Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Search is Over ❯ His and Her Circumstances ( Chapter 3 )

Note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

Chapter 3: His and Her Circumstances

 

Cloud neared the newly remodeled Corel Village and marveled at the effort Barret put into rebuilding the once dilapidated town. In six months Barret was able to build new homes for the residents of Corel to live in, rather than their flimsy tents. He brought back coal mining to the desert town and hoped to attract businesses that wanted to monopolize on the steady popularity of Gold Saucer.

 

The first leg of his trip had been uneventful, but long having to cross the ocean from the Junon port. Now that he saw the revamped village, Cloud gained a new sense of accomplishment that raised his spirits. It illustrated how there really was life after Meteor and people could move on towards a better life. The sun was sinking lower along the horizon and he was ready to turn in for the evening to let Locus rest for another day of traveling.

 

He turned his attention to a quaint little house with flowers growing outside. He was about to knock when the door flung open suddenly and little Marlene ran up to Cloud and hugged his leg.

 

“Un'ca Cloud! Un'ca Cloud!” the little girl squealed with delight.

 

“Wow, Marlene, you've gotten so big! Pretty soon you'll be as big as Auntie Tifa, probably just as pretty,” Cloud joked.

 

“Yo Spike! Good ta see ya man!” Barret bellowed from down the hall as he greeted his old friend.

 

“Hey Barret, good to see you as well,” as Cloud shook the burly man's good hand.

 

“Tifa didn't come?”

“No, she had her karate classes to teach, but she sends her love. Oh, I almost forgot!” Cloud snapped his fingers as he reached into his pack to pull out a beautiful white frilly dress wrapped carefully in plastic for Marlene. “Auntie Tifa wanted you to have this. She thinks this dress will make you the cutest flower girl anyone has ever seen.”

 

The little girl's eyes beamed with joy and glee as she took the dress into her tiny hands. “Thank you Un'ca Cloud!” She said quickly before running down the hall with the dress in tow shouting, “Elmyra! Elmyra! Look what Un'ca Cloud and Auntie Tifa got me!”

 

Cloud and Barret smiled as they watched the bouncy girl take off down the hall.

 

“Usually I'd smack ya for tryin' to spoil my girl, but dis time I'll let ya go.”

 

“Come on, you probably spoil her to death when I'm not around. But how are things going?”

 

“Dey be goin' . . . life's been much easier since we dun' fixed ShinRa and dat bastard Sephiroth. How `bout you?”

 

“Same as ever I guess,” Cloud shrugged. “I'm still working in Kalm killing monsters around the border and cleaning up the Midgar Ruins. It doesn't pay much, but I can make do with it.”

 

“Nutin' happening `tween you an' Tifa yet?”

 

Cloud ran his hand through his hair when he heard the question. “No.”

 

“Well, just don' keep her waitin' or nutin' . . . . I mean, Cid finally caved and is gettin' wit Shera in a few weeks. I jus' wanna tell ya to go for it,” the burly man said as he patted Cloud on the back.

 

Their friendly conversation ended when the sound of Elmyra followed by Marlene echoed down the hall.

 

“Hello Cloud, hope things are well,” Elmyra smiled sweetly.

 

Cloud nervously said his hellos and let her escort him to the living room to get him a cup of tea. Ever since Aeris's death, he had felt partly responsible for taking away Elmyra's adopted daughter. Watching Elmyra work, he saw the many traits that the young flower girl had learned through observation.

 

He had been the one to break Aeris's death to Elmyra when they had returned from battling Sephiroth. He always feared that she held some resentment towards him for dragging her into his adventure. Elmyra was the one who told him to stay away from her to keep her safe, but neither he nor Aeris listened.

 

He sat silently as Elmyra returned with some tea and handed him a cup. Barret had taken Marlene up to bed to read her a bedtime story. Cloud fidgeted with the cup and saucer as he listened to his hostess drone on about the things she planned for Cid and Shera's wedding. He simply nodded his head acknowledging that he was listening to the woman.

 

“You know Cloud, I really think lilies would be better for the bouquet instead of roses. Aeris always thought lilies made a wonderful arrangement,” Elmyra said absent-mindedly.

 

Cloud stiffened at the mention of the dead girl's name. He tried to hide his nervousness, but the older woman sensed the discomfort in his actions.

 

“Cloud, I know you feel guilty for Aeris's death, but please believe me when I say I don't blame you,” Elmyra said trying to comfort the young man.

 

“I know you don't blame me, but I can't help but feel that if I never met her, she would still be alive today,” Cloud finally resigned.

 

“Don't think that Cloud! Even if you never met her, she would have eventually been captured by ShinRa and died. If you never met her, then there would have been no one to show her the world or to show her true friendship like you did.”

 

Cloud brightened up a bit as Elmyra made him see things in a different light, but there was still the guilt of being indirectly linked to Aeris's death, which still plagued him. “But I almost tried to kill her.”

 

“You didn't kill her Cloud or even almost kill her. I almost killed her,” Elmyra said sadly.

 

Cloud started at the woman with a confused look.

 

“See, I never wanted any harm to befall her . . . so I kept her in Midgar hoping she would be safe. I had my garden and we lived a good life, but she was suffocating. I caged her like a beautiful songbird. If she wasn't taken out of that filthy city that never let any light in, she would have died eventually. But you Cloud, you and your friends showed her the world and let her breathe. You couldn't possibly have killed her because you helped give her life,” she said as a few tears threatened to overflow from her eyes. “At least she died free to spread her own wings rather than trapped in the cage I forced her into.

