A Door Beyond Absolution Chapter 9: Always: Listen to Your Heart, a final fantasy vii fanfic

Author's note: Okay, I got done with my play a couple of weeks ago. We blew our rival school, who did the same show, out of the water. Also, I turned 18, am working on getting a job, and feel really guilty about not updating… Ok, ok.

Reviewer Comments:

Crisis: Thank you

Yurikitsune: Thank you very much, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

WyvernWing: Thank you

Passerby: Thank you

Anonymous: Thank you very much, I appreciate the compliments. Sorry about the wait.

Chocobo Obsessed: Well that was very flattering, thank you. And my apologies for the length of your wait.

Tetsuya Shiraishi: Well, Yuffie probably will kick Godo's ass at some point, but it's more likely than not she'll feel too lousy to do much at first. I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but the rule of my house is Homework over hobbies.

Lady Sonora The Black-Rose: Is "Woah" good or bad?

Sorceress Fujin: Sorry it took so long… Please don't hurt me!

Disclaimer:

I don't own FFVII, I don't own the song "Listen to Your Heart"; although I know am the proud owner of a FFVII Advent Children, Vincent Valentine Action figure; so in a sense I do own him… just… not really… damn technicalities.

A Door Beyond Absolution

Chapter Nine: Always: Listen to Your Heart

Vincent was silent when they entered Mideel. He wasn't intimidated, small towns don't frighten Turks, but the beasts inside him were restless, growling, prowling forces; and there was little he could do to pacify them.

'Not Safe!' Gallian growled at him, Vincent's eyebrows drew together as Tifa went ahead of them with Cid and Barret.

'You Feel?' Gigas rumbled, the first coherent sound he'd made in a week.

'Feel what?' Vincent asked himself, Gigas didn't answer.

'Don't tell me you don't feel the power, the ecstasy!' Hellmasker roared to life within him, a bubbling, surging force that Vincent forced back within a tight ball. He struggled a moment, feeling his muscles bulging beneath his clothes, but soon was able to re-tame the urge. No one stopped and stared as he straightened, no one paid him any mind, save a single, grey eyed, girl standing near the weapons shop.

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I know there's something in the wake of your smile.
I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yea.
You've built a love but that love falls apart.
Your little piece of heaven turns to dark.

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Yuffie wrenched her eyes away from Vincent's gaze and slipped silently into the Weapon's Shop. She didn't deserve to gaze into his eyes, even from across a whole freaking town. She ran her fingertips over a beautiful shuriken the owner had mounted on the wall, the soft pads of her fingers tracing over the sharp edges.

"Do you like it miss?" the old man asked from behind the counter, Yuffie turned to blink at him, and blushed ever so slightly.

"Yes," she said quietly as she approached the counter. "How much are you asking for it?"

"Normally I'd sell a shuriken for close to fifteen hundred gil," he told her. "But seein' as this is the last one, and you're the only girl I ever seen lookin' at it, how bout we settle for a thousand gil?"

Yuffie smiled and pulled out the required amount, handing it to the man with a smile. As she reached for her new weapon, something glinted from the corner of her eye. Turning her head she saw it, the sleek silver metal shining in the dim light of the after noon. It was a large rifle, the barrel was silver, the handled looked like oak casing with steel underlining it. Running her fingers over the barrel, Yuffie looked up at the Weapon shop's owner.

"What is this?" She asked politely, the man squinted at her.

"That's a rifle miss," he replied. "The newest model of the old Winchester Rifles."

"How much?" She asked, still eyeing the weapon appreciatively.

"Ma'am, those are pretty expensive rifles…" He told her, Yuffie looked down at her Minerva Bangle. Set into one of the slots was a fully mastered "Luck Plus" Materia that she'd gotten at the Golden Saucer when she was thirteen. Yuffie believe it had gotten her out of several bad situations, she plucked it out of her armlet with a steady hand.

"Would this be enough?" She asked, holding it out. The man eyed the small purple orb before staring up at her.

"Are you crazy?" he asked. "This could by the whole damn shop!"

"I'll be content with just the Winchester," she said softly. The man hustled from behind the bar to put the weapon into a wooden case for her; Yuffie stared past him, out the window, where she watched a crimson eyed man wander into the Item Shop.

---------------------------------

Tifa and Cid burst into the clinic with Barret at their heels. A local had told them of a strange man found floating in the life stream, seconds later Tifa had taken off for the hospital.

"Cloud!" She cried out as she entered, an elderly man jumped slightly and turned to face her.

"Here now," the doctor scolded, "the way you're running around here, you'd think Meteor fell or something."

"I'm sorry," Tifa said, her leather clad hand clasped to her chest, "but I heard that a friend of mine was being taken care of here…"

The Doctor's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands lightly.

"A friend…!" He declared, "oh yes...! That young fellow? Don't worry. Your friend is next door. But I'm afraid his condition is…"

Tifa ignored him, her heart having just taken a huge bound into her throat.

