Final Fantasy 7 Advent
"Memories…where do memories start and end?" "Or is they're no end to where they begin…?" "Memories…of lost love ones. Are the ones that can hurt so much…?" "So much…that it can make heart break…"
Chapter 16: The weaken heart
The two got back to the church a bit after that. Even those Sara was having trouble walking because of what happened to her leg. Cloud still felt like it was his entire fault. That her leg was hurt. But he was glad she was alive and he was sure tifa would feel that same way.
But as soon as they enter the church; Tifa ran toward them. "Sara…!" tifa cried hugging her friend. "I'm…alright…" she whispered keeping a weak smile on her face for tifa. "Oh...god I was so worried…!" tifa whispered still hugging her friend. They both could hear her crying quietly.
Cloud couldn't help but shrug a bit to him self. He had a small smile watching the two. He was glad they were friends. He knew Sara needed them. She was truly alone aside from friends.
Tifa slowly let go of Sara. Tifa shook her head a bit. "Look at me…starting the water works…" tifa said as a big smile appeared on her face. "It…alright you were just worried. It normal to feel that way…" Sara whispered. Tifa nodded. "Yes…I guess your right…" how would she tell tifa? That she was leaving so the Turks wouldn't find her right away?
"Umm…" she whispered to say but tifa quickly jumped a bit. "Oh…you should see the flowers they look really pretty right now…" she shrugged as tifa pulled her more into the church where the flowers still sat. Cloud shrugged watching the two and followed them.
Tifa kneed down in front of them. But the funny thing was…they did look better then they had for sometime…why was that? "Have you been taking care of them…?" Sara asked looking to tifa. She shook her head. "No I haven't…the last person who did…was..." but before tifa could finish what she was saying. A ghost appeared by the flowers. All three of them stared in shock by what they saw. "No…it can't be…" cloud whispered.
"Aerith…" Sara whispered backing up a bit. Tifa and cloud both looked at Sara. "Sara…?" tifa whispered. They both watched as the girl started to shake her head a bit. "Why...appear now…?" the girl asked placing her hands on top of her head. "You know why now…" aerith answered.
Cloud and tifa thought they had been seeing things. But they now knew, it was real! It really was a ghost of aerith in front of them! Sara kept shaking her head as she back into cloud. He quickly placed his hands on her shoulders. "Sara…?" cloud whispered but she didn't answer. She just kept on shaking her head.
"No…" Sara whispered as she started to run to the exit. Cloud quickly started after her. "Sara…!" he yelled. Tifa looked surprised and wondered what that was about. "Aerith…?" tifa whispered turning back to look at the ghost. She didn't answer as she looked at tifa. "What is this all about…?" tifa asked. Aerith looked away from tifa.
"Sara…! Slow down…!" cloud yelled still running after her. She was just jump out of the way of town people in time. And cloud was having trouble keeping up with her. How was she running like this with a bad leg…?
Cloud watched her trip and quickly got back into her feet running down a dead end street. "…" he slowly followed her down the street. When he got to the end he found her sitting there on her knees. Her head was pointed toward the ground. Was she crying…? It sounded like she was.
But why was she crying? And what about? "Sara…?" he asked but didn't get an answer. He could see tears rolling down her cheeks. He hated to see her this way. No matter what the reason was. He didn't want to see her unhappy. He quickly kneed behind of her and put his arms around her quickly. "Please…don't cry…"
He whispered into her ear. She quickly blinked feeling his arms around her. "…?" why was he acting this way…? This wasn't like him at all…not at all. "I...dont…" cloud started to say something again. "I don't want to see you sad…" he whispered. She could feel her self blushing. Why was he acting like this…? She didn't understand.
Before she knew it the next thing she felt was cloud lips on her neck. She felt like she couldn't move. "…c...cloud…?" she asked but she didn't get an answer. She could feel his arms that were around her become a bit tighter. Why…wasn't she fighting him off…? Was it because she liked him…? Or some other reason..?
"Aerith…why have you appeared now…?" tifa asked still looking at the ghost in front of her. "She knows why…" aerith answered slowly looking back to tifa. "…you mean Sara…?" she asked questionly. Aerith slowly nodded to her. "Yes…" aerith closed her eyes.
