Calling

by AncientCrest

EDIT: STORY REUPLOAD/REWORK in progress! Set a year after the events of Advent Children, Cloud Strife and his friends face a threat that endangers the very life of the Planet, one that a flower girl had once sacrificed her life to save. Instructed by her ancestors from the Lifestream, Aerith begins a journey that further intertwines her and Cloud's destinies together. Clerith.

4. Highwind

Thanks to everyone who's Read the story so far! This next chapter is quite long and really should be broken in two, but I enjoy writing long chapters! Hope you enjoy, please read and review!

Chapter Four - Highwind

Cloud had made his way inside the Highwind and went towards the deck.

Cid sat in the pilot's seat in the cockpit, Shera at his side, analyzing a few of the computers, performing some routine checkup of all of the different control panels, as she closely monitored how they operated in flight. Although, Cid was the true expert when it came to operating an aircraft, Shera had learned much from Cid, adding much knowledge to her level of expertise. There were a few crew members running about the cockpit frantically, making sure everything was running properly.

One had almost bumped into Cloud in their frantic display, "Uoh! So sorry!"

"Damn it guys, I took care of everythin' already! The damn thing's flyin' just fine! Now sit your asses in one spot and wait til we get this thing back on the ground!" Cid shouted back to his crew.

Cloud took a spot at the large glass atrium at the front of the ship, which provided a great view of the plane's direction. Through the large glass window, Cloud could see the land before them pass by in the blink of an eye. From what he could see from the windows, it looked like they were about to start making their way over the mountainous range of the Mythril Mines.

"You take care of everythin' you needed to, Cloud?"

"Yeah. Thanks for waiting," said Cloud, giving the pilot a nod. "It was just something I needed to do before starting this new journey."

"Well, good. Gotta make sure that we're keepin' your damn self on track," Cid laughed, as he took a puff from his cigarette. "Speakin' of keepin' things on track, at the rate we're goin', we should be makin' it to Junon in maybe another hour or two. Might as well rest up in the cabins below before this whole thing gets underway."

"Sounds good," said Cloud, before looking around the room. "Hey, you guys haven't seen Yuffie around here, have you? I haven't run into her since we boarded."

"Heh, I wouldn't mind if we left her behind," Cid laughed.

"Now, Cid, behave yourself. You're always picking on poor Yuffie," Shera defended.

"Yeah, after she starts #$% with me first," the pilot retorted, almost shouting from the control panel.

"Temper, Cid," Shera hummed, delicately handling her husband. She turned to Cloud, "I saw Yuffie get onboard. She's here...somewhere. Who knows where she's hidden herself? She usually hangs around the deck or the Meeting Room. She usually stays in one place since she's got a bad case of motion sickness."

Cloud nodded and recalled, "Ah, that's right. I remember now. Last time, she nearly got sick all over me. On second thought, maybe I should steer clear til we land."

"Yeah, better not go makin' a mess around this beauty," Cid warned. "I practically replaced this baby piece by piece and I'm gonna have it all get ruined by the likes of you and that other one pukin' your guts up everywhere."

Cloud gave a short chuckle and crossed his arms, "He treats this thing like it's his new baby."

"Yup!" Cid shouted.

Shera rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her stomach, "Well, let's hope he has the same admiration and motivation when his 'new baby' actually does arrive."

"We can only hope," said the blonde soldier.

Shera looked up and saw Cloud was looking a bit uncomfortable. "Well, not to delve back into the topic of Yuffie's motion sickness, but you're looking a little pale yourself, Cloud. Are you feeling alright?"

He brushed it off and wiped his forehead, "Uh, yeah. I've never really enjoyed all the rockiness that came with traveling, either."

"Maybe you should go lie down? We'll get you when we land," Shera suggested.

"Yeah. Thanks."

Cloud exited the room and begin making his way through the main chamber of the Highwind that led to all other parts of the ship. With the back and forth of the Highwind's motion starting to agitate him, he really just wanted to get somewhere where the rocking of the plane wouldn't bother him.

Now that he thought about it, resting up did sound good. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten a good night's sleep.

He made his way through the Maintenance Bay on his way to the cabins below, when he was stopped by Yuffie calling out to him.

"Hey, Cloud. Looks like I'm not the only one bored out of mind on this thing," Yuffie said from the Meeting Room.

Yuffie sat at the end of a long wooden table in the center of the room. The Meeting Room wasn't anything too special, just a meeting space where Cid and the others would have regular meetings before takeoff. Cloud and his friends would also use the space to regroup and plan the next steps of their adventure. There were several chairs scattered around the table, while the metal walls remained fairly plain and bare. Cloud found the young ninja spinning around in one of the chairs, with a fairly bored expression on her face.

"You know, the spinning probably isn't too good for your motion sickness..." Cloud stepped into the room and took a seat at one of the chairs at the table. "And I heard from Cid's mouth himself, he doesn't want any accidents."

"Oh, who cares what Gramps wants, anyway?" Yuffie took a big spin in her chair, circling around a few times. "Besides, the rocking isn't too bad in this room."

Cloud realized she was right when he noticed that he didn't feel as woozy and disoriented as he had moments before. "So, what are you doing in here all on your own?"

"What's it to ya?" Yuffie scrunched her eyebrows and shot him a sarcastic glance. "What? Are you afraid I'm up to no good? I've been fighting alongside you for three years. If I was up to no good, you would know by now. Which I'm not."

"Yeah, coming from the same girl, who stole all our materia, Gil and possessions, only to high-tail it back to her home and send us on a wild goose chase," Cloud smirked and crossed his arms.

"Okay, that happened one time and I apologized for it!" Yuffie playfully defended and stood up from the chair. "Besides, if I wanted to steal some crappy materia, some second-rate potions and cheap equipment off of you, I would have done it already."

Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but instead, tilted his head in silence. She did have a point there, after all.

"So, just accept that I can actually be a genuine friend in the long run and I'm not out to get anyone," Yuffie said in a sing-song tone. "Hey, at least I'm more of a friend than Reno and you didn't seem to mind him tagging along on this journey with us."

He nodded, "You got a point there."

There was a brief silence that passed between the two. The ninja sighed and turned back to Cloud, "So, do you really think that we could do this again?"

Cloud nodded, "I think so. We've done it before."

"To be honest, when I heard that we might go on another mission, I actually got really excited! Going on missions, pilfering stuff, almost getting killed, that's a freakin' awesome time for me!" Yuffie laughed and sat back down in a different chair. "I don't know, it was just a lot of fun on our last go-around."

"So, what would you be doing instead if you weren't here?" Cloud asked.

"You know, I don't really know," Yuffie thought out loud and sighed, taking a spin in the chair. "I can't live with Cid and Shera forever, you know. Especially when the baby's coming soon. Not that I'd want to deal with all that anyway. Having a roof over my head is nice, I suppose, but I'd be too much of a hassle for them."

Cloud thought to himself and smirked, 'Hm, at least she KNOWS she can be a hassle.'

Yuffie continued, almost half-heartedly speaking her thoughts, "Now that I think about it, I really don't know what I'd do. I liked Edge, but Tifa would never allow me to stay at the Seventh Heaven after last time."

"Yeah, that much is true."

"HEY! Hey! I wasn't too bad. Not really." The ninja laughed, "Don't tell her, but when I got kicked out of that place, I was so mad at Tifa!"

"Yuffie, I was there. I saw. You stole the money from the cash register and then slammed the door on your way out. You should be glad that Tifa didn't hold a grudge against you for that."

The ninja defended, "Yeah, not exactly one of my better moments. But come on, that's what I do! I ended up giving the money back...later...I think." She nervously laughed and brushed the topic off, "I suppose I'll just have to think of somewhere else to go."

"Have you ever thought about going back to Wutai?" Cloud asked.

"Gawd, never! Never, ever! I'd have to be dragged back there kicking and screaming," Yuffie let out a heavy sigh. "If I ever do end up back there, my father will just drive me away again. It's what he does, what he's been doing for the past couple years now."

"That must suck," said the blonde.

Yuffie shrugged, "You've met him. He's the big hotshot of Wutai and he's been that way for awhile, but recently he's started really pressuring me to follow in his footsteps. He's taken his position overseeing Wutai so seriously. He's such a stuck-up, royal snob and wants to make me into the same and...well, I just don't care about any of that stuff."

Cloud had realized that this was probably the most he had ever talked to Yuffie since they'd met, but they had nothing but time to waste. He continued, "Why? It'd seem like a pretty easy life."

"Are you kidding me? I don't want to be 'Ms. Prim and Proper of Wutai'. What is that? Lame. He's all for the riches and power. I'm all for stealing it. I don't want to be the mature role model for all the kiddos back at home, I don't even think I'm cut out for that," she explained. "If I do end up playing some role in Wutai, It'll be what I want to do and on my terms."

"Well, at least you have a father that tries to make something out of you, as annoying as it might be," said Cloud, as he scratched the back of his head. "I never even knew mine."

"Ever?" Yuffie stopped spinning.

"No," the blonde shook his head. "He died when I was still just a baby and so my mom was the one who took care of me in Nibelheim. She didn't like talking about him too much. It must have made her really sad and upset."

"Now, that must suck. But I've been through that, too," the ninja said, without dwelling too much further on the subject. She spun around in the chair, "Now, look at us having so much in common. I guess crappy parental connections run common."

"Hey, at least you still have a father," said Cloud.

"Well, I really wished it felt that way," Yuffie said. "I don't think my father really gets me. He could give me hundreds of materia and I still wouldn't want to live the way he wants me to. It's created so many problems between us." She finished with a smirk, "Just give me a few years to mature and decide what I'm gonna do with myself."

"Sure, if it'll take that long."

The two felt a shift in the Highwind, as it rocked against the air, the tables in the room slightly turning with the motion of the airship.

Cloud shook his head, a bit disoriented.

"Man, when is Cid going to learn how to fly this heap of junk," the ninja complained.

The blonde shrugged and scratched the back of his head, "I'm gonna go to one of the cabins and try to rest for a little bit. It'll be better than staying here and probably getting sick."

"Okay. See ya later, Cloud."

Cloud made his way back into the Maintenance Bay and went down a small flight over stairs that led beneath the large space. There, he slid open the metal door that led to an open hall, where four other doors were located. Three of the doors led to small cabin rooms where there was a small bed, while the last door led to a bathroom.

He slid open one of the doors and stepped inside. The cabins were small - very small and compact. Right inside of the cabin, the bed was right at the foot of the door, leaving room to only climb into the bed and shut the door once you were fully inside. Given that there was only so much space to have on the Highwind, the group was lucky that Cid added them in when he had renovated the ship, as this resting place was not a necessity to have onboard. There was a window to the side of the bed, which Cloud had kept closed most of the time. It didn't help him ease his nerves of motion sickness one bit.

Cloud made his way into the bed and slipped under the thin covers of the blankets. He tried to push the unnerving feeling as the Highwind rocked his body back and forth along with the motion of the plane. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, deciding it'd be better to just try and rest while he could.

It wasn't long before the blonde had relaxed and found himself drifting off to sleep.

---

"Well, looking around the city was rather stupid, don't you think?" Reno said, kicking his foot along the pavement as he, Barret and Tifa made their way back to Barret's buggy. "It was stupid thinking Jenova would cause any more trouble here when she clearly set off days ago."

After they departed Marlene and Denzel with Elmyra at her home, Barret, Tifa and Reno had spent the last two hours looking for signs of Jenova or unusual activity in Edge, but they didn't find a thing.

"It's all part of the job, Reno," Tifa said back to him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know that," Reno said. "Still, what a waste of a morning. At this rate, Cloud and the others are probably already landed in Junon."

"Calm your ass down, man!" Barret said, taking the buggy's keys out from his pocket. "At least the rest of the city is doin' fine, we'll just have to make up some time gettin' to Kalm by the end of the day."

"Well, isn't it possible that this entire search could be one, big, wild goose chase?" Reno said, alerting the other two. "Jenova can shapeshift and transform into anything, right? Last time you faced her, half the time, wasn't she taking the form of Sephiroth?"

"She was, or she...was being controlled by him or something," Tifa thought out, placing a finger on her chin. "Still, us sitting around doing nothing isn't going to change that she's still out there, regardless of what she may or may not be."

"She's right", said Barret, opening the buggy and stepping in. "So, get your ass in the car and let's move."

Reno sighed, opening the side door for Tifa to get in. "I guess, but back on the matter, how do I know that you're really Barret and not some dangerous monster that's leading me to my death?"

"Cuz if I wanted to kill your ass, I woulda done it already," said Barret. "And that's ME talkin'! Not some crazy #%$& alien!"

"Okay, okay, you're you! I get it. Just making sure," said Reno, throwing his hands up in defense. He nervously laughed, "So, where are we headed to now?"

"Now, we leave Edge and head for Kalm Town," Tifa answered and pulled out a map of the nearby areas surrounding Edge. "If we move fast enough and don't run into any trouble, we should make it there by sundown, hopefully."