"Here?" she gasped moving towards the wall dividing the two rooms. "Over here?"

She wrenched the door open and let out a gasp at the sight that greeted her. There sat Cloud, his head thrown back, moaning incoherently, seated in a wheelchair.

"Cloud...?" She cried, running to his side and grasping his arm. "Oh... Cloud! I'm so glad you're safe?" Silence. "...? Cloud...?"

"Uh... aa...?" Was her only response as the tears came rushing to her eyes.

"Wh... what's wrong... Cloud...?" She said breathlessly, his make blue eyes locked on her.

"A... Gurk...?" It wasn't words, it was barely sounds!

"Cloud!" She cried again, clasping his arm more firmly. "What happened to you...?"

"Mako poisoning…" the doctor said softly, Barret swore. "Quite an advanced case... It appears this young man's been exposed to a high level of Mako energy for a protracted period of time. He probably has no idea who or where he is now…" Tifa let out a dry sob, "poor fellow, his voice doesn't even work. He is literally miles away from us. Some place far away where no one's ever been... All alone…"

Tifa staggered to her feet, her eyes filled with crystalline tears.

"Doctor...!" She cried, Cid grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Damn…" he muttered, "that's evil."

"That's bad…" Barret amended solemnly.

"Cloud…" Tifa whispered, turning her back on her friends to again stare at the visage of the man she adored.

"Ahem!" The doctor said, averting his eyes. "Let us excuse ourselves." He turned to Barret and Cid. "Listen, would you all mind... waiting outside?"

"…" Barret was silent before taking Cid by the arm and escorting the older man out the clinic's door.

"Why...?" Tifa asked herself, staring at Cloud's vulnerable form. "What do you want me to do?" He looked at her with dim eyes, "please, Cloud... Talk to me…" She didn't want to hear any other sound in the world. "Tell me you see me, that you can hear me…"

'Don't make me invisible to him,' she thought to herself. 'Not again.'

"Tell me, please…" She was pleading with a vacant stare. "I came this far believing in the memories we have together…" He stared at her, neither acknowledging nor comforting her fears. "This isn't happening...!" She said, kneeling beside him and clasping his hands in her own. "This is too cruel... Oh, Cloud...! I…"

------------------------------

Listen to your heart
when he's calling for you.
Listen to your heart
there's nothing else you can do.
I don't know where you're going
and I don't know why,
but listen to your heart
before you tell him goodbye.

---------------------------

"You okay?" The words hurt more than ninety daggers imbedding themselves in her chest.

"Yes…" Tifa lied, still staring at her feet. "I'm sorry I had you all worried. And I have something I want to tell you all…" She took a deep breath and pressed on. "I don't care about anything else, only Cloud…"

Cid stared at her in shock, his cigarette falling from his lips.

"I... want to be by his side…" She said softly, Cid nodded.

"Yeah." He grumbled, "right. Hang in there, Tifa."

"Yeah, that's probably best…" Barret didn't look at Tifa, "for Cloud... an' for you…"

"I'm sorry, everyone…" Tifa said, turning to stare at Yuffie, Vincent, Red and Cait Sith. "At a time like this…"

Cid's growl silenced her.

"Don't worry. I'll stop by again sometime." And then they were gone, with Cid leading them away, his spear glittering in the afternoon sun. Tifa returned towards the clinic, her eyes dusted with tears.

"You take care now, Tifa." Barret grumbled, she glanced over her shoulder. "And take care of Cloud."

"Right…" Tifa choked out, her throat unbearably tight.

"Oh, and uh, Tifa…" Barret took a deep breath. "I don't like askin' this but... Is he really your childhood friend? And not Sephiroth's shadow?"

"Huh?" Tifa nearly jumped from the question, for it had been plaguing her one thoughts. "Well... that is…" She closed her eyes a moment. "No, I'm sure of it!"

"Yeah...?" Barret looked at her skeptically, a knowing smirk on his face. "Okay then... Sorry for askin' that."

It was with a troubled mind that Tifa returned to the clinic, her face downcast. The doctor and nurse had gone home for the evening, leaving Tifa to fend for herself and Cloud. As she examined the contents of the kitchen, she all but burst into tears.

Cloud sat a few feet behind her, making small mewing sounds in the back of his throat, but never saying anything real. It was breaking her heart, listening to the former leader as he whimpered like a new born pup.

---------------------------------

Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile.
The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yea.
They're swept away and nothing is what is seems,
the feeling of belonging to your dreams.

-------------------------------

Yuffie sat on the bridge of the airship, her knees tucked up to her chest. Not four minutes prior, Cid had been elected as the new leader, and his first order was for himself, Cait Sith, and Barret to head out for North Corel while she, Vincent and Red went to Mount Condor; their current destination.

'Materia,' she thought angrily. 'If I don't need it for Wutai, then I need it for the safety of the world. I hate Materia!'

