Cataclysmic (Final Fantasy VII)

꧁ XVIII ꧂

Sector 7 Sewers—Primary Treatment...

After traveling through the tunnels, climbing up ladders, and blindly walking through doors, the group soon found themselves at the primary treatment facility in the Sector 7 sewers.

Aerith spotted a ladder leading up to the surface in the distance. "Look. That must be the way out!"

Tifa gazed at the water that filled the canal. There was no way for them to cross safely. "I wonder. There must be some way we can lower the water level."

Lailah looked around. She saw a room not too far from their current position. "Think we could find something there that'll help us?"

"Don't know," Cloud replied. "But it wouldn't hurt to check. Let's go."

They entered the water control room. There, they found controls for the waterway.

Tifa recognized the setup. "Guys, check it out. Seventh Heaven's water tank has something similar. I'm betting we can use this to control the sewage level."

Aerith turned to the ex-SOLDIER. "Hey Cloud—you wanna give it a try?"

Cloud eyes the controls. "This oughta drain the water...right?"

"It should," Lailah stated. "Let's just hope it works."

The blonde walked over to the controls. He pulled the lever, only for four of the five bars to turn green. A small red light flashed and the console made a beeping noise.

"No luck?" Aerith asked.

"Must be busted," Cloud said.

Tifa saw a poster on the wall containing information that helped them with their current problem. She read it out loud. "A red light indicates a blockage, apparently. We can use the hand pump to clear the blockage." She turned to the others. "Sounds about right. I remember having to do this at the bar before."

"All right. I'll—" Cloud was promptly interrupted by Tifa.

"Aerith, you mind giving me a hand? Cloud, Lailah, you two stay put. Keep an eye out for more red lights."

Lailah's mouth fell agape in bewilderment. She knew what her friend was trying to do. "W-Wait, Tifa. Maybe I should—"

Tifa smiled at her. "Trust me. This is the best way to handle it. We'll be back soon."

Before Lailah or Cloud could say anything else, Tifa and Aerith left.

The shapeshifter awkwardly fiddled with her fingers. She refused to look in Cloud's direction. To slay the suffocating silence lingering between them, she tried to spark up a conversation and hoped it wouldn't be one-sided. "Hey, Cloud, I've been wanting to tell you something for a while now." She sat down on top of one of the desks, eyes staring down at her hands as they lay in her lap.

Cloud watched her every move. "What's that?"

Unconsciously, she raised a hand and placed it around her throat. The vellabloom had healed her, but the scar remained. She took a deep breath and pushed away her shyness and awkwardness so she could express her feelings. "Now that I have my voice back, I can say it." Steeling herself, she lifted her head and met Cloud's curious gaze. "I love you, Cloud. I have for a while. I...I really didn't know what these feelings were until a few years passed while I was in Tellus. I wanted to see you so badly and tell you, but I needed to become stronger before I could see you or Tifa again. After what happened to her and I couldn't do anything for either of you, I felt...useless. I was embarrassed to show my face in Nibelheim again. What's the point in being the descendant of the goddess of life when you can't save the lives of the ones you love and cherish the most?"