A/N: As I was planning this chapter, I realized I gave myself quite the challenge in Cloud's Mindscape with that drastic change. I guess over the years I had forgotten the exact conversations between Cloud and Tifa. Hopefully I can do this bit justice. Here's the newest chapter in a LONG time. Enjoy!
Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance
Chapter 12 – Dive
Yuffie gradually faded back into consciousness. For a moment, she thought she might have been blind. Inky blackness pressed in from all sides, but when she moved her hand near her face, she could make out a faint outline of her hand. She tried to sit up but found she wasn't exactly lying down. She felt strange, as if she were floating and falling at the same time, but whatever 'down' was, she couldn't tell. For all she knew, she could have been drifting sideways. Disoriented, the girl flailed about wildly in a panic. Then she finally remembered what had recently happened.
'I'm… I'm in Lifestream…' she realized. '…Am I dead?'
A cold silence replied. The young ninja continued to float aimlessly. In that dark place, the girl could feel her grasp on reality slipping as she was deprived of her senses. She recalled grabbing onto Cloud as they sank, but there was no one near her anymore, or at least no one that she could feel within arm's reach.
'Cloud… where are you?'
She felt loneliness set in and soon became lost in her own thoughts.
'The Planet is gonna be destroyed… all because of me… I couldn't even get Cloud to safety…'
In the darkness, she could see Wutai engulfed by tidal waves, the awe-inspiring form of the Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods crumbling under rampaging waters, her own tiny house at the edge of the city being washed away. And all the people she once knew in Wutai would perish. The nice old man that treated to shaved ice whenever she was in town, the crabby old lady who complained about how she should settle down and find a good husband, the bratty little kids that tried to force her into games of hide and seek, all of them would die. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out what she was imagining.
'I'm such a failure…'
And so she wallowed in her own pity for some unquantifiable amount of time.
'Is this what death is like?' She finally wondered.
She could feel her worries slipping away as she realized this was probably the end of the line. In a way, it was comforting. For a moment, she was even able to forget about Meteor. It was cowardly, sure, but what did she have to worry about in the world of the living if she was already dead?
"Murderer…"
Yuffie's eyes snapped open once again as she swiveled her head uselessly in an attempt to figure out where the voice came from. It was a deep, male voice, a bit raspy with a hint of a Midgarian accent. It seemed familiar to her, but she could not place it.
"Who's there?!" She demanded instead.
Unsurprisingly, there was no reply. However, then another voice joined in. This time it was higher pitched, a young woman's voice.
"You've killed so many for your own greed, why would you care about the Planet?"
Then another.
"Worried that your friends will die? How selfish…"
And another.
"What about the friends and family of those you left to die?"
"What about the people you condemned by inciting panic with Meteor?"
The words became jumbled as more and more faceless entities tried to voice their accusations. In the end, there was one word that rang clear through all the commotion.
"Selfish…"
"Selfish…"
"Selfish…"
"SHUT UP!" Yuffie screamed desperately clutching at her head.
The girl let out a small grunt as she felt herself land on something. It felt cold like stone. Immediately, she sprang to her feet looking around blindly into the darkness. She spun defensively trying to see something, anything.
"Show yourself dammit!" She cried out angrily.
Yuffie whirled, feeling a presence behind her. Despite the pressing darkness, her honed senses screamed that there was something standing just beyond her reach. With a wild cry, she charged forward, lashing out with her fist at her perceived enemy.
She hit nothing but empty space.
"I begged you… that Materia was my only defense… I begged you and you left me to die…"
"I…" Yuffie faltered.
The presences seemed to multiply until she was surrounded.
"I was just trying to make a living…" another voice now said. "Why was your dying country more important than my livelihood? My family?"
"I didn't…" Yuffie looked around desperately, unsure what to do as whatever was around her pressed inwards.
"Yuffie…"
The young girl froze, eyes widening as she recognized the more recent voice.
"M-Mom…?" She stammered in shock.
"You disappoint me."
"No… NO!" Yuffie cried as tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. "It wasn't my fault! I… I didn't want to…"
She collapsed to her knees, sobbing. She was so distraught that she didn't notice herself sinking further downwards into the endless sea of black.
…
"Teef? Tifa!"
The young woman jolted as a hand grabbed her shoulder and shook her slightly. Blinking in confusion, she stared up into the concerned face of Barret.
"How're you doin'?" He asked tentatively.
Tifa stared down at her lap where the mangled remains of Vincent's prosthetic arm lay. Earlier they had gathered up what they could from the clearing where Vincent had likely fought Sephiroth. His pistol was unsalvageable, but Cid mentioned he might be able to fix the arm if he had some time to tinker with it. That was, assuming they found him. His scent had ended nearby Lifestream so there was a good chance he had also fallen in. Now the team sat by the remains of Mideel, trying to decide what to do next.
"No body, no death," Barret tried again.
Tifa frowned briefly at this before nodding reluctantly.
"Yeah…" she mumbled.
"He's a tough bastard. We'll find him."
The woman nodded again before falling silent. It was at that time Cid came over with a disturbed look on his face.
"The doc and his assistant were kind enough to patch us up," the pilot said gruffly. "You might wanna go get your ribs and that head wound looked at, Tifa."
