34 The Northern Cave
It started as just me gazing through the glass.
There was nothing but red, me aware that I lit in its hue. One glance down at my hands, they seemed to have dipped into the Planet's blood, and flashes of Aerith's death swept across my vision. One second, my hands shook with her blood all over them; the next, I returned to the red light.
Soon after, Cloud joined. He stepped next to me and bathed in the light, his eyes more purple than blue when they analyzed what was ahead. Bothered by what he saw, he crossed his arms.
"It's right on top of it," he gasped.
I swallowed, looked down a moment to take a break from the view, and nodded.
"Yeah."
If only I could hide from it or get crushed in Cloud's arms. One glance at him, and I knew I had to stay strong. He wasn't the type to soften the hard edges of reality, both a perk and a downfall. For this, there was no help to being a whimpering mess and having someone soothe me until I felt ready.
I will never feel ready.
My hands squeezed the railing, and I bravely lifted my gaze back to our final destination.
A massive scar on the Planet.
Bundles of its blood, the Lifestream, curdled into the raised walls of rock, snow, and ice like boiling lava. Two thousand years, and yet, the damage was still there, a wound too monstrous to close up. Everything glared in red by Meteor sitting above, ready to create further damage and erase all the hard work. The threat was so close, just over the atmosphere to appear as large as the sun. There was no telling if it was day or night; the sky was constantly red until Meteor was ready to break through the Planet's atmosphere and create a storm. I struggled to breathe, my hands and feet already going numb.
Yuffie's jaw dropped when she neared.
"Whaoooo," she dragged, her shocked face bathed from Meteor's glow. It touched everything of the North Continent, all its snowy fields and forests, as though Hell cracked through the crater and started leaking onto the earth.
"Holy fuck..." Barret whispered, and he became speechless.
Reeve was silent when he squeezed between Yuffie and me. He clung to my arm, and I did the same to his. I could tell he was terrified, feeling him tremble, but he stood firm and bravely stared at the crater.
"What a lovely color," Vincent muttered casually.
Tifa glared at him.
"YOU would think so," she sighed.
One co-pilot looked up from his monitor to shout at Cid, "Captain, energy flare-ups are appearing all over the screen. Are you sure you want to land inside the crater?"
Cid crunched his cigarette hard between his teeth.
"No, but we have no choice. No way in hell we're climbing that fucking wall again," he shouted.
"But Captain, it's precarious-"
"Land it!" Cid barked, and his dented cigarette fell below when he yanked his head over the wheel to spit those words at his staff. I think he was just as afraid as the rest of us, channeling his fears into his screams when he shouted more orders to disregard the warning systems.
The airship shook as it neared, reflecting our worries.
"Last stop, crater!" Cid announced through his chattering teeth. Alarms were buzzing, lights of red adding to the intensity when they started to flash on the bridge.
Reeve squeezed my arm until it lost circulation.
He screeched, "Why aren't there seat belts for us?!"
About to lose my footing, I held onto the rail and tensed. Cloud rammed over my shoulder to extend his arm across me and shove Reeve away without success.
"Reeve, let go. She's not a safety bar," he nagged.
"NO!"
"Argh!"
"Stop, you two!" Tifa jabbed, her red eyes darting to the both of them. "Now's not the time."
Yuffie jumped in to hug Tifa's tiny waist like a life vest.
"I got my safety bar right here," she joked and grinned nervously. Tifa just rolled her eyes and took hold of a bar.
The closer we got to earth, the stronger the airship shook until my teeth started tapping together. I accidentally bit my tongue and tasted blood.
We descended into the haze of energy, red instead of green, until our view was smothered, like cutting through a hurricane.
Cid screamed, "This gonna get rough!"
Cloud's eyes glowed, but he couldn't overcome his air sickness. His head bowed in my shoulder, hyperventilating. It seems I've become a safety bar for two, one arm of Cloud's around my waist and one of my arms for Reeve. Pipes rattled so violently, screws loosened until they hissed, steams of Mako escaping.
Glass bottles rolled, and bits and pieces of objects fell. I was afraid as soon as the red fog cleared, we would smash straight into ice and stumble through the glass. Thankfully, it cleared, and twisters of Mako geysers seeped through the ice and rock to disperse. Flares of the Lifestream blew up like hundreds of miniature volcanoes inside the crater. One burst hit the airship, and we tilted sharply.
Red dug his claws through the metal flooring and mentioned through the chaos of yelps and grunts, "I think I will be done with flying after this!"
"No kidding!" Barret agreed while strapped safely in a co-pilot's chair.
I was thankful Cloud had a better grip than I did, his arm preventing me from being knocked into one end of the room when my hands jerked off the rail.
"Shit," Cid spat, pushing on the steering to settle the Highwind. It was a temporary pass, more green flares soon tossing us back and forth as the ship turned into a seesaw. The glass cracked. Everything whiplashed after a propeller sucked into a tornado. Rocks, ice, and glowing crystals of Mako brushed over our view, and then nothing but ice before the rough landing.
There were screams when the entire airship skidded, scraping through the rigged land. It quaked powerfully at first with rapid motion, clunks smacking and tearing at its metal exterior. I hid in Cloud's shoulder and prayed we would all land in one piece. The airship crashed into plenty of sharp ridges, slowing the momentum until it finally stopped.
Nobody moved in the first ten seconds of stillness, followed by relief.
I could breathe and did so profoundly through my lips, warming Cloud's shoulder.
He lifted his head from my neck.
"Are you okay?"
I nodded as he pulled back and straightened, whereas I wobbled on my two feet.
"Yeah."
My arm was numb. I turned my head and found Reeve still hanging on, his face hiding in my shoulder while his nails dug into my wool sleeve.