The throbbing pulse in her head somehow reminded her of her intended gift for Vincent, and her own new weapon. Silently, she slipped out of the bridge and dashed towards the Chocobo hold, where she hid anything worth hiding. Slipping inside, she was shocked to find Vincent leaning against a wall silently.

"Uhhhhhhhhhh," she said dimly, watching him in shock. He raised his red eyes to stare at her, tilting his head slightly.

"Yes?" he asked, thinking Cid had called for him.

"Erm…" she didn't know what to say, she was scared. "Could you move over about… two feet to your left?"

Vincent raised an eyebrow, but he didn't ask. He shifted slowly to the left, leaving Yuffie's designated target open. She knelt before the mound of hay and began rummaging through it until she came across a long wooden box and her new shuriken. Slowly brushing the hay from the box, she pushed the weapon towards Vincent, who glanced at it.

"I found it in Mideel," she said softly, picking up her shuriken. Vincent opened the box as Yuffie rushed out of the hold, and picked up the beautiful Winchester Rifle.

"Yuffie!" He said, a little late as the door swung shut. He cradled the weapon slightly, staring at it. "Thank you…"

-------------------------------

----------------------------

Mount condor was no less than Yuffie expected, dull. The climb was simple enough, though the places natural deffences proved difficult to bypass in parts. It was here the three stood, with Red climbing steadily some nine feet behind them.

"COME ON!" Yuffie shouted, hands perched on her hips. Red glared up at her, but was too breathless to properly retort to her angry demands. They were only a few feet from where the ground leveled out and the quadruped was finding it very difficult to keep up.

"Yuffie," Vincent's calm voice whispered. "…He is doing his best..."

Yuffie fell silent and awaited Red at the foot of the rope ladder. When he approached, she shimmied up the ladder without sound, leaving Vincent to carry Red. The man that sat in the first room of the fort was probably in his mid-forties, his dark brown hair was graying at the roots, and Yuffie was sure the scarred face had once been handsom.

"If your from Shinra you can hop right back down that hole, cuase I'll tear ya a new one…" He growled.

"I'm from AVALANCHE," she replied as Vincent and Red emerged from the ladder.

"You don't say," he murmured.

"We are here to retrieve the Huge Materia from the reactor," Vincent stated simply, the man shook his head.

"They're after it too," he replied, "been after it for ages… We're fighting a war over it…"

"If we assist you, will you allow us to take it?" Red asked, the man eyed him.

"So long as the Condor doesn't get hurt…"

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How Yuffie ended up poised on the lower level with a catapult, she never knew, but she was there none the less. Red and Vincent stood near by, a dozen or so "soldiers" gathered around them. The soldiers were little more than glorified farmers, one of which was digging in his ear with part of his cross-bow. Yuffie shook her head as Vincent set stations, Yuffie was placed with the archers to the left of the center catapult. Red was with the defenders, at the far right path. Vincent himself was with the attackers, dead center.

Shinra came in formation, beasts unleashed at the front. The archers and attackers advanced, making quick work of the opposition. By the end of the first wave, Yuffie was coated in blood, had lost three archers; the man who cleaned his ear with part of his cross bow and two young men that looked to be brothers; but had barely worked up a sweat. Vincent had a nice, narrow, cut along his shoulder from a flying creature; neither were seriously injured.

The second wave proved more interesting, beasts and men came surging up the paths, only to be cut down by rapid fire, showers of rocks, and a series of defensive maneuvers issued by the defenders and Vincent. The second wave ended more rapidly than the first.

It was the third that proved to almost be their undoing. With close to fifteen men down, two remaining catapults, no healers, a slightly injured Vincent, and a reckless Yuffie; the odds were staked high against them. The commander of the force was a big, ugly man with arms and legs thick as tree trunks, his neck was thickly muscled and bulged awkwardly. Yuffie thought very little of him, and proving her youth, raced forward to meet him on the field of battle. One powerful blow smashed beside her as she lunged left to kick him in the side, the blow barely made him flinch. She flung her weight to the right to avoid the second blow, striking out at his thigh with her sneaker-ed foot. The blow didn't hurt him, but Yuffie tumbled off balance and ended up on her back. The Commander raised his arms high over his head, and Yuffie covered her face with her arms as the blow came crashing down. But instead there was a heavy thud as the man sunk to the ground, a bullet wound clean through his neck.

Vincent glared down at her, the reprimand obvious in his eyes. But he said nothing as he turned away from her, too angry and frightened to even stay to help her up. But the thoughts, the urge to protect, remained.

-------------------------------

And there are voices
that want to be heard.
So much to mention
but you can't find the words.
The scent of magic,
the beauty that's been
when love was wilder than the wind.

-------------------------------

As Yuffie again emerged from the battlefield below, she was thrown sideways with the force of a mighty explosion. She and Vincent rushed up two more rope ladders and burst through the door leading to the reactor; only to watch the elegant, and huge, condor topple from the top of the tower, leaving its precious egg behind. Yuffie watched as the egg shattered into a million pieces as it hatched, and the great, bald bird shirped loudly as it emerged into the world for the first time. A small piece of red materia glowed near her foot. She gave it to Vincent and went into the Reactor to retrieve their objective…

But It was gone.

