It's finally come everyone... The ending... the final chapter... I can finally say that this story is complete... let me apologize once more for the abrupt ending. But I can't continue to force myself to write more on a fic that I have no desire to continue. It's been too far gone. I thank everyone who has read and reviewed, and who has contributed to the growth of this fic. This story never would have made it here without all of you. But enough of all this.. I've delayed the closing for long enough. By the way, I have a special announcement at the end of the chapter for everyone. I hope it interests you as much as it does me.
Disclaimer- Well... This is officially the last time that I'll have to do this thing.
Malice-You... killed me...
(Sweat drops) Sorry... But it had to be done
Barret- Yo killed me too fool!
Uh...
Cid- What the fuck were you thinking killing me off in this fic?
Um... Bad luck on your guys' parts? I just randomly picked you.
Malice-Barret-Cid (Taking out their weapons) Kill him!
(Eyes widen) Idon'townfinalfantasy7(Runs off with them closely following.)
A Day Of Remembrance
Yuffie stared out the window blankly, watching as the rain pelted the surface. She's no longer fazed by the sight or sound of thunder and lightening. She had looked death straight in the face so many times in her young life that she couldn't be frightened by such petty things now. Yuffie just wanted to live the rest of her life in happiness. The beginning of her happiness happened two weeks ago, three week after Dregon's death. Cloud had finally confessed his undying, unconditional love, that made everything that had happened all worth it.
Okay... So really it was more like the combined effort of Tifa and herself to probe it out of the blonde swordsman, but that's besides the point. What mattered was that Cloud loves her, and with that firmly stuck in her mind, she'll have something to look forward to everyday she wakes up. She could just set her head down, and recall every exact detail of the moments she's shared with Cloud, intimate and not.
So where exactly is Yuffie Kisaragi, the Greatest Female Ninja ever to walk on the face of the planet? In Kalm of course. It was one of the few towns that had received the least amount of damaged, Yuffie isn't the only one in Kalm either, everyone is. Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, Red XIII, Rima, Sephiroth, and occasionally Reno drops by. Everyone was staying at the Kalm for now, to recover and help around the neighboring villages. Midgar was officially announced dead, and uninhabitable, having taking the blunt of the final battle with Sin Bahamut.
Today the little house they got was busy however. Everyone was running around preparing for the final 'Hurrah!' party before the group finally departs once more. For Yuffie, it wasn't something to be happy about, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't going to miss everyone. After been told, in a not so decent way by Reno, that she's useless, she decided to stay out of everyone's way and just let them prepare for the party. It's not like she'll complain that she gets to take it easy.
For the past five weeks, Yuffie had been observing the group closely, when her attention isn't focused on Cloud like usually, and she had taken notice of several little love triangle within the group. She had also decided that it was no surprise. For as long as she can remember being in AVALANCHE, there was always one or two love triangles floating around in the group.
Sephiroth and Rima were easy to pick out, they ignore each other so much that their obvious avoidance of each other has deeper, more intimate reasons behind it. Vincent seemed to have taken a liken to Rima, though he rarely proceeds with his feelings, which came as no surprise to the ninja. On more than one occasion she saw Vincent with Rima while Sephiroth glared at both somewhere close by. Yuffie was surprised at Sephiroth's restraint on just unsheathing his Masamune and attack Vincent. She gave her Ex-enemy brownie points each day he doesn't kill Vincent. Vincent is too good of eye candy for Yuffie to have killed, even though she has Cloud.
Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, depending on how you look at it, Yuffie had noticed a sort of closeness between Tifa and Vincent. Now how that had actually even began to form, or when, the ninja couldn't figure out. And whether that either one of them has any real deep feelings for one another is something else she couldn't figure out. Tifa had years of practice keeping her true emotions sealed away with Cloud, and Vincent was just plain Vincent. You could never tell what he's feeling, if anything, or thinking half the time. So the two of them combined forms a mysterious possibility.