"Reeve," I nudged, shaking him off gently. "We're okay. We landed."
His nails pulled back, and then his grip.
The top of his black hair trembled until he rose to stand, and he buried the fear in his misty eyes when he tried to smile down at me.
"Y-yeah, thanks," he croaked.
"That was crazy intense. I thought we were gonna die," Yuffie belled, smiling to be alive.
"How come you got a seat belt!" Reeve wailed and pointed at Barret unbuckling from his seat with a cocky grin.
"You snooze. You lose," Barret sassed.
There were claw marks on the floor, thanks to Red, who apologized.
Cid slid down the ladder, and his boots smacked next to Barret.
"Do whatever you want. The ship a mess anyway," he grumbled.
Tifa fixed her hair into a loose tail while her eyes were stuck out at the conditions before us, quiet.
"Cid, how will we get off this rock?" Vincent asked.
Cid waved it off with a grunt.
"Don't worry about it. There's still one more trick up my baby's sleeve. My men will stay here," he answered.
I smelled a hint of ice and Mako. Through the cracked glass, just a blizzard in red, traces of the chaotic world out there trying to get inside the airship.
Cloud sighed, eyes bright of Mako.
"Let's go."
...
The freezing windchill made the trip unbearable.
I hid under Reeve's scarf. I tried to give it back to him, but he refused, pleased in his puffy white coat.
We all huddled closely, Cloud in the lead.
Nothing but black rock, the winds too rough for snow to stick. Gushes of Lifestream erupted like waves crashing over smooth rock, into drops, or as vapor. First, it appeared green, spitting from the earth, and then red under Meteor.
Even behind Cloud, the whispers of the Planet were present, exposed, and raw for any of us to listen to.
I could hear the dead's memories dispersing in the air and fall, a rain of voices over our heads.
"Can you still hear it? The voices?" Tifa asked anyone.
"Yeah, and it creeps me out," Barret hissed.
"Are we gonna hear that all day?" Yuffie quipped.
A conversation went going, and I was relieved I wasn't the only one to hear the Planet. Cloud was right. This place is special. The energy was abundant among the land of dark rock, carrying a forever wind storm to circulate the slow healing process. Bubbles of Mako cooked deeply in crevices. I jumped over one with a glance, startled to see a glow under me.
It was no wonder President Shinra wanted this place for his new Midgar. He could power ten Midgars here.
If any creature roamed nearby, they have mutated into horrific monsters. Dark dragons and large parasites crawled between rocks and caverns, poking their heads out to speculate over the trespassers entering their hellish lands. It was home to chaos, its true owner waiting for us deep in the center, where an extensive, spiraling descent awaited us.
I peered down a rocky ledge and saw only a spiraling rocky path into bright green light. Goosebumps crawled up my arms.
Cloud stopped and surveyed around the entrance.
"This is it, guys. The deeper we go, the harder it is to come back," he warned.
Tifa arched her eyebrows up, lips together. Barret crossed his arms and grumbled, "Why you gotta mention that now? We here. No going back!"
Reeve gulped. Red scratched the back of his head, courage in his sparkling eyes.
"If I die, then I die. That's life," the creature muttered sadly. The flame on his tail flared powerfully.
Yuffie stretched her arms behind her head, small chest to the red sky. She looked up and blinked at the giant burning rock above. Meteor swallowed a significant part of the view, a crimson tsunami making its way.
"Yeah... I'd rather crawl in a cave than sit out here," Yuffie admitted.
"The monsters will be tougher the closer we get to the core. All that Mako will surely create powerful creatures," Vincent explained. Metal fingers touched my shoulder, and I turned to see him standing there with me, his red eyes fading to brown behind wild black hair.
"Whatever happens, it was a fun train ride," he whispered.
I wanted to speak, but maybe I was still processing our final objective, leaving me with few words.
"It was fun," I whispered, and a sharp rock grew in my throat.
"Let's get this over with! I gotta be back in time for goddamn dinner! Shera's making my favorite: Barbecue!" Cid announced with confidence. Whether he was joking or not, we chuckled.
I was grateful someone was still able to crack a joke, and I grinned.
The descent started rough. We had to climb down, ledge to ledge, nothing but dark, rocky terrain. Well, most of us jumped. Only Reeve climbed down.
"Don't leave me behind," he screeched, sitting on an edge with his feet dangling over the glowing depths.
Using magic to create wings, I cheated and glided from spot to spot, arms wide.
"Aqua, don't use your magic so soon. Save it," Cloud argued when I tapped next to him.
Green fog slithered around our ankles.
"Don't worry. There's plenty of energy here. It doesn't take as much effort to cast," I reassured. "Plus, I won't fall."
Cloud dropped his shoulders and seethed enough to have more green in his sharp eyes.
"Fine."
He faced the ledge and jumped down into the fog. I followed, grinning again.
We landed in a dripping cavern, and the fog thickened, falling into the mist until I felt damp. The taste was difficult to ignore, with a sharp kick of cold and metal on my tongue. Swallowing numbed my throat like Chloraseptic spray, leaving me to wonder how much inhaling would be considered toxic. I tightened Reeve's scarf around my nose and mouth just in case.
Barret coughed, echoing in the deep cavern. Human-sized monsters with wings fluttered away, replacing Barret's coughing with their high-pitched screeching.
"Man! I hate this stuff!"
"You mean Mako?" Cloud warned, eying his comrade with a possible fight in mind depending on the reply.
Barret rubbed moisture off his face. He grilled, "Yeah! What of it?"
"Don't breathe then," Cloud sneered.
"You don't breathe!"
