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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 84: Ruby Weapon
TUESDAY
THREE DAYS PRIOR TO METEORFALL
Barret, Red XIII, and Vincent stood in the vast desert, surrounded by sand as far as the eye could see. Vincent had never been to a desert in his life, nor in his afterlife. As a child, he had pictured deserts with cactuses, vultures, and the occasional oasis. But this desert was nothing like his childhood fantasies. This one was barren and lifeless.
"The hell are we doing here?" Barret grunted, as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Ruby Weapon hides here," Red XIII replied. "If we kill it, it will leave behind a materia capable of turning someone into stone."
"So we're not killing Sephiroth anymore?" Vincent asked. "We're just going to petrify him?"
"That's right," Red XIII answered.
"Why?" asked Vincent. "This is getting confusing."
"If he dies, he'll go into the Lifestream," Red XIII explained. "Cloud told me that in the future he and Tifa lived, Sephiroth was controlling living, human avatars-not made of Jenova cells, but real humans-from the great beyond. We can't kill him; we need to put him in a state that's not exactly life, but not exactly death, either. Ergo, we petrify him."
"If we're not too late," Vincent said.
"What do you mean?" Red XIII asked.
"I'm wondering if Sephiroth impregnating and killing those three young women had anything to do with those human avatars," Vincent suggested.
"I certainly hope not," Red XIII said.
"Yo!" Barret shouted. "Yo' done yet? Look over there!"
All at once, the three of them beheld a red cone sticking out of the sand several yards away.
"That's Ruby Weapon?" Vincent wondered aloud.
"Is this a goddam joke?" Barret demanded.
"One of the Weapons does have to be the weakest," Red XIII pointed out.
"Then this shouldn't be any problem," Vincent said as he aimed the Death Penalty at the cone and fired.
At first, nothing happened. The cone continued to sit there for several seconds.
Then, the entirety of Ruby Weapon suddenly jumped out from the sand, revealing that the cone was simply the tip of its head. The creature was humanoid, having two long arms and two legs. Its neck was long, and its head was small. It stood at least fifty feet high.
"Motherfucker!" Barret shouted as he aimed his gun-arm and opened fire.
The three of the them were greeted by the sounds of ricocheting bullets. Ruby weapon remained standing, completely unharmed.
"That son of a bitch is bullet proof!" Barret shouted.
Ruby Weapon then raised its arms into the air, seemingly to attack.
"Steady!" shouted Red XIII, though his own heart was racing.
Ruby Weapon suddenly plunged its arms into the ground with such force that it knocked the three intruders down. It then buried its hands in the sand. A few moments later, to large digits arose from the sand a few yards behind them.
"Are those the bastard's fingers?!" Barret demanded.
"It appears so," Red XIII answered.
"Those were the bastard's fingers," Vincent announced as he turned and aimed the Death Penalty at the digit to his left. He fired, causing the digit to come off clean. He then aimed the Death Penalty at the remaining digit and dispatched it in the same manner."
Suddenly, Ruby Weapons's chest began to open, revealing an illuminating core.
"I think we all know what that means," Vincent said.
Vincent and Barret quickly darted to the left as Red XIII did so to the right.
Moments later, a beam, fronted by a sphere of sparks, shot down from Ruby Weapon's core, missing all three of them, but causing a cloud of dust where it hit the ground.
"Nice try, asshole!" Barret shouted as he opened fire once again, this time aiming for the core.
Ruby Weapon made a low moaning sound as if it was in pain.
"I think you're getting him!" Red XIII shouted.
And then, Ruby Weapon closed its chest. The sound of ricocheting bullets returned immediately thereafter.
"Goddammmit!" Barret shouted.
"Allow me," Vincent announced.
He aimed the Death Penalty at the closed core and fired. An explosion hit the armor surrounding the core, but Ruby Weapon did not seem to take any damage.
"Everyone!" Red XIII shouted as he looked up.
Barret and Vincent looked up in time to see a small meteorite falling from the sky at lightening speed. The three of them darted in three directions, barely escaping as the meteorite met the ground with explosive force.
"That thing's summoning little meteors?" Barret shouted.
