Chapter Text
act one: rewrite
The edge of the Buster Sword sliced through the slimy flesh of the monster’s limb. Black goo spilled from the wound, droplets landing sparsely across Cloud’s cheeks. Angry screeches filled his ears, and he could feel his eardrums throb with the noise. She retaliated, bringing one of her remaining tendrils forward as a counterattack. In any other fight, this move would have proved too quick for Cloud. He would have been hit by it, succumbing to damage. But this time, he was light and swift. His reflexes were sharp and his muscles were on guard. All from the adrenaline from the events of the last few minutes.
Cloud evaded the move by jumping high into the air. He spun towards the creature, bringing his sword down to deal further damage. The move landed, and his weapon broke through the purple skin. Another scream of pain. Cloud gritted his teeth in response.
He could feel every pulse of his heart. At this moment, it was beating faster than he ever imagined it could. Sweat rolled down his brow uncontrollably. He was tempted to run back, to drop his weapon right there and head back to the figure lying on the ground just a few feet away.
Back to Aerith’s body.
He wanted to cradle her in his arms again. To hold her close and feel her skin against his. To feel the gentle touch of her hand on his face. As if it were the last time he would ever feel her again.
But an image of Sephiroth’s eyes interrupted his thoughts. His desire was replaced by hatred. By revenge. He turned to face his opponent again.
The Lifeclinger.
Jenova.
“Hey, Cloud!” Yuffie’s voice yelled from behind him. Cloud looked back at her, and his eyes immediately widened at the sight of the ninja’s shuriken flying right towards him. “Heads up!”
Cloud dodged, rolling over to Jenova’s other side. He watched as the shuriken embedded itself into the cavity between her ribcage. A red glow covered the weapon, and flames began to pulse out and set Jenova’s bones alight. It was a relief to Cloud that Yuffie’s ninjutsu ability was able to deal damage here. As he exhaled, Jenova screamed.
The sudden sound of a howl cut through the screams of anguish. A spinning form launched itself toward the three of them, surrounded by flames. The fiery tail hit the burning cavity as it landed, bringing out another scream. Nanaki unravelled himself and smiled, proud to contribute to the fight with his sidewinder.
He growled at the same time that Yuffied recalled her shuriken, and they both watched as the flames on her weapon extinguished themselves.
“Nice job!” Yuffie told him.
“Thanks!” Nanaki replied, his wolf-like fangs poking out with his smile. “I’ve been practicing that one.”
She was tempted to ruffle the patch of auburn hair on his head, but she knew she would have to wait due to the urgency of their situation. Instead, she waved him over. “Don’t stop now! C’mon, Red!”
Nanaki ran over and Yuffie stood her guard. The two fell in sync in an instant. With Yuffie in front, she sliced Jenova’s torso. Nanaki followed shortly behind, using his claws to attack before recovery was possible. Then they both jumped, and Yuffie used Nanaki’s back as leverage for a double-spinning finishing move.
It landed.
Hack and slash.
Cloud let out another breath. He was glad to have his companions alongside him.
He looked back again, his eyes searching for Aerith. She remained on the floor, her loose brown hair sprawled around her. Cloud’s nostrils flared, and the vision of Aerith’s braid coming undone after Sephiroth’s attempted blow replayed in his mind. He could feel his cheeks warming up with anger.
She had been kneeling in front of him, praying. She had told him that she was the only one that could stop Sephiroth. The only one that could stop him from using the black materia. And so she went to the one place where her Cetra powers would be the strongest: the Forgotten City.
Aerith went alone. And she did not look back when Cloud tried to stop her. Cloud remembered his heart breaking at that moment.
But he had managed to catch up to her during her prayer. They had been alone, the two of them. The rest of the group had been left behind at the entrance, but Cloud hadn’t minded. He just wanted to be reunited with Aerith. When he had managed to catch up, Aerith looked up at him, her emerald eyes wide and bright. The corners of her pink lips had turned upwards as a small grin overtook her face. She looked relieved to see him. Happy.
And then Sephiroth descended.
