Chapter 57: The Fourth Day: Ends in All Ways

June 4, 0004

Cloud, Tifa, Riggs, and Milton stood on the sidewalk across the street from the hotel. They stood several blocks away from a path that led to small, secluded spring that did not appear on any map of Ruki Island.

It would be the perfect place to skinny dip. They were now waiting on one small detail.

"Where's Miranda?" Tifa asked.

"She said she'll catch up," Riggs answered. "She said she wanted to….get ready."

Cloud, Tifa, and Milton shrugged. They were not quite sure what she had meant by that.

Tifa felt somewhat apprehensive, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. They would skinny dip during the day, and then, either right before they got dressed again, or perhaps during dinner, Tifa would tell Miranda about taking her to the present to have her dipped in the Lifestream. There was still no guarantee that she would agree, but Tifa knew she had to try.

And then, across the street, at the door to the hotel, appeared Miranda.

She was dressed in a white tank top and a pair of jean shorts with leather sandals. She was also in full makeup.

"Over here!" Tifa called as she waved.

Miranda waived back.

She began to walk toward them, smiling.

Milton watched as Miranda approached the street.

He remembered how, when he first met her on the bus, he wanted nothing to do with her. But he also remembered how, over time, they slowly became friends. Then, they had shared this vacation together, and, just four days earlier, a special milestone. It was a unique privilege he had. She had indeed become a true friend.

He just wondered how much time she had left….

Cloud watched as Miranda stepped onto the street. He had her to thank for fully repairing his relationship with Tifa. The wedding band on his finger was a constant reminder of this fact. He was never the type to seek friends, but Miranda was someone he could make an exception for. Now, it was time to return the favor. He would take her to his present and dip her in the Lifestream, thus saving her life like Zack, Tifa, and Vincent before her.

He hoped she would agree.

He also hoped they were not too late….

Tifa watched as Miranda crossed the street's center line. Her reservations were suddenly gone. It was this life she would be saving. It was this life that had repaired her relationship with Cloud. It was this life that fulfilled her wishes to experience the high school life she had thought she had missed forever. It was this life that made her feel alive.

It was this life that seemed to have fulfilled its purpose….

Riggs watched as Miranda nearly finished her crossing.

He remembered how he had only signed up to take her as his friend. Instead, he had taken her as his wife. He had no regrets about that. She was now his family. She was now his everything.

He was no longer alone.

For now….

Just then, the morning sun's rays shone down on all five of them.

Suddenly, Miranda's eyebrows began to raise, and her eyelids began to droop.

Riggs immediately knew that something was wrong.

Her walking began to slow.

Riggs, now gravely concerned, began to approach her.

The next step Miranda took, she fell forward with her eyes closed.

Tifa felt her mouth dry.

Cloud felt his heart accelerate.

Riggs raced to her with lightning speed.

He managed to catch her before she hit the ground, and turned her to face him.

But that effort ultimately proved to be a vain one.

It was no mystery to anyone what was happening; her heart, which had held onto life long after it had been expected to, was finally giving out.

Miranda, slowly and weakly, opened her eyes.

She looked at Riggs in the eyes as she softly took his hand in hers.

"Riggs," she said weakly, "I….think it's my time."

She said nothing more after that.

She closed her eyes.

Her arm dropped to her side.

Riggs put his finger to her vein.

Tifa rushed to the scene, with Cloud and Milton right behind her.

"Is….is she…..?"

Riggs looked Tifa in the eyes.

His were wet.

"She is at peace," he answered softly.

Miranda had a heart condition that could end her life at any time.

And this was any time.

LATER….

Tifa cried hard for the next two hours, crunched in the fetal position on her bed.

Cloud lay by her side the entire time, rubbing her back through her shirt.

It was painful for him to watch; her face and eyes were red, and no longer recognizable. Her body was shaking, and she was often hyperventilating.

He had never seen her this upset before.

Not even when her mother had died.