Tifa nodded again before struggling to stand. When it was apparent she wasn't able to, Barret and Cid helped her to her feet and guided her over to Dr. Wastryn. The good doctor had spent the last few minutes looking over the townsfolk, treating any injuries they had obtained while evacuating. Fortunately, Mideel had been ready for such a scenario and had performed mock evacuations in the past. Most of the people had simply scrapes and bruises and were chatting amongst themselves, discussing plans on rebuilding and requesting aid from various governments. Wastryn gave Tifa a brief checkup before channeling a Cure 3. The magic swirled around her head and torso momentarily before sinking into her body. The fighter sighed in relief as the aching in her sides lessened and the dizziness in her head faded.
"Thanks," she told the man.
Wastryn merely nodded as he sipped on an ether. She returned to where Cid was standing near the edge of Lifestream. At a motion from Cid, the remaining members of AVALANCHE regrouped once again before he addressed them. He took a breath before speaking, all the while looking tense and restless.
"Can we still do this?" He asked solemnly.
No one replied. The old pilot continued.
"We're down four people now, I'm not sure the five of us can take on Sephiroth and Jenova by ourselves," Cid sighed. "Every person on this team is formidable in their own right, but like Vincent said, something about Cloud made Sephiroth nervous enough for him to try to permanently remove Cloud from this mission."
"And Shinra still hasn't figured out a way past that barrier surrounding North Crater either," Cait Sith added softly.
"So, what do we do?" He asked the others.
They were silent for a while. With such a finite deadline hanging above their heads, it was hard to justify not acting.
"It's a fool's mission if we try to get to North Crater without a plan," Barret admitted in defeat.
"I agree," Nanaki said quietly. "We don't know how much strength Sephiroth is drawing from Lifestream, but it's highly likely it exceeds what we can deal with as we are now."
"I'll keep my ears out for anything from Shinra, but they're as stumped as we are at the moment," Cait Sith reported. "Their only goal now seems to be retrieving the Huge Materia, but we already prevented them from getting two of them, which helps us but hinders them. That in itself has its own downsides. We're no closer to a solution because of it."
Cid turned to Tifa. The woman sighed as she fiddled with Vincent's prosthetic.
"I think we should wait and see if they reappear," she offered.
The old pilot let out a frustrated sigh.
"But for how long, Tifa?" He countered. "No one's ever taken a dip in Lifestream before. It might take years for them to reappear!"
Tifa fidgeted nervously.
"I know but… please, just… just an hour?" She asked hesitantly.
Cid ran a hand across his face before turning to the others.
"Well?"
The others made rather noncommittal noises. No one really knew what to do at this point anyway, waiting seemed as good an idea as any. Cid turned back to Tifa.
"We'll wait for them for now, I suppose," he sighed. "But if they don't return, we may very well have to go it without them."
Tifa nodded before sitting down by a tree near the edge of Lifestream. The waves of luminescent liquid lapping at the ground were somehow calming in spite of their current situation. She kept her eyes focused on the shimmering surface and prayed.
"Please come back…"
…
Yuffie let out a light groan. Cracking her eyes open, she immediately shut them. A brilliant green glow filled the place she was in, causing her to wince at its brightness. Carefully, she blinked several times as her eyes adjusted to the light. She found herself on a small island floating through a world of green. Her body felt heavy, as if something was pushing down on her. Struggling slightly, she pushed herself to her feet. Looking to the left and right, she saw an endless stretch of space. The island appeared to be alone with no indication on how she arrived or how she could leave. As her eyes swept across the landscape again, she caught a glimpse of a familiar head of hair in the distance. Instinctually, she ran towards it.
"Cloud!" She called out in relief as she neared the man.
Then she stopped. Something seemed off about him. The vibrant yellow of his hair was muted. His skin was pale and for a moment, she could see through his arm to the ground below. In fact, his entire body appeared almost transparent. Swallowing hard, she reached out to the man. She jumped as her hands passed through the space where the image of his shoulder was.
"A-Are we dead?" She squeaked out nervously.
The man didn't reply. He appeared to be staring hard at the side of a house. Frowning, Yuffie approached the only window she could see, but when she peeked inside, there was nothing but blackness. She turned and looked questioningly at her friend, but Cloud continued to stare blankly at the house. With a huff, she looked back out into the island. She furrowed her brow when she realized there were two more copies of Cloud sitting equidistant to her current position. The three positions seemed to form a rough triangle.
"Multiple Clouds…?" The girl mumbled to herself.
Then as she made one final scan of her surroundings, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Tilting her head up and to the left, she let out another gasp. Far above her, floating in the sky, was another version of Cloud. This Cloud clutched his head, his eyes screwed up in pain. He kept shaking his head as if trying to deny some horrible truth. It wasn't hard to figure out that this was the real Cloud trying to sort through who he was.
"Then that means…" Yuffie glanced back at the house briefly before running off towards one of the other Clouds.
This one sat in front of a familiar road, the entrance to Nibelheim. Something about it was different than the town she visited though. The buildings seemed warmer and more inviting. The people standing about were cheerful and excited, clearly waiting on something by the way many of them were looking at the entrance to the town. They stood frozen in time, like a paused recording waiting to be resumed. She realized what, or rather who, they were waiting for.
"The story he told in Kalm…" the girl whispered to herself.
It was the key event that Sephiroth had shown him when he, Barret, and Tifa had run off looking for the General at North Crater. This was the event that started it all. She looked down at the Cloud sitting in front of the memory of Nibelheim.
"These are your fragmented memories, aren't they?" She asked quietly.
To her surprise, this Cloud nodded slowly without taking his eyes off of the frozen crowd.
"Will you… I dunno… become whole again if you figure it all out?" Yuffie asked tentatively pointing in the direction of his doppelgangers.