"I couldn't tell you that I had it," the old man said as she emerged, red faced and angry. "You wouldn't help us then."

"How would you know we wouldn't help?" She snapped, Vincent took the materia from the man.

"Because no one else ever has," the man replied. "They thought the Condors was hurtin' the reactor, they thought they was disruptin' things. But we love 'em, and we protected 'em… people called us crazy and they deserted, but we kept fightin, all them boys; all for those birds."

"They are only birds," Vincent said softly.

"But we love 'em, and we'll protect 'em no matter what Shinra do to us." The man told them, Yuffie looked at him.

"That baby bird doesn't have a mama anymore," she told him. The man nodded.

"But he's still gotta family."

'More than I ever had,' Yuffie thought as they ventured back to the Highwind.

"Yuffie?" Vincent said softly. She looked up at him.

"Yeah?" she replied, ready for her scolding.

"… Thank you for the rifle…"

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"But ya know, Shinra's probably on high alert since we always mess

with 'em." Cid grumbled as Yuffie strolled in, the huge beneath her arm. "How 'bout we take a break and go see that little fella for a bit?"

"You mus' mean Cloud…" Barret said, Yuffie looked up.

"What about him?" She asked, bouncing up to the two men. "We haven't heard anything, it's only been a day."

"Yeah, I'm worried 'bout Tifa, she may've collapsed takin' care of

the guy." Cid stated, relighting his cigarette. " How 'bout checkin' in on 'em? Down to Mideel!"

It was a brief trip, and, as always, Yuffie was the first to go bounding off the ship towards the clinic. When she burst through the door, she froze, listening to the soft sobs ripping from her friends throat.

"...It's no use... I don't understand a thing, Cloud. What

should I do...?" Her friend sobbed as she edged towards the entrance to the room. "What if you never recover for the rest of your life?"

Just as that moment the ground began to shake, and Yuffie was pitched forward towards the floor.

"Eyaaah?" Yuffie toppled into the room as echoed shouts came from outside.

"Yuffie!" Tifa cried, hopping to her feet.

"... They're... They're... coming...!" Cloud cried, Tifa and Yuffie spun to face him.

"What did you say, Cloud?" Tifa said as she raced to his side.

"Uh...aaa...?" He mumbled, a little drool trickling from his mouth. Cid came barreling into the room, narrowly avoiding slamming into Yuffie.

"Damn!" He griped as he shoved Yuffie out of the way, "what the hell's goin' on?"

A crash resounded from outside, and Yuffie pushed past Cid to race out the door. The earth shook with a mighty lurch the sent Yuffie tumbling sideways, several feet away Vincent whirled around in every direction, red eyes locked on the sky.

"VINNIE!" She shouted as she braced herself against the tree, Cid came rushing out of the clinic, only to stumble to the ground at the sight that greeted him. Just beyond the line of forestry, the Lifestream was surging up.

"What's this...?" Cid shouted to Vincent, who had come to reclaim Yuffie from the support of the tree.

"The Lifestream is gushing up from below the Surface of the earth." He said softly, as Yuffie grasped his shoulder to keep her legs from collapsing.

"Damn, that's...?" Cid fumbled for words, "this is bad...!"

"Cid...?" Tife shouted as she appeared in the doorway, clinging to it as though she was a piece of wood welded to its sturdy frame. "What's wrong?"

"N, nothin'!" Cid lied, turning to glare at her. "You and Cloud get inside quick!"

"But I...?" Tifa hesitated, her hand closed into a fist over her heart. Cloud garbled something unintelligible and Tifa went back inside to tend to him.,

---------------------------

"Hey, don't worry about a thing." Cid said, cocking his spear on his shoulder as a great purple beast fluttered to the ground before them. "I ain't about to die that easily."

Yuffie flung her shuriken with all the strength she could muster, and the blade whizzed through Weapon's right wing, causing an ungodly scream to issue forth from its enormous jowls. Yuffie cart wheeled to catch the spinning disk as it came looping round, and caught it just as Ultima Weapon thrashed its large claw in her direction. The claw caught her full in the chest, smashing her backwards onto the flat of her back in the dirt. Yuffie wheezed as she sat up, trying to ignore the surging pain in her chest, back and stomach. Somewhere behind her Vincent fired off a round into the side of the Weapon and Cid cursed loudly as his Spear scraped against scales.

It was a struggle, but Yuffie eventually forced herself to stand, breathing hard and grasping her Shuriken as if it was the only thing clinging to her conscious state. Raising her fist in the air, Yuffie shut her eyes and concentrated on one of the glowing green orbs in her Minerva Bangle, her lips parted and she uttered the words "Bolt 3."

