Days of Exile

Chapter 58 – Mourning

Nov 0008

Night in Edge was very different compared to Midgar. In Edge without electricity, it was much darker after sunset. Not many people were used to the nights without any Mako-extracted electricity. The moon did not help much with illumination too. It was a big change for everyone to adapt, though most of them adapted easily. Candles were highly sought after once again, but Meia found that thanks to the lack of electricity, people did not strive to work after dusk. Unlike Midgar, the never-sleeping city of lights, Edge had a more laid back and slow-paced lifestyle. It was something that Meia liked.

From the main entrance of Edge, there was a clear view of the Midgar ruins. Tonight, Meia could not help but stare at the dark silhouette of Midgar. Reno, Rude and Tseng arrived at the main entrance shortly after. As she and Reno reached for each other's hands, she asked, "No Elena?"

Tseng shook his head. "Elena doesn't need to be here."

Rude checked his watch. "… It's time to go."

Everyone picked up their belongings and walked out of Edge, towards the Midgar ruins.

The destruction that Meteor left behind Midgar was significant. Now that everyone has moved to Edge, Midgar has become a shell of its past glory. The gaping holes where the Upper Sectors used to be were gone. Slabs of concrete, once the floors and pavements of the world above, were now crumbled to the ground. During the day, sunlight spilled in through the holes of the broken plates, illuminating the former slums with golden warmth. At night, the view of the moon in the starlit sky gave the place a shimmery sheen.

They walked further past the Shinra office and Meia gasped at what she saw. "A helicopter?" she stared at Reno in surprise. "We still have those around?"

"Fueled with spare Mako fuel and ready to go, yo," said Reno with a wide grin. Meia blinked. She had suspected that there may be some remaining Mako, but she never asked.

"We took them from the hangar in Shinra Building," Tseng added. "It's going to be really handy for the future… and for tonight." He chose not to elaborate what he had said. Meia chose not to ask.

It had been a long time since Meia sat in a flying vehicle, and it had been much longer since she sat in the helicopter operated by Reno. She could feel her face getting warm as she thought about the midnight trip to the Banora ruins. She remembered the beautiful swirling lights of the Lifestream, and their conversation while enjoying the night view. Glancing at Reno, who was touching the controls expertly, she wondered if he remembered too.

"Say, Meia," Reno murmured such that only she could hear him. "Do you think that the Banora ruins are still there?"

Meia smiled, glad that he still remembered. It was sweet of him to make an effort to remember these things, since he knew that she definitely would remember them. "I'm not sure…" she said. "It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Well," he turned to her with a cheeky smile. "I say we shall go find out someday, hmm?"

"Reno," said Tseng from the back. "You will not use the Mako fuel for your romantic escapades."

Reno made a face. "Aww damn," he said loudly, since Rude and Tseng could hear them anyway.

"Is it more liberating that you don't have to behave in front of Tseng anymore?" Meia giggled.

Rude sighed. "… Reno never behaves anyway."

"At least you know that he would think twice before saying something stupid in front of the executives," teased Meia. "… Or am I wrong?"

"Watch it, Meia Etksy." Reno narrowed his eyes at her.

The flight was light-hearted and fun. The three of them behaved like themselves, just like how Meia had remembered so many years ago. Even Tseng, who had hardened his emotions in his rise as the Turks leader, looked a little more relaxed tonight as he watched Reno and Meia banter.

How I long for the days where we used to be together, thought Meia countless of times. However, she knew that it was impossible to have everyone together as Turks. I cannot live in the past like that anymore. Things are not the same, they will never be the same. I should be grateful for who and what I have around me now. She stared out of the window, seeing nothing. Who knows when I might lose them again?

"We're here," announced Reno.

Meia leaned forward and peered out of the window. It was dark outside, but in the distance, she could make out specks of light in the distance… sparse specks of lights that reminded her of Bone Village.

"Are we… Are we in the Northern Continent again?" Meia's jaw dropped at the thought.

Behind her, Rude chuckled. He was there with her, when Rufus Shinra brought some people to the Northern Continent in search of the Promised Land. It was also in the same place that she first met AVALANCHE.

Within minutes, Meia felt the helicopter descend. Beside her, she heard Reno giving his usual landing commands, more for Meia's benefit than Tseng's and Rude's. Skillful as ever, the helicopter landed softly on the grass, at the edge of Bone Village.

As she peeked out of the open helicopter door, she recognized the Bone Village citizen waiting for them. "Jasper!" At first, she leapt out of the helicopter and skipped towards him. Then, she remembered that the area outside Bone Village was dark and a highly likely place to trip and fall. She slowed down to a walk. "I shouldn't be surprised to see you here, I guess." Meia grinned.

