oh my best beloveds and gentle readers - it looks like we've finally reached the end of this particular journey together. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed it. it's one thing to write stories for yourself but when you add other people that are enjoying them as well it's like playing with your favorite toys - and sharing them with all your favorite people. I am much recovered from the build up of spinal fluid that was causing problems last week - I can actually sit down for instance - and thank you, thank you, thank you all for both being so understanding and for all the sympathy and well wishes. Those and the continuing reviews really gave me something to concentrate on. I'm going to miss those reviews but even more I'm going to miss the personalities and thoughts that went behind them. I intend to continue writing (author alert me people!) but we've really made this story something special and it's going to be odd and a little lonely not seeing notices during the week from it. That said, I am really excited that we've actually reached the end. It's been a wild and woolly ride, which was a lot of fun to go on together. We've really managed to accomplish a lot and the story came out so much deeper and more intricate than I'd intended when I started. We've really made ourselves a bit of a happy little family and we've had fun playing. The reviews have really pointed out a lot to me that I wouldn't have noticed or thought of on my own as well as sharing your personalities with me. I've had such a blast playing with you guys. So - without further ado -
foxthefox - I didn't get to welcome you to the party last week. So welcome now. It's always a special happy moment when one of my readers turns into a reviewer. Glad to hear you've been enjoying the ride. fairheartstrife - I try to never let Real Life get in the way of my fantasy world - lol. But I'll happily take those hugs and you're right, Tifa could probably use some too. We girls have got to stick together. I should mention that the cast will be hanging around after the show for signings and photos ;) Just try not to maul any of them... too badly. mc - good point on the black materia's weight. Good thing Zack is SOLDIER, eh? or is he...? hopefully I will answer all your questions upcoming (cause if not, I've done something wrong). And wow - I never heard the RPG vs. reading psychology before but I really like that. Yeah, I think we've all surrendered ourselves just a little to the story, but that's part of the relief, isn't it? maybe that's why sometimes it's easier to deal with things in a fantasy world than in the real one. I know I certanly haven't been given much say in where the story goes - lol. But that's part of the joy of writing for me too. It's a bit of a Nantucket Sleigh Ride for all of us, eh? OCV - I truly do love reading your reviews as you read each chapter. I'm going to miss 'sitting' behind your shoulder and hearing your thoughts each week. I can't resist calling Cloud Tifa's 'sunshine'. Just like Homer's 'wine dark sea' some things just have to be repeated. Zack - well, he's always going to be the one to crack the jokes. No matter who he is. cherrypudding - one wild ride, right? I'm still worried I put too much in too fast and too close together. It just seemed like everything hit at the same time. I'm glad it's a 'hang on tight' ride though and yeah, I just had to have Cloud make the 'shove off if I die' comment. demonegg - for the proofreading and reassurance with the last couple of chapters I thank you. And if the chapters are getting better the closer to the end we get, than I feel like I'm doing something right. If you guys have trusted me to drag you through the emotional wringer for so long, the least I can do is try to make the emotions we end on satisfying ones. dis - what can I say? Aerith is hard to get rid of. ;) and hey.... would I leave you guys without an epic Cloud/Seph fight? What kind of FF writer would I be? There won't be a sequel/prequel/next book but I hope to both wrap things up well enough to make that all right and to leave the feeling off a continuing life beyond what I've written for them. We'll see if I do it well. akuma - hugs I will be happy with. I finally, FINALLY, after all the half truths and out right lies, gave up Cloud's history. And you only had to wait a little over a hundred chapters for it. Of course, I only found out about it myself right about there in the writing too so we're even but yeah - Cloud's past, finally revealed. I was pretty pleased and surprised with how it came out. i enjoyed the chance to explore what makes a man who he is. Glad you liked. vanillia - thank you. I think that's the biggest compliment I've ever gotten on my writing. That it's made you feel empowered and 'yeah' - I've done more than just entertain, I've done good. And I hadn't thought of it that way but you're right, you know. Zack is kind of like a different version of Tifa. And speaking of Zack... more on him in these last few chapters. Aerith... I really was going to have her survive, just 'changed' due to her Lifestream experience. She wouldn't have it though. I found out she was leaving at the same time Tifa did, as I was writing the part and afterward I just had to sit back and go... 'huh'. It seems like it was always her destiny. and - no 'plof' but hopefully 'bang!' lol :'D - I'm getting much better. Thanks for the concern - and for the weekly reviews. luna - I can't stand spiders either. Must be why they seem to make it into my stories so much - lol. Vivid? I like vivid. And Cloud telling Zack to shove off if he died seemed pretty popular. It made me laugh when it popped out while I was writing. Guess the guy is over his 'she's not for me' attitude. 