notice that something met his weight. He quickly stood.

"Aeris?" He asked.

She giggled and touched her hand to his arm; suddenly he felt the effects of Geostigma fade from his body as a warmth settled in, soothing the pain and releasing his body's fatigue.

Another hand reached out and touched his shoulder; he turned to see Aeris and Kane standing in the field.

"I knew you'd come back…thanks Cloud." Kane muttered as he sat back down in the grass.

"I think…I understand now." Cloud said to Aeris.

"Understand what?"

"I think, I know why you died."

She laughed again. "It's taken you this long?"

Cloud nodded and smiled as he glanced around the field.

"I guess we all find our Promised Land one day." Kane muttered as he stood again and faced Cloud. "I guess this is what it is like to be dead."

Kane lowered his head as a tear rolled down his face. Aeris slowly rest her arm around his shoulder caringly. He looked up again and smiled half-heartedly.

"Cloud, be happy." Aeris said. "Tifa is worried about you."

"Yea man, were friends right?" Zack's voice came from behind him.

"Yea," He turned and faced the black haired man with tears in his eyes. "Were friends."

"It's time for you to go, Cloud." Aeris said as she moved in and hugged him.

"Stay cool." Zack added as he rest his hand on Cloud's shoulder.

Cloud looked back at them all one last time as the light faded slowly.

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He knelt there with both blades held up, breathing hard as he looked around. Suddenly, the entire cave started to shake and more crystals flew wild.

"Cloud, we have to go!" Sephiroth shouted.

Cloud turned to see Sephiroth, with Vincent's arm hanging almost lifelessly around his neck. He ran over to Kane and looked at him. He was pale, as all life had been sucked from him, leaving only a husk. No trace of Jenova remained, only steam from the evaporated muck.

He ran back over to his companions. "Both of you grab my arms."

Sephiroth held on to him and Vincent, the black haired Vincent clutched around the other arm, barely awake.

As the cave fell in on itself, Cloud burst into the air leaving a streak of blue behind him again as he flew against the cosmic pull of the vortex that they came in on. He felt as if his skin would pull off as they weathered the force pushing against them. In seconds, they saw the sky above and flew out into low orbit.

Cloud turned to look back at the ground; he saw the crater and floated back toward it.

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"Whoa!" Rude shouted as he fell over from the shock as they came bolting out.

Cloud slowly touched down on the snow, his body still sheathed in a blue glow. Vincent fell to the snow as Sephiroth let go of him.

The ground slowly started shaking, then before long, it was vibrating back and forth like a tree in the wind. Cloud was about ready to attempt to fly them away when the Highwind rocketed up.

Barret flung Vincent over his shoulder and ran for the lower deck. Sephiroth picked up Masamune and sheathed it before following. Reno and Rude lost no time and ran for it. Cloud grabbed Cait Sith and flew right up with the Highwind as the Crater collapsed under them, sucking the Lifestream, as well as all the mountains, underneath the planet surface.

"Wait, how is this over?" Sephiroth yelled to Cloud over the roar of the wind and the engines as the others ran inside. "Me and you both still exist and within us the Jenova cells."

Cloud smiled as the blue light faded. "I absorbed Jenova, they are my cells now." he slowly raised his hand.

Sephiroth found himself raising the same hand.

"The larger mass of cells control the smaller ones." Cloud said. "Do not worry…As a former puppet I do not wish to control anyone."

The Highwind flew through the open skies and back towards Midgar. For the first time ever, all of team smiled with the hope that Jenova's defeat would usher in a new era of peace and recovery for their war torn planet.

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Vincent had fully recovered but still felt weak as he slowly stepped into the circle shaped room and saw Lucrecia sitting on the other side.

"Vincent…please…" she echoed quietly.

"I…I'm sorry Lucrecia." he sighed and lowered his head.

"Vincent, please stop, it is long behind the both of us-"

"No, I…I have put that aside finally. I am sorry that I lied to you." He looked right into her eyes.

"W-when did you lie to me?" she asked, not understanding his motives.

Vincent said nothing, merely side stepping out of the way.

Standing behind him was Sephiroth, tears welling his eyes. "M…mother?"

It occurred to the silver haired angel that, as many time as he had said that very same word in the past, never did it truly sound so right.

The End…?