"Tifa," Cloud softly whispered.

"We were so close to saving her!" Tifa sobbed. "I know she could have said no again, but goddammit, we had to try!"

She then continued to cry for a long time.

Finally, she sat up.

Cloud sat up with her, gently holding her hand.

"I'm a fucking mess, aren't I?" she sighed, drying her face as best she could.

"Tifa," Cloud gently began, "maybe…this whole time….maybe it wasn't ever about saving her."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"She told you the story about the man being chased by a tiger, didn't she?" he asked.

"Where he eats the strawberry and it's perfectly delicious?" she asked. "Yeah, she told me that one. A lot."

"She had every right to," Cloud said. "She had a limited lifespan. She died of her heart condition. That, in the end, was something we couldn't control. But what could we control? She arrived at Bolton alone, friendless, and avoided. We all gave her friends. She shared being in Alfred and the Dragon with us. Her performance became famous. And if it really is true that a person isn't really dead until they are forgotten, well, at least in that sense, Miranda will never die.

"And then, she went to the prom with Riggs. Mind you, she wouldn't have done that if it weren't for the two of us, since she went for the purposes of spying. And sneaking Riggs here so she could marry him; that took all five of us."

At this point, Tifa had stopped crying, though her eyes remained red.

"And," Cloud continued, "we can't forget the legacy she's left behind."

He then took Tifa's left hand, and held it in his own.

The wedding bands were still on their ring fingers, after a seven year absence.

"She made us whole again," Tifa realized aloud.

"Miranda will always be with us," Cloud assured her.

Tifa wrapped her arms around Cloud and hugged him tightly.

"Oh Cloud," she sobbed. "Hold me!"

He held her.

It was the first time, at least that she could recall, that she completely depended on him for comfort.

THAT EVENING…

After Tifa had calmed down a bit, she and Cloud took a three-hour nap, locked in each other's arms.

When they woke up, Tifa seemed as better as she could be, given the circumstances.

An hour later, Cloud's cell phone rang.

He answered it.

"Cloud?"

He immediately recognized the voice.

"Riggs?!" he greeted. "Are….are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Riggs answered in a a strange-sounding monotone.

"What can I do for you?" Cloud asked.

"I want the three of you to meet me in an hour," Riggs requested. "You, Tifa, and Milton. At the southern end of the island. At the mouth of the creek."

"We'll be there," Cloud assured him.

"Thanks," said Riggs as he ended the call.

Cloud looked at Tifa.

"Riggs wants us to meet him at the southern end of the island," Cloud said. "I wonder what's down there?"

"A shipyard," Tifa replied. "But why would he want to tour the shipyard hours after losing Miranda?"

"I have no idea," Cloud replied. "But I really hope he's okay."

"Me, too," Tifa added. "We'll definitely go there to make sure."

AN HOUR LATER…

The first thing Cloud, Tifa, and Milton saw when they arrived at the southern end of Ruki Island was the mouth of the creek they had kayaked on just the day before. It was still just a small brook, unceremoniously emptying out into the vast ocean.

To the right of the mouth was the shipyard, where Riggs stood.

"Hey, guys," he greeted in a monotone.

Tifa ran to Riggs and hugged him tightly.

"I'm okay," Riggs assured her.

"What did you want to talk about?" Tifa asked.

"I actually wanted to show you something," he replied. "You know, this isn't just any kind of shipyard. They build yachts here."

"You bought a yacht?" Milton deduced.

"I bought a yacht," Riggs echoed. "Follow me. I'll show you."

Cloud, Tifa, and Milton followed Riggs through the shipyard, wondering why he would make such a sudden decision to buy a yacht in a time of tragedy.

"Here it is!" Riggs announced, as he pointed to the yacht that lay before them.

Cloud and Tifa immediately recognized the yacht from their present.

"The swan," Tifa whispered.

"You know this thing?" Milton inquired.

"In our time," Cloud replied, "we can see it sailing through the ocean. But nobody's ever been on it."