 

“No, I don't think you trapped her. She knew you were only trying to protect her.”

 

“And I think that goes the same for you, Cloud,” Elmyra said while patting the back of his hand.

 

Cloud realized that the woman had a point. He breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing those words. “Thank you for telling me that,” Cloud said as he nodded his head in appreciation.

 

“No, don't thank me. You shouldn't be burdened with a guilt you don't deserve. I know Aeris would never have wanted it that way,” she said with a smile.

 

Cloud also braved a smile, finally feeling a heavy burden lift off his shoulders. He had gotten his peace of mind that he had been longing for: forgiveness and reassurance.

 

* * *

 

“Have you found the girl's mind yet?” Jenova hissed.

 

“Yes, she's in Kalm. I also delved a bit into the puppet's mind and learned that he's away from the girl,” Sephiroth said with a smirk. “She's alone.”

 

“Then let the nightmares begin,” Jenova cackled.

 

“As you wish mother,” as he closed his eyes to begin the trance.

 

* * *

 

Tifa's eyes started to get heavy as she sat on the couch reading. It was only eight o'clock, much too early to turn in for the evening. Blinking back her drowsiness, she tried to concentrate on the words in her book, but they were all turning into incoherent blurs. Letting her head settle against the armrest, she soon gave into her urgency to sleep.

 

She felt herself floating as if she was in a large vat of water. She remembered the last time her body felt so light. It was when she was stuck in the lifestream with Cloud.

 

“Tifa . . . Tifa!” a soft voice echoed.

 

“What? Who's there?” Tifa said trying to find the source of the mysterious voice.

 

“Tifa, over here,” as the voice became clearer and the transparent image of Aeris appeared before her.

 

“A-Aeris?” Tifa stared wide-eyed at the image of their dead comrade. “Is it really you?”

 

“Of course it is! Would I lie to you?” the flower-girl smiled.

 

“No, of course you wouldn't! But why are you here?” Tifa asked.

 

“Because I need you to help me. I want to see Cloud and the others again, but I can't do it alone,” the girl pleaded as she grabbed onto Tifa's soft hands.

 

“What can I do?”

 

“I need your body so I can be brought back. I need you to agree to bring me back to Cloud,” the girl said while tracing her fingers along Tifa's.

 

“Bring you back . . . with my body? It sounds like you want me to sacrifice my life for you,” Tifa joked.

 

“That's exactly what I want you to do,” the apparition said almost smirking.

 

“What! Why me?”

 

“Because you're the only one who can do it, the only one I can trust to do this with. Please Tifa.”

 

Tifa stood there bewildered at what she was hearing. She saw Aeris right in front of her like a miracle after witnessing her death over half-a year ago. She remembered Aeris as the altruistic girl who saved the planet. But now was asking her to give-up her life to revive. It didn't sound right or make any sense.

 

“Why should I?” Tifa said getting slightly defensive.

 

“Here, I'll show you why,” as the girl waved her hand and the image of Barret and Elmyra's home in Corel appeared before them.

 

Tifa was shocked at the girl's powers, she knew that Aeris was a Cetra, but had no comprehension as to the extent of her powers. The vision suddenly shifted to the image of Elmyra and Cloud talking over some tea. Tifa could hear the clanking of the teacup on the saucer as she saw Cloud set the tea down.

 

“I'm sorry I couldn't save Aeris,” Cloud said.

 

“Don't worry. I know you tried your best. I just wished she were alive right now to see one of your friends get married. She always wanted a Church wedding. I know she would have been a beautiful bride.”

 

“I know. I would give anything to have her back. I loved her . . . more than anything.”

 

“You would have been a good husband for her. I know she probably knew that you loved her.”

 

“Thanks. I just wish I had her back so I could tell her in person. There's no one more important to me than her,” Cloud said while slumping his shoulders in defeat.

 

The vision faded and Tifa stood there in shock as she let the image process. Cloud's words echoed through her brain as she left her mouth agape.

 

“Cloud said all that?”

 

“Yes, that was what they said earlier today,” the girl said bluntly as she gazed at the raven-haired girl in front of her with keen interest.

 

“I . . . . I never knew that . . . ,” Tifa stammered.

 

“You knew, you just didn't want to admit it,” the girl approached Tifa and stroked her cheek.

 

Tifa stood flabbergasted. Her heart ached at the scene she saw unfurl before her. Aeris was right; deep down inside a part of her knew Cloud still loved the ancient. “I'm sorry Aeris . . . I'm so sorry,” Tifa said trying to fight back her tears, not noticing how Aeris's earthen hair gleamed with a flash of silver.

 

“If you want to atone, then go to the Northern Crater,” the girl said soothingly while stroking Tifa's hair from behind.

 

The girl's image slowly morphed into that of the devil himself, Sephiroth. He let the last strands of Tifa's hair slide down his hands as he took a step back from Tifa's moping form and smiled. He vanished before the raven-haired girl could turn around and discover his deceit, but tonight he could sleep well for he had accomplished the first part of his conquest of Tifa Lockheart.

 

Tifa wanted to ask what she would find there, but Aeris's image had already vanished leaving Tifa alone to her thoughts and guilt.

 

Tifa awoke suddenly gasping for air. Her hands were gripping the arms of the couch to try and steady her racing heart. Her eyes were blurry and after rubbing them, she noticed that she was still crying.

 

The vision of Aeris had confused her. Was it real? Tifa quickly raced to the kitchen to make herself some tea to try and calm her nerves. It was getting late and she knew that she had to get to bed soon, but she was afraid that the vision would return. It was going to be a long night.

 

(continued…)