Cloud gave a small, half-hearted shrug. Seeing the man she admired look so helpless made her stomach clench. Mustering up her courage, she stepped closer.
"W-Well," she stammered. "You've got the benevolent and beautiful ninja Yuffie here to help guide you through! I'm an expert at piecing together memories, don'tcha know? We'll have this thing solved in no time!"
Yuffie waited for a response. She was beginning to feel ridiculous standing there when Cloud slowly stood. He gestured briefly for her to follow before walking into his memory of Nibelheim. Emboldened, Yuffie ran to follow him. However, she hesitated just at the edge of the floating island. Through the transparent image of the road to Nibelheim, she could see the infinite sea of green waiting below.
"Uh… this is safe, right?" She asked cautiously.
But Cloud wasn't responding. Taking a deep breath, she prodded the image carefully with a toe. It was deceptively solid so she put a bit of weight on her foot and took a step. Then another. It was a peculiar feeling, walking into a memory. Initially it was like walking into a cool mist. But with every step she took towards the town's entrance, the air became warmer. She began to smell the mountain air as a light breeze picked up along with the faint sound of birds chirping. Moments later, it was as if she was in Nibelheim again. No trace of that strange ghostly world remained as excited chatter filled the air.
"Mommy!" One little boy cried out. "Look! It's General Sephiroth!"
Yuffie spun quickly and found her face to face with the silver-haired man himself. With a squeak, she stumbled backwards landing hard in the dirt. She sat there staring up at the man that had summoned Meteor, too stunned to move. Then she realized the man was staring out into Nibelheim as if she didn't exist at all. She let out a fresh yelp when he walked forward and passed straight through her. Then, he turned and spoke.
"So? How does it feel?"
Yuffie blinked and looked back outside Nibelheim once more. Now two uniformed soldiers and a third carrying a familiar sword on his back stepped into view. However, the face of the wielder of the iconic Buster Sword was blurred out, as if someone had torn a hole in the landscape. She could see a murky green landscape through that tear.
"This is your first time back in your hometown in a long time, right?"
Yuffie turned again to watch Sephiroth. Feeling better now that she wasn't in any immediate danger, she wandered closer to the imposing man. He seemed different somehow. His face was as emotionless as ever, but it seemed more determined rather than cold. His eyes had a surprising amount of life in them as they stared back at one of the three people he was traveling with.
"I wouldn't know. After all, I don't have a hometown…" he said.
The young ninja found herself intrigued by the memory. Sephiroth appeared almost wistful as he surveyed the old town. It was a far cry from the homicidal maniac they were now hunting.
"What about your parents?"
Yuffie turned quickly back to the three soldiers, but she was too late to catch who was speaking. However, there was no mistaking the speaker. Cloud appeared to be there, even if the real Sephiroth had tried to convince Cloud that he wasn't. She squinted hard at the blurred figure, but couldn't make out any distinguishing features.
"My mother's name was Jenova," Memory Sephiroth was now speaking again. "She… died… after she gave birth to me."
The girl frowned as the General's words struck up a more personal memory. The echoes of the voices in the darkness floated through her ears for just a moment. She shook her head stubbornly and tried to focus on the scene.
"My father…"
There was a flash of genuine hatred before Sephiroth gave a cold chuckle. That turned into a bitter, full blown laugh for a brief moment. Yuffie shuddered at the sound. Then the man shook his head, his face returning to a stoic mask.
"What does it matter? Let's move out, mission commences at 0800," the General said as he strode towards the inn while completely ignoring the townsfolk staring at him.
Yuffie caught a glimpse of a young Tifa wearing a cowboy hat as the crowd slowly dispersed. The girl appeared to be looking for someone, but when she couldn't find the person, her shoulders slumped and she walked off dejectedly. There were footsteps behind her and she turned to find that the blurry figure had been replaced by Cloud. The blonde stood there staring at her expectantly, the other two soldiers by his side frozen in time.
"No…" Yuffie said carefully as she shook her head. "Tifa didn't recall seeing you. She looked for you, but didn't find you. We'll figure you out and after we get out of here, then you two can talk."
Cloud became transparent once again as he separated from the blurred figure. He looked helpless and lost again.
"I believe you were there, Cloud," Yuffie said gently. "You need to convince yourself of that, though."
The man nodded before a flash of light engulfed the two. Blinking the stars out of her eyes, Yuffie looked around to see that they were back in the desolate little island floating through Lifestream. The Cloud she had been following was now seated in front of the memory again, looking defeated. Yuffie let out a small sigh.
"Look, Cloud," she said to get his attention. "Memories are weird. I can't remember what I had for breakfast the other day, but I remember the first time I beat Shake in a spar like it was yesterday."
She gestured out at the two other Clouds sitting in the distance.
"Your memory is fragmented. You doubt yourself. I get it," she said decisively. "But these might just be the most prominent memories you have of the past. So please, let's keep going?"
Cloud didn't move.
"Tell you what, why don't we backtrack a bit," Yuffie suggested. "Whenever I lost something, I was always told to retrace my steps and then I'd find what I was looking for."
All she got back was a blank stare, but somehow it made her feel incredibly silly.
"I-I know! It's a stupid metaphor," the girl stammered flushing red. "What I mean is Nibelheim was obviously the last big thing before… whatever happened after. That means those two memories might give us more on how you got to Nibelheim again."
She felt a surge of confidence when she found the Cloud she was standing next to looking up at her. She let out a sheepish chuckle.
"It's all I got, Cloud," she sighed. "Like I said, I believe you're real, but we gotta convince you of that first."