"My body is full of Mako, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. Shove it and keep walkin, not talkin," Barret finished. Cloud sighed, irritated, and walked deeper into the cave to get away, done.
"I found Materia!" Yuffie cheered from afar, lost in the fog.
"Of course you found Materia," Reeve groaned. "You always find Materia! Materia, Materia!"
I was able to see him wave his arms up dramatically. He disappeared into the fog, and then there was a loud smack like someone got slapped on the cheek.
"Ow!"
"Children, play nice. I get it; we're all a bit on edge," Tifa giggled.
"I like it," Cid chirped randomly.
I swear, we were like a walking party, nine of us frolicking through a deep cave like it was just some day hike. How can they still smile and laugh while marching deeper to their possible death sentences? I wish I had their spirit and disliked myself for not.
I sighed, my breath pushing fog away.
Spikes of dark crystal hung over our heads, dripping Mako into glowing pools around our feet. I made sure not to step in one. The fog thinned in some places, pockets of a clearing to notice only more glowing stones and rock. There was a glimpse of red until I knew that was Vincent a few steps ahead. Dodging cracks and deep pools, I hurried to walk beside him.
"Vincent," I started, head low.
I felt his stare like a watch tower above me.
"Aqua, I sense you have a question."
I pressed my lips together, hands already edgy with itchy fingers. I clasped in prayer as I listened to the whispers in the fog, drops of Mako, and the group chatter. It all echoed too loudly.
"I do," I clarified. That sharp stone was still stuck in my throat, making a home there. Swallow after swallow, nothing worked, just more soreness.
"It's difficult to say," I warned.
"I thought as much," Vincent muttered, eyes ahead to follow Cloud. I knew the leader would always have an ear for conversation, making me nervous because I couldn't decide if this talk should be in private or not. At this point, there wouldn't be time for privacy anyway, so that was a wasteful worry.
"How do you feel about this? I mean, Sephiroth, he's..."
"They all know," Vincent guaranteed, catching my hesitation on the subject.
There was some relief, though I couldn't stop checking my radial pulse; it was at least a hundred and twenty beats a minute.
"Are you going to be okay with this?" I finally asked. It was a duller question than I would've liked. Of course, Vincent wasn't okay with this, but what choice did he have? The chatter grew quiet, all hearts anxious to listen.
Vincent simmered on it, his red eyes catching glimpses of Mako dripping on occasion as fat drops. One fell on his cheek, but he didn't seem to notice or care, a glowing tear running below his eye.
"I am. He's made his choices," he finally replied as he looked down at me again, lips hidden behind his collar. I assumed he frowned deeply.
"Do you want him to know?" I asked, quieter. I suppose the other question to ponder was, would Sephiroth even care? What did it matter? Perhaps just for Vincent to gain closure.
The severe man sighed, staring at the rough path before us. Skeletal creatures skittered along the walls with a fine grip, hissing at us. Bright purple parasites with many legs crawled over rocks, their spiked tails flashing danger.
"Which way?" Cloud interrupted. He stopped, waiting for the rest of us to catch up. I peeked over his pauldron, blinking at the path split in two. They both appeared to descend further, without telling which was the right one.
"Who cares? It all leads to what's-his-face," Cid mumbled, standing to Cloud's other shoulder and jabbing his spear between his filthy boots.
Cloud considered each path, his head turned to one and then the other until he shrugged.
"You're right," he sighed.
"Hey, let me take one, and you take the other?" Yuffie suggested. The fog cleared enough to see her eyes expand. I saw Materia instead of dollar signs.
"Alone?" Reeve challenged.
Yuffie punched him lightly in the arm, but he still scowled and rubbed it.
"Of course! I'll find cool stuff and meet you all at the bottom," she suggested and winked directly at Cloud. He pretended not to see that and groaned, looking away.
"Fine. Do whatever you want," he decided.
Red approached and chimed in, "I'll go too. This place is too dangerous alone."
After debate, Yuffie and Red dashed away, downhill until the cavern swallowed them whole.
The rest of us took to the right and dipped into another spiraling column of rock, deeper into another pocket in the earth. The cavern widened, massive with too many little noises, all an echo. More whispers of the Planet fluttered nearby like ghosts passing us. At least the fog faded, allowing us to see as far as the cave stretched, which appeared for miles, with ceilings high as skyscrapers.
"I don't want him to know," Vincent said suddenly, his voice close to my ear. I didn't know he was so close to me, and I jumped, arms folded together.
"What?!"
"I'm answering your question," he explained calmly, still on the subject.
"Oh."
I almost forgot. The guilt of bringing up the topic returned, and I stayed quiet, uncertain of what else to say.
"It wouldn't matter. The real Sephiroth, he's dead," Vincent added gloomily. He said no more, lost in his dark thoughts.
"No, he's not," Reeve debated, barging in. "We're going to fight him right now."
Vincent glared at him, glowing red eyes hunting.
"Why are you even here? What could you possibly do to aid in this fight?"
The two bickered while I lost myself in thought. What Vincent said could be true. Sephiroth died five years ago by Cloud's courage and strength, supposedly.
Vincent argued with Reeve. Tifa chatted with Barret. Cid smoked his second to the last cigarette.
"Gotta save the last one for battle!" He boasted earlier, his blond, caterpillar eyebrows wiggling.
Cloud led on quietly. His ultimate weapon became our guide, leading us through the dark without hesitation. He seemed content to be alone, but I wanted to ask him about Sephiroth.
"Cloud, I don't understand fully," I cautioned, walking behind him. He turned his head slightly to have his words come out clearly over his shoulder, his nose and lips visible while his eyes hid behind his spiky hair.