"I think that's about to change," Milton said.

"Come on," Riggs invited. "I'll show you inside."

Cloud, Tifa, and Milton followed Riggs up the retractable ramp.

Inside was the control room, with a sophisticated console. Peering out the window, Milton could see that it was the largest yacht in the shipyard.

"Riggs," he began, "you must have spent-"

"My whole life savings," Riggs interjected. "Mind you, this is only the control room. The main living area is back through the door."

He then made his way to the aforementioned door and opened it. Sure enough, there was the living area. There was a kitchen, sitting area, cupboards, and a television.

"What do you all think?" Riggs asked.

"It's….nice," Tifa replied.

She, Cloud, and Milton were confused.

Buying a yacht like this was a very strange way to move on, considering that Riggs had only been a widower for several hours.

"Listen, um, Riggs," Tifa began.

"I know, I know," Riggs interjected. "This all probably seems weird. Hopefully you'll understand someday."

"What are you saying?" asked Milton.

"I want the two of us to sail the world," he replied.

"The two of us?" Cloud inquired.

Riggs, silently and solemnly, pointed to the door at the back of the living quarters.

"Miranda's there," he added.

"She's there?!" Tifa asked.

Riggs nodded.

"If you want," he said, "you can pay your respects."

Tifa was suddenly drawn to the back door like a moth to a flame.

She sorely wanted to see her friend again.

She wanted closure.

She opened the door, and stepped inside.

She then looked down on the bed to the right.

There, Miranda lay.

Her eyes were closed. She was dressed in her wedding gown, and clutching a bouquet of flowers.

It was too much for poor Tifa to bear.

She began to sob again, and Cloud wrapped his arms around her for support, which she graciously accepted.

A minute later, Tifa, having accepted what had happened, gathered herself and led Cloud out of the room.

Riggs and Milton were still standing there.

"In life," Riggs began, "she was confined to Bolton. She was, in effect, in prison for the stupidest crime. This yacht will spend eternity taking her around the world, allowing her to travel more than anyone in history."

Everyone was silent.

It did seem a fitting end to a girl imprisoned with such a free spirit.

"And I'll be accompanying her," Riggs added.

Accompanying her? Cloud, Tifa, and Milton thought in unison.

At that moment, Riggs produced a vial.

The vial read CN-.

Cyanide.

"Wait a minute," Milton said. "You're not planning to do what I think you're planning to do, are you?"

"I said I'll be accompanying her," Riggs answered.

The atmosphere completely changed.

"Riggs!" Tifa pleaded. "I know you're grieving, but you'll get through it. My dad felt the same way when my mom died. But he got through. You will, too. I promise."

Riggs sighed.

"Tifa," he began, "this isn't because of losing Miranda."

"Your family," Cloud deduced.

But Riggs again shook his head.

Now, Tifa was ready to cry again.

"Then what is it?!" she pleaded. "Why are you doing this?!"

Riggs took turns looking at Tifa, Cloud, and Milton in empathy.

"I know why my family is gone," he began. "The Shinra set that fire. They did it because I had hacked into their system. It was a warning to me."

Nobody said a thing. There was nothing to dispute; they all knew it was the truth.

"When I turn twenty-one in theory," Riggs continued, "I'll be released. And then the Shinra will come and kill me. Probably torture me first, too. That's not how I want to end."

"What if we hide you somewhere?" Milton suggested. "Cloud and Tifa could sneak you out with their boat."

Both Cloud and Tifa nodded in unison.

"If they can't reach me," Riggs said, "then they'll go after me through one of you three. Considering that the fate of the world depends on you, my life isn't worth the potential cost of millions."

Tifa opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

She had no argument.

There was none.

He was right.

It was not for Cloud or Tifa.

It was for the world.

"Besides," Riggs continued, "what if they accidentally kill the other Cloud or Tifa? Then the Planet will never be saved from Meteor. Every living thing will die."

