A's N's: Hello! I've been in hibernation for a while and I am sorry! I miss my writing so much, but now my last coursework piece just got handed in, I can concentrate simply on A level final exams revision and my stories (yay!) I daredn't update When Heart Rules Over Mind yet, I need to make the next chapter perfect lol. So I hope this will suffice until then.


The cursed stairway

Cloud found himself walking through a haunting grove of trees. The dusty path beneath his heavy footsteps seemed to move as he walked along it in a daze. With each lift of his sturdy footing, a shroud of dirt would release into the air and climb around him in weak spirals with the light breeze that carried it upwards. It was a dream, but at the same time he felt as if he was being taken somewhere, lead by something or someone.

And all of a sudden he found out who this person was.

"Aeris…?"

She appeared through the mist in a gentle movement as if she were part of the atmosphere itself, because this realm did not feel even close to reality. She looked like a vision, her face warming the depths of his very soul as she curled her arms behind her back and leant toward him, her head nudging the air as her eyes gleamed. She always did that. He could hardly hear the words she was speaking to him, he was entranced, wrapped inside the blanket ofthe world she had created for him in this dreamland. Itwas too comfortable. His bodywas sleeping, he could feel it, he had never felt this comfortable before whilst awake – which contradicted itself somewhat. But here he was, watching her speaking to him as if they were in regular conversation.

Yet Cloud Strife was aware he was far from reality.

Reminding himself of this, he listened and followed and reached for the woman as she seemed to surround him, moving in ways of the supernatural. Blinking, she was gone, and he spun round to see her shining her smile at him – it took her a mere split second to cover such impossible distance. But before he could barrage her with questions, she gave him a look he had never seen before.

The look of goodbye…

Cloud bolted upright.

"Aeris!" He looked around the room blinking himself awake, only to see the shadowed form of Vincent giving him a look of interest.

"She…" Cloud swallowed, "She…" then gave up the waste of time involved in explaining himself.

"Should I enquire further, or are you going to enlighten the group? If it is the latter, I would advise against it."

Cloud was standing on unsteady feet asthe man spoke to him. Pausing from rubbing his thumping temples, Cloud looked over at Vincent, this time giving him the puzzled look. "Sorry, what?"

Vincent pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning back against and unfolded his arms. "This is not the time to waste with your thoughts Cloud." He stated, walking across the room to close the gap between them. "The girls are missing."


"I will wait for you Cloud."

Aeris slowly opened her eyes, her glance opening up on a view of ancient ground.

She lifted her palm off of the earth, releasing her grip on the thoughts of her companion, and got to her feet smiling. Pausing for a moment to brush the slight dust from her garments, she looked up ahead at the beautiful structure awaiting her.

She had the closing chapter of her journey to complete. And because ofthe time she had spent with her preciousteam of friends, she was more than able to find the will to do it alone.


Tifa collapsed.

She had been digging through masses of rotten dirt for hours. Her body was good for nothing other than falling backwards to lie in an exhausted heap. As she looked overhead at the clouds gently moving across the blue sky, her mind wandered back to her friends who would no doubt be waking up to realise the night had passed without her or Aeris.

She sighed, her chest rising quickly, only to fall sharply with a rush of air.

"where are you Aeris?"

"Hey!"

Tifa blinked, sitting up grudgingly to face the man who had just shouted.

"Got it!"

Tifa narrowed her eyes as she looked over the dig site to the gleaming object raised in the man's hand. Her eyes widened again and she smiled getting to her feet. "Finally."


Cloud adjusted the buster sword on his back and yanked the buckle tight that held it holstered. The leather strip clung tightly to his defined torso in a diagonal line.

The others were soon joining him outside of the inn of Gongaga.

He gave them a few moments to talk amongst themselves and sort their equipment out before he turned on them.

"I know where she is. Somehow she spoke to me while I was asleep, I don't know how, but she is capable of more than we know…" Cloud paused in reflection as his eyes wandered off focus. He knew she was an enchanting person, a Cetra no less. Regaining concentration, he looked back to the group. "She's taken off to handle Sephiroth on her own, and I don't trust to leave her to handle that."

Barrett suddenly moved forward, his flesh hand balled into a raised fist. "Her! Don't you talk as if Tifa aint out there on her own too! Jackass, watch your mouth!"

