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Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, and I am not making any money of of this writing.

Chapter List
- 59
- 60
- 61
Chapter 60: Water, Air, Fire, and Earth
Now, if one so desires, much like Cloud does, to hear about what Aerith did after she faked her death, he or she must now follow that tale in third person. It is important to bear in mind that Aerith is naked from the waist down, and Cloud is wearing nothing at the moment, and any first person narrative would place a constant reminder of that fact on one's mind.
In particular, it would be imperative to return to the tragic, but famously iconic, moment where Cloud laid Aerith to rest in the lake. Aerith did have some superhuman powers, but holding her breath indefinitely was not one of them.
She opened her eyes to make sure everyone was gone. Once they were, she swam to the surface, taking extra care not to make a splash. Once she noticed that everyone was inside, she cautiously stepped onto land, exiting the ruins at the southern end. She left a trail of water as she left, but she paid it no heed; it would dry before anyone awoke.
Aerith breathed more easily once she was outside the village. It was slightly chilly, being the Northern Continent, and the fact that she was all wet from the pool didn't help. She quickly discarded her red jacket, which someone eased the cold.
Gradually, trees began to appear again. She realized that she was back in the Sleeping Forest. She was beginning to think of what to do now. She had done her part; the spell was cast. Now, however, she needed to hide from Sephiroth, who would no doubt come after her if he realized she was still alive.
And then, she heard someone approaching from the other direction. She knew it was not Sephiroth; he had gone in the opposite direction. Still, she took cover behind one of the bushes, as she could never be too careful.
As Aerith remained hidden, she could see that this traveller was a woman. She was wearing a red dress, and her hair was red as well. Aerith had never seen this woman before in her life, but those familiar with this narrative would guess, correctly, that this woman was Bestla. She continued to make her way across the path, unaware of who was hiding behind the bushes. Aerith, meanwhile, did not consider Bestla a threat at that time, but chose to remain hidden, wanting to remain officially dead until she was further away from the Forgotten Capital.
A moment later, Bestla was gone. Aerith was once again alone on the path. Cautiously, she left her hiding place and continued her way south.
After an interval of time, she found herself in Bone Village again.
"Gracious!" the forewoman said as Aerith emerged from the woods. "You were in there for a whole day! I thought you'd never come out!"
"Me, too," Aerith said.
"You must be freezing!" the forewoman exclaimed.
Aerith looked at herself. Her pink dress was torn in more places than she could count, and there were goosebumps covering her bare arms and shoulders.
"You're going to get sick!" the forewoman continued. She then pointed to the building at the east end of the site. "This is where we stay after sundown," she said. "There's a shower inside, along with a change of clothes. By the time you're done cleaning up, we'll all be inside."
THAT NIGHT...
Aerith showered at changed, and was now sitting in a common lounge with the rest of the excavation crew. She had changed into an oversized black tee shirt and a pair of very unflattering green pants.
She tried to make the best of the situation as possible.
"So what do you usually find around here?" she asked.
"Junk," the forewoman replied.
Something did cross her mind; she was not sure, but it seemed as if Sephiroth had keener senses that the average person. She wondered if he would somehow be able to sense that she was still alive. If that was the case, he would most certainly come after her. The only way to assure her safety for the time being was to get off the continent.
"I noticed there's a ferry docked here," Aerith began. "Where does it go?"
"It's going to the Eastern Continent in seven days," the forewoman said. "I take it you have someone to go to?"
"Yeah," Aerith would reply. "I have a boyfriend."
"Well," she continued, "we leave for the holidays in a week. You're welcome to ride home on the ferry, but there's just one thing."
"What's that?" Aerith asked.
"The previous owner of your clothes disappeared into the sleeping forest and never came back. We could use some assistance with the excavations."
Aerith found herself in no position to decline; she did not fancy sitting on her butt and doing nothing for a week.
On the first day, all that was found was a shattered bowl.
On the second day, an old figurine was unearthed.
On the third day, a discovery was made.
"It's a key!" the forewoman announced. "Looks like one of the old ones that used to unlock Midgar during the war."
Aerith took a look.
"That's it," she said. "I live in Midgar. I used to use them myself." She then decided to ask. "May I have it?" she requested.