"And we should move quickly," said Barret, as he placed the keys in the ignition and started the buggy. "We gotta meet up with the others in Junon in three days and at the rate we're goin', it's gonna take a lot more than that!"

"So, we reach Kalm, look around for a little bit, maybe gather some clues and then call it a night there, right?" Reno suggested, "I'm sure they'll be able to give us a room in the town inn."

"Nope, we keep movin'," Barret replied.

"Huh, how come?" Tifa asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

"We got a lot of ground to cover, Tifa. We'll be spendin' the whole day travelin' today and if we can buy ourselves some time, we should try and start some of the route towards the Chocobo farmland," said Barret.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Tifa said, nodding. They did have a lot to do in a short period of time and it's not like this was a leisurely vacation. Still, she was always fond of Kalm and found the quiet town charming.

"Besides, we might end up needin' to catch a few of those damn chocobos ourselves and who knows how long that'll take. We'll need 'em to make it across the swampy marsh near Mythril."

"Wow, you have this all planned out, huh," Tifa remarked. "Look at you, finally gettin' to be the leader."

"Finally gettin' to be? I've always been the leader," Barret smirked.

"So, we'll be camping out tonight, then?" Reno asked.

Self-appointed leader of the three, Barret, started to move the buggy forward down the street, heading towards the highway that led out of the city. "You got it! Unless ya'll are okay with gettin' no rest at all and continuin' on straight into tomorrow!"

"No! Ugh, no...no, thanks!" Reno said, "Camping sounds...like a blast."

Tifa thought about it and smiled, "I think we'll be alright if we camp out just for one night, right?"

"Right," Barret concluded.

"Why do I feel like this is going to be a wild goose chase that goes horribly, horribly wrong?" Reno sighed and lowered his head.

"It'll go horribly wrong if I hear one more word outta you!" Barret laughed, "So, Reno, where are your little dumbass buddies at?"

"The Turks? I have no idea."

"Do they know that you're with us now?" Tifa asked.

"Don't think so. I tried getting a hold of Rude, but he hasn't picked up the damn phone, not that he'd say much anyway, but hey," Reno explained. "Last I saw of them was a few nights ago before my accident, but I'm sure Rufus is keeping them busy with God knows what. I could care less, to be honest."

Tifa raised an eyebrow at the redhead, "Really? Since when have you switched sides?"

"I haven't. I'm still a Turk through and through, okay? I'm going to lend a hand to help out when I can, but don't get to cozy," He smirked and flashed a smile at Tifa. "Unless you feel like getting cozy, then I'm all yours, babe."

"Ugh," Tifa scoffed.

"Even the Turks with Rufus' help are thinking of a way to stop Jenova. We're on your side this time...for now, at least."

"Heh, you bein' a good guy and helpin' out? Ha, I believe it when I see it," Barret let out a laugh at Reno.

Reno rolled his eyes, "Look, I wanna stay around on this planet for a few more years just like everybody else, okay? I'm sure Rufus and the other Turks feel the same. So, if me and the others wanna lend a hand, just accept it before we start trying to kill you again."

"Same here," Barret shot back. "We can share an alliance...for now."

"Sure, sure. And I'll promise not to try and kill you," Reno shot back. "For now."

Tifa sunk into her seat and sighed, "Oh, this is going to be a long day."

The three set off as the buggy steered clear from Edge and made its way down the roads that twisted and curved through the grasslands that led towards Kalm Town.

---

As the Highwind soon hovered over Junon, there was a thick mask of pollution that seemed to hover in the air above the city.

Junon was located right on the edge of the continent, practically jutting out of the earth like it's own formation.. Due to its' convenient location, Junon was known as a common port for both air and sea travel. On the outskirts of the city, there was a loading dock for ships and, above the city, a landing runway for planes and jets. Over time, Junon became a city that held a massive role in the import and export of goods across the world with the usage of cargo ships and planes.

However, with the increased rate of transportation and production, the more fuels, coals and energy power it took to operate, causing Junon to fall into a state of overwhelming pollution not too long ago. While the parts of the city that were located by the loading docks remained contained, the harbor at the base of the city had been greatly affected. There seemed to be a constant smog in the air above, which looked as bad as it smelled. The fishing town seemed dismal and the beach leading to the ocean had become polluted and dangerous to swim in.

Since that time, however, the condition of Junon Harbor had greatly improved. The pollution throughout the city had been reduced and the citizen's took action to make their small town a better place, regardless of how Shinra had already destroyed parts of it. They had built new homes, relied less on technology and did a great job cleaning up the beach and the surrounding waters of the harbor, though they were still met with their challenges.

The Highwind descended and landed down on the landing platform at the top of the city. Soon after, Cid came over the intercom and stated that they would be able to depart from the plane in a few minutes afternoon some routine checks were taken care of.

When the rumbling engines of the airship had stopped, Cloud's eyes slowly opened.

He lifted his head from the pillow and raised a hand to his face, rubbing his tired eyes. For a moment, he didn't even realize where he was. He had actually had a pretty decent rest and felt very comfortable. He didn't realize how tired he really was until he finally had a chance to lie down. When he looked outside of the cabin window, he could see the other air crafts parked around the landing platform.

Cloud lifted himself off of the bed and ran a hand through his hair that had been flattened down by the pillow. He left the hall of cabins and proceeded through the Maintenance Bay and back to the cockpit. Once there, Cid, Shera and Yuffie were already waiting for him.

"Hey Cloud, what's been keeping you," asked Yuffie.

"Sorry. I must have overslept," Cloud shrugged.

"It's alright. We're ready to head into the village whenever you're ready," Shera said.

The four of them had departed the Highwind and made their way down the plane's ramp that descended down onto the landing platform. There were a few other planes and jets parked along the runway, but none of them matched the sheer size and scale of the Highwind. It was quite unlike any other airship in existence. They made their way towards the elevator shaft located at the far end of the runway. The elevator platform was what separated Junon's city from the harbor and village, which had suffered the brunt of the pollution and poverty that affected Junon.

In some ways, Junon was very similar to what Midgar was like a few years ago. One part of the city was filled with wealthier people who could afford to live there, big company agents and employees and citizens that were closely tied to the Shinra Company, while the other half was filled with many poor or homeless families that were barely getting by, unsavory areas and societal problems.

When the elevator had reached the bottom and Cloud and the others exited, they were surprised to see that the condition of the harbor had somewhat been greatly improved from how the area used to be affected. The entire village surrounding the harbor seemed to evolve from the quiet, gloomy town to a quaint, small fishing village that connected to the beach and harbor. The harbor and oceans that were just outside of the village and its houses provided resources, jobs and food for the people of Junon and was essential to its' peoples' daily lives.

"Well, check this place out! It's lookin' a lot better than the last time we were here," Yuffie said, excitedly running towards the fountain that was located in the village center.

"Yeah, the village isn't as...dull as I remember it being," Cloud said, following after the ninja.

"This place looks great! Hey, do we have time to go swimming on the beach," Yuffie asked.

"This isn't a vacation, Yuffie," Cloud said simply. "If you want to go, that's fine. I'm not interested."

"Ugh! Don't be such a lame!" The ninja said, starting to march her way towards the village inn.

"Yuffie, hold on. Just remember that we're on an important mission," the blonde protested.

The ninja sighed and rolled her eyes, turning back to the soldier. "Cloud, you're no fun! Let loose and get out for a little while. It'll do you some good. I know we got a lot of work to do ahead of us, but if we don't at least enjoy the places we're at while we're there, this is gonna be one miserable time."

While the two continued to talk, Cid and Shera made the way towards the inn, looking to get some lodging accommodations for the next couple of days.

"Yuffie, the mission just started. Maybe I'll 'get out' a little later. Right now, I just want to focus on Jenova."

"Okay, Cloud! Though if you change your mind, you know where we'll be!" Yuffie said to Cloud, before racing to catch up with Cid and Shera.

'Crazy girl.' Cloud thought to himself about the ninja, before beginning to make his way around the village.

He was very impressed with the transformation that he had seen. While it wasn't necessarily a beach paradise like Costa del Sol was, it was the charming setting of the village that made this place unlike any other. He continued to take a look around the shops and buildings, not really noting anything out of the ordinary in particular.

Cloud remembered his previous encounters with Jenova. She wasn't one to hide and play games with her prey. If she was near, she would have been found soon.

Cloud decided to take the elevator back up to the city above. He still had a lot of time left in the day and he wanted to spend it productively, at least more productively than Yuffie and Cid were doing at the beach.

The blonde exited the elevator platform and made his way through the hall that led towards the rest of the city. While Junon's city was expansive with many streets and alleys to search, Cloud was lucky to have a lot of time on his hands. The group would still have to wait until Barret, Tifa and Reno made it to Junon in a few days, anyway, which gave him ample time to search.

Once at the city, Cloud discovered that much of it was exactly how he remembered it. There were tall buildings that made up the skyline of the city, consisting of company offices and apartments. There had once been a large cannon that was placed at the front of the city, operating as a major defense to the city, but ever since Weapon's attack three years prior, the cannon had been moved over to Midgar, where it was later destroyed and dismantled. Cloud still wasn't quite used to seeing the city with this large piece missing from it.

He continued to walk the streets, not having any main destination to head to, but after all, this was a search and with no leads that pointed him to Jenova, he didn't have much else to do. He made his way down one of the street alleys and exited onto the opposite street, where he saw two mean walking past.

His attention was caught when he heard the passing conversation.

"Did you see what happened back there? Who were those two and why would they be going there?"

"When do you even think someone was last down there?"

"Who knows? But they must have known the way inside cuz that thing was sealed off."

Cloud's curiosity was piqued and he raced after the two men. He called out to them, "Hey! I'm sorry, I overheard what you were talking about. What was going on?"

The two turned back to Cloud, "Oh, nothing. Just two strange looking fellas making their way to the underwater reactor."

"They knew the access code and everything to override security," the man laughed. "They were probably scum once hired by Shinra. Ugh, something scary about one of 'em."

Cloud lowered his eyes, it couldn't have been Jenova then. "Did it look like they were up to no good?"

The other man shook his head, "No, not really. Just two men who looked like they knew where they were going."

"Okay, I got it." Cloud nodded, as the two men departed, "Thanks."

Cloud crossed his arms and closed his eyes. It seemed like nothing was out of the ordinary. Even things that could have been potential leads were nothing sinister or related to Jenova. As much as Cloud wanted to keep searching, he couldn't help but feel like he was wasting his time. Even if he did come across Jenova, would he even be able to finish her off on his own right then and there?

Probably not, he told himself. He decided to call it quits, at least for the time being.

As guilty as he felt, maybe taking some of Yuffie's advice to get out and do something fun was worthwhile.

Though, Cloud didn't know what was scarier - slacking off on his mission to stop Jenova or taking advice from Yuffie.

'An hour at the beach won't hurt, right," Cloud convinced himself. 'But I have to put in extra work tomorrow.'

---

It was just before sunset when Barret, Tifa and Reno had made it to Kalm Town after a day of traveling. They'd been lucky that they hadn't run into too many interruptions along the way. Though, they did have their fair share of run-ins with fiends and prowling creatures who attempted to attack their buggy, causing the three to have to exit and fight occasionally. Still, they made quick work of the opponents and would continue along their break, stopping every so often to rest a bit, while also giving Barret a break from the wheel. They parked the buggy outside of the village and made their way inside while there was still some daylight.

As the warm sunset cast an orange glow over the rooftops of the city, Tifa stepped forward and admired the sight. The village was just as she had remembered it from the last time she was here. Truthfully, not much had changed about the landscape of the planet over the past three years, but some of the cities themselves had transformed. Places like Junon and Mideel had improved, others like Midgar had been devastated and felt more like an abandoned ghost town now. Then, there were the smaller towns and villages in-between like Kalm Town, Icicle Inn and Gongaga, which felt unchanged for as long as they'd existed.

Tifa walked along the cobblestone paths of the village, admiring the small houses and the charming markets in the town square. The young barmaid let out a sigh at the sight. The houses and buildings were small, but very comfortable and cozy. Each roof of the buildings were fitted with blue and gray shingles that draped down the sides of the triangular rooftops. The town's sidewalks were aligned with flickering lanterns, almost making it appear as some picturesque fairytale village. There was a tall clock tower at the back end of the town which stood taller than any of the other buildings in the village.

Life was simple in Kalm. The people led simple lives, without the concern of fiends on the prowl or the Shinra swooping in to cause some trouble to their little village. It was a simple, peaceful place to live, which is why Tifa had come to admire it so, especially after having lived in places like Nibelheim and Midgar, which were stricken with their own problems.

"Made it," said Barret, following behind his friend. He called out to both Tifa and Reno, "Okay, you two, listen up! Let's try not to take too long here. We ain't done just yet and still have a bit of travelin' to do tonight, so make a clean sweep of this place to look for any clues and then we head out."

