A Love Beyond Death

A Final Fantasy VII Fan Fiction

Author's Note:

This is my second fanfic, and I wrote it for a very personal reason: I am very perturbed that Square implied that Cloud ended up with Tifa at the end of the game. I always felt that Cloud should have either (1), ended up with Aeris, or (2), not been so "friendly" with Tifa. This is my psychological justification of that failure. I can finally lay this issue to rest now that I've finished this fanfic.

Now, I have tried diligently to stay within the paradigm that Square has outlined for the game. It has always irritated me that other fanfic authors make assumptions that Square never detailed and that seem out of character. I deviate from this statement in one respect: the town of Kalm is a major setting in this fanfic, and I have made it a more dynamic town, instead of a cluster of buildings gathered around a fountain. I thought that the latter image of Kalm was rather unrealistic, though I admit it worked extremely well in terms of the game.

One more thing: I absolutely love hearing what my readers think. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. I know it's a bit long, but I've seen longer fics out there. Also, I never really intended it to be any particular length, but I just wrote the story the way it was in my head, and it just turned out this way. So please, if there are some parts that are a little boring, grit your teeth through them, it does get better towards the end (at least I think so).

So without further ado, here it is, and enjoy.

Author's NOTE: UPDATE!! April 2, 2008

I promise this won't take long before we get to the actual story, but I just did a mass update to the way the story is displayed ( is getting a bit more fascist when it comes to the formatting and displaying of documents). Again, I didn't really change any of the text, I just overhauled the scene breaks and made the story easier to read. However, it meant that a bunch of Emails went out to those who have alerts set for this story when I updated each chapter, so I just wanted to apologize for sending you a flood of Emails, when nothing actually changed significantly.

In any case, have fun, and hopefully this will stabilize at some point, so I won't have to keep doing this.

Oh, and something I forgot to include the last time: All characters and settings copyright Square-Enix, etc. No copyright infringement intended. This was (and is) just for fun.

-.-

Chapter One

Cloud's heart was beating wildy, but his mind was calm, focused. His entire being was focused on one event: would it work ? Could the lifestream, together with Holy, stop Meteor ? It was a perfect struggle between life versus death. The moment hung in the balance of eternity, his heartbeat thudding in his ears.

His eyes screamed in pain as everything flashed bright white. His hands involuntarily let go of the railing and covered his eyes. Shortly after, his friends' vocalizations of pain were drowned out by a low roar which pushed its way into his ears. The Highwind bucked viciously and he was thrown from his feet. Cloud reflexively reached out to catch himself, but there was no ground where it was supposed to be. The Highwind twisted in the split second Cloud was in the air, and Cloud was thrown against the inside of the starboard wall. He felt a jarring pain as his elbow and shoulder connected with the wall, and burning scrapes as his slid slowly down it, to the floor, still under the control of massive g-forces as the Highwind bucked and twisted, almost out of control.

Almost out of control, only because Cid had taken the precaution to lash himself to the navigation console. There he battled the controls, trying desperately to maneuver out of the shockwave the exploding Meteor had produced. He had to find someway to stabilize the craft enough so that he could punch the throttle to the max, and get air flowing over the wings again. The view out of the front window of the bridge changed alternately from the night sky to the glowing green of lifestream that covered the land, and back again. The hull around him creaked and groaned with the strain of the shockwave. Glancing at the instruments, Cid noticed that they were losing altitude fast. He had one chance: he had to stabilze the Highwind the same way gyros kept themselves stable.

Cid wrenched the controls to the right, as far as it could go. All Cid could do now is hope that the shockwave wouldn't tear off a wing, or rudder, or stabilizer. Though, through some miracle of wind currents, the Highwind began to roll to the right, and the barrel roll pulled the craft into a stable flight pattern. The shockwave's effects were for the moment gone. Cid immediately pulled the Highwind out of the barrel roll, levelled with the horizon, and punched the throttle. He had a mere fraction of a second to notice the windmill in their path. He threw his weight backward against the controls, pulling up on the nose. He saw that they were going to hit.

Somehow, they didn't. Holy shit, that was close, Cid thought.

Whether it was a matter of inches, or a mere sending of the gods, Cid would never know. He was thankful nonetheless as he piloted the Highwind north, at top speed, away from the blast. Miraculously, his cigarette he had started in the Northern Crater was still in his mouth. He took a long and calming drag on it, and upon realizing that the cigarette was almost out, used it to light up a second. Only then did he pause to mop the sweat from his brow.

