#aerith lives fanfiction

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

Through the Jungle

The Prodigal Son - Chapter 2 (Previous Chapters)

Fandom: FFVII

Pairings: Zack Fair x Aerith Gainsborough (Zerith) and minor Cloud Strife x Tifa Lockhart (Cloti)

Rated: T

Story Summary: Zack Lives AU. Leaving the Golden Saucer behind, the group heads to Zack's hometown of Gongaga, where after nearly a decade apart, Zack finally reunites with his parents.

Chapter Summary: Arriving on the shores of Gongaga, the group make their ways through the perilous jungle awaiting them.

................

"Damn…" Cloud muttered softly from the driver's seat when the buggy came to a full stop. The tires jostling slightly atop the sandy beaches near the entrance to what could only be gateway to the dense Jungles of Gongaga.

Zack allowed a smirk to cross his lips hearing Cloud's awed tone as well as the similar reactions crossing the expressions of all the other passengers that were all unabashedly staring at the absolutely impressive jungle awaiting them. Widened eyes and gaping mouths of his companions had him feeling relieved to see the sheer majesty of his home hadn't changed much since he left it behind a decade ago.

For a few blissful seconds, Zack took it in himself as the group exited the buggy to get a closer look.

Feet firm on the sandy beach, a dainty hand suddenly grasped at his arm. He looked down to see his girlfriend's awestruck expression, marvelous emerald eyes wider than he could recall them being, peering eagerly at their surroundings.

"Wow! Oh Gaia, everything is so…green!" Aerith chirped happily with an adorable little bounce in her step. Her exhilaration was palpable and Zack couldn't be happier about seeing the wondrous expression gracing her beautiful face.

A low whistle sounded beside them, "Gotta agree with ya' there, girlie. Fuckin' hell, I don't think I've ever seen so many damn trees in my entire life," Barrett muttered, reaching out to touch a nearby frond as if in a hypnotic daze.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Zack suddenly yelped, grasping Barret's outstretched arm before he could make a terrible mistake.

"Da fuck!?" Barrett yelled, pulling his arm back from the plant as if he had been burned.

Zack chuckled nervously, "Sorry but you'd thank me if you'd seen what even touching that shit does to your skin!" Zack shuttered in remembrance when he learned that lesson the hard way as a boy, "It'll give you the itchiest most annoying rash you'll ever get in your life! Believe me! You gotta avoid the plants with the thorns and red tipped leaves, but those bluish ones beside it are alright, though." As if to showcase his truthfulness, Zack brushed his glove-less hand against said greenery with a fond smile on his lips.

Yuffie guffawed at the horrified look that still hadn't left Barrett's face. The man in question swatting at her before the self-appointed 'most beautiful and greatest ninja of all time' promptly bent over with her nauseous stomach roiling unhappily at the sudden movement.

"Serves ya right, ya brat!" Barrett shook his fist at Yuffie, who while acting like she's only seconds from certain death, still somehow found the energy to stick her tongue out and flip him off.

Aerith giggled into Zack's bicep as Tifa rubbed the loudly whining Yuffie's back.

"So…anything else we need to watch out for here, Zack?" Nanaki's soft drawl asked from near his left hip as the feline sniffed cautiously at a patch of bright purple flowers.

Zack hummed, putting his hand up to his chin and peered around. "Well…Yeah. There's some more plants I'd steer clear from but it's mostly the fiends you gotta watch out for. The Kimera bugs are bloodthirsty bastards, there's also these giant flying jellyfish that love to paralyze you with cheap-shot lightning attacks…Oh! And whatever you do, stay the hell away from the Touch Me Frogs! We don't have any Maiden's Kiss on us and if we were all attacked together by a nest of 'em, that would be really, really bad news..."

"...Maiden's Kiss?" Aerith asked with a curious tilt to her head.

"Yeah! It turns you back to normal when you get 'Frogged'!"

Cloud stared at him strangely for a moment before he felt compelled to ask, "…'Frogged'?"

Zack blinked stupidly at him. "Yeah. The Touch Me's will actually turn you into a frog. Can't tell you how many times it's happened to me…" he admitted while scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

Yuffie huffed out a laugh, "Now that, I believe," which Zack would have given her shit for (and an atomic noogie) if she didn't look so damn miserable with her greenish complexion and arms wrapped protectively across her stomach. "Urk…Nope. No more laughing…Bad idea."

Tifa peered in concern at the teen for a moment before she suggested, "Alright then. I say it's a good idea to stay clear away from weird plants and any monsters, especially those frogs, until we can stock up on that certain potion."

"Uggghhhh…" Yuffie moaned as she leaned her head miserably against Tifa's shoulder.

"...And maybe we could also stock up on some stomach medicine while we're there," Tifa continued, allowing the loudly grumbling Yuffie to lean her slight weight on her.

"Hell yes..." the Wutain groaned into Tifa's generous chest as the older woman comforted her with gently pats to her back.

"Oi! Dat's a fine idea dere, Lassie!" Cait Sith piped for the first time since they arrived, the quick-footed robotic feline suddenly launched upwards and made himself quite comfortable atop Barrett's shoulder, much to the latter's dismay.

"Hey! What the-!? Whataya!? Urg!" The dark skinned man cut himself off, glaring certain death at the robot. Yet Cait Sith remained unfazed, merely smiling in the face of his anger, Barrett muttered, "fuckin' cat…" under his breath rather than knock his furry ass to the ground.

Zack thought the scene was strangely sweet.

All the while, Cloud peered out at the group as if in deep thought before glancing back toward the jungle. The blonde looked way out of his depth and uncomfortable which was odd considering how quick he assumed the leader role under Zack's advisement. Yet now he seemed hesitant at the prospect of the looming vegetation when he turned to peer back at Zack.

"That's the plan then. Looks like you're in the lead, Jungle Boy." Cloud announced.

Zack laughed loudly at the sudden declaration, slapping Cloud hard on his un-armored shoulder before he eagerly took over the leader role of the group with Aerith always faithfully by his side. Her adorable giggles and bouncing steps right beside his own.

"Damn straight I am, you Mountain Hick!" Zack called out to the blonde over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Tifa's affronted voice called back.

"Not you, Teef! Now, come on, everyone! Let's mosey!" he stated happily to the rest of the party.

.....................

Cloud stood there for a moment, merely rubbing his sore shoulder, and while trying to hide it, he couldn't help but smile at Zack and Aerith's retreating backs before following them into the jungle.

"Oh my!" It was Tifa's voice that broke out when they first saw the field of bright pink mushrooms lining a mossy cliff-side. The excitement encapsulated her cherry-cola eyes and a huge smile gracing her lips as the group approached Gongoga's world famous import hidden deep inside the jungle."These are Gongaga mushrooms, right Zack?" she inquired, peering questioningly over her shoulder at him. The martial artist was already kneeling next to a large patch of the smaller mushrooms resting right underneath the shade of one a thousand times larger.

Zack knelt beside her and once he saw they were indeed the correct mushrooms and not some poisonous look-alike imposters, he happily replied, "Yep! These are Gaia's famous Gongaga Mushrooms! In fact, this is the only place on the planet they're grown."

"Really?" Cloud asked curiously as he squatted down near Tifa to get a closer look.

"Yeah. Something about the temperature and soil I think makes them only able to flourish here," Zack replied as Aerith plopped herself in the thick grassy patch beside him, green eyes wide as she brushed her hands over the bright pink fungi and marveled at the size of one of the nearby giants.

"They're such a pretty color too!" Aerith added while Nanaki walked over to sniff at them curiously; the feline 'hmmed' lowly in his throat as if pleasantly surprised at their rich meaty aroma they exuded.

"Wow." Tifa mused softly on the information, gentle smile never fading as she lightly ran her fingertip along the edges of a few. "I've always loved to cook with them! They add such amazing flavor to every dish, but in Midgar they're always so expensive the rare time I seen them come to the markets. I could only afford to use them in a few dishes on a couple special occasions."

Zack watched with barely concealed giddiness as Cloud peered at Tifa's contemplative expression, those light blue eyes of his doing nothing to hide his obvious adoration for the gorgeous brunette. The way Cloud and Tifa shyly danced around each other, yet were so damn in love that anyone with eyes could see it, was as cute as it was frustrating to witness.

Seemingly psyching himself up, the blonde ex-infantryman gently nudged at Tifa's shoulder with his own before offering, "Hey, uh, why don't we stock up on some of them here? I'm sure they're a lot cheaper since they're grown here."

"Hmm, you're right. Maybe they even have them dried to make them more portable," Tifa wondered with a dainty finger pressed to her chin.

"Yeah, and uh, I'm sure the dishes you make for us on the road would be even better," he quickly cleared his throat and looked away with cheeks that nearly matched Tifa's eyes, "You know, if that's even possible."

Tifa's eyes widened at the sudden compliment but a warm smile quickly overtook it instead, "Thanks, Cloud. I think I'd like that…" she shyly responded.

Zack and Aerith watched their interaction with bated breath, and once it was over, they shared a pleased look and quietly fist-bumped at the progression those two were making.

Of course the adorable moment didn't last long when Yuffie suddenly piped up, "I don't get it," she grumbled, bouncing a few (most likely stolen) materia on her knuckles as she waited for them all to get a move on, "What's so special about a bunch of pink mushrooms?"

Zack smirked at the ninja, "Just wait til you taste my mom's cooking and then you'll see."

Barrett chuckled, tapping Yuffie's shoulder that sent the thin teen nearly careening into a nearby tree, "Damn straight! There is truly nothing that tastes as good in the damn planet like home cookin'." The older man pursed his lips, "Hey, uh, SOLDIER boy, I shoulda brought this up earlier, but do ya think your folks would be alright with all of us bargin' in on them without any warning?"

Zack quickly stood to his feet and offered his hand to Aerith as he replied, "My mom always was looking for any excuse to cook so I'm sure they won't mind." His voice was steady even if Zack himself remained unsure of his parent's reaction to his sudden presence. Wanting to put his friends at ease and wipe the concerned look Aerith shot his way, he continued, "We didn't have the biggest house so we might have to eat outside or find other lodging to fit us all overnight, but hell, we're used to doing that already so it shouldn't be a big deal."

Barrett's brows pinches for a moment. "Hey, Zack, ya know we wouldn't wanna to intrude if ya want some time alone with yer folks either." Barrett said with a kind, fatherly expression Zack wasn't used to seeing aimed at him since Angeal died. The very same look his father bestowed upon him while resting a firm yet comforting hand on his shoulder after gifting him his first real sword on his 13th birthday.

Now Angeal was dead (by his hand no less) and he'd left his father a week after that night without a word. All of it given up more than 10 years ago for a dream that ended up in a hellish cacophony of greed, delusion, betrayal, and concluded in a town filled with fire and smoke.

A sharp wave of grief of the past 10 years hit him abruptly, yet before he could think of anything to reply to the kindness he didn't deserve held in Barrett's eyes, Yuffie interrupted.

For once, Zack was damn grateful for the distraction.

"Ughhh! Great! Than let's hurry the hell up and go already! Anything to stop staring at a bunch of dumb mushrooms, ya old fogies!" Yuffie piped up, her arms now full of the protesting Cait Sith who was the latest victim of her Materia "borrowing" scheme.

"Hmm. Yes. Let's continue. I'm rather intrigued. I'd love to see how they taste when cooked, especially if it's as good as Tifa states." Nanaki commented, licking the edge of his mouth where a pink speck of mushroom fell to the ground by his feet.

Zack looked down in bewilderment hoping eating them raw had no adverse effect on the large feline but decided not to say anything and to merely keep an eye on him.

Shaking off any lingering feelings of his past coming back to haunt him, Zack slipped back on his normal happy puppy mask and stated, "Alright, alright, hold onto your Chocobos, Yuff."

"Stop calling me that, ya jerk!" she grumbled but Zack continued unperturbed.

"I promise we'll leave real soon but we can't show up empty handed! C'mon, give me a hand with picking some of these!"

Cloud looked skeptical yet he followed his friend to the patch of mushrooms regardless, "Wouldn't your folks already have some?"

"Probably, but the ones that grow furthest from the village always tasted better in my opinion. Now come on, there's a special technique to picking them so they don't break!" Zack motioned for the others interested in learning to join him near a large cluster of the pink beauties situated in a little alcove a few yards away. The plump pink flesh perfectly ripe and the woodsy smell lingering near them was rich and aromatic.

Perfect for picking!

With that, Zack showed the group the specialized Gongaga technique for picking the mushrooms so the tops and stems were left attached and completely undamaged. Zack's smile grew as Aerith and Tifa both did it perfectly on their first try and gave each other a high five in celebration. Yet Cloud wasn't as lucky for he broke his first mushroom right in half while angrily swatting at the mocking Yuffie, who wasn't any better when her mushroom practically exploded into pink chunks of shrapnel. At least Nanaki was happy not to waste the rare fungi and ate the pieces.

Barrett and Cait Sith seemed merely happy watching it all unfold.

Zack leaned back on his heels as they continued their mission. A gentle smile curling his lips at getting to watch his girlfriend and friends as they (after another brief instruction) began gathering the mushrooms like seasoned pros. Yet his unperturbed mask he relied on far too much lately faltered slightly once he realized he was actually happy for any excuse to help delay the trip to his hometown just a little while longer…

..................

A plethora of Gongaga mushrooms safely stowed away in Barrett's knapsack, the group continued into the denser region while trying (and failing) to avoid the fiends along their way.

Clusters of large Kimera bugs were easily dispatched while they almost got overtaken by Grangalan, the annoying egg-like creatures that reproduced faster than Grassland rabbits. As they got deeper into the thick foliage, they ran into a few nesting Mastodons they fortunately slipped past without fighting. Unfortunately, in a case of bad luck named Yuffie Kisaragi, they landed in a field of poisonous plants called Frightflowers. The evil flora were a pain in the ass if they weren't killed immediately and if it wasn't for Aerith's masterful Ensuna casting, the fight could have been deadly with their poison effect alone.

When all was said and done, nearly all of them were nursing more than a few new scrapes and bruises they didn't bother wasting potions on, but thankfully, nothing worse than that. Zack was merely grateful that they hadn't run into any Touch Me Frogs, but in an effort to avoid their spawning areas, it still stalled their progress more than he'd like.