"Roger," said Reno. "This town isn't too big, anyway. Just on the other side of the village, there's a tiny marketplace with a few shops and whatnot. The shop owners over there might have a bit of information they can give us."

Barret nodded, "Good usin' your head for once, Reno. Let's get movin'."

"Are you sure we can't stay for the night," Tifa asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

Barret shook his head and crossed his arms, "Sorry, Tifa. We gotta head out in a bit. It's already gettin' late and we have to be gettin' to Junon in two days to meet back up with Cloud. We still got a whole lotta land in-between here and there, too, so no time for extra resting."

Tifa was a bid disappointed, but she understood. Besides, after this mission was over, she hoped that she would have many opportunities to get to go back there. She crossed her arms and smirked, "Well, okay. Whatever our 'leader' requests of us."

"That's what I like to hear. Now, let's get this show on the road," Barret cheered on.

Barret had led Tifa and Reno through the village, taking a quick walk around the area.

"I'm starting to think we're just going to end up running around the entire damn planet while Jenova slowly kills us all," said Reno.

Barret continued for him, "Well, we're not gonna let that happen. If there's one thing for sure with Jenova bein' around, things'll get shaken up real quick! Like at Shinra Headquarters years ago, the cargo ship in Junon, #%$ goin' crazy at the Temple of the Ancients and the northern crater. If she was here, somethin' would turn up sooner or later."

"Eh, I don't know. You just keep tellin' yourself that, big guy," the redhead said. "Why would she come to a sleepy, little place like this anyway? Not too much going on around here."

"I think it'll be like this for each of our stops until we get closer to her. I can't imagine that she'll be taking up shelter in the chocobo farms we'll be visiting tomorrow or in the Mythril Mines. That place is crawling with creepy things, so...she might fit at home there, actually," Tifa said, peeking around one of the corners of the buildings. The marketplace was fairly empty, even with all of the shops still open.

"Well, let's just keep the search up," Barret suggested. "I'm gonna look around the town for jus' a little bit more. Tifa, why don't you go askin' around the shops to see if anyone's seen anythin'. Reno, you jus' make your damn self useful.

"Got it," Reno said, before heading off towards the marketplace.

Tifa looked as Reno made his way off. She turned back to Barret, "Where do you suppose he's off to?"

"Who knows?" Barret smirked at Tifa, "But let's get back to the buggy and leave him here before he realizes it."

"Right," she laughed, before making her way off into one of the stores at the back of the village.

Tifa had come across a few of the shops and carts in the marketplace. She had some brief conversations with a few of the shop owners, trying to gather any new information or clues on the whereabouts of Jenova, but as she'd suspected, they'd come up with nothing, each saying how those types of creatures don't come to Kalm.

She made her way to the items shop, which was the last store for her to look at in the village. She entered in and was greeted by an older woman who worked there. Reno was also off to the side of the store, staring at a few racks of potions and phoenix downs.

"Hey there, good lookin'," Reno smirked.

Tifa rolled her eyes at him. "Hey."

"Hello, miss. How are you? How can I help you?" The kind shop owner asked her.

Tifa smiled up at her, "I'm fine, thank you. Um, yes, I was actually just wondering if you had any information that might be able to help me."

"Of course, my dear."

"Has there been any unusual sightings happening around Kalm? Anything out of the ordinary that you've seen? Anything at all," Tifa asked.

"Hm, I couldn't say," the old woman said. "Everything's been normal these past few days."

Reno smirked, gathering a few items in his arms, more items than what looked like he could carry. "See? I told you, she's not gonna be here."

The old woman asked, "Are you and your friend looking for someone?"

Reno turned from the shelves and nudged Tifa in the side with his elbow, "Hear that? We're 'friends' now. Look at how quick we're making progress."

"Ugh, we are not friends," Tifa grimaced and turned back to the old woman. "But, um, yes, we are looking for someone. We were just wondering if anyone in town would have anything they could tell us."

The old woman turned from the counter and went to the shelf behind her that was stocked with items. "No, I'm sorry, dear. I'm afraid I'm no help to you, but if there's anything I can do to help you, I'm certain I would."

Tifa nodded and smiled, "Thank you."

The sound of the shop door slamming behind them caused both Tifa and the old shop owner to jump. They both turned to find that Reno had fled from the store, an armful of stolen items and goods unpaid for.

The old woman's face grew, a mixture of sadness, anger and betrayal setting in. "Oh, my. It seems like your friend has made off."

Tifa stared back at the door in shock and then turned back at the woman. She apologized excessively, "I'm-I'm so sorry! I know how it looks, but I had no idea he was going to do this! I should have known better than to trust him! I'm so sorry! I'll find him and bring him right back!"

The barmaid stormed out of the shop and kicked her feet in frustration when she saw Reno running towards the edge of town and back to the buggy with all of the stolen items in his arms.

"Reno!" She called after him, quickly running after the man, "Reno! Stop!"

"Don't be so loud," Reno shouted back, getting back to the buggy, where he caught his breath for a moment. "You don't want to get caught, do you?"

"Caught?" Tifa's eyes grew wide. She stopped to catch her breath when she caught up to him, "What the heck's the matter with you? We're barely in town for five minutes and you're already causing an issue? We didn't even have any time to track down any clues about Jenova."

"Well, that's what Barret is for! I'm sure he'll find something if there is something to find," Reno defended, before opening the buggy and piling the items inside. "Besides, I was just helping us out! My little 'stunt' probably just saved us a ton of Gil and all these goods will last a week. You really should be thanking me!"

"Thanking you?" She mocked and placed her hands on her hips, "You're a thief! You're worse than Yuffie. That nice woman was just trying to help us out and you pay her back by stealing from her? I'd like to come back to this town some day and you might have just risked that warm welcome."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Reno sighed and rolled his eyes, passively disregarding the subject.

"These types of backhanded moves might have worked when you were back in the Turks, but you're not with them anymore, at least not right now." Tifa angrily stared him down, before turning her back to him. "If you're going to be in our group, then you need to stop acting like a Turk and start helping us instead of causing problems."

Reno crossed his arms and leaned up against the buggy, "Oh, so now I'm a part of the group, am I?"

She turned back to him. "I'm sorry?"

"I thought I was the one that showed up and ruined everything? I thought I was the one that wanted to help out but was met with nothing but angry groans and sneers from you when I hadn't even done anything?"

Tifa was a bit taken aback by him. It sounded like he was genuinely getting upset, and an honest Reno was not something she knew how to react to.

"Let's face it, Tifa, you haven't wanted me here or as a part of your little group since the beginning! You've never trusted me in the first place, ever since I blew up that Sector Seven pillar, destroyed your bar and killed your friends..." Reno paused and thought for a moment, "...which is a completely reasonable reaction, now that I think about it."

"Exactly," she said.

"Well, that was the past, this is now," Reno defended, his voice getting louder. "If you're not gonna forgive me and move past it, then fine, but don't start preaching to me about the values of trust and friendship when you want neither from me!"

Her voice rose to match his, "You're damn right I don't!"

"Well, good, because something tells me you make a #$&% friend anyway."

A moment passed as Tifa's mouth fell open. "Excuse me?"

"I didn't stutter. I have eyes and ears, I think you're a sucky friend, to Cloud, to everyone you've tried to be 'buddy-buddy' with," Reno said, this argument suddenly reaching a boiling point. "I think you're still trying to find out what being a friend is in the first place. Hate to break it to you, but it's a little late in the game, Tifa!"

She stared at him, as if she'd just been physically attacked. Her mouth shut, but her lips trembled still as she felt the sting of tears fill her eyes. "I'd love nothing more than to punch you in the face right now."

Reno shrugged and threw his arms down, "Do it."

Nothing but the silent air passed between them then. The silence was only ever broken by the occasional breeze of wind that rustled its' way through the grasslands. Tifa shook her head and turned from him.

Reno crossed his arms, "That's what I thought."

She suddenly turned back and punched him hard across his face, sending the man to the ground. She watched as Reno landed hard and let out a pained groan. The redhead clutched his now bloody nose, collecting the redness in his hands as it trailed down past his lips. He looked up at her, "What the hell!?"

"You offered. I took it," Tifa said.

Reno clutched his nose, "Feel better?"

She thought for a moment, before finally nodding, "Yeah, a little."

"Good, because I don't."

"What the hell is the matter with the both of you!?" Barret said, running up to the two of them, an angry pout on his lips. "I oughta knock the both of you out for actin' like a bunch of dumbass kids! Get it together, will ya!?"

"I didn't start it," Tifa and Reno both defended at the same time, before looking at each other a bit embarrassed.

"I don't give a flying fat rat's ass who the hell did what! If we start tearin' each other apart before we even get to Jenova, there's no way we'll be winnin' this fight," Barret concluded.

"He's right," Reno nodded, wiping the remaining blood from his upper lip. He turned to Tifa and shrugged, "...Sorry."

Tifa remained silent and crossed her arms, turning to Barret. "Anyway, did you find out anything?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. I don't know how much help it'll be for us, but it might be somethin'," said Barret. "Turns out one of crazy Chocobo Billy's stable boys was in town. Says somethin' ripped through the Chocobo farms and started causin' a mess of thing. Whatever it was, it seemed to have a big appetite for them poor birds."

Tifa placed a finger on her chin, "That couldn't have been Jenova, could it?"

"Who knows what that creepy thing is into?" Barret continued, "Whatever it is, it ain't soundin' pretty good. We should get a move on because that's where we're goin' next."

"Right. We still have a bit to go before we call it a night. Until next time then, Kalm," Tifa said, opening the buggy door.

Before Reno could step inside, Tifa grabbed him by the shoulder. He turned back to him.

"Nuh-uh. You're not getting in there until you return those items back to that nice woman," Tifa said.

"Ugh, seriously," Reno groaned.

"Seriously. Once you do, then...I might consider apologizing for hitting you," Tifa said quickly.

The redhead gave an over-exaggerated sigh and then lowered his head in defeat. "Fine, but that better be a damn good apology." He got out of the car and gathered all of the pilfered items, slowly making his way back through the town like a guilt-ridden child.

"Move faster," Tifa shouted at him, her lips finally cracking into a small smile as Reno flipped her off.

Barret turned from them and placed his hand on his forehead. He sighed, "Oh, Lord. This is gonna be a long trip."

---

It was later on in the afternoon when Cloud had made it back to the inn at the edge of the harbor's village. The trek back had been long and uncomfortably warm, especially for the summer. By the time he had made it back inside his cool, air-conditioned room, a layer of sweat had already formed on his arms. He figured a trip to the beach and being surrounded by the open ocean waves couldn't hurt.

Cloud kicked off his heavy boots and went to his bag that was dropped off on his bed earlier in the day. He ruffled through it for a little bit before he found a pair of black shorts that he had packed with him. He kept his dark blue vest on and went to the bathroom to grab one of the towels before heading out.

The blonde exited his room and made his way down the stone steps that led down from the inn and towards the beach. The ground was hot underneath Cloud's feet, to the point where it stung, but didn't necessarily hurt. Thankfully, the beach was right next to the inn, so traveling along the hot ground was going to be short-lived. Once he got to the beach, he saw Cid and Shera in a set of beach chairs under an umbrella a short distance away. He made his way across the burning sand, which became much hotter with every step he took.

"Hey. Mind if I join you?" Cloud asked, as he approached Cid and Shera.

"Nope, find a spot," said Cid.

Cloud nodded and spread out his towel by them. He looked around the beach as he settled down, "Where's Yuffie? She said she'd be down here."

Cid pointed out into the ocean, "Eh, she's been out there for an hour already."

The blonde soldier looked up and saw the ninja far out into the open waters, jumping over the waves, as some of them crashed over her small form. She darted back and forth across the water, as splashes flew in every direction while she made machine gun noises and bomb-dropping sounds. She appeared to be having a blast on her own and didn't need anyone else to have fun.

"I've been hopin' one of those waves comes in and just sweeps the little brat away and she doesn't come back," said Cid with a laugh, as he took another puff from his cigarette.

Shera playfully slapped Cid on the shoulder as a light-hearted means of trying to get him to be nicer or just drop the subject entirely.

Once settled, Cloud went to lie down on his back, the sun beating down on him. One of his arms draped around his stomach, while the other he used to cover his eyes from the brilliantly bright sunlight. He groaned out, "Damn, it's hot."

Cid huffed, "You could always take off your shirt, you know. It'll make you less irritable and save me the trouble of haulin' your dehydrated ass to the hospital."

"No, thank you," Cloud said back.

"What? Too embarrassed to show off your scrawny body?" Cid laughed.

Cloud rolled his eyes and shook his head, turning to Cid to defend himself, "Hey, I've got muscle. I just don't need to show it."

Cid laughed, "Heh heh, whatever you say."

It was true, while Cloud may have not been the tallest of men at only 5'8, he was definitely well-built, strong and muscled. While he would have wanted to admit that some of his strength might have been because of the Shinra experiments performed on him years earlier, he kept up with his own training and exercises, staying at the top of his physical prowess out of his own will and keeping his body in shape. While Cloud's chest was broad and strong, his stomach was well-defined and his arms were large and all muscle, that didn't mean he enjoyed showing it off. He was very shy and self-conscious, after all and no one had ever seen him without an inch of clothing missing.