'Bout time. caledon - I'm glad I could still get them out. It would have hurt to have gotten so close to the end with a perfect record and have it fall through just at the end. And I'm going to feel a bit sad and lonely too when this story ends. it's been such a regular part of my life for so long and getting the reviews has really brightened my weeks. But I'm also going to feel pretty darned accomplished that I finished this and kept my promise (sure, it's not a promise to come and save you when you're in a pinch but it was an important promise to me ;) I hope the last chapters are everything you need them to be. valentine'sninja - I'm so glad you're enjoying. Jenova went a bit darker on me than I'd originally intended but it seemed to work and I'm glad she had the right effect. Cloud is - he's learning what makes him really him. Slowly... but surely. We'll let Tifa keep working with him on that. Iskra - you and your little plushies really know how to make my day. I will miss hearing their antics. Make sure they stop by FTOG and whatever else I write regularly. I especially enjoy FF7 Cloud. And wo0t! how could our three be our three and not have comebacks and one liners? It's a part of their intrinsic makeup I suspect. and thank you. I'm touched that Aerith's leaving caught you like that. It is a hard situation to let someone go as opposed to losing them suddenly. Of course, she IS Aerith too so... calenlass - I've got a cloti weakness. and frankly, after all I've put them through, these two deserve all the mush they can get. there you go, no more cliff hangers. Just an 'what comes next'. Tae - I hope this lets you escape for a little while and makes you happy. And - I will never get tired of your reviews. you always put in specifics of what you enjoyed and you know how that makes all the difference. I had more fun writing Yuffie writing I expected and yeah, lol, Zack just wants someone to snuggle too. How could I resist Cloud and Tifa and their 'words aren't the only way' though, right? ladywisdom - thank you, I was trying to make jenova truly alien in the purest sense of the word. and - I like that thought about Tifa being the opposite of jenova. never thought of that but when you say it it does make sense. I'm going to miss the insight you always give when you peer into TWT. zi-ling - though you haven't been able to write lately you've always been faithful and a pleasure to read. and of course, my ever beloved Peeka-chan who's been with me from the start and refused to let my shoddy commas run amuck. I've adored getting your corrections each week because you've added so many comments and reactions to them. You are a bestest beta and if I had the money I would hire you so you never had to do anything but tell me I needed to cut back on the fragment sentences and otherwise enjoy a life of leisure at a beach house somewhere.
In final notes - sparkling cider to the peanut gallery that have bonded together for this last hurrah. And ObsessiveCompulsiveValkyrie has mentioned setting up a forum/discussion group for our TWT so the party doesn't have to stop just yet. I'm not sure how those work but I'm sure she'll have a link on her profile page for it. Thank you again to everyone that's come on this ride and to everyone that's going to find themselves going on this ride in the future. It's been a blast and I don't intend to disappear off the face of the earth any time soon either. Now - let's get this party started!
Chapter 109: Final
Midgar was falling apart. For years it had sucked Lifestream up through its multitude of reactors and, in doing so, it had created a vacuum underneath it. When the reactors stopped, when Jenova did whatever it had done to bring the Lifestream to the surface, the thin crust of earth that had separated glowing green below from the tainted black sky above weakened to the breaking point. Midgar was slowly breaking and sinking into a bubbling lake of Lifestream. Below her, in the dark and fires, Tifa could see the once great buildings of the city slowly collapsing inward, could see the springs of green that broke upward through the blackened earth and began to swallow everything. She felt tears in her eyes again and though it might be for the death of the city she'd lived her whole life in. Midgar had been home and for good or bad, it had been hers. And she had been its.
Vincent swept above the slowly dying city and Tifa clung to him and watched through her tears.
The world dipped to the side as Vincent banked and Tifa saw what he was angling toward. Amid the ruins of a fallen Sector Seven, steel clashed amid the cracks of green that were opening in the darkness. Metal ruins and lost lives fell into the glowing webwork and over and between them, Cloud and Sephiroth battled. Picking a spot of stability in the shifting landscape, Vincent set them down nearby and folded his wings to stand behind them.
Cloud was a bloody mess. And yet, watching him, Tifa had never seen him moving with more surety or grace. Each pivot and blow flowed directly into another and his footing on the shifting surface was steady. He fought two-handed, Fusion Sword divided in two flashes of white light. Sephiroth seemed unhurt and his movements were graceful too. Except… his eyes were narrowed in confusion and he seemed to be focused entirely on blocking Cloud's blows as the shorter man drove him backward. Tifa pressed her fingertips to her lips and stood froze, not daring move or make a sound. She felt Zack's hand settle on her shoulder and they waited.
This really was Cloud's fight and all they could do was be present for it.