Yuffie had been hoping that someone from the triangles would make some sort of step forward and break the three ways for good before everyone left. One, because Yuffie wanted to be there when it happened, and two, she doesn't like finding things out months after things had happened. She's not even sure where everyone is going after tonight. She only knows that Cloud and her are going to begin searching for workers to hire, and bring them to Wutai to begin rebuilding it. Yuffie had promised herself that she would bring the town back together, and she will.
"Yuffie?" Even now, after knowing him for a couple of years, she loved the sound of her name lulling off Cloud's tongue. She just plain loved hearing his voice actually, it didn't matter if he said her name, he could call her a brat and she'd still love to listen to him.
Turning her gaze from the window, Yuffie glanced at Cloud as he stood in the door way of their room, that's right, 'their' room. Yuffie could make herself feel giddy whenever she wanted by just reminding herself that she sleeps in Cloud's arms. Even with thousands of battles having been seen through his mako glow eyes, they still could hold the softness of a young boy. She loved his eyes. "Yeah?"
Cloud gave his infamous scratch behind his neck with the lopsided smile that usually follows that only drive Yuffie nuts to see. "I thought you'd like to know that the party is going to be starting soon."
"Everyone's already gathered downstairs?" Yuffie asked, though she knew it was a pretty stupid question considering they all have been downstairs helping setup for the party.
Cloud, nevertheless, gave a short nod, "They're just waiting for us."
"Well I guess I better not hold it up anymore. Yuffie Kisaragi is hitting the part-eh!" Cloud just rolled his eyes. Yuffie will always be Yuffie, through thick and thin, bad and good, sickness and in health, she'll never lose her charm, even when facing death in the face. But luckily, she doesn't have to do that last part anymore.
----
The party itself, was alright. It seemed to drag on, and everyone knew this, but no one truly wanted to start the final goodbyes. Reno had tried tempting Cloud into a beer chugging contest, but seeing how Reno was already drunk at the time, Cloud could have been chugging water and the Turk wouldn't have known it. Reno had to stick with chugging by himself. Although he did manage to slip Yuffie a drink or two, which only proved to everyone how much Yuffie can't hold her own liquor.
Cloud had on more than one occasion, had to chase Yuffie around while the group sat back and laughed. One incident ending with Yuffie someone hanging on the chandelier while slapping her rear end like a monkey taunting its predator. The group found it as a good laugh though. Halfway through the party, they received a letter from a messenger in Bone Village. It was a letter from the ever devious Treasure Hunter, Daisuke, they had not forgotten to invite to the party. It was an apology saying she wouldn't be able to make it, having discovered a new artifact to hunt down.
Currently, everyone has their own section in the room. Red XIII and Vincent were standing in one of the far corners, conversing with one another, Sephiroth leaning against the wall not too far away. The girls, Yuffie, Tifa, and Rima, were all huddled in one area, Tifa's face resembling the appearance of a tomato, while Yuffie and Rima continued to look amused. Cloud and Reno sat in the front of the room, at the only table in the room, Reno with his beer, and Cloud with his glass of water.
The blonde haired swordsman glanced at the Turk out of the corner of his eye from his seat next to him, "So what do you plan on doing? Midgar is beyond anyone's wish to try to repair."
Reno seemed more sober than earlier on that evening, at least enough to hold a conversation with. "Dunno... Elena's dead, Rude's dead, Reeve's dead... The Turks are pretty much nonexistent now."
"You're still a Turk." Cloud tried pointing out helpfully.
Reno took a small drink from his bottle of beer, "Ah quit.. Getting too damn old to keep living by doing another's dirty work."
Cloud swirled the water in his glass with his hand as he stared at it, "Wanna join AVALANCHE?" He already knew the answer before he heard it. He had already asked Reno three times within the last five weeks, and the answer was the same all three times.
"Sorry Strife, I ain't picking up after your scrawny ass. Find someone else." Even half drunk, Reno kept with his own personal beliefs, whatever they may be. "I'll find a nice clean desk job elsewhere."
Cloud nodded his head and was about to say something when he heard Yuffie break out into bawls of laughter. He turned in his seat to see what was happening. What he got was a ninja doubled over as she laughed at two of his companions. Tifa's face, for lack of better words, were as redder than a tomato as she tried to hide her face behind her hands. Vincent's face, although not red, was flushed as he stared blankly ahead of himself, looking rather confused.
