Chapter 70. December 16 (10am – 2pm), εуλ0009

Tifa woke up with no less of a start than before, suddenly jolted from pleasant dreams – she and Cloud, together in a field of flowers – by a panicked remembrance of her children.

Marlene! Denzel!

Her heart pounding, it was a moment before she became aware of the confusion rampaging outside. Leaping up, sparing just the barest peek into the bar to see if anyone had returned, she burst out of the front door and followed the commotion to the central square of Edge only to stumble into a scene of madness.

The area was packed, a dense wall of humanity, people screaming and running yet still clogged so thick that at first it blocked her view ahead – and what was happening there. But as she shouldered her way through, desperate to find out, she finally broke the ranks – and he stomach dropped.

The man who had trounced her so soundly – and another who resembled him – surrounded by a crowd of children, a cowardly barrier of protection. Was Denzel there somewhere? Tifa craned her neck looking, ready to run to him if need be, unearthly strong men be damned. But before she found him, one of the men raised his hand – and all hell broke loose.

Shadowy beasts, canine-like hellspawn, appeared to bear down on the crowd like rabid dogs, scattering it in all directions. Tifa held her ground against the screaming populace dispersing around her, a flood tearing away from the rampage of the summoned creatures.

As the area cleared, a cascade of relief washed over Tifa as she spotted Denzel standing before the monument to Meteorfall. "Denzel!" she gasped, placing her hands on his shoulders and turning him to face her, only to freeze in shock as her sweet little boy looked at her with deadened, slitted eyes so reminiscent of… oh, no…

SEPHIROTH…

What had been done to him?

Thunder struck and shuddered above, and Tifa whipped her head skyward in fear. The clouds above roiled, congealed, darkened, finally bursting to free the horror hiding within.

A Bahamut – it roared its dragon call, and taking wing, swooped towards the monument beside her. Terrified, with Denzel frozen and no way to escape in time. It tore the chains from the monument before focusing its giant, beaded eyes on her.

It dove towards her, and Tifa gave it a solid punch, near-dismissive. Recoiling from the hit at first, it soon recovered and slammed to a perch on top of the monument, sending shockwaves through the plaza. Rising above, a ball of light shone from within its fierce jaws, and Tifa ducked and cradled her son, waiting for the blast….

Puttering down the alleyway they called home, Cloud pulled up to the door of Seventh Heaven, Marlene safely protected on between his arms on the pommel of the seat in front of him. Dismounting, he turned to lift her carefully off the bike, setting her gently down beside it; but she only stared into his eyes with that strange intensity of wisdom she sometimes showed.

She reached out to his left arm, the touch of her small hand nearly as soft as Aerith's on the most tender spot; but this time, Cloud forced himself not to flinch. "Does it hurt?" she asked.

"A bit," he answered, downplaying. "But Denzel has it worse." And handled it better. A child should not have to endure what a man could not…

"Is there a cure?" she asked him. Worried. Wishing.

Cloud hated to tell her the truth. "I don't know."

Marlene mused. "So even you couldn't find anything… and you were trying so hard for Denzel…"

Cloud crouched down, forcing himself to look into those knowing, trusting eyes. "How did you know?" he asked. Surprised. Touched. That maybe his efforts had been at least something.

Marlene looked at him with a serious pout, that split into an ordinary warm smile. Cloud's eyes are really pale today, she thought. A nice blue. The color of the sky. Not like when they get too bright… "Cloud!" she exclaimed. "You know, you really need to clean up that mess on your desk sometimes."

Cloud smiled back – just a little bit, but it was there. "Maybe I should." But deep down, he knew it wasn't just his desk he was talking about.

"So is that why you had to leave, Cloud?" she asked, suddenly understanding. He hurt so badly he thought it meant he had to leave us too. "Because you couldn't fix Denzel? Or because you got sick too?"

It hit too close to home; Cloud faltered under the featherweight of Marlene's gaze. The same worry and sadness he'd felt from Tifa, and then had been overwhelming; from Marlene, it became far too much; he turned, unable to bear it any longer.

How could he explain it all, his fears, his fights within? In a way she could accept, could understand? "I just thought…" he began. He thought too much. "I couldn't care for myself. Let alone anybody else."

Tifa, unconscious and hurt…

Marlene scoffed, flexing one arm; and Cloud heard Barret's voice coming out of her mouth. "How are you supposed to look after your family if you can't look after yourself?"

She knew how Cloud felt. It was the same thing Daddy had felt, why he told her he had to leave. But Daddy was going to find something. Cloud just wanted to stop trying.