The excess of the fight between the two of them was done. There was no more leaping from building to building or rushes of materia. The blond warrior and the silver haired killer kept close to each other and the result was vicious. Under their feet, Lifestream hissed and bubbled between growing cracks but the boots that landed above that fell solid. Tifa narrowed her eyes, trying to track the movements through the speed of both of the opponents as they spun and slashed and blocked and sliced. Sephiroth's voice was low as it taunted.
"I will keep you, when Mother's power is mine. Keep you like the puppet that you are."
Cloud's eyes were electric as he swung in, sending Sephiroth pivoting backward but it wasn't a sloppy move or one that was in response to the taunt. He snorted.
"My future is my own." Maybe she imagined it. Maybe she didn't. But for just a split second she thought she saw the glint of Cloud's blue eyes as they focused on her. A slight change in his footing was the only warning he gave as he added: "And yours is over."
Cloud's main sword swung suddenly over his head in a circle and as it did the glow of blue fire washed over it. Except the blue didn't stop at the sword. The light consumed him entirely and his hair and clothing moved in it as if it were a blast of wind. Without a sound, he charged forward and golden light, like liquid sunlight, wove in through the blue fire. He seemed to blur and Tifa couldn't keep track of where he was anymore. She wasn't the only one that seemed to have the problem. Sephiroth's face shifted from side to side in sudden realization and then Cloud was there.
And gone.
And there again.
And gone.
The blond warrior moved so fast he seemed to be coming at Sephiroth from different sides in almost the same blink. No blood fountained, Sephiroth made no noise that Tifa could hear, no marks appeared on him even though his body jerked in time with Cloud's blades. And then Cloud was directly in front of him and the fire was so bright it reminded Tifa of the color of his eyes. For that moment, Sephiroth and Cloud were face to face. Time seemed to freeze and Tifa thought, perhaps, the world held its breath the same way she did. Then Cloud swung one last time and it was over.
Black mist rose from the silver horror that had been a nightmare for more years than Tifa had been aware of. He went to his knees and the impossibly long sword seemed to dissipate before it even dropped from his hand to hit the uneven ground. He raised a face that was already skull hollow eyes and black vanishing skin to look at the blond man that stood expressionless over him. One gloved hand, fingertips bleeding black mist lifted and pointed.
To where Zack and Tifa stood. The voice was still silk and oil and too smooth to hold expression.
"Look closely… Cloud. They should be together. You know it. No matter how quiet you stay, seeing them that way kills you inside every time someone mentions it. Look. Because each time you die inside, you make more room for me."
Slow, as if he didn't want to, Cloud's head turned and Tifa saw the glint of one of his blue eyes over his shoulder.
"Cloud…" she held out her arms for him.
And then Sephiroth moved. He pushed off from his knee suddenly and his body impacted with Cloud's. Except – as the body impacted, it changed to black mist. A black mist that billowed and swirled... and disappeared down Cloud's throat and nose. Cloud's body jerked so hard he lost his footing and he fell backward with a sound. The Fusion Sword clashed loudly with the broken ground as it dropped from his limp hands.
"Cloud!" both she and Zack yelled it and broke forward at the same time as well.
Tifa reached him first and went to her knees, pulling his torso into her arms. His skin was cold under her fingers instead of the welcoming warmth she was so used to. His eyes were shut and his face was lax. Barely, his chest rose and fell. In the sickly green light and shadows, his skin looked like wax.
"You don't believe that," she lowered her head, kissed his lips, murmuring against him. She couldn't lose him now. Not so close to the end. Not to this… "You don't. You know better. You do, you do."
"Come on, buddy," Zack had Cloud's hand in his and he'd pulled off the glove to chaff the other man's hand between both of his. He knelt protectively over both of his companions. "You're not going to let somebody with some weird Oedipus complex define what's a healthy relationship for you, are ya? I mean, he probably spends more time on his hair than Tifa does."
"Hey," Tifa inserted her reminder that she was right there. She cradled Cloud's back against her chest and wrapped her arms around him, the back of his head nestled against her collarbone and the curve of her shoulder. Nuzzling, she rubbed her chin against his temple. "Doubt yourself, but never doubt me," she whispered against his skin. "Not me, Chochobo Head. You're the only one for me. And you know it." She kissed his pale skin. "Tell Sephiroth to go to hell and come back. Come home now, Cloud. Come home."
Around them, the ground shifted dangerously and Tifa raised her face to look around in worry. Vincent was hovering far to the side and she wondered if he was strong enough to carry all three of them. Otherwise they needed to start moving now if they were going to get out of here before it turned into a Lifestream sinkhole. She was not going to lose. Not now.
Not Cloud.
