Cloud spent days on the road, the Fenrir below him roared loudly while he was heading down the highway. He kept listening to his voice mail while he was going. He kept hearing messages from Yuffie about "Do you have Vincent's number?"
Then an unfamiliar man's voice was on his voicemail. "Cloud," it was Vincent's voice. "Yuffie found out my cell phone number, could you tell her not to call me please? I didn't give out my number for a reason."
Cloud smirked to himself and continued on the road, traveling toward someone that he heart was leading him to. He kept thinking that the wind was speaking to him, telling him where he should turn, and when to rest and everything.
After three days of traveling down the road, Cloud was watching the side of the road, and his eyes fell to what he had been waiting for; yellow flowers, dancing in the soothing breeze. Cloud got off his bike and began walking. The flowers touched him, feeling like they were guiding him. He just wandered through the flowers, seeing no one anywhere, but he was so sure of what he was being told and where he felt he needed to go.
Cloud then noticed the clouds overhead, thick and rumbling. He thought to himself, "Great, out in the middle of no where and it's going to rain." He leaned against the tree when it started raining. He looked down at his hands; the leather of his gloves was absorbing the moister. He closed his eyes tightly and remembered Aeris being in his arms that night, and promising him that she'd never leave.
He wanted to focus on that, he didn't want to look in any other direction, but he felt like someone was near by, and could see the sun coming out again, and he looked to the sky, seeing the single rays of light touching down, and they were disrupted from hitting the ground by someone standing there, with their back to Cloud.
"Aeris?" Cloud asked, walking toward Aeris.
Aeris turned and looked at him, "You came!"
Cloud rushed toward her, and stood in front of her and looked at her. She smiled at him, and he reached toward her, hoping to be able to touch her, and his fingers grazed her cheek.
"Are you real?" Cloud asked, terrified that she was just going to disappear again.
Aeris moved toward him, and he put his arms around her and she put hers around him. "I promised you I'd never leave you…"
Cloud pulled her closer and kissed her lips, for the first time in years. He felt tears come to his eyes, and he held her tightly, afraid to let go for fear that she'd disappear on him.
"I said I'd come back when it's over," Aeris said in a follow up.
Cloud didn't pull away from her, he just continued to stare at her, putting his forehead to hers, "I thought I'd never see you again."
"Forever is a long time," Aeris told him.
Cloud didn't respond to her. Everything felt repetitive… he could only tell her he missed her so much so many times. He just held her close and wouldn't let go of her. He sighed deeply and then started stroking her cheek, she closed her eyes while he touched her, and he continued to touch her, then turned her around and said "I have something for you."
Aeris looked forward and tried to turn around and look at him, "What is it?"
Cloud smiled and reached into his pocket… he'd found it not long ago and just needed to give it to her. "Hold out your hands…"
Aeris held out her hands and waited slightly impatiently. And then she saw a large pink rose fall into her hands and Cloud's gloved hand letting go of it. "Cloud… where did you…?"
"As rare a flower as you are…" Cloud told her, very shyly. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close to himself. "There's something I want to ask you… I wanted to before… but then…"
"How touching…" came a ghostly voice from behind them. "How much I enjoy breaking up a loving moment…"
Cloud turned around and kept Aeris behind him. "Sephiroth… what are you doing here?"
"I told you I wouldn't be just a memory…" Sephiroth told him, and stood straight against Cloud. He was, oddly enough, unarmed… for now. "Aeris isn't the only one who was granted one last chance at life."
Cloud moved toward him, he pulled his sword out of his sword holder. Sephiroth grinned at him and poised himself to move, gliding his hand down, drawing his sword from thin air, and they were both armed. "You aren't going to touch Aeris…" Cloud told him.
Sephiroth grinned, "I'm not here for her…"
"Fine then, let's end this here," Cloud insisted.
