It's… over.
For an instant after Sephiroth disappears, I'm numb. Shock, I guess. I stare blankly ahead, not really seeing what's in front of me. I blink, and my eyes focus on Cloud. He's standing on the edge of the cliff, staring into the pool of Lifestream. His sword is still in his hand, the point resting on the ground.
"This was all we could do," he says quietly, looking away from the Lifestream.
"Wait! What about Holy? What's gonna happen to the Planet?" Barret demands. Cloud slowly turns to look at him, then shakes his head.
"That… I don't know. Isn't the rest up to the Planet?"
I blink again, and the numbness gives way to pain and exhaustion. Even if there was more we could do… I don't know that any of us would have the strength to do it.
"You're right," I say. "We've done all we could do."
Cloud turns to me, and for a moment our eyes meet. He's tired too. Tired… and sad. He looks away from me, to the rest of the group. "All right, everyone," he says. "It's no use thinking about it. We'll leave all our worries here." He smiles slightly and lifts one fist in a triumphant gesture. "Let's go home proud."
Home… I don't have a home to go to, anymore. Neither does Cloud. Or Barret, or Vincent, or Reeve, or… I watch dully as everyone begins hiking back up the path. We've saved the Planet, hopefully… but in the process, we've lost almost everything.
"I'm… all alone. I don't have anywhere to go."
I fall in step next to Cloud. Neither of us says a word. There really isn't anything to say.
Suddenly, Cloud stops dead in his tracks. I turn back towards him. "What happened?"
"…I feel it…" he murmurs, lowering his head.
"What…?"
Cloud slowly raises a hand to his face. "He is still…here." He jerks both hands up to his head, clutching it in a familiar gesture of pain. "Still…"
"Cloud!" I step towards him as he collapses. I blink-- there's almost a double image of Cloud, one fainter than the other.
"He's…laughing…" Cloud mutters desperately, then the double image jerks backwards and flies off.
"Cloud!"
His body is totally still, sprawled across the rocks. I kneel beside him and check for a pulse. Weak, but there nonetheless. I look upwards towards the rest of the group, just as tremors begin shaking the cavern.
"Cloud! Wake up, damn it!" I shake his shoulders, glancing around at the falling rocks. One crashes into the cliff above our heads, and I jump. It seems to wake Cloud partially, as he stumbles blindly to his feet. I grab for his wrist, to try to pull him with me, but another tremor rocks the crater, and I'm thrown backwards. I scramble to my feet to see the section of rocks Cloud is standing on begin to collapse.
I lean over the edge of the cliff, reaching towards him. He's too far away, I know I can't get to him-- "Cloud! Don't you dare die now, not after we've won--"
Cloud suddenly looks up, snapping into focus. I stretch my hand out to him, and he reaches up towards me. Just a little farther—suddenly, the ledge I'm on collapses. I don't even have time to scream before Cloud catches me, then jumps forward towards the sheer cliff face. He manages to get a grip on the ledge, leaving us hanging precariously.
He's really taken that promise of ours to heart. I'm about to say something to that effect to him when he speaks. "I think I'm beginning to understand…" he says quietly. I look up at him. He's not looking at me, instead gazing into the distance.
"What?" I ask, confused.
"An answer from the Planet. The Promised Land… I think I can meet her… there."
I close my eyes and lean my head against his chest, trying to ignore the sadness and confusion in my heart. "Yeah, let's go meet her."
Cloud starts to pull us up towards the top of the cliff, and I clamber back over the top. He hauls himself up and half collapses next to me, glancing around.
"Where is everyone?" he asks, looking at me in concern. I shake my head; I have no idea. I hope they're--
"Heeeey!"
Cloud and I look across the crater, where the rest of the group is sitting on a small ledge.
"I'm glad you're all safe!" I shout, waving. Red nods at me, and Cait Sith bounces happily. Barret turns to Cid, asking him something.
"Hey," Cloud says quietly, and I turn to him. "Are you okay?" he asks.
I smile and nod. "I'm fine. What about you-- what happened back there?" He looks away and shakes his head slightly. Before I can ask anything more, a loud crashing sound echoes through the crater. We all look up to see the Highwind crashing down towards us. I can't help but wonder if Cid rigged it to do that.
"Right on time!" Cid shouts, looking a lot more shaken than he sounds. "Get on!" Cloud and I exchange a look, then jump down onto the platform. I glance down, but have to look away; the pool of Lifestream below us is glowing a blinding white. Cid barely manages to get the ship righted before Holy explodes underneath us.
The next few minutes are pure chaos. The Highwind rides Holy out through the crater, and judging by the faint explosions that reach my ears, she's losing important pieces. We careen out of the stream of energy into a cold night. I tumble along the deck, and Cloud grabs my hand, keeping me from falling. Again. The Highwind does some impressive mid-air acrobatics and stabilizes, racing across the sky towards Midgar.
And Meteor.
I should have expected this, Aeris told us that the spell summoned a small planet, but still… I never imagined it would look like this. Meteor hangs low in the sky over Midgar. The city is being ripped apart by columns of fire, tearing through the plate down to the slums. I look back the way we came; we were just ahead of Holy, it should be here soon--
I throw a hand in front of my eyes as the blindingly white summon appears, flying between Meteor and Midgar. Behind me, I hear someone-- maybe Barret-- mutter "C'mon, Aeris, don't let us down." I drop my hand and look at the scene unfolding below us. Holy is slowly turning red, and Meteor doesn't seem to be stopping. Cloud steps up beside me and stares down at the warring summons. He has a death grip on the railing, and he seems to be willing Holy to work.
It doesn't.
"Wait a damn minute!" Barret shouts. "What's going to happen to Midgar?" He looks at the rest of us, then slams his fist into the railing. "We can't let that happen!"
There's a faint whirring sound as Cait Sith begins to speak. "I had everyone take refuge in the slums, but the way things are now…" He raises a paw to his face in a gesture of wiping away tears. I wonder where Reeve is now, if he's in the slums with everyone else, watching this through Cait Sith's eyes.
Red walks forward, shaking his head. "It's too late for Holy," he says. Cloud flinches, like he's been physically hit. "Meteor is approaching the Planet. Forget Midgar-- we've got to worry about the Planet."
Cloud shakes his head tersely and turns his back on the destruction below us, leaning back on the railing and rubbing a hand over his face. "This can't be… it couldn't have been worthless…" he mutters to himself. I want to say something, to comfort him, but I can't look away from Midgar. Something shimmering on the horizon catches my eye, and I lean forward slightly, trying to see.
"What's that?" I gasp, pointing. The point of light slowly gets bigger, multiplies into several points, then into flowing green ribbons. They all stream across the face of the Planet, heading for Midgar.
"What the hell IS that…?" Barret asks. I look over at Cloud, who's staring blankly ahead.
"…Lifestream," he replies.
Of course… when Holy alone didn't work, the Planet threw it's own essence into the fight. The light grows brighter, and I squint, wanting to see what happens. Meteor begins to crumble and dissolve in the green-white energy.
"Aeris…" Cloud says softly. I turn to him and rest my hand on his shoulder. "Cloud… we finished it for her. I think… I think she's at peace now."
He looks down at the Lifestream, eyes focused on something only he can see. He smiles faintly and nods. "I think you're right," he replies.
I feel like I should be worrying about the future, about what the hell we're going to do now, but I can't. I'm remarkably calm, like part of Aeris' peace spread to me.
There's nothing we can do now, but pray for that peace to spread to the Planet as well. That's worry enough for the future.