Chapter Two: Remembrance
"Cosmos."
The whisper slithered past stiff lips, drawn forcefully up and out from behind the walls locking those memories away. A bead of sweat slowly slid down from his brow, across the pale expanse of his cheek, to fall from a chiselled jaw with a soft 'splat' onto the thick wool of his shirt.
"Cosmos." Cloud repeated, slowly releasing the death grip he had on his hair. Cracks formed on the walls of memories, splintering and travelling until finally, the walls came down with the smallest of whimpers. Rocking back onto his heels, he gazed down at a pool of water in the corner of the cavern. The water lapped rhythmically against the stones and dirt bordering its small shoreline. Cloud narrowed his eyes as he turned his head to gaze at the runes, biting on his lower lip as names and faces arranged themselves with a strong clarity in his mind; as though they'd never been forgotten. The runes gave a final satisfied flicker of light and fell silent again. The glow and hum disappearing as though nothing had happened. Even the dust settled back into the same patterns from before.
On shaky legs, Cloud staggered to his feet, heaving his sword back onto his back. He eyed the crystal for a long moment, holding it at eye level with his lips drawn into a tight, white line. "Why did I forget?" He asked softly, eyes fixed longingly on the gem. "And why make me remember at all?"
The crystal, predictably, gave no response.
Cloud ran from the cavern.
XxX
The first time that he met his fellow comrades in the final cycle of the conflict, his gaze was drawn towards a leather-clad figure. The man appeared to be younger than he, with a straight posture that screamed of military training. The leather outfit he wore was softened by two sets of fur trims; one at his waist, and another at his collar, brushing against a delicate face. Chocolate coloured haired half-hid gun-metal eyes and framed the slender lines of his face and neck. If not for the scar slanted between those compelling eyes, Cloud wouldn't have hesitated to use the word 'delicate' to describe the other man's appearance. Instead, the scar offset his features in a way Cloud could only describe as 'striking'.
Against his will, Cloud found himself enchanted. And he fought it every inch of the way; thankful that the proud lion preferred solitude and tended to take off on his own. Meanwhile, Cloud was pulled into a group by a fervent Tidus. He didn't want to feel so strongly about another of Cosmos' summoned warriors; it had taken the them less than half of the introductions to work out that none of them hailed from the same world. Presumably, they would all return to their worlds when the conflict was resolved (Back to their livelihoods, or their life-streams…Cloud never let himself dwell on which outcome was more likely). There would only be loss, potentially heart-breaking loss, if he listened to his heart on this matter.
But still, he gravitated towards Squall whenever the group was together. They were both silent, though Squall became surprisingly vocal when the conversation turned to weaponry. Before either of them knew it, they'd established a routine and it was commonplace for the other eight to see the pair together. They never spoke of their home worlds, of the people waiting for them but Cloud felt that the silence made it clear that they both had friends waiting. The soft looks and gentle hands were held in check by that piece of knowledge. But even so, in those quiet moments together, Cloud almost dreaded the day they'd defeat Chaos.
XxX
When Cloud finally ran out of his after his flight from Banora, he was in front of Aerith's church in the ruins of the Midgar slums; and too conflicted to ponder whether or not it was mere coincidence. He shoved his hands into his pockets, one fist gripping the crystal tightly as he slowly made his way inside. He hadn't returned to this place since the Geostigma Incident and the aftermath of fighting Sephiroth again. The silence sent his footsteps echoing loudly in his ears; a huge contrast to the jubilant cheers and splashing from that last visit.
The floorboard creaked as he knelt beside the water, extending a hand to trail gloved fingertips over the surface. The corners of his lips turned upwards slightly at the feel of a gentle hand patting his shoulder, and then there was a husky laugh barking at him from a few feet behind. Cloud closed his eyes contently. "Aerith. Zack." He breathed.
Zack's laugh softened to a chuckle. "Hey Spiky…see you got some memories back!"
Cloud straightened, eyes hard as he looked over his shoulder at the grinning spectre. "You knew?"
Aerith nodded with a sigh, green eyes solemn as she peered up at him. "The Planet was not happy with Cosmos summoning you like that."
"…is that why I forgot?"
Aerith shook her head, sending her bangs swinging rapidly in front of her eyes.
"Nah, that was Cosmos." Zack shrugged. "Dunno why…the motives of the gods make no sense."
"Again," Aerith sighed, kneeling gently amongst the sole remaining patch of flowers, carefully tucking her legs beneath her as she settled to sit amongst the flowers she once so devotedly cared for. "The Planet was not pleased with your memories being sealed. You're stronger with those memories…but the Planet's power is restricted when it comes up against that of a goddess."
"Good thing you went to the Banora Caverns." Zack crowed, blue eyes electric with glee. "Because of the Goddess' presence there, it's the one spot where the Planet had enough power to undo the seal on your memories."
"…." Cloud turned a thoughtful gaze towards the water.
Aerith shifted slightly, adjusting her position to lean against Zack as the former SOLDIER came to sit beside her. A muscular arm wrapped around her shoulders as those bright blue eyes joined hers in watching Cloud grapple with the memories. Aerith's keen eyes quickly spotted the longing slowly dulling Cloud's gaze and the sad hunching of his shoulders. She exchanged a knowing glance with Zack, who offered up a cheerful grin in encouragement.
"You know, Cloud, separation is an illusion." Zack piped up, pulling Cloud out of thoughts abruptly.