The flashing of light forced her drooping eyelids open, and she watched as several streaks of thunder struck the great beast, and it roared and cried out in pain. Somewhere behind Weapon, Cid's voice rang out.

"HOLD ON TO YOUR ASSES!" Yuffie threw herself to the left, off behind a felled tree, and cast her arms over her head. The explosion that followed sent chunks of mud, dirt, and grass raining everywhere; and Yuffie forced herself up on her palms to peer over the fallen tree.

Weapon still stood, blood falling in great globs from the slice through the sensitive wing membrane. Large holes peppered the side of the thick, armor like, skin; and one large portion of its left arm was in a charred mass on the ground beneath it. Weapon stomped its huge feet, and beat its wings desperately. And like a tremendous bird of prey, Ultima Weapon rose into the sky and vanished, leaving a trail of blood behind.

"You bastard!" Cid cried, throwing his pack of broken cigarettes beside the lump of charred flesh. "You tryin' to escape?"

Yuffie emerged from behind the felled tree, limping and holding her stomach with her left hand. Vincent appeared at her side, looping his right arm around her back for support. They approached the still cursing Cid.

"Damn Beast," he growled as he looked at the notch in his spear head. "Never woulda figured them scales was so fuckin' tough."

"It's gone though," Yuffie said in a half voice, Vincent nodded.

"And the Lifestream also appears to be normal." He concluded softly, Cid turned to face them. As his eyes fell on the two, they iced over, seeing past them.

"Damn, you gotta be kiddin'...!" He growled, grabbing Vincent and whirling the two around to face behind them. "The main

Stream is kickin' up! Somethin' way bigger than that last one is on

its way!"

Vincent started for the clinic, but Cid grabbed his shoulder and turned him around once more.

"No good! Get outta here...!" He order, shoving the two towards the high wind. They didn't move beyond that. "Goddammit! You don't have

to worry about anyone other than yourself! You don't know when that

stream'll blow…"

The ground shook, nearly throwing Cid to the ground as a large vent of pooled life stream shot up.

"Whoa! There's no time, hurry!" And he turned and rushed back towards the clinic. "Tifa! Cloud! Get outta there!"

------------------------------------

"This is bad…" Tifa whispered, bracing herself up against the table as Cloud rolled with the waves of the tremors. "The tremors are getting worse. Wait a minute, Cloud."

Tifa groped along the wall into the conjoined room.

" Doctor!" She shouted over the sound of structures falling outside. "Shouldn't we move him somewhere rather than stay here...?"

"Hmm…" The doctor turned to face her, his eyes distant. "It might be safer to take refuge in a wide open space."

Tifa raced back into the other with the help of the wall, she grasped the bars of Cloud's wheelchair and turned him about quickly.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Cloud…" She knew he didn't understand her, but it made her feel better pretending that he did. "I'll see to it that

you get somewhere safe!"

A tremendous crack formed in the wall just to her left, and the Doctor appeared in the doorway.

"The structure can't take it!" He shouted, helping her get the wheelchair into motion. "Hurry!"

Tifa gave a shove and the two of them were out in the open air of Mideel. Tifa pushed the wheelchair into motion, her legs moving as fast as they could under the strain of tremors and moving not only Tifa, but Cloud as well. They were nearly free of the tree cover when the ground five feet in front of her cracked and fell; dragging Cloud and Tifa along with it.

---------------------------

Listen to your heart, mm-mmmmmm

---------------------------

It was a darkness like nothing she'd ever seen. Not even being in a coma for seven days was this dark. Tifa felt her body as though it were emersed in water, and pondering this, she supposed it was. This was the life stream.

'Am I dead?' She wondered as she drifted further in the darkness, 'is Cloud dead?'

That was what drove her to open her eyes to see the strange green light around her.

"Wh, where am I...?" She asked aloud, her voice rippled through the air in front of her. "What's happening? I...?" She didn't want to ask if she was alive, "where's Cloud...?" No answer, "Cloud, where are you?"

A groan from several feet behind her drew her attention towards the center of the strange glowing world. Multiple Clouds, be they shadows or her own hallucinations, gathered here.

"Huh... what...? Who...?" So many questions rippling in the air before her, like the chain reaction started by a rock thrown into a pond.

"Who is it...?" She asked, trying to locate the real cloud by discerning the source of the moaning. "I can't hear...?"

The moaning got more pitched, painful, and Tifa found herself standing in front of the closest Cloud shadow.

"Is this the inside of your dreams? Or is it...your… sub-consciousness...?" There was no response to her question. "You're searching, aren't you Cloud?

Searching... for yourself... I can help too. We'll work together, try and get the real you back. But... Where do we start?"

"The gates of Nibelheim…" The Cloud replied, getting to his feet and approaching the outlined gates behind him. "Five years ago, Sephiroth passed through these gates... And... That's how it all started…"

"It connects... to Nibelheim...? That's right... It's probably best to start from there…" Tifa nodded and stood beside the Cloud. "Let's go have a look, Cloud. I know it's not easy... But I'll be right with you…"

Cloud said nothing, but stared with anticipation at the gates of Nibelheim.