Cid let out a whistle and perked up, turning to Cloud as a curvy redhead walked along the beach. The pilot eyed the curly-haired redhead as she walked by. "Damn, that's a body on her. What do you think, Cloud?"

"I think I'll pass," Cloud said, without even glancing up. He couldn't have sounded less interested even if he tried.

"Ehh," Cid scowled, scanning along the beach, before pointing to a long-haired blonde sitting at the far side of the beach. "Oh, hey, what about that little number sitting over there? Pretty sure she's been lookin' over here ever since you got your keester down here, Cloud."

"That's great for her. She can look all she wants, but I'm not interested," Cloud shut his eyes and tried to relax. "Since when have you turned into such a lech, Cid? Shera, you're okay with your husband's wandering eye?"

"Eh, it's ain't nothin' all that serious," Cid laughed. "My eyes ain't wandering. In my age, I'm just damn lucky my eyes still work."

Shera rolled her eyes and laughed, "I've come to accept Cid for who he is, even the more sincerely questionable parts of him."

Cloud smirked, "Well, whatever works for the both of you."

Cid leaned forward to Cloud, "You sure you don't want to go and try it with that blonde over there, Cloud? If you won't, I will." His wife slapped him on the arm.

Cloud scowled, almost sounding annoyed. "I am 100% certain that I am not interested, Cid. I really, really am not looking for someone, okay? Can we drop this?"

"Whoa, easy now. Simmer down, Cloud," Cid leaned forward and patted Cloud on the shoulder. "No hard feelings, okay? I was just messin' with ya, okay? Sorry if that upset ya."

"Thanks, Cid...I guess," Cloud said, sitting up from the towel and getting up onto his feet. "I think I'm going to head down to the water for a bit."

"Sure thing, Cloud." Once the blonde was out of earshot, Cid turned to Shera. "Well, he definitely ain't over Aerith, that's for sure."

"Of course he's not, Cid," Shera turned to him and took hold of his hand. "He probably never will be and, you know what, that's perfectly okay. Other people can't decide how others should feel or what they should do or when it's time to move on. When you lose someone you care about, it changes things forever. If you put yourself in his shoes, what would you do if you lost me?"

Cid shifted his head in realization. He turned to Shera and squeezed her hand gently, "Damn. I wouldn't want to find someone new, either. Not now or ever. And if someone even suggested it, I'd probably knock their lights out."

"Exactly," Shera's lips thinned as she nodded.

Cid scratched the back of his head, "I guess I deserve to have my lights knocked out then, huh?"

Shera laughed and pressed a hand against her pregnant stomach, "No, but I think you've learned to understand Cloud and his feelings a little bit better if you were to understand what he must be feeling. It's not that he doesn't want someone, he lost the one that was that someone."

"You're right. I guess I never really thought about everything he must be feelin' since he's always been so quiet. Now I wish I hadn't said anything at all," Cid grunted and frowned. "Poor kid."

Cloud made his down to the crashing ocean waves, feeling the water run over his feet. Although it was hot, he didn't really have the desire to want to tread too far out into the open waters, so he only walked in up to his knees, but even that made him feel significantly cooler. A cool breeze whipped along the beach as the soldier enjoyed the water.

His moment of relaxation was met with a sudden splash, as Yuffie dove into the water near him. "Hiya, Cloud! Glad to see you finally joined in the fun."

"I'm trying to," he said back.

The ninja tilted her head, "Why the long face?"

He sighed and crossed his arms, "It's just that Cid annoyed me a little bit just now. I couldn't even enjoy a moment at the beach before he decided to try and set me up with just about anything that had a pulse."

Yuffie groaned, "Ugh! What a skeeze. I'm sure his pregnant wife really enjoyed his leering. Now can you understand why I can't stand him?"

The blonde raised his eyebrows and suppressed a small smirk. "I don't know. It's difficult when others don't understand how I feel. I don't want their suggestions and I don't want them telling me how I should live my life."

"Or how to cope with losing Aerith," the ninja asked, knowing how much the flower girl meant to him.

He nodded, "Yeah. People can move on if they choose to do so, but I just...don't want to. I don't. I never did. How could I think about finding anyone knew when I lost the one I-..." Cloud closed his eyes and sighed.

Yuffie crossed her arms and tilted her head. She figured if Cloud was annoyed and upset, it was probably just best to let him talk for however long he wanted to, especially when he never said much in the first place. "I know, it's hard. She was like...the first friend I've had, like a sister. I miss her and I know you do, too."

"More than anything," Cloud said, as he scratched the back of his head. "I just...wish I'd told her what she meant to me when I had the chance to. I wanted to, but I stopped myself. It felt like saying what I wanted to would somehow make it all real, and make it easier to lose it all. Instead, I never said what I should have...and I still lost her."

"I guess, we all need to learn to appreciate people while we can, "Yuffie said, crossing her arms. "You may not have told her everything you wanted to, but I'm sure she already knows."

"I hope so," Cloud nodded, feeling a warm pulsating light come from within his heart. It was so sudden and abrupt that it caused him to raise a hand to his chest. Before he could question the feeling any further, Yuffie spoke out.

"Well, Cloud, just keep livin' life the way you want to and not give a crap on what anyone else thinks," the ninja said. "After all, I know you already know how to do that second bit."

Cloud finally let out a smirk and nodded his head, "I do."

"Exactly! You just do what keeps you happy and to hell with whatever anyone else says or thinks," she cheered. "That's what I keep on trying to tell Cid but every time he locks me out of his house."

"Well, thanks, Yuffie," Cloud said. "Wasn't exactly expecting guidance from you."

She mocked a sophisticated laugh, "I might be young, but I'm smarter than everybody gives me credit for. And I don't put up with crap from idiots. Now, if only there were more people like me..."

Cloud shifted through the water and turned back to the ninja, "Well, thanks for the talk. I feel a little better now getting all of that out."

"What are friends for?" The ninja smirked and then looked at him, "We...are friends, right? I never really knew. Still don't."

Cloud paused for much longer than he should have. "I...guess."

"That's better then a 'no'!" The ninja laughed, "Well, I'm gonna get out of here. My fingers are getting all pruney! Hey, but if you need some help looking through the city tomorrow, you know where to find me!"

He nodded. "I'm gonna need all the help I can get. I'm planning on doing the brunt of the search tomorrow."

"Well, with me helping, we'll get this city covered in a flash," the ninja exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air. "See ya then!"

Cloud watched as the ninja raced her way out of the water and onto the beach, kicking up the sand behind her as she ran to her beach towel.

He exhaled out and closed his eyes, turning back to the open ocean. He relaxed as he listened to the sounds of the ocean waves crashing against the shore fill his ears. He opened his eyes and stared at the orange glow of the soon-to-be setting sun before him. His hand went back up to his chest, to feel that same pulsing light that came from within him just a few moments ago. He couldn't describe the new feeling, but it was warm and it completely wrapped his heart with Aerith's presence.

With his hand pressed to his chest, he closed his eyes and a small smile formed on his lips.

---

Barret, Tifa and Reno continued driving late into the night, as their buggy traveled along the grasslands away from Kalm. The grasslands stretched for miles, large mountains running adjacent on either side. From here the grasslands gave way to large open fields where the Chocobo farmlands were found. The open plains became known as the perfect place to train and raise Chocobos. From the wheel of the buggy, Barret guessed it would probably be another hour or two before reaching the farm.

They had already been on the road for quite some time since leaving Kalm and the night had settled in, the sky filling with stars. Barret decided that they had done enough traveling for the day and parked the buggy to set up camp for the night. After they'd set up their camping tents, they started a small fire to prepare whatever packaged food they could cook for dinner. They'd been traveling all day and at least needed something to put in their stomachs to continue on.

After the hours behind the wheel, Barret had decided to head in for the evening, leaving Tifa and Reno outside around the fire.

The silent air passes between the two of them, the cracking embers of the fireplace offering the only interruptions the quiet night had to give.

Reno traced his plastic fork along the bottom of his 'dinner-in-a-can' and looked up at Tifa from across the fire. The young woman was looking down at her feet, deep in thought.

"Hey," Reno said quietly, finally breaking the silence between them that seemed to go on for hours. He stared at her apologetically, "I'm sorry...for those things I said earlier."

Tifa looked up at him, but stayed quiet.

"It wasn't right for me to say those things." He continued, "You said some things to try and hurt me, so I said some things to try and hurt you back, which...I know wasn't right for me to do, either. I guess I'm still getting the knack of this whole 'good guy' thing."

Tifa nodded and raised her knees to her chest, "It's okay. I'm sorry for hitting you, too."

"It's okay," Reno chuckled. "I deserved it and you have the right to be angry."

She shook her head and exhaled out, "I wasn't angry because of what you said."

He tilted his head and squinted.

She finally looked up at him and shrugged, "I was angry because...you were right."

Reno's face grew in concern.

"I know I haven't been a good friend. I've known that for awhile now and I would change so many things if I could," Tifa confessed. "I guess your words just dug a little deeper than I expected them to."

"You really think you haven't been a good friend," Reno asked.

"To Cloud? I know I haven't been," said Tifa. "We're good friends now, but I wish it could have always been this way. I know that there was so much that I could have...should have done better."

Reno stood up from his seat at the fire and decided to move closer to her. He pressed on, "Like what?"

"Just about everything," she smirked to herself. "It's strange. We were neighbors in Nibelheim, but we were never friends. I used to hang out with a big group of kids back then who never let him in or would make fun of him. I just went along with them, but now, I can't even remember half of their names."

She continued, "When Cloud wanted to go off and leave town to join the army, that was really the first time I ever really spoke to him. I had him make me a promise that night that he'd rescue me and that's when I started to like him," Tifa reminisced with a smile. "It was all very silly, really. I'd always had this dream of having this big hero come and save me and rescue the day...ever since I was a little girl. A part of me still even believed in that idea when I was older, but...I know that's not how real love actually works now."

Reno smirked and shook his head, "It's not."

"I know. Cloud didn't even remember the promise later on and my teenage self made it into the biggest thing ever, which...was unrealistic. I thought so much of that moment, like it really was something special for me, but...we were so young."

"Well, you were only a kid." Reno shrugged, "We all did silly, stupid stuff back then. We all did a hundred things that we thought would matter."

"I just couldn't shake this idea of having some knight in shining armor...and I tried so hard to shape Cloud into that person when I wasn't really accepting who he really was, that was the next worst part of what I did." Tifa laughed out of her own embarrassment, "It was all so silly. Promises and knights in shining armor, that's stuff a twelve year old would think up, write in their diary and then think they're gonna live happily ever after for the rest of their life. It's...just...not real. I guess, happily ever afters can exist, but...they don't happen the way we think they do from fairytales."

She looked into the flame, "When I grew up, all those dreams and ideas I had when I was a kid, it all made it so confusing...I really did love Cloud once, at least that's what it felt like, but it led me to making a huge mistake."

"Which was," asked the redhead.

Tifa sighed and looked at him, a frown on her face and guilt in her eyes, "I lied to him about who he was and his past for too long. I made him believe that we were closer than we ever were, when really, we were...strangers to each other. It caused him a whole lot of pain and confusion, when I should have just been honest with him, but that made me fear that I'd lose whatever friendship I did have with him when he'd realized...we never really were close to begin with."

"Sounds messy," said Reno.

She raised an eyebrow and smiled at him, "It was. I know I made a lot of mistakes. I wanted to help him, I just never took the right way to do it. Now that I think about it, I don't think I ever...really even apologized to him for all that trouble in the first place. And I should have. I still need to."

"Well, if you and I are any examples, apologies never hurt anyone," Reno laughed.

She smiled at him and nodded, "I'm just...very grateful that Cloud still calls me his friend after everything. It took me some time, but my feelings for him changed in a way where I can appreciate our friendship so much more, in a way actually makes me happy - by being a better friend and looking out for him the way any friend would. If I'd been him and I had to put up with what I'd done, I don't know if I'd be so forgiving." She sighed and smiled, "He's a really good friend, I just hope I can be the same, too, now. To everyone."

Reno pushed his shoulder into hers, "Well, doesn't sound like you're the 'crappy' friend I made you out to be at all."

She stopped and looked down when she started fiddling with her fingers, "Well, Cloud's not the only one I should have been a better friend to."

"Who?"

She turned to him and replied, "Aerith."

"Why Aerith?"

"She was...honestly one of the first real girl friends I've ever had. I loved Aerith, she was...there was just something about her that could make anyone smile, even Cloud, which never ever happened," Tifa laughed. "You couldn't help but want to be around her, she was just so genuinely...kind and good. In this crazy world, you don't meet many people like her."

Reno nodded, "Yeah, I get that. She even made me regret bein' a Turk a few times."