Now Cloud tried to say something, but he was also stopped by the truth.

Riggs was right.

Shinra would come after him.

He did not want to be tortured.

He did not want others to die on his own account.

"Riggs, don't!" Milton begged.

"Milton," he said, "I have to do this. As much as Cloud and Tifa have to save the Planet, I have to do this."

Milton said nothing more.

Nobody could try to stop him, or take the vial; he would just simply drink it.

But it was not a defeat for them; he was completely right. There was no conflict, and no argument.

Milton, Cloud, and Tifa, and, by extension, the Planet, would not be safe.

Not while he was alive.

And the three others knew that.

"Well," Riggs announced, "this is it. Anyone not sailing the world with Miranda and I had better get off."

"Well then," Tifa said as a tear rolled down, "have a great voyage!"

"I'm sure I will," Riggs said.

Cloud, Tifa, and Milton each hugged Riggs goodbye and departed the swan.

He then went to the control console and set it to auto-pilot. He then made his way through the living area, and finally into the back room.

He closed the door behind him.

He carefully climbed over the body of his bride.

He lay down next to her.

He drank the cyanide.

And then, nothing.

A SHORT TIME LATER…

Tifa sat alone in her dorm room. Cloud was next to her, holding her hand. His presence gave her some sense of comfort, but the sight of Miranda's empty bed stuck out like a sore thumb.

There was also something serious she had to address.

"Cloud," she began, "they're going to want some answers. They probably think the three of us helped Riggs and Miranda escape. The truth is that we failed to stop Riggs from ending his own life. Either way, it would be grounds to add time to our sentences."

"Is that a bad thing?" Cloud asked. "I mean, we're trying to lay low and stay out of history's way."

"I guess not," Tifa agreed. "Unless something else goes wrong."

And, almost if on cue, the sound of commotion began outside.

"Attention!" a voice boomed on the loudspeaker. "An emergency, mandatory meeting will take place in five minutes. All students are to report to the gymnasium immediately."

"What the hell's going on?" Cloud asked.

"Repeat!" continued the voice. "All students are to report to the gymnasium immediately."

"It sounds pretty serious," Tifa replied, with a sound of concern in her voice.

They both left Tifa's dorm and stepped outside. Crowds of inmates were marching toward the gym, so Cloud and Tifa followed suit.

Inside, they were joined by Milton.

Suddenly, the three of them were ushered to the front of the crowd.

Tifa scanned the gym, wondering what the meeting was about.

Then, she saw the answer.

A look of sheer horror and fear appeared on her face.

"We're screwed," she whispered.

Two teenagers were being escorted by Shinra troops down the center of the gym. One of them, a boy, had blue eyes and blond, spiky hair. He looked like Cloud, but his face was slightly fuller. The other was a girl who had chestnut eyes and hair the exact same color as Tifa's, though it was cut shorter. She also had her nose and eyebrow pierced.

Mr. Antonio and Amy were marching forward beside them, looking directly at Cloud and Tifa.

"Here's another pair of Lane cousins!" he announced. "Arrested outside of Gongaga. Arrived here half an hour ago!"

Amy pointed directly at Cloud and Tifa.

"Your time's now officially up, you imposters!" she announced.

They marched forward until they stopped a mere yard in front of Cloud, Tifa, and Milton.

"Who are these two?!" Tifa exclaimed, feigning naivety.

"They look like transfers from a real prison!" Cloud added.

Milton then stood by Cloud and Tifa.

"I'm on your side, Julie," he assured them.

"I'm Julie Lane!" the real Julie announced. "And this is my cousin, Matt. And I must say: why the hell would anyone want to impersonate us? Even we admit to being low-level scum!"

"Yeah," added the real Matt. "Why us?"

"Well," Tifa replied, "why would you want to impersonate us? The Lanes aren't a rich family. Everyone knows that."

There were murmurs of agreement from the crowd.

The real Lane cousins seemed stumped.