"Cloud... Look." She said as she strolled away from the gates into the town. "Here's the well... And that's Gramps' Inn, too. The only truck in town. It's been here since we were little kids, right? This is the Nibelheim you remember, right?" She looked back at Cloud, who only nodded slightly to acknowledge her. "It's the same as my Nibelheim. That's why this place is... our Nibelheim."

"Five years ago... two men from SOLDIER came... Sephiroth

and... a young and vibrant soldier." Tifa said, wandering back towards Cloud. "Can you tell me again what happened?"

Sephiroth and two soldiers came walking into town, and Sephiroth turned to face the two men slowly. There the great general froze, like a statue in silver and black.

"Five years ago... I saw the real Sephiroth for the very first

time. So this is... the Great Sephiroth." Tifa said to Cloud, placing her hand on his arm. "But to tell you the truth, I thought he was very cold. I remember, I felt a forboding about him."

A second shadow of Cloud appeared, a vague outline of colors that could have been anyone. Cloud moved from beside her to take his place there, Tifa shook her head.

"No, Cloud. I've been hiding it for some time, afraid that if I

told you... something terrible might happen." She said, reaching out to grasp his hand and pull him out of the shadowed outline. "But, I'm not going to hide anything anymore. You weren't here. Cloud did not come to Nibelheim five years ago."

She took a deep breath when he simply stared at her.

"I... waited. But, Cloud... never came. The two that were ordered here were Sephiroth and another person…" She said firmly, Cloud shrugged and turned to Sephiroth as the shadow formed into a man with spikey black hair, Zack.

"You mean that member of SOLDIER who came with Sephiroth

wasn't…" Cloud stumbled over the words for a moment. "Cloud...?"

"There's nothing... I can say…" Tifa replied, looking away with pain laden eyes. "You must find the answer yourself... If you can't... Then you…"

She shook her head, forcing the thoughts to subside.

"Take your time, Cloud." She told him, "slowly... little by little, okay?"

The first Cloud turned from her, no longer willing to recognize her. But the Second shadow got to his feet and turned to her near the well in Nibelheim.

"That starry night at the well…" He said to her, gesturing towards the large structure. "And our promise that night... What if the memory was just a lie?"

Tifa grasped his hand desperately and shook her head.

"Don't hurry, Cloud... Don't answer too quickly. Just keep checking all those small emotions and it'll come back…" She assured him, brushing her fingers over the knuckles on his hand. "Slowly... little by little... Right... like the sky that night... the heavens were filled with stars…"

The mentioned stars began glimmering like pearls and diamonds laced in the blackness of the sky. And infinity formed above them, spreading, obliterating the other parts of Clouds mind.

"From the beginning... OK?" She asked as he climbed the water tower. "Try and remember, Cloud."

Slowly he became the child he once was, and Tifa saw herself at that age. Sitting and kicking her legs beside him, so shy and unwilling to touch his hand.

"Right, I was wearing these clothes." She said, repressing the urge to touch the familiar blue fabric. "That's you, too. You were so small then…" She smiled down at the little boy, "...and cute. Sephiroth once said... Cloud made up his memories by listening to my stories... Did you imagine this sky? No,

you remembered it. That night the stars were gorgeous."

Tifa looked over head at the twinkling diamonds above her.

"It was just Cloud and I. We talked at the well... That's why I continued to believe that you were the real Cloud. I still believe you're the Cloud from

Nibelheim…" Tifa's voice faltered and she looked at him. "But you don't believe in yourself... These memories aren't enough. Cloud, what about your other memories? No, not memories. A memory is something that has to be consciously recalled, right? That's why sometimes it can be mistaken and a different thing... But it's different from a memory locked deep within' your heart... That's why it must be a fake. If he could recall up that memory…"

Tifa trailed off, her thoughts pitching around inside of her head.

"That's it! What about some memory that has to do with me? I say something and you don't remember it... But you say something, and I remember it, too... Then we'll know that's our memory…" Cloud didn't respond to her at first. "Talk to me. About anything, some important memory to you... Now that you mentioned it, why did you want to join SOLDIER in the first place? I always thought it was a sudden decision you made…"

"...I was devastated…" The little boy replied, slowly growing back into the older Cloud. "I want to be noticed. I thought if I got stronger I could get someone to notice…"

"Someone to notice you...?" Tifa felt her heartbeat nearly stop. "...who?"

"You…" Cloud looked up at her with his perfect blue eyes, and Tifa seemed startled for a moment.

"...Me?" she asked him. "Why?"

"Tifa…" The Cloud slowly got to his feet. "Did you forget... about those days?"

"Look... I... I'm sorry…" She shook her headnot fathoming what Cloud was talking about. "But what are you talking about?"

A little blow with spikey, chocobo colored hair wandered up, smiling at her softly.