"You think it's that easy?" Sephiroth asked, then their swords clashed. "You are so mad at the whole world… darkness surrounds you forever… and I'll find that darkness forever."
Cloud was trying to hold Sephiroth back, and his strength was slowly coming back, maybe even more then it had been before. "I don't hate you now…" Cloud started to speak.
Sephiroth didn't respond, he was stunned to hear those words, but not stunned enough to stop the battle between them. He continued to fight Cloud, and Cloud spoke again, "I used to look up to you… you were my hero."
"I'm honored," Sephiroth mocked with his maniacal grin. They struck swords again.
"But you're nothing to me… not my enemy, not my hate, not even a name to me," Cloud told him looking into his eyes, having no emotion whatsoever. "I wanted to be as good as you… but I surpassed you…" He swung, making Sephiroth go backwards. Sephiroth slid against the ground, struggling to take balance again. "Aeris was always my strength… the one person who made me better then a nothing like you."
Sephiroth grinned and took his attention off of Cloud, and started to stare at Aeris. He drew back his sword and darted toward Aeris, bringing his sword down, poised again to stab her. He waited partially for Cloud to appear in front of him, but Cloud stood still. Sephiroth started to move downward, and anticipated the movements of Aeris going backwards… he wasn't going to let her live through him this time, though he wasn't entirely sure how she survived the last time.
Down he came, faster and faster, readying his blade to plunge and then he was met with his sword in the ground, Cloud's underarm around the blade, and his sword up and through Sephiroth.
Sephiroth gasped, and started to stumble. Cloud shifted his weight and stood up, pushing Sephiroth backward off of him, turning his sword to make a larger wound. "Go to hell Sephiroth… and stay there forever… the out-cast angel that you are."
Cloud then pulled his sword out, watching Sephiroth fold to the ground. Sephiroth didn't move once he touched the ground, but eventually, he did disappear from the flowers, and a rain began to fall again, trickling through the world again, cleansing the area of Sephiroth's appearance.
Cloud turned back to Aeris. She was standing there, smiling at him, the rain wasn't touching her. She still held the rose he had handed her, and she waited for him to come closer to her.
"Can you tell me something?" Cloud asked.
"Anything you want to know Cloud," Aeris responded.
"How are you here? Same with Sephiroth…" Cloud asked.
"Remember when the Lifestream destroyed Meteor? I used the Lifestream as a weapon, I, like Sephiroth am able to control the Lifestream. When you control life… you have the power to give life, and to take it away. He and I… used it to give ourselves life, but that power could only be used once."
"So he's not coming back now?" Cloud asked, wanting so much for Sephiroth to finally be gone.
"Is what you told him true? I'm the only person who made you a better person? Your strength?" Aeris asked.
"I wouldn't lie… especially about you," Cloud admitted to Aeris. "Or to you."
Aeris hung her head for a moment, then adjusted her hair, and smiled at him. "So… you had something you wanted to ask me?"
Cloud smiled, and nodded. "Yes… there is something I wanted to ask you." Cloud laughed at himself while he was trying to get his mind ready for this… he REALLY wasn't prepared for this, but he didn't care anymore. He sighed deeply and smiled at her again, this time wider, "Aeris…can you honestly tell me you love me?"
Aeris nodded, not losing her smile, "Yes Cloud, I love you."
Cloud sighed again, this was so hard for him, "And I honestly love you… so Aeris… Will you do me to honor of being my wife?"
"Have I died?" Aeris asked, suddenly losing her emotions. "Are you serious?"
Cloud nodded, he moved down to one knee, "Will you marry me Aeris?"
Aeris gasped and then smiled again, pulling Cloud to stand and going into his arms, "Of course I will Cloud!"
Cloud finally stopped feeling so nervous and kisses her lips again, this time longer and deeper. He didn't want this moment to end, nor did he want Sephiroth to make another unscheduled appearance. He'd had a lot of difficulty fighting with that on his mind and Sephiroth having that perfect timing.