Tifa felt a twinge of sadness welling up inside her, "But when I started to see her and Cloud become so close and develop their own world together, I hate to admit it, but I was so jealous. She made it so easy for Cloud to open up to her so naturally, it's no wonder they became as close as they did so quickly."

Her expression grew sad then, as her eyes lowered and glossed over, "When she left us, that's when I realized how much she really meant to all of us, especially him. I remember seeing Cloud the next day and he just seemed...so broken and empty. He didn't say a single word to anyone in over a week as we made away across the snowfields in the north. After losing her, it was like all energy was removed from him. I think that's when I knew that he...he really felt something special for her, you know, and when he lost her, he felt so lost himself."

Reno listened and watched as Tifa seemed to be on the verge of breaking down. It almost came so suddenly that he didn't know how to react.

Tifa felt her eyes fill up with tears then, as they spilled over her cheeks.

"T-Tifa?" Reno motioned out to touch her shoulder, but felt as though the slightest touch might break her.

She shook her head and wiped the tears from her face, "No, you-you don't understand, Reno. I really have been a bad friend to the both of them. I know I have been."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Tifa, what are you talking about?"

She exhaled out through a sob, new fresh tears spilling down her face as she tried to control the uneasiness in her voice. "I...I let something...horrible happen, something no one knows about. And I haven't ever been able to forgive myself for it." She sobbed and covered her face in her hands.

Reno gently squeezed her shoulder, "Hey, hey. It's okay. If it'll make you feel better, you can tell me. I...I won't judge, promise."

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, "Okay, but if I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone, especially not Cloud. If he were to find out..."

He stumbled over his words, "O-Okay, I-I promise."

Tifa exhaled as she thought back to the very day. She finally spoke, "As we left the Temple of the Ancients, our friends thought Aerith had left on her own for the Forgotten Capitol without saying a word to any of us..."

Reno nodded.

"...but that wasn't true..."

---

Barret and Tifa made their way through the dense, dark forest that surrounded the mysterious and legendary Temple of the Ancients. The temple stood hidden, tucked away from the rest of the world.

From the gnarled tree branches, they could make out the stone peak of the temple rising into the dark sky. The two froze in their steps when the whole forest began to tremble, a thundrous roar echoing from the temple.

"What the hell is that," Barret asked back at Tifa.

She pointed forward, "Look, the temple!"

Streaks of blue lightning bolted around the dark void that emanated around the temple, the thunderous roar becoming deafening. From the distant woods, the temple seemed to collapse in and destroy itself, toppling from the sky.

When the roar faded, the woods fell silent as Barret stared at the temple ruins ahead of them. "It's...gone."

"Cloud and Aerith are there!" Tifa took Barret by the arm, practically pulling him through the forest and to the temple ahead. They navigated through the woods, the next several moments seemed to pass in slow motion as they were only left to wonder about the safety of their friends.

"What happened to this place," Tifa asked, reaching the drawbridge to the temple ruins.

"Spike gave me a call while they were still in the temple," Barret explained quickly. "Said they found a way to get the Black Materia, but that it was gonna get messy! Before he could say anything else, the call cut out."

"Well, this seems pretty messy," Tifa said, trying to make her way across the flimsy bridge as quickly as she could. "And what about the others?"

"Vincent and Cid are makin' their way from the camp. Can't say what the hell Yuffie's up to. Can't even keep an eye on that goddamn girl," said Barret, following behind Tifa on the bridge. He felt the wooden plank beneath him buckle, as if it was unable to hold his weight, but it held firm after a steady moment of holding still.

Then, they heard the sound of an anguished cry, one filled with fear and pain. It was Cloud's cry for help.

The two turned to one another, concern in both of their eyes for their friend. "Cloud...!"

They raced across the rest of the bridge to find their friends. They reached the temple ruins, seeing that a large, cracked pit had formed deep into the base of the temple. Amidst the piles of stone and temple debris, Cloud and Aerith were at the bottom of the pit.

Another anguished cry came from Cloud, echoing up from the deep pit. The blonde tried to stand, but he collapsed to his knees with another cry of pain. He clutched his head and his vision blurred. It felt as if his mind, his whole being was tearing itself apart. His whole body shook uncontrollably, trying to gain control of himself with all his might, but all efforts were futile.

Aerith quickly rushed to him, kneeling down on the ground with him. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders in an effort to soothe him. Her eyes met his and she saw the pain in them and it nearly fractured her heart.

Her eyes, her voice filled with concern. "Cloud, are you alright?"

He shook and stumbled forward, white flashes of brief memories filling his tortured mind. "I...gave the Black Materia...to Sephiroth...?" Another cry of pain erupted from within, his mind empty of everything Sephiroth had just controlled him to do.

Aerith's eyes watered as she saw the pain and mental torture her bodyguard was enduring. In the midst of C!oud's crisis, she knew she had to be strong for the both of them and she would do whatever it took to soothe his mind and heart.

From the temple wall, Tifa and Barret stayed and spotted Red XIII, who'd been traveling through the temple with Cloud and Aerith. "Red! What happened!?"

"Cloud, he...he handed the Black Materia over to Sephiroth...," Red explained.

"What!?" Barret shouted at Cloud, "Why the $% would you do that, ya dumbass! Ya just gave that maniac the power to destroy the world!"

"Barret, no..." Red's eyes widened, "Cloud is...he's not himself! I think Sephiroth is causing this!"

"%$#&," Barret grunted.

Cloud tried to move himself to stand again, but another sharp pain split through his mind. He let himself fall freely into Aerith's open arms, as they wrapped tightly around his back. She held him into her, trying to make him feel comfortable and safe, like nothing in the world could hurt him there.

For a quick moment, Cloud's eyes widened and he regained a part of himself when she touched him - the part of his heart that held all his feelings for her. Overwhelmed by uncertainty and fear, he brought his hands to her waist fot some form of tangible attachment to reality and pulled her to him, resting his head down on her busom, his breath rough and heavy.

To both of their surprise, tears fell from his eyes, landing on the Cetra's skin. It was the most vulnerable, honest display of emotion she'd ever seen from him and she somehow knew that these raw emotions were only ever for her to see, given that Cloud trusted her so immensely. He stayed resting against her, too paralyzed in his own fear of being controlled again to do anything else.

He tried to form a sentence, his fractured mind barely understanding how to speak now. He choked out the words, blood trickling from the corners of his lips. "Wha...what did I do? ...Tell me, Aerith."

The worried flower girl rose a hand to her bodyguard's lips, wiping away the blood that had flowed there. She knew then, there was a war being battled inside Cloud's mind and this was just the start of it. Sephiroth was cruelly relentless at trying to hurt Cloud and prove how entirely helpless the blonde was to do anything to stop him. But the flower girl was going to.

"Cloud, be strong, OK?" She wrapped her arms around him and caressed his head, running her hands through his blonde spikes as another jolt of pain struck through him. Her gentle, soothing ministrations seemed to work as Cloud fell silent then and tried to regain himself enough to stand on his own.

Another bright flash flooded through his mind and he toppled to his knees again, Aerith right there to catch and hold him. His mind split, his eyes glossed over as if in a haze, fresh blood spilled from his lips. "Urrrrrrgh...what have I done?!"

Aerith embraced him tighter, calmly speaking to him, fully understanding that everything that was happening was far beyond Cloud's own will now. "Cloud, you didn't do anything. It's not your fault," she genty reassured him, trying to pull him back to reality again.

He lurched forward, his eyes meeting hers again. When she saw them, she could sense all the pain and hurt there, but in that instant, his eyes were pleading to her - pleading her to leave him behind and get away from him as quickly as she could. He wanted her safety and protection more than anything, but when he felt his mind splitting, the echo of Sephiroth's laugh in the back of his brain, he knew it was happening again - he was being controlled by the demon.

A white flash struck through his mind and all went blank. Aerith watched as Cloud's eyes glossed over, darkening and his pupils fading away. She held her embrace firm on him, trying to push away any darkness which took root in his body.

With a gnarled cry, a voice came from within the controlled man, a voice entirely unlike Cloud's. He ripped himself away from Aerith's embrace, a fiery tantrum setting an inferno within him. The sudden impulse of Cloud's quick movement sent Aerith falling backwards. She landed in a pile of debris, her head hitting hard against one of the temple stones, causing her to lose consciousnesses and black out, motionless and still.

Cloud swung his fist into the air, swinging at the spot where Aerith had just been kneeling in before losing consciousness. He fell to his knees at Aerith's feet, his mind entirely elsewhere in Sephiroth's grasps. The controlled man's closed hand swung down, striking Aerith in the side. His other hand came down, striking the stone ground next to the flower girl with a loud thud, as he split his hand open gaining a deep wound. He tried swinging through the air again, but the control held over his body caused his actions to fail him, as he struck himself in his other arm instead.

The dark force driving Cloud into madness seemed to want the soldier to attack and destroy anything it possibly could - the planet, Aerith, even Cloud himself.

"Cloud!? The hell is wrong with you?!" Barret shouted over the temple wall.

"Cloud, stop!" Tifa shouted out to her friend. "Red, do something!"

Cloud let out another cry of pain, his eyes dripping with tears. He was Cloud Strife no more, he was just a puppet for Sephiroth's amusement. The blonde brought his hand down again, hitting Aerith by the side of her leg. His other hand came down, striking the pile of rocks beneath them, causing the skin on his fingers to crack and split open, blood flowing out.

He threw his open hands down over the stone by Aerith's feet, in an erratic display, almost like a child in the midst of a severe meltdown, practically begging, pleading Aerith to make him regain his sense of self and stop this mind-controlled madness, even when she was out cold. He rose his fist into the air again and struck the pile of stone again and then again one more time.

Aerith was right, there was a war waging within Cloud's mind, as the real Cloud fought with all his might to stop his controlled body from laying a harmful finger on the flower girl. He rose both his hands then and brought them down on Aerith's legs, nearly causing his disoriented body to topple over in a heap above Aerith.

Before he could make another move again in an attempt to attack Aerith, Red appeared down in the pit of the temple and struck Cloud in the back of the head. With a grunt, Cloud's body gave out and he lost consciousness, too, collapsing down to the ground at Aerith's feet. The blonde's head came to rest down in the flower girl's lap, his breath slowly evening out, finally free from the mental torture that crippled his mind.

Whatever had just happened to Cloud, whatever control over him that had wrought pain in his mind and heart, at least it was over for the time being.

"God damn," Barret breathed out, finally fully understanding the cruel nature of their enemy.

"Ay! What the $#%& happened here," Cid's voice came from the bridge, arriving at the scene with Vincent.

"Yo, we'll fill you in later," Barret turned to them. "I need your help to haul their asses outta there."

Without another moment to spare, Red quickly went to Aerith and cast a healing spell over her form. The green mist surrounded her and only a moment later, she seemed to stir from her motionless state and regain consciousness.

Yuffie leaped out from the forest and perched herself on the temple wall. She shouted down into the pit. "Is she alright!?"

"I'll...be fine..." Aerith answered a moment later, a bit groggily. Her eyelids slowly opened when she regained her senses. She sat up and brought a hand to the back of her head, rubbing the tender spot where she'd fallen. When she felt a heaviness over her, that was when she noticed Cloud's unconscious form lying across her legs.

"Cloud...Cloud!?" She brought her hand to his face and tried to revive him. "What happened? Cloud, wake up!"

"Cloud lost all control, Aerith," said Barret, as he made his way down the pit. "He started attackin' everything - you, he even started to hurt his own damn stupid ass, too...hittin' anything he could like a fool. Handed the damn Black Materia right over to Sephiroth. Damn, all the work havin; to get it, too."

"It wasn't Cloud, it was...Sephiroth. I had to stop him before things got any worse," said Red. "He'll be alright. He just needs his time to recover."

"Cloud..." Aerith whispered out to him, raising a hand to his head to brush through his spikes. She couldn't help but notice how peaceful he looked now and she was at least grateful for that.

Yuffie jumped down into the pit and turned to the flower girl, helping her up from the temple rubble, "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine, Yuffie. Really," Aerith reassured her.

"Come on, let's haul ass and git outta here," Cid called out as he leapt down into the pit. "Tiny Bronco's just off the coast, not too far from here. It'll be a tight fit, but we'll make it work."

"Perfect. We get Spike's ass outta here and head someplace low-key to regroup and decide what to do now," Barret concluded, taking over his much desired role as leader in Cloud's absence.

Aerith looked down at the blonde soldier that rested in her lap. She whispered gently to him, "Don't worry, Cloud. You'll be okay. I'll make sure of it."

A few hours had passed since the team had left the temple ruins and regrouped in the quiet town of Gongaga. By the time they arrived, the sun had only just started to set.

It was one of the smaller towns, a place where they could go without the worry of being followed or encountering much danger. It was the perfect place for them to pause their journey and decide what to do next, especially when the stakes were all the more higher with the Black Materia and the planet's potential destruction in the palm of Sephiroth's hand.

