The Invisible Promised Land
Chapter One
Hello! This is my very first fanfic. /)_(\ I am by no means a writer, but after playing FF7R AND my new found time due to the global pandemic, I had to give it a try.
I was also shocked at how few Clerith fanfics are around. We are a small group but we're strong! This fanfic was inspired mostly by the shots in the game showing the Promised Land. So lush and green! I also sort of envisioned that Aerith still tries to stop Holy, but it happens shortly after the ending of FF7R. (Hopefully that makes sense.)
Please be gentle! Constructive criticism is welcome, and of course... enjoy! :D
There she was kneeling at the underbelly of the Forgotten city.
If you could climb down the busted rocks without somehow falling, you would reach the stairs towards a platform. Directly beneath the heart of the city, or what used to be a city. Cold and lifeless. Blue grey concrete and tiny beams of light seeping through the surface. A place not easily traveled to, with the journey from Midgar being days. Dust filtering and dancing around even the tiniest of movements. Nothing but rubble and rocks.
This place was never bothered, never stepped on by the shoes of people to busy to see what their feet dragged across. Years and years of being dormant left the place still - and so was she with hands clasped in a prayer. Her pink ribbon looked a faded purple instead of the soft rose in the sun. Sun couldn't reach here, only the tiny cracks in the surface allowed for a guide, a way to reach this place.
The summon of Holy. Aeriths vision, alongside the planets cries urged her to make this sacrifice, and yet her mind was plagued with flashbacks the moment she needed to concentrate.
"Think about what you're going to do after we save Sector 7!" Amber eyes looking at her, worried. That day in the sewers before Tifa lost everything. She barely knew her then, but she cared enough to attempt to console her fears. Aerith was even more empathetic to her, knowing she meant so much to Cloud. She gave Tifa hope even though she knew the outcome. Back when the plate was going to crash down and destroy everything people had built. She saw Tifa visibly relax at her words, at the idea of a shopping date with her - though they were a lie.
Memories and moments kept flashing in, her shoulders were visibly shaking from these painful images. They were painful because right now she was doing the only thing she thought she could do - the only good she felt she could contribute to the world, at this point.
Aerith inhaled sharply. "Okay, focus."
She adjusted her posture and clasped her hands together tightly. She had a planet to save. She didn't travel all this way and almost sprain her ankle three times for nothing. A wave of guilt at the pit of her stomach when she thought about the way she had left.
Nothing but a small note, signed - "With love, Aerith." It felt noble at the time.
Whispers suddenly flew in, as if to distract her from her fate. Circling around her. Furiously swimming in every direction, creating a dark miasma that made her throat burn. Her hands rising to her neck to soothe the pain. They seemed to cling to her in every major life decision, ever since that day in the church.
"Arbitors of fate" Reds voice echoed in her mind. This was her fate surely, why would they interrupt this?
Aerith was a Cetra, the last of the ancients. Her mind was never just hers. All of her feelings and thoughts altered, amplified and twisted. Coated with the Cetra before her. The flowers, river, spirits all speaking to her was a gift. She was special. What a beautiful power to possess.
However the coin had two sides, and the darkness was stronger. The constant reminder of the evil that would take her dear planet. She was prepared for this fate, this tragic end… and yet, she remained pleasant and optimistic. Every soul she encountered would remember her for that, and not all of her doubts. Though buried deep down, only Elmyra truly knew how hard she resented what she was. How she longed to have just been simply … human.
She pictured just briefly, the happy life she would've lived tending to flowers with a family. Caring for Elmyra in old age, and caring for all of Sector 5. Being a mom. Tears brimmed her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away.
That was a life she didn't get to have. She blinked furiously, adjusting her posture once again. The whispers swimming around her even faster.
"AERITH!" A voice shouted some distance away, with rocks rumbling to accompany the voice coming closer and closer. It was impossible to see, but it sounded as if it were behind her.
Turning and narrowing her eyes to see through the dark veil of whispers she vaguely saw the familiar points of blonde hair.
"C-Cloud?!" Her arms reached out to empty space. How did he find her? Aerith stood up quickly. Determined to get a clearer view.