Jasper walked towards them with a big smile on his face. "You guys!" He started hugging each of them. "So glad that you've made it safely." More friendly greetings were exchanged, then Jasper led the four of them into the village.

"Do you have the lunar harp, Jasper?" asked Tseng.

Meia gasped. She had read somewhere about the rare lunar harp that was necessary to traverse through one of the most mysterious places in Gaia. "Are we going into the Sleeping Forest?" she asked Rude excitedly.

Rude nodded. "… the place that we are heading to is inaccessible using a helicopter."

"We can't see shit in the darkness, yo?" added Reno. "So going through the Sleeping Forest will save us possible damages."

Meia could hardly contain her excitement. After talking to the guard by the entrance of the forest, they entered the forest. Instantly, Meia noticed a mist surrounding the tall larches and pine trees. Without showing a hint of panic, Jasper played the lunar harp, strumming tunes that made the greenish mist around the trees disappear. Quickly, they walked through the forest without further hindrance. The forest rapidly changed into a rocky terrain. Plants and dead trees were strewn carelessly upon the path, and strong monsters roamed freely, but that did not slow their pace much.

"How is it that you know your way around the Sleeping Forest so well?" asked Reno curiously.

Jasper laughed. "I'm a Bone Village native, come on!" When Reno and Rude gave him a look of disbelief, he sighed. "Patricia and Marshall brought me here, of course. What do you expect of a rich kid?"

Meia did not talk much. Her eyes glittered with delight as she took in the colours and scenery around her. She had seen pictures in books, but it was the first time that she was in the Sleeping Forest. There are still many places that I've not been to, she thought joyfully to herself. Still so many more.

"Meia, are you alright?" asked Jasper concernedly.

Meia blinked. "Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine…" She trailed off and returned to her quiet observation.

Jasper looked as if he wanted to probe further, but Reno stopped him. "She's fine. She's just enjoying the view. You know her… she wants to remember every single detail." Reno grinned.

"Oh, I forgot about that." Jasper laughed sheepishly. "No wonder you're her boyfriend, Reno. You really know her inside out."

"Yes…" Reno smiled contently, looking at Meia with affection, though she did not notice. "Yes, I think I really do."

The group emerged from the Sleeping Forest, right into the Corel Valley. Meia immediately understood why Reno's helicopter could not land. The valley mouth was narrow. It would be impossible to fly into the valley unless they had floodlights illuminating the place. She shivered against the cold, even with her cardigan on. When Reno draped a big shawl around her, she held onto his hand for warmth as well.

Walking further, Reno finally nudged Meia and said, "Look."

Meia looked in front of her. What she saw in front of her was a vestige of an old civilization. It was very well-preserved – Stone buildings that made up most of the city still stood like an evergreen, unaffected by time and decay. The city was adorned with green land-corals and paved with skeletal slabs of marble. In the distance, Meia could discern buildings in the shapes of sea conchs and shells. She gasped, recognizing the place. "This place! I've seen it in books!"

"Yes…" Tseng paused for a moment. "It's the Forgotten Capital… the City of the Ancients."

"… the Ancients lived here a long time ago." Meia murmured to herself. "Until the Great Calamity struck… Jenova."

Tseng stared at her. "You have read the documents in the Shinra Science Archives?" He asked quietly.

Meia made a face at him. "Does it even matter anymore?"

Seeing that Tseng was not going to argue, Reno said quietly, "Aerith died here, yo."

Meia opened her mouth and closed it again. So this place… her hometown, huh? How ironic, Aerith… You were chased by people everywhere across the globe, yet in the end, you were murdered in your place of origin.

"Shall we?" asked Jasper tentatively. "This place is beautiful, but it always gives me the creeps at night."

They took the centre path, down a narrow trail. At the end of the trail, it seemed as though Meia's breath was caught in her throat. There was a lake in the middle of a forest clearing, right by a conch-building. It was dark, but there were fireflies flying over the lake, casting its cold light upon the rippling water.

Jasper might find this place creepy, but Meia thought that it was the most beautiful place that she had ever laid eyes on. And she knew, somewhere inside, that she would never find another place as beautiful as this.

"We're here, at last," announced Tseng.

Meia checked her watch. Since entering the forest, they took close to forty-five minutes to arrive at the location.

"So… what now?" Jasper asked.