The transparent Cloud lowered his head shamefully in a solemn nod. Bolstered by this cooperation, Yuffie nodded, mostly for her own benefit.
"Now, from what Tifa told us of you, you were just a normal country boy. What made you want to leave and join such a crazy super soldier program like SOLDIER?"
The man looked back at her despondently. For a moment, Yuffie thought he would just keep staring and never respond. Then, he turned his head towards another section of the tiny island. It looked like it led to the large standing well they had seen in Nibelheim when they passed through so many weeks ago. The girl nodded.
"See, the Magnificent Yuffie won't fail you in this!"
She ran towards the second of the three Clouds sitting on the island. As she grew closer, the space around the well darkened and the sky turned a dark purple. Pinpricks of light appeared as she approached another ghostly Cloud. This one was staring forlornly at the well.
"Well… shall we?" Yuffie said in a faux chipper voice.
Shrugging his shoulders in a defeated manner, this version of Cloud stood and led her into the next memory. Just like before, the air changed with every step, becoming cooler as the night of the memory set in. Yuffie gasped in wonder at the brilliance of the stars above. Each individual pinprick of light gleamed on a backdrop of black velvet. Even in Wutai, she had never seen a night sky as clearly as she did now.
"We gotta go back to Nibelheim to see this," she whispered to herself.
Then she caught sight a young boy with blond hair sitting alone at the well in the center of the town.
"Is… is this from when you were young?" Yuffie gasped. "You were so small!"
The transparent Cloud next to her gave her a half-hearted glare. Nevertheless, the girl blushed and suppressed the urge to try to hug the memory of Young Cloud. He looked nervous as he glanced around the sleepy town, clearly waiting for someone.
"Hey!" A soft voice called out. "Sorry I'm late."
Yuffie smiled as she caught sight of a young Tifa peeking her head around the well.
"It's been hard to sneak out on my own lately," the girl sighed as she sat down. "My dad's been a bit overprotective since… well…"
The young Cloud didn't say anything, but he turned his face away in shame. Yuffie frowned at this.
"Did something happen?" She asked.
Naturally, the older Cloud didn't respond. He only continued to stare at the scene.
"Er… You wanted to talk to me about something?" Young Tifa asked tentatively.
This seemed to jolt the boy out of his thoughts. He nodded slightly and spoke in a wavering voice.
"This Spring… I'm going to leave for Midgar," Cloud said hesitantly.
Tifa looked saddened by this news.
"So many of the other boys have recently been leaving as well, it's going to be quiet without any of you around," the girl whispered. "Is Nibelheim really that bad a place to live and work?"
The boy shook his head stubbornly.
"I'm different, though. I'm not looking for a job," he said as he stood. "I'm going to join SOLDIER. I'll rise up and be just like Sephiroth!"
The boy thumped a fist on his chest and looked proud about his declaration. The young Tifa looked at the boy curiously.
"Sephiroth? The Great General Sephiroth?" She asked for clarification.
Cloud nodded as he climbed on top of the well and stared up at the stars.
"He really was popular all those years ago, wasn't he?" Yuffie asked quietly.
The older Cloud shrugged. Yuffie continued to watch, wondering where this memory was going.
"I see…" Tifa said softly. "That sounds difficult…"
The boy let out a sigh.
"Yeah. I'll probably be gone for a long time," he admitted.
Tifa gave watery laugh followed by a quiet sniffle.
"You alright?" Cloud asked as he heard her anyway.
"Yeah," the girl replied quickly. "It's just a little cold out here."
The two fell into a comfortable silence as they both stared up at the stars.
"Hey, Cloud?" Tifa finally asked.
The boy made a noise indicating he was listening.
"If you become famous like Sephiroth… will you be in the papers?"
"I suppose?" Cloud replied. "Maybe if there's a big conflict or something."
"I see…" Tifa mumbled.
Cloud looked over at the girl
"Let's make a promise then," the girl said out of the blue.
"Huh?" came the intelligent response.
Tifa giggled slightly at his cluelessness. Yuffie rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"If you become famous and I'm in a pinch… you'll come save me, okay?" She asked tentatively.
Young Cloud stared down in confusion at the girl from his place on top of the well.
"What? Why?" He asked in confusion.
"It's just like the storybooks, right? If I'm ever in trouble, a hero will come to my rescue," Tifa explained. "I want to know what that's like."
"You… You're kidding, right?" Cloud asked with an odd expression on his face.
"Please?" The girl cajoled.
Yuffie could see in the girl's eyes that she was trying desperately to hold onto one of the few remaining parts of her childhood. She bit her lip as she watched the girl trying to pretend it was a whimsical request. It was a bit sad to know that it would be many years before the two met again. Tifa had once confided in her and Aerith that she had been overjoyed to see Cloud join AVALANCHE, even if it was just for a small mission. Her supposedly casual request that ended up being a promise of a reunion with Cloud had been a well known story among the team for a while. But seeing this memory now Yuffie finally understood how scared of being left behind Tifa really was when she was younger.
"Alright… I promise," Cloud finally answered.
The two children gradually faded from view, leaving Yuffie and the older Cloud. He turned to her expectantly. Yuffie furrowed her brow as she went over the memory in her head.
"So you made a promise to become a SOLDIER and… to rescue Tifa in her time of need?" Yuffie muttered. "I suppose you liked her, didn't you?"
The transparent Cloud ducked his head in embarrassment. Yuffie pointedly ignored a small twinge of jealousy and pushed onwards.