Zack had also forgotten how strenuous traversing this jungle could be. Hanging ropes and vines, rickety wooden ladders, tons of hiking mountains and crossing fast-moving rivers greeted them the further into the jungle they went. And while himself and most of the group could easily handle the extra physical strain, it was obvious his girlfriend was quickly falling behind.

Flushed cheeks, sweat heavily lined her brow and her wispy chestnut locks were flattening as the exertion plus the humidity in the air began to wilt down her energy to a mere whisper of what it was mere hours prior.

Zack tried his best to take plenty of rest stops so she could have a moment to catch her breath, but it was an uphill battle. They were also losing daylight and it was a special kind of hell to get trapped in the jungle after nightfall where you couldn't even see your own damn hand in front of your face. Not to mention, the hungry nocturnal fiends he'd rather not deal with in the inevitable low lighting.

"I'm so sorry, Zack." Aerith's voice tore him from his musings. The last Cetra breathing heavily as she plopped down on a downed tree log and looked so incredibly miserable that it hurt his heart. "I know I'm slowing everyone down, it's just… Ugh! I thought after a few weeks of non-stop traveling I wouldn't be huffing and puffing like this anymore. I feel so weak…" she grumbled angrily while wiping her perspiring forehead with the back of her trembling hand.

"What are you talking about!? You just saved our asses back there! Don't even think that you're weak because you're one of the strongest people I know!" Zack chided while sliding to sit next to her and wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder.

Aerith smiled at the statement but he still saw the doubt in her eyes and it broke his damn heart.

Zack bit his lip, yet before he said anything further, he lifted his blue eyes to the figures of the rest of the group standing at a nearby creek filling their canteens with fresh water. Seeing they weren't in hearing range, he continued, "I'm serious when I say you're actually doing great, sweetie. Traversing these jungles isn't easy whatsoever and the heat and humidity only makes it that much worse, especially if you're not used to it."

"I still feel bad… It's like everyone is always catering to me because I can't keep up," Aerith muttered lowly, playing with the ends of her frayed braid in an effort to keep her eyes away from Zack's concerned expression.

Zack pursed his lips, hating to see the self-deprecating look on her face and wanted nothing more than to reassure his angel, "That's not true! We've stopped plenty of times for the others. There's Barrett for instance in the Shinra tower with the giant ass flight of stairs and Yuffie whenever she needs to hurl every damn time she steps into a moving vehicle."

"Yeah, but that's not the same," Aerith pouted.

Zack bit his lip for a moment before he asked with a soft smile, "Hey, did I ever tell you about my friend Satatoro?"

Aerith's eyes perked up at the sudden new information he was sharing and he cheered inside at the interest in her pretty green eyes. "No, you didn't."

"Well, we both were born here and were friends since before we could walk. We were both so determined to join ShinRa to become First Class SOLDIERS yet he'd always be focused so much on strength and trying to pack on muscle that he never even bothered to do cardio to build up his stamina. The dude would nearly pass out when going for a light jog to my secret workout spot!"

"...So, you're saying I need to work on my stamina, hmm?" she teased lowly while brushing her hand on his thigh, loving to watch the adorable shade of coral red fill the apples of his cheeks.

Zack chuckled, "Babe, all I'm saying is that he lived here his whole life and he would have given up on this trek hours ago and yet here you are still pushing through!" he grasped at her wandering hand and held it against his chest, smiling so tenderly it made her heart throb against her sternum. "You're doing wonderful, Aeri. Don't you ever think otherwise. …Promise me?"

Aerith pursed her lips indecisively yet Zack didn't give, his big pout and patented puppy dog eyes she could never refuse had her throwing in the proverbial towel. Zack could be the most stubborn man on the planet when he set his mind to it. The Last Cetra finally relented with a sigh. "Fine. I won't say that anymore, okay?"

"Great!"

The Flower Girl huffed out a laugh before smiling at her wonderful and encouraging boyfriend. She quickly leaned up to place a quick kiss on the edge of his smiling mouth before resting her slight weight against his unmovable muscular frame. Bonelessly, she leaned against him, not even bothering to hide how absolutely exhausted she was anymore. "While I know I'm doing okay for making it this far, I still feel like shit for slowing us down… and now I can't feel my feet anymore."

Zack peered at her in concern before a brilliant idea popped into his head that had him smiling.

"...What?" Aerith asked when noticing him staring at her with barely restrained glee.

"I think I can help with that!"

.................

"...Are you sure this is okay?" Aerith asked, her thin frame cradled tenderly in Zack's arms in a bridle carry, the Buster Sword strapped to his back didn't allow for piggy back rides after all.

"Any excuse I can carry you is valid to me, babe," Zack sent her a bright smile down at her. "Besides, once we get some Chocobos, it'll be a helluva lot easier to traverse this terrain. Believe it or not, but they can even jump on the giant mushrooms to get to the tops of some of these cliffs! I think you'll love the color of their feathers too. They're a green super similar to your eyes, but of course, your eyes are much prettier," he winked at her.

Cheeks warming at his flirty words, Aerith smiled. "Wow, really?" she asked, glancing at the giant mushrooms and all the unexplored areas they could reach using those.

"Yeah… I wonder if my Chocobo is still around…"

"You had a Chocobo growing up? You never told me that!" she slapped his chest lightly and sent him a pout.

"Sorry!" Zack chuckled when she tried to pinch him. "I thought I did but must have forgot to mention it, but yeah, I did! Raised him since he was a chick. I named him Mochi after my favorite treat my late grandma used to make me all the time as a kid."

"Oh my! How cute!" Aerith's beamed, instantly picturing a tiny Zack running around with an adorable green Chocobo Chick following faithfully behind him. She hoped his parents had pictures she could see of that!

"He certainly was. We were both always getting into trouble but it was fun. I hope he's still around. He was kind of a wild bird so he might have taken off when I left, but if he's still around, you can ride him around. It would make the trip a lot easier and I'm certain he'd fall in love with you just as quickly as I did." he said with a tender smile.

Aerith eagerly returned it, her heart thumping at just how happy Zack made her without even trying.

The love and adoration he showcased with every little act of kindness and encouragement he bestowed upon her without asking for anything in return. He truly was the sweetest, gentlest, most wonderful man on Gaia filled with a heart of pure gold. She truly felt like the luckiest woman on the planet to have a love like hers, one that fought fate to make it back to her... And now she was on a journey with him and all her new friends and heading towards the place Zack grew up! Somewhere he always talked about and now she really was here with him at her side…

It was as if all her tiny wishes had come true.

Overcome with the sudden rush of emotion, she burrowed further into his embrace.

The close contact and warmth of his body filling her lungs like a haze, she couldn't help but reply, "I dunno, Zack," The Flower Girl whispered lowly while leaning her head into the comfortable crook where his neck met his shoulder. Resting her flushed cheek on the thick woven black turtle neck until her nose brushed across the skin of his jaw. Aerith bit her bottom lip when she felt Zack noticeably shiver at the unexpected intimate contact. She leaned closer until her mouth brushed against his ear. "I think I prefer you carrying me better."

Zack swallowed thickly, his flushed cheeks and darkening blue eyes peering down at her; the expression on his face filled with so much love and admiration it made her head spin. "Yeah?" he asked, glancing down at her lips and holding her just a little tighter against his chest.

"Yeah…"she whispered, leaning closer to him.

Yet before their lips could meet, Yuffie ruined it with a groan.

"Alright! Alright, lovebirds! We get it! You're in love and don't get enough 'alone time'," Yuffie announced crankily from right behind them, angrily stating some words with finger quotes, "But please, for the love of Leviathan, just stop it! I'm nauseous enough already without you guys always finding every damn excuse to suck face."

"Excuse me?" Aerith reprimanded with a rare glare.

"Yuffie! Leave them alone! They're cute!" Tifa chided, lightly smacking the teen on the shoulder.

"Heh. Yeah, yeah, Boobies, I bet pretty soon you and the Chocobo over there are probably gonna be following SOLDIER and Pinky soon enough and then I'll forcefully be subjected to more PDA no one asked to see!"

Tifa's face turned an alarming shade of red and Cloud actually stumbled over a blade of grass.

"Fuckin' hell, girlie! That's enough out of you! If you're mouth is working that good, you're not walking fast enough!" Barrett pushed the teen forward while rolling his eyes at her non-stop antics that were getting rather exhausting, "The faster we move our asses, the faster we'll be there! Now, hurry up!"

"Dat's right, lassie! According to my calculations, we should be arriving fairly soon!" Cait Sith piped up from his perch on Nanaki's back, the cat doing his best to stay away from Yuffie's grasp and from losing anymore Materia to the sticky-fingered teen.

Zack bit his lip to stop from grinning like a madman at how, when things quieted down again, Cloud and Tifa glanced at one another before looking away with their lips curved in shy smiles. Nanaki brushed by his leg and flashed him a conspiratory grin. Zack peered back at Aerith to apologize for their ruined moment and hoping to get it back, yet all of a sudden, he froze when Cait Sith's words finally settled low in his gut.

The damn robot cat was right.

The widening of the brush and a more well-worn walking paths were becoming clearer the further they continued. More and more of the areas they passed and the sight of them mixed with all the years he spent growing up, the same locations and sites were ones he saw frequently. The cliff-side his dad would take him on short camping trips over the weekend. The creek him and his childhood friends would go and catch fish during the long summer. The fields his mom would take him to pick mushrooms and other vegetables for dinner. That familiar patch of giant mushrooms him and Mochi would jump off of to go explore the topside mountains.

…Fuck.

They were getting close.

Within a few minutes, they'd turned another corner past two tall grassy cliffs and a beautiful clear waterfall pouring loudly into a shallow river when Zack's heart nearly trembled at seeing the green tops of trees give way in the distance to painfully familiar domed roofs…

Gongaga was right there.

The anxiety he'd held down for nearly the whole journey was now boiling like Ifrit's fire deep in his stomach, twisting his gut uncomfortably as the wooden gates of Gongaga slowly came into view in the distance.

Yet before he could commiserate on this any further, Zack's SOLDIER senses rushed into high gear.

With one swift move, he'd gently placed the confused Aerith back on the ground and silently maneuvering her to stay behind him. With a flex of his bicep, the Buster Sword was off his back with a satisfying shing sound and he'd instantly taken a protective stance in front of the most important person in his entire life. The others nearby noticed his alarm and immediately jumped into action.

Within seconds, the entire group was aiming their various weapons at the figures that suddenly appeared out of the thick brush that surrounded them.

Zack cursed himself for not noticing them sooner but regardless, he was ready for anything they could throw at him.

Yet any fight or flight response honed from years of being in SOLDIER and that hellish year on the run fighting for his and Cloud's survival faded completely away when he saw the familiar face of the leader, someone he never thought he would again in this lifetime.

"...Cissnei?"

[setoangel01]

For Zerith Week - Day 8 - Flower Shop AU

...

"Ooh, which ones are these?" Aerith asked.

Zack flushed at the warmth she exuded when she closed the distance between them. The way the sunlight was filtering through the windows and catching on the amber and reds scattered in her brunette hair, giving her a halo effect like the angel she appeared to be.

Realizing she asked him a question, he quickly answered, "These are the Gongagan Lilies. It's best to transfer them while they're only sprouts so they can survive the long trips I make. When they're stronger, they can easily be transferred into deeper soil."

Aerith peered down into the tub, her fingers gently resting on its edge and purposefully brushing against his hands still holding it. The tiny green sprouts appeared healthy and full of life, she sensed their presence and knew they had been well taken care of - maybe even a bit spoiled in their previous environment. Feeling their pleased murmurs, Aerith smiled.

(Keep Reading)

[andrewwtca]

lies for loose lips (wc: 6,632)

— Final Fantasy VII

— Zack/Cloud, minor Aerith/Tifa

— Advent Children era, Zack lives, Aerith lives, crack treated seriously, hurt/comfort

Zack can't keep a secret for his life and Cloud's had enough.

He comes up with a cute little revenge plan.

Zack is intoxicated by all of Cloud. Zack needs to focus. Zack needs to kiss Cloud. Zack pulls back and Cloud steels himself. “Alright… I need you to keep a secret.” A pause. “Never mind,” Zack says. “I love you. Wanna go out?”

a silly fic I finally finished after months. Zack the whipped puppy and Cloud the flustered angel, being stupid kids together.

[writers4all]

"BAD GUYS DESERVE HAPPY ENDINGS, TOO!" Except It's A Random Person's Essay Opinion On It.

So I've legit lost count the number of times I've seen people say that villains deserve to get a fairytale Happily Ever After and whatnot. But here's the thing ... I always get the vibe that they mean it as in it's always rainbows and butterflies (it's not) where the good guy gives the bad guy a Heel-Face Turn.

No, no, no. Stop right there.

While I don't entirely mind there being complicated af relationships going on in stories — OG Fiction or Fanfiction, it matters not — we really need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. How about instead of having the bad guy having a Heel-Face Turn or whatever we just flat out have The Bad Guy Win? It's actually been done before, and quite a lot, surprisingly. Here are a couple of examples down below:

Pokemon USUM where the big bads from Gen 1 to Gen 6 (Giovanni, Archie, Maxie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, and Lysandre) won in an alternate timeline.

Most of the SAW films with a vast majority of the traps.

Batman Arkham Knight actually succeeded in doing this by having Scarecrow reveal who Batman truly is ... ... ... ... ... TO THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD VIA LIVE TELEVISION.

Injustice: Gods Among Us played with this when The Joker manages to successfully brainwash Superman into killing Lois Lane. This one's pretty triggering, though, so head's up.

Dragon Ball Z plays with this as well for the timeline Future Trunks is from Cell actually won due to everyone except for Bulma and Trunks dying by the hands of Androids 17 + 18 and Cell.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers played with this for the Rangers actually lost the ability to morph permanently via the morphers they had at the end of the series thus having to obtain the Zeo Crystals to morph into the Zeo Rangers and not the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Mortal Kombat 11 plays with this if you choose Shang Tsung over God Liu Kang and have it to where Raiden and Fujin are mindless servants.

Something similar happens in Injustice 2 where you choose Superman over Batman to where the latter becomes a mindless servant of the former (thus scarring the young Supergirl).