Although he couldn't be sure exactly, Cloud had a pretty good idea to what had happened, and his suspicion was only proven when Yuffie started jumping around the two, pointing a finger at them while she chanted, "Tifa kissed Vinnie! Tifa kissed Vinnie!" It took Tifa's skillful martial artist skills for her to stick her foot out and drip the giddy ninja. But even when on the ground, Yuffie was still all giggles.
Cloud decided to take pity on his two friends and use the moment to call for everyone's attention with a tap of his glass with a knife. Everyone immediately glanced his way, awaiting for him to speak. Cloud ran his hand through his spiked locks, "Well everyone.. this is it. The last 'Hurrah!' before we go our separate ways once more. Although I hope we aren't forced together once again by such circumstances again. Through all our hardships, we've lost valuable members to our group, and gained more." Cloud turned his gaze to the Turk, "Reno, although you don't wish to be a part of AVALANCHE, I know I can count on you if your presence is ever needed."
Reno waved him off over his shoulder, "Yeah, yeah."
The swordsman turned his gaze towards, quite possibly, the most unique one in their group, "Rima... You helped us along the way. We couldn't have survived with you there to back us up. I'm honored to call you a friend and comrade in battle. And off the record. "Cloud gave a nervous glance around, "I hope you never decide to try and attack me. I kind of have slight phobia for vampires."
Rima bared her fangs and gave a sharp chomp motion over to him, "I'll have to remember that for later."
Cloud shook his head in embarrassment before his gaze settled on the most likely person to have become his ally. Sephiroth beat him before he could say anything however, "Don't bother. I had my own reasons."
Cloud just nodded his head at his fellow swordsman, "You have my gratitude and always welcome among AVALANCHE."
Reno stood up from his seat and took a moment to stretch out his sore muscles, "Well, it's been, eventful. But I'm leaving, places to go people to see."
Cloud nodded his head once, "We'll see you around."
"I must head off as well, I'm afraid. I need a catch to first ship leaving Junon if I want to get to Cosmos Canyon." Red XIII walked over to the swordsman and held his paw out. After a good shake, and a farewell to the rest of the group, Red XIII left the party, followed closely by Reno.
Cloud scratched the back of his head, 'Seems like it's actually starting.'
"Anyone see Rima?" Tifa asked glancing around the room.
Yuffie shrugged her shoulders, "She probably left. She doesn't look like the type to take a moment for a final farewell."
"..." Sephiroth pushed himself off the wall and headed towards the door, "I'm leaving." He announced. The group shared a few glances with another but didn't say anything to each other as Sephiroth walked out.
Sephiroth stood outside the door for a moment, he ran his hand through his hair than rested the said hand on the hilt of the Masamune. He unsheathed the Masamune and headed out of the village where he would get some final moments of peace. "Where are you going?" Sephiroth stopped at the sound of her voice, "And what are you planning on doing with that?" Rima pointed down at the sword in his hand.
Sephiroth face remained neutral as he turned around to face her, "There is still a zombie that walks across this planet... I intend to get rid of it."
"So you're just going to kill yourself? Just like that?" Rima hissed in anger, "You're not a damn zombie Sephiroth! If you were you wouldn't be yourself."
Sephiroth resolve didn't weaken the least, "Than what am I? From time I was brought back, my appearance hasn't changed in the slightest, I haven't aged a day. If I'm not a zombie, what am I? I do not wish to live on this planet for an eternity alone."
Rima's gaze went to the ground, and for the first time since Sephiroth has known her, she looked fragile, as if she were about to be broken, "Stay with me Seph. Don't do this... if you did, who would I be left with?"
Sephiroth turned his head and looked off to the side, "There's always Valentine." He had to force himself to actually say it, as much as he didn't want to admit it, Vincent had worried him from the beginning.
"Vincent?" Rima questioned. Just hearing her say his name with such ease brought a sour taste in the back of his mouth. Rima shook her head at the swordsman, "You idiot... I don't love Vincent, he knows that too."