And then, it happened. A white beam suddenly appeared around Ruby Weapon. Knight after knight came swooping by, with each attack seeming to penetrate the red armor. Once the final knight attacked, the process repeated itself. The fourth repeat ended with a brief flash of white. When it cleared, a sphere of gray materia sitting in the sand was all that remained of Ruby Weapon.
Behind the materia sat Cloud on a quad.
"Everyone okay?" he asked.
"Barely," Vincent replied.
"What took you so long?" Barret demanded.
"Those earthquakes and meteors interrupted the summon," Cloud replied.
He then hopped off of the quad, and picked up the materia.
"One word of warning to anyone who might pick this up," Cloud began. "Drop this, and it explodes. Anyone who gets in the way of the resulting shockwave will be forever turned to stone."
"I'm not touchin' that thing," Barret dismissed.
"It's times like this I'm glad I don't have hands," Red XIII added.
"Well, gentlemen," Cloud continued, "this is it. We now have everything we need."
"So we're going into the Northern Crater when?" asked Vincent.
"Tomorrow," Cloud replied. "I strongly suggest you all get some rest tonight. The final battle is tomorrow."
"In that case," Vincent said, "I'll head back to the Highwind."
"I think I'll do the same," Red XIII added.
Both of them turned and headed for the Highwind, which was only a hundred years away, behind a couple of dunes."
"Yo Cloud," Barret began, once the other two were gone.
"What's happening?" Cloud asked.
"Corel Prison's not far from here," Barret replied. "Mind if we take the quad over there? I wanna see how Dyne's doin'."
"Sure thing," Cloud agreed as he hopped back on the quad.
Barret climbed on behind Cloud. And then, something began to seriously bother him.
"Cloud?" he asked.
"What's up?"
"You and Aerith….you two didn't fuck on this thing, did ya?"
"Nope," replied Cloud as he shook his head.
"You sure?" Barret asked.
"Positive," Cloud answered before sending them on their way.
THAT NIGHT...
Cloud entered the parlor at seven that evening to find Aerith already in her pajamas. She immediately turned and flaunted her beautiful smile, even though he had returned home hours earlier.
"Have a seat," she said.
He did so. She seemed happy, but, as she often did, seemed to have something on her mind.
"I'm guessing you want to stay in tonight?" he asked.
"It's a big day tomorrow," she said as she stroked his hand. "We need our rest."
"I just sent a mass text to everyone to meet at noon at the Northern Crater," Cloud continued.
"Everyone?" she asked.
"Everyone," he clarified. "All ten of us. Transport, meaning the Highwind, of course, will leave Costa del Sol at eleven-thirty."
"And when we get there," Aerith added, "what to we do?"
"We go down," Cloud replied, "deep into the Northern Crater. Sephiroth will be waiting for us at the bottom. We'll weaken him, turn him to stone, and get him the hell away from Holy."
"And that's it?" she asked.
"That's it," he answered.
That's it for humanity, too, he thought. I'll tell her tomorrow night. It'll be upsetting for sure, and I know she'll cry, but she has to know. It's only fair.
"That almost sounds easier than Ruby and Emerald Weapons," she noted aloud.
"It does, doesn't it?" he agreed.
"On another note, I've begun counting down the days to my twenty-third birthday," Aerith said. "It's special because it's also the day I become Aerith Lee Strife!"
If humanity isn't wiped out, Cloud thought. And then, something began to haunt him. Will the planet decide that humans are a threat, but the Cetra aren't? Will Aerith spend the rest of her life alone?
The smile suddenly vanished off of her face.
"At least that what I hope with all my heart happens," she said. "But what you and Barret found out when you got to Corel Prison didn't give me much hope."
Forget what Holy might do for now. I knew we'd be dealing with that instead sometime today.
"You mean Dyne?" Cloud asked. "You're upset at what we found out about Dyne today?"
Aerith nodded. "It's been on my mind. And it's making me think."
"He died from dysentery," he assured her. "That place is unsanitary. It could've happened to anyone else there."
"I know," she said. "But it got me thinking again."
"That the timeline might be fighting back?" he suggested. "I really don't think it is."
"I hope not," she said. "And I know Jessie's alive and well, but I don't know, Cloud. I just don't know."
He took her hand and held it in his.
"It was only one person," he assured her.
"I guess you're right," she said. "Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow."
What Cloud did not dare to tell her was that he was wondering the same thing. After all, if the planet was indeed sentient, why not time?
