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Premonitions: Uncut	By : Hippo_and_Friends_with_Benefits Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 3901 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, and I am not making any money of of this writing.

Chapter List
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Chapter 83: The Awful Truth
TUESDAY
THREE DAYS PRIOR TO METEORFALL
Bugenhagen lay in bed, on his back, with an intravenous impaling his hand. He was sick with pneumonia, and had not left the room in two days. He had noticed a cough a day or two after returning from the Forgotten Capital, but he had thought it would soon pass. Instead, the infection had spread throughout his body, and, at his age, even the best anti-biotics would not be able to help him.
A nurse spoon-fed him medicine. But that medicine was not to help him recover; it would only alleviate the misery he was in. At this point, it was clear that making him comfortable was all that could be done. He had not even sat up in the last twenty-four hours. He did not show it, but he was in a great deal of pain. Every joint in his body ached. His temperature was one hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit; though he never felt warm, and was constantly shivering under his covers. He had a headache to the extent he had never felt before, and his nausea was unbearable. He also had a very sore throat.
Red XIII sat patently near the foot of the bed. He was not ready to let his grandfather go, and he never would be. It was difficult for him to grasp; one hundred and thirty years was, to his species, equivalent to forty-three to forty-four. It cast a sad shadow over him, as he was well aware that he would be dealing with the loss of all of his friends.
Suddenly, the nurse made eye contact with Red XIII.
"He wants you to come closer," he said. "I think he wants to tell you something."
Red XIII nodded as he slowly made his way to the bedside and stood on his hind legs, becoming able to hear Bugenhagen's heavy breathing quite well.
"Grandfather..." he began.
"Nanaki," Bugenhagen greeted in a low whisper.
"What is it, Grandfather?" Red XIII asked.
"I...just...wanted to tell you...your father...he left you something..." Bugenhagen groaned.
"Don't worry about that now," Red XIII assured him. "I'm here for you."
"Nooooo!" protested Bugenhagen as he struggled to shake his head. "You...need it...makes you...three times...stronger..."
"Grandfather," began Red XIII, though he knew that, although dying, Bugenhagen would not give up.
"Limited Moon...in...basement!" Bugenhagen groaned. "Go...get it...Nanaki!"
Defeated, Red XIII quickly raced into the basement of the observatory. After a few minutes of searching, he found what he had been looking for. It looked like a giant, gold, jeweled ring. It fit perfectly around his forearm, and he felt stronger immediately.
With his new strength, Red XIII raced back to Bugenhagen's room. He found him laying in his bed, as before.
"I have it, Grandfather," Red XIII announced.
Bugenhagen did not respond.
Red XIII sighed. The antibiotics Bugenhagen had been given had nearly destroyed his hearing. He decided to make his way to the bed again, and once more elevated himself on his hind legs.
"I have it, Grandfather," Red XIII announced again, in a louder tone of voice.
There was still no response. This time, there was no heavy breathing.
He then placed his forearm on Bugenhagen's nerveless hand. It was cold to touch.
The nurse, having witnessed the whole event, quietly walked over to Bugenhagen and checked for his pulse. He then turned to Red XIII, and gave him a look of compassion.
Red XIII rested his head on the bed and began to whimper.
A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER...
Red XIII walked out the front door of the observatory. Virtually the entire population of Cosmo Canyon had been standing vigil, waiting for news of Bugenhagen. He scanned the path, and as many people as he could. He then spoke to them.
"Bugenhagen has gone away," he said solemnly. "And I wish him the best in his endeavors."
Nobody spoke or even moved as he continued to walk down the path, until he reached the virtually deserted Cosmo Candle. There, someone finally spoke to him.
"This whole place belongs to you, now," Aerith said. "This whole observatory."
She then wrapped her arms around him for a hug.
Red XIII then turned his head to Cloud.
"I would like to speak with you alone," he requested.
Cloud turned to Aerith.
"Would you mind?" he asked.
"Not at all," she said. "Just don't take too long."
Red XIII led Cloud straight to the planetarium without saying a word until they arrived. Cloud knew that this had to be serious.
"I noticed there's an engagement ring on Aerith's finger," Red XIII began.
"That's right," Cloud replied. "I proposed to her on the beach two days ago."
"Was she happy?" Red XIII asked.
"She certainly was," Cloud answered. "She wants to get married on February seventh. That's her twenty-third birthday." He paused, and suddenly displayed a solemn look. "Somehow, though, I'm not getting a lot of satisfaction out of all of this."
"I see," Red XIII observed. "Cloud, did Aerith's white materia ever glow?"
Cloud shook his head.
"That isn't good," Red XIII said.
"Correction," Cloud continued, "We didn't see it glow. That doesn't mean it didn't."
"That seems a little too ambiguous to bank on, wouldn't you say?" Red XIII suggested. He then looked into his eyes. "Cloud, here comes what I wanted to talk to you about. It won't be easy, and I know you won't like it, but it does need to be discussed."
"Go ahead," said Cloud, who had been expecting him to tell him that he could not rejoin the group. Instead, it sounded like it was much worse.
"When we defeat Sephiroth," Red XIII began, "I think we'll disappear."
"What?!" Cloud almost laughed. It was not something he had seen coming.
