Lost and Found

“Lost and Found”
Prologue
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(Warning: Possible spoilers for all FF7 game/movie titles)
*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can’t get enough of this world and the characters.*
~***********************************************~

He was there again, stretched out on the soft green grass on his stomach, propped on his elbows. When he wasn’t sleeping or visiting with her, Zack spent most of his time watching the gateway between worlds provided by the Lifestream. He didn’t turn at her approach but she knew he sensed her. Zack was impossible to sneak up on, even in the afterlife. He kept staring into the waters of the Lifestream flowing past the embankment he laid on, watching the world of the living with attentive interest.

“Hey Aerith,” Zack said when she got within a few feet of him. Without taking his eyes off of the images that flashed in the water, he balanced on one elbow and gestured invitingly toward her. “Grab some popcorn and have a sit down with me.”

His voice was cheerful and light as always, but she could detect the melancholy undertone nonetheless. He covered it up well, but not well enough to fool her. Aerith smiled softly and approached, sinking down beside him on the rolling green embankment. She glanced down and saw a flash of images showing dear friends that she recognized.

“Did you watch television as much as you watch the Lifestream?” she asked teasingly, trying not to let her concern creep into her voice.

“Nope. Don’t get me wrong, I liked sports as much as the next guy but I preferred to get out and do stuff.” Zack gave her a sidelong, wry grin. “You know…live a little.” His smile faltered and he lowered his gaze—not quite fast enough to hide the flash of regret in them.

Aerith gazed at him with soft, sympathetic green eyes. He’d died so young…both of them had. The difference was that she was more or less content to exist in spiritual form but Zack was another matter, no matter how hard he tried to conceal it. She knew there was so much he’d wanted to do in life—much of it with her, in fact.

“You miss them,” she guessed, pointing at the image of Cloud and Tifa. The couple was returning home after healing the afflicted children with Aerith’s gift and recuperating from defeating Sephiroth and the remnants. Marlene and Denzel were with them, of course. To all appearances, they were a family that had found renewed appreciation for one another but the unresolved issues between Cloud and Tifa were obvious in the way they hesitated to look each other in the eye for very long.

Zack nodded. “Yeah, I miss them,” he conceded softly, rolling toward Aerith to lay his head in her lap. The pseudo material of her skirt felt un-naturally soft against his skin and he tried to remember what it felt like in life to experience touch, pain and desire. He rubbed his cheek against her skirted thigh and sighed.

Aerith’s heart swelled at the endearing gesture and she combed her fingers through his sooty black hair, stroking the starchy spikes soothingly. She had her regrets, too. She was happy just to have him here with her but sometimes she wished she could have experienced lovemaking at least once. She’d never even gotten the chance to kiss Zack in life, much as she’d dreamed of it every night since meeting him. The kisses they exchanged now were warm and affectionate but there was no passion. Sensual desires were for living things, to ensure the species reproduced whether individuals used their sexuality for that purpose or not. Here, there was no purpose in it.

“Hey Aerith?” Zack rolled onto his back and looked up at her from his pillow on her lap.

“Hmm?” She gazed into the crafty, blue-violet eyes and admired their color.

“What do you think our kids would have looked like?” He was grinning mischievously up at her. Once again, he’d managed to echo her thoughts—or maybe he’d guessed what was on her mind when he looked at her expression.

Aerith was suddenly thankful for the lack of blood circulation in her unearthly body—otherwise she’d probably be blushing right now. She snorted and painted a teasingly doubtful look on her face. “What makes you think we’d have had children?”

Zack waggled his eyebrows at her. The inability to feel lust didn’t stop him from flirting and he demonstrated that on a regular basis. “Trust me, if we’d ever made it to that point in the relationship I’d have been making lots of babies with you.”

“Maybe we wouldn’t have gotten that far,” she suggested elusively, her cheeks dimpling with a betraying smile.

Zack rolled aside and sat up, taking her hands into his and gazing into her eyes. “If I could have made it back to you,” he said seriously, “I’d have done my best to make that happen.” He brought one of her hands to his lips and kissed the top of it in a dashing manner that should have been cheesy but wasn’t.

Aerith’s smile faltered a little. “I would have liked that,” she admitted softly. Sometimes, she pined for life as much as Zack but it was primarily because of the things she’d never experienced with him.

He grew uncomfortable as well. What he’d intended to be a friendly game of banter had turned into a veiled exchange of regrets and longing. He sighed and rubbed Aerith’s hands between his before releasing them and turning around to peer into the Lifestream again. He could see Cloud saying goodnight to the kids and turning to face Tifa awkwardly.