"Sure," replied the forewoman. "Worthless piece of crap."
On the night of the fourth day, everything changed.
It started with the ground rumbling. Everyone ran outside to see what was going on.
Aerith looked to the north, and she soon saw what she had been dreading: creatures were flying in the sky left and right.
Her biological mother had told her about the Weapons. It did not lake Aerith long to realize that Meteor had been summoned.
"We're getting outta here!" shouted the forewoman as she and everyone else began to run for the ferry.
After everyone was on board, the ferry departed.
Aerith could see the Highwind make its way through the night sky, though she had no idea that both Cloud and Bestla were on board.
LATER...
The ferry docked at Junon. The whole crew, having been unable to sleep, wearily trudged off the ferry.
"That bus over there goes to Kalm," the forewoman said, pointing across the street. "From there you can probably find a ride to Midgar."
"Thanks," Aerith said. "For everything."
"Don't mention it," the forewoman replied. "The job was getting quite boring before you came along."
A moment later, Aerith was sitting towards the back of the bus, waiting for the trip to begin.
The engine started without a problem, and the bus began to move.
And then, the sirens went off.
Aerith looked back to see the Urchin was hovering over the city. The view became clearer the further away the bus moved. It appeared to be hovering over the canon. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the Highwind circling around to the west.
Then, without warning, she saw the orb drop from the Urchin. Blue flame arose almost immediately upon impact.
The blinding nature of the flame compelled Aerith to look away. She did not look back again, though she was able to see the reflection of the blue energy that was turning Junon to dust as she fled.
THAT EVENING...
After hitching several rides, Aerith found herself at the wall blocking access to Midgar. Using the key to open the door through the glass wall, she felt rather sad; the forewoman and her other companions were most likely killed in the attack. She sorely hoped that Cloud was not in Junon at the time.
As soon as Aerith was inside the city, she began to pass by familiar sights. First, she passed by the church where she grew the flowers. Next, she passed by the slum houses she had grown accustomed to. Finally, she approached her own house to find the door ajar. Wondering what to expect, she cautiously pushed it all the way open and stepped inside.
Inside, Elmyra was sitting at the kitchen table, facing the spot where Aerith usually sat. She seemed to be out in space until Aerith caused the ground to creak as she approached her.
"Aerith!" she exclaimed as she kept from her chair, ran over to her daughter, and threw her arms around her. "Reeve told me you were killed!"
"Mom, I'm sorry," she began. "I just faked my death."
Elmyra gave her a half-angry, half-relieved look.
"Why would you do that to me?!" she protested. "Why would you scare me like that?!"
"Somebody was trying to kill me," Aerith explained. "But you can't kill what's already dead, right?"
Elmyra sighed and sat back down. "I suppose. But why would anyone want to kill you?"
"Well," Aerith replied as she sat down in her seat, "I know what my Materia is for. I cast a spell to counter Meteor. When it gets close enough, the planet will destroy it."
"May I assume it was that Sephiroth who was trying to kill you?"
"He's the reason the Meteor's falling," Aerith replied as she nodded.
"I heard that guy snuck in and killed President Shinra. How did you see him coming?"
"It's kind of hard to believe," Aerith answered. "I've been having these premonitions ever since I met Cloud. I could somehow see what was coming next."
"Come to think of it," added Elmyra, "I think I've been having them, too. Though I will admit you coming back to me was a complete surprise."
"But now," Aerith continued, "these premonitions have stopped."
"That's weird," Elmyra said. "Because I'm still having them."
Aerith then stood up, trying not to think about the reason.
"I think I need a shower," she giggled.
"I'll have to agree," Elymira replied as she stood up, hugged her again, and pecked her on the cheek.
Aerith then went upstairs and showered. She came down again, having put on a white tank top and a very flattering pair of jeans.
"So what else have you been up to?" asked Elmyra. "Besides faking your death?"
Aerith turned from the window and smiled. She need to tell her the good news.
"I have a boyfriend, mom," she said.
"That's great!" Elmyra said smiling.
"I'll bring him over soon, I promise," Aerith said.
"So who is the lucky guy?" asked Elmyra.
"It's Cloud," she said.