"What don't you understand?" The way he asked had me worried. I detected the restraint in his voice, his mind already set for battle to get the Mako cooking in his blood. I almost reconsidered, my hands still together. Maybe everyone else understood this big question of Sephiroth's miracle resurrection, but I couldn't quite grasp it.
"Didn't Sephiroth die five years ago? How did he come back?" I asked.
Cloud looked ahead again, his leather straps and thick belt quietly whining to the stretch of his movements. He walked for a while. It would be easy to assume he had forgotten me, too absorbed in his mental preparation, but I knew he was just taking his time to think. I stayed quiet, listening to Barret tell Tifa where he wanted to live. Something about Kalm.
A grunt escaped Cloud, queuing me to dial in, and he explained, "The Jenova cells. The Planet can't absorb them; it seems it doesn't know what to do with Jenova when she's not from here. So, instead of instant death, Sephiroth cooked in the Lifestream, gaining knowledge, and he used his willpower, along with Jenova's cells, to assist in manipulating her body in Shinra's lab."
I ensured him enough space while still behind and processed his words.
"I knew that much about him manipulating Jenova's body. It's like they are the same now," I presumed.
The part that bothered me was Jenova's cells.
"So, Sephiroth couldn't die in the Mako bath at the reactor. Instead, he just explored the Lifestream? How can we kill him, then?" I dared ask.
"By doing so in another way," Cloud replied fiercely, keeping his attention to the downward path. I stayed quiet after that, my thoughts going places I wasn't fond of. Like, when I die, will I be a part of the Lifestream? Or will I wander for all eternity until I forget who I am? Was there a way to get the cells out of me? Many questions filled my head until I gasped, shocked at how deep the rabbit hole went.
Cloud ended bitterly, "The real Sephiroth died as soon as he found that basement."
He couldn't be more truthful.
A light appeared ahead. Large stones of Mako stood as tall spikes. Some of them were bleeding into other colors, the Mako fermenting in different stages to someday turn into Materia. I saw a tall stone fading to yellow from top to bottom, soon to be Command Materia. For now, it acted as a lamp to show us a titan-sized skeleton. Light cracked between the ribs, casting sharp shadows up the rocky walls.
"Wow, I wonder what that is," Reeve trembled.
"It's dead; that's what it is," Barret clucked. His eyes continued to climb over the large ribs. Against the light of the stones, his face gleamed in sweat. The air had thickened into uncomfortable humidity, leaving us all sweating quickly.
I untangled the scarf loosely and whipped the back of my hand across my forehead. It was moist, my hand coming back wet. We chugged water bottles to cool off.
"Oh my god!" Reeve screamed, startling all of us. He flew past me, hands reaching ahead. He was just a blue blur, and what followed was a toddler-size goblin wearing a round pot of clay as armor. It chased after him around the area and gurgled over and over again, "Elixir! Elixir!"
I stared and asked, "Um, shouldn't we help him?"
"He's fine," Cid chuckled.
Everyone except Cloud laughed.
The cave narrowed, darkening again with an occasional Mako crystal to show us what ledges to avoid. The rocky path became bumpy, forcing us to jump from platform to platform. There were a few scares; Barret almost lost his footing. Tifa had a fist fight with a skeletal creature.
Vincent took out his pistol and shot at the goblin-pot monster clawing on Reeve's back. When the bullets hit, it sounded like glass broke when the pot shattered, and the goblin's body fell down a crevice.
"Thank you, Vincent," Reeve huffed. Vincent rolled his eyes and walked past him without a word.
Tifa patted Reeve's shoulder and chirped, "Still in one piece, for now."
He stayed behind, fixing his suit as he exclaimed to our backs, "For now?!"
I fanned myself and stretched my turtleneck, hating the heat, when Cloud called my name.
"Aqua."
I perked nervously and walked behind him again, hands behind my back.
"Yes?"
He took a tall step and sucked a deep breath before dropping below.
"I need to tell you something." Cloud never sounded more serious.
He turned around to lend me a hand. I reached out while inspecting his eyes and found them glowing bright green. The rock in my throat grew.
I gripped his shoulders as his hands guided my waist to float beside him.
"What is it?" I asked when my boots landed. Cloud ducked his head and swallowed.
"It's about the fight," he dragged. He walked again, and I stayed next to him.
Mako outlined his body, but it faded like he was fighting it. He grunted, a sign of an effort to keep himself serene.
"I..." he walked faster to get ahead until I could no longer read his face.
"I don't know how much control I will have. I'm afraid I won't be me."
What was he saying? Was he going to suggest that I stay clear away from him during the biggest fight of our lives? The idea of not having Cloud at my side punched me in the stomach.
I hesitated. As Cloud continued, it grew dark when he took the light with him.
I should've expected this, but the possibility never came to mind, so it took me by surprise. After a deep breath, I ran to catch up to him. Up close, his sword's light became too intense for my eyes.
"And you think I won't?" I fought and squinted.
"Look, this is for your safety." He turned his head to look at me, and Mako scorched his eyes.
"I won't hurt you..." he swallowed. "...again."
Together, we stopped, stuck diving into each other's souls to find what the other was thinking. Cloud was fighting his impulse just to talk to me without going berserk. Green flames came and went from his shoulders, but he kept a hold of my gaze and whispered, "You'll be the judge of when to get away. I just want to make sure you are aware it could happen."
I held my hands together close, and my heart pulsed hard against them.
"You're my safest place, remember? I trust you," I reminded him.
Cloud's lips lifted just a touch. His inner child sparkled in his eyes for a second, then buried in the Mako again, the lover of him gone.
Barret squeezed in between us with a wide grin to ruin the moment.