Then… then she was going to find a bed and crawl into it with Cloud and not move for a week or so. She bent her head and whispered as much against his ear.
In her arms he jerked suddenly, making a grunting sound. A familiar dark mist rose and it seemed to leak out of his very skin. In the sickly light, it hovered over the blond warrior and Tifa thought she saw tendrils starting to reach down toward him again. Just as she was in the process of moving her shoulder in the way though, Cloud made another sound. It was a grunt of amusement from somewhere deep in his chest. The mist wavered... and then dissipated as if it couldn't hold itself together anymore. A breeze blew over the cracked ground and it smelled like smoke and mako and Midgar. But that was all. Tifa, without meaning to, felt herself relax. Cloud made a third noise and black liquid wept from his closed eyes and his ears and vanished before it hit the ground. He coughed and then turned his head to the side and sneezed. Eyes the color of blue flame opened and the first thing they focused on was her. For a long moment, it was everything. Then his lips relaxed into a quiet smile.
"I think I'd better marry you," he told her softly.
A sound that might have been laughter or tears or both caught in her throat and she awkwardly threw herself against his chest, their positions shifting to accommodate. She knotted her arms like iron around him and dug her nails in, determined to never let go, ever again. A second later, Zack made himself a part of the hug too, sandwiching her between the two males and threatening to press all the air out of her lungs with the force of it. Cloud made a muffled noise that might… just might… have been laughter. In that moment - the world was perfect.
And then the earth split under them.
Cloud's arms tightened around her as the world lurched and Tifa felt everything sliding to the side as a huge rumble drowned out all the other sounds. She couldn't see anything but quick glimpses past Cloud's shoulder and her hair. She saw green though. Horrible, horrible glowing green. And then Zack made a noise and Tifa felt herself thrown. No, her and Cloud were both thrown. She felt the impact but Cloud cushioned her with his own body and she turned her head in desperation.
They were on a level piece of ground. But just next to them it had cracked away and fallen. She had a second, a glimpse – she saw Zack's rueful, apologetic smile, crooked on his lips…
And then he was gone. And all that was left was a hole full of newly risen Lifestream where he had been.
"Zack!" She lurched forward for him at the same time Cloud did. But Zack was gone. The Lifestream swirled in its hissing, thickly liquid way, less waves and more tentative explorations upward at the edges of the sinkhole. Vincent landed next to them.
"We must go. There is very little of Midgar left."
Cloud gave a grunt as he pulled himself upright, getting a knee under himself first and then shifting to his feet. He pulled Tifa up with him, against his side, even though she was still staring at the Lifestream and hating it, hating it, hating it with an ever growing passion.
It was the planet's life. So what did it care for something so small and passing as the lives of her friends that had given up so much to free it?
At the moment, she'd gladly have seen it all reduced and used to power electric blankets and TVs.
"Take her," Cloud gently pushed her forward into Vincent's arms. "Get her out of here. I'm trusting you, Vincent."
"Wait… what?" Tifa jerked away from Vincent's hands as they started to close around her. "Cloud – what?!"
He took a step back and it put him too close to the edge of the sinkhole. His eyes were calm when they met hers.
"Go on. I'll catch up."
"What?" she was so tired of saying that word. "No! Just – no." She stamped her foot for emphasis even if it was a young move. "I'm done leaving."
"Tifa…" the way he said her name was everything she loved… and everything she feared at the same time. Because… it was so sad… "I can't leave Zack down there." His voice was raw as he stood on the edge of the opening that dropped down into the Lifestream. "It'll tear him apart inside."
She saw the terror he was trying to hide in his eyes then. Of all of them, he knew what waited in that glowing liquid. And it terrified him. But – he was going anyway. Zack needed him.
"I'm coming too." She stepped forward toward him and he shifted against that, the heels of his boots knocking small rocks and dirt down into the hole behind him. He shook his head.
It made her smile.
"Yes. I am. You know I am."
He shook his head again but his eyes were hungry and desperate and on her and she knew, if she'd learned anything from him, that he was denying himself. For her.
"Marlene and Denzel – " he hit her with the only protest, the only reason, he knew would stop her. Leaving them behind. Her lips moved again and they were impossibly sad.
"I know," she whispered and her steps didn't falter. "But they'll understand."
"Tifa…" his voice was a warning and then she was to him, winding her arms around him and his were closing around her despite himself, in denial of what his head was telling him. His eyes were endless blue and fell backward into that depth forever.
"They'll understand," she told him softly, lifting her hands to cup his face in her calloused palms. "They'll understand because you're family."
Something in his eyes shattered like crystal and his head dipped. His mouth found hers and the heat was liquid and overwhelming. She barely felt it when he took that single step backward and together the two of them fell into the swallowing green of the planet below.
