Losing Family

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy and I don't make any profit by writing I admit that I stole the title for this story from the awesome movie "Finding Forrester" which I don't own as well*sigh*.

Author's note: This is a oneshot about an alternate ending of Advent Children. Changed a bit the order of the scenes. To the more sensitive souls: please, keep some tissues at hand.

Gone...

The pain and the flash of the explosion were gone. No more Remnants, no more Sephiroth...no more Jenova.

Silence and peace. This were the first things Cloud noticed when he was falling, floating - or was he flying? in the white void between Life and Death. And how did he got to know that it was white? His eyes were still closed. He was tired. Although the physical pain (which was short anyway after Loz and Yahoo shot the materia at him, destroying themselves at the same time) was gone now, there was still...regret. A sting of pain in his soul. Zack...Aerith... and now he was leaving behind a family he just had found. No, he wasn't able to care for anyone.

And suddenly he was there. The wolf , his companion for such a long time now. The bearer of his sins. The keeper of his guilt, all his failures, all his weakness.

'It wasn't your fault.'

'Wasn't it?', Cloud wondered, 'But how...?'

'Fate and destiny' whispered a voice in his mind, 'It was Zack's and Aerith's time. Zack chose to return to Midgar. He knew what was awaiting him there. And Aerith decided to go alone to the lake of the Ancients. She knew that by connecting to the Lifestream she was exposing herself to Jenova. Without their sacrifice you couldn't have defeated the calamity from the skies. You couldn't have put Sephiroth's spirit to rest. And now, after all this is done, after you fulfilled your task, it's your own time to rest.'

He felt a cool wet nose sniffing on his cheek - and then the wolf trotted away. As soon his spirit animal had left, all of Cloud's guilt was gone - aside from the guilt he felt for leaving his family...

Then the surrounding changed a little bit. Suddenly he felt two well known presences beside him. Well known, indeed, a female and a male one, but who were they ?

'Mother?' asked Cloud cautiously. He still wasn't able to open his eyes. Too tired, too exhausted.

'Why do they all call me mother?,' a cheerful voice asked. Wait... was that Aerith?

' I guess they are just fond of you!,' a male voice replied and a strong hand grasped his own, like so many times before when they were still alive in flesh. 'Welcome home, Spiky!'

Zack?

'Zack!,' finally Cloud managed to open his eyes, 'And Aerith! Uh, I'm sorry Aerith...'

He could hear Aerith's bell-like laughing.. ' Oh, it's ok, Cloud.'

Zack whispered to Cloud, shuckling,: ' She still isn't used to be the, errm, boss of the Lifestream.'

"Aerith, you impersonate the spirit of the planet now?" Cloud asked.

The last of the Cetra just laughed and shrugged: 'Seems so, Hero of the planet!"

Cloud took a deep breath (although no breathing was necessairy here anymore and he smiled: " I know, it's my time now. And I'm ready to join the Lifestream. Really. I know Tifa and Marlene will manage to go on with Barrett's help, at least I hope so. But... I'd like to see Denzel again- at least for one last time. I gave a promise to come back to him and even if I can't really return, I want to say at least farewell to him. And right now, he still needs my help.'

'Indeed, he does,' said Aerith seriously, 'He's still suffering from the Geostigma.'

'He's the son I will never sire now,' sighed Cloud, 'Let's just hope I'll find the right words for him. I don't want to leave him behind heartbroken,'.

'I'm sure you will. You learned so much during your voyage. But you can't take away all of the pain from him. He'll have to learn to live with it. You can't spare him from that.'

Aerith and Zack got up and helped Cloud on his now bloodless, fleshless feet.

'Let's go!' said Zack, 'No need that you're going through this alone.'

They had gathered in the church. All of them knew that this was in fact the funeral service for Cloud, but they still weren't able to realize that the saviour of the world wasn't anymore. Tifa stood there, covering her mouth with a hand, still unable to accept the horrible truth.

Cloud was gone.

Yuffie's face, usually so vivid, was empty now. Barrett and Cid were mute, headshaking, while Cait Sith tried to comfort Marlene, catching her tears in his soft fur. She was crying loudly and seemed to be the only one beside stoic, silent Vincent, who really understood that Cloud had joined the Lifestream for good.

Denzel looked intendedly at the broken door of the church. Cloud would return to him. He promised it. He would return.

And there he was. Denzel smiled. He knew that Cloud would keep his promise. But why he looked so transparent and who where the to people behind him, waiting at the door which was filled with white light, while Cloud slowly approached him ?

'Denzel, I want you to do something.' whispered his hero. Denzel nodded.

'Go to the water and bathe your forehead. Please. Do it now!' said Cloud. Why was his voice so low, barely hearable?

The boy shrugged and did as he was told. He trusted Cloud. He never said something without reason.

As soon as the cool water made contact to his face, Denzel felt a tickling on his skin, definitely something was happening with him. And when he touched his forehead, he could feel that the geostigma was gone. Denzel smiled: "Cool! The water cured this aweful stuff! Can we go home now?"

Cloud looked sad now. 'You will go home with Tifa and Marlene. Please be strong - for yourself and for them. But I can't go with you. You should know, that I'm part of the Lifestream now."

Denzel shook his head disbelievingly: " But you promised me that you would return. Please Cloud, don't leave us..."

'And I kept my promise - if only to say Goodbye.'

"No...," the boy sobbed, finally realising the truth.

'Everything is fine now. You aren't longer alone," whispered Cloud, pointing at Tifa and the others who couldn't see him, exept maybe Vincent, who looked in their direction. Just in case, Cloud nodded to his old friend. A barely visible nod came back. Cloud knew, he would try to help Denzel and the others.

' Could you do me a favour? '

When the boy nodded, Cloud continued, ' Please, tell Tifa, she should give Fenrir to Vincent. You know, Fenrir was designed for an enhanced driver and there's nobody left now exept Vincent who could drive him.'

"I'll do Cloud. Just, please don't leave...," Denzel whispered.

'Listen Denzel, I'll give you another promise: I can't look into the future, but I know you, your strength and your intelligence. I'm sure you're going to have an awesome life. And in many, many years, when it's your own time, I'll be there for you. I'll come and accompany you into the Lifestream. And then we will have all the time in the world to talk or to do whatever you want,' Cloud smiled, 'Please go now with Tifa and Marlene.'

Cloud went to the door, his time was running out: 'Goodbye, Denzel!'

"Cloud! , " Denzel sobbed, "Goodbye!"

Cloud smiled one last time to the boy, then he joined his waiting friends. The woman with the pink ribbon smiled and the blackheared man waved at Denzel. Cloud looked at his adopted son and smiled. 'You'll be my living legacy!' He would make his way.

Then Cloud joined Zack and Aerith. Together they disappeared into the light.

Cloud, Zack and Aerith entered a endless field of yellow flowers. Home.