"Cloud?!" Elmyra exclaimed. "That nice Cloud?"
Aerith smiled and nodded.
"I was kind of hoping he would date you," Elmyra said. "So how did this happen?"
"It really just ran away with itself," Aerith replied. "Sparks started to fly and they just wouldn't stop."
"Do you love him?" asked Elmyra.
"Yes, mom," Aerith replied, softly but happily. "I love him."
The two women remained silent for a few moments.
"And I think he's the one," Aerith finally added, breaking the silence. "And after this is over...we talked about getting a place together."
"Be careful," warned Elmyra. "Remember what happened with Zack?"
"I was seventeen and naive," Aerith replied.
"That is true," Elmyra acknowledged.
"But now I'm twenty-two," Aerith continued. "I'm not getting any younger."
"I suppose it is time for you to move out and get married," Elmyra agreed. "You haven't talked about that yet, have you?"
Aerith shook her head. "But I'll bring it up once this is over."
"He'll have to propose, of course," Elmyra reminded her. "We girls can't do it ourselves."
"I know," Aerith said.
"What kind of wedding would you have?" Elmyra asked. "Would you get married in the church down the street? The one you're always going to?"
"We'll see what Cloud wants," Aerith said. "Maybe the church, maybe on the beach. It depends on what he prefers. I'm pretty flexible."
"What if he wants one of those weddings where the couple and all the guests are naked?" her mother laughed.
"I highly doubt it," Aerith laughed back. "But if he does, I'm one hundred percent okay with it"
"You'll be naked in front of me and all your friends. And they would be likewise."
"I know," Aerith replied. "I wouldn't care. I'd be too focused on getting married for any of that to matter."
"You really love him that much, then?"
Aerith nodded. "I've never felt this way about a guy before."
"I don't mean to get too personal," Elmyra continued, "but are you having sex yet?"
"Yes," Aerith replied, blushing.
"You are using protection, right?"
"Yes, mom," Aerith replied in a low tone of voice. "You know I'm on the pill."
"Just checking," Elmyra said. "You know I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Especially after Zack."
"Cloud's nothing like him," Aerith assured. "He has this sweetness in his soul that nobody else has." She paused. "And, just between us girls, he's bigger, too."
"He's not twice your age, is he?"
Aerith shook her head. "We're a year and a half apart," she replied. "And I'm the 'old' one."
"Are you okay with that?"
"Totally," Aerith replied.
"Well," said Elmyra as she got up from her seat, "all these pleasant surprises have worn me out. I'm off to bed." She stopped to take one more look at her daughter. "You've come a long way from that little girl I met at the train station."
Elmyra kissed Aerith goodnight and disappeared up the stairs.
Aerith remained alone in the kitchen. She turned to the window once more.
"Cloud," she said softly, "please just wait a little longer. I'm still here. We'll be together again soon."
And then she heard a sound, almost as if in response. But, of course, it wasn't Cloud. The sound was coming from below. Knowing exactly who it was, Aerith got down on her stomach and put her ear to the floor.
"What is it?" she asked.
She then listened to the response.
"Her name is Bestla?"
She listened some more. She could hear the cry of the planet.
"From the future?!" Aerith exclaimed. "And she wants to take over the world the same way Sephiroth does?!"
She continued to listen. Her eyes began to sting. Her body began to tremble.
It was now a war on two fronts.
A FEW DAYS LATER...
Now, if one, like Cloud, want to hear about Bestla, he or she would need to revisit the time Cloud, Tifa, and, to their reluctance, Cait Sith, visited the sixty-fourth floor of the Shinra Building. As you might recall, they lost the woman in leather there. That is because that, while Tifa was inspecting the open bathroom stalls, the woman in leather boarded the elevator once more and took it down to the fifteenth floor.
Sure enough, the woman in leather had stolen the grappling hook. But her use for it has never been explained until now.
One might remember that the Urchin was hovering lower so Bestla could get a view of her younger self grieving over the deaths of her parents. It is important to remember that the Urchin had a gaping hole in its hull. Thus, as it passed the Shinra Building, the woman in leather stood in the open window. She had never fired such a device in her life, nor had she been hurled so fast into something (which she expected firing the grappling hook to result in). But she was aware of Bestla's intentions.