Perhaps it was indeed Aerith's fate to die. Only time would tell.
LATER...
Cloud and Aerith cuddled up on the sofa and watched two movies, trying to put the situation out of their minds for a few hours. After that, it was eleven. Holding hands, they retired to the bedroom.
"Tomorrow's it," Aerith said as she pulled the covers back on her side of the bed.
"You ready?" asked Cloud, as he did the same.
"Totally," she replied as she climbed into bed.
Cloud turned out the light and joined her.
Aerith put her arm around him and rested her head against him.
"I'm just happy to be a part of it this time," she said.
"Me, too," he agreed as he stroked her shoulder.
She smiled.
"And Cloud?"
"Yeah?"
"Barret rode on the quad with you?"
"That's right," he answered.
"He doesn't know we did it on the quad, does he?" she asked.
"He doesn't suspect a thing," Cloud replied.
Aerith giggled.
"I love you," she said before kissing him.
EVEN LATER...
WEDNESDAY
TWO DAYS PRIOR TO METEORFALL
The clock had rolled over to 12:07. Aerith, having passed out nearly immediately, lay fast asleep, likely dreaming of her wedding day.
Cloud, on the other hand, remained awake. He had taken in a lot in the past couple of weeks, and especially within the last twenty-four hours. Realizing that he would not sleep, he decided to stand out on the back balcony again, this time making sure he at least had pants on.
Once there, he looked out over the ocean. Dark black waves crashed over the deserted beach. It seemed so peaceful, and so haunting, at the same time; just like his mind. This moment suited him perfectly.
There was a lot on his mind. Mainly, he was thinking about what Red XIII had told him back at the observatory; that the planet, this time, would rule humans as a threat and erase them from existence. It would certainly have a right to; it had already given humanity a second chance, and, by the time traveling, humanity essentially blew it. It had bothered him virtually the entire time. He wanted to vent it off to someone, but he did have a promise to keep. He wondered what it would be like to get erased from existence. He also wondered whether he would still get some kind of afterlife; it did not seem likely. Still, life would go on. Plants and animals would flourish for eons to come. That would be something to take comfort in.
Even if the planet did decide that humanity was worth a third chance, there was still the deal with Aerith. Would the timeline fight back and take her? She seemed to fear so. Cloud simply was not sure; death seemed to have stalked her twice already. Dyne, who originally cheated death, had died. He wondered how well he could manage losing her all over again. In any case, he had a supportive group with him. In addition to himself and Aerith, he had Barret, Jessie, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie, Cid and Vincent.
Yet he still did not feel completely satisfied. Soon, he realized the reason. It was not who was there, but who was not. He thought about Tifa. Would she show up tomorrow? And how would he tell her that it was over between them? He had not taken that into account. He and Tifa grew up together. They were best friends for twenty years. She knew everything about him; the good and the bad. Telling her it was over was like smacking that friendship in the face.
And through it all, he somehow desperately wanted to see her again. He realized that, despite his relationship with Aerith, he sorely missed her. His life with Tifa had spanned multiple decades, and even multiple timelines. He remembered how upset he was when she married Bo. He remembered how heartbroken he was when she was killed and turned to dust. And that jogged something in his mind: he wondered what upset him more. Was it Tifa's death, which was reversed by the changed timeline, or Aerith's death, which was faked, but also more or less reversed by the changed timeline? He had difficulty analyzing his past grief.
All of the thinking made him tired. Realizing he could finally sleep, he returned to the bed, climbing in carefully as not to disturb the sleeping Aerith. As he pulled the covers over himself, closed his eyes, and began to drift off to sleep, it finally hit him.
I miss Tifa, he thought. Please be there tomorrow.
And almost as if on cue, he was back in the field. He awoke to the familiar sight of tall grass, flowers, and reeds, along with the butterflies and bees. The sadness was there as well.
"Here we go again," Cloud muttered as he rose to his feet. "I thought I was done with these dreams."
He stared down the path that led around the bush. He could see the shadow, and, this time, he was well aware that the shadow belonged to Tifa. She was waiting for him, and would tearfully beg him to take her back. She would continue to cry for a while, and then disappear.