After the Highwind was safely grounded on the beach north of Midgar, Cloud looked around to make sure everyone was all right. Aside from previous wounds from the recent battle, and a few scrapes and bruises from the rough flight, everyone was fine. Barret was cursing at his gunarm, which had all but shattered during the course of the flight. Cid was busy inspecting the exterior of his craft. Tifa sat huddled in a corner, still trying to get a grip on her fear. Red XIII was limping about, carrying supplies out of the Highwind, and out onto the grass. Vincent stood solitary on the beach, facing the waves and tending to a wound on his shoulder. Yuffie had fainted, but was otherwise unharmed, and was now lying on the grass next to Tifa. Cait Sith was carefully tinkering with his Mog suit, as it wasn't functioning properly after the bumpy ride. Cloud looked around, unsure of what to do next, when the realization hit him.

It's over…..

There's nothing for me to do.

It's finally over. Sephiroth is dead, Meteor is averted, and everyone's okay.

It's over, and we're all okay.

Cloud's strength left him. He slumped back against the hull of the

Highwind as his knees buckled and he sank to the floor. And when his body came to rest against the soft, cool grass, and the warm, humming hull, he put his head in his hands, and softly began to weep.

It's over, it's over, it's all over….

His shoulders shook uncontrollably with the massive sobs that wracked Cloud's body. He wept for Zack. He wept for Bugenhagen. He wept for the Cetra. He wept for Midgar. He wept for the planet. He wept for the past that was not his. But most of all, he wept for Aeris.

As he wept, Cloud felt his exhaustion, kept for so long at bay because of neccessity, come over him. He felt the tiredness seep into his bones, he let go his guard, feeling his ever-alert muscles go limp. Cloud fell gratefully into the arms of sleep.

-.-

Tifa, also realizing that it was over, looked over at Cloud, their fearless leader. Cloud was leaning up against the side of the airship, his shoulders sagged in a resting posture, his head turned slightly to one side, and his expression peacefully neutral. His features were highlighted in red by the setting sun.

Tifa got up and started over towards Cloud, when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Let the man rest, Tifa," Barret said quietly, "He deserves it. More than any of us, I think."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Tifa replied sadly.

Tifa's heart felt a lot lighter now that everything was done and over with. No more of the fearful nights broken up by camp watches. No more rushing blindly into situations you didn't think you were going to live through. No more waking up from pleasant dreams of peace into the harsh reality. The exhaustion of months of battle was getting to her too, now. But she still had the energy to move inside the Highwind, and find her cot. They could all use some rest.

-.-

Cloud floated back up into half-consciousness, and lay there awhile with his eyes closed. He took moments like these often before he really got up. They were his few minutes of peace before he got out of bed and went to back into the battle against Sephiroth. A warm, gentle breeze played across his face, tickling it with a few strands of loose hair.

Hunh ? Where am I ?

Cloud had to force his eyelids open, as they had adhered together with the drying of tears. His glowing, mako green eyes looked out upon the ocean, sparkling in the midmorning sun. Cloud panicked, looking around him. Not registering the airship in its new form, nor the open hatch to his left. He instinctively reached over his shoulder for his sword, which wasn't there. Fear gripped his heart for a moment before he recognized the shape of Red XIII sitting in the grass not far from him. All the events of the past day flooded back into memory. He relaxed considerably.

What could only be a calm smile played across Red XIII's wolfish features.

"We were wondering when you would wake. Come, the others are waiting," he said, and walked up the ramp into the airship.

Cloud pushed himself to his feet, and groaned at the stiff pain in his back and neck. Groggily he sauntered into the Highwind, its crew was gathered on the bridge, eating a late breakfast. They all looked up and smiled contentedly as he walked in, though no one said anything.

"How long have I been out ?" Cloud asked.

"'Bout fifteen hours," Cid said, looking over at the clock on the navigation console.

Cloud shook his head in only partial disbelief. Seeing the food, he realized he was also famished. He sat down near Barret, grabbing himself a packet of the meal rations they had purchased three weeks ago.

"I hope this is the last time I have to eat one of these," Cloud muttered.

"Damn right," Barret agreed.

They ate in silence, each deep in their own soliloquy. Surprisingly, it was Vincent who asked the question on everybody's minds.

"So, Cloud, what now ?"

Cloud hesitated, put down his stale sandwhich, and looked up.

"I really don't know. I never really expected to live through all this. I suppose I never really had a plan for after because I didn't think there was going to be an 'after'."

"You mean you thought Sephiroth was going to win the whole time ?" Cait Sith chimed in.

"Not exactly, because I didn't think of it in those terms. It was more like, you can die having given up, or you can die trying to do something, anything about Sephiroth. I just didn't want to go quietly. If I'm going to go, I'm still going to fight it."

"Yo' spikey-headed ass is too damn stubborn," Barret laughed, and they all laughed along.

How long has it been since we've all laughed ? Cloud thought absently.

Too long. But now we can laugh again. Now everything's going to be okay.

But part of him was missing something. After all he'd been through, he still hadn't forgotten. He hadn't forgotten how beautiful she was, or how she made him feel.

Good question: What now ? What am I supposed to do now ? What am I supposed to do without you, Aeris ?