Before she could change her mind, the woman in leather pressed the button. Less than a second later, the hook discharged, followed by the rope.
And then, while she was holding on for dear life, the woman in leather was sprung at lightening speed towards the Urchin.
ABOARD THE URCHIN...
Bestla stood at the center of the middle deck. Before her was the pipe that the orb would drop through. It had a five foot gap, which would allow her to briefly glimpse the orb that would destroy Midgar a few moments before it actually did.
This was it. Bestla would turn Midgar and all of its inhabitants into dust. That would prevent anyone else in the area from absorbing the Lifestream. This would also mean that Cloud and his friends would be destroyed as well.
It was almost too easy; all she would have to do is ascend to the bridge and program the Urchin to drop the orb. As she was making her way up to the bridge, she realized she would still need to destroy Sephiroth. She quickly developed a plan for that; she would use the remaining orb to destroy the barrier. She would then set the Urchin on a suicide run, hopefully killing him in the process. She would no longer need a vessel as a goddess.
Bestla silently entered the bridge and made her way to the console. She quickly entered the program into the computer.
"WARNING!" the computer began. "THE ORB LAUNCH SEQUENCE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. THE ARMED ORB WILL LAUNCH IN T MINUS TEN MINUTES."
And that was that. Now it was time for her to return to the middle deck and watch. She would first watch the orb drop through the pipe. She would then witness the destruction of Midgar through the window.
Bestla descended the stairs and made her way down the catwalk. Halfway down, she encountered the woman in leather.
It was indeed Aerith, smiling proudly.
"Just who do you think you are?!" Bestla demanded.
"Aerith," the soprano replied. "Aerith Gainsborough. I know you're from the future. Surely you remember the past."
"All I know is that you're an intruder!" Bestla shouted as she charged Aerith with her staff.
Aerith, not missing a beat, leapt off the catwalk and down to the floor below. Realized that the controls were not in the room, she quickly fled through the nearest doorway.
"Get back here!" Bestla demanded from the catwalk.
"NINE MINUTES UNTIL LAUNCH," warned the computer.
Aerith found herself in a hallway. There were turns and junctions everywhere she looked. Realizing that Bestla was pursuing her with the intent to kill, Aerith began to run, turning almost every change she could get in hopes of losing Bestla.
The Urchin was a maze. The fact that the vessel was spherical meant that she could literally be going around in circles. Her hopes were not overtly high, but she knew that she would doom the whole city by not trying.
Finally, Aerith got to a room.
"EIGHT MINUTES UNTIL LAUNCH," the computer alerted.
She was on the bridge of the Urchin. She scanned the room, seeing Bestla's chair, as well as a computer console. This had to be what was launching the orb.
The computer did not look to difficult to operate. She could use it to disarm the orb. She could possibly use it to destroy the Urchin as well. It all depended whether the ship had a self-destruct sequence.
And then, Aerith felt a knife poke her arm. She turned.
"Of course I remember the past," Bestla said as she pointed the knife at Aerith's chest. "And if I remember correctly, you're dead!"
Reacting quickly, Aerith punched Bestla's wrist, knocking the knife out of it and causing it to disappear into a grating. She then elbowed her in the stomach, doubling her long enough to escape.
Aerith knew Bestla would recover before she had a chance to disarm the orb. She would have to think of another plan.
She quickly fled the bridge.
SEVEN MINUTES UNTIL LAUNCH," announced the computer.
Aerith ran through the Urchin's corridors until she had no idea where she was. She found no sign of the bridge or another console. She found no sign of Bestla. Still, she could not give up. The was now well aware that she had the fate of Midgar in her hands.
She had never, in her life, expected to be as heroic as she had become.
She also knew, however, that, if she failed, that the deaths of millions of people would be on her hands.
"SIX MINUTES UNTIL LAUNCH," the computer declared.
And then, Aerith suddenly felt something leap from behind. There was a sudden weight on her back, and a gripping sensation around her neck. She began to gasp for air.
"Don't worry," Bestla assured as she continued to choke her with her arms. "This is much less a painful death than being impaled by a sword."