"But why? It's a bit strange to just say you wanted to be a SOLDIER out of the blue, even if it was to impress a girl you liked. I've heard that program is notoriously hard and insanely dangerous. It just seems a bit, well, extreme," she continued.
The transparent Cloud let out an inaudible sigh and the scenery faded back to Lifestream. He sat back down in front of the memory.
"So… I just made it all up based on the stories I heard from Shinra and Tifa?" He asked quietly.
"No!" Yuffie protested vehemently. "Yes these two memories seem like well known events, but that doesn't mean the memories are made up!"
Yuffie backtracked quickly.
"Everything happens for a reason, right? What else can you remember? Why did you make that promise? Why were you so keen on joining SOLDIER?"
Cloud turned away, and didn't respond further. He seemed to have latched onto his own conclusion and refused to talk anymore.
"Please, Cloud," Yuffie begged. "There must be something you can remember? Please, let me help you."
"It was a stupid, childish desire."
Yuffie jumped and turned. Suddenly, the child version of Cloud was standing several paces away. He stared pityingly at the transparent figure sitting in front of the memory.
"I wanted her to notice me, just like you said," the child said with a shrug before turning away. "Thinking back on it, everything really did stem from Tifa."
It was jarring, seeing a young boy speak in such a mature fashion.
"Who… are you exactly?" Yuffie asked hesitantly.
The boy glanced at her.
"I guess you can think of me as a part of Cloud that was locked away when Sephiroth and Jenova started messing with my mind," he replied. "I'm the part that once believed I was who I thought I was."
He gestured to his height.
"Pretty pathetic, right? I'm barely a kid," he sighed. "After the Temple of the Ancients, those two somehow blocked me out, stopped me from keeping Cloud together."
He pointed up at the main body of Cloud still struggling with his memories.
"I should thank you for making an effort. I wouldn't be able to do this on my own," he sighed. "Not when he doesn't trust me… when he doesn't trust himself."
Young Cloud gestured for Yuffie to follow. They two of them began the short walk over to the final transparent Cloud sitting on the island. It was the one Yuffie had originally landed by, the one with blacked out windows.
"I remember Tifa, even if she didn't remember me all that much. She was always so friendly, so sociable," the boy said as he walked. "And I… well… I wasn't."
They stopped in front of the two story house and the young Cloud turned to the ninja.
"I guess… I just wanted her to notice me," he admitted sheepishly. "I wanted to be different from the other kids that she hung out with. And in the end…"
He gestured at the house.
"My deepest regret was locked away here. Please, will you watch?" He asked.
Yuffie nodded.
"Of course! I'm with you for the long haul, kiddo," she said with a tiny grin.
The boy nodded and they both peeked in through the once darkened window. This time, Yuffie found herself staring at an even younger Tifa. The girl was crying in her room and several other children were making half-hearted attempts to cheer her up.
"Her mother had just died and she secluded herself in her room," Cloud now explained. "I tried to visit. I thought maybe I could cheer her up somehow. I never got past the front door."
Yuffie felt an uncomfortable yet familiar tightening in her chest upon hearing this. Before this, she only had a vague idea what happened to Tifa's parents.
"She stayed like that for a few days, many of her friends stopped trying to talk to her since she wouldn't respond," the boy continued.
The scene transitioned and Yuffie could see Tifa running out of town accompanied by a few other kids.
"I found out later from one of the boys that Tifa had decided to climb Mt. Nibel," the blonde shook his head. "He said something about her wanting to find her mom past the mountain."
Yuffie gasped at this. The boy shook his head.
"I don't think she was suicidal. We were kids in a tiny mountain town. She genuinely thought the afterlife was somewhere past the mountain," Young Cloud corrected.
"Oh…" Yuffie sighed in relief.
Yuffie watched as the memory of Young Cloud ran quickly up the mountain path. In the distance, the figures of several children stopped at a familiar old rope bridge. The girl in the light blue sundress continued across while the other children balked at the bridge, turned tail, and ran. Memory Cloud pushed past them and went to catch up with Tifa, who had stubbornly run off into the mountains. The boy was halfway across the bridge when he heard a sharp scream.
"Tifa!" The young Cloud shouted as he quickly traversed the remainder of the bridge.
Just around the corner past the bridge, he found Tifa hanging onto the edge of the path. The girl had apparently slipped on gravel and tumbled over the edge. The boy rushed over and tried to drag her back to safety.
"Help!" Tifa cried as she dangled about fifty feet above the ground below.
But try as he might, the young boy simply wasn't strong enough to pull the panicking girl up. Her fingers gave out and she became dead weight in the boy's weakening grip. Moments later and, with a heart-stopping scream, both children fell to the valley floor below. At this point, Cloud's memory blurred and Young Cloud took over narrating once again.
"They found us a while later once the children told the adults where Tifa had gone," he said quietly.
Yuffie watched as a bloodied Tifa was quickly rushed off to the doctor. Another man, she assumed to be Tifa's father, whirled on the young boy.
"What the hell were you thinking, bringing Tifa to a place like this?!" He screamed at the traumatized and injured kid. "You stay the hell away from my daughter!"
Yuffie could feel her hands tighten at the unfounded accusations. Young Cloud patted her hand lightly.
"It's only a memory," the boy said.
"Still…" the girl mumbled.
Young Cloud sighed and continued.
"Tifa was in a coma for a week after the fall. The doctor said she flat-lined twice when he was treating her. Everyone thought she wouldn't make it," the boy sighed. "I blamed myself. After all, if I had been a bit stronger, maybe things would've been different."