Cloud shut his eyes, pushing the memory away. When he opened them again, he saw a familiar head of long black hair leaning over Aerith’s body. Tifa’s hands hovered over Aerith’s arms, hesitant to touch her. A small figure scurried up to Tifa’s side, and although Cloud could not see them due to his obstructed vision, he could hear the distant sounds of an accent and clinks of materia from their direction. Must be Cait Sith.
Cloud’s grip tightened on the Buster Sword as he refocused on the task at hand. He continued to slice at Jenova, aiming for her second tendril. With every cut, splashes of black blood stained the edge of his sword. Portions of it even began to coat Cloud’s wrists. Jenova’s blood was cold and its texture repulsive. But Cloud didn’t stop, not even as the sounds of Yuffie gagging reached his ears.
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” she said, her face and lips pale at the sight of him.
“Well don’t be,” Cloud responded. His eyes never left Jenova’s body. “Focus.”
“Easy for you to say,” she murmured in response, rolling her eyes at him.
Jenova aimed for Yuffie, this time with her head. Jenova snarled, her sharp and bony teeth ready to break through the ninja’s skin and muscle. But Yuffie was fast on her feet. She jumped backwards and summoned a rift of wind that pulled Jenova’s skull towards it. The storm of wind then exploded, knocking out some of the monster’s teeth. Cloud took the opportunity to thrust his sword into the skull, pushing it to Nanaki’s side. Nanaki caught on, and he used his claws to cling to the bone and gouge out the teeth that remained.
Jenova screamed once more, but Cloud’s anger did not alleviate at all.
*** ***
“Aerith…”
Tifa’s lips trembled as she moved a strand of hair away from her friend’s face. Tears ran down her cheeks in slow streams. She tried to gulp, but her throat was dry. Aerith hadn’t moved since Cloud set her on the ground just a few minutes earlier, and in truth, Tifa was scared to touch her. What if she did, only to find out that Aerith would never move again?
She hadn’t seen what had happened. She had reached the sanctuary too late. All she had seen was Cloud on the floor, holding Aerith in his arms. Aerith’s hand was pressed against his cheek limply, covered in blood. Tifa’s stomach had dropped at the realization that Sephiroth had been standing just a few feet away from them.
The fear that Tifa felt when Sephiroth turned to look at her… She thought that she would be next.
But then he disappeared, seemingly satisfied with his decision to hurt Aerith. And even more satisfied with the possibility that he might have succeeded.
With a shaky breath, Tifa gathered up her courage and lifted Aerith into her lap. She moved her as gently as possible, but that didn’t stop the blood in Aerith’s lower back from emerging. Tifa’s breath deepened, trying to ignore the blood that was now all over her gloves and skirt.
Instead, Tifa focused on the positives. She tried to seek momentary comfort, even as her breaths continued to shake. She placed her chin on top of Aerith’s head and sighed.
Aerith’s skin was still warm! she thought. That had to be a good sign, right?
Cait Sith ran up to her, carrying a small sack with different materia inside. He stared at Aerith, although the emotion on his robot face was hard for Tifa to read. “Is the lass breathin’?”
Tifa cursed under her breath, she hadn’t even thought to check for that. She looked down at her friend, noticing the slight rise and fall of her friend’s chest.
“She is,” she answered as calmly as she could, “but she’s bleeding a lot.”
Cait Sith immediately reached into his bag, orbs of materia clashing with one another as his small hand rummaged through. “I know it was here somewhere,” he muttered.
More rummaging. Tifa didn’t know how much time they had left. Her patience was beginning to slip.
She placed a hand on Aerith’s shoulder and ran her fingers through the waves of her hair. She could feel the skin of her stomach damp with Aerith’s blood. But Tifa had to force herself not to think about it. She needed to be strong for Aerith. Instead, she focused on the sound of the others battling Jenova.
Cloud, Yuffie, and Nanaki were fighting together, facing Jenova head-on. Barret, Vincent, and Cid tackled Jenova from behind. That only left her and Cait to tend to Aerith. To protect her in case Sephiroth decided to return.