"No... it's all right." He said reassuringly. "You were having a hard time back then. You were so busy with your own things, it's only natural you

don't remember me back then."

"Back then?" Tifa asked, the boy nodded.

"It's important to me…" The boy said, a little bit of hurt in his voice. "I hate to say it but... It's a very important memory... Do you want to see it?"

The boy gestured to a third Cloud, sitting idley outside a large picture window.

"...a sealed up secret…" He said softly, "wish... Tender

memories... no one can ever know…"

"Do you know where this window goes to, Tifa?" She shook her head and the little boy grinned. "Fine... I'll show you."

The window faded into a large room, with great numbers of stuffed animals and gloves laying all over. A piano sat next to the bed, a large sheet of Music laying open on the stand.

"My room?" She asked slowly, turning to face the boy.

"It was my first time there." He told her confidently.

"Was... It?" She asked, he nodded.

"I only used to look up at it from outside." The boy admitted, a small blush creeping over his cheeks. As several boys came into the room and stood by the window, Tifa settled herself at the foot of her bed, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Hey, look!" Said one of the boys, "Cloud's coming! You think he wants to come in?"

"Was that the first day you came into my room? ...That's right. We

lived next to each other. But I really didn't know you that well." She said suddenly, her hand pressing into her forehead. "I've known you since we were children and always thought we were close... Now that you mention it... I don't recall you ever being in my room…"

"Tifa always used to be with this three-some." The boy explained, gesturing to each boy in turn.

"...That's right…" She said softly.

"I used to think…" the boy hesitated, his eyes dark. "They were all stupid."

"What?" Tifa gasped, shocked.

"You were all childish, laughing at every little stupid thing." He said, his voice accusing and hard.

"But we were children, back then." Tifa said softly, and the boy looked away.

"...I know. I'm the one that was stupid. I really wanted to play with everyone, but I was never allowed into the group. Then later…" He shook his blond head, "I began to think I was different... That I was different from

those immature kids. That then... Maybe…"

"Just maybe, they would invite me…" Said the Cloud they had seen staring into the window. "I thought that might happen, so I hung around…"

"I was so prejudiced. And... Weak." The boy Cloud told her firmly.

"That night I called Tifa out to the well…" The shadow Cloud said, "I thought to myself Tifa would never come... that she hated me."

"Yeah... it was so sudden. I was... a bit surprised. But... It's

true that we weren't THAT, close, but... After you left town, I really

thought about you a lot." Tifa told him, kneeling in front of him. :I used to wonder how Cloud was doing. I wonder if Cloud was able to get into SOLDIER? I started reading the newspapers, thinking that there might be an article about you."

"Thanks, Tifa." The little boy said from behind her. "Tell him what you told me, later. He'll probably be so happy."

"OK!" she said without thinking, then she paused. "Huh? What happened on this day? Was it a special day?"

"This was the day…" the boy began.

"Tifa's mother…" Shadow Cloud said.

"The day Mom died…" Tifa said blankly.

"I want... to see... Mom…" Tifa's younger self sobbed into her arms. The vision faded into the path leading to Mt. Nibel.

"...I wonder if there's anything beyond that mountain?" Tifa said softly, the boys shrugged.

"Mt. Nibel is scary." One said with a nod, "many people have died there. No one crosses that mountain alive…"

"How 'bout those that died?" the girl said suddenly, her voice hard and angry. "Did mama pass through the mountain? I'm going to find out!"

Tifa's childhood self took off down the rocky road, stumbling, but determined to find her mother. The boy's hesitated before one started after her, then Cloud's childhood self entered the scene.

"I don't remember the path I walked." The shadow told her, "Tifa missed her step. I ran to her... but didn't make it in time. Both of us fell off the

cliff. Back then, I only scarred my knees but…"

"Cloud! Why'd you bring Tifa to a place like this!" A man screamed at the young boy, who simply bowed his head.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Said another, coming up and cuffing the boy in the back of the head.

"What if she dies?" Said the first man, glowering at him.

"Tifa was in a coma for seven days." The child explained, turning from the angry faces to look at Tifa. "We all thought she wouldn't make it. If only I could've saved her... I was so angry... Angry at myself for my weakness. Ever since then, I felt Tifa blamed me... I got out of control... I'd get into fights not even caring who it was. That was the first time I heard about Sephiroth. If I got strong like Sephiroth, then everyone might…"

"If I could get stronger…" The shadow said, "then even Tifa would have

to notice me…"

"So that was it…" She said gently, her face contorted with guilt. "Sorry, Cloud. If I had only remembered more clearly what happened, I could have done something sooner…"

"It's not your fault, Tifa." Said Cloud from behind her, she didn't face him.

"But, I remember back when we were, eight! That's it!" She declared, turning to stare at him. "Now I know! You weren't created five years ago. My childhood memories weren't all made up! Hang in there Cloud! Just a little longer! You've almost found the real you! Let's go back to Nibelheim again...!"

Everything faded into a view of the reactor, and Cloud stood before it, understanding written in every fiber of his being.