The kid rubbed the back of his head in a manner Yuffie was familiar with in his older counterpart.
"Everyone blamed me. I thought Tifa hated me after that. That's when I heard about Sephiroth and SOLDIER…"
The scenery faded once more back to Lifestream. Yuffie rubbed moist eyes quickly and turned back to the boy.
"Hold on, these memories are way too much for a 'clone' to just pick up after being told he was someone. Especially those childhood memories, Tifa definitely wouldn't have been able to tell you all of that. Doesn't that mean you're real?" The girl reasoned.
The boy shrugged.
"Then why do I remember Nibelheim so vividly if I wasn't there?" He countered.
"It all comes back to Nibelheim, doesn't it…" Yuffie mused as she started pacing.
Then she quickly turned back to the boy.
"Wait! Tifa mentioned a name! I swear she did!"
The ninja continued to pace.
"Think, dammit! Think!" She kept muttering. "Something Far or Fair or something…"
The boy froze, wide-eyed.
"Za…ck?" He said quietly.
Yuffie spun around once more.
"That's it! Zack Fair! Did you know h – "
The boy let out a scream as he fell to his knees. The image of the young Cloud flicked momentarily before the older Cloud faded into view.
"Cloud! What – ?"
But the man wasn't listening. Eyes staring feverishly out towards the first memory they viewed he got onto shaking legs. Then he bolted for the memory.
"H-Hey! Wait up!" Yuffie shouted as she chased after him.
They burst back into the memory of five years ago. The town was empty, the destination Cloud had in mind apparently did not involve the town at all. It was merely a familiar path for him to utilize as he continued on towards the Nibel Reactor. They entered a room filled with tanks and a staircase leading up to a familiar room. After Vincent and Tifa had fallen from the rope bridge when they were passing through Mt. Nibel, they had passed the old reactor on their way out of the mountains. During that time, Cloud had recalled the horrific experiments maintained by Shinra at this isolated reactor and wondered if any of the monstrosities they were fighting in the mountains were related. Yuffie knew the tanks she saw contained test subjects horrifically mutated by Mako and that the room ahead led to the chamber where Hojo had kept Jenova. She shuddered as shook off the memory of that story.
"Cloud!" The girl shouted as she caught up to him. "What happened? Why are we here?"
The singing swish of a blade caused Yuffie to look up. She watched as Sephiroth's blade cut through Tifa, sending up a spray of blood.
"Tifa!" She gasped, momentarily forgetting it was a memory.
The young woman tumbled down the stairs leaving a messy trail of blood after her. The General stared down at the woman momentarily. Yuffie shuddered as she realized his entire presence had changed since he first entered Nibelheim. Then he turned and strode off into another room. Yuffie ran over but naturally her hands passed straight through the injured woman. The sound of footsteps caused her to turn in time to see a black-haired man rush into the scene. His steely blue eyes glinted in anger as he took in the scene.
"Is that…" Yuffie started.
"Zack…" Cloud finished in an almost reverent tone. "How… how did I forget…"
But the scene was already moving forward. Zack charged forward, past the injured Tifa, and into the chamber ahead to confront Sephiroth. Seconds later there was a shout of pain as Zack was sent hurtling through the air. Bleeding heavily from multiple cuts, he slammed into a pipe, denting it. The black-haired SOLDIER groaned as he struggled to move.
"If Zack was taken out… where were you?" Yuffie wondered. "The news originally said Sephiroth didn't survive Nibelheim."
Cloud hesitated, eyes screwed up in concentration.
"I was… I was…"
The scene blurred momentarily before a helmeted MP rushed into the scene, grabbed Zack's Buster Sword, and continued up the stairs.
"I was there… I saw it all…" Cloud realized as the memory became clearer.
The two rushed up the stairs into the chamber and found the MP standing before Sephiroth, the Buster Sword embedded within the General's stomach. The man's teal-green eyes were widened in shock and pain as his lifeblood pooled beneath him.
"Mom… Tifa… Give them back," the man choked out. "I… I looked up to you…"
With a vicious twist, the MP withdrew the blade, allowing the silver-haired to slide to the floor, leaving behind a messy smear against the console he had been standing at. The helmeted man stepped away.
"Then, this is…" Yuffie gasped.
The man removed his helmet to reveal Cloud's face, screwed up in anguish and tears freely flowing. The Cloud standing next to Yuffie gave a shuddering breath.
"I… I never made it into SOLDIER," he explained slowly. "I was just a standard infantry escort sent along with Zack and Sephiroth."
Cloud ran a hand wearily across his face.
"I was so ashamed that I didn't make it, I couldn't bear to show my face around town, not after all the bragging I had done when I was younger."
Yuffie shook her head.
"But, in the end, you fulfilled your promise, didn't you? You showed up to save Tifa," the girl said as she pointed to the memory.
The uniformed Cloud was now healing Tifa to the best of his abilities, having moved her off the stairs. Being a normal soldier, he didn't have the same immense magic reserves as the Mako-infused SOLDIERs so he could only stop the bleeding. The girl remained unconscious, which explained why she never clearly recalled Cloud during the Nibelheim attack. But while he was working, a heavily injured Sephiroth had staggered out of the chamber, carrying with him the severed head of Jenova. Cloud tensed, but the General didn't notice him as he stumbled away from the Mako tanks. The silver-haired man was a mess, blood flowing freely from his mouth and wounds. It spattered against the floor in an uneven trail as he left the room.
"C-Cloud…" Zack wheezed out suddenly.
The man jumped and ran over to his friend and teammate.