So now what? Cloud wondered to himself. Could he take her back with him the 7th Heaven and introduce his wife to Tifa? He'd have to; he had a business to run… he had to take care of Aeris too now.
"Are you ready to go home?" Cloud asked Aeris, throwing it out there to hear what she thought.
"Back to Midgar?" Aeris asked.
"Yes… if you don't mind that is… I run a delivery service and-"
Aeris silenced him by putting her finger to his lips. "I'll follow you anywhere Cloud… I want to be by your side forever."
Cloud took her hand and walked with her through the flowers and out of the field and back to the road, to his motorcycle. Cloud climbed on the front and put his goggles on once again. He smiled at Aeris and offered his hand to help her on, though he wasn't sure how this would help her on. She climbed on the back of the bike, and wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his back and sighed deeply, she was so happy to be with him again.
They headed back to Midgar that day, heading by the road, though they stopped frequently to see random things… and made a side trip to the Rocket town, where Cid's Sierra was parked.
"What are we doing?" Aeris asked nervously.
Cloud looked at her and smiled, "I promised I'd take you for a ride on it someday, didn't I?"
"Yes… but now?" Aeris asked.
Cloud smiled at her coyly, "There is something else I want to do while we're here…"
What Cloud had in mind, was something Aeris never expected from him. He had called ahead while she was asleep and requested that his friends would show up, and that Cid's wife would make a wedding dress for Aeris… On the Sierra, they were married, with the audience of all their friends.
When Aeris was in the dress and Cloud finally got to kiss his wife, and hold her in his arms, he thought things were just perfect, and wanted this to continue on forever… he prayed it would never end…
…and then he woke up.
"No…" Cloud whispered, waking up in the Icicle Inn. "No, no no…" he started saying louder and louder. "Please god… don't do this to me… I can't handle that all being a dream…"
He felt like he was shattered. He was in bed alone… and it had all been a dream. He sighed very deeply and stood up and walked to the shower in his room, and started to shower… but then something came to his attention… He wasn't in a hotel…
"Where… am I?" Cloud asked himself. He got out of the shower, and looked in his closest, and then sighed happily, and hurried and put his pj bottoms back on, and a flannel shirt.
He came out of the bathroom after brushing his teeth, he'd realized it was close to 1am when he'd started to take a shower. He came out, and saw Aeris getting back into bed. She looked up and smiled at him, "I think I finally handled it."
Cloud climbed onto the bed and kissed her, climbing over her. "And what did you handle?" Cloud asked her playfully, rubbing his hands down her sides suggestively.
"You know that's not a good idea tonight…" Aeris cautioned him while laughing some.
"And why's that?" Cloud asked her. His memory of everything was still shaken from his dream of what had happened from when they met to when they got married.
Aeris smiled at him and rolled out from under him, and when she did, she had perfect timing. At that time, the door swung open and two little children ran in. "Daddy! Mommy! Santa came! Santa came!"
The children were an interesting blend of their looks. The boy had Cloud's hair style, but Aeris' color, and Aeris eye color. The girl however, looked just like Cloud, his hair color and eye color, but her bangs stood up, more like Sephiroth's bangs actually, but the girl was very caring… the half-Cetras of the world, going to uphold the legacy that Aeris had originally handled.
Aeris laughed, "We'll be there in just a minute, go ahead and start without us!"
The children stormed out excitedly, leading Aeris and Cloud alone together. Cloud wrapped his arms around her and tenderly, passionately kissed her lips. "I love you Aeris."
"I love you Cloud," Aeris agreed, kissing him back.
They walked together, out the door, holding hands, she leaned her head on his shoulder, but they stopped just before they went down the stairs to get to the Christmas tree and Cloud stopped her, "I don't know what I'd do without you…"
Aeris smiled at him, "Like I told you before, if I do go away… I'll come back when it's over… always and forever… we're meant to be together… who could fight that?"