“Here!” Cait Sith held up a green materia. Tifa couldn’t tell which one it was through her tear-filled eyes.
She turned her face away as Cait recited his healing incantation. Swirls of mako escaped the materia and wrapped themselves around Aerith’s middle. Tifa bit her lip. She couldn’t bring herself to look. She just hoped that whatever spell Cait Sith used on Aerith, that it would bring her back to them.
Slowly but surely, Tifa felt the flow of blood cease. She felt around the ripped fabric of Aerith’s dress. Her beautiful pink dress. The wound had partially healed and the blood was already drying up.
The power of materia… she thought.
Tifa tried to make herself smile, but it was short-lived once she saw that Aerith’s breaths were still inconsistent.
She began to tremble as a familiar feeling settled within her. It was as if Tifa had experienced this before. And then, almost instantaneously, it wasn’t Aerith that Tifa held in her arms. But instead, it was her father.
No… not again.
Sephiroth was not going to take another loved one away from her.
“It’s not working! We need to get her out of here!” Tifa said, already getting to her feet. “Quickly!”
“W-wait!” Cait yelled. “What about the others?”
Oh, right. The rest of the group was still in battle. Who knows how long the fight would last? But they couldn’t afford to wait this out. It was too much of a risk.
Tifa looked at Cait with pleading eyes. “Please.”
With a sigh, Cait Sith nodded. He quickly summoned his moogle companion with the help of his megaphone. Once the creature manifested, he climbed on top of the toy, letting the moogle place Aerith in its fluffy arms.
Tifa looked behind her as they ran for the exit, her eyes avoiding the dried splatters of blood from where Aerith had fallen. She managed to catch sight of Barret, who was emptying rounds of bullets into Jenova’s backside. They made brief eye contact, and just from the hurried nod of his head, Tifa knew that Barret would go find them once the fight was over.
She took a deep breath and ran.
*** ***
“Is it over?” Yuffie asked, completely out of breath.
“I think so,” replied Nanaki.
Jenova’s remains were now a sludgy lump in the center of their battlefield. Black smoke rose from her mutilated body as it disintegrated before their eyes. Yuffie’s face turned to a light shade of green at the smell of burnt flesh. She managed to push down the rising vomit as she turned to look at Cloud.
With a yell, Cloud threw his sword to the ground. He was exhausted. Angry. He wiped black goo from his face, leaving smeared lines behind.
“SEPHIROTH!”
He fell to his knees, knowing that screaming was useless at this point. Sephiroth had left. And he did the unthinkable. He had hurt Aerith just to spite Cloud. To make him break.
And the smirk on his face…
Cloud swallowed, tears threatening to leave his eyes. He curled his fists, hitting them against the hard floor. He thought back to his encounter with Sephiroth. He had blocked his Masamune. He blocked it. But Aerith still fell. She still bled. Weak, in his arms. How could he have allowed Sephiroth to do this? How could he have failed Aerith?
Heavy footsteps approached, but Cloud didn’t look up. Instead, he continued to tremble on his knees. A large hand patted him on the back, and he could see the worn-down brown boots from his position.
“We gotta go, Cloud.” It was Barret. He had a strong voice, with just the right amount of sympathy for the occasion. Cloud found it almost comforting. “Sephiroth’s gone.”
“That bastard’s gonna pay,” is all he said. He could feel the rest of the party getting closer to them.
“Oh, he will. Trust me, I got dibs on taking the first shot,” Barret said. Cid almost snorted at the comment. Nanaki rolled his eyes. But then Barret’s voice softened. “But not right now. Let’s focus on Aerith. Tifa and Cait took her outside, so let’s go see how she’s doing.”
Cloud took a breath. And then another.
Finally, he nodded. He knew that Barret was right. Aerith was his top priority right now. Sephiroth and Jenova will be dealt with later. He grabbed his sword and sheathed it behind his back, leading the party outside.
“Let’s go.”