"Hey, love birds, get movin," he encouraged, stomping ahead. Cid winked a sky blue eye at me as he passed too.
"There better be a wedding," he whispered behind his hand. I wish I could flush at his remark, more petrified than embarrassed, as I watched him go, his jean coat around his waist.
"What's wrong? Lover's quarrel?" Tifa snooped. She wrinkled her little nose at Cloud, already blaming him. His jaw tightened, and Mako boiled over his body.
"No," he muttered and walked off fuming.
Tifa's eyes grew at his back. "He's nervous," she decided, her thin eyebrows arched up.
I joined her to clarify, "He's afraid he won't be himself in battle."
We walked again, Vincent in the rear to fend off monsters while Reeve checked his phone for a signal. In the temporary silence, I told Tifa about the last event in the Forgotten City. She seemed shocked, her mouth open the whole time.
"Barret left out a lot of details," she mentioned behind her fighting glove.
I pressed my lips together to give her more time to speak. She does so with a shiver when she says, "Cloud's frightening sometimes."
I looked ahead, Cloud's sword easy to spot.
"He can't help it," I whispered, no longer in the mood for discussion. Tifa blinked at me, concern in her eyes.
"Hey, Aqua."
She hesitated. Sometimes we were alike, both of us hesitant to bring up serious talk. I watched her neck vibrate from a gulp, her pink lips still glossed from chapstick after hours of walking. Sweating only seemed to make her sparkle under the Mako stones' lights, casting an attractive aqua glow around her shadows.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but..." Tifa lifted her cautious eyes ahead, straight to Cloud, her hands curled around her leather skirt.
"He has good hearing," I warned, detecting she was nervous about him listening. She sighed with defeat.
"Yeah, okay."
I caught her worried stare.
"Are you sure you want to do this? You're having a baby," she whispered.
My cheeks tingled with heat, surprised at where this went. I didn't expect this.
We strolled with purpose, a higher chance of keeping this private as Vincent passed. He eyed us with curiosity but said nothing and moved on. I examined his cape to see how much it's been damaged over the months, burnt and torn mainly on the edges.
"I won't stay behind and miss out on our biggest fight. This is what I want," I simplified, watching the tethered cape fade.
Tifa kicked a giant, crawling insect off a ledge, and it disappeared into the darkness below.
"I understand that. I would probably do the same. It's just..." she clicked her tongue, fighting an impulse to lecture me.
"Let's say we did win. If anything were to happen to you, or your..." she cradled her flat stomach like she was trying to imagine bearing a human being. "...baby. Cloud will never recover."
I sighed out many old thoughts of possible loopholes and what-if scenarios. This has already crossed my mind, and I just had to be optimistic.
"We're all taking a risk here. Anyone one of us could die, Tifa. I just...I want to be hopeful," I justified in a trembling voice.
Tifa tried to smile, but her eyebrows were too upward; an uneasy look manifested.
"Yeah. I hear you," she whispered. Her arm hooked around mine, and we leaned into each other quietly for a while. Looking at Cloud far ahead, he watched us from the corner of his eye. It flashed like a green Christmas light.
...
The journey through the cave stretched on for what felt like days. Up ahead, two familiar bodies appeared.
"Guys! Hey!" Yuffie waved her hands up, Red sitting beside her long legs.
Tifa and I skipped ahead to greet her, the three of us in a warm hold.
"I'm glad you're both safe," Tifa said, and she sighed with relief. Yuffie's cheeks burned at Tifa's arms around her neck.
"Y-Yeah!"
"Did you two find anything?" I asked. All of us stopped with lime green fog around our feet. The path had ended, Cloud peeking over what was left of it, and his face lit in bright green.
"I found a couple of things," Red mentioned, and he craned his head back to show off a few necklaces around his neck.
Vincent eyed Yuffie with suspicion. "And you, Yuffie?"
Yuffie tensed, her lips sucked in her mouth. "Uh, nothing! I found nothing!"
"Cough it up, kid!" Barret demanded.
"I swear! I found nothing! I thought we trusted each other again! The nerve!" She smacked her hands on her narrow hips.
"I've left my devoted family and my lovely city to fight with you. I could've been drinking sake all day, but I'm here. So show me some re-"
"She's found a few things as well," Red interrupted calmly. Yuffie cracked, wides eyes down at him with ninja stars.
"Red!"
After rolling her eyes, she grumbled to herself and dug into her small Moogle backpack.
"Fiiiiiiiine!"
We all chuckled as Yuffie showed off two glowing pink orbs of Materia in her hands.
"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Cid cheered, taking one and equipped it into his mighty javelin, The Venus Gospel.
"Aw man," Yuffie whimpered, her sad eyes on the Materia that was left. "I wanted that one."
"Guys..." Cloud's voice was quiet, easy to miss.
"I'll take a pendant," Tifa insisted and plucked one off Red's furry neck.
"Guys." Cloud tried again. I was ready to tell them that he wanted their attention, something to take seriously, but everyone was talking all at once.
"We've been walking for half a day. Let's take a break," Barret suggested.
"I'm hungry," Yuffie whined.
"Guys, Cloud is trying-" Vincent tried, but he was interrupted by Cid when he howled, "How much further?!"
"I brought ramen in my pack!" Reeve boasted, his hand raised.
"How is that portable food?" Yuffie shrieked at Reeve.
"Very shiny," Tifa gushed, her eyes shimmering over an emerald gem hanging around her neck.
Red groaned, his ears low to silence all that chatter.
"Guys!" Cloud cried, and he stabbed his glowing sword next to him to shake the earth under our feet and get our attention. Everyone froze. I stiffened after the quake ended, biting my lower lip to witness Cloud collecting his breath, more Mako flaring off his skin. His eyes shifted back and forth from regular to blazing. After a couple of blinks, he was back, and he sighed.