Cloud decided that he would not have it. The last thing he wanted was to be distracted during the final battle. He shook himself, hoping to wake himself up, but to no avail. He then tried to touch a couple of nearby bumblebees. He knew they would sting him, and that the pain would last but a split second before he awoke. But, alas, the bumblebees flew away as he approached them. Resigned to his fate, Cloud realized that he had no choice but to face this dream one more time.
He began to walk down the path. The sadness, of course, grew more intense as he approached the bush and the shadow that extended from it. He kept going, telling himself that it was only a dream, and that the real Tifa only wanted him to be happy. He knew he could shake this off. Soon, he arrived at the bush, and made his way around.
She was standing there as he expected, with the saddest look on her face.
"Cloud," Tifa began as tears threatened her beautiful, chestnut eyes, "I know I did something wrong, and I'm sorry. But if you take me back, I promise I'll never, ever do it again."
The tears began to fall.
"Tifa," Cloud began, "this isn't real."
"Please," she tearfully continued, ignoring what he had just said. "Just come home to Nibelheim with me. We can still have a life together. I love you, Cloud."
Cloud shook his head; he had to be strong.
"I can't," he said.
"What did I do wrong?" she continued. "Was it something I said?"
"No, Tifa," he answered with as much confidence as he could. Still, he noticed the sick feeling in his stomach.
"Was it because I wouldn't have sex with you?"
"No," he replied. "Tifa, this is not about you. It's principle. I committed to Aerith first. You know this."
Just then, Cloud felt the tug on his pant leg.
He turned to see the thirteen-year-old Tifa standing there, looking up to him, again wearing the jeans and crop top she had worn when they had gone bowling.
"Was it because I made you spy on my dad?" she asked. "Or was it because I got you accused of bringing me to the mountains?"
"You have to accept it," Cloud responded, though he could feel his confidence beginning to fade.
He turned again to see the fifteen-year-old Tifa standing before him, dressed in her skirt, crop top, and hat.
"Or was it because I didn't thank you enough for saving my life?" she asked. "I blacked out. I never knew. If I had known, I would have kissed you. Whether you liked it or not, I would have. You deserved it."
"I-I would've liked that, too," he said as he began to break. It was still proving to be too much.
He then turned to face the twenty-year-old Tifa once more.
Her face was now a mess with tears, and her eyes were bright red.
"Cloud," she uttered.
He watched her, waiting for her to fade away. But she did not; she remained there as he began to sweat and tremble.
Instead, Tifa suddenly turned her back towards Cloud. She walked two or three yards away, and, with her back still turned to him, knelt down.
As Cloud watched, an image of himself in a wheelchair materialized. The image of him jerked around, and seemed quite aloof. The interior of the clinic in Mideel soon formed around it. It was when she had sacrificed so much to take care of him.
Unable to watch, he turned away. In the opposite direction, an image of Aerith appeared. Her back was also turned to him, but she was standing. She was wearing a black tank top, but was naked from the waist down, except for a pair of black heels. He could see an image of himself walking toward her, and the image of their hotel room in Gold Saucer forming around them. It was when they had made love for the first time.
Cloud alternated his attention between the two scenes playing out. And then, he heard a familiar voice, as clear as when he was awake.
"I feel bad for Cloud," he heard Parker's voice say. "He has someone who loves him unconditionally, and he's blinded by his lust."
He looked at Tifa covering him to protect him from falling debris. There was no question that she loved him unconditionally. And yet, he abandoned her.
He then heard another, familiar voice, again as clear as day.
"And Tifa Lockheart," Claudia's voice complimented, "thanks for taking care of my boy. I thought only an older girl could care for him like that. Well, shame on me."
Tifa might have been half a year younger than him, but she certainly took care of him. She took care of him in Mideel. She took care of him when he was grieving. She even took care of him when he was concerned about what to do next. Aerith, meanwhile, had not demonstrated that.
He then looked back. He could see the bottomless Aerith acknowledge his presence with a smile, along with yet another, familiar voice.
"There are two types of love," Vincent said. "One is based on chemistry and sex."
Cloud then turned to the scene where Tifa was taking care of him. She was rushing him away from the collapsing ground.
"The other," Vincent continued, "is based on trust and loyalty. Only one of them works."