"Sara…feels hate toward her self…" "She hates what she is and who she is…" "She believes…no one can love her because of this…" tifa didn't know what to say. "No one should hate them selves…especially not my little cousin…" tifa could see tears rolling down aerith's cheeks.
"Is…is there anything I can do to help…?" Tifa asked. "No…only one person can help her…and that the person that in love with her…" tifa slowly nodded to aerith. "You mean cloud…" aerith nodded to tifa again. "She knew the real cloud…before I saw…the person who cloud was…wasn't really him…" "He was acting just like zack…" tifa was surprised to hear about zack.
"You…knew zack…?" tifa asked questionly. Aerith didn't answer her. "Aerith…?" Tifa asked the ghost of her friend in front of her. "He was…my first boyfriend…" aerith whispered. Tifa was surprised to hear this. Because zack had been her first boyfriend as well! "He was my first boyfriend as well…" tifa whispered staring toward her friend.
"Yes…he always was a lady man…" tifa could see tears falling from aerith's eyes. "Aerith…?" she whispered watching her friend. "Tifa…" aerith whispered pointing her head toward the ground. "Yes…?" she asked. "Please…keep watching over my little cousin for me…" she whispered as she started to disappear.
"Aerith!" tifa yelled hold a hand out toward her. "Her…heart has been weakening…her poor heart…" was the last thing aerith said before she disappeared. "Her…poor heart…?" tifa whispered standing there feeling confused.
"C-Cloud…?" she asked finally getting another words out of her mouth. He didn't answer still kissing on her neck. Then some foot steps were heard behind them. "So this. Is why you saved the cetra…?" a voice asked from behind them.
Cloud slowly removed his lips from the girl's neck and slowly turned around to take a look. He found the last thing he ever wanted to see standing there. He found Reno and rude of the Turks standing there. His look quickly turned to a glare seeing the two. "What with that look…?" Reno asked patting him self on the back with his rod weapon.
Cloud slowly turned his body all the way around glared toward the two Turks. He couldn't believe. Of all times to show up it had to be now. "Sara…stays behind me…" he whispered quietly to her. "o-okay…" she whispered back to him.
"Aww…isn't that sweet…rude? He is going to protect his girlfriend…" Reno said with a grin now holding the rod on both of his hands. Rude laughed a bit to him self. Cloud quickly blushed hearing this. "S-she…isn't my girlfriend! J-just a good friend!" cloud yelled feeling his face turning redder.
The girl could only look confused by the way he was acting. "Huh…?" she whispered to her self. Reno shrugged a bit watching the blonde swordsman. "Whatever the reason…we need the cetra returned…" Reno said pointed behind cloud. "Well you aren't returning with her…" cloud whispered withdrawing his sword from his back.
She was surprised to hear him reacting this way. Why was he protecting her? She didn't understand it at all. Reno quickly came toward them with his lightning rod. But cloud did his best to defense her. Holding his sword right in front of him fighting off Reno; then rude quickly jumped in. He jumped at cloud trying to hit him with his leg.
Cloud quickly stepped aside. But then Reno ran past the two toward the girl. "…!" Cloud quickly started toward Reno running toward the girl. "Sara…!" cloud yelled but before he could get too far rude ran in front of him stopping him. "Uh…!" cloud quickly stopped in his tracks. "You will have to stop me first…" rude whispered standing ready for him. "Damnit…" cloud whispered under his breath.
She could see a shadow running toward her. But she couldn't tell who it was so far. But she had a feeling it wasn't cloud. She had to be ready, because she may have to protect her self. But then she saw the shadow come into view. It wasn't cloud! It was that red hair Turk! She quickly jumped back as the red hair man try to hit her with his lightning rod.
"Hmm…you're pretty fast…cetra…" The red hair man whispered grinning toward her. "But…fast doesn't mean…that will win it for you…" he whispered running toward her again. She did her best to try to get out of the way. But because of her leg still hurting a bit; she trip and fell into her back. But she rolls out of the way before Reno hit her with his lightning rod.
But before she could get too far he smack his rod down besides her stopping her. "Don't move…and you will alright…" he whispered grinning toward the women on the ground. "…!" she just stared back toward the red hair unsure of how to get out of this one. "That a good girl…" he whispered slowly moving his hand toward her arm.