With all of that being said, why not have it to where the villains do have a happy ending but not in the way we expect it. Get your readers emotionally invested to where they're not happy with the outcome kind of like when Sephiroth killed Aerith out of nowhere in the OG FF7. Or, if you really want to, make it to where they get a kick out of it kind of like how The Joker makes Batman laugh at the end of The Killing Joke. Just have the bad guy win every now and again.

[bunnknightnight]

Stargazer Lilies

Clerith(Cloud x Aerith) One-Shot

WARNING: Suicidal topics, blood, mentions of death, and major spoilers for the original FFVII, however there are no sexual themes.

NOTE: This is a canon-divergent fanfiction, meaning it uses elements from the canon of FFVII but does not follow the canon in its entirety.

Words: 5882

Date Published: 2023-08-25

Summary:

After Sephiroth kills Aerith, Cloud is so distraught that he tries to kill himself later that night, but is unsuccessful. Barrett and Tifa manage to get him to a hospital to recover, but Cloud remains in a comatose state. While he is unconscious, Cloud is teetering so close to the lifestream that he is able to meet Aerith once again.

Life Goes On

“Aerith is gone.” “Aerith will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry……or get angry……” “What about my pain?” “My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!”

——————————

Cloud lay wide awake that night, the image of Aerith’s bloodied corpse burned into the backs of his eyeballs. No matter where he looked, nor whether he kept his eyes open or chose to shut them, she was there, floating ethereally in his vision like a goddess. Her soft pink dress was damp with blood and water, her hair was without the signature pink bow she always wore, allowing it to flow freely in the water beneath her, and her eyes were eternally closed, yet despite all of that, she remained ever beautiful even in her last moments. Oh, how he missed looking into her bright verdant eyes already. Not even the healthiest of plants could compare to the richness of her gorgeous eyes.

 She was the light of his life. Even when he handed the black materia over to Sephiroth, she didn’t blame him. Even when he threw her to the ground in a fit of rage over his accidental betrayal, she didn’t fight back. She always put others first– always made sure to show Cloud that he mattered, and not just to his friends, but to her. Aerith was always so kind, so gentle…so heavenly. She was not only enchanting in her looks, but in her personality too. She was so full of compassion and pure love; not just towards humans, but toward animals and the planet alike. He never met anyone like her, and he knew he would never meet anyone like her again. The time he may have known her was short, but she meant everything to him. Aerith was gone…and he felt like he was nothing without her.

Cloud sat up in his bed, clutching his temple as his brain began to pound against the back of his eyes. With it came the loud buzzing of an intruder, and his vision became filled with static.

“You…are a puppet.”

Cloud grunted, a bead of sweat dribbling down his hot neck under the cover of his blonde hair as Sephiroth’s words rang in his ears. That was right…he was a puppet– Sephiroth’s puppet. That was all he was, and nothing more. Cloud thought he was traveling the world to save it, but he was following the call of his master all along. If he was anything more than a puppet, he wouldn’t have given Sephiroth the black materia. If he was anything more, Aerith wouldn’t have died.

His head was throbbing so violently that it was unbearable! In a fit of confusion and rage, Cloud threw his legs off of the bed and groaned as he jumped to his feet and lunged for the buster sword. Sephiroth may have been the master of his body, but he refused to let him be the master of his mind. He remembered the way Sephiroth tried to force him to kill Aerith before Sephiroth himself stepped in to finish her off when he realized Cloud wasn’t going to. All this time he had been trying so hard to protect her from Sephiroth, but he never once considered that he was to blame for her demise. It was all his fault, and he needed to put an end to this. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he hurt Barret or Tifa, let alone anyone else he held dearly.

He would finish this once and for all.

“Cloud?!” Tifa exclaimed, her red eyes wide with shock as she jolted awake. She was taken aback and unsure of what to do, she shook Barret awake. Then, she turned back to him, shouting his name once more as Barret chimed in. He didn’t seem to hear either of them.

“I refuse..to be a pawn in your game any longer, Sephiroth!!”

Cloud shouted as he raised the buster sword above his head, only to bring it down, burying its tip deep into his gut. He choked, blood squirting out of his throat with a sharp inhale. He took a step back, stumbling into his bed as he plunged the sword deeper with the intent of ripping his organs out. The buzzing in his ears faded, but everything else did too. He couldn’t hear his friends when they came running to his side, but he could see the way they scrambled to save him. While Tifa fell to his side and held him to her chest, Barret ripped the buster sword’s handle away from his trembling hands and took it into his own so that Cloud could do no more damage. He couldn’t tell what they were saying, but he could feel the way Tifa violently quivered as he lay there bleeding.

“Aerith’s death…is all because of me,” Cloud choked, only for Tifa to lay a finger over his lips in an attempt to quiet him, but he continued, “Sephiroth– I am only..his puppet… but…not anymore.” He could feel the way the two lifted his weakening body off of the bed, but that was the extent of what he could remember before his world consciousness faded and his world evanesced.

——————————

“Cloud…”

“Clouuud~!”

“Are you alright?” A familiar female voice called out. Despite sounding concerned, it was ever gentle. It was sweet like honey, and it was smooth like silk. The voice made Cloud feel so safe, as if he was being hugged by his mother once again. He didn’t think he had the strength to pull himself out of the depths of the loving embrace it had around his heart.

“Oh, don’t tell me you died already! That would be silly.” The voice playfully endearingly taunted, “The Cloud I know is stronger than that.”

Ethereal light filtered into his vision as Cloud’s eyes fluttered open, momentarily blinding him and forcing his eyes shut once more. He squinted, only able to open his eyes fully as he felt a shadow come over the bright light. The calming smell of flowers overwhelmed his senses, and a wave of nostalgia sent a flood of shivers down his spine at the scent. Ever since he had met Aerith that fateful day in Midgar, the smell of flowers had always brought a sort of otherworldly tranquility to him that he had never known before. The smell was beautiful, just like her.

Cloud sat up, holding his head in his hands as he attempted to clear his mind and make sense of the situation. With a gasp, Cloud’s body jerked backward at the sight that lay before him as his focusing vision revealed the face of Aerith– the lovely flower girl he watched die mere hours earlier.

“Aerith,” Cloud stammered, sweat rolling down the side of his forehead as a shameful blush overtook his cheeks, “I–”

“Shh, I know,” Aerith softly reassured him as she offered him a smile and gently pressed her finger to his lips, “It’s okay.”

‘But you–’ was all he could muster before Aerith wrapped her arms around him, burying his reddening face in the crook of her neck. She held him so close to her that she could feel the way he trembled with every breath and the way he sweated as heat radiated off of his body, even as she closed her eyes. She could tell that he regretted ever hurting her or ever trying to hurt her, though she never bore a grudge against him, as she knew it wasn’t his fault. The Cloud she knew was anxious and closed off, but deep down she knew he cared for others. She knew he was a kind soul and she loved him for it. She cherished their time together from the bottom of her heart– she only wished it hadn’t been so short.

“It’s okay.” She repeated, her tone quiet and tender, “You don’t need to say anything…”

Aerith always knew what to say. Aerith always knew what to do. Cloud loved her more than anything on Gaia and in life itself. Losing her meant that he lost his entire world, and he didn’t know how to live on. It had only been mere hours, but he missed her more than she would ever know. He couldn’t help it when he began to stagger his breaths as a flood of tears came crashing down, and his entire body grew hot with sorrow. For minutes on end, the two of them sat in verbal silence, but that didn’t matter; there were no words powerful enough to describe the relief Cloud felt at being able to see her again. Being able to be held in her arms was enough.

“Aerith…” Cloud eventually pulled away to look into her eyes, his own still glossy and red from crying, as he sniffled, “I…I’m sorry. If I hadn’t given Sephiroth the black materia, you would–”

“What did I say?” Aerith cut him off, a playful tone returning to her otherwise soft words to lighten the mood, “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.”

Cloud drew a deep, shaky breath, stunned into silence at her words. How could she not blame him after everything he had done? He was nothing but Sephiroth’s puppet, and his inability to fight back against Sephiroth was what cost her his life. If he hadn’t given Sephiroth the black materia, and if he had been able to control his body when he needed to protect her most, she would still be alive. It was all his damn fault, and he knew it. How could she–

“I know what you’re thinking,” Aerith drew him out of his thoughts, “And no matter what you say or do, there’s nothing you can do to convince me that any of this is your fault.” Aerith rolled backward onto her shins, and she traced her hands down Cloud’s arms where they landed on his knuckles. Her gaze shifted downward, fixated on their hands as she flipped them over and curled their fingers together. “That wasn’t you, and that never was you. The Cloud I know is strong, kind, handsome…and most of all, he cares for his friends. He would never do anything to hurt the people he loves... I saw the way you struggled every time he tried to steal your mind away, and I know that you tried your hardest to fight back against him…and that’s all that matters to me.”

Silence ensued once more, but not from lack of knowing what to say. Rather, Cloud was taken aback by her intuition and how she knew that Sephiroth had been trying to control him throughout their journey, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask her why. There wasn’t anything that could get past her it seemed, and that was yet another part of her that he loved. She was wise, just like the Cetra that came before her were said to be. Everything about Aerith was brilliant, and the more he learned about her, the more she blew him away. Why did the world have to take the good ones away? Life was so cruel.

“You don’t deserve this.” Cloud began after moments of contemplation. His voice was much more stable as his tears began to wash away, but his eyes remained set on the way she so tenderly intertwined their fingers. Her hands were small and delicate compared to his, but he knew she was stronger than he would ever be, and that was what gave him the strength to calm himself for the time being. If she could hold herself together, he would too, for her sake. “And if you don’t blame me for your death, then there’s nothing I can do to convince you. You’re too stubborn.”

“Oh yeah? And what does that make you?” Aerith teased, giggling. The way she was able to make light of any situation without making it any less significant was something only an angel directly descended from the heavens could do. “If I’m the stubborn one, then…I guess you must be some immovable wall. Not even the strongest of my waves can force you to come tumbling down, huh?”

“I didn’t mean to– sorry.” Cloud blushed, looking away from their hands and at the church. Just like when he met her for the second time back in the slums, they seemed to be seated in Aerith’s flowerbed, which was filled with stargazer lilies. “Forget I said anything.” Cloud pulled their hands away as he stood up to get a better view of their surroundings.

Aerith sat there for a moment longer, still staring down at their hands before she lifted her gaze, then finally pulled herself off of the ground and dusted herself off. “I bet you’re curious, huh?”

“...Yeah.” Cloud nodded, wiping his tears away before he continued to look around the place. He took a few steps forward, careful to navigate his way out of her flowerbed. “This looks just like the church I met you in– the church in the slums. How’s that?”

“You came crashing through my ceiling again…though I always have boys crashing down from the heavens and onto my flowerbed, it seems.” She chuckled, “But it’s okay. Like I said before, my flowers are strong. They can take it.”

“I’ll try not to do it anymore.” Cloud apologized in a joking manner that betrayed his static tone of voice as he continued to slowly walk around the church. It was strange to him– this place looked and felt real but there was no wind, and the further he looked through the windows of the church, he noticed it became unnaturally blurry. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t see past a certain barrier. 

“Well, I’d hope you’re not doing it on purpose. That would just be mean.” Aerith teased. She always loved doing that.

The two were silent for a few minutes, but it was never tense. Aerith slowly walked over to Cloud, following him around with her hands behind her back as he investigated the place. He was quick to notice the way the buildings remained just as blurry the closer he got to them as they had been from far away, even with how close he was to the exit of the church, and he realized how white the sky beyond those far-off buildings was, too.

“Am I dead?” Finally came the question out of Cloud’s lips.

“Hmm..”

Cloud looked over his shoulder before fully turning to face Aerith, an expecting look in his eyes. 

“Not quite.” Aerith finally answered after moments of leaving Cloud on edge, though she hadn’t done so to spook him. “The lifestream is my home now, but as for you...I think you’re just visiting.”

“How so?” Cloud asked, slightly raising a brow.

“Well,” Aerith started, her eyes softening with worry once more, “I can still hear Tifa and Barret calling out to you. Can you hear them?”

Cloud took a moment, trying his best to listen to no avail. He shook his head.

“You’re in the hospital, I think. I can hear the slow beeping of a heart monitor.”

“So why can’t I hear it?” Cloud asked, still trying to hear what Aerith was hearing.

“Dunno.” She shrugged, “Maybe you’re choosing not to hear it?”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Well…I saw the way you brought yourself here. I’ve been watching you since I died, y’know. I saw the way you shouted something, then…” she trailed off, frowning.

“I…” Cloud fell silent, ashamed of himself. While he still wanted to die if it meant saving his friends from him ever losing control again, he was thoroughly ashamed to admit the fact that he attempted to kill himself to Aerith… “I heard him again. Sephiroth, he..he was trying to take over again. I didn’t know what he wanted at that time, but...I wasn’t going to let him hurt the only people I had left.”

“Is that all there is to it?” Aerith asked, still frowning. She wasn’t upset at him, but she hated to see him so broken up the way he was. Besides, she knew Cloud– the way he didn’t like to admit to everything, even if it was just to himself.

Cloud was confused by that question. What else would there be to it? He didn’t want to hurt his friends, and if it meant killing himself so Sephiroth couldn’t control him any longer, then so be it. It wasn’t like he was anything more than a puppet, anyway– and he refused to bend to Sephiroth’s will.

——————————

The soft glow of moonlight filtered into the otherwise dim room that had only been lit up by the soft light of a heart monitor moments prior. There was a gentle breeze from a nearby window that had been cracked open, but not even the cool touch of the wind could provide solace to the room’s current inhabitants. After Cloud had stabbed himself in the gut it seemed like there would be no saving him, but by the speedy actions of Barret and Tifa as they brought Cloud’s body to The Highwind, Cid was able to quickly pilot them to a nearby hospital. Typically, with a wound that big and with that much blood loss, a normal person would have been dead by the time it took them to make it to The Highwind, but perhaps due to the mako that flowed through Cloud’s veins, he was able to make it just long enough to be hooked up to a heart monitor and have his wounds patched up. 