"Stop him…" the man whispered. "Kill Sephiroth before… before he hurts… anyone else…"
Cloud nodded and ran off after Sephiroth. The two bystanders followed suit.
"Sephiroth!" Memory Cloud shouted as he charged the dying man.
With a scowl, Sephiroth turned with an impossible amount of speed and ran Cloud through with the Masamune. The young man gasped in pain as he dropped the Buster Sword with a heavy clang.
"Don't… push… your… luck…" the General growled between labored breaths.
Yuffie watched in horror as Cloud let out a guttural roar and grabbed the blade of the massive sword. Uncaring for his freely bleeding hands, the so-called simple infantry threw the famous General into the far wall. Stunned, Sephiroth could do little but fall down into the Lifestream far below. Memory Cloud collapsed to his knees before passing out. The memory faded and Yuffie found herself standing in the center of the island in Lifestream.
"So… that's who I am," Cloud said slowly. "A boy who wanted so desperately to be strong that when he failed he took the memories of his best friend and made them his own…"
Yuffie shook her head.
"No," she rejected his description. "I see a man who, despite all the challenges he faced, still managed to overcome Sephiroth and protect those you cared about."
Cloud stared at her incredulously.
"I remember now, Yuffie," he said grimly. "Zack and I… After Sephiroth was declared dead, Hojo took us to try to clone Sephiroth. I was so drugged up that I didn't know what was going on, but Zack… He got us both out of there… He gave his life for me! And I stole his memories!"
Yuffie stomped a foot against the ground in anger.
"If that bothers you so much, then get yourself back together and stop Sephiroth already!" She shouted. "Stop hesitating and do it!"
Cloud stared at her in surprise, as if he didn't quite understand her frustration.
"Don't you see?" She continued. "Even now, you overcame the mental blocks that made you doubt who you were. There's nothing stopping you from fighting back anymore! The man I like wouldn't just keep standing around! He'd do something about it!"
The blonde stared in awe at her well-justified grievances. He sighed as he rubbed his temples, his head aching as years of memories reoriented themselves, separating 'Zack' from 'Cloud'. It was hard to deny it, but his mind really did feel much clearer now that he had figured out what part he had made up. Then, he paused.
"Wait, what did you just say?" He asked looking at the girl curiously.
The still-furious girl glared back momentarily before the blood drained out of her face.
"N-Nothing!" She frantically denied. "Grab your weird memory buddies and let's get out of here already!"
She pointed around at the various transparent Clouds still floating about the island. As if by command, the drifted back into the main body and faded from view. The man, however, continued to stare at the girl.
"You… like me?" He asked dully.
"NO!" The young ninja screamed as she punched him hard in the stomach, causing him to fall to his knees with a grunt.
Cloud staggered back to his feet and, with all the tact of a particularly dense wall, he continued talking.
"Wait… that letter back in Icicle Inn… was it – "
That was all he got before the young girl kicked him again, this time in the side.
"SHUT UP!" She screamed as she covered her face in shame.
Cloud gave a small grin before wisely turning away as the girl continued to glare daggers at him. The island faded beneath their feet and they began to float through Lifestream. He was healed and there was no need for the projection anymore. The man steeled himself as he prepared for what he now needed to do. With his memories finally sorted, he knew what Yuffie said was true. He needed to protect the planet from a monster that both Zack and Aerith had tried to stop. He wouldn't let their sacrifices go in vain. He knew he needed everyone's help to stop the madman, but despite all that, he vowed to give his own life if it meant stopping Sephiroth. With those thoughts in mind, he allowed himself to be pulled along through Lifestream.
…
"…cent…"
Vincent groaned as pain flared up throughout his body. His chest throbbed with a dull fire and his limbs felt like lead. He was light headed and short of breath, as if his lungs weren't getting enough oxygen. He immediately felt like passing out again. After all, Chaos would fix him up soon enough.
"Vincent… wake up, Vincent," the voice persisted.
He groaned again, this time in frustration. Whoever was calling him was being incredibly inconsiderate to his desire to sleep. He raised his right hand and rubbed at his face. A faint itching came from his left arm, distracting him even more. He moved to scratch it, but only met air. Crimson eyes snapped open as his fight with Sephiroth replayed quickly in his mind. He sat up looking around wildly, but the General was nowhere to be found. In fact, there was nothing but white light all around him. It was a strange feeling. The light was bright, yet he felt no need to squint or even close his eyes at the intensity. Nothing but endless white stretched on to the horizon in front of him.
Looking down at his left arm, he heaved a tired sigh. It was missing, as he now recalled, the intricate prosthetic sliced off just above his elbow. The neural sensors that allowed him to mimic human touch had been severed neatly, as had all of the connecting wires and framework. He hated to admit it, but he had grown accustomed to the abominable limb Hojo had given him. The scientist could've just as easily not given him anything, but in an attempt to disfigure his hated enemy, the scientist had actually done Vincent a favor for the most part. Vincent let out a sigh as he realized his phantom sensations were from the broken prosthetic. He rubbed his chest, realizing that the gaping wound from the Masamune was now a patch of pink scar tissue. His eyes widened as he realized someone had healed him.
"Awake now?"
He whirled around at the sudden voice. He promptly rubbed his eyes and blinked rapidly. The hauntingly familiar brunette in front of him giggled at his actions, her bright green eyes glinting in amusement. Vincent felt his breath catch again, and this time it wasn't from the aching pain in his chest.
"Aerith…"
…
"We've been floating for a while now…" Cloud said as he looked around. "Shouldn't we head… up… or something? How does one leave Lifestream anyway?"