Yuffie chose this point to keel over.

She had been fidgeting with her boot, still tugging it on as she had been barely awake or dressed when the order was given to assemble outside. She had turned her attention to Barrett as soon as she heard his thunderous voice, hands still grasping the boot on her raised foot, and didn't notice herself tipping over...

"Oof!" She muttered as she hit the ground with a thud. This turned everyone's attention to her and instantly soothed the tension between the two alpha males of the group. She moved to a sitting position and grinned up at everyone.

Cid rolled his eyes and strode over to her, cigarette smoke leaving a trail behind him. He grasped the ninja's forearm and pulled her clean off the gound and then plopped her on her feet, all in one easy movement. "On your feet smurf."

Yuffie glared at the pilot for his comment and followed his lead in an angry huff. The other members of the group slowly began to catch on and moved after them.

Cid listened intently until finally he heard the sounds of the heaviest two pairs of footsteps trudging toward him and the others. He smiled to himself as he lifted the cigarette from his lips and exhaled.

"Now aint the time for killin' each other kids." He muttered to himself as he walked on ahead of the band of miscreants he had now become so fond of.


Tifa found herself running faster than she had in a long time.

She was gunning it full pelt down the main path that gave wayto the looming structure she had recently come to know as 'The city of the Ancients'. Once at the mouth of the city, she stopped and bent over, her hands resting on her thighs as her head bobbed up and down in heavy pants of breath. Recovering, she gulped in a last mouthful of air and looked up ahead and began to walk forward.

She had been running for miles. Stopping now and then when her lungs were aching in desperation, she had panicked herself into a running frenzy. Her chocobo had been reluctant to enter the sleeping forest and so she had been faced with the sudden obstacle of time. She could not hope to catch Aeris without the use of her chocobo's speed unless she pushed her body to it's limit.

She had been careless, she slowly realised, as she wandered blindly through the maze of haunting passages lined with aged structures. Her body was severely weakened and tired, and if she were to face a battle anytime soon, she would lose. That much was certain.

After an hour of wandering to an almost lost cause, she was about to give up, once she realised she was now standing in a building she had been in once before. She had come full circle, and was only just aware of it. How long had she been going round the same route? She sighed and leant back against the wall closest to her. Then she noticed a glow, if only faint, coming from below green strings that she had seen before. She walked around the velvety plant as it swerved around in independent movement. Looking closely, she noticed a gap in the reeds of itand pushed them apart further toreveal the top of a glowing stairway.

She smiled tiredly to herself and somehow knew that this was where Aeris would be. She soon disappeared down the ethereal stairway as it wound down into a dome of vast space, she couldn't even make out the roof or walls, it was simply open. She removed her boots and reached back to place them into the room she had come from and turned back to continue downward. Her bare feet made for much more nimble movement. She needed to take each step with care because of the absence of a rail. One slip and it was a long way to fall.

The slender fighter almost seemed to glide down the stairway, her innocent footing barely making an imprint. And when she finally lifted her chin up to gaze ahead, nearing the bottom now, she froze.

"Aeris…"


A's N's : Hello! Well I know this is not an update of When Heart Rules Over Mind - ou know that obviously. And I'm sorry but it has been a while since I have had the time to spare on my hobby of writing and I've missed it like hell! It's so good to be able to update something, I've felt guilty for ages but I had to get my priorities sorted - University applications, coursework and exams came first. Now all that is sorted I'm happy to say! Coursework all done, and my first choice for University accepted me for a place. So I'm all set for the next big part of my life!

But let me just say, you guys have been amazing, reviewing so kindly and not being afraid to tell em when I'm being downright stupid (Thank you xActualxRealityxfor telling my straight - "And you continually made Tifa seem older than Aeris." Couldn't agree more, so I hope I got it right with this chapter). You all rock so much because without you, I probably wouldn't have got so far with my writing. I've got faith in myself to get somewhere with it someday, so thanks!

I am going to update my other stories in good time, I hate myself for not updating, annoys me when other writers do that to me haha. And one last thanks goes to Hipathya, Spikestrife, and Wrexsoul(where have you GONE!) for reviewing nearly all of my garble, you got my utmost respect too, you guys can write my ass off lol.

Take care everyone, I'll be back soon!

Xx Jessie xX