Aerith sat down on a bench opposite of a small hut, who's owner had graciously offered them the single bed they had to offer. She watched as Barret, Cid and Vincent carried Cloud's unconscious body in past the drapes that covered the entrance and set him to rest on the bed, hearing Barret call Cloud a 'spiky dumb fool' or something to that effect, while Cid grunted in response.

Tifa and Red walked past her then, still talking about the events that happened at the temple. Red hypothesized that Cloud should have recovered from the hit he gave him by now and that whatever was prolonging his recovery must be due to Sephiroth's influence over him. He wouldn't have been surprised if a few more hours passed before Cloud awoke again, as he seemed deeply affected by Sephiroth, she heard the red wolverine say before making his way off with Tifa.

On the far side of the village, the flower girl saw Yuffie tilt and scratch her head at the new Cait Sith stuffed plush body that had joined their team. The ninja couldn't tell if there was a difference between this Cait Sith and the one that was destroyed at the temple. Not that she was entirely fond of it in the first place, especially after finding out it was a Turk spy for Shinra.

Aerith looked at each of her comrades, remaining deep in thought. The truth was, she had just uncovered something while at the temple - a secret of her powers and the lineage of the Cetra. It was a secret only she came to realize, one only she could set out to achieve. Now, with so many new thoughts racing through her mind and as the rest of the group planned what to do next, Aerith remained there, thinking of what only she had to do next - for the planet, for Cloud.

"Hey there," Barret spoke softly to her, pulling the Cetra from her deep thoughts. "You okay?"

Aerith looked up at him and nodded, "I have a lot on my mind."

"I know what you mean. Another bitch of a day," he said, taking a seat on the bench next to Aerith. He reached into his vest and pulled out a small flask of whiskey.

Aerith turned to him and smirked, an eyebrow raised.

Before lifting the metal to his mouth, he saw the Cetra. "What? Swiped the damn thing from Cid when he wasn't lookin'. Figured I could use it," he finished as he lifted the flask to his mouth, downing a hearty gulp of the hard liquor.

Aerith suppressed a small chuckle from the man's contorted face as the taste of the whiskey kicked in.

He grunted out and extended the flask out to the flower girl. "Figured you could use it, too, though I'm thinkin' you probably aren't the type to like this strong stuff."

"Well, I'm only human, too, you know." Before Barret could take the flask away, Aerith took it and brought it to her lips, quickly taking down a shot of the strong whiskey, seemingly handling the liquor better than Barret did.

Barret's eyes widened at the flower girl who downed her liquor without batting an eye. "Oh...alright then. You jus' full of surprises...like someone else 'round here I know."

She let out a heavy sigh and closed the cap of the flask, before handing it back to Barret.

Barret stowed the vial back in his vest. "So, what's gotcha sittin' alone out here caught up in your thoughts? The rest of us are here for you, Aer."

"I was just thinking about the Cetra and the temple, about what happened to Cloud back there. Everything that's to come in the future, really," she shrugged.

"Or lack of a future now that that damn Sephiroth got his hands on the materia..." Barret said. "If he uses it for whatever the hell he's doing, we'll be done for."

"I'm not so sure. He might have the materia, but I don't think he'll win so easily - not with all of us together against him," Aerith turned to Barret with a determined glance. "Whatever happens, we'll find a way. I'm just concerned about Cloud."

"Right. Yeah..." Barret said, noticing the look of sadness that suddenly appeared in the flower girl's eyes. After the way Cloud lost it at the temple and went mad, he couldn't blame her, either. He cleared his throat, "Look, Aerith, I know with what happened back there, you might not be able to trust Cloud right now, but I swear, I'll jus-"

"You think I don't trust Cloud?" Aerith cut him off and looked at her friend, almost as if she'd been hurt by him, "Barret...I fully trust Cloud. I trust him more than anything. That wasn't him back there, he didn't know what was happening to him. Neither did any of us."

Barret remained quiet as the Cetra continued.

"I'm not going to give up on Cloud now just because things get rough. The thing he needs right now is my trust, all of ours. And I won't settle on letting him think he has anything less," she finished.

Barret felt a small smile form on his lips from her resolve, "You one stubborn woman, you know that?"

"I know," Aerith smiled coyly. "Cloud will be alright, I'll make sure that he is."

Barret stood from the bench and peered over to the hut where the blonde soldier slept. "You know, if that spiky jackass was awake, he'd probably be kissing the ground you walk on and begging for your forgiveness."

Aerith smiled and shook her head, "He doesn't need to. I'd forgive him...for anything."

"Still, Aer, the last thing that boy'd want is for you to get hurt," Barret shook his head. "He ain't the most talkative son of a bitch out there, but I know you mean something damn special to him. Don't ever forget that, okay?"

Aerith couldn't help but smile and looked over to the hut where Cloud was.

"I'm guessin' that's why Sephiroth made Spike go mad and try to hurt ya. He really wanted to hit Cloud where it'd hurt 'im the most, damn piece of #$%&," Barret said.

"Well, Sephiroth can try all he wants, but he won't get far. Not when I have something for Cloud that's far more powerful than he'll ever understand," she finished with a beautiful smile.

Barret cockily crossed his arms and teased, "Oh yeah? And what's that?"

She stood up and whispered, "Top secret, Mr. Barret."

"Oh, you damn stubborn, mysterious woman..."

Aerith shrugged and smiled to herself, turning away from Barret, who started to make his way back to the main part of the village.

"Fine!" Barret called out to her, "But if Spike loses it again, you can bet I'll be there to knock some sense into his spiky dumbass!"

"Just don't go too hard on him," Aerith chuckled. "We'll still need him in one piece when we're going to face Sephiroth!"

Aerith smiled as the burly man waved at her and charged towards the run-down village market.

Then, a sound echoed through the village, coming all the way from the ocean's coast just outside of Gongaga. The sound was that of a horn from an approaching cargo ship that would be docking on the coast shortly. As Aerith had discovered while in the village, that same ship would be setting sail early the next morning for the northern continent. The ship was to sail across the vast ocean and would dock on the southern coast of the northern continent, just off of the run-down, impoverished establishment of the Bone Village.

Aerith had planned to surrender all the Gil she had on her to the ship's captain to gain safe passage aboard the ship. Her destination - the Forgotten Capitol, the lost city of the Ancients, hidden deep beyond the vast, endless Sleeping Forest. From deep within her mind, she heard the voices of her ancestors, the Cetra, as the revealed to her the location of the hidden capitol and guided her along her way.

She had discovered the 'secret' while at the Temple of the Ancients. The inherent wisdom and words of the past Cetra throughout history flooded through her and she began to understand things she never could before. With her heritage locked away within the temple, she heard the voices of her ancestors come to her, telling her what she had to do to protect the planet when the time had come. She knew what her role as the last Cetra meant and had been coming to terms with it over the last few hours. She was never afraid to face what was to come.

She knew what she had to sacrifice for the Planet, for everyone, for her friends...and, most of all, for Cloud.

The Cetra looked up at the setting sun. The orange glow of the sky faded into the dark night sky ahead of her. Another echo from the ship's horn signaled its' docking and she knew that the ship would be leaving just as soon as it arrived once the morning had come. She knew that she didn't have much time left and that if she and her friends were going to stop Sephiroth, she needed to act quickly.

She paced a few steps to a lonesome hut that stood away from the others and grabbed a satchel that she had collected. Prying the bag open, she found the few potions, ethers and fruits that she had purchased at the village market, which was only enough to last her for the short journey north.

She closed the bag and secured it over her shoulder. She grabbed her iron staff in one hand, her other tracing up to the White Materia that was kept securely in the ribbon in her hair, reassuring herself that she would have everything she would need for the final journey ahead of her.

Before she could even make a single step towards the village's entrance, a hand grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. Aerith gasped in shock and was turned around to face another one of her friends.

"Where do you think you're going?" Tifa asked her directly, a stern look in her eyes.

Aerith raised her hands up in innocent defense, "Wha-what are you talking about?"

"You. Where are you going?" Tifa asked again, crossing her arms, almost as if she was about to scold Aerith like a child.

"Nowhere!" Aerith lied, forcing a smile onto her face.

Tifa stood there, tapping her foot impatiently, with a look on her face that let Aerith know that she was not be fooled.

"Tifa...I...I can't tell you," Aerith replied back to her in a hushed whisper.

A frown appeared on Tifa's lips, "Wait. You're...really leaving us? But why?"

"Tifa, I told you. I can't tell you."

"Well, that's...not a good enough answer!" Tifa shook her head and took hold of her friend's shoulders. "Why, Aerith?"

"Because if I did, you'd never let me go!" Aerith, almost forcefully, took Tifa's hands and removed them from her shoulders. A quiet silence followed between the two.

Tifa felt her lip quiver, a cold chill passed through her blood as her heart lurched. Something felt off, something felt wrong and when Tifa felt this way, she was always right. It wasn't long before she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. "Aerith, you're...you're scaring me. What are you talking about?"

The flower girl looked around them, making sure no one was nearby, before taking Tifa by the arm and bringing her a few more steps away. She turned back to her friend and looked at her directly in the eye. "Okay, but you have to promise me that you won't try and stop me."

"Aerith, I don't know if-"

"Promise me."

Tifa looked into her friend's eyes and saw the determination, the unwavering certainty within them and how the flower girl practically pleaded with her to cooperate. She knew that whatever Aerith was doing, her mind would not be persuaded and that it was of utmost importance. Though, the secrecy behind it is what scared Tifa more than anything, as Aerith was always forthright.

Tifa nodded her head, giving into defeat when she realized the Cetra was too strong-willed too be persuaded. She felt a tear fall down her cheek, her voice cracking, "Al-alright...I promise."

"Good," Aerith nodded, whispering to her friend. "When I was at the temple, I discovered something when I saw the ancient walls crafted by the Cetra, all the knowledge they left behind - a way to stop Sephiroth and the power of the Black Materia for good."

"What?" Tifa asked.

The flower girl continued, "Yes, there's a place hidden far away in the northern continent, a lost settlement of the Cetra, where I'll be able to counteract Sephiroth and everything he's planning."

"The northern continent? Lost settlement?" Tifa's brows furrowed in confusion, "What's waiting up there?"

"It's a place where the Cetra first lived - a sacred place tied to my heritage. Only there, will I be able to summon enough power to stop the Black Materia and Sephiroth. Only a Cetra has the ability to do this," Aerith explained. "At least that's what the Cetra have told me..."

"And...you're so certain that this power will work? That you can stop Sephiroth?" Tifa asked.

"I...I think so," the flower girl replied honestly. "I won't know if I don't try. It might be the only choice we have if we're going to save the Planet if Meteor is summoned."

"I don't understand." Tifa shook her head, "How can you choose to believe in something you don't know is real?"

"Believing in something is exactly what makes it real," Aerith answered finally with strong resolve. "I don't know everything. I don't have all the answers, but I know what my heart tells me I should do. It's the same with Cloud. We don't know what'll happen and we don't have all the answers, but I believe in him. I believe that what I will do can protect everyone."

Tifa looked up at her friend, trying to feign a smile of reassurance. "You'll...you'll come back to us though, right? After you summon this power and everything's taken care of?"

Aerith stared at her friend, her lips forming into a frown and her eyes forcing themselves away.

Tifa then felt the sinking feeling in her stomach she hated so much, the one she feared was coming - the feeling something wasn't going to end well, of impending danger and sadness. She realized, "You...you don't know when you'll be coming back. That's why you wanted to leave without telling anyone, without anyone following you. I...I can't believe this."

The flower girl sighed and nodded, "Yes. Please Tifa, don't try and convince me to change my mind. Just give me some time. Give me until tomorrow and I'll be gone by then."

Tifa felt a few tears falling down her face, unable to shake the sinking feeling in her stomach. "Aerith, I...I can't. Cloud would...he would never let you go off and do this on your own, you know that. He'd never let you go without him. If something happened to you, he'd...he'd be devastated. He'd never forgive himself. Please. Please, Aerith, don't go."

Aerith grabbed her arms and whispered to her friend, "Tifa, I have to. Don't say a word to anyone and everything will turn out okay. We're keeping this between you and me. Okay?"

"Aerith, I...I don't..."

Aerith looked at her friend, hopefully, "I have to do this. For everyone. For Cloud. Okay?"

A long silence passed between them, but the barmaid nodded her head and finally agreed, "O...okay."

"Thank you, Tifa." Aerith sincerely smiled at her friend, holding tightly onto the satchel over her shoulder. She brought her hands up to her friend's face, wiping away the tears that had fallen down her cheeks. "You're a good friend. Thank you for everything, Tifa."

Tifa felt another sting of pain in her heart by the Cetra's words. If anything, she certainly didn't feel like a good friend, especially now. She felt like this parting with what was truly her first female friend was bothersome, that there was something telling her to stop the flower girl, to not let her out of her sight, to stop the future from playing out the way that it would. But she knew, the flower girl was far too stubborn to change her mind and she would do what her heart told her.