"Than why have you been avoiding me these past weeks?" Sephiroth asked in annoyance.
"You dumbass, you were avoiding me!" Rima said angrily as he marched up closer to him, "And besides that, isn't it the man's job to make the first move? You know what? If you're going to be a coward about it, than maybe you should just ki-"
Rima's eyes widened a bit as she felt Sephiroth's lips on her own, having been caught off guard. Her surprise quickly disappeared as she quickly returned the gesture. Sephiroth's sword clattered on the dirt as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He could feel Rima's longer fang brush against his button lip as her arms came around his neck. Suddenly he gave a jolt of surprise as Rima bit into his lip, he immediately felt the blood escape. He pulled back and wiped at his mouth while giving Rima a slightly shocked expression.
Rima just stood there, her smirk causing her fang to protrude from her lips, "Now you're mine Sephiroth."
Sephiroth wiped at his mouth again before his own smirk crossed his features, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"You know... you still owe me another child now." Her smirk only widening at the comment.
Sephiroth rolled his eyes.
(Back at the party)
"So what do you think happened?" Tifa asked gazing out the window as she thought about two certain people.
Vincent who took his spot against the wall next to the window, closed his eyes in thought, "I suppose we won't know."
"Well you seem just fine by that." Yuffie said smugly, "I bet it's because Tifa-"
Cloud took that precise moment to but his hand around her mouth, "Yuffie..." He said in a stern voice, "Didn't we just discuss that you shouldn't talk about such things in front of people?"
Yuffie nodded her head silently and Cloud removed his hand. Yuffie turned around and to face Cloud, "Which reminds me. I find out why I've been feeling so sick the last couple of days." She announced.
"What did the doctor say?"
"She didn't go to the doctor." Tifa stated as she turned around from the window to join the conversation, "I had a pretty good guess what it was so I did a test."
Cloud gave a bewildered look, "What sort of test?"
"A pregnancy test, of course!" Yuffie chirped as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Cloud's face immediately began to lose color, "Wh-what?" He asked as if he hadn't heard right.
"I'm pregnant Cloud! You're gunna be Daddy Cloud!" Yuffie grinned from ear to ear. Cloud to his credit, managed to pass out without banging his head too hard on the floor. Yuffie immediately started laughing, "I told you he'd freak out Tifa!" Yuffie said between laughter, "I can't wait to see the look on his face when I tell him I was joking!"
"Actually Yuffie..." Tifa started as she found her hands a bit interesting, "I was lying when I said the test came out negative. You really are pregnant."
Yuffie's laughter immediately stopped as the look of shock ran spread across her face, "Wh-what?"
"You're going to have a baby Yuffie." Tifa announced.
Yuffie immediately began laughing once more, more of an insane laughter than anything, "I guess I won't have to tell Cloud anything! My child is going to become the Second Greatest Ninja ever to walk this planet, second to me of course. Because no one will ever match up to me!" Yuffie laughter echoed throughout the room, "And the Kisaragi line lives on once more!"
Vincent just gave the two a frightened look, "I just hope it doesn't turn out like Yuffie."
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd that's a wrap you'll! Yup, yup! This story is finally complete! Let's take a moment to cheer! HIP, HIP, HURRAY! HIP, HIP, HURRAY! HIP, HIP, HURRAY! HIP, HIP, HUR- Oh yeah! The special announcement!
Although this is the end of this story (Finally!), it's the beginning of a new one. That's right everyone, there IS a sequel. Hold your cheers for a moment so I can explain something. It's a sequel yes, but I'm not righting it, I have no desire to continue this. But I will be reading and reviewing the sequel The sequel is going to be called, 'Engraved Hearts'. And it's going to be done by our very own Hikari-Die, how about a round of cheers? (Crickets chirp) Heeheehee! So if you want to read the sequel, look for Hikari-Die or 'Engraved Hearts' It is not under me, nor do I have anything to do with it except that it's the sequel to Cry Of Eternity. So all credit goes to Die . Alright, I thank you all once again to for reading this story. Now I just need to get around to finishing all my other stories (Sweatdrops)