Final Fantasy VII: Reflections - Book 2: Ascent

DREAMSCAPE

The stream of memories fades away. Gently, quietly, as if someone or something is holding me, keeping me afloat in this strange place between life and death, reaching out to me. It's almost familiar, and like the way I got here to begin with, I can't remember. But whoever or whatever it is, I know it won't let me slip into the cold darkness pulling at me with a grip that seems to get stronger as time goes on.

That comforting presence holding death at bay is a lifeline to me, so I take hold of it and let it guide me wherever it wants me to go. And when I finally see where that is and where I am, I understand. A safe place for me to rest and have a break from what's happening to me, even if it's just for a little while. I don't know who or what that presence is, but I'm very glad for it and for where it brought me.

Just before this, I'd been reliving the night that Cloud and I first met. And now, I'm at Aerith's house, outside in the garden. It's evening and as peaceful and beautiful as I remember, the little hills covered with flowers of all colors and descriptions. I'm dreaming, but it feels like it's more than that somehow. Looking around at the flowers, the bridges, the house, and the waterfall, I know I'm where I need to be.

As I stand there, gazing up at the underside of the plate and the city overhead, I smile as I realize I'm not alone. He's here with me, somehow. I don't turn around yet, though, my eyes still on the few stars I can see in the gaps between the plate sections. They're pretty, sparkling in the night like jewels. I haven't seen a whole sky of them since I was a kid. I'd like to again someday, though. With him, if I can.

"Pretty, isn't it?" I ask without turning around.

"Yeah. Sure is," Cloud answers.

I turn around, still smiling, and there he is, only a few feet away, his gorgeous baby blues gazing softly at me. It makes my heart flutter just to see them, to know that somehow, Cloud is here with me. It's not my mind playing tricks on me. It's real. I can feel it. I don't understand how or why it's possible, and I don't care. All that matters is that we're together. As he steps a little closer, I resist the temptation to fly into his arms. I'm afraid that if I do, he'll vanish and I'll be alone again.

"It's been quite a while since I was last here," I tell him instead. "Lots of good memories, even though I only lived in this place for a short time. It really helped, though. I needed the calm here."

And I really had. I'd spent so many afternoons helping Aerith tend to the flowers—planting, pruning, trimming, weeding, filling baskets to take over to the Leaf House—and it had been so quiet and relaxing, giving me a little bit of peace in the midst of the pain I'd felt since losing Kunsel and the life that I'd built for myself on the plate.

Aerith had known, of course. She was always like that. So perceptive and kind. She'd done whatever she could to help me through those tough first days in the slums—never pushing, but always patient, always there, ready to talk or to listen or both. Elmyra, too, but mostly it was Aerith. I don't think I'd have made it without her.

Cloud nods. "Aerith told me she and her mom took you in."

"That's right," I say as I pick up one of the flowers, a bright yellow lily that was a lot like the one he'd given me on the train. "Just after I left the plate. Found my outfit while I was here, too."

I remembered it so well. How I'd browsed through the shops in Sector 5 until I'd found what I was looking for. Not just the clothes, but all of the materials I'd needed as well—the metal and leather, even the tools. Some I'd gotten from scrounging the junk piles, but I'd bought the rest of it. And I'd carefully and lovingly crafted every piece.