Barrett and Tifa now sat close to one another in the dimly lit room. While Barrett was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his inner thighs, Tifa sat with her face buried against his firm arm, hiding the side of her face with her curled-up hand. Their tears had long since dried, but they were still deathly worried about the state of their friend. Even with all that he had done, they couldn’t bring themselves to blame Cloud either– they cared for him immensely and wished they knew what had driven him to this point. Was it because he blamed himself for Aerith’s death? They both remembered the bone-chilling terror they felt when they watched him stab the buster sword into his abdomen and the way he shouted something about not allowing Sephiroth to control him any longer as he did so, but they both questioned the validity of their memories with how distraught the two of them were.

“Wake up, dammit…” Barret mumbled as his hand curled up into a tight ball, causing the palms of his hands to brighten from the pressure. His eyes had been staring so deeply into Cloud as if he believed staring at him long enough would force the boy awake, but he knew that wasn’t the way things worked. Defeated, Barret hung his head and whispered, “We can’t afford to lose you too.”

——————————

Cloud now sat outside of the church, one knee curled to his chest with the corresponding forearm upon its peak while the other leg lay extended on the ground. He still couldn’t quite grasp what Aerith meant by her question, however, he was more glad to see Aerith than anything, so it was she who truly occupied his mind. He had been looking straight ahead at the whiteness of the sky, and its pure color reminded him just how clear and kindhearted Aerith was. He looked up at her, and upon catching his gaze in her peripherals, Aerith stopped what he was doing and smiled at him. “You bored yet? There’s not much to do here if I’m honest…” She sighed, although her smile remained as her eyes dropped back to the floor.

“I don’t mind. It’s nice here.” Cloud admitted, his eyes returning to the horizon, “There’s no war, no violence, no anger, no despair…just you and me.”

“And there are certainly no other people here!” Aerith chuckled, “But you like that, don’t you? I never took you as a people’s person.”

Cloud smiled abruptly, “Yeah…never was a fan of ‘em.” 

“It doesn’t bother you that you’ll never see another person besides me again?” Aerith inquired, looking back at Cloud, though he did not return her gaze. 

He simply shook his head, “No, not really.”

“And what about Tifa? What about Barret? Or Yuffie, Red XIII…or the rest of your friends?”

“I can make an exception for them.” Cloud joked, “Though..I would rather they not end up here. Since we’re dead n’all.”

"They're worried sick about you, Cloud." Aerith frowned, "I heard Barret calling out to you earlier, and the way Tifa was shouting at you when they brought you in– before you even woke up here. They miss you, Cloud. Does that really not bother you?"

Cloud frowned, his gaze hardening as he lowered it to the ground, almost as if he was shameful. He was silent for a moment, but then he sighed, "Let them be worried. As long as I'm not there to hurt them, they'll be okay. They just..have to be strong and get through this. This is the first time I've had an entirely clear head in years, Aerith. I can't feel Sephiroth in my veins here. I can't hurt you or anyone else anymore. It's better this way." He raised his head yet again, though he continued staring off at the sky rather than looking her way, "Trust me."

"I can't believe you." Aerith squatted, making herself eye-level with Cloud, practically commanding his gaze her way, and finally, she got it in return. "You're telling me you're gonna let them fight Sephiroth alone? You're just gonna give up and take the easy way out?"

Cloud was at a loss for words. She was scolding him like she was his mother and yet he couldn't find it in himself to dismiss what she said. He did feel horrible for leaving them behind, and he felt even worse for it once he looked into Aerith's disappointed eyes, but he steeled himself. "It's better this way, Aerith," he hated being at odds with her but he stood his ground, "At least like this, they won't have to worry about fighting me and Sephiroth at the same time. Instead, they can just focus on taking him down."

"And what makes you think they're going to have to fight you?" Aerith asked, "You're their friend– not their enemy. They love you, and I know you love them. They need you, Cloud. They can't face him alone."

Cloud was silent once more before he let out a sigh, "You know the way he's able to take control of me. If I go to fight Sephiroth, they'll end up–"

"Don't even finish that sentence." Aerith lowered herself onto her knees and scooted closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder as she searched his eyes for understanding, "I know you. Sephiroth..he tried to make you hurt me, didn't he? But you fought against him. You didn't let it happen. I know you're strong enough to fight back when it really comes down to it." 

"I…maybe…" Cloud's eyebrows furrowed, and unable to stand the weight of his guilt, he looked away. He shook his head, "I can't go back."

"Cloud…" She called with a voice so soft it could be mistaken for a whisper. She tilted her head as she reached out for Cloud's cheek, cupping it into her hands. She gently directed his gaze toward her as she placed her other hand on the opposite cheek and she offered him a sorry smile, "It's okay to want to stay here…but I can't let you."

"Why?" Cloud asked, his voice quiet as well, "It's safer this way. If I stay here by your side, I can't hurt them."

"Because, Cloud…I need you to be honest with yourself. Is that really all there is to it?"

There came the question again. What more was she referring to? Cloud closed his eyes for a moment, redirecting his thoughts as he desperately dug through them for an answer. Aerith had always been such a wise lady– she wasn't the type to be persistent just because she could. Even in her times of silliness, her actions always had meaning; they always had intelligence behind them. Aerith was brilliant. Not only was she smart, but she understood people. Aerith understood the parts of Cloud that he did not, and she drew them out. He knew that there was something he wasn't getting, and he realized there was something Aerith thought he could only understand if she was able to make him see it for himself.

"Think, Cloud." She tilted her head forward and brought his closer in turn, allowing their foreheads to press against one another as both of their eyes closed. The green, white, and blue light of the lifestream enveloped the area upon the shared contact of their foreheads, shifting their surroundings to match that of Aerith's home in the sector 5 slums down on Gaia, "Think." 

Cloud could feel as reality shifted under his feet. He could feel the way his body now sat in a field of flowers atop an incline, and although the wind remained stagnant, he could feel how pure the air was against his skin. As Aerith slipped her head and hands away, his eyes fluttered open, allowing him to take in the beauty of her garden for what it was. He was met with Aerith now sitting on her shins once more, her hands overlapping one another as they lay in her lap, and a loving smile on her face. He couldn't help it when his cheeks grew rosy from the sight of that tender smile and the way she looked upon him with nothing but pure admiration in her eyes. Aerith was gorgeous, and these flower fields only amplified her charm.

"Oh Cloud," she giggled without saying another word. She recognized the way he looked at her– the way he blushed –and even without him having to say anything, she knew what he was thinking. Cloud was too innocent to have dirty thoughts, she knew, so it was clear to her that his look was one of wonder and love for her. Cloud was so precious, and that was exactly why she needed to make him see what he was missing for himself. She always found teaching through actions rather than telling through words to be a more effective lesson.

"Sorry." Cloud hadn’t quite realized how long he had been staring at Aerith and it embarrassed him to think about it, so he promptly peeled his eyes away and chose to take in the scenery. Just like their previous landscape, the further away he looked from their current location, it got unnaturally blurry, and the sky remained as white as ever. “So why did you bring me here?”

“Just thought a change of scenery would be nice.” Aerith smiled for a moment before she looked in the direction Cloud had been. The two of them now looked at the house Aerith used to share with Elmyra, and she could feel an air of sorrow come about the longer they dwelled on it.

“She was always so kind to me… Even when I didn’t deserve it.” Aerith started, her words tender. “Take care of her for me, won’t you?”

“I’m sure they will.”

“Not them– you, silly.” Aerith turned to Cloud, nudging his shoulder with her hand, “Like I said...I’m not letting you die yet.”

“How’s that?” Cloud challenged, “As far as I’m concerned, I don’t want to go back.”

“Because…” Aerith hummed, “I know what you’ve told yourself, why you’re here, and…it’s all a lie.”

Cloud grunted in confusion as his baby blues trailed over to look at Aerith, though it was now her who wouldn’t return his gaze. As she continued to stare off at the house she grew up in, he saw her eyebrows furrowed in worry. Cloud wasn’t sure what to say to that. After all, how could he be lying? He killed himself, or at least tried to, because he didn’t want to be Sephiroth’s puppet. He didn’t want to hurt his friends anymore. Aerith may not have blamed him for her death, but he thoroughly believed it was his fault. Just what part of that was a lie?

Cloud took a moment to dig deep into the meaning of her words. Was he not being honest with himself as she said? Tifa always told him that he tended to be stubborn, so perhaps that stubbornness was at play here. “I’m lost.” He admitted, lowering his head. She, however, didn’t say anything in return, leaving him to sink further into his thoughts. As he hung his head, Cloud slowly closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel the earth. He could feel the way the dirt brushed against the cloth of his pants, and he could smell the sweet yet subtle scent of tranquility the flowers around them gave off. That smell always made him think of Aerith…perhaps that was why he felt so happy here. Perhaps that was why he didn’t want to go back. The real word was so uncertain and frightening that he didn’t want to return, but then…wouldn’t that make him a coward? Was it truly so bad that he didn’t want to return to a reality as cruel as Gaia– the very same reality that so coldly ripped Aerith away from him?

Perhaps…he just didn’t want to leave Aerith.

His lungs expanded as he drew a long, deep breath, and then Cloud returned to utter silence once more. He realized that although it felt nice to breathe, he didn’t need to. He couldn’t even hear Aerith breathing. Was it because they were dead? It was chilling to think that their bodies no longer required oxygen to sustain themselves, though it wasn’t something Cloud truly found horrifying. The thought of being a part of the lifestream should have been haunting, but Cloud felt so safe here. For once in his life, he felt happy. Just being here with Aerith was enough for him. He loved her.

Cloud gasped, his eyes shooting open as they flickered over to Aerith. He pined for her eyes to meet his, but she continued to stare off at the horizon. Although she wouldn’t meet his eyes, he could feel that there was a different air about them, and he could see that there was pain in her otherwise strong eyes.

He blinked. Suddenly, the sky was no longer pure white, but a cool amethyst gradient that faded into a golden glow, as if the sun were now setting. Although there hadn’t been any wind here thus far, a gentle breeze began to pick up that ruffled her chocolate locks and made her look more like a goddess than ever before. However, she still didn’t return his gaze. 

“Aerith, I…” Cloud began, his eyes twinkling under the setting sun, “I love you.”

Aerith tilted her head aside, reaching her delicate hands to the rose-colored bow that held her hair up. Her fingers searched for the inner sanctum of her ribbon, only for her to pull it loose, allowing a mahogany ocean of hair to come crashing down.

“I know.” Was all she said as she looked down at the ribbon she now held. Cloud couldn’t see her eyes past her hair, but he didn’t need to. He could feel the bittersweet relief radiating off of her as she sat in complete silence, and in that moment he caught himself wondering just what was going on inside her head. His heart was pounding in his ears and he could feel himself begin to tremble ever so slightly as his skin grew clammy. The palms of his hands were sweaty against the leather fabric of his gloves, but he couldn’t pry his eyes off of the beauty that was Aerith.

“That’s why I can’t let you stay here.” Aerith slowly raised her head, finally returning Cloud’s long-awaited gaze. There were wet streaks on both of her cheeks and the ribbon she held had damp, darkened spots from her tears. She let out a small chuckle that crackled with pain and joy as she scooted closer to Cloud, keeping the ribbon in hand. She now sat knee to knee with him, their eyes forever interlocked in a mutually sorrowful gaze. Careful not to break their eye contact, Aerith reached for Cloud’s hands and took them into her own, curling her ribbon into the palms of his hands.

“There’s so much you need to do, Cloud. So many people you need to save. So many people who need your guidance and love.” Aerith spoke with reverence towards Cloud, “Sephiroth is going to use Meteor soon, and..I know I’m not the only one you cherish. Tifa, Barrett, Vincent, Cid, Yuffie, Red XIII, Marlene..and many more– so many people love you and need you, Cloud…which is why you need to go. I can’t bear to see the way you would break if they ended up like me.”

“You’re right…” Cloud’s eyebrows curled with shame, “I’m sorry. All you’ve ever wanted to do is help me. I can’t believe the way I–”

“Don’t blame yourself.” Aerith cut him off, squeezing his hands, “We all get sad sometimes, and that’s okay. What matters is that we’re able to pick ourselves up and keep moving after we fall.”

“Thank you, Aerith.” Cloud pulled her closer, returning the squeeze of her hands with an equally loving one of his own. “You’ve done so much for me. More than you’ll ever know.”

“I’m glad.” She smiled. She closed her eyes and lowered her head against his collarbone. “Just don’t forget me, okay?”

Taking the ribbon into his hand, Cloud released the grip he had on her hands and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a warm hug as he now gripped the bow against her back. Unlike the way they embraced when he first got here, it was now she who was silently crying against him, though that didn’t make her any weaker for it. It was okay to be sad, he learned. It was okay to cry. It was okay to be angry, even. All these emotions were a part of being human, and Aerith taught him that. All that mattered was that they were able to pick themselves up and keep living on in spite of it all. No matter what life threw at him, he would get back up– not just for Aerith or his friends, but for himself. He was more than a puppet; he was a human being who had people he loved, and people who loved him. 

He would face Sephiroth, and he refused to back down this time. There wasn’t a thing he didn’t cherish, and he would protect Gaia with all of his being. Even if he didn’t succeed, all that mattered was that he tried his hardest to protect what mattered most. It wasn’t his genetics that determined whether he was human or not, but what he decided to do with himself, and if it meant fighting for the right to exist, so be it. He refused to back down.

“I’ll never forget you, Aerith."

[tartaeya]

aerith! aerith! aerith!

i don't draw her enough for how much i love her. little ramble under the cut because i can't stop thinking about her today and i can only bother my friends so many times

SHE WANTED TO LIVE

i feel like people get wrapped up in the advent children martyr imagery way too much with her, and while I understand that AC Aerith is meant to be hollow because she's dead and the things that made her so ALIVE are gone and will never come back, it's so important to me that beyond just being the last cetra, beyond her final sacrifice, she was just a girl who wanted to live.

she made new friends. she wanted to see the dawn of a world without doom looming over it, and she wasn't afforded that choice. as a fate fan who's definitely delved into the idea that self-sacrifice isn't inherently selfless and it's OKAY to want to live, it was literally the world or a little more time in it, and she chose the world.

because her beloved friends would live in it, and that was enough for her.