"We're here. The Center of the Planet," he informed sternly, staring directly at me.
I swallowed, that stupid rock growing. I tried not to think about how deep we were in the earth, the idea of it easy to hyperventilate over. We could be deep in an ocean or somewhere in outer space; the safety of the Planet's surface was no longer an option, no matter how much I wanted a gulp of fresh air to calm my nerves.
Our locked eyes broke when Cloud turned away to gaze down at our final gateway. Slowly, we all joined him along the ledge to have a look.
The group's spirit vanished instantly, no words coming from anyone's mouths. I was the last to proceed, each step hesitant. I lifted one shaky boot after another, cutting through the bright fog. My mouth dried, ears inflamed from all the whispers I tried to ignore, but they were incredibly sharp here. Each surge of Mako brought with it a story, another memory dispersing into the thick air until there were too many of them; I couldn't even hear my heart pound. Hands opened and clenched, sweaty.
This was it.
I may as well be walking into my hell, already accepting death, when terror shook me vigorously. One step away from the edge, I closed my eyes for one more long second of bliss. Who knew this was the last of it before the train went at full speed again. I could already feel it, the wheels spinning faster and faster. The landscape rushed past until it was nothing but lines of color. I should've spent more time appreciating the simpler things, like breathing my hometown's cold, sea air. Cloud's hint of smiles. Aerith's hand holding mine. Meals enjoyed around a campfire.
In the end, with regret, I opened my eyes. As soon as I looked below, I knew that it was the end of our days. It was a walk on a plank into shark-infested waters seeing the Lifestream boil down there, a large well releasing spouts of whispers. It was bright, too bright to stare at it for long. My breathing quickened until thousands of tiny pricks crawled up my face and in my hands.
I couldn't breathe. I thought I was ready, I thought I was brave, but I couldn't even breathe!
Someone grabbed my numb cheeks and pulled my face up, only to have me gasp at all-knowing Mako eyes deep into mine.
"Let me handle this," Cloud whispered. In his hands, I shook my head, eyes stinging.
"No," I gasped quietly. "I want to go," I lied.
He studied me, blinking over a glassy stare.
"I won't let anything happen to you."
"I know."
Cloud closed his eyes. "Remember, we're all going together." He made one last brush of fingers over my cheeks before letting go. With one hand, he pulled out his sword to return it on his back, leaving behind a crack between us.
"Well, except Reeve. He should stay here," Cid brought up. I forgot Cloud and I weren't alone; a romantic soap opera for our friends to watch. The numbness went away, replaced with heat.
"What?! We didn't talk about this!" Reeve exclaimed at Cid.
"You want to go first then?" Barret asked. Before Reeve could answer beyond a stutter, he was suddenly pushed off and screamed.
"Barret!" Tifa cried.
The big man laughed as he caught Reeve by the end of his blazer and left him hanging, hands and feet waving over the Lifestream entrance.
"Pull me up! Pull me up!"
Cid, Barret, and Vincent chuckled as Reeve was pulled back, the poor man stuck in a bewildered state. His hand was attached to his heart, face white with absolute fear.
"That wasn't funny," Tifa said to Barret through her teeth.
Barret shrugged, then looked away from her glare as he frowned with guilt.
"Sorry, Tifa."
Cloud pressed into the bridge of his nose, fighting another migraine.
"Maybe you all should stay," he growled.
Everyone glared at him.
"Hell no!" Barret fired.
"I'm going," Tifa cheered, a brave smirk on her lips.
"Yeah, I want to kick some ass," Yuffie cheered.
"Fuck you. I'm goin," Cid muttered, his thick, pale arms crossed at Cloud.
"I have to make sure we put an end to this," Vincent said, eyes closed.
Red smirked, a few fangs revealed. "I won't let you go alone."
"I'm staying," Reeve murmured, defeated.
When there was a second of silence, I thought it was best for me to finish, "And I'm going, too." My voice shook when I said that.
I can jump off airships, face giant monsters, and slap Presidents. But not this. I feared drifting in the Lifestream again, or of all of us to scatter in the battle to leave me fighting Sephiroth alone. Cloud will be blinded in his Mako phase, drunk with power. What about the others? Will some of us die during the fight ahead? I closed my eyes and prayed to the Gods that we would all get through this.
Cid patted Reeve hard on the back. "Reeve, I wanted you to stay to make sure there's at least someone on the outside. If we don't return in twenty-four hours, you call my boys to let them know. Maybe they can get off this rock before the big bang. You with them. Who knows. There could be something left after all of this."
I knew Cid was just talking out of his ass. He hid his concern for Reeve behind his cigarette smoke, making any lie he could find to keep the weak man behind. Whether Reeve believed him or not, he nodded, brown eyes misty.
"Yeah. I can do that," he whispered in a cracked voice.
Cid spun around, faced the edge again, and picked up his cigarette from his lips.
"Well, time's a ticking," he muttered, and he flicked his burning cigarette to have us watch it spin into the pool. Another second, he leaped and followed it. I gasped, watching Cid fall over tall walls of rocky ledges, the last of him, his hand holding his javelin before he disappeared. Not even a splash, more like slipping into thick clouds.
"What a brave dude," Yuffie commented. She sucked in a deep breath and plugged her nose. With a mighty ten-foot-high jump, she flew across the air and dropped into the well, cannonball style.
Barret sighed, dragging his arms, and looked at the rest of us sadly.
"Well, this is it, man. Best of luck."
He took a running start and jumped off like a mighty boulder.