Milton then stood up for Cloud and Tifa.

"I've known these two well for a while now," he said. "They can prove in a hundred ways they're the cousins. Hell, they went to the prom together. Matt kicked me out of the room many times so he could fuck Julie!"

The crowd murmured again.

"Can we please watch the language?" Mr. Antonio requested. "This is a school, after all."

"Why a hundred ways?" Amy then demanded. "If you can prove you're the real Lane cousins, it would only take one way."

"But I can prove we're the Lane cousins," Tifa insisted. "I have a pendant with the family crest on it!"

"There's no such thing!" the real Julie Lane insisted.

"Our family doesn't have a crest!" the real Matt added.

Just then, Cloud placed his hand on Tifa's butt through her jeans.

Smiling, she turned to Cloud, and pressed her lips against his, beginning to make out.

"What are you doing?!" the real Julie demanded as several disgusted groans came from the crowd. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Making out with my cousin and lover," Tifa retorted. "Don't tell me you're afraid to do so!"

"We're not public people," Matt said.

"Stop this!" Amy demanded. "You're making me sick! Just show us all the pendant!"

"I don't have it on me," Tifa.

"That's because it doesn't exist!" Julie insisted.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree," Amy added.

"It's in my dorm," Tifa insisted.

"And why would you leave it behind like that?" Amy demanded.

"Maybe because we were called out here so suddenly?" Tifa replied. "It sounded like an air raid or something we had to take shelter for."

"Fair enough," Amy agreed.

"Just give us one hour to go back to my dorm and find it," Tifa requested. "It's the only way to prove we're the real Lane cousins."

"All right," Amy relented. "One hour.. And if you can't prove you're the Lane cousins, you're going to a real prison!"

"And if we can?" Cloud asked.

"Then they're going to a real prison," Amy said, referring to the real cousins. "But don't even think about escaping. The Shinra military's been called in. They're blocking the exit, and nobody's leaving until this matter's resolved."

"I understand," Tifa agreed.

With that, Amy pulled out her cell phone, and started the timer.

"I suggest you shake a leg," she warned.

Without further ado, Tifa led Cloud out of the gym.

It was obvious to both of them that their time at Bolton was at an end. They would go into the woods, descend the secret stone stairs, board the boat, and off they would be.

Looking behind, Cloud noticed that nobody was following them, which was a relief.

Looking forward, he noticed that Tifa was leading him back to her dorm, which was a concern.

"Why are we going back to your dorm?" he whispered. "Shouldn't we be going to the boat?"

"The Chronus Wand," Tifa whispered back. "We can't just leave it behind. Can you imagine what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands?"

Cloud sighed. He was beginning to wonder if he and Tifa were the wrong hands.

They arrived at Tifa's dorm, and took the elevator up. They quickly marched down the hall, and into her room.

Tifa reached under her bed.

She pulled out the long, plastic box.

She placed it on her bed, and opened it.

Inside, there was nothing but a hand-written note. And it read:

"I've got what was in this box. You'll find it in the art suite if you have the balls to find it. Lots of love, Lynn."

"Motherfucker!" Tifa snapped as she slammed the box.

She then marched out of the dorm.

Cloud followed closely behind.

The art building was almost on the other side of campus; by the time they arrived, twenty of their minutes had already been used up.

Once there, Tifa stormed inside.

There was Lynn.

"Welcome," the green-hair girl taunted.

"I don't have time for your shit," Tifa hissed. "Where is it?"

"I'll tell you," Lynn replied, "if you can solve a riddle for me. What walks on four in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?"

"A human," Tifa sighed. "That's an old one. Now can we please have the fucking wand?"

"Such good manners," Lynn taunted as she pointed to the hallway behind her. "Third door on your left."

Tifa marched down the hall, with Cloud behind her. She yanked open the the third door on the left. She had never been in the art building before, so she had no idea of what to expect.

Inside, she could see the Chronus Wand in the closet with brick walls at the other end of the room.