*** ***
The area that surrounded the City of the Ancients was dry and deserted. They were up north, but snow hadn’t fallen yet. Cloud didn’t mind the cool weather though, it soothed him ever so slightly
The party walked down the destroyed streets of the City, and the only sounds that filled the air were their footsteps and yells.
“Tifa!” Yuffie started. Barret groaned at the abruptness of her voice. “Cait!”
Nanaki joined her. “Tifa! Cait! Where are you guys?!”
“They couldn’t have gone too far,” Barret said. He had his arm-gun up and ready in case they encountered an enemy.
“I find it hard to believe that Tifa carried Aerith all the way out here,” Cid said. He carried his spear in his hand, using it as a walking stick. Not that he was injured or anything, Cid was just out of shape.
“She didn’t,” Barret told him. “Cait’s moogle did. And that thing is fucking slow.”
Cid laughed. He looked over at Vincent, whose neutral expression hadn’t changed since they left the sanctuary. Vincent grunted at the two of them.
“We all need to focus,” Cloud reminded them. A distant memory resurfaced in Cloud’s mind. Of him and Avalanche rescuing Aerith from Shinra Headquarters. The desire to reunite with her then did not come nearly as close to what he felt now.
“Cloud’s right!” It was rare for Yuffie to outright agree with Cloud. Cloud didn’t question it, though. Aerith… she had formed a bond with all of them. It was no surprise that the others would be determined to find her too.
Yuffie resumed her yelling. “Tifa! Cait!”
“O’er here!”
The voice of the small cat caused them all to turn. He jumped up in the air to catch their attention. He was just a few feet away, in front of an abandoned house. Cait waved them over hurriedly, eyes shifting to the front door.
“There he is!” Nanaki exclaimed, beginning to trot towards Cait.
Cloud’s breath hitched in his throat. There they were. He ran towards Cait, but only one name saturated his mind.
Aerith, where are you?
He sped up, passing Nanaki on the way and feeling the sweat form in the palms of his hands. He entered the house, eyes adjusting to the dimness of the empty room.
“Where is she?” Cloud asked Cait just as the others caught up to them.
“Tifa took her upstairs!” Cait replied. Cloud was already on his way there.
It was even darker up on the second floor. There were two small rooms, one was in complete darkness while the other emitted candlelight. Cloud knew. The latter was where Aerith was.
Entering the room, Cloud felt his stomach drop at the sight of Aerith. She laid on a bed with Tifa at her side. An unhealthy pallor coloured her face, her skin shining with slight perspiration. Her brown hair was tangled and unruly, strands sticking to the thin fabric of the pillowcase. Her red leather jacket was gone but her pink dress remained, the waistline painted with dried blood.
But her face showed a sense of calmness. And her eyes were closed as if she was simply asleep. Cloud’s steps faltered as he got closer to her. He let out a shaky breath.
How could he have let this happen to her?
Tifa looked up at him, her crimson eyes puffy from crying. She opened her mouth, ready to speak. Cloud tensed up. He was expecting the worst news of his life. He was expecting his world to shatter around him any moment now. For him to break down in tears, too let revenge fill his veins. How would he ever forgive himself?
“Is she…?” Cloud couldn’t even say the damn word.
“She’s alive,” Tifa said.
Cloud’s eyes widened in a weird mix of relief and disbelief. He looked at Aerith, finally noticing the slow and steady breaths that cycled through her body.
Tifa continued. “The wound wasn’t deep enough, Cait’s materia was able to heal most of it. You must have blocked Sephiroth just in time.”
But Tifa’s words fizzled out as the rest of the team came in through the door, just in time to hear the good news. Sighs and cries of relief filled the room. The thought of losing Aerith had completely shaken them all up.
Cloud continued to stare at Aerith. She was still unconscious, and it was unclear whether she would awaken soon. But Cloud’s eyes never left her. He felt an urge to go and hold her in his arms again. To squeeze her body against his chest and plant kisses in her hair. To never let another moment with her go unappreciated. Because their new reality was simple:
Cloud Strife had saved Aerith Gainsborough.
She was alive.