I just.... aaaAAAUUUUGHHHHGHG

the way tifa brushes her hair out of her face! the way cloud yells "what about my pain?!" the ribbons on all of her friends' arms! the way she will never come back and her eternity is with the planet that spoke to her since she was little, where she's wrapped up in both peace and longing! THE WAY SHE IS REMEMBERED, CONSISTENTLY

i wrote a really self indulgent fanfiction where she came to terms with her coming death by making a friend and realizing that even though they would part and soon, that didn't make their time together any less valuable, or less special. that goodbyes are only good because of the people you say them to.

the divide of life and death in the lifestream as an allegory for how people aren't the same after they're gone because all you have is your memory of them! your perceived thoughts and inferences, but nothing that will ever be the real person! and how only the strongest willed of the dead can maintain themselves within it, because only love and attachment can bind someone to the world and the people within it!

AERITH IS GREAT AND SHE MAKES ME FEEL SO MANY THINGS 26 YEARS LATER

[silver-wield]

I keep wondering if Toriyama really is a blinded Aerith simp but when you read the full context of his interviews it seems like he is more focused on just making her death matter. Like the only thing this character has going for her is her death and then they have to spend all this extra time trying to make us care about her because shes thrown in our faces and wont fk off. lol. I think its cheap that they try to push this "ambiguous flirting/romance" crap to develop feelings for a character.

If he wasn't a pathetic simp for her would he constantly give her EC skins to the point he neglects everybody else? Or make a whole ass fanfiction game where he can have soldier cloud aka lightning be obsessive over her sister lil miss pinky serah who constantly dies and comes back to life, and he also gave lightning a "real" self in the third part and only gave her an Aerith and Cloud dlc outfit? He also gave Snow a childhood friend who runs a bar and works as part of a rebellious group with three others like Tifa and Avalanche. Ffxiii is such a huge fuckup because Toriyama was living out his clerith wet dreams through it.

The guy's a creeper for her and thinks if he pushes enough he can get his way. Nojima even said in the past they have to watch him because he kept adding scenes to OG they didn't approve, which is why disc one is such a fucking mess. Guess who didn't work on the latter half of the game?

Toriyama was the one who didn't want cloti to hug but got overruled by Nojima with a simple "they're young, so wouldn't they?"

[azurelyy]

Aside from narusaku, what other ships do you like a lot ? It could be canon or even non canon ones

Hi there, Nonnie! Thank you very much for the ask!

So, I have answered a similar question here, but I am not sure if you mean Naruto specific ships or not?

To be perfectly honest with you, the only two SHIPS I have from Naruto are NaruSaku and ShikaIno. I LIKE other ships, but I don't SHIP them - ya feel me? I feel like, when I ship something, that means that I am thinking about them constantly every day. They haunt all over my what ifs, they linger within song lyrics and books I read... And I don't FEEL all those things with every pair I like in Naruto except for those two.

That being said, since your question specified ships I like a lot, then it wouldn't be a complete answer without going into detail on a few other, non-Naruto ships that are some of my OTPs. 💗

Zutara (Zuko x Katara - Avatar):

They are my all-time, number one OTP - forever and always. I will be a 70-year-old Zutara shipper, discussing the discourse and trajectory of their relationship. I will never, ever stop thinking about these two. They are seriously the couple that made be believe in parallel universes - because there is simply NO FUCKING WAY that they wrote all that development into the show for it to not go anywhere - there's definitely a universe adjacent to ours where Zutara is canon and I don't care what the stipulation of living in that universe might be, I want to go there lol.

Clerith (Cloud x Aerith - FF7):

I think you guys will see a trend in that I don't actually prefer friends to lovers as much as people might assume considering I ship NaruSaku lol. ANYWAYS, these two are fucking phenomenal and hurt me in the best ways. I think about them constantly. I rewatch videos I've made about them, rewatch videos others have made about them. I read fanfiction and consume posts about them like my life depends on it. The remake definitely reinvigorated my love for them and I think it added some much needed development that I LOVE but that also FUCKING HURTS MY SOUL. "I'm coming for you." THAT IS ALL. 😭😭😭

Dramione (Draco x Hermione - Harry Potter):

It's not a complete list of ships I like a lot without including the OG ship, one of the first I can remember having. Say whatever the fuck you want - I will sink with them. There is undeniable sexual tension here, and if "She who must not be named" had given Draco similar development to what Zuko had (he was SO CLOSE, just needed a few extra bits and bobs here and there)... I MEAAAAANNNNN... I think that's all I have to say! It also really hurts me knowing Emma Watson had a crush on Tom Felton... like ndfbsjdhfnksjd. They also had chemistry on-screen which didn't help my obsession with the pair... The punch scene? Iconic as fuck lmao.

Honorable Mentions (Ships I also love and could write whole dissertations about:

Spuffy (Spike x Buffy - Buffy)

Roy x Riza (FMA Brotherhood)

Harmony (Harry x Hermione - HP)

MiroSan (Miroku x Sango - InuYahsa)

InuKago (InuYasha x Kagome - InuYasha)

Delena (Damon x Elena - Vampire Diaries)

Klaroline (Caroline x Klaus - Vampire Diaries)

[careful-knives]

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better!

Tagged by @lokigodofsex, thank you so much <3

Three ships:

So it's hard to pick just 3, but let's just go with those who currently live in my head rent free.

Clerith (Cloud and Aerith) from Final Fantasy VII franchise.

Gentlebeard (Stede and Ed) from Our flag means death.

Wangxian (Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian) from Mo Dao Zu Shi.

First ever ship:

Hmm. First ship I ever joined a fandom for would be Xelfi (Xelloss and Filia) from Slayers series. If first ever on tumblr then Fenhawke (Hawke and Fenris) from Dragon Age 2.

Last song:

Upwards to the moon by Sa Ding Ding.

Last film:

I finally watched Klaus. Today. At 4:30am.

Currently reading:

I have brainspace only for fanfiction now. Pirate brainrot and all that.

But after that I plan to read Nagle trup/Suddenly a corpse by Marta Kisiel

Currently consuming:

Copious amounts of fanfiction. But I also had some marzipan today.

Currently craving:

Would love more of that marzipan. And season 2 of ofmd.

I'll tag: @kouya-no-eden, @hostilemakeover, @jadedaceofspades, @the-names-salomea and if anyone sees this and thinks 'I wish it were me" then it's also for you.

[ff7central]

Mod Miri here! Today on the blog we have Sephy (she/her), who can be found here on Tumblr and Archive of Our Own. 

General FF7 Questions

Who is your favourite character from the FFVII setting? What do you love about them?

I love every single playable character from the main game, but my favorite is without a doubt, Cloud Strife. He's so unlike a typical RPG protagonist. He's very standoffish and rude at the beginning, but you start to grow to really like him the more you play the game. The amount of vulnerability he shows throughout the game makes him very relatable, I think. He's the party leader and he is strong when it's needed, but he can crack under pressure. I could talk all day about Cloud and what I love about him, but I actually did a dash game on my Cloud blog where I gushed about him. It's here: https://defiant-ex-soldiers.tumblr.com/post/626278527072878592/lets-start-a-chain-of-sweetness

Favourite party (three person team) idea when playing FFVII? They don’t have to actually work mechanically (or even be possible in the game), just that you like the idea of them together as a fighting party.

When I was young, my main post Disk 2 party was an odd one. It was Cloud, Yuffie, and Red XIII. Cloud had to be in my party, Red was in my party because I loved cats and he was a giant cat, how could I not? I didn't particularly care about Yuffie, but I needed a girl to replace Aerith as the main healer.

I didn't really like Tifa at the time because I shipped Cloud and Aerith (and the LTD taught me back then that if you loved that ship you must hate Tifa. I have long since gotten over that way of thinking, but I was a young impressionable kid back then.) I don't think I have an ideal team, I just love all the characters so much. Honestly I experiment with party composition a lot when I play.

Is there a headcannon or AU you want to see more of?

AUs that change the fundamentals of a story fascinate me. My first fanfiction was a Zack lives fic where the direction the story goes in is drastically changed by the way Zack ends up living. I still find myself cringing at it sometimes, but I also still adore the fic just because it was my first. A more recent one involved Zack getting his hands on some Shinra R&D special Materia and being teleported forward in time where he meets Advent Children Cloud. Any of the fics involving changing the Nibelhiem incident somehow immediately interest me. I'm a big fan of the lore the game establishes already, so reading how fic artists take that world apart and put it back together, but differently, is exciting for me.

Do you have a favourite memory associated with FF7 (any part of compilation) or something particular you did while playing (such as what you named the characters, or how you arranged your materia) that you think is unique that you'd like to share?

I have so many. I have been playing Final Fantasy VII since I was around 9 years old (even if I probably shouldn't have been playing it at that age). I don't remember much at all of my first playthrough, but there have been very many playthroughs after that. I do remember that I always named my Chocobos after the main party. My favorite was a black one named Yuffie and I made her dance on the minimap if a song I liked came on the radio. I also remember that I started playing for the first time after we had moved houses, so I didn't have the memory card for the family's PS1, so I replayed the first mission over and over again until we found it. 

Once, when I was young I got locked out of my room while playing through the wall-market section of the game. So I got embarrassed because my family could hear the Don Corneo music while they were trying to unlock the door. Another time, I tried to fall asleep with my old CRT TV on because I thought the Chocobo farm music would help me sleep better.

Cloud always had the lightning Materia and he also always had the Chocobo Lure Materia because I thought it was funny and it made sense to young me because his hair resembled chocobo tail feathers. 

One quirk I keep to this day has to be the two name changes I make whenever I start FFVII. Aeris is changed to Aerith, of course. There's also Red XIII whose name I change to Nanaki, because I didn't understand why he would want to keep the name that Hojo gave him and not his real name. FFVII has always been a constant part of my life. I remember long car rides where I would do nothing but play FFVII on my PSP. I remember back when I only had it on PS2, setting it up in a hotel room and trying to beat Carry Armor there (I didn't and I remained stuck there for a while longer). I remember playing it on my PSP during class after I'd finished my work.

I remember back when I was starting middle school, I got a teacher into FFVII and she put a special question on one of our tests, just for me. I remember making a poetry book that had really childish drawing and poems about FFVII. I remember finally beating Crisis Core, huddled in the corner of my bunk bed, unable to keep my eyes off of what was going on, and tearing up because the ending was so sad. That isn't even the half of it, but I've gone on for so long. As you can see, I have so many fond memories of Final Fantasy VII.

Creator Questions

Who has been the most difficult character to write/draw? Who has been the easiest?

Recently I started my first Turk fic and it starred Rude. I found that his muse didn't come as easy as the others. Usually I'm good at writing most of the cast of FFVII. Cloud is the easiest for me to write because I just know him so well.

What’s your ideal creating environment? Background noise/silence, indoors/outdoors, desk/couch, etc.?

At my desk with music playing! Fun fact, I haven't had an actual office chair to sit in for years. My computer was next to my bed at my old living space and now I sit on a couch when I'm at the computer in my new one.

What’s your creative process look like? Pantser/Emotive Writer/Gardener or Planner/Structured Writer/Architect? (Do you outline or just go with the flow?) If you’re an artist, do you do a lot of sketches, or just dive right in? Backgrounds first, or the main focal point? Multiple layers or all in one?

I usually just go where the fic wants to take me. A lot of the time I do jot down an outline, especially if I know I need to do it in a set amount of time, like for the Fic exchange or Whumptober.

What do you do when you get stuck on a project?

I usually set it aside and work on something else or try and brainstorm if it's something that I need to do in a certain period of time. Oftentimes I'll do something else and let my mind wander. Most of the plot of my Turkfic I came up with at work while my mind was on autopilot.

Which of your works is the most memorable to you? I don’t necessarily mean favourite or best work, it could be the work that taught you the most through making it or that holds a special reason in its creation. Drop a link.

"To Break like Time". This fic was my first ever fic for an exchange. The spring tester for Gaia Santa, "FFVII Secret Spring" to be exact. I'm not entirely sure what came over me when I was writing this fic, but I got it done in a weekend and edited a few days after, at the very beginning of the challenge. Despite how easy of a time I had writing it, I was nervous about posting it. It's that fic where Zack wakes up in post AC times with a Shinra R&D secret materia in his hands. Not exactly everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed the challenge it gave. There are several parts I would change, but overall, I enjoy the story, even if it does get kind of weird at the end.

It’s hard for me to go through everything you’ve done to pick stuff to mention. Is there a particular piece you’d like plugged, other than the one in the last question?

The Night that Nibelheim Burned is my Gaia Santa fic from last year. I really enjoyed the way everything came together. It was a harder fic to write, but it was worth it. Kunsel was the character on the docket that I was new to playing this time. This fic is another one of those fics about what Kunsel's doing while Zack is on the run. He never gave up hope, no matter how much time went by, and I think this fic really shows that.

Community/Fandom Questions

What aspects of fandom spark the most joy for you?

Just, how creative this fandom is. I've always been a fan of a lot of the art the fandom has made, and several of the fics too. It always blows my mind just how many new ideas that someone can come up with for such an old game (as well as the entries in the compilation). It inspires me to write my own fics and create my own piece of that to share with everyone.

I love seeing long rambling theory posts about the OG and the other compilation games on my dash. I also love how silly the fandom can be sometimes :3 I also love how every character is loved by someone no matter how minor.

Is there something you'd like to see more of in the community?

Can't have enough of people being nice to each other! Spread around the art you love (with the proper credits of course), Recommend that fic you love to other people! Leave Comments on people's fics, even if you don't have much to say! Those actions have the potential to make someone's day, and I think that's amazing.

Anything you’d like to say to the community?

The LTD (Love Triangle Debate) is bogus, and for a long time, I was scared that it would be revived with the release of the Remake. I was worried there would be people fighting tooth and nail over who Cloud should be with. As far as I know, that hasn't happened yet, but maybe I'm just in a different circle.

As for me, I quit the LTD when I was a kid and started playing Crisis Core because I started shipping Cloud and Zack. You can even see it in my first fanfic where I adamantly refused to admit that I liked them together as a couple, but you can see with the way I had Cloud and Zack interact with each other (Especially in the last chapter) how much they really loved each other. 

Anyway, back to the LTD. I'm a firm believer in shipping what you want. I have a million different ships with Cloud and all of them are valid in my mind. I don't ship because I want something to be canon, I ship because I like the story that could come about from having the two be together.  