"Bingo," Tifa said to herself.

She went into the "closet."

Cloud followed her.

Tifa picked up the Chronus Wand.

Suddenly, the closet door closed, trapping both Cloud and Tifa inside.

A moment later, Lynn entered the room, where she could see the trapped Cloud and Tifa through the window in the door.

"I have you now!" Lynn announced. "I can't believe you were dumb enough to walk into the kiln!"

"When the hell is a kiln?" Cloud demanded.

"You two should have taken an art course," Lynn replied as she turned a knob. "A kiln is an oven that dries clay. But instead, in a few minutes, into going to reduce you both to a pair of charred corpses."

Cloud, meanwhile, attempted to open the door, but it was no use.

"May I assume this is revenge for all the times we foiled you?" Tifa decided.

"Not only that," Lynn replied, "but your being missing and the discovery of your charred corpses would create quite the distraction."

"Your point being?" Cloud demanded.

"I'm escaping in the confusion," Lynn announced.

She then brushed back her green hair.

She was victorious.

In a few moments, the kiln would start to heat up, and burn Cloud and Tifa alive.

She had lured them into the kiln with the Chronus Wand.

Unfortunately for her, she was still unaware of its use.

Suddenly, Cloud picked up the Chronus Wand.

"Go ahead," Lynn taunted. "Good luck breaking the glass with that!"

A moment later, a beam fired from the Chronus Wand, creating a distortion.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Lynn exclaimed. "You can't do that!"

"I just did it!" Cloud replied as he pointed to the distortion.

Tifa entered the distortion first. Then, Cloud took the Chronus Wand and followed her.

A moment later, the distortion closed.

"Noooo!" cried Lynn.

AND THEN….

After passing through the distortion, Cloud and Tifa found themselves still in the kiln. The lights were now off, but the door was open.

Lynn was nowhere to be seen.

"How far back did we go?" Tifa asked.

"Three," Cloud replied. "Early this morning."

"Why three?" Tifa asked.

"When else can we guarantee nobody else would be using the kiln?"

"Good point," she said. "Let this be a lesson to take art in high school."

"So," Cloud said, "what now?"

"We have about ten hours before the real Lane cousins come," Tifa said. "Cloud, the woods are calling us."

Cloud nodded.

They quickly left the art building and made their way to the woods, keeping vigil for anyone who might see them.

Into the woods they slipped.

Down the stone stairs they went.

They reached the bottom.

The boat was there, perfectly intact.

Tifa went immediately to the controls and started the boat.

The boat began to purr.

"Well?" she said with a smile. "Are you ready to set sail with me?"

"I'm ready," Cloud replied.

Tifa took control. She guided the boat through the water to the mouth of the cave.

Moments later, they were sailing away from the peninsula that Bolton was on.

It was still completely dark out, with the stars shining brightly.

Every few moments, Tifa would check the sensors to see if anyone was pursuing them.

But pursue them, they did not.

Cloud then joined his wife at the controls.

"Where to?" he asked.

"We'll keep sailing," she replied.

And then, the sensors detected another vessel.

Both Cloud and Tifa became nervous at first, as it was possible that Bolton was pursuing them.

But then, Cloud peeked out the window, and saw the vessel passing by.

It was the swan, piloting itself automatically, as it would for years to come.

Tifa immediately became emotional, and clutched his arm.

It was a final moment with their friends.

A tear rolled from her eye.

"Goodbye, Miranda," she whispered.

Tifa then dried the tear, and turned away from Bolton, never to look back again. She now faced forward, piloting the boat out into the open ocean.

She noticed a picture on the dashboard; it was of herself, Cloud, Barret, Jessie, Reeve, Parker, Sage, Red XIII, Yuffie, Zack, Vincent, Lucrecia, Cid, and Shera.

Tifa suddenly realized where she truly belonged.

She continued to sail with a new confidence.

And then, over the horizon, the sun began to rise.