Cloud was running up the uneven pathway as best he could, until a surge stopped him. Knees hitting the concrete hard.
"7 seconds, before the end. You can still make it. The future is up to you, Cloud." Sephiroth coaxed him.
Cloud was stunned, paralyzed with the vision Sephiroth invaded his brain with. It wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last time, but this was the most important thing he had ever shown Cloud. Real or not, it felt real enough he believed it to be true. Aerith was sacrificing herself for nothing. When he first met Aerith, he saw bits and pieces of this fate. It wasn't until Sephiroth showed him the full scene. In front of his eyes, how Cloud let her die. Paralyzed with disbelief. Ridden with guilt for the years following… living a hollow and empty life without her.
If this were real, if this was the path that was shaped. He would do anything he could to stop it. Even if it were for Sephiroths benefit. It didn't matter. He would defeat him again, and he would do it with Aerith alive. This time he will save her.
They had only known each other for a little over a month now, but grew extremely close. A connection Cloud had never had before. Aerith brought colour to his life, and after saving her from Shinras grasp, Hojos more specifically - he noticed how a piece of him felt at peace. It was difficult for him when she wasn't around. That was worth fighting for.
Sephiroths voice echoed throughout Clouds mind. "7 seconds."
"No!" Cloud fought back for consciousness. Focusing on the swarm of whispers with the girl inside. The whispers flew to cloud suddenly, swarming him and bringing him to Aerith. Helping? What were these mysterious cloaked entities… it was hard to know who's side they were on.
With vision finally Aerith watched the swarm take Cloud and quickly approach her. She gasped loudly and shielded her face.
The whispers released him, placing him beside her. The two of them remained side by side for a moment, taking in the situation. Green eyes met mako filled blues.
The whispers stopped and moved at an eerily slow pace, as if time had stopped completely.
On this platform underneath a city, barely lit by the moon above. Two humans staring at one another in the ether.
Aerith broke the silence. "Cloud, you can't be here! I have to -" but her words were cut short.
"No, were getting out of here - now."
He demanded as he picked her up. Ignoring her pleading eyes. She protested and squirmed against his grip as Cloud jumped down the broken pathway effortlessly. He wasn't budging.
"CLOUD! You can't! I have to save everyone from the meteor, and I'm the only one that can do it Cloud STOP!" She cried and squirmed harder, but Clouds grasp was certain and strong.
"We don't have time to talk about this right now." He answered curtly. Still concentrating on carrying them above to the surface, he was careful with his next words. Pausing for a second to look down at her in his arms.
"There has to be another way Aerith - I won't watch you die."
Every word a vow, a promise.
Aeriths eyes widened and she stopped fighting his grip. The whispers scattered and flew rapidly outward, disappearing entirely.
Fate clearly altered.
The place she was kneeling at was fading away from her view as they whipped past broken earth and uneven surfaces. There was so much to process with those words. She was motionless. Nothing made sense.
How could Cloud know her fate, too?
Faster than Aerith had made it down, Cloud had already brought them to the surface again. It was foggy and grey blue everywhere they looked. An abandoned city with nothing but old buildings barely holding together, and the two travelling through it.
Exhausted from her journey to the Forgotten city, and overwhelmed by the information she just learned… Aerith stopped fighting and let her eyes close.
Her body was weak. Climbing, using every stabilizer muscle to not fall, lifting herself up and over rubble to summon holy wasn't easy on her. The cold chill of the wind she barely noticed as she went into her slumber.
Cloud, noticing Aeriths closed eyes, and rhythmic breathing relaxed as well. He carried her towards the Sleeping Forest. He could make a small fire and rest for the night, he thought to himself. The others were waiting for Cloud to return. Everyone had offered to help but he was set on going alone.
He made sure not to wake her as he crept through the city, headed straight for the trees on the horizon line.
A first slammed down on the small table within the hut. The hut itself buried deep within the Sleeping forest. Marle had told the group before they left that one of her tenants mentioned it. She had no idea if it really existed, but it was the only option the group had. Lucky for them they did actually find it.
"Where the hell is he? How long can it really take?!"