Here is one of my favorite posts on the subject of shipping: https://sephyathredon.tumblr.com/post/617204499133661185/sunandrainfic-brief-note-to-new-ff7-folks

Is there a work belonging to someone else that you’d like to plug?

 "Rejoice although you will not surivive" by PUNK MENACE 

I enjoy seeing Cloud get whumped and this fic has some good whump and an interesting aftermath of that whump. Heed the warnings though, this is not a light fic.

Thanks so much for joining me, Sephy! It is great working with you during the annual events! 

Interested in participating in a FF7Central interview, or nominating someone? Check out the form here.

[tolliver-j-mortaelwyver]

Projects: A Sephiroth Story (ver. 1, 2,3, Nibelheim, and tragic)

As part of my "embracing my own cringe" initiative to combat writer's block and art block, I am focusing some energy into embracing the cringiest thing known to man (or at least for this woman)---a relationship with a fictional character. (Horrible).

This means I am re-writing ideas for an old fanfiction that has never seen the light of day that I am hoping to share as it is becoming an integral part of Shyjaena's character along side the Original Story.

Current Progress: Detailed Outline for ver. 3 done; working on ver. 2; then 1, and the Nibelheim, and then tragic

The Time When it All Began:

When I was a kid in middle school, I fell in love with a man after a butt-kicking in Kingdom Hearts despite having a strategy guide. That man's name...was Sephiroth. And it was frustrating!

I hated him. Who the hell was this silver-haired freak everyone raved about? He's just another pretty-boy anime character with white hair, so what gives?! How dare he beat me!

Those were my thoughts, and though I became an expert at fighting Sephiroth (and beating him with ease), a spark had been lit inside that could not be ignored. I had to know more of this character and this game called Final Fantasy VII that KH seemed to love above all others. I had to know more...

Long story short, I bought and fell in love with this PS One game and its blocky graphics and interesting story! The story was different. The minigames were fun. The characters were goofy and weird, none of them fit to be heroes but heroes they were!

The Sephiroth appeal became clear as well. In Nibelheim, he wasn't presented as the heartless, too-coo-for-school man I had assumed he was for years. He was once a kind and compassionate individual, a stark contrast from the mad man he became, and it...bothered me to see him go from interesting character to generic doomsday villain 7.0.

Despite my absolute LOVE for FFVII, it felt like Shinra and Hojo should have been the bigger enemies overall---since they were responsible for Sephiroth and his descent to madness---while Sephiroth's madness and struggle with his humanity could have been explored more deeply than it was with him simply becoming this cackling mad villain.

Those were my firm beliefs back then because I could not accept the way Sephiroth fell. He needed better friends, I told myself, because the game seemed to make it clear that if he had friends, they were gone or never existed. He deserved friends and intimacy.

And, thus, was A Sephiroth Story born!

I wrote of Infawri, an eight-year-old-black-child imprisoned by Shinra to work as a cleaner for SOLDIER to pay off her time as a thief. Really, she was kept there due to her ties to the Cetra, Aerith, whom they were after. The scheme was for Infawri and Sephiroth to befriend one another and for him to befriend Aerith by proxy in hopes they would not only draw Aerith towards Shinra but see a relationship form between their "Cetra boy" and the "Cetra girl".

Infawri and Seph, of course, knew nothing of these intentions. They simply found each other appealing due to being the same age and combat focused, for Infawri wasn't just a friend of Aerith's but the last living Guardien--a race of individuals dedicated to protecting the planet and remaining Cetra from harm at the hands of the Calamity of the Sky.

Only Infawri, Sephiroth, and Aerith knew the truth about her lineage. Not even their trusted babysitter Zack was allowed to know the truth of their trio! Thus, when they played together, they played to train, knowing that Shinra would--one day-- be their greatest foe.

With Infawri protecting Aerith, Sephiroth decided that he would protect Infawri. Thus, was their relationship formed, and it only grew intimate once they started growing older.

That was the gist of the story, A Sephiroth Story ver. 1 in a nutshell!

I never finished the tale, of course. Between Lucrecia showing up (without revealing herself as his mother, of course), Vincent being present in Midgar as a cryptid, Infawri and Sephiroth's complicated relationship with the world and each other, Aerith's story, and Hojo as the primary villain, it became too big to handle. (I probably needed to do a bigger timeskip that a 4-year one, but I was a teenager at the time trying to build to a teen romance with 12 being "practically a young adult" in my mind at the time...likely due to so much of our fiction centering around child soldiers).

But! With Remake and Rebirth out, my old hunger for those Infa-Seph tales have been rekindled, and with their kindling has come a fire to embrace their story as part of my grand canon because...why not?

Why not be cringey and love fictional characters who've been there, inside of you all this time? Why not let that be Shyjaena's tale as a jrageon? Because she is me, after all--the creator of Shyistjra of my main series, the writer of all her tales and more. And I would not be the writer I consider myself if not for the fictional world that have inspired me, time and time again.

A storm is coming, a rage of writings and it all begins with A Sephiroth Story (and all its up and coming new versions).

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

When the Sky Met the Earth

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII

Pairing: Zack Fair x Aerith Gainsborough (Zerith)

Rated: T

Story Summary: Zerith Flower Shop AU. Aerith quietly sells flowers in her tiny shop located in Midgar when the new tall, dark and devastatingly handsome delivery driver catches her eye - and steals her heart in the process.

.....

Setting: Takes place in Midgar but Shinra is merely an energy company so there was never SOLDIER nor Hojo to ruin everything. Yet not all is well because with the pollution still plentiful in Midgar, any plant life within the city struggles to thrive.

Characters: Aerith, hiding her Cetra heritage from the world yet wanting to use her powers for good in some way, opens the only flower shop in Midgar. It became a way to survive and also fill the dreary Midgar and its people's lives with a little bit of color and a touch of happiness. Yet because of what she is, she's still rather shy and hesitant to branch out, and other than her customers, doesn't know much of the world outside of the city.

Zack is a delivery driver from Gongaga. With no SOLDIER or other options available to him, Zack is naturally restless. Never being able to stay still in the stifling quiet of his tiny hometown, Zack was determined to travel by any means necessary. Which he fulfilled by accidentally making a business out of delivering people's special orders of Gongaga's Famous Imports of Mushrooms and various plants all across the world.

...This is the story of how they met.

...........

Damn, he was hot… No! Gorgeous!

That's all Aerith could really focus on regarding the delivery guy stepping into her shop.

Tall, dark and handsome would be all the other adjectives she could also associate with him. The captivating stranger delivering her soil and new batch of potted plants she ordered special from Gongaga stood easily over six feet tall, statuesque and incredibly athletic. Framed with thick broad shoulders and a nice rich tan that showcased a life spent out in the sunshine. Arms lined with impressive sinewy muscles, that would probably feel amazing to be wrapped in, all thick broad angles accentuated by a sleeveless wool turtleneck and loose cargo pants that did wonders for his already incredible figure.

Yet nothing could compare to his gorgeous face.

Sexy dimples framing a bright white smile and the prettiest pair of exquisite blue eyes she had ever seen. All this untamed beauty could only be finished off with the wildest yet adorable thick black hair spiked back to better show off his features with a single stubborn strand of ebony resting against his forehead. Even the cross shaped scar on his jaw merely added to his appeal…

Aerith was already in love and she didn't even know his name.

Yet what better way than to introduce herself first to get it?

...............

Damn, she was pretty… No! Beautiful!

That's all Zack could really focus on towards the florist when walking into her quaint shop.

Standing at least a head shorter than himself and paired with a gorgeous hourglass figure. Petite and lithe in the tapered waist cinched by her white apron but generous in the flared feminine curves of her shapely hips and modest breasts. All curves and softness he wanted to press against himself were hugged perfectly by the flowy pink dress that looked amazing contrasted against flawless milky skin. Hair made of bountiful russet curls flecked with hints of cinnamon in every other strand and held back in a pink bandana and lively ponytail that trailed down past her waist.

She couldn't be more his type if she tried.

Yet somehow she was when he became immediately enthralled in her enchanting face for the first time. Beautiful, dainty and heart shaped framed by two twisted ringlet bangs, accentuated by the cutest little button nose sprinkled with light freckles, softest looking cupid's bow pink lips and the most ethereal pair of green eyes he'd ever seen in his damn life. She was so heavenly, he could have sworn he'd died and was greeted into the gates of paradise by the most beautiful angel ever created by Gaia's hands…

Zack was already in love and he didn't even know her name.

Yet what better way than to introduce himself first to get it?

...................

"Hello, I'm Aerith."

"Heya! I'm Zack."

"…"

"…"

They'd spoken out at the exact same time.

Zack was the first to break the silence with a chuckle and embarrassed smile which Aerith followed shortly after with a breathy giggle behind a dainty hand.

"Heh. Let's try that again, shall we?…" he theatrically cleared his throat before offering her his hand, "Hi there! The name's Zack," the dark-haired man introduced himself. The easy confidence and charisma he exuded his entire life seemed to falter under the attention of the suffocating beauty in front of him. Never had he felt more shy or tongue tied than gazing into meadow green eyes that reminded him so much of the lush green pastures of his hometown nestled right in the irises of this city girl.

Aerith hoped the heat of the day concealed how her cheeks had burned, flushed scarlet under his attentive expression and those astounding sapphire eyes. While Aerith had met countless people from all walks of life in her time running the only flower shop in Midgar, she could easily determine that she had never met anyone like him before. So many people who lived in this city were worn and weary or so enslaved within their own lives and personal bubble, that they barely acknowledged her existence. Yet this man's sunny demeanor and hypnotic gaze that held the beauty of a cloudless sky in his iris never faltered his attention away from her.

"Hello Zack. My name is Aerith." Aerith placed her much smaller hand in his outstretched palm and was instantly struck by the gentleness of his grip, hands so large and warm even through the soft leather of his gloves.

Aerith… A beautiful name for an equally beautiful woman.

Melodic voice caressing his ears like honey and silk and the way she said his name like a breathy exhale? Zack was smitten. The sensation of her pressing her hand into his own, he registered just how petite in every aspect she was yet he felt the deceptive strength in her fingers, the bits of dirt clinging to her fingertips and under her practical short nails. She was fucking perfect. Zack hoped she couldn't hear the way his heart pounded frantically against his sternum.

"Nice to meet you, Aerith," he spoke her name like a benediction and never had she heard her name spoken like something to be treasured. She hoped he'd blame the heat of her shop to be responsible for the ample redness filling her cheeks. Wanting to make a good impression, she gripped his hand firmly, shaking it slightly and her heart skipped a beat at the deepening dimple in his cheek as his smile broadened further.

Realizing he still had a hold of her hand after their elongated greeting, Zack finally came back to his body. Desperately hoping he didn't freak her out or think he was some lecherous creep! The last thing he wanted to do was to offend her.

Feeling cowed at his own behavior and like he finally broke out of some kind of spell, Zack put his hands back on his hips (the place her hand had touched his own still tingled), put his customer service voice back on and asked, "I assume I have the right place. The order form said Gainsborough and I had you down for 10 bags of dark planting soil and some Gongaga bred flowers, correct?"

Aerith curled her hands together over her chest as if in prayer when Zack suddenly pulled back from their handshake (the place his hand was wrapped around her own was pleasantly warm). Finally acknowledging his statement and realizing that he was there for business, she flushed. Hoping he didn't notice how unprofessional and strange her behavior had been thus far, she quickly affirmed, "Yep, Aerith Gainsborough! That's me."

Zack nodded, "Perfect! I'll unload the soil bags last, but right now, I have a few fragile potted plants in the truck bed that should be attended to first. I'll grab those right away, but once I get back in, do ya mind showing me where I should put them?"

Looking away from his bewitching eyes and trying to act more natural (normal was best, right?), Aerith nodded. "Of course."

"Great! Be right back!" he left as quickly as he came and it was like he took all the oxygen in the room with him.

.................

The bell above the door still ringing, Aerith stared at the place he vacated and held back the tingle that echoed along her spine from the comforting warmth he left behind.

Aerith's strange connection to plants and life itself as the last Cetra, a heritage she valiantly hid her entire life, suddenly had rang to life around him unlike anything she'd ever experienced beforehand. It was akin to a burst of pure radiant sunlight through the dark clouds overhead. Like the Planet itself was ringing its approval; as if the echoes of the lifestream itself was pulling his very essence to her and vice versa. Akin to a puzzle piece that slipped in to complete some incomplete part of her soul, when she hadn't even been aware anything had been missing, until he clicked perfectly into place.

Never in her life had she felt such an instant connection to anyone.

Rather isolated her entire life, friendly and approachable certainly, but never letting anyone in too close to see the real her she valiantly sequestered away. The girl that always knew when someone she'd known, even in passing, had died the moment it transpired, the hushed whispers she spoke to the Planet or digging her strangely glowing fingers into dead soil only to watch as new plant-life emerged from their lush new depths.

She was different…Always had been.

A freak, an anomaly - the last of her kind the world forgot ever existed.

Yet even if her mind was warring against her desires to bring this stranger in any closer, her heart wanted nothing more than to find out more about him…and hoping he saw something about her that was worth knowing too.

.......................

As soon as Zack rushed back to his pick-up truck, he took a much needed moment to lean against the vehicle as if all the air had left his lungs in one fell swoop.

The heat of the metal from recent use of the engine not even phasing him; solely focused on calming the frantic pounding of his heart. Never in his damn life had he felt such an instant attraction to anyone. Doing this job and being born a naturally social butterfly, he'd met countless people on his travels, yet absolutely no one on the entire Planet had ever instantly drawn him into their orbit like this girl he barely spoken a dozen words to had. It was akin to a moth to a flame; inevitable. The severe need to be close to her even if it made no logical sense.

Meeting her was like he was seeing colors for the first time or experiencing his first sunrise after a seemingly endless winter.

Zack had always shone too brightly, been a little too friendly and overzealous most of the time due to his excitable nature and never being able to stay still. Yet as many friends he'd acquired over the years traveling Gaia, he felt rather lonely. Traveling to and from the ends of the Planet on business, never finding a true sense of home other than the brief stints he was in Gongaga. While he'd had a few romantic relationships prior, they never lasted long. Every woman he'd either dated or even had a brief fling with had never felt right. The women, while physically beautiful, were shallow and superficial, yet try as he might, he could never connect with any of them on more than a baser level that only went skin deep.

