A/N: Hey guys, so I am new to the final fantasy fandom, and I thought this story lined up in my head that what if Hojo was able to do his experiment on Aerith before Cloud and the others got to her. This takes place right after rebirth where Aerith lives because I hated that part, and she deserves a somewhat happy ending. So, without further ado, enjoy the story and let me know what y'all think!

The group had rushed back after the fight with Sephiroth to check on Aerith, who lay in a pool of her own blood on the ground. Everyone crowded around the girl, their heads held down in sorrow, tears falling down their faces. The most tears fell down Tifa's pale cheeks as she had been the closest with Aerith and the two were inseparable, the definition of best friends. Cloud arrived last, pushing through the group, and hurriedly kneeling beside her body, gently lifting her, and holding her in his arms. Cloud just stared down at her, brushing a strand of long brown hair out of Aerith's face.

"Aerith, please. Wake up." Cloud says gently, holding her body closer to him as the tears threatened to fall.

Cloud held his breath as he heard the cetra let out a small groan and he looked at the others who all shared the same, hopeful look.

As of right now, Aerith was alive.

"Let's get her out of here!" Tifa exclaims as Cloud gently picked Aerith up, the group letting him through first.

They knew that time was of the essence if Aerith was going to survive.

"Come on, stay with us for just a bit longer," Cloud says softly to the cetra as he ran out of the altar, nearly knocking Vincent over as he did.

"What's happening?" Vincent asks as he followed Cloud and the others through the forgotten city.

"We need to get her to a doctor. She'll die if we don't." Cloud says, not breaking his stride to look at him.

The group made it back to the plane turned boat in record time, Cid having to take a double take when he saw Aerith. He didn't even need to be told what happened to know that it wasn't good and that she needed medical attention, and he immediately took his spot in the captain's chair.

"Here, lay her on her front," Tifa says to Cloud, who nodded and put Aerith down, turning her over onto her front.

"Cid, do you have towels here?" Tifa asks, looking around the bare cabin to try and find anything that can stop the bleeding.

"Check under that very first seat. It opens as another storage compartment."

Tifa nodded as she followed his instructions while Cid began taking off, bringing them away from the city. Tifa opened the seat and felt relieved once she saw towels in the compartment and grabbed one of them, immediately starting to apply pressure to the stab wound.

"Cid, bring us to Corel. Doctor Sheiran will fix her up."

"Christ, Tifa. Is she even gonna make it that far?" Barret asks as he saw the blood soaking through the white towel.

"If I was able to make it, she will too."

"She has to," Cloud says, "he's the closest doctor that we know of," he adds, not taking his blue eyes away from Aerith, who was beginning to grow pale from blood loss.

"Come on Aerith, stay with us," Tifa begs, applying more pressure to the wound and earning a small groan from the cetra.

"You're going to be okay," Cloud says gently, more in reassurance to himself than anything. He desperately wanted her to survive and if she died, he would never be able to forgive himself. He couldn't let her die, not after everything she had been through. Not before he could finally tell her how he felt.

Everyone's panicked voices became muffled to cloud as he zoned out and he wasn't sure how much time had passed like that before he finally snapped out of it and could hear Cid more clearly.

"We're just a few minutes out. How's she doing?"

"She's not doing so hot, so step on it, would ya?" Yuffie asks, fighting to keep from vomiting, not wanting any attention taken away from Aerith.

The final few minutes felt like hours and Cloud didn't even wait for Cid to come to a complete stop before picking Aerith up and standing. Aerith groaned slightly at the movement, letting her head fall against Cloud's shoulder as they exited.

"I'll stay with Cid, and we will work to fix the plane. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Vincent says to Tifa, who nodded as she took up the rear while Barret jogged to catch up with Cloud.

The group tried their best to ignore the looks they were getting from all the towns people.

"Jesus, Barret, you don't stop do you? Did ya kill her?" A man asks with a sneer as he looked at the girl in Cloud's arms and then back at Barret.

"No, she's a friend. I'd never hurt her."

"And so were we."

Barret was about to say something when Cloud stepped forward, quite frankly having no time or patience for any arguing.

"We need Doctor Sheiran. Move or I'll make you."

The man said nothing as he stepped to the side and let the group through, deciding not to challenge Cloud's threat. The merc glared at him as they walked by; if looks could kill, this man would already be on the ground and Cloud's look was almost daring him to say something else. Yuffie was the last to walk by and in typical Yuffie fashion just simply stuck her tongue out at the man.

"Come on, this way," Tifa says, nodding towards Doctor Sheiran's clinic and leading them inside.

"What in the world happened here?" The older man asks as he got up from the desk and quickly approached.

"Sephiroth happened, she needs help."

"Come with me," the doctor ordered, bringing them to a curtained off area and Cloud set her on the bed, gently turning her onto her stomach so the doctor could assess the damage.

"Alright, I need to see what I am working with here. Please wait outside in the waiting area."

Cloud stood back and crossed his arms as everyone else cleared out of the room, not wanting to leave Aerith. Tifa was the last to leave but took her hand and grabbed Cloud to force him out of the room.

"She's in good hands, alright? She'll be fine," she reassures him, forcing him out of the room with her.

Cloud brushed Tifa's hand off him, needing to get some air. He wanted to believe that Aerith would live, but after seeing all the blood she had already lost, looking at his hands and arms covered in her blood, he wasn't so sure. Cloud was feeling a wide range of emotions as he stared at his bloody hands, clenching them into fists. He mostly felt anger. He was angry at himself for letting Sephiroth control him, and he was angry that he had been so out of it when they fell into the forest together, that he couldn't stop her. Had he come around in time, he could have gone with her. He could have kept her safe.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Tifa come out to see if he was okay.

"Do you want to talk?"

"Not really," he scoffs, finally unclenching his bloodied hands and crossing his arms, leaning against the wall.

"It's not your fault you know,"

"I didn't say it was."

Tifa sighed, "no, but I know you and I know that you're beating yourself up over it."

Cloud didn't respond but his silence was enough for Tifa to go on. Tifa just stared at him and frowned.

"You love her, don't you?" She asks and had they been in any other situation, she'd have teased him and wouldn't let him avoid talking about it.

"What makes you say that?"

Tifa rolled her eyes, "Don't act all tough on me. I see the way you look at her and I saw the way you were holding her and staring at her on the way here. Don't even try saying that you'd do the same with me or Yuffie. With Aerith it's different. You should tell her."

"I will if she lives."

"She's going to. Aerith is strong and she's with the same doctor that spent all night fixing me up. She'll pull through," she says, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving a reassuring squeeze before going back inside.

Cloud stayed outside for a good while until he saw the sun beginning to set on the horizon and decided to head back inside the clinic, frowning when he saw that Doctor Sheiran was nowhere to be found, an indicator that he was still working on Aerith. Cloud just sighed and took a seat on the floor.

All they could do was wait.

A/N: Let me know what y'all think!