Zack groaned. “Come on, Spiky…you’re engaged to the girl! Just grab her, kiss her and get busy with the make-up sex!”

Aerith leaned closer to peer over his shoulder at the stream below and she flipped her long, honey-colored braid over her shoulder before peering at Zack. “You know, this is practically peeping.”

Zack snorted. “The Lifestream won’t let it come to that. It cuts off the broadcast when it gets too personal, remember?” He reached down and splashed the sparkling, luminescent water irritably. “Dude, what are you waiting for? Kiss her!”

Aerith giggled behind her hand and shook her head. “It’s life, not television. Come on, Zack…they’ll be fine.”

The dark-haired fighter waved dismissively at the stream and made a disgusted sound in his throat. “Meh, you’re right. I shouldn’t be watching this so much.” His agitation was obvious. He turned his back to the stream and gave her a forced smile. “So, what do you want to talk about?”

~*********************************~

“Cloud, are you going to sleep in your office?” Tifa stood at the open door to the bedroom she used to share with him, before he’d estranged himself from all of them in his efforts to find a cure for Denzel.

Cloud stopped, his eyes settling blankly on the single bed in his little office. He hadn’t even thought about it…he was operating on instincts and those instincts told him he was better off not trying to intrude on Tifa until things calmed down and he could try to mend what he’d torn apart.

Tifa leaned against the doorframe of their bedroom and smiled, trying not to look as uncertain as she felt. “Well? I thought we were ready to move on.”

Cloud turned to look at her, his Mako-bright eyes sweeping her form covertly. “Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

Tifa’s smile increased in warmth. Bless Cloud and his bashful nature—he could be so dense! She gave him a nod and turned slowly, keeping her dark gaze on him in an inviting way for a moment before putting her back to him and walking into the bedroom. She heard the slow, hesitant clump of his boots on the wooden floor as he followed like a nervous puppy. Knowing the way Cloud was, she decided it was best to wait until she had him where she wanted him. She approached the dresser and made a show of opening one of the drawers to select pajamas while he closed the door behind him. She could see him there out the corner of her eye, standing silently by the door and watching her with awkward desire.

“Cloud, do you want track pants or boxers?” Tifa kept her eyes on the contents of the drawer while watching him covertly from her peripheral vision.

He gave himself a mental nudge and forced his legs into motion. Stepping up beside her, he looked into the drawer and tried to concentrate. It was difficult for him, being so close to her warmth and scent. Months had passed since they were last intimate and he silently cursed his body for being so impatient and greedy as his groin pulled taut in his pants.

“Tracks are fine,” Cloud murmured.

Tifa liberated a pair of the requested clothing article from the drawer and set it on top of the dresser for him. With that done, she selected a long t-shirt for herself and put it next to Cloud’s pajamas before shutting the drawer. She faced him as she unzipped her sleeveless leather vest with deliberate slowness. Predictably, his eyes followed the motion of her hand and she hid a smile as she noticed his Adam’s apple shift with his unconscious swallow.

“Aren’t you going to start changing?” Tifa asked softly as she finished unzipping her vest and shrugged out of it.

She tossed the clothing article into the laundry bin next to the dresser and she took note of the way Cloud’s eyes fastened on her breasts, concealed beneath the gray halter-top and supportive bra. She bent over and untied her shoes, pulling them off with her socks and kicking them aside. Cloud likewise removed his boots and she could sense his budding excitement, tempered by his ridiculous guilt.

Tifa straightened up and scanned her lover with her eyes, admiring the play of muscles in his chest as he removed his pauldrons and took his sweater off. She loved Cloud’s body, despite his shyness concerning old scars. She took a deep breath and closed the distance between them as he tossed his garments in the laundry basket. Those incredibly blue eyes met hers with confusion and doubt as she put her arms around him and captured his mouth with hers.

“Tifa,” Cloud murmured between kisses, “I’m sorry.”

“We’ve already figured that out,” she insisted, pressing herself against his hard body with needy appreciation, “Stop it now. I need you.”

He trembled in her arms and his tongue pressed against her lips, silently requesting access. She parted them obligingly and her body tingled with desire as the moist, warm protrusion entered her mouth and explored hesitantly. She felt him harden against her thigh and she rubbed against him with a greedy lack of restraint. Cloud’s muffled groan of pleasure and desire hummed in her mouth and Tifa carefully guided him towards the bed.