Marlene didn't want that.

"Cloud, don't give up." You're not alone, Cloud. You have us. Cloud looked surprised for a moment; nut then she realized – now he understood. Daddy was right as always.

Cloud took a step forward, kneeling at eye level once again; and this time, he let his eyes meet hers. Bright and clear. "You've always been there to look after me. You, and Denzel, and Tifa." My precious ones. My family. "You were there whenever I needed you." Even if I didn't know how to accept that help. "Well, now it's my turn."

Her pleased nod told him all he needed to know. He rose to go, stopping to softly brush her head the way he'd seen Tifa do so many times. Maybe he had a right to be a part of this family yet.

It was time to keep his promises like a man.

Denzel woke up slowly, groaning. Where was he? What had he been doing? He only remembered a little bit, the forest and some black water, but now he was back in Edge, with strong arms cradling him protectively.

Tifa!

He crawled out from her embrace as it all came back; Tifa's arm slumped where she lay knocked out on the ground, caught by the beast she'd been trying to rescue him from. He saw other people around, groaning, struggling…

- the news flashing on TV, showing Sector Seven crumbling, burning –

…and Denzel was angrier than he could ever remember himself being.

He turned to face the giant monster above, a hundred times bigger than him, and he didn't care. "Son of a bitch!" he shouted, jumping to his feet and running heedlessly towards it, only to be stopped by a large hand clapping down on his shoulder; a hail of gunshots battered the beast in front of him.

He looked up to see a big man he'd never met before, a punishing machine gun attached to his arm. Marlene's dad, he realized; where had he come from?

"Barret?!" Tifa's voice cried plaintively behind him.

"Some damn Turks told us to get over here," the man answered his unvoiced question. "Go take care of Momma." He released Denzel with a gentle shove in the direction of Tifa, and Denzel fled back to her safety as Marlene's dad rushed forward to the fight ahead.

Others began appearing, people he'd never seen. A pretty girl parachuting in front of him, stopping to retch slightly before she and Tifa greeted each other with smiles. A stuffed robot cat on a creature that reminded him of a red lion, but this one clearly wasn't tame. One man motioning with his spear to the airship high above – Denzel had never seen an airship before! – and another, silently appearing as if out of thin air, swaddled in a red cape that hid his face except for eyes glowing bright red.

"Who are they?" asked Denzel, thoroughly confused.

Tifa only smiled, happily, mysteriously. "They're our friends."

Tifa turned to look down at the boy. "Denzel, can you make it to the bar?" She leaned forward, taking his hand in both of hers; and suddenly Denzel felt much braver. He could do it. But before he could flee, the monster was upon them once again with more of those show things; even as Tifa attacked the smaller ones, another blast sent her flying through the air and sprawling to the ground.

Cloud saw it begin, but he was still far, too far… The creatures leaping towards Denzel and Zack faced forces he could not hope to defeat, the building starting to topple forward and Sephiroth's sword came driving down from above, past and present a blur for that one instant of terror. With a mighty heave of his sword, he boomeranged it towards the smaller beasts, taking them out as one as he pushed Fenrir harder, harder…

"Cloud!" Denzel shouted.

Tifa ahead, crouching but conscious. He was in time. Crashing through debris a hair's breadth away from disaster, he nearly collided to scoop her up and behind him, buildings collapsing behind them as they fled the scene.

She reached one hand carefully towards his shoulder as he stayed the course forward, the difference apparent to her without knowing why.

Her Cloud. He was back.

"Sorry it took so long," he offered by way of greeting; and she knew it wasn't just the rescue he was thinking of.

"It's all right," she told him, meaning it from the bottom of her heart.

They reached Denzel, and Cloud wheeled around to let Tifa leap gracefully off and throw her arms around the relieved boy. Hastily assuring Tifa he was safe, Denzel's eyes witched to where Cloud was already scanning the sky, poised for the looming fight ahead.

"Marlene's safely back home," he said, not turning. "I feel lighter." I was ready to drag myself around until there was nothing left. "Maybe I lost some weight. All that dilly-dallying."

- and Tifa knew, it was apology and acknowledgement all rolled into one. He had heard. He had understood.

He'd stopped running.

Denzel started rushing for home, eager to see Marlene, but suddenly pulled to a halt. "You'll be there, won't you Cloud?

Cloud's nod was the promise Denzel needed. His hero had come home.

Together Cloud and Tifa watched their son run out of sight, until without a word of exchanged, Tifa mounted behind Cloud once again, and they roared off to fight. Together.