"Now. Come…!" he yelled moving his hand quickly toward her arm. 'No…if shinra gets me again…if they…' her face slowly turned dark. Then a wave of energy sends Reno flying backward. He land on his back. "W…what the hell!" he yelled quickly sitting up looking toward the girl. "Don't—don't touch me…!" she yelled hold out a hand toward him.
A huge wave of wind came from her; sending Reno flying into rude who had been fighting with cloud. The two Turks yelled flying into a wall. Cloud just watched them in shock. "How in the world…?" cloud asked as he turned to look at Sara. The wind was somehow coming from her…? How? But the wind kept on coming and becoming stronger.
"S-Sara…!" he yelled slowly moving toward her. But she didn't answer. It was like she couldn't hear him. He finally made his way to her. He started to shake her. "Sara…!" he yelled again. But her eyes…just give back a cold look with no feeling in them; it was like she was sleeping with her eyes open. Was this some power jenova's had left inside of her? Cloud wondered.
He had to keep trying and keep calling out to her. "Sara…!" he yelled again. But before he knew it; he saw her eyes slowly blinking at him. "C-Cloud…?" She asked looking a bit lost toward him. "w-what happened?" She asked looking around. He slowly smiled toward her.
"n-nothing did…" he whispered giving her a small hug. She could only look lost toward the blonde swordsman. But somewhere inside of her; she knew something had happened that he wasn't going to tell her again. "I'm sorry…for running off like I did…" she whispered to him when she was still being hugged by him.
He slowly shook his head letting go of her. "Don't think anything of it…" he slowly stood up then helped her into her feet. "But…let us return to tifa…then leave here so the Turks don't come after you again…" She slowly nodded take hold of cloud's hand.
And so the two started back toward the church in sector 5; where tifa waiting still confused by aerith last words that had been said to her. "You don't think tifa…angry with me…do you…?" she asked cloud on they're way back. He slowly shook his head. "No…I'm sure she isn't angry just worried about you…" cloud whispered looking forward.
"As I was worried about you…" he whispered closing his eyes. Sara could only look confused at the swordsman. "You were…?" she asked. He slowly nodded. "Yes…I was very worried when you ran like you did…" she didn't hear a joke voice when she heard him say that. Maybe he was telling the truth? But why would he be worried about her?
When she was little he had always acted like a big brother toward her. And part of her always felt like he was an older brother. He was four years older then her after all. So maybe it was normal for her to feel this way. Yes she was only 19 years old not even drinking age. And he was 23 years old. He had changed a bit from the person she knew years ago. But at some points he was the same person as well.
She was sure this change was part of sephiroth fault. But she couldn't blame cloud if that had been the reason right?
"Sara…?" she blinked getting out of her thoughts hearing his voice. "Y-yes?" She asked looking up at him. Cloud just stared at her after she looked up at him. What could he say? What was he thinking? He knew what he wanted to say. But…he couldn't get the words to come out. When ever he saw her eyes looking at him; He lost the will to say things he would be thinking.
"…?" she looked confused at him. It looked like he had something to say. But it was like he had lost those words when she looked at him. She didn't understand. "Cloud…?" she asked placing a hand on his arm. He quickly snapped out of it. "Huh…?" He whispered looking down at her. She slowly gave him a confused look.
He couldn't help but smile looking at her. Was he chickening out of telling her again? He closed his eyes for a second. Yes, he was. "Cloud…?" He opened his eyes again hearing her voice. "It nothing…" he whispered keeping a small smile on his face looking at her. "Hmm…?" she whispered as she kept on looking back at him.
"Come on…we are keeping tifa worrying about you…" he whispered taking a hold on her hand. She could only still look lost about the look cloud had given her. What had he been thinking? Something he didn't wish to tell her? But she didn't ask. She knew it was better to keep secrets from others sometimes. She slowly nodded to him as they head inside the church again.
As they did tifa quickly turned around finding the two standing there giving tifa a worried look. "Tifa…?" cloud asked as soon as she turned around. Tifa didn't say a word as she looked from cloud to the smaller girl beside him. What could tifa say? After what she heard out of aerith. 'her poor heart…that had been weaken…' tifa could remember hearing aerith saying that over and over. What did she mean by that?
What did aerith mean by Sara's heart have been weakening? Did that mean…her heart would give out soon? And she would die? That thought scared her. The two keep staring at tifa; who was fighting back bad thoughts about what could happened.