Aerith attempted to pry Bestla's arms off her neck, but it was no use; Bestla was stronger. She was now completely unable to inhale. Soon, she would lose consciousness, dooming everyone below.
She would not allow that to happen. Aerith quickly forced herself backwards, slamming herself, along with Bestla, into the wall.
Bestla lost her grip and fell to the floor.
Aerith, aware there was no time to catch her breath, darted out of the room.
"FIVE MINUTES UNTIL LAUNCH," said the computer.
She continued to turn every corner. Gradually, oxygen, and consciousness, returned to her. She looked back every few seconds, and then, to her surprise, realized that Bestla was no longer chasing her.
She continued onward, but felt greatly uneasy. It was quite likely that Beslta had her attention focused on something else. It could also mean that, somehow, Bestla no longer considered Aerith a threat.
Just then, Aerith entered a room. It was not a large room, but its central feature stood out like a sore thumb. There was a four-foot pipe coming from the ceiling. Directly under it, there was another four foot pipe extending from the floor.
There were two doorways on each side of the room.
Aerith stood by one of them.
Her opponent stood by the other.
"FOUR MINUTES UNTIL LAUNCH," the computer droned.
"You've lost," Bestla taunted. "I've sealed the doors to the bridge with a time lock. They won't open until after the orb is launched."
Aerith raised her fists.
"Go ahead," Bestla continued, "if it makes you feel better. But the orb will still launch. You'll get to see it, too." She then pointed to the pipe with the gap. "It'll come through that top pipe. You'll get a nice, split-second view of that blue-glowing orb as well. And then it will disappear into this lower pipe you see here. It'll drop from the Urchin, and down it will go, until it hits the pavement. And with a bright blue flash, that will be the story of Midgar."
She paused to smile at Aerith.
"I believe poor Elmyra's down there," Bestla added. "It's okay. I lost my parents, too."
"I'm not alone," Aerith retorted. I have friends who could show up at any time. For all I know, they could be preparing to destroy us right now."
"You mean Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie, Cid, and Vincent?"
Aerith gasped.
"H-how do you know them?"
"You're the only one of them I haven't killed," Bestla cackled.
"THREE MINUTES UNTIL LAUNCH," the computer interrupted.
"What?!" Aerith exclaimed, unaware Bestla was referring to the original timeline.
"I killed them all," Bestla clarified. "Cloud was last."
"You're lying!" Aerith snapped.
"Am I now?" asked Bestla as she pulled out a cell phone and began to play a video.
The video was certainly genuine. It was taken from the Urchin's surveillance footage. Cloud was laying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his stomach. His chest rose for a few moments, and then it rose no more.
As one might expect, this was footage from when Bestla had killed the thirty-year-old Cloud while still in the original timeline. She had simply doctored the video to make him look younger.
Aerith, of course, did not know that. She recalled what Cloud had said when she faked her death at the Forgotten Capital. She remembered how he said that his mouth was dry, how his hands were shaky, and how his eyes were burning. Now, she was feeling all those sensations.
Aerith dropped to her knees and began to sob. "Cloud," she began. "I'm so, so sorry!" She then looked at Bestla. "I don't care how you kill me. There's no nice way you can do it."
"I'll do far worse than kill you," Bestla replied.
Aerith closed her eyes.
She thought of her friends. But, most of all, she thought of Cloud. She remembered when she met him in the streets. She remembered when he rescued her from the Shinra Building. She remembered when they became a couple, when they had their first kiss, and when they made love for the first time. She remembered when she "died," and how she sensed the grief he had felt.
Now, all that was gone forever; it was her turn to feel the grief.
She realized she could save it for later.
Bestla, unlike Sephiroth, was not armed with a sword of any kind.
Without warning, Aerith rose to her feet, but she did not stand up straight. Instead, she charged like a bull, violently head-butting Bestla in the ribcage.
Bestla was hit with such force that she fell back onto the opening of the lower part of the pipe. She hit it so hard she heard a snap, but, to her surprise, she felt little pain.
"Is that the best you can do, bitch?" Bestla taunted as she prepared to stand up.
But she did not.
Puzzled, Bestla continued to attempt to stand, each time in vain.
Suddenly, she became frozen in fear.
"W-what's happening?"