"Just give us some time to pay our respects," replied Meia. She walked over to the edge of the lake, knelt and sat in silence. She thought and recalled many things. All the memories that she had of Aerith, including days when Sunny, Carmelle and Tihan were around in Sector Four. Aerith was not a significant figure in her life, but she had always enjoyed being around Aerith. Children loved to play around Aerith, including Meia. Her warmth and positivity towards life was something very attractive.

Meia wondered how Aerith was like in AVALANCHE. Having met Cloud and the other members of AVALANCHE, Meia speculated how Aerith would fit in that mismatched group of people.

"Need a flower?" Reno's voice interrupted her. Meia looked up and nodded. Pulling a stalk out of Reno's hands, she placed the flower on the lake surface.

"Goodbye, Sister Aerith," she whispered. "Thank you for saving us from the Lifestream. I'll never forget it."

She stood and realised that Tseng was still seated by the lake's edge. She was about to say something when Rude pulled her away gently. "… Tseng takes a little more time," the bald man explained quietly.

"Oh?" Meia glanced back at Tseng. "It's not the first time being here, I suppose?"

Rude shook his head. "… We came here once a few months ago."

She watched Tseng, who would occasionally stare out at the lake in a daze. Reno stood near him, but was quiet too. Nobody hurried Tseng, so while Meia, Rude and Jasper waited, they talked quietly among themselves. Finally, Tseng took a flower from Reno and laid it on the water's surface. No words were said, but Meia saw the expression on his face and understood.

Tseng liked Aerith. She thought. His face… She was not just a target of the mission to him. She recalled how flippantly she accused Tseng of not feeling anything over Aerith's death and smiled bitterly. I guess I was wrong. Tseng is the master of facial disguises, what did I expect? Tseng would never show his emotions unless he wanted to.

At last, Tseng stood from the lake and nodded at Reno. As they returned, Meia stepped forward. "Tseng…" She said. "I'm sorry about what I said-"

Tseng waved her off. "It's not a big issue. I'm not offended." Meia turned and was about to walk when Tseng called out to her. "Meia," She turned around to see Tseng's solemn face. "If you want to know everything about Aerith and AVALANCHE, you can ask Reeve."

"… That's true." Meia nodded. "Thanks." Reeve Tuesti was a part of AVALANCHE, as the Shinra spy Cait Sith. However, he had continued to stay in AVALANCHE even after his identity had been exposed. She made a mental note to speak to him as soon as possible.

It had been a few days since Meia met Cloud in the Sector Five church, and followed the Shinra Turks to the City of the Ancients, where Aerith was buried.

Meia thought that asking Reeve would answer most of her questions. However, the results were less than satisfactory. Reeve remembered bits and pieces of Cait Sith's conversations with Aerith. The saved data were all in the archives in the Shinra Building… already a pile of useless rocks.

I should manage my expectations a little, she chided herself. I cannot possibly know and learn everything. Some things are just not meant to be learnt, ever. She stopped outside a bar. The sign above the door was a stunning and elaborate design of a sun with swords all over, with the word "7th" at the centre. This seems to be the place that Reeve and Kunsel were talking about.

When Meia stepped into the bar, she took a quick glance around the place. The place had the looks of an unfinished renovation, with grey concrete walls and visible pipes. Perhaps that design was intentional. The place was only big enough with a few tables and chairs, but a huge bar counter took up most of the room. On the wall to her left, it was completely filled with photo frames. A ceiling fan worked lazily above her and the sounds of conversation and radio filled the room. The bar was empty, but that was probably because Meia came in the late morning.

"Welcome to Seventh Heaven!" A cheery voice greeted her. "The bar is closed for today, so please come back tomorrow!"

Meia turned to the bartender standing behind the counter. She was a beauty with her hair tied up and form-fitting clothes. Her brown-red eyes were warmth and cheerful. Meia gaped – she recognized the woman.

"You're… You're Tifa, aren't you?" She asked.

The woman's smile dropped a little. "I am…" She craned her neck forward to look at Meia closely. "Have we met… before?"

"Yeah…" answered Meia awkwardly. "In a very unexpected place."

"Oh!" Tifa's eyes huge larger as she recognized Meia too. "You… You are that scientist right? With Hojo?" Meia blinked in surprise. She did not think that Tifa would recognize her without her Matilda Ederfeld disguise. Tifa did not wait for Meia to respond. She folded her arms and suddenly, her welcoming tone disappeared. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to ask you to leave."

"Wait, what?" Meia spread her hands out in confusion. "Why?"

"I do not want to have any dealings with people of Shinra anymore." She paused. "Especially from the Turks or the Science Department."

