Well, two weeks left of the holidays, I'm hoping to have this, Spellbound and Sail Away With Me finished, or near finished by then so I can still write and do school too. Damn those CloTis making me work hard lol.

Sheshi: I know. I always hated that scene from the movie.

PrincessHermioneNekoAyamani: I loved Zack too. Blame Squaresoft for killing him in the game lol. I still cry when Mufasa dies in the Lion King. I'm such a crybaby at these things. Bambi always got me too.

Ghost in the Mirror: I was thinking that the other night and my friends wondered why I burst into fits of laughter!

Angelicxox: I know, I just thought I would add some original in there.

Chapter 7: The Aftermath

Cloud watched in horror as his father's body fell from the cliff. The gun Cloud held, fell out of his loose grip as he stood still.

"Dad?" He called out eventually and ran towards the cliff. He stopped suddenly, his eyes going even wider.

"Yuffie?" His sister was lying just a couple of inches away from his father. Both were as still as logs. Their eyes closed as if sleeping. Cloud couldn't stop the tears that ran down his face as he kneeled next to Yuffie.

"Sis, come on. This joke isn't funny." He said, shaking her shoulders. She didn't move. He ran to Zack and shook him.

"Come on. We gotta go home!" He cried out, looking between them both. He looked around desperately and got to his feet.

"Help!" He yelled out. "Somebody!" His yells turned into sobs as his body shook. "Anybody?...help." He finished in a whisper, his voice to weak to shout anymore. He turned back to the motionless bodies of his family. Cloud picked up Yuffie and placed her next to Zack, draping the King's arm over her. As Cloud lay down next to him, he saw clearly the bullet hole in the back of the head. The one he shot. He sobbed harder, knowing that if he hadn't led the fiends this way, Yuffie wouldn't have been caught up in this. And he would never have shot his father. He didn't hear anyone approaching until Sephiroth spoke.

"Cloud?" The Prince looked up, startled. "What have you done?"

"I…it was an accident…I …I didn't mean for it…it to happen." He choked. Sephiroth hugged him.

"Of course you didn't. Nobody ever does." He assured him. Cloud clung to his uncle. "But they are dead."

Cloud looked up with wide eyes. He had guessed as much, but to actually hear it was horrible.

"And if it wasn't for you, they'd still be alive." Sephiroth finished. Those sentences made Cloud cling harder, trying to escape the truth.

"What about your poor mother? What will she think?" Cloud sobbed. His mother, how could he face her now?

"What am I going to do?" He asked.

"Run."

"What?"

"Run away Cloud." Sephiroth repeated. "And never return." Cloud turned to run when he stopped. He took off the necklace around his neck and handed it to his uncle.

"Give this to Aeris, tell her I'm sorry." He said before he ran off. Sephiroth watched him disappear. He held the necklace as he sliced the hand it was in, causing blood to seep onto it. He then turned around. The three clones stood with their arms folded, awaiting orders.

"Kill him."

Tifa, Ilfana Aeris and Reno were all outside the palace wondering where the rest of the royals were when Sephiroth walked through. Tifa was about to ask him about the missing members, but the look on his face told them something was wrong.

"You should come to the edge of Midgar." He explained. "Everyone should."

"Sephiroth what's going on?"

"Come." Without much more persuasion the four followed him to the edge of Midgar and to a mountain. As soon as Tifa saw the two people she let out a wail and ran to them. She picked Yuffie up carefully, holding her tightly as she sobbed onto her daughter, all the while clinging to Zack. Aeris covered her mouth in horror as her and Reno stared in shock at the sight of one of their best friends lying still. Tifa looked up at Sephiroth.

"Cloud! Where is Cloud?"

"He…we never found his body." He admitted. "But we found this near the river. I saw him wearing it this morning." He held up the necklace. Aeris let out a chocked sob as she ran to it, snatching the necklace from his grip, and staring at it.

"Cloud…" She whispered, clutching it tightly. Reno watched her, knowing what she was going through. He had grown closer to Yuffie more than he had Cloud and Aeris. Knowing that she was gone, really hurt. Ilfana stepped forward beside Tifa. She frowned slightly as she looked between Zack and Yuffie.

"She's not dead." She said. Everyone looked up. Tifa sniffed.

"What?"

"No, she's in a very bad condition but if we get her to the palace, I should be able to use Cetra magic to heal her."

"You can?" Tifa replied. Ilfana nodded.

"But I'm afraid Zack is definitely dead. I can't help him." Tifa stoked Zack's hair and looked down at Yuffie. She nodded slightly and handed her to Ilfana. Sephiroth helped Tifa up.

"I shall prepare for the ceremony." He said sadly.

Cloud couldn't run anymore, his sobs were making him lose his breath too quickly. He walked past the chocobo ranch, noting dully how far he had come. He turned his head when he heard someone behind him. His eyes widened as the three clones smirked menacingly. Cloud gasped and, not caring anymore about his lack of breath, he took off. Kadaj snarled before he led his brothers after him. Cloud raced across the marsh, not caring about the huge snake that lived there. Kadaj stopped at the edge and growled. Yazoo stared.

"He's getting away."

"Do you want to volunteer?" Kadaj sneered.

"Well," Yazoo replied. "I suppose he's as good as dead out there anyway."

"And if he comes back, we'll kill him." Kadaj added. Loz stepped up.

"You hear that chocobo head! If you ever come back, we'll kill you!" The echoes following the disappearing Prince.

Sephiroth stood on the balcony, looking down at the grieving kingdom. Aeris clung to her mother sadly, the necklace she had given Cloud now around her neck.

"Losing Zack is hard enough, but to lose Cloud who had barely had a chance to live. Yuffie lies in the balance, nobody sure whether she will make it. For me, it is a deep irreversible loss. So it is with a heavy heart that I take the throne." He stopped and everyone looked up when they heard footsteps.

Aeris jumped back and clung to her mother harder as she recognised the clones. Only now, there were more than three! There were hundreds. "yet through the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to a dawning of a new era in which Jenova and Cetra come together, for our great and glorious future!"

Nanaki watched the speechfrom his cave. He bowed his head in sorrow and turned to the drawings on the wall. He clawed a question mark by Yuffie and scratched through Zack. He stared at Cloud for a moment before running this claws through him too.