Even in a world filled with people - many he considered friends - he felt so utterly alone sometimes.

Yet the moment he waltzed into the quaint little flower shop ready for merely another boring day at work delivering Gongagan goods - it instead flipped his entire world upside down. And now, all he could see when he blinked was the comforting warmth of her ethereal green eyes, her sweet smile and this inexplicable pull he felt towards her…she felt like coming home in the best way possible.

Feeling chagrined, Zack only hoped he hadn't come on too strong for her tastes. Perhaps he could merely start by getting to know her better…and hoped she felt the same persistent need to connect to him too.

"C'mon, Zack…You can do it," he hyped himself up under his breath. The Gongaga native shifted into a determined stance and gathered the plant he needed from the front seat.

....................

Aerith was keeping her mind occupied with organizing a few stray bits and bobs behind the counter when Zack walked back in the shop. His smile was gentle and bright like a few scattered rays of sunlight that warmed her skin. His presence filling her chest like a fresh breeze on a stifling hot day, the hum of the Planet hovering around him in acceptance and excitement that had her heart skip a beat when his smile grew as his gaze settled into her own.

"Here we are," he announced. His azure gaze flicking down to the potted plant encased in a thick plastic tub and held in steady, gentle hands.

It was only that glance that tore her eyes away from his attractive face. Blushing, Aerith ignored the pounding of her heart to meet him in the center of the store, stopping next to the buckets of freshly cut roses she'd cultivated that morning.

"Ooh, which ones are these?" Aerith asked.

Zack flushed at the warmth she exuded when she closed the distance between them. The way the sunlight was filtering through the windows and catching on the amber and reds scattered in her brunette hair, giving her a halo effect like the angel she appeared to be.

Realizing she asked him a question, he quickly answered, "These are the Gongagan Lilies. It's best to transfer them while they're only sprouts so they can survive the long trips I make. When they're stronger, they can easily be transferred into deeper soil."

Aerith peered down into the tub, her fingers gently resting on its edge and purposefully brushing against his hands still holding it. The tiny green sprouts appeared healthy and full of life, she sensed their presence and knew they had been well taken care of - maybe even a bit spoiled in their previous environment. Feeling their pleased murmurs, Aerith smiled.

Zack flushed at her innocuous touch and the up-curve of her pretty pink lips as she looked down at the plants. Feeling a tad hot under the collar and his perpetual need to fill the sudden silence, he continued, "I, uh, gave them a little water before I left port this morning but it was a long drive here so they probably can go with a bit more soon. And as long as you water them regularly and leave them where they'll get plenty of sunshine, they should grow just fine!"

Lifting her eyes from the plants, she meet Zack's sweet gaze and smile that put the sun to shame. "Thank you so much. I've only seen these particular lilies in books before! I always thought they were absolutely beautiful and wanted the opportunity to grow some myself. I really hope they'll be happy and thrive here."

Feeling brave, Zack gently nudged her hand with his own still clenched around the pot. "Under your green thumb, I'm sure they will! I've delivered a bunch of stuff to Midgar but never flowers before. I've never even known that plants can actually grow here until I seen your shop! You must be one hell of an amazing gardener!"

Aerith flushed under his overwhelming praise, hands finally leaving the gravitational pull of his presence to brush down the small bits of soil on her apron in order to give her hands something to do to abate this endless nervous energy filling her chest.

"Thanks," she muttered sweetly.

Zack swallowed the lump in his throat at her bashful smile. He prayed this instant attraction wasn't one sided and her body was giving him the right cues to tell him she probably was interested but he'd never want to push anything.

Play it cool, Zack, just play it cool…

"You're welcome. So, uh…where did ya want me to put this down?"

The florist jumped at the question, eyes leaving the safety of the toes of her practical brown boots to peer towards a sunny alcove at the back of the shop. "Right over here would be perfect. Follow me!"

Zack did so. Keeping a professional distance, but with her back turned, he did allow his eyes to roam over the swaying of her gorgeous wavy hair and even the gait she walked as if treading on air. She was magnificent. The scent of flowers and plant life was apparent in the shop, but amidst it all, he caught the scent of her hair as she stopped in front of him and fuck, she smelt so damn good. Floral, fresh and full of life was the only description he could give it.

"Here we are!" Aerith announced, bringing Zack back down to Gaia amidst his place lost atop the clouds. Dainty hand was gesturing towards a shelf filled with tubs filled with colorful flowers of various shapes and sizes. Right in the center was just enough room for the new addition.

Aerith watched as he gingerly set the planter down, feeling flush as his body brushed beside her to do so. It was only now that she truly registered how incredibly tall he was. The addicting warmth of his skin combined with the scent of woodsy sandalwood cologne, the freshness of rich dark soil he carried with the slight tinge of clean sweat and motor oil only made him that much more real and alluring.

Biting her lip, Aerith reached for the watering can nearby and while she gently gave the plants the perfect amount of water they required, Zack's eyes never left her.

Hypnotized and lost in the way the sun glistened along her milky skin, the droplets of water that scattered bits of light over her. Yet it was the smile she guided towards the tiny sprouts that took Zack's breath away. A smile so tender and loving curving the edges of her mouth, nurturing and full of care for the smallest of life. And in a world filled with shallow people who could care less, she was like a beacon of pure light in a cold dreary world…

Yet when her curious eyes met his own and she caught him staring at her like a love sick puppy, he panicked.

"I'll uh, let you finish up here. I'll go get the rest of the stuff. Be right back!" he said suddenly, and when he left again, he took all the air away from her lungs this time.

...................

Bags of soil lined neatly in the storage room and the other plants she ordered all scattered in various areas of the shop. Aerith couldn't wait to see all of them in full bloom! All the Gongagan plants she'd researched were gorgeous and to have some in her shop!? it was like a dream come true…but she felt melancholy because she felt like the time with Zack was coming to an abrupt end.

And since she caught him staring at her watering the plants, he'd been almost standoffish.

She wondered if she did something wrong…

"I think that's everything." Zack announced, brushing his hands of any loose dirt after placing the final pouches of bulbs she ordered atop the counter.

Zack pursed his lips, glancing forlornly at her back where she stood in the alcove still peering at the Gongagan Lily sprouts. Every rational thought inside of his head kept telling him he was being strange, that this sudden attraction came from the mere lack of substantial contact with the opposite sex for the past few months…yet his heart told him otherwise. This inexplicable pull he'd felt upon meeting her was getting more insistent and as his time with her was nearing its end, it was now a frantic thump of protest against his sternum.

The florist glanced at him over her shoulder. A smile that was brighter than a summer day in Gongaga etched onto her mouth as she looked at him in a way Zack knew he didn't deserve.

"I can't thank you enough, Zack!" she exclaimed, her voice like a balm, a sweet melody to his aching heart. "When the vendor told me someone actually delivered fresh Gongaga Mushrooms, I didn't believe it… I'm glad I was wrong."

Zack swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat at the naked tenderness in her eyes. She was so beautiful it made his chest positively throb. While Zack wasn't a believer in fate, why did this feel like it? Like he known her his entire life?

"Yeah, me too," the unfiltered words came out of nowhere and he almost slapped a hand over his mouth when her beautiful laugh suddenly filled the air around him in infectious joy.

Zack couldn't help but join her.

Aerith bit down on another giggle about to leave her lips. The last Cetra peered around at her shop and knew she had no right to keep him here any longer than she already had. Hating that feeling as if this moment and this connection she had was coming to an end because of her own stubborn shyness, Aerith forced herself to approach him. She peered up at his questioning expression, smile sweet as she reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a generous wad of gil.

"Thank you so much, Zack! I really appreciate everything," She offered him the bills and while he was normally happy to accept tips, it didn't feel right taking absolutely anything from her…

Instead, he felt the want and need to build her a house with a field full of every flower on Gaia to surround it, only to see how it would make her smile… His heart throbbed painfully in his chest.

Zack's eyes left the green of the offered gil and lifted to meet the much more brilliant verdant shade of her irises.

"No, I can't accept that." he honestly stated with a shake of his head, gently pressing the money back towards her chest.

A conflicted look flashed across her expression as she slipped the gil back into her apron pocket. She huffed cutely with a pursed pout on her already tempting mouth, "You've done so much work and drove so far to deliver these! I need to offer you something!"

Yet all Zack could focus on was the fact that Aerith's smile was like the sun. Meadow green eyes sparkling with life and cheeks flushed a beautiful cherry hue as she gazed back up at him from her modest height. How the actual hell could he walk out of here without even trying? The worst she could say is no, right?

Using every bit of charisma Aerith had seemingly sucked out of him, Zack put his hands on his hips, a wide smile on his face as he looked at her and asked, "...How about one date?" Zack asked, the words seemingly coming from nowhere and yet felt so familiar on his tongue.

As if he'd asked her this same question before…

Aerith's eyes widened but never left his as those four simple words left his mouth. There was a flash of something substantial behind her eyes, as if in recognition or remembrance she clung to with both hands.

Yet before he could focus on that, it was gone, and instead, her smile widened.

For some reason, hearing him simply asking her out, she felt like crying and laughing at the same time. Although she'd never even experienced her first one, she already desired to kiss him until both their lips were swollen. It was so strange, those words, as if he'd asked her this question before, as if this very moment had already happened, that in some other life, she'd already experienced his lips on hers - as if them meeting today was simply meant to be.

The Planet hummed happily in her chest, combined with the warmth in her cheeks and the smile pulling at her lips.

Like something so wonderful had just occurred - like her life was about to change for the better.

And it was all because she met Zack.

So, Aerith smiled and replied, "Yes. I'd love to."

[setoangel01]

...The container splintered with webs, cracking around a massive swing of his Buster Sword. The inside pressure of the glass tank had it exploding outwards toward him and the thick shards cutting deep lacerations into his skin but Zack couldn't care less as the blood seeped down in rivulets. The ex-SOLDIER not even flinching as the red dog/cat creature (who introduced himself as Red XIII / Nanaki later on) ran past him to chase after the fleeing Hojo.

As tempting as it was to join him in chasing after the bastard and literally rip out his throat - to take revenge for all the hell in his life by putting an end to Hojo's disgusting miserable wretched existence once and for all - Aerith would always be more important.

The Flower Girl in question was sitting curled up against the farthest side of the tube, shaking with tears threatening to spill from her big green eyes and Zack immediately ran to her side before pulling her into his trembling arms. Glass digging into his knees, skin stabbed and scrapped with thick shards of glass, but Zack didn't care - nothing mattered but Aerith.

Aerith hugged him back, burying her face in his throat as Zack buried his face in her hair.

Holding her as close as he could without outright crushing her. It was in this stolen moment that he realized with a startling clarity just how much Aerith had sacrificed for him. How this beautiful perfect angel waited for him for five years and never gave up on him. Yet when he got back to Midgar, he had been putting her second…

Never again…

                                      (Keep Reading)

The second chapter of one of the many AU Zack Lives ficts I’ve written. This one goes more into Remake, scene taken from where he saves Aerith from Hojo’s lab.

[kimmimaru]

Thoughts on Rebirth Tseng:

Putting it under a cut due to spoilers as usual, since I've essentially finished the main plot for the game. Ok, so if you've been reading my spoiler posts then you're aware I found Tseng to be acting weird, still don't know why that was but the only scene he acts even remotely naturally is when he's dying in the temple and talking to Aerith. Honestly can't wait to see his reaction to her death, I'm a sucker for angst. But anyway, I theorise that the reason he was acting weird is because of Aerith and his dislike/uncertainty of Rufus' plans involving her. Also like...Rufus protecting Tseng from Hojo lol. That side-eye look Rufus sends Hojo's way when he mentions 'helping' Tseng is hilarious. So I have always liked having Hojo tease the Turks with threats of experimenting on them in fanfic and now its proven to be an actual thing lol. But never expected Rufus to be the one to 'protect' them. Tseng's always been a character I've vaguely struggled with because his ability to set apart both sides of himself is so good. Like he acts the cold, hard villian but in actuality he's not. Obviously Reno and Rude know him well enough to kind of call him out on it, but I've never been very good at portraying that with any kind of decency in fanfic. One of the reasons I like writing him so much is to try and get inside his head, I don't understand him very well so I try and figure that out in fanfiction. Its almost like he's got two personalities, one is more what we see in Crisis Core and the other is everything afterwards. Honestly I kind of blame Veld, he was supposed to be the example to Tseng of what leadership looks like. Either that or Tseng decided to change because it was the only way he could keep doing his job and keep his humanity. Also we don't really see it in Rebirth but I've always liked that Tseng has a vicious side too. I think the biggest example is in The Kids Are Alright, when he lays into that doctor who conned people out of money. I would like to see more of this side of Tseng in the next installment tbh, I feel like this is an important aspect to his personality. Like his cool veneer isn't thick enough to withstand something he deems dispiciple, that scene left a lasting impression on me as its like a switch flips. Its one of the things that's actually terrifying about Tseng, he goes from cool and calm to violent in the blink of an eye. Rebirth doesn't show it so well I don't think, but I suppose nothing's really happened to make him do it. I just find it fascinating that considering what he does for a living, a doctor scamming people is what sets him off. He is a literal murderer but a man conning the poor makes him angry. You know, Aerith's death would make for a great exploration of this side of Tseng. The man is probably one of the most dangerous Turks, the others are much more honest with themselves and their feelings. You know where you stand with Reno, Rude and Elena. Tseng is like the person who pushes down all his feelings until one day they just explode. At least, that's my impression. No clue if this makes any sense, its more of a vague ramble tbh. But I am having thoughts and these thoughts need to be written down, helps me get things in order in my head for later fanfic purposes.

[yandereine]

Minerva's Decides It's Time For One More Round (FF7 Fanfiction)- Ch3

Vincent Valentine burst from his coffin in a tumble immediately reaching for the phone that was not there. At first, he thought he was in another nightmare. Surrounded by black, wallowing in those long, lonely years by himself only to find that his eyes were shut, and he could reach out with his still human hand to touch his lover’s face, stroking their cheek.  

 They had aged so, so much since they’d first met. And he would remain eternally young while they would grow old and die. 

 It hurt him, so much. But he treasured their moments together as the world continued to struggle to breathe around them. Crops were completely unable to grow, even after the curing of Geostigma; the Planet could not recover in the end. And so they all waited to simply, die.  