"Miss, you've misunderstood-"

Tifa glared at Meia in anger. "You are the one that has misunderstood. Shinra has done many things to Midgar and this Planet." She stopped abruptly, as if adding a side note to herself as well. "I don't have much to say to you. I'm sorry."

"Hey! Wait!" Meia exclaimed. Tifa gazed at Meia, putting on her combat gloves silently. Meia recognized the shape and fit of the gloves. Rude and Leia used them too. Tifa is a martial artist too. "I'm not here to cause trouble! I'm just here to ask about Aerith…"

"Aerith?"

"Tifa…"

The voice that called out to Tifa did not belong to Meia. As Meia and Tifa turned their heads, they saw a girl of about six years old. She tied her hair in two pigtails, reminding Meia of how she used to look like when she was younger. That same face. Meia never forgot. "Marlene…" uttered Meia before she could stop herself.

As Tifa snapped her head at Meia in surprise, Marlene smiled. She did not forget Meia's face either. "Tifa," she said again. "She is not a bad person…."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's alright," said Meia to Tifa with a friendly giggle. She sipped on a cup of hot chocolate milk. "This is good."

"Thank you."

A short silence fell on them. Meia wondered what she should say. Marlene was no longer around. She was sent to get groceries.

"Well… I was in a disguise as Hojo's assistant, but I was once a Turk." Meia smiled when she saw Tifa look at her in surprise. "Yeah, I was a Turk, so you weren't exactly wrong, even though that was a long time ago."

Tifa gave her a very obvious once-over. "You… You're a Turk? You certainly don't seem like one," She remarked, picking up another beer glass to wipe. "You look too young to be one."

Meia grinned. "I get that a lot, I think."

"Well, thank you for saving Marlene back then." Tifa spoke quietly but Meia could hear her embarrassment. "I had no idea that she tried to save you."

"She… Aerith?"

"Yes."

Meia held Tifa's arm gently. "Can you tell me more about Aerith, please?" She quickly let go of the woman's arm before she felt uncomfortable. "I came here because Reeve… I mean, Cait Sith, told me that you are the only one in Edge who could help."

Tifa stopped wiping her glasses and stared at Meia. "You know her?" She asked. Meia explained that Aerith was a childhood acquaintance. When Meia was done, Tifa smiled. "Well, she's no longer here. I don't mind telling you everything."

"Yes, please. Everything. How she ended up in AVALANCHE, why she left Midgar, how she died."

The woman stared at Meia for a while. Then, she finally set everything down and sat down with Meia. "Actually, it was Cloud who first met her."

"Oh," said Meia. "I saw him the other da-"

"YOU SAW HIM?" Tifa exclaimed so suddenly that Meia jumped. "Where is he?" Meia blinked. She had no idea that Tifa would react so strongly to any information of Cloud. Tifa regained her composure and said quietly, "You know what? Don't tell me. I don't want to know. Let's go back to our story with Aerith." She smiled.

"Wait…" Meia shook her head. "Don't you want to know?" She looked at Tifa closely. "Do you mean that he's been living here?"

Before Tifa could say anything, Marlene came back. With a cheerful wave, Marlene went upstairs to her room. She knew that she should not be in the room. As Marlene's steps grew softer, Tifa looked away, taking a deep breath. "It's not important, Meia," She said. "Not to be rude, but it's not your business too."

"No," said Meia firmly. "It's not my business, but I don't like it that you are just content with not doing anything. It's clear that you are upset." She recognized the facial symptoms on Tifa's face. That small smile, eyes that would not look at the listener… She had seen it many times on her colleague, KK, who covers her sadness and anger with sharp words and smiles. "How long have you hidden your troubles in front of others?"

Tifa looked at Meia. "You are quite perceptive."

"I have a colleague like that."

"… Cloud hasn't been coming home," said Tifa quietly.

"… Are the both of you lovers?"

"No! No, we're not." Tifa hastily disagreed.

"So you love him then."

"… Yes, I do. I care for him and I love him."

Tifa told her many things that day. She told him about how Cloud had begun to drift apart from everyone after the events of Meteorfall. Initially, he was enthusiastic about starting a new life. He was one of the founders of the new "Seventh Heaven", together with Tifa and Marlene's adoptive father, Barret. He even started his own delivery service, but that was the beginning of everything. Cloud began to return home infrequently. Returning home often meant quiet times alone in his room and little conversation.

"I've even closed the bar for one day, but he's not even here."

"Tifa…"

"All I wanted was a normal family life." Tifa stared at her hands. "Am I wrong for wanting to move on with everything in the past behind me? It's not like I've forgotten…" She subconsciously touched the pink ribbon on her left arm.