His relationship with Aerith was certainly based on chemistry and sex. They both felt sparks flying when they met just a few weeks ago, and now they were having sex almost every day. But she had yet to demonstrate any serious loyalty. Tifa, meanwhile, while abstinent, would take falling debris for him. If that was not loyalty, Cloud did not know what was.
He turned again. The scene at the hotel had been replaced by a scene where a visibly younger Aerith was shoving what appeared to be a game console into a man around her age.
"He loved his video games more than he loved me." Aerith's voice said. "So I broke up with him."
Cloud turned to where Tifa had been caring for him, which had also been replaced by another scene.
"Did I tell you how they died?" he remembered Dio saying as an elderly Cloud materialized among dark, dismal surroundings. "Lonely old men in attic rooms, completely forgotten by everyone!"
He turned again, where the scene of Aerith dumping her boyfriend had been replaced by one of Cloud and Tifa talking to the latter's mother in the Lifestream.
"Brian said to stay away from Tifa," Claire began.
With that, she disappeared.
"I say stay as close to her as humanly possible!" her voice finished.
Cloud lowered his head in silence. He had let Claire down.
And then, his entire surroundings began to change. Scenes were no longer being played for him; he was suddenly a part of one. He now found his surroundings to be none other than the bridge of the Highwind. Looking out the window, he could see that it was night. And he realized that it was that night.
The night Tifa told him how she felt.
At first, he stood alone on the bridge of the Highwind, which seemed so real that he could hear the computers running. Then, slowly, in front of him, Tifa materialized.
"Like I said, Cloud, being old friends is hard," she said as her body started trembling.
It really took everything for her to admit she loved me, he thought.
"Cloud, I...I..."
Cloud, realizing what she was about to say, felt an aura of happiness; one he had not felt since the last time he and Tifa had slept in each others arms.
"I love you," she whispered before turning in the other direction and starting to cry. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I know I shouldn't have said that."
Of course you should have! he thought.
"I'll leave now," she continued sadly. "And if you don't want to talk to me anymore, I'll understand." She then began to leave the bridge.
Of course I'll always want to talk to you!
"STOP!" he shouted.
I'll always want to talk to you because...
She stopped as Cloud approached her, turned her around, and lifted her chin up. He considered it a gift to relive this moment.
"Tifa, look at me," he commanded. "Don't ever tell me you're sorry for saying that. You said what came from your heart," he continued as he brushed away her tears. "And I have to say what comes from my heart, too." He took a breath. "I love you, Tifa. I love you."
...because...
Suddenly, the beautiful scene vanished; Cloud was now surrounded by pitch black. There was nothing, except for himself, and one last familiar voice he heard.
"It's not about who was there first," he heard Aerith's voice say. "It's about who you love more."
...because we belong together, Tifa. I love you more.
And a tear rolled down from his eye.
And then, Cloud himself faded away.
IN THE MORNING...
Cloud stood alone in the parlor. It was eleven in the morning, half an hour before departure time. He had been standing there in case anyone knocked on his door, which nobody did. This was the final battle. This was the day they would descend into the Northern Crater. It would not be a new experience to him; he distinctly remembered his trip down there in the original timeline. The same would apply to Tifa, if she rejoined them that day. Meanwhile, Barret, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie, Cid, and Vincent would at least have some premonitions of the event. Meanwhile, for Aerith and Jessie, this would be a completely new experience. He wondered how their presence would play out.
Just then, Aerith emerged from the bathroom.
"Hey, Cloud!" she announced as she came into view.
She was wearing a black tank top with camouflage pants and military boots. Eye black was below her eyes.
"What do you think?" she asked with a smile.
Cloud was at a loss. Not because of how she looked, but what would unfold in the next few hours and days. Still, he could not distract her, and needed to avoid making her suspicious of anything at all costs.
"You look hot," he replied.
Aerith giggled as she walked over to him and kissed him.
"I can think of a lot of naughty stuff we can do with this tonight," she whispered.
Cloud, again to avoid suspicion, gave Aerith an affectionate pat on the butt.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Almost," he replied.
"Okay," she said. "I'll be right outside."
With that, she walked out the front door.
Slowly, Cloud scanned the interior of the house that had be his and Aerith's for the past couple of weeks. Then, he decided to join her outside.
As he closed the door, he had the strangest feeling that he would never set foot in the house again.
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Premonitions: Uncut