 Going to sleep with their frail, aging body in his arms, he expected to awake to another cold, dark day only to find there was no light at all, returned to his coffin. 

 But unlike his dreams, he had the choice to actually get out, and so he did. 

 Panting heavily, or about as much as Vincent’s breaths being a touch louder than normal, he scanned the dark room.

 It was... 

 Not questioning his dreams, he ran. Ran out the door, breaking through every barrier in his way in a daze until feeling the Nibelheim cold billow his cloak and stroke his scalp as his hair blew into his face. 

 He ran, practically flying over the still locked iron gate and down the sloping stone steps to observe the small town beneath the mansion. 

 Though in the dead of night, it was alight with lanterns and... a commotion? 

 Tifa did not know her comrade and friend was there, realizing she had no idea how to explain to her father why she was screaming (oh come on, she was just speaking loudly) for Cloud in the middle of the night.

 Nor could she explain why seeing her father made her fall to her knees and burst into tears. 

 His fury had melted for concern, and now the entire village was awake and confused.  

 And so was she. 

 She was back. 

 Though she wasn’t sure how to process... anything. 

 Aerith, Denzel, the others what happened to them? 

 Plucked from one life into her old one without so much as a “mind the smaller body.” 

 So she stood with her father’s hands at her bare shoulders, sobbing while Claudia Strife rushed in and out of her home to bring her a blanket to wrap herself in. 

 Opening her bleary eyes, she could have sworn she saw a flash of red on the rooftops, but it could have been the dazzling light of a lantern as she wiped them and shook her head. Explaining this would take some time to think about, for her family, the villagers, and herself. 

 Vincent took a single look at the young, teenager surrounded by adults and backed off, realizing he was also in not the state of mind appropriate for a heavy confrontation. 

 It would be best to learn as much as he could back at the mansion, and figure out a way to get a signal to Tifa.

 ----------------------- 

The one and only Wutaian princes shocked the nation. 

 Yuffie Kisaragi, age forty, was sitting up straight with the regal demeanor of a queen in the body of an eight year old child.

 Godo Kisaragi was beside himself and sent for doctors, a shaman, and every manner of healer he could acquire to learn what could have possibly happened to his daughter in one night! 

 Yuffie sat stone faced, back straight, looking ahead at the fifth witch doctor that came in that day. 

Wutai had fallen. Again. 

 In the decades that passed, disaster after disaster couldn’t stop people from building back up to their former lives. And so, Midgar was rebuilt as a true Neo Midgar for the people. No ShinRa overlords disregarding the slums or mako pollution. Everyone would work together to build a real brighter future. 

 Bullshit. 

 Wutai remained independent, and under her rule did they continue to train warriors and regain their long lost honor.  

 Ten years. 

 Ten years was all it took for the animosity between Neo Midgar to rival that of its former lords and the attacks began after the last stone of the cobbled streets had been set. Reeve had passed away leaving the WRO in her and Vincent’s hands, and even with their combined military strength could they not come to a truce or keep peace. Having no SOLDERs in a polluted, hostile world meant that the every single day, people had to learn how to fight for themselves with their own super powers.

 Strength, materia, and guns. 

 Warriors like Cloud were one in a billion. And even then, no one was like Cloud. The man couldn’t fight more than one battle at once, and so, he was not there during her capture, imprisonment, nor execution.

 It should have been her execution. 

 Live on Neo Midgar television she kneeled, her crown knocked onto the ground and waist length hair matted and dirty. Really, she should have grabbed the first materia she could find and went out in a blaze. But she sat rigid as the firing squad took aim, thinking of only one thing, her father’s surrender to ShinRa. 

 So there she was again, her father where he should be and herself on a cushion fit for a princess. 

 She was quiet. Manic, but quiet. 

 What could she say to him after all this time? 

 Nothing, instead she embraced him for several minutes and that was when she was ushered to the palace healing chamber while the fifth witch doctor that day attempted to read her chi.

 Honestly, she didn’t mind, choosing to let it happen.  

 There was nothing left for her then, and now she could make things right.

 ------------------------

Cid Highwind was in bed, smoking a cigarette and not moving besides the rise and fall of his chest, followed by the tapping of his cigarette into an ashtray. His back was up against the headboard, and Shera was not there.  

 He took another long drag of his cigarette as he stared at the wall across from him. 

 Round Three. 

 The first time he had gone back in time, he was gung-ho to kick some ShinRa ass, spear Sephiroth from a high jump, and get his own ass to outer space. That didn’t work as he’d planned. 

 First he’d been arrested for exposing and conspiring with AVALANCHE which- to his surprise, did not only consist of Barett, Tifa and a scant few others he’d been expecting. No, this other cell was something else, and hardly better than ShinRa. 

 It was, without a doubt, a shitshow. He bumbled his way through the past, telling everyone and their daughter, quite literally in the case of Marlene, what to expect. 

 They were overwhelmingly underprepared and thank Minerva for being the angel she was for yanking him out and putting him back in when they put an end to Sephiroth and Jenova, but at the cost of everything they held dear, even worse than the first go around. He tried again, wary from the years he’d spent fighting to save Gaia.

 But dammit he was going to try. 

 First, he decided to focus on getting to space, figuring the others needed the experience before they were ready to take on that monstrosity. With smaller rockets and world shattering discoveries about space, he theorized that maybe they could just migrate if things got too bad. Or hell, track wherever Jenova came from and blast it to hell. But he had not accounted for the hostilities of space, nor how many centuries it would take to actually achieve any of it.  

 He got his wish, going to space, even floating above their big, beautiful world in a space suit. But he didn’t have thousands of years to make it to another planet with water, and not millions to see another star. So, he got his butt into gear to do what he could to learn more about how to eliminate the threat of Jenova from the Lifestream.

 Cloud and Tifa had survived a long dip into it, why couldn’t he? 

 As it turns out, Jenova’s essence was even more deadly when it was in a space where the laws of the planet’s nature and physics didn’t apply.

 The repurposed spaceship was made to travel deep into the planet, and traverse the Lifestream to potentially find Jenova and put an end to things once and for all. He supposed being in the Lifestream itself, that immediately sent him on an express route back to where he was now. 

 How old was he, A hundred and three now? 

 Another drag from his cigarette. 

 Well, at least the cigarettes didn’t ever kill him. 

-------------------------

Barret Wallace downed his fifth shot as he tried to calm down and rationalize the situation. 

Marlene was not his daughter. His arm and hand were not a gun nor made of any kind of metal. No one’s phone numbers worked, and he was not swearing up a storm to Sephritoth’s face as he charged him.

 “I will never be a memory.” he’d said, according to Cloud. 

 After his fiftieth birthday, the damned wraith came back to bite them all when they were older, and slower. 

 Cloud, Shelke and Vincent were the best they had as that fiend came back from the dead. But to say it was a surprise attack was putting things all too lightly. From what he knew of Sephiroth, the evil bastard liked to be a little dramatic. There was some build up that sent Cloud over the edge, and they could expect bad shit to happen until he was gone.

 Swooping in the day after his birthday when everyone without mako enhancements was hungover and lazing around in their night clothes wasn’t exactly the most Sephiroth like thing they could have accounted for. 

 Cloud was out and jumping on the rooftops to beat his ass out of the newly built city though couldn’t do much about all the destruction left in their wake. Yuffie, all grown up and making him proud, had taken Marlene. They focused on rescue and relief. Seeing his grown daughter commanding the screaming crowd with a booming voice would have brought him to tears if he wasn’t focused on sprinting to where the fighting was taking place. 

 And it was a fight. 

 There was no way the people who’s houses Sephiroth tossed Cloud through got out without scratches or worse. But between taking pot shots and guiding the people to safety, Barett had little room to spectate along the way. What he did see, all too clearly, was the body of Shelke fall from the sky and land at his feet, unmoving.

 He didn’t know what snapped in him that day, but even if the girl was old enough to be somebody’s grandma, she still held the face of a sweet young girl, and he screamed. 

 The things he yelled at Sephiroth that day could go down in a lexicon to never say around your child. He hollered and never stopped shooting until he needed to recharge. 

 That was the moment that Sephiroth decided to stop dodging and go for him directly. 

 Waking up with a real hand and his wife near falling out of their bed as he yelled himself awake sent him into delirium. Stumbling through the street in just pajama pants dialing every phone number he knew, and even getting as far as the town gate before Dyne pulled him back. 

 Fifth shot emptied, he stared at the glass, and his dear friend rubbed circles on his back trying to get him to speak up. 

 Barret put his head down into his still flesh arms on the bar, and groaned.

[im-totally-not-an-alien]

Final Fantasy 7 prompts #70

1. Time traveler au where everyone remembers, and I mean everyone!

Hojo? Incredibly curious about this new phenomenon and is hunting Cloud like a Zolom slithering up to a Chocobo

Sephiroth: Also hunting Cloud, although for entirely different reasons

Genesis full on tackle-hugged Angeal to the ground and not even a half hour later the scene repeats with the puppy

Random people on the streets scream and cry in delight at seeing thier loved ones for the first time since The Plate/Meteorfall/Geostigma took them from the world of the living.

Its a mess.

2. Cloud was never a selfish man. At least, he never considered himself to be. But standing here, aiming a gun at a sleeping man's head, he couldn't help to feel like he was.

3. Cloud sniffled, staring at his campfire as the wind blows at it. Its as if the wind god himself is trying to snuff out the only comfort he had left. He didn't mean to betray the group, he swears.

Not that it meant much.

(Au where Cloud never got mako poisoned after giving Sephiroth the black materia and swam away from Tifa, losing her in the lifestream)

4. After going through yet another tragic event, his mind shuts down. He fell into a coma (again) this time within the lifestream

Now its up to Zack and Aerith to save him from himself by entering Clouds dreamworld and spending time with him in hopes of convincing him to leave. They didn't count on Cloud not remembering what happened in the real world, nor for Cloud to have been given everything he had ever wanted.

Zack struggles with the morality of taking Cloud from a happy dream world and dumping him back into a bleak reality

5. Yuffie dumped a bucket of water onto Cloud, prompting the blond to grab a bucket of his own and chase the ninja through the jungles of Wutai.

Playtime was cut short however, when Yuffie fell into a hole in the ground. It was covered by large ferns and plant life, completely obscuring it from view. Still, she was a ninja! She should have seen this coming.

Cloud also feels a bit foolish for also falling in while looking for her.

They wake up and climb out of the hole, and head back to Godo, expecting nothing to have changed, only to find they-

A. Had been missing for 20 years

B. Are in an alternate reality

C. Have time traveled to the past

(Take your pick)

Cloud has no time to feel down, not with his precious annoying baby sister around. Someone has to keep the princess safe, and thats not easy when she's her own worst enemy.

(I intended this to be a fun sibling fic)

6. Before Crisis Shinra gets reports of a silver haired woman with reddish purple eyes dragging an unconscious blond man around like a stuffed animal.

Aka Jenova herself has come out to play

7. Sephiroth comes out of the labs much more woozy than normal. He doesn't think much of it at first, and by the time he realized he was in trouble, it was too late.

Genesis came into the Generals office to complain to the silverette about Shinra, only to find Sephiroth spacing out and acting rather...odd.

"Sephiroth," the redhead asked gently, "Are you...high?"

Sephiroth blinked slowly at him, and the commander couldn't help but to feel it was a greeting of some sort.

The silverette smiled before saying. "I am higher than you, yes."

"Thats not what i- Wait. Did you just make a joke?!"

Or

A certain blond trooper walks in holding paperwork for the general, who proceeds to pick up the smaller man and coo at him.

This somehow culminates into Sephiroth saying, "I know. I should adopt you!" Before spinning the young man around in the air like one wood a toddler.

Clouds confused shout was audible a whole two floors down, catching the attention of the honorable commander and his puppy, who went to investigate.

(Inspired by a dream I had of Sephiroth holding a struggling Cadet Cloud and saying "This is my son now." To Angeal)

8. Genesis munching on popcorn while watching Cloud beat up Sephiroth for the umpteenth time.

He even has the audacity to cheer for the blond

9. General Sephiroth encounters a child who is dressed up like him when out on a walk.

He talks to the child and leaves the situation feeling much better about himself.

(I need some wholesome Sephiroth fics)

10. Kadaj as a cat loaf

11. Sephiroth and Cloud have a shared dream about them being happily married and Cloud being pregnant.

The moment Cloud wakes up he barricades the doors and windows.

Sephiroth...well he doesn't know what to think about this situation. He's kinda just staring off in a daze.

He attributes it to trauma and neither ever bring it up.

12. Time traveler Cloud, but with all of Jenova-fied Sephiroths abilities. The problem is that Cloud has seemingly little control of these abilities, leading to Cloud being very tired and the writer being very amused.

13. Sephiroth rescues a blond fae from the rubble he was pinned under.

This was how he gained his silent stalker. The man never spoke. But his calming smile said enough.

14. When Lazard discovered there was two red clad men, who spoke in loveless quotes, he had to fight the urge to bang his head onto his desk and groan like a teenager. When he found out there were three of the man, he actually did just that.

Finding out there was only one Angeal was a bit concerning, especially since these other two worlds were supposed to be further along in the timeline. Thankfully, Zack hasn't seemed to change much in either. Then again, the one carrying the mako poisoned blond seemed wary of everything. Strange.

Strangest of all were the Sephiroths. One refused to come to this meeting, stating that it wouldn't be worth his time, which shocked the entire board of directors. Nothing they did or said seemed to faze the once dutifully obedient man. Luckily, Shinra still had thier own Sephiroth on thier side to protect itself if necessary...and the people too if they were lucky.

The third Sephiroth only commented something about searching for clouds or some such nonsense.

Lazard couldn't help but to feel disaster looming on the horizon.

15. "I'm pretty sure they would trade everyone here for a single corn chip if I got hungry." The blond deadpanned. "They're heartless."

Yes, food good. The voice interjected. Nutrition. Survival.

Cloud wanted to tell it that he didn't even like corn chips, but talking back to the voices in your head is usually considered to be a bad idea. Even if they're real.

Especially if they're real.

Aka the J and S cells mutate and begin communicating with thier host.

Cloud is not pleased.

Bonus: Sephiroth and Cloud reacting to your fanfiction.