"You're not wrong for wanting a normal life," said Meia. "If you are going to feel guilty about that, then us Turks have nothing to speak for ourselves." Meia looked at Tifa. She wondered if she had known Tifa earlier, if they could have been friends. "We have done many wrong things in our job. We are not proud of it but we are not hiding and cowering in fear of our past tainting our future. We still have many days before us. If we allow our past to shackle us so, we will definitely do nothing to help the Planet's future."

Silence followed after, and Meia felt a little embarrassed about speaking to a newly-made acquaintance as if she knew everything. However, Tifa finally smiled and took Meia's hand. "Thank you."

Meia grinned. "Always glad to find another friend to talk to."

Tifa beamed and walked back to the counter. "You know… your words are giving me more perspective about you Turks. You don't seem as bloodthirsty as the others that I know of." Her face clouded a little. Meia raised an eyebrow. "Now, we've really got to get back to our Aerith story, huh?"

Behind Meia, the door opened and a familiar voice spoke. "Tifa, gimme the usual… oh?"

"Maybe another time," muttered Tifa.

Meia felt someone walking towards her and suddenly, she felt an arm going around her neck. "Hello… Reno." She smiled cheerfully at the redhead. Turning her head slightly, she grinned at Rude. "Hey Rude." The bald man dipped his head in reply.

"Meia!" Reno's face brightened. "It really is you! Here I was thinking, 'Who's that kid that Tifa allowed into the bar?' and oh look! It's little Meia!"

Tifa frowned. "Reno, can't you be nice to her?"

"I'm really nice!" complained Reno. "I'm the nicest to her, I mean, I'm her freaking boyfriend, yo?"

Tifa dropped the towel that she was holding. "You?" She stared at Reno, then back at Meia. "Why?"

"What the heck, yo?" complained Reno. "Why is it that everyone has that look of disbelief?"

"How could anyone fall for someone like you?" Tifa narrowed her eyes.

Reno sat himself on the barstool. "Of course she would! I'm the most…" He paused. "Wow, that's a lot of words coming from you today."

Meia blinked at Reno in surprise. "Really?" She asked.

"I'm not exactly on the best terms with them, Meia." Tifa slid them two mugs of beer. "Drink up and go," said Tifa in a curt voice.

"Drink up and go, yo?" echoed Reno, taking his mug. "The only four words that I hear you say to us since Meteor." He slid the mug next to him, but realised that Rude was not seated. He was still standing.

"Tifa," said Rude. "It has been too long, but we have to apologise for what happened in Nibelheim… and Martin Lockhart."

Tifa turned away. "It's… nothing that you can do now, anyway," she said coldly. "I'm moving on… so you should too."

The redhead stared at Tifa in genuine surprise. "Gee… I was not expecting that, Tifa Lockhart… but it is good." He ended awkwardly, barely hiding his relief.

Meia immediately saw the relationship between the three of them. Many years ago, Reno and Rude 'volunteered' themselves to go to Nibelheim as undercovers. Shortly after, Sephiroth destroyed the town in the infamous Nibelheim incident. Reno mentioned to Meia about the daughter of Martin Lockhart, the owner of a bar that Reno and Rude frequent. The daughter was the only survivor in the incident. Tifa Lockhart.

"… Thank you, Tifa." Rude nodded, walking to his seat next to Reno.

Beside Meia, Reno whispered, "Rude has got a soft spot for- Ooph!"

Rude smacked Reno on his stomach, harder than Reno expected. Reno fell off his bar stool and landed on the floor with a loud thud. "Rude!" chided Meia, half in annoyance, half in amusement.

Tifa laughed. "Oh dear, what happened?"

Rude pushed his sunglasses against his nose and helped Reno up to his feet. "Nothing," said Reno in sullenly, giving his partner a glare. "Nothing at all."

I truly think that the City of the Ancients is one of the most beautiful places in FF7.

As it turned out, I like the last few chapters because I enjoy seeing closure… one by one, all the chapters after Meteor were a matter of just showing closure in the lives of various people.

To Jefri, you have mistaken. Tseng did not like Elena. He asked her out for dinner, but I didn't have a chance to explain what happened after that. So long story short, he doesn't like Elena. He nicely rejected Elena after Meteor and that was it.

If you are wondering what happened to Tifa and Cloud, I'll say you need to read "Case of Tifa" from the series of webnovels called "On the way to a smile". Basically it was a story that created context for the beginning of Advent Children. So go read it!

Alright! Yet another chapter left! I'll see you next week!