Tifa quickly wrapped her arms around the flower girl, taking Aerith back by surprise. She soon felt Aerith bring an arm around Tifa's back and tighten their embrace. She leaned up to Aerith and whispered, "Just take care of yourself. Okay?"

Aerith pulled back from the embrace and looked at her friend, a bright smile across her face. Tifa recognized the smile, it was the same one that was on Aerith's face the first time the two had met in Wallmarket. A smile that brightened everyone's hearts and brought light to even the darkest places.

Tifa took a few steps back, bringing up her hands to wipe away the fresh tears that had fallen down her face. With a final glance at her friend, she nodded and tried to muster a smile.

Aerith smiled and gave her a quick, simple nod.

Tifa turned away from the flower girl and made her way back towards the village market. With every step she took, the feeling that she had just made a terrible mistake grew within her heart. She instantly regretted making this promise to her friend and knew that she would never forgive herself if something was to happen to Aerith.

She wanted to stop her friend, to break their promise, to be rid of the terrible feeling that she couldn't shake, but when she turned back to look over her shoulder...Aerith was gone.

---

"So, you knew that she...?" Reno questioned, "You knew that she was going to die?"

"No. I couldn't say for sure, but I knew something terrible was going to happen, which it did," Tifa revealed, a frown on her lips. "I could have stopped her. I never should have let her go. If I said something to anyone, we could have found her with more time. We could have changed things. If I hadn't kept that promise, maybe things would be different. Maybe she'd...she'd still be here."

"But she was the only one who could save the Planet," Reno said. "If she didn't, there's a good chance none of us would be here right now. There's nothing that anyone could have done."

"Is that true, though?" Tifa's thought out loud, "If I'd told the others, if Cloud knew what she was trying to do or what would happen to her, he'd never let her go in the first place. He'd try and convince her, all of us, that there'd be some other way to save the planet and stop Sephiroth. He would have...tried to convince her that they could find some other way."

Reno shrugged and frowned, "I guess we'll never know."

"I guess not," Tifa said, before falling on her back to gaze up at the stars. "She risked everything to save the world, to save Cloud. She lost everything, when she deserved to have so much happiness." She closed her eyes, "I'll never forget the sacrifices she made to let all of us continue on."

Reno nodded and laid down on his side, "Well, I guess when you find someone worth fighting for, you're willing to sacrifice just about anything, right?"

She nodded, "Mm. Maybe one day, I can find that, too - someone I'd give my life for. It must be a pretty amazing feeling to feel so much love for someone that you'd be able to give up your life without having to think twice."

Reno smirked down at Tifa, "So, Tifa Lockhart hasn't given up on finding true love after all, then?"

She laughed from her place on the ground and turned to him, placing her face in the palm of her hand. "Hmm, not entirely, but I'm not going to go out looking for it and trying to make it happen. If someone comes along one day, then...maybe, who knows? Until then, I'm okay with being on my own."

"On your own, huh?" Reno laughed and watched as she sat up.

"Well...if I'm going to find someone, what I feel needs to be real." She closed her eyes and smiled, lowering her head, "No knights or heroic promises, just someone who will love me the way I am, the way that I'd love them for being who they are." She trailed off and started to laugh, "I don't even know what I'm saying. I just think that it would feel something like that? That finding the right person just all clicks into place and when you feel it, it feels good and right and there's no second guessing it. When I feel it, I'll know."

Reno gave her a small chuckle and nudged her, "Well, I think it's better that you don't search for it, but don't hide from it, either."

She nodded. "Look at you. Reno, the love expert."

"Hey, I know all the right things to say to make the ladies swoon," he bragged with a smirk.

"Well, aren't you charming," she teased him back. "You better watch out. That dangerous air of you being a Turk is slipping away...and that's fine. I like this Reno, as unexpected as he might be."

He laughed, "You know, sometimes some of the best things come from the most...unexpexted places we never thought they would."

"That can happen," she smiled before turning to him. "Hey, thanks for listening to me. Can you keep what we talked about just between us? I know I said the whole "we aren't friends' thing earlier, but-"

"Don't worry about it, you can trust me," he smiled and nodded. "You feel better, though?"

"Yeah, it felt good to get all that out into the open. I think I've been keeping it pent up inside for too long, it felt like I was about to burst." Tifa let out a sigh, "So, that's the worst of me laid out for you to see. I really haven't been the best, Reno, so you can make fun of me all you want."

"No, but you're only human. We're all gonna make mistakes," he shrugged. "What's more important is owning up to them."

"You're right," she smiled. "I guess I just hope everyone can see me as the person I want to be, not as the one who made those mistakes."

Reno stood up and looked down at her. He spoke softy, a gentle smile on his face, "Well, if you saw yourself the way that I see you now, you wouldn't have anything to worry about."

Tifa turned to face up at him, their eyes connecting for just a moment. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't taken by surprise as she blushed, but still, it was nice to hear. She smiled, "Thank you."

Reno slowly stretched and made his way over to the tent, "Ahh, I'm gonna try and get some sleep. It's probably gonna take me at least another hour to get some shut-eye, what with Barret's snoring."

"You do that," Tifa turned to him and chuckled lightly. She watched as he got into his tent and zipped up the entrance.

Tifa sat on her own by the fire, the quiet calm of the dark evening surrounding her, almost peaceful enough to ease her to sleep. She stared into the flickering, dancing embers and thought of everything she had just revealed moments earlier to Reno. Although an enemy once, he made it so easy for her to open up and talk, even about things she'd never said to anybody. It all just felt so easy and nice to talk with a different side of someone she'd never thought existed.

Then, she couldn't quite explain it, but she felt a sudden happiness, an excitement when a smile began to form on her face. Was it growing closer to someone she never thought she could? Maybe it was being able to trust someone who was once an enemy? Whatever it was, Tifa sat there, the feeling of excitement, warmth and mystery that filled her then.

She brought her knees up to her chest and smiled, recalling Reno's words from earlier.

What she was feeling now most certainly came...from an unexpected place she never thought it would.

---

Lost in a deep sleep in his bed back at the inn, Cloud turned in the middle of the night as a dream began to form in his subconscious.

In the small hut on the edge of the village of Gongaga, Cloud was sleeping quietly on the only bed in the tiny house. He'd been passed out since the temple, ever since Sephiroth's manipulation had gotten the better of him. It was just after sundown and a small candle on the table across from the bed was the only source of light in the room.

Then, Cloud's eyes opened.

He briefly observed the room around him. He didn't know where he was or how he got there, but with the immense pain that seemed to course through his brain, he didn't really care. His head felt heavy, like it was made of cement and was ready to crack open at any moment. He tried to shut his eyes, wishing the pain away, but it only made things worse. He felt paralyzed and motionless, as if he was still gaining his sense of self back.

His eyes opened then when he thought about Aerith and what had happened back at the temple. He'd remembered it, even though his mind was so far away elsewhere in the hands of Sephiroth. A small part of him could remember how helpless he was, how frightened his friends had become and most of all, even at his darkest, how Aerith never left his side once, regardless of what he could have done to her.

Cloud felt his heart crack open then. How could he do that to her, he thought to himself. Aerith being hurt was the last thing he'd ever want. He was her bodyguard and he was going to protect her, always. He looked down at his hands, seeing the bandage wrappings around his fingers and knuckles.

But I'm the one who hurt her, he thought to himself, on the verge of crying as he exhaled out. How could he, he kept asking himself over and over, each second causing his guilt to grow only more. He felt sickened by himself, that he'd somehow do the very thing he'd hate to have happened. The bandages weren't enough, he couldn't look at his hands. He would have been happy if Sephiroth would have removed them during their next encounter.

His heart ached whenever he thought of Aerith. He prayed that she was safe somewhere with the rest of their friends. He prayed that she wasn't hurt, but most of all, he prayed that she didn't hate him as much as he hated himself right then.

How could she not, he ruined everything, he convinced himself. He broke her trust and destroyed the bond they'd spent so much time building. He wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to see him again.

He closed his eyes in defeat, an exhale escaping him. He couldn't continue on anymore. He couldn't see this journey through and the road ended here. He'd failed his friends, himself and Aerith, that was enough to finish this journey right then. He was lost in all of the confusion, utterly lost and defeated.

His eyes opened when he heard a shuffling from the entrance of the hut.

The cloth hanging over the hut's door parted as the flower girl quietly appeared, stepping from the night shadows and into the glow of the candle. She'd looked beautiful, but he thought she always did. Being there, it's almost felt like a dream.

When she appeared, he'd never felt his heart flow with so much emotion at once. He was happy and grateful that she was there with him and safe, but then he was angry with himself for what he'd done, next he was anxious with what Aerith would say next, finally he was heartbroken that this had happened at all. In the mixture of feelings that raced through him, he remained quiet, unsure what to say, unsure what to do.

She stayed still for a moment, looking at him, before a small smile appeared on her lips. She quietly closed the drapes behind her and walked towards Cloud.

The blonde winced as he sat up, but he bore the pain, nonetheless.

She had stopped right at the edge of the bed and frowned when he let out a sharp gasp of pain. The two of their eyes met for a moment, before Cloud pulled them away to stare down at his hands and then immediately to the floor.

After that moment of silence, her voice cut through it. "Cloud, I-"

She stopped when his strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into him, resting his head over her breasts as he embraced her tightly. She was taken aback to say the least and stood there as a gasp escaped her, but only a second later, her arms quickly secured themselves around his shoulders, her fingers delicately tracing through his blonde spikes.

They stayed like this for a long while, lost in their embrace. Nothing else mattered in that moment excerpt one another and they didn't mind that. Cloud embraced her, his body pleading for her forgiveness.

Aerith's eyes grew with sadness then when she felt the warm tears fall on the skin of her chest. To her surprise, Cloud only gripped onto her tighter, hiding his tears as he cried into her. Even as she tried to soothe him by delicately running her hands down through his hair and down the back of his neck, his tears never stopped.

It broke her heart seeing him like this. She knew he'd blame himself for what had happened, but she didn't blame him at all. She wasn't angry or upset for what had happened, she didn't fault him for attacking her beyond his own will, her only pain and sadness came from seeing Cloud so broken and devastated now.

"Shhh," she tried to gently soothe him. She gently brought her hands to his cheeks and brought his face up to meet hers. Her heart shattered when she saw the sadness in his blue eyes and the trails of tears that fell from them. As he exhaled deeply, he could barely continue to stare into her eyes; he felt as though he didn't deserve anything from her after what he'd done, especially not her caring gaze.

Cloud tried to move his face to the side, to show Aerith that he knew how unworthy he was of any affection or forgiveness, but the flower girl kept him in place. She gently grazed her thumbs across his cheeks to wipe the tears from his face.

"I'm sorry," Cloud said, shutting his eyes. He shook his head, shutting his eyes tighter when he felt fresh tears spill forth, "I'm so sorry, Aerith."

"For what," she genuinely asked him.

"For everything. For what I did to you back at the temple," Cloud cried and leaned his head down onto her chest. "I've hurt you. I did the worst thing I could do and I hurt y-."

Aerith had him look up at her, "Cloud, that wasn't...you. I know you'd never want anything bad to happen to me."

"But it did and it was done with my own hands," he sobbed, lifting his bandaged hands to wrap around her waist. "I did this damage to us, Aerith. How could you even face me again? Why would you want to? I...I betrayed you. I'm...I'm your bodyguard."

"Yes, you are," Aerith replied and smiled down at him, "Cloud, you haven't done any damage to us and you don't need my forgiveness. You already have it. I'd forgive you for anything."

"How?" He genuinely asked, his lips trembling, "How can you forgive me? What if he tries to make me hurt you again? What if he tries to make me do something even worse next time? I can't live with the thought of hurting you, Aerith, and that's exactly what he wants. It's killing me. The thought of something happening to you, especially at my own hands, it...it kills me."

"You won't follow through with it, Cloud," she reassured him.

He shook his head, "But how can you be so sure?"

"Because, I trust you more than anything," she looked into his eyes, never breaking her gaze once to ensure how certain she was. "I'm not going to give up on you or blame you or guilt you. Never. Even if you're uncertain of some things and we don't know everything that's happening to you. You're never going to lose me or my trust."

Cloud lowered his eyes, "I don't deserve you."

"Now, that isn't true," she shook her head and tenderly wiped the tears away from his face, before moving her arms over his broad shoulders to pull him closer into her. "Cloud, there is no where else I'd rather be in this world than right here and right now, with you."

He embraced her back and wrapped his strong arms around her waist, needing to feel as close to her as he possible could. He didn't know how this flower girl, this angel that he'd had in his very arms refused to blame him or guilt him, but more importantly, how, throughout all the people and souls that existed within this world, it was his that she wanted to be beside, always. It was an overwhelming, incredible feeling to know someone had felt this way about him, but he had felt the exact same for the Cetra.