Tifa bit her lower lip, her face bright upon gazing at the deep well.
"I'm so nervous," she said. Vincent neared her to lay a supporting hand on her shoulder.
"Me too."
Tifa smiled up at him.
"Nice to know you get nervous from time to time. Well, here I go!" She closed her eyes and ran three steps to jump high before changing her mind. One leg raised and arms high over her head with long hair behind her, she got sucked in.
Red rubbed his shoulders and twisted his neck to loosen his muscles.
"My turn."
He jumped far, claws out and reaching during his descent into the pool, his flaming tail bursting.
I turned around, finding Reeve sitting in a tight ball against a rock. He seemed consumed in terror, arms tight around his knees, eyes lost.
"Reeve, it's okay," I whispered as I knelt beside him. He nodded, hearing me, and turned his head to show his soulful eyes.
"I know. You guys will come back. I'll wait for you."
We hugged for a long time. Cloud watched quietly, for once, not disturbing the moment with his usual begrudging comments.
Reeve stammered, "I love you. I mean, not like that, I mean, not as I feel with Yuffie, it's just, I care about you, and and... I'm sorry, I just blurted all that-"
"I know, Reeve. I feel the same way," I interrupted warmly, and I closed my eyes while taking one last whiff of his ocean-smelling cologne. He was my partner in crime in Junon, someone's arm to cling to when we were both scared, my cuisine tasting buddy, and of course, my friend.
Cloud sighed impatiently in the background.
I pressed my cheek into Reeve's to smirk at Cloud, finding him with his arms crossed.
"You can go; I'll catch up," I giggled, Reeve, blushing in my arms.
Cloud's eyebrows sharpened, eyes closed, and his cheeks burned. He showed me his sword on his back as he muttered, "I wanted to wait for you so we could go together."
"Oh!" I jolted, stunned.
"Go. I'll be fine." Reeve smiled. I smiled back, honest and ready. We let go, his cologne gone.
Walking next to Cloud, I turned into a tight pole and avoided looking at the well. Instead, I focused on the rocky wall to the other side. Cracks of hard earth had been glossed over with stains of Mako, clinging on like moss.
A strong hand took mine, pulling my attention away.
"Are you ready?" Cloud asked.
I looked across my shoulder to gaze up at him. He was still there, the real Cloud holding my hand. His eyes told me he was just as afraid as I was, gleaming with many words he wished he could say. All the "I love yous" he should've said in the past, the ones he anticipated in the future, the reassurances after arguments, promises, and vows deep inside. He opened his mouth but said nothing. There was no one word or moment to come close to all that.
I squeezed his warm, gloved hand and smiled.
"Kinda wished I had that pizza now," I joked. Cloud cracked a grin. He made this easier for me.
"Yes," I corrected and then took a breath before I asked him the same thing.
"Are you ready?"
Cloud's trusting gaze never wandered, half of him in green.
"Yes."
Our eyes lingered, the both of us silently questioning whether to share a kiss while I lay trapped in his luminous look. He answered for me when he faced the edge with a cocky grin.
"After Sephiroth," he whispered, already anticipating earning his reward that is our life together.
It wasn't necessary to say more.
I smiled sadly at the pit and echoed, "After Sephiroth." Whatever that meant. A wedding, a life, more adventures, children; who knows? Just a life with Cloud and our friends. That's enough.
"One," I began.
"Two," Cloud filled.
I bent my legs, tensing as I squeezed his hand as tight as possible to exhaust all my bundled-up knots of nerves. The last few seconds before the jump, I stole one more mental snapshot of his profile.
Cloud closed his eyes just before they glared with light, eyelashes soft. The wind rose to toss his hair, speckles of Lifestream dotting his pure cheeks. The long neck that I've kissed only dozens of times, not thousands. The strapping shape of his arm, the gray lines of muscle falling to his battered, silver bracer, followed by his gloved hand. And that sword, its entire length from handle to tip longer than Cloud's height, a remarkable relic he could somehow hold with only one hand.
I didn't want to forget...just in case.
His lips opened to shout, "Three!" I inhaled sharply.
Cloud leaped before I did, pulling me to him in mid-air just so I could cling onto him, his body my armor. Molded into one, we fell feet first. As we dropped closer, the green well brightened. I closed my eyes just when everything faded into a bright white light, never letting go.
...
We were falling for ages. Every time I tried to open an eye, I immediately shut it again, the world too bright to gaze. Cloud's arms squeezed around me, our clothes fluttering and hair lifting into fine messes. The worst of my fears happened when someone or something curled around my legs and yanked me.
I gasped, pulled away from Cloud's grasp, and reached for him while blinking against the light.
"Cloud!" I yelped. I got only a glimpse of his hand as he cried out my name.
"Aqua!"
And we separated.
Fool.
I screamed, its high-pitch wail echoing across the expansive nothingness of white. It has been a long time since I've heard that voice, one that paused my heart with questionable function.
Mother pulses inside of you. We are the same now.
No, weren't not! We're not the same at all!
"You're wrong!" I screamed, falling further.
Where are you?
"Show yourself, Sephiroth!" I shouted, done with his manipulating bullshit.
Everything stopped.
Miraculously, my boots landed softly. I split open an eye and found the aqua world of the Lifestream surrounding me. It rained upwards, long streaks of it heading towards the extensive heavens. I lifted a hand over a ledge to expose it, drops of whispers splashing into my palm and arm, trailing around until it dripped against gravity. After a few blinks, I found myself standing on a small, floating stone platform, an island in the endless ocean of souls.
I spun around, panicking. Where is everyone? Aerith, are you still with me?