Barret spoke out to the world, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. His drink spurting up from the mug at his sudden blow. He knew the journey was long, but everyone had been waiting in the Sleeping Forest hut for 3 days. They didn't bring enough food for much longer, so if Cloud didn't make it back today…
"I swear, if I gotta wait in this hut a minute longer I'm gunna blow some innocent tree fairies head off!" Scowling he rested his head on his left hand, staring through the dirty cracked window. Pouting. Hoping any minute the blonde spikes would appear with the flower girl.
Truthfully he missed Marlene. He knew she would be safe with Elmyra at their pretty home - but being away from his little girl was always a battle. It always made him more grumpy.
"I know you miss Marlene, we're going to be back soon… I.. hope." The doubt in Tifas voice was obvious as she stared down at her hands. Tifa gave everything away in her voice. Struggling for years to speak her true feelings. She could fight like hell, but when it came to her emotions she fell short. Masking them with small talk and subject changes. If she could remain neutral always, that was easiest for everyone. At least that's how she seemed to view it.
She was finishing up lunch for Red, herself, and Barrett. Some sort of stew with ingredients that Marle supplied them before they left.
It wasn't great, but it was food. The boys sure as hell wouldn't complain to Tifa. If they weren't going to die from boredom of waiting, that would certainly do them in. The entire gang had been relentlessly working on rebuilding Sector 7 since the plate being dropped. Sector 5 had many residents come and help out.
It had been about 2 and a half weeks since the devastation, and things didn't get any easier.
Days in and days out of trying to work together and configure the broken puzzle pieces of their beloved home. Which had already been built from nothing. They all knew that Sephiroth would return, but they couldn't just sit around and wait for him. So decidedly everyone pitched in to help, everyone except Cloud and Aerith.
Aerith had left with nothing but a note in her room stating that she was "Going to the place that has been forgotten." About 4 days ago. She had of course signed her name " With love, Aerith."
The cryptic note concerned Elmyra as she immediately called Cloud with her worry. Usually when Aerith was gone, even with Shinra she knew she was being treated reasonably. This seemed off, and Cloud agreed. That very night he approached the group, and they practically jumped at the idea of seeimg something other than this broken city. Not knowing what they were signing up for, they gave Cloud no option to say no to them coming along.
And now they were here, restless. Waiting. Confused. Worried. Maybe a broken city wasn't so bad afterall.
Aerith woke up to the smell of fire. Jumping up quickly and almost stumbling over, her eyes fixed on Cloud. He was across from her looking as surprised as she was. Cloud planned to make it back to the hut that night, but truthfully he was exhausted as well. First thing tomorrow morning they would join the others.
It must be the same night, no way she slept that long… Anywhere from 1 to 3am Aerith figured. The fire between them cracking as Aeriths breathing slowed down. They were in a forest tucked away from the cold wind with the density of trees, and she was thankful. She had only worn her usual small jacket with her pink dress and combat boots.
A pulsing pain near her head made her reach up and press her temples.
"What is it?"
Clouds voice was low. His brow furrowed in concern. He looked tired, worn from worry.
"It's… nothing, must've bumped my head on the way down there!"
She knew the pain was from something else. Just a small white lie. She was as cheerful as ever despite the current conditions.
"Wait! Cloud, …how did you… I don't…?" she was stumbling over her words, reaching out figuring out how to ask several questions at once. Brows furrowed.
Cloud saw her struggle and sat back down on the dry piece of wood alongside the fire. Sighing. The forest was dark and eerie beyond the glow of the fire. He fixed his gaze on the fire he opened his mouth to speak.
"I've been having these visions. I don't know who is showing them to me. " He breathed unevenly. "Sometimes I know it's Sephiroth, and other times it's…" He trailed off trying to figure out where to start himself. Aerith walked over to him, now sitting closely beside him on the dry piece of wood. Cloud barely noticed as he recollected his thoughts.
She was never one for considering personal space. It was effortless for her to be close to people. She put her hand gently on his arm and his breath hitched at the contact. It had been days since he saw her, and her warmth was still as constant as he remembered. She was a touchy person, always hitting his arm or grabbing his hands.
"Hey, you can tell me about it tomorrow. It will be exhausting, I can't imagine stopping the last Cetra from Saving the planet will be easy to explain." She joked attempting to make the mood lighter. Failing though, as she noticed Cloud sigh again.