Rufus waited, patiently observing Kadaj before him, the Remnant cackling in amusement.

The Reunion, Kadaj had said. If Geostigma was its invitation – was he part of it too? Sephiroth's return. What he'd suspected, indeed near-expected, all along – the nightmare's return.

But as what they called good and evil, life and death, coursed through the Lifestream, time without end – he didn't plan to let that happen today.

He fingered the box he concealed, fate literally in his hands. It was time to play his trump, his last appearance of this act. Cloud would have to do the rest.

Throwing back the blanket covering his form, he stood, proud and strong despite the bandages that remained around his head, still holding on to the precious cargo he'd been carrying.

Shock and realization crossed Kadaj's face.

He stared the Remnant down, eye to eye. "A good son… would have known."

Kadaj screamed as Rufus threw Jenova's head off the building – and himself off after it.

Falling bricks, crashing beams. Barret cursed under his breath. He and the others soldiered on, but they were doing little more than irritating the monster, each in their own turn.

Where the fuck was Cloud?

A roar above, and Barret gaped as girders crashed down towards his head, his life flashing before him, Marlene, that little boy that must be Denzel too –

- and a hand yanked his shirt, tossing him unceremoniously to a stable beam, before Cloud himself landed some distance above. "The hell you been?" he shouted, a lighter plop behind signaling Tifa's arrival as well.

Cloud ignored him.

Leaping forward, he dove for the beast, his sword lashes met and returned, but he was still holding his own. Driving forward again and again, he finally knocked the Bahamut from the sky, but the dragon, only winded, recouped and prepared to rise again.

Cloud leapt after it.

A war cry as Barret reached out his hand. Cloud grabbed on, and something electric took place. Something like –

Lifestream.

Not quite the same, but as it filled him, he felt rejuvenated, vigorous. Stronger.

A shove and a "giddyap!" and there was Cid, flinging him skyward with his spear. Cloud shot higher. Red caught his shirt in his jaws, and still Cloud rose.

But the monster still flew ever higher – over the tallest towers, up towards the clouded sun.

Yuffie grabbed his leg with a wordless cry to boost him further, straight towards the enemy above, and Bahamut wheeled to face its prey. Its jaw filled with luminescent blue.

Cloud, stronger still. He faced the monster down, determination fixing his face.

Vincent reached his hand down for his, and his word was command. "Fly!" – and Cloud did.

And there, at the highest tower of all, Tifa leapt forward, he catching her in his arms as she fell. Coming from her – love, pure love, sparking between them. The love that had brought them together, once again. Tifa. My heart, my light. And for the splinter of a second they had for their eyes to meet, he found all the strength he needed.

"I'll lift you up," she whispered, "we'll touch the sky – " As she pushed him further, let him go, she sent out her one little wish. Aerith, I've done all I can from this side. The rest is up to you.

Aerith heard.

Cloud blurred through the aether, that liminal space between life and death – the place of transformation she now called home. She'd reached for him once before, ready to catch him if he needed, wanting him to slip away.

This time, she reached for certain.

Cloud collided with the ball of flaring light, smashing inside and through. The pressure inside was immense, threatening to break him spart, tear him into pieces – and just when he reached his breaking point –

- he saw her hand –

- and at the apex, she finally, FINALLY was able to touch him as she'd been trying to for so long. She took his hand in hers, felt the rush into him, crossing the boundary between death and life. It was time. But was he –

"Ready?" she asked.

He was.

Bursting from the ball of flame in a blaze of energy all his own, his sword tore into Bahamut's leathery skin, tearing open a zipper of flesh all along its spine. A roar, and encased in the glow of Cloud's own power, it came crashing to the ground, this time never to get up.

Tifa watched its defeat, her soul full of pride. My hero.

Cloud landed gracefully on the same girder where he had begun, still poised and ready. Is it over?

For a moment, the sky above Edge was still.

And then the scream came, echoing across the city…

*******

Tseng. Elena. Reno. Rude. The first two recovering from injury, the last two newly hurt, but all four stood there waiting Rufus's pleasure. Forming a circle around the man they called their leader, their loyalty unperturbed.

All he needed to do was nod – they understood.

The chase was on.

Author's Artistic Credit: Tifa's line during the "relay" was one of the weakest in the movie, IMHO. The line I filled in is from "Tears", by Stine Grove, which is a song I could imagine Tifa singing to Cloud.

The counterpart, Cloud singing to Tifa, is Conjure One's "Extraordinary Way" – it's a female vocal, but the lyrics fit. I prefer the club remix, because that's just me, but it's up to you.