"...The reactor...?" He said softly. "The reactor! The Mako reactor of

five years ago!"

"That's right!" Tifa said gently, look at the men assembled outside of the reactor. "It was Zack who came to Nibelheim with Sephiroth! Then, where were you, Cloud? Cloud... Did you... see it all?"

"I saw... Everything…" He told her firmly.

A soldier rushed onto the scene, Zack's sword clutched in his fist. He raced up the steps and pulling the sword back, he thrust it through Sephiroth's gut.

"... who…" he muttered, blood pooling from his mouth. "who are you?"

"Mom... Tifa... my town…" The soldier growled, jerking the blade up a little more with each thing he named. "Give it back... I had so much

respect for you... I admired you…"

"Cloud?" Tifa shouted, finally understanding.

The soldier ripped his mask from his head as he cast Sephiroth's body to the floor.

"That's what happened…" She breathed, "...You were there. You were watching me. Yeah, I remember. Hmm... so it was you."

"I ...never made it as a member of SOLDIER. I even left my

hometown telling everyone I was going to join, but…" Cloud shook his head as he looked into the truck taking them off to Nibelheim. "I was so

embarrassed... I didn't want to see anybody…"

Everything changed to flames and houses, screams and death. And It was Zack who rushed out of the mansion, Zack who rushed past a fallen masked soldier to drag people out of houses.

"I'm…" Cloud began, but then everything changed to the Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor.

"...You came…" Tifa whispered, turning to hug Cloud tightly."...You kept your promise. So you really did come when I was in trouble!"

"Sorry... I didn't get there…" Cloud said softly as he returned her embrace. "…fast enough…"

"It's all right... Cloud." She told him, looking up at him with her wide, garnet eyes.

"Just like you." A voice said from the top of the indoor reactor stairs. The two pushed apart to see Sephiroth grinning down at a body lying broken atop a Mako Pod.

"Cloud…" Zack murmured. "Kill Sephiroth…"

And Cloud charged up the steps, picking up Zack's sword as he did so.

"Sephiroth!" He cried out raising the blade above his head, Sephiroth attempted to stab Cloud, but the blade passed just under Cloud's armpit.

"Don't... push…" Sephiroth growled at him, "your luck…"

Cloud managed to jam the blade into Sephiroth's stomach, and the great green eyes widened in sudden pain.

"...It can't be!" Sephiroth gasped as Cloud began shouting over him. Cloud thrust the sword away from him, into the heart of the reactor and turned to face Tifa as the world returned to a haze of green.

"Cloud…" Tifa said softly, he nodded. And the little boy came up beside him.

"Then... this is goodbye, Tifa." The little boy told her, "until we meet again…"

And all the shadows drifted back to Cloud, joining into his body with all the gentility of a breeze.

"Cloud!" Tifa cried, launching once more into his arms.

"Uh…" He gasped as she forcefully connected with his body.
Ah, uh... Uh... Tifa…"

"Oh, Cloud...!" She cried, tears lighting her eyes as his arms fell around her body. "It's really you, isn't it?"

"Yeah... Tifa…" He said, a smirk forming at his lips. "We finally meet again…"

"You stupid jerk!" She said, smacking her fist on his chest. "You had us all worried sick!"

A sudden pain exploded behind Cloud's eyes and he jerked away from Tifa.

"Cloud? Are you all right?" She asked, reaching out.

"V, voice…" He gritted out. "Their…"

"We're in the Lifestream." She told him. "Everyone's waiting. Let's go back, Cloud. Back to everyone…"

---------------------------------------

I don't know where you're going
and I don't know why,
but listen to your heart
before you tell him goodbye.

--------------------------------

Vincent and Yuffie slowly paced the newly formed mako-shore of Mideel. Yuffie's face was drawn with concern as Cid and Barret zipped along the Lifestream in the Tiny Bronco.

"Yuffie," Vincent muttered as the girl once again stooped the edge to peer into the green tide. "You will fall in if you are not careful."

"Like it matters!" She declared, resisting the urge to touch the waters surface. "The life stream is absolute isn't it? That's what killed Sephiroth, wasn't it?"

"No one knows what killed Sephiroth," Vincent reminded her gently. "All we know is that he didn't really die."

Yuffie flopped backwards onto her butt and stared into the pulsing water.

"Nothing every works out, huh?" She said softly, her arms pulling her knees close to her chest as they encircled them. Vincent knelt down beside her and brushed some stray hairs from her face.

"Very rarely," he told her. And she looked at him as if seeing him for the first time in her life.

"Promise me something?" She said to him as she shifted to sit on her knees, nose to nose with Vincent.

"Anything," he said quietly. Yuffie leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Promise me you'll forgive me," she whispered. Vincent's arms, both flesh and mechanical, moved of their own accord, enfolding her into his embrace.

"Always," he said softly. "Always."

------------------------------------------

Author's Note: And this would be the end of this chapter. Fin.