That drew a sour look from their blond friend. "Sure feels real." He retorted broodily.
"Some worlds are closer than you think." Aerith countered breezily with a secretive smile. Cloud's head jerked up as he turned to gape at her. Her smile widened. "If I could fetch one of them, would you want me to?"
…Squall…
XxX
Squall had been at Esthar for a week now…and the restfulness of doing nothing was giving way to boredom. Long-term freedom from his duties was actually starting to feel detrimental to his well-being. The lack of routine was horrible for a man raised in a regimented and busy environment. Perhaps Squall should've been more careful with the distaste his thoughts showed for the lack of routine. Certainly, life had proven more than once that it was quite happy to put him through hell. Maybe Laguna's positivity had influenced him during his stay….or perhaps the presidential palace's state of the art security had lulled him into dropping his guard.
He'd been exploring the impressive presidential library when he abruptly collapsed.
Squall had been about to pull a book on weaponry from its shelf when he heard a gentle voice. As he turned around to see who it was, his vision swam before going black.
The next thing he knew, he was in a field of flowers.
"…Time compression?" he murmured before shaking his head. No, this was nothing like that nightmare of a landscape.
An airy laugh greeted him. "Time compression?...sounds a bit too complicated for me." A smiling woman greeted Squall as he spun around to face her, green eyes watching him with a soft fondness. "Hello, Squall."
"…"
She giggled. "Cloud did say you were a quiet one. I'm Aerith."
"…who is…Cloud?" Squall hesitated over the question. The name rang a distant bell in his memory. He pondered whether 'Cloud' was another he'd forgotten due to using GFs before dismissing the thought…this felt…different…
"Ne, Squall." The woman spoke up again, interrupting his thoughts as she placed a hand on his cheek, drawing his gaze to meet hers. "Has your memory felt…off, lately?"
Squall blinked. Then gun-metal eyes glinted with hardness before he wrenched himself away, taking two steps back. "Who are you?" He growled. "…and how do you know that?"
"Cloud also forgot…not willingly, a Goddess sealed your memories." Came the calm reply as green eyes flickered between glowing with serenity and power. Squall was struck by the notion that this fragile looking woman had a very well-hidden core of steel. "Our Planet helped him remember…and with your Planet's help, gave me the power to help you…if you want me to."
"Are you a Sorceress?"
She frowned, tapping a slender finger against her chin. "I don't know what that is." She admitted with a gentle shake of her head. "So, I don't think I am."
"…" Not exactly re-assuring, Squall thought, but I'll take what I can get. Gun-metal eyes narrowed. "What did I forget? And what's the catch?"
She clasped her hands beneath her chin. "No catch…well, I would like to see Cloud happy again, but that's up to him…and you." She waved a hand dismissively. "You know something is missing. Your memories were sealed in your mind….but the heart is powerful….and when your heart connected with the others, it formed an unbreakable bond, one too powerful even for a goddess. That's why you know something is missing. Your hearts stopped the seal from being fully effective."
-Blonde hair cloaked a white dress…a sad face with eyes in perpetual mourning-
"Goddess?" Squall breathed, a flare of pain lit up behind his eyes. He uttered a low groan, clamping a hand across his forehead.
"Cosmos." Aerith pronounced carefully. She reached for his hands, gently holding them palms up between the pair and stared intently. A small flare of light occurred and then his crystal was resting within his cautious hands. "Cosmos." She repeated, tapping the crystal. "Squall Leonhart. Separation is merely an illusion; and it's one that I have the power to break. Get back the memories you lost…and when you do…if you want to, I can take you to my world. Cloud's world." She smiled warmly at him, raising a hand to pet at his cheek in a motherly way. "Just call my name, Aerith, if you wish to go. I'll do the rest." With a final jubilant smile, Aerith burst into thousands of glowing streams of light, spiralling into the air.
Squall's vision went black again. The flower field disappeared as his body fell into darkness.
A demonic face filled with agony as the God moved into the throes of death. "Cosmos…Now I know what you left behind…"
That blonde hair again, that sad face but this time with eyes steeled with resolve… "The fantasy must come to an end…"
"Don't worry. The crystal knows the rest of the way, besides…I'm always right here!" Tidus…
"A lady has left the future up to me. I can't run away with my tail between my legs." A golden tail peeked over a shoulder, eyes eternally on the hunt for treasure. Zindane…
"Once you stop travelling down the path you've chosen, you might as well have disappeared." A low voice, it's deep tone comforting; glowing blue eyes and angelic golden hair naturally spiky. Cloud…
"We've to protect what we hold dear. As long you have that, you can find the meaning on your own." Terra…
"Why Cosmos had to disappear…if WE have to disappear as well…we've got to get some answers!" A chocobo feather, a precious treasure he entrusted to Squall, even as he took off for an adventure. Bartz…
"The sadness of absolute solitude, having lost his equal in Cosmos…" Cecil…
"I learn through all the battles that we can't just give up…even in the despair!" Onion Knight, no…Luneth…
"None of us are alone." Firion..
"Why do you insist on fighting alone? Can you carve out your path…without the help of others?" Warrior of Light…
"No one can take away out time." His own voice…
And then…
That woman again, her green eyes warm as the memories continued to shove their way to the front of his mind.
"No matter where we are, our hearts will bring us together again."
TBC
Hehe, a little Kingdom Hearts reference for the end.