Who knew there was an advantage for me, after all? There's a reason the Planet didn't want you with that fake SOLDIER. Your poor friend had no idea. She thought the Planet was against it because it wanted your race to end.
I gasped at Sephiroth's voice and spun around on my tiny island, searching for him. Somehow, he was speaking to me, but from where?
Where's Cloud?
I gasped with a jerk of my head in the other direction.
Tifa?
A desperate stare over my shoulder.
Vincent? Cid? Barret? Yuffie? Red?
I spun once more.
Anyone?
All directions appeared the same.
Aerith?
She can't hear you now.
My face heated until I rubbed sweat away. Of course. Sephiroth wasn't speaking to me from nearby. My heart rate climbed, eyes wide at the strange section of the Lifestream. Many whispers floated up, millions of the dead's memories echoing as a constant humming background.
He was speaking to me in my head.
I clasped my skull down in my hands and tried to squeeze him out.
Now you're getting it.
My boots blurred.
"How are you doing this?" I trembled.
I felt his presence before he replied behind me, "We share Jenova's cells."
This wasn't real. This had to be a trick of the mind, another game Sephiroth was creating. He was toying with me. I had no desire to turn around; I soon learned I didn't have a choice. A burning, stabbing pain erupted from my belly; it spread as a ripple of flames, making me gasp as though I was on fire. Without intending to, I turned around, no longer in control. The last to complete the spin was my head, refusing to look at him. In my peripheral vision, he was there, standing tall in black and silver, a puppet master.
He chuckled dryly.
"You can refuse all you want."
Boots stepped slowly towards me.
I could feel the pull like swords were deep in my skull, and someone was pulling on them against my will. It hurt to fight it, creating a sharp throbbing in my head as I pictured flat bones cracking.
I blinked, and tears fell.
"Stop it," I quivered.
My stomach cramped again, enough to have me inhale sharply. Boots grew closer, one step acting as one long second to a ticking clock. When the countdown hit zero, the footsteps stopped; they were too close.
No, stay away!
I couldn't move my arms, my legs, nothing. Leather stretched in my ears, and then I felt it, tender fingers holding my chin.
"At long last..." he whispered.
With phenomenal strength, a hand dragged my chin and forced my head to turn.
I saw a blur of black and silver when I refused to look up. He did it for me, tilting my chin up. I swallowed, one of the few muscles I could still control.
"Now that Mother's cells had enough time to develop inside you, it's time."
Time for what? Why did this man torture me with riddles? I blinked away tears to clear my vision and looked up.
"You and I shall take over this world, and then yours, as well," Sephiroth seethed happily. His sharp, aqua eyes dove deep into mine, his greedy stare grasping inside my soul, no, my cells. No. Jenova's cells.
More hot pain sizzled in my abdomen. What of my child? Was it even there?
"My..." my voice came out raspy. One side of Sephiroth's cupid lips lifted like he knew what I was struggling to say.
"My...My..." I wanted to look down and sob, but his grip, his power, all of it kept me staring at him with dread.
"My child..." I gasped. I just needed to know if it was okay.
Behind long strands of silver, Sephiroth's eyes were endless, nearing mine until his calm breath blew in my face. His hand squeezed my chin to pull me closer until I slammed against him with a sharpy cry. One of his eyes glinted red, that look again.
Jenova.
There she was, hovering behind him, his guardian angel from another planet. Her attractive form stood tall, long, blue fingers curled over his armored shoulder. One of her gem, red eyes glinted next to his head, half her angelic face revealed. She could be there, or she could not, I couldn't tell, but she saw me. She chuckled pleasantly, a voice pretending to take you to heaven when really, she will devour you.
Take her, my son. Let her do our bidding to buy us more time. Use her to our advantage.
She used "our" like they were of one unit, but I knew Jenova was all about herself.
"Sephiroth, she's using you!" I screamed. That was pointless. It was too late. Five years too late.
Jenova chuckled again, amused at my desperate voice, and like a spirit, faded. Her long nails dissolved, and it was just Sephiroth and me again, but I knew the alien was always around, ready to take control if needed. I pictured her god-like form gazing down at us puppets, her beautiful hands holding the strings. She gave Sephiroth the illusion of control. Maybe he liked it that way.
The gorgeous man lifted a thin, silver eyebrow.
"No. I've always wanted this," he replied softly.
"What? To be a God? Yeah, right," I spat. For a few seconds, I could push my fears aside; it didn't last long.
One of his hands carefully pressed into my belly, startling me into a gasp, and the fears viciously returned.
"It's because of your growing child; you have her cells," Sephiroth whispered, cocking his head slightly. More silver hair swept over his high cheekbone.
"Remember what I've told you? You know what happens when Mother's cells infect an Ancient?"
I thought to shake my head but forgot I couldn't.
His nose touched mine. I tried to pull back. This was like the scene in the basement, but there was no one to rescue me this time. And what's worst, I've become a puppet.
His mouth was so close to mine, and each word slipped into my lips as he spoke slowly.
"You turn into a monster."
My eyes grew.
"And what better monster than I could ever hope for. Better than Cloud."
Cloud, where are you? Aerith?
It was already too late. Sephiroth could do whatever he wanted to me, make me do his bidding. How will he use me? As a simple pawn? A partner?
"Mother will be so proud," he whispered tenderly.
His lips brushed softly against mine, a feathery touch and nothing more.
Or a lover?
One shoulder blade scorched like someone put a hot knife into it and shoved it deep into my scapula.
I didn't close my eyes, too terrified. Sephiroth closed his. The whispers of the Planet developed into only Jenova laughing lightly in the background. My eyes globbed with tears.
Cloud, I'm sorry.
What began to sprinkle between us tickled my cheeks.
It rained black feathers.