See You Again

Tifa kept the bar closed that day. It seemed pointless to keep the business going anyway, after what they had decided. Sephiroth sat in a corner on his own, separate from the others as they sat near the bar. They had discussed the matter and had come to an agreement. Cloud had to admit, Sephiroth's alternative had been an interesting one. Their world was moving forward as were they. It wouldn't have been a bad idea to remake SOLDEIR. And since Sephiroth wasn't crazy it might have worked, but then he had to come back to reality. No one would ever trust Sephiroth again. Yuffie had made that perfectly clear as did Reeve.

Then there were the Turks to consider. Tseng and the others, under Rufus's command wouldn't hesitate to try and hunt down the ex-general. Cloud knew firsthand how stubborn Shinra could be when hunting down their targets. Which reminded him of the reason why he agreed to it in the first place.

"It's been a long day, without you my friend…"

Tifa went to turn off the radio when Cloud stopped her. "No, let it play."

Tifa wasn't sure why he was so interested in music when there were more important things to think about, but then she listened to the lyrics and understood why, even if it was bittersweet, it was hope that they'd see each other again as well as the ones they had lost along the way.

It got harder as the kids came home from school. They had to tell them what was going to happen. Vincent suggested it'd be better if they were left in the dark, but both Cloud and Barret refused to do such a thing to them. If they all had to say goodbye then Marlene and Denzel deserved that right as well.

They took it hard, very hard. Marlene refused to let go of her adoptive father and cried into his neck while Denzel locked himself in his room, allowing no one to enter. Cloud stood outside his door and tried to reason with him.

"Denzel, you'd have your parents back. You won't have the memories of GeoStigma or the pain you suffered. Isn't that better?" he tried to reason.

"No! It's not! I wouldn't remember you, or Tifa or Marlene! I wouldn't remember our family! It's not perfect, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!"

Cloud was touched; it meant so much to him to hear how important being with them mattered to him, but that still didn't make it any easier. "Don't you miss your parents?"

"Of course I do," he replied. "But, I'll miss you guys too."

"But, you won't even remember us, Denzel. None of this will even have happened."

"And that's even worse! It would hurt if you were dead, but at least I'd remember you. Like that spot on the hill you took me too. You said it was where a hero began his journey, but it was also a grave! I know it was. You miss him, but you remember him! To not remember someone would hurt even more!"

Cloud knew what he meant both ways. Zack's death was beyond painful, but not remembering him hurt even more, and there was a time when he had forgotten him. And when he finally did remember the pain hit him like a freight train.

Cloud had spent the rest of the evening in a somber mood. The others had attempted to cheer up and throw a type of farewell party or as Yuffie put it, a celebration of friendship.

From where he sat, Cloud watched the others. Yuffie hadn't lost anyone, but there might be a way to help repair ties between Wutai and Shinra once the bad seeds were dealt with. Vincent would be back in his coffin and need to be woken up again. Barret would still have his real arm and no scars from the day he lost his friend. That friend would still be alive and able to care for Marlene. Barret was okay with that since he'd still be a part of her life. Nanaki would most likely never have to suffer from Hojo's experiments and Cid would still be working on launching his space ship. Reeve would still be employed in Shinra as well, but he'd still have his mother.

Cloud next focused on Tifa. Wondering where she'd be. Her father would still be alive as would the real Nibelheim. Not the fake one that Shinra tried to recreate. His own mother would still be alive as would Zack and Aerith. Everyone he had ever let down would be given a second chance. Cloud tried not to let hope the better of him. The plan could very well backfire. Tifa still didn't fully trust Sephiroth and with good reason, but he sensed a difference in him and hoped that the silverette wouldn't take this information and use it against them.

Sephiroth slowly approached him and stopped suddenly when Cloud noticed him and shot him a glare. "Did I startle you?"

Cloud relaxed and sighed before taking a sip of his coffee. "Old habits," he simply replied.

Sephiroth took the seat opposite of him and blew into his own steaming cup. "You can still change your mind you know. You have quite the life here to give up. And knowing you survived what was done to make you so strong. Many of Hojo's…projects don't survive," he tried to choose his words carefully.

"I didn't earn it though. This strength was given to me. I would have rather earned it through hard work and climbing ranks within SOLDIER." He then stopped himself from dreaming. "But I don't care for that anymore. I just want a different future for everyone."

"It seems a shame to give up something like this," Sephiroth replied, causing Cloud to glare at him, wondering what he was getting at. "I had friends once. Two good ones until they turned against me. I realized that they were afraid that they couldn't trust me. You on the other hand have friends who trust you with their lives and you can trust them. You never once think that they might betray you. I envy that."

"You did have a friend you could trust, remember?" asked Cloud. "But you were convinced he was the traitor."

Sephiroth gave him a confused look before it dawned on Cloud. This Sephiroth was the one he used to look up to. Not the monster he had fought to save the planet. "You do have friends Sephiroth. You just have to let them in a little. Let them see the real you and not the strict General you portray yourself as."

"Perhaps you're right, Strife. Hopefully this time his fate will be different."

The party lasted into the late hours before everyone called it a night. Cloud didn't sleep though. He knew the trip out would be a long one and he wanted to visit the church one last time.

He paid his respects as he placed his hand on the old buster sword. It hurt saying goodbye to Zack, but he hoped that it wouldn't be forever. The same went for Aerith. He knew it wouldn't be the same, but he hoped it be similar. Just knowing they were alive and happy would be enough for him.

"I know you think I'm probably crazy," he told the sword, trying to speak through it to his best friend, "but it's a chance. And it's one I'm willing to take." He then looked behind him at the spring that sparkled in the early dawn light. "For the both of you," he finished before turning and heading out the door.

As he revved up Fenrir and took off he didn't see the two figures who stood in the doorway; one with a First Class uniform and another with a pink dress with a ribbon in her braided hair.

"Let the light guide your way,

Hold every memory as you go.

Because every road you take will always lead you home."

I bet some of you are confused by this one-shot. Let's just say its a preview of what's to come. While working on updates for other stories I started yet another story on the side. I've read a few time travel stories and written one other and I'm happy to try something so different. I'm looking forward to uploading it, but it's not completely ready for it. I'm hoping this will make you curious and keep you guessing until the real story is ready. ;) Until next time guys, enjoy!

Update 4-30-2016: I forgot to mention the version of this song I used. There are actually two versions. One is from the Fast and the Furious 7 movie and the other is the radio version. I used the version from the movie. It has the strongest message of friendships that turn into family. On another note the main story is up. It's not finished, but there's a good start to it. If you want to see what happens next from here then check out Nightmare Undone.