The shut-off, cold mercenary was no more once she'd walked into his life and his icy exterior, his frozen heart had thawed with every moment they'd spent together. Now, the frost had chipped away and what remained in his heart was nothing short of absolute love for her. It was exhilarating and wonderful and intoxicating, but also so scary for the anxious soldier. He didn't know what he did to have met this flower girl, but he was grateful and forever changed because of it.

Their embrace lasted a long while before Cloud had loosened his grip and pulled back. He looked up at her, his cheeks flushed when she smiled down at him, "Aerith, I-"

She combed her fingers through his hair as she let him continue on, a small smile appearing on her lips, urging him on with a gentle nod.

He continued, in a silent whisper, "I'm...just so glad you're safe." It wasn't what he wanted to say, not by a long shot.

Nontheless, Aerith smiled at him and brought her face dangerously close to his, so much so that it caused Cloud's breath to hitch. She placed her forehead against his, their noses just touching. "You know, I have a pretty great bodyguard that's real good at what he does. There's just one problem with him, though."

Cloud rolled his eyes and smiled, deciding to play along, "And what's that?"

"Blames himself too much for things that aren't his fault," she said, letting out a small giggle. "But I suppose I can let it slide since he's just far too cute of a bodyguard to give up."

He shook his head and let out a small chuckle, "Yeah, yeah, don't start picking on me now." The two shared a small laugh together, before the room fell silent and Cloud smiled at her, placing his hands on her hips.

He gently pulled on her waist, "Will you...stay here with me tonight. Please?"

She looked down at him, seeing the warmth and longing in his eyes. She couldn't say no, how could she? Even when she was supposed to be leaving first thing in the morning for the northern continent, even when she should have been preparing for what was to come, she couldn't bring herself to leave him, not when he was looking at her the way he was now - the look of endless devotion in his eyes.

"Of course," she said, leaning down to untie her brown boots, before she kicked them off.

Cloud scooted over in the small cot and lifted up the thin covers, allowing Aerith to settle herself down next to him, before he placed the covers back over them. It was his first time he'd ever been in a situation like this, where he was so close to a woman, but luckily Aerith took the reigns just fine. She turned around and curled herself against him, resting her head down on his chest. Almost instinctively, Cloud brought his arm up to wrap around her back and held her closer to him. His other hand rose up to trace through her long, chestnut hair and down her neck, feeling how gentle and soft she was. He closed his eyes, a small smile on his lips.

Aerith traced her hand along his strong chest, delicately playing with the fabric of his shirt, her fingertips moving in small circles along with it. She couldn't think of any place she would rather be in that moment but in the arms of her bodyguard. Even if this was to be the last night she spent on this earth, this, him and her alone and locked in this moment together, this is all she wanted and would have been enough to last countless years to come.

She'd hoped that it would last forever, but she knew the sun would soon rise and this moment would come to an end.

Cloud let out a sleepy yawn and hugged her tighter to him. His eyes closed and open, sleep slowly taking him, "Hey, remember the first night of our journey, when we were camping in the fields outside of Kalm?"

She nodded against him and smiled, "Mhm, it already feels so long ago."

"I told you I'd explore the world with you, that we'd even see the sky, even though you told me you were afraid of it when you were younger," Cloud reminded.

"I was afraid of many things back then, but no more," Aerith let out a small laugh.

"Then, when we were on the ship to Costa Del Sol, I made you a promise that I would take you on the Highwind one day," he continued, starting to sound like he was dozing off.

"Mhm, I was so excited."

"I was talking to Cid and it turns out the Highwind is his very own ship. He knows how to operate the whole thing and can fly it anywhere he wants to," he smiled down at her and closed his eyes.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I told him that I wanted to take you for a trip on it soon, just the two of us," he nestled his chin against her head, excited about the dream he'd promised to one day make come true. "I think we should go as soon as we can. He told me the sights from the Highwind are amazing, it's like seeing the world completely differently. I want to be there with you to see it."

"I'd love that, Cloud." She smiled against him, although her lip trembled as a tear fell from her eye, one he never saw.

"Someday, soon," he yawned again and dozed off.

"Someday...," she nuzzled closer into him and watched as the blonde soldier fell asleep, his chest slowly rising and falling as he quietly slept. She stayed there, never wanting this moment to end. With his strong arms wrapped around her, she felt as though nothing in the world could hurt her. She felt like it was right where she belonged and where she wanted to stay.

She would stay there for the rest of eternity if she could and she wanted to, she really did, but she couldn't.

She stayed there, resting against him, but never closing her eyes to sleep once. She was running out of time and with these final moments left to spare with her bodyguard, she didn't want to be asleep for them, even if it only meant being cradled in his arms as he slept. It was all she wanted and she was more than happy that she could spend the night this way.

The hours had passed and Aerith knew that the sun would be making its' appearance soon, bringing the morning with it, which meant her departure from Cloud and the rest of their friends. It was then when she realized that she started to second guess herself. Could she really do this? What if she told Cloud what she was going to do and what she knew would happen to her? She was certain that he would try and change her mind, try to find some other way, or hell, he'd say that the two of them should just live out whatever time they'd have and be together to enjoy it while they could.

Aerith knew what the price of saving the planet was, the sacrifice she would have to make to save everyone, everything - was her life.

In order to enact the great white magic to protect the Planet, it would require an even greater sacrifice. It was the 'secret' that she had discovered while at the temple and, after she'd spent the last few hours coming to terms with it, she now faced death without fear.

But when she thought about being taken from Cloud, her heart felt crushed. She knew that when the time her death would come, the pain she'd feel would not be from death itself, but the pain of being separated from him. The pain of death was incomparable to losing someone you'd never want to be without.

She wanted to stay by his side, forever. To help him overcome his uncertainties, to encourage him to fight on and to continue to melt the frozen ice that was Cloud Strife. She would have given anything just to have a few more days with him.

But she couldn't, not when everything else was at stake, so many innocent lives to be lost with the planet in jeopardy. She couldn't put her happiness above everyone else, even if it meant being taken from Cloud and the others and losing the very thing that made her happy. She just couldn't. It was her role as a Cetra to protect the planet when the time had come.

She thought about the children that played in Green Park back in Midgar, how their innocent lives would be claimed, cut short by something they couldn't understand. She thought about the flowers that continued to bloom in her church and how they'd wither away to nothing. She thought about the countless people and places she'd seen throughout her journey thus far and how they'd all disappear as if they'd never existed. She thought about her adoptive mother, Marlene and the new friends she'd made and how they'd all be lost. Without her sacrifice, they would all be gone, destroyed with the rest of the Planet by the power of Meteor.

After all, it wasn't just everyone's world she was saving, but also his - Cloud's.

Admittedly, she wanted to stay with Cloud more than anything, she really did, but if she could save the world she shared with her bodyguard and give him the chance to live a life beyond this impending destruction, she would do just that. She realized she'd sacrifice anything if it meant saving Cloud, even if it meant losing the world the two of them had created together.

To save the Planet, to keep her friend's and family safe, to protect Cloud from this destruction - that was all she wanted.

She only wish she had more time. More time to be with Cloud. More time to spend with her friends. More time to see her mother once more. More time to explore the world that she had come to love. There was so much she would do if she only had more time. She'd wanted to stay by Cloud's side through all of it, to help him encounter Sephiroth and face the future, to be with him after this journey was over and to further explore the world together. She'd give anything just to have more time for all these things.

But time was gone now and she knew that if she was going to counter Sephiroth's plans and stop him, then she needed to act now.

She exhaled and gently traced her hand up from Cloud's chest to his face. She gently leaned forward and placed a light, loving kiss against his cheek. "My bodyguard."

She stared at him, a small smile forming on her face as she looked at the man she'd loved more than anything. Having to turn away from him and leave him would come to be one of the worst pains she'd ever feel. Even as she counted down these final minutes together, she felt her heart slowly breaking at the thought of her being lost to Cloud and never getting to spend another moment together with him.

But she had to leave. She had the planet to protect. She was protecting Cloud, too. Her giving her life to save the planet was so easy for her to do because it was all for Cloud, after all.

She gently lifted herself up off of him, careful not to wake him from what was the first peaceful night of sleep he'd gotten in months. She rose the covers off of her and lifted herself up off of the bed, gently smiling as the blonde soldier mumbled slightly in his sleep.

He looked so peaceful now. She wished she could see him like this all the time.

She leaned down and brushed her thumb over his cheek, "Cloud, I..." She stopped then, uncertain of what to say now. She was always so good with people and knew just what to say, but here, in these final moments, the words were so difficult to capture everything she'd been feeling.

"I don't know all the challenges that wait ahead of us and everyone else, but all I can hope for is that you...don't give up no matter what happens, please."

She felt tears form in her eyes, trying to memorize every detail of the blonde's handsome face, unable to look away from him as if his face was what she wanted to be engraved into her memory forever. "Cloud, thank you...for everything. I know everything that's to come ahead can be scary and confusing, but...I'll always be there with you, even if you don't realize it."

She felt tears fall down her cheeks as it finally hit her that this was her goodbye to her bodyguard.

Cloud started to stir in his bed, gently moving against the mattress. He tossed slightly against the bed, as if he was unconsciously lost in a dream. A moment later, he breathed out and exhaled a name. "Aerith..."

Aerith gently smiled at the blonde soldier that fell back into a deep sleep. She brought her hand up to his spiky blonde locks and gently ran her fingers through his hair, soothing him back to sleep.

"You...we've come so far now, haven't we, bodyguard? We can't give up on each other, on the Planet now." She smiled lovingly down at him and traced her hand over his heart. "Even if the world turns dark and crumbles away, even as the skies fall around you and everything seems lost, look in your heart and you'll find me there."

She felt a warmth glow in the palm of her hand, soothing and peaceful, almost like it came from within Cloud's heart itself.

"You know, Cloud - a way to save the planet wasn't the only 'secret' I discovered at the Temple today..." Aerith spoke quietly, lifting up her hand to rest over her own heart. "A secret ancient power of the Cetra - one born from my people used to protect the person that...shared their same star."

With one hand over her own heart, her other rested over his. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the powerful energy within her. As the voices of the Cetra and the Planet blended together in unison, she felt her and Cloud's hearts begin to pulse together as one, a radiant glow beginning to emit from beneath her palms, shining from within both of their hearts.

She felt a powerful, indescribable energy rush between hear and Cloud, joining together as one and fading into one another. She felt their hearts pulse with light, before the radiant glow faded back into one another and all returned to normal.

Aerith opened her eyes and stayed with her hand resting over his beating heart, smiling softly as he exhaled. "The Cetra spoke to me while in the temple and told me that this power...could only be achieved when two stars, two people's hearts, matched one another perfectly."

Cloud shifted in his bed again, his hand reaching out towards the flower girl's.

"I might not know everything about this power, but when the time comes, it will reveal itself when you need it most. It will bind us together and keep your heart safe in a place where nothing will ever be able to hurt it." She smiled beautifully over him, brushing back his spiky locks, as she took in his handsome face. Her heart took flight with the harmony of emotions she felt then. "Cloud, I..."

She stopped herself as a tear fell down her cheek. She smiled at him, "I...hope you'll understand one day."

Aerith rested her hand on his cheek one last time, before she lifted herself up off of his bed. She secured her satchel over her shoulder and gripped her iron staff, making her way towards the exit of the hut. She looked over her shoulder, her heart tearing as she parted with her bodyguard.

"Goodbye, Cloud..."

Tears fell from her eyes then as she forced herself to turn away from the man she'd come to cherish, leaving him behind to continue onward to the end of her journey. It was the most painful thing she'd ever felt, tears freely falling down her face as she left Gongaga, never stopping until she'd reached the northern continent.

As Cloud remained deep in sleep, a dream of him and Aerith in a mysterious forest played out in his mind's eye, his hand wandering to rest on his heart, a powerful magic circling within it.

Cloud's eyes shot open and he sat up, sitting in his bed in the dark room of the inn at Junon Harbor. the sudden force of power that he'd felt earlier in the day at the beach came again and it caused his body sit upright.

'Was that...real?' He asked himself. He remembered that night with Aerith in Gongaga, but could not ascertain if the ending of his dream was true or not. If it was, maybe something within him had begun to stir.

But what?

Cloud rested back, his head falling into the pillow as he kept his hand placed over his heart. His mind remained deep in thought, feeling the powerful glow within him. And just like that, it was gone again.

'What does it mean?' He said to himself, remaining deep in thought for the rest of the night.

---

The Forgotten Capitol stayed isolated and lonesome as the quiet, dark night continued on. The ancient city had practically been lost to time and human life, ever since the Cetra had called the place home years hundreds of years prior, before a horrible threat began to destroy them. Dark clouds hovered over the edge of the Forgotten Capitol, as the patter of rain echoed across the shell pathways that lined the lost city.

The sound of footsteps soon followed after the rain, as an intruder entered the city. An eerie giggle carried through the air.

Stepping through the fog of the night's darkness, the being stared ahead at the shell structure that was at the far end of the middle path.

With sinister intentions in her heart, Jenova's dark smile grew as she stepped forward.