"You need sleep now Mister!"
Her hand gently squeezing his arm to emphasize the words. Aerith wondered how she could get back to the Forgotten city… still wanting to go through with her decision.
Cloud turned to her, Aeriths hand still lingered against his arm. His expression soft. "You don't understand, the visions. I know you have them. Tifa and the others, that day we fought destiny…we all saw the same things. They saw the meteor. " Clouds eyes darted to the fire.
Aerith finally let go of his arm, she looked confused at his words.
"…but I saw your fate. The others didn't see that part. " he wasn't looking at her and clearly struggling to share his invasive visions.
Aerith leaned forward trying to peer at him through his blonde spikes of hair.
"My, fate?"
She asked like a curious child, getting closer to his face. The fire roared and blazed for a moment, catching both of their attention. Clouds mouth opened to speak, wanting to continue but Aeriths hand shushed against his lips.
He went to protest but instead accepted. Moments with her seemed to be interrupted perpetually. There were always layers of wit and jokes. Coated in a sugary flirtatious tone. Only ever getting serious if absolutely necessary. It was something Cloud grew to admire about her, but right now it was frustrating.
"Lets sleep, tomorrow we can figure out what to do… together!" She assured him. A part of her wanting to believe that very badly.
The vision she saw wasn't just the meteor destroying the planet. It was her summoning holy with the white materia her mother gave her, and sacrificing herself for the planet… for everyone and everything she'd ever loved.
Aerith had made up her mind, or so she thought. Fate was technically altered once again. She saw the whispers disappear like that day in Midgar. However this didn't mean the planet wasn't still in danger. They were gone now, but she still felt the edge of their presence.
The fire started dimming and Cloud replenished it with some small twigs and sticks he had collected earlier. The fire roared hot with it's new found fuel.
"You can sleep here, I'll stay up and keep watch." Cloud motioned to the flat area by her feet. She scrunched her nose at the dirt beneath her.
"I'm fine! I slept earlier, some super strong guy let me sleep while he carried me away from my duties as an ancient!" She winked at him. They had still been sitting very close on this dry log, their legs touching. Neither of them minding the contact.
"But you… I know you're tired Cloud. I can keep watch, I'm stronger than I look."
She made stressful situations look easy when anyone else would be visibly anxious. Its was if her mind was a wall of reassurance and flowery fields. She was stronger than she appeared. He knew that. The wind whistled through the trees around them, carrying leaves that danced around in the moonlight.
"Yeah, I'm a light sleeper anyways, Soldier thing. So I'll know if you try to leave again."
He grumbled as he lowered himself down and leaned against the dry log, placing his sword in arms reach. His eyes closed for a moment, but he glanced at her one last time before letting sleep take him - worried she might disappear for good.
Aerith felt a pull at her heart, reeling from the situation she was in.
She had left without formal goodbyes. Thinking it was the easiest route, and yet Cloud had travelled a long way to change this fate. The meteor vision didn't tell her when, she just trusted the planets whispers and knew she didn't have a lot of time. Not enough to wrap up and tie loose ends with the people she cared about.
Elmyras face showed in her mind and suddenly tears filled her eyes with no fight from her body. Careful to not let her breathing hitch, the crackle of the fire was enough to mask any uneven breathing.
She focused on clouds face for a moment, noticing his usual lines between his brows were entirely gone. Every person looked peaceful as they slept, but he looked truly like a different person. Boundless, happy. She wondered what Clouds life would have been like had he got the chance to be as human as the others. Both of them experimented on like lab rats by Shinra. Wiping her tear stained face she looked through the trees. The darkest of the night passing as she saw a glimmer of dawn.
Slowly she lowered herself beside Cloud, and gently rested her head on his shoulder. He moved slightly so she could get more comfortable. She didn't know if this was a conscious Cloud or not. "Thankyou for saving me" she whispered, closing her eyes. Drifting to sleep once again by the warmth of his body. The pair both at ease, if only for a little while.
^_^ Thankyou again for reading, if you made it this far!
I have the next few Chapters ready, I just wanted to start here.
3
Claire