"Remember what Grandfather said?" reminded Red XIII. "Back at the Forgotten Capital? He said all that is good will be spared, and all that is bad will vanish."
"That's not possible," Cloud dismissed. He could not have considered a concept more ridiculous. His soul had come from nine years into the future, after all. "I remember that he said that, but I also remember humanity was spared. I've seen this future. We were all around at least another nine years."
Red XIII gave Cloud another solemn look. "This is the part I've been trying to tell you about," he said. "That timeline is gone. History was changed. The planet won't be that generous this time."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Cloud, who noticed his mouth was suddenly dry. He had not thought about how that would be played out with the changed timeline.
"The planet itself is probably having premonitions of its own," Red XIII continued. "I think that's something none of us have considered."
Cloud sat down. It was indeed not something he had considered.
"I don't believe it," he said. "I don't fucking believe this shit."
"I couldn't, either," Red XIII added, "when I first figured it out."
"Are you sure we're doomed?" Cloud asked.
"I'm not a hundred percent sure," Red XIII replied. "It's like a birthday present. You can't tell what's inside until you open it. We won't know whether humanity will be wiped out until Holy moves. But it certainly seems more likely than last time."
"Will...Aerith vanish, too?" Cloud asked. "I mean, she's only half-human."
"Dunno," he replied. "But I'm telling you this in private because I don't want any of our friends to know until after we destroy Sephiroth. If they find out, they will become frightened, and distracted."
"I'm sure they will," Cloud said. "Everyone has plans for the future."
"Again, I don't know for sure," Red XIII clarified. "I'm just saying it might happen."
"I wonder if destroying the Weapons works in our favor, or against us," Cloud wondered aloud.
"How many have you destroyed?" asked Red XIII.
"Two," Cloud replied. "Ultima, and Emerald. The other two were destroyed by the Shinra."
"That just leaves Ruby Weapon," Red XIII noted. "I suppose you're going after that one next?"
"You got it," Cloud replied. "If we beat Ruby Weapon, it'll leave behind a materia we can use to turn Sephiroth into stone."
"You wouldn't rather just kill him?" Red XIII asked.
"In the future I remember," Cloud answered, "Sephiroth turned out to be more dangerous dead than alive. He was sending avatars from beyond the grave. We need to keep him as far away from the Lifestream as humanly possible.
"Alright," Red XIII agreed. "Count me in."
"You don't need more time?" Cloud asked.
Red XIII shook his head.
"Grandpa would want it this way. If I still exist afterward, I can grieve for him then."
MINUTES LATER...
"We've officially got Red XIII back," Cloud informed Aerith as he rejoined her at Cosmo Candle. "He'll be joining our pursuit of Ruby Weapon later today."
"Is he okay?" she asked him. "Doesn't he need time to grieve."
"I think he saw it coming," Cloud suggested. "Not to mention that Bugenhagen was all about saving the planet."
"Where is he?" she asked.
"Red XIII? He's just getting a few things taken care of. Then we'll head to the desert and take care of Ruby Weapon. And then tomorrow, it's Sephiroth's turn."
"And then," Aerith added with enthusiasm in her voice, "we'll start planning our wedding!"
Sure, Cloud thought. If humanity isn't wiped out, of course.
"I think I want my mom as my maid of honor," she continued. "I know we've been bumpy lately, but she's always been there for me. My sophomore year in high school, I accidentally left my Ritalin at home, and she actually came to school and brought it."
"I suppose I'll need to pick a best man," he said, trying, unsuccessfully, to forget what Red XIII had just told him. "Maybe Barret, maybe Cid."
"I've got a better idea," Aerith suggested.
"Who, Vincent?" he asked.
"No!" she giggled.
"Reeve?"
"Try again!" she replied.
"Who else is there?" he asked.
"Tifa!" Aerith enthusiastically answered. "I mean, she may not be a man, but she's your best friend of twenty years."
"That's a good idea," he said, again hiding what was on his mind.
It would be nice to see her again before we all vanish, he thought.
"And then we'll have our wedding night," Aerith said with a grin. "Where we'll have incredible sex."
Cloud forced a smile.
Aerith then turned around, and placed her hand on her backside through her jeans.
"We can do it in the....butt, if you want to," she offered.
"I thought girls hated that," he replied.
"It's an experience I want to share with you," she said. "Because I trust you."
Cloud was silent.
"And I think I know where I want to go for out honeymoon," she continued.
The Lifestream?
"If it's okay with you, I'd like to go to Costa del Luna."
"The nude beach?" Cloud asked in surprise. "I thought you weren't into that."
"I thought about it," Aerith said. "It would be romantic. Besides, we can't sit at a pool bar in the nude back home. If I'm nervous, I can always start out topless, and take my bottoms off later."
"I'm okay with it," he said.
Of course I'm okay with it, because we'll all have been wiped out by then. No nude beach.
"And can I say one more thing?" she requested. "Before Red XIII comes back?
Whatever it is, it won't matter in three days.
"Go ahead," Cloud approved.
"When we get back from the honeymoon," Aerith continued, "I'd like to start having kids right away."
"Right away?" he asked.
"I want to be a young mom," she said. "I want to go on roller coasters with them and all that."
"Sure," he agreed. At this point, he almost wanted to cry.
Red XIII, thought Cloud, you've really cast a nasty gloom on everything.
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Premonitions: Uncut