She made another attempt to stand, but her legs still remained in position.
"Why...why can't I feel my legs?"
Slowly, she began to understand.
She was paralyzed. The fall had broken her back; her spinal chord was damaged.
"TWO MINUTES UNTIL LAUNCH," the computer continued.
She was stuck. There was no way she could move from that spot.
"Ohhhhh!" cried Bestla. "You bitch!"
Aerith did not dignify that with response. She knew exactly what was about to happen. There was no way she would be able to stop the orb from launching; even if the bridge was not really sealed, she would have no time to find her way up there. But the orb would not land on the streets of Midgar. Instead, it would land on Bestla. The wave would then spread through the Urchin, destroying the vessel, along with the ruthless time traveller who commanded it.
"There has to be a way out of here," Aerith said to herself.
Without giving the doomed Bestla a final look, Aerith fled the room. After a few worried moments of bending walls, she came to the gaping hole through which she entered.
It was here she noticed that the grappling hook was gone.
"ONE MINUTE UNTIL LAUNCH," the computer alerted.
Aerith had to think, and she had to think quickly. It was too far of a jump to the ground to survive.
Aerith was about to turn to search for a parachute when something caught her eye: below was a pick-up truck. It was parked, and appeared to have dirt in the back.
There was no longer any time to think. In a few seconds, it could be too late; the truck could move, or the Urchin could float too fast away. She would have to jump.
She closed her eyes, bent her knees, and relieved herself of her footing.
Down she went. She could hear the truck engine start, and a foul smell suddenly greeted her nose.
And then, everything went dark.
Bestla, however, could not escape. She attempted to use her arms to free herself from the lower pipe, but they were too short. She struggled for a few moments before she resigned herself to her fate. With one last sigh, she covered her face with her hands.
She did not see the flash of blue approaching her down the pipe. As she was paralyzed, she could barely even feel it when the orb landed on her waist. The flames engulfed her upper half just was quickly as her lower half, but it was quite painless.
She had failed.
Was it worth the try?
Would my parents be proud of me?
Those were Bestla's last thoughts.
The tint of her body changed to a light brown.
Now, Bestla could say nothing at all. What had been Bestla quickly crumbled into dust.
Bestla was finished, but the blue energy was not. It traveled from room to room, turning floors, walls, and ceilings into dust in a matter of seconds.
Less than five minutes after the orb had struck Bestla, the flame had subsided, but the damage had been done. The entire Urchin was now a light brown, crumbling away in mid-air.
The bridge had indeed been sealed, and, as a result, large pieces of metal debris began to fall dangerously once the dust was gone.
Curiously, it was because of this that Cloud's safety in the future would be cemented.
The grieving teenage Bestla, still sobbing over her loss, happened to be walking slowly through the streets when she noticed a large shadow suddenly engulf her. She looked up, only to see a piece of large, heavy debris, which had once been part of the Urchin's bridge, falling at lightning speed directly over her, closing fast.
"This is so not my day!" sighed the fifteen-year-old Bestla before being silenced forever by the debris.
And that was the end of the twenty-four year old Bestla.
And it was the end of the fifteen-year-old Bestla.
And it was the end of the Urchin.
But it was not the end of Aerith. She was unconscious in the back of the truck, which was already driving towards the city's exit, completely oblivious to what had just happened.
MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE PRESENT...
It is now time to return to the modular.
Cloud was standing there naked, his hands still on his girlfriend's bare hips. He was gazing into her green eyes, quite shocked at what she had just told him.
"Yeah," Aerith finally said. "This cute girl is deadlier that she looks."
They gazed at each other for a few moments, both still taking in the situation.
"All that's left to do now is destroy Sephiroth again," Cloud observed.
"Again?!" Aerith asked, confused. "Oh, right. The new timeline."
"Cloud," she said, "I think I've realized something."
"What's that?"
"If we're all having premonitions," she replied, "that means Sephiroth must be having them as well." She nestled her head against his bare chest. "It's going to be a bigger challenge."
Cloud kept his hands on her hips as he kissed her head. "There is one weapon he might not have considered," he suggested.
Aerith looked hopefully into his eyes.
"We'll pay a visit to Round Island," he finished.
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