Yuffie frowned as she looked around staring dully at the same monotonous green that was surely slowly driving her insane.
"No clue…" she mumbled.
The island of Cloud's subconscious had vanished from view seemingly hours ago and the pair had been simply floating through the bright green landscape ever since.
"Do you remember anything from when we first fell in?" The man asked as he strained his eyes to see anything remotely different on the horizon.
Yuffie frowned as certain words threatened to return.
"No…" she said slowly. "I don't remember anyth – "
They suddenly dropped. Their terror was short lived as they hit ground only a few feet below. With a grunt of frustration, Cloud pushed himself to his feet and helped Yuffie up. The girl dusted herself off instinctually even though they were still in Lifestream and likely not even in any physical form.
"Ugh… what was that?" The girl groaned as she looked around. "Where are we now? I thought we helped you already."
Cloud looked around as well. They appeared to be on a simple path made of smooth stones in the endlessness of Lifestream. Green light from the void below them filtered through the steps, casting an odd glow on their feet. Cloud tried to step off the path but found his foot wouldn't move past the edge.
"What… is this?" Cloud wondered aloud.
Yuffie shrugged uncertainly.
"Maybe we keep going?" She suggested as she began to walk.
Cloud followed her silently down the strange narrow road.
"Got any more deep psychological trauma you wanna talk about?" The girl quipped as the scenery remained unchanging.
Cloud thought hard, trying to decide if there was anything else Sephiroth might be able to use against him.
"I don't think so?" The blonde replied in confusion.
"Weird," Yuffie mumbled. "Where is this going anyway?"
As they walked, something shifted. It was gradual at first. The green of their surroundings dimmed and began to change.
"Yuffie…" Cloud said nervously.
"Hmm?" The girl replied in a slightly bored tone.
Then she noticed it, too. They were now standing in a garden of sorts. The stones they had been walking on now blended into a stone path of a well-kept, pebbled landscape leading off into the distance. A quick glance behind them revealed the glow of Lifestream somewhere in the distance. As they surveyed the area again, Yuffie suddenly paled.
"No…" she whispered.
Cloud turned his head momentarily in her direction.
"What was that?"
But the girl didn't reply as she suddenly took off down the path.
"Yuffie!" Cloud shouted in surprise.
He began to give chase, lagging behind as he realized just how fast the young ninja could be if she wanted to. Fortunately, the path was linear. The stones appeared to be leading towards a building of some sort. With a growl of annoyance, he tried to run faster. After a few minutes, he finally saw Yuffie stop in front of a large gate. He caught up to her quickly once she did.
"What… what was that all about, Yuffie?" The man panted out, winded.
Yuffie didn't reply. She continued to stare up at the doors, her lips parted slightly and her face white as a sheet. He looked up as well, but couldn't make heads or tails of it. It appeared to be a traditional wooden gate surrounded by a simple border of red-painted columns. There was some kind of symbol written on the door, but Cloud didn't recognize the language. He looked to the girl again but she didn't seem to have noticed him. Cloud was worried by this sudden change in behavior. He had never seen her look this scared before.
"Yuffie?" Cloud asked again. "What's going on? Where are we?"
As if surprised by his presence, she jumped slightly before turning wide eyes to him. Her mouth worked soundlessly for a while before she finally croaked out a few words.
"Cloud… go back…" she choked out.
He could see she was on the verge of tears.
"Why?" He asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"
"If you head back the way we came… you can probably find a way out of Lifestream…" the girl sniffed as she rubbed at her eyes.
"What?" The man sputtered in confusion. "Why? What's going on, Yuffie?"
The girl turned away from him, staring at the ground. Her thin shoulders trembled with emotion.
"I… I don't think I can go back with you…"
…
A/N: Like it? Hate it? Leave a review if you wanna complain about how much you didn't like Yuffie taking Tifa's place. I won't cry. Probably.
…
Omake 12:
"Please, just… just an hour?" Tifa asked.
Right as she said those words, Lifestream began to bubble. Cid's eyes widened as he realized what must be happening.
"Hey! Get over here! We might need help!" He called out to the others.
Tifa hovered at the edge of the lake, waiting on bated breath. Then, two figures crawled out of the glowing liquid. One of them seemed to be panicking quite a bit.
"Oh geez, Rick… what the hell was that? I think I saw my dead body floating in there!"
The other person was casually screwing the lid on a jar containing Lifestream. Once it was secure, he tucked it under an arm and took a healthy swig from a hip flask.
"Quit *urlp* moanin' Morty. It's not every day you get to swim through what amounts to a planet's *burp* cerebrospinal fluid. Think of it as a learning experience."
The smaller of the two was staring at the members of AVALANCHE in trepidation.
"Uh… I don't think we're alone here…" he said in a shaky voice.
The taller one glanced dismissively at them.
"Don't worry about them, they're harmless. The people SE7-P developed astral projection technology hundreds of years ago. There hasn't been a living being on the surface in millennia. They're all buried deep below ground. What you see here is the equivalent to a massive video game."
The old man then pulled out an odd device that had everyone else tensing up in suspicion. However, he didn't seem to notice or care. He pointed it at a tree and fired, opening up a strange green portal.
"Come on, Morty. Let's *uurrp* get out of here before the Overlords decide to change games. They're way past due for one. I mean, this game is like *buurp* older than I am."
The two left and the portal closed. No one spoke for the longest time.
"Huh," Dr. Wastryn finally said. "I didn't know Lifestream had such powerful hallucinogenic properties."