Cloud tried to control his lust, angry with himself for putting his relationship with Tifa in such a precarious position in the first place. It was difficult to keep his head together though, with her soft curves pushing so invitingly against him. He ran his hands over her back, tracing the sway of her spine before caressing the firm, round globes of her ass. Despite the obvious perk of her generous breasts, her backside enchanted him. He gasped into her mouth as she cupped his straining arousal and fondled it through his pants.

“Get them off,” Tifa insisted breathlessly.

Cloud reached down and helped her undo the button and zipper of his pants, groaning softly as the garment pooled around his ankles and she stroked his erection through his undies. “Tifa,” he gasped, nuzzling her soft hair imploringly. She smelled fantastic to him—a mixture of lavender and Myrrh, impossible to resist.

“Too long,” she replied breathlessly, falling backwards onto the bed and dragging him with her. “It’s been too long!”

Cloud trembled with desire as her hand stroked the length of his arousal through his underwear. He instinctively rubbed against the caress while his busy hands sought to remove the barrier of her clothing. Soon, he had her top off and her shorts forgotten on the floor as he urged her to the bed and struggled with his own clothing. Tifa’s hands worked with practiced urgency, un-fastening bits of clothing here and there until Cloud was nude and stretched out on top of her.

Cloud resisted the urge to fondle her beautiful, ample breasts and instead reached down between her legs. Tifa shifted beneath him with a soft moan of encouragement as he searched with his fingers to locate the little nub of her arousal.

“I’ll make it all better,” he promised in a breathless whisper as he gently rubbed her clit. Tifa thrust helplessly into his fondling fingers, tossing her head back with pleasure.

“I missed you,” Tifa panted as she reached down and curled her fingers around Cloud’s exposed erection. “Cloud, I want you inside of me.”

Cloud tried to contain his moan as she stroked him and he trailed his kisses down, leaving Tifa’s gasping lips to seek out other areas. He continued with his gentle ministrations to her clit as he kissed and nibbled her skin, working down to the voluptuous mounds of her breasts. He wished he had more hands. He couldn’t fondle her breasts and her clit at the same time without losing his balance. He did his best to make up for it by taking one of her pink nipples between his lips and sucking gently on it, swirling his tongue around the hardened bud.

Tifa arched her back and pressed into the touch, encouraging the pull of his lips with eager lust. She gasped his name and pulled greedily at his hardened cock, lubricating quickly under his attentive actions. His mouth covered hers again with a hot, desirous kiss and she sucked on his tongue and urged him to finalize things.

“Now,” she pleaded desperately as she stroked the hard, warm length of his arousal. “Cloud, I need it now.”

Cloud didn’t waste further time. He positioned himself between her spread thighs and pushed forward, muffling her panting exclamation with a kiss. He gasped softly at the intense pleasure of being sheathed inside of her once more and he allowed himself the luxury of her full breasts. Cloud fondled them gently and stimulated the pebbled nipples with tender care, circling the buds with his tongue one at a time before suckling them.

He began to move carefully, sliding forward and back within her moist, gripping heat. He paused in his attentions to her breasts to kiss her when she moaned his name and he traced her lips with his tongue as he continued to pump his hips.

“I...missed this,” gasped Cloud against Tifa’s parted, gasping lips. It felt so amazing; he wondered how he’d managed to go this long without her.

Tifa gazed back at him with heavy-lidded, dark eyes and a sensual little smile. “Took you long enough to realize it.”

Cloud found himself smiling back and he increased his rhythm, taking her with more urgency as his body demanded. Her eyes fluttered shut and she moaned his name. He kissed her, gasping against her lips as the pleasure grew stronger.

“Tifa…oh…are you close?” Cloud was getting dangerously close to coming but he didn’t want to do it until Tifa had her release.

“Very,” she admitted with a moan.

He did the only thing he could think of: he propped himself on one elbow and reached down. He fingered her clit with patient care, thrumming it while he pumped steadily in and out of her gripping heat. He knew he had it right when she cried his name and began clenching around his thrusting length. Cloud resumed his fondling and kept his thrusts steady as Tifa shivered and moaned. When her orgasm finished, he stopped fondling her and balanced himself on both elbows as he gazed into her eyes.

“Forgive me?” Cloud panted softly, rocking against the barmaid with steady, insistent thrusts.

“Have to,” Tifa admitted as she panted for breath. “I love you, Cloud.”

That seemed to be the arbitrator of Cloud’s demise. He groaned Tifa’s name desperately and began pumping his hips with passionate enthusiasm. She clung to him and ran her hands down his back, caressing his flexing bottom while panting encouragement to him. He paused for a moment and reared back, holding her eyes in a burning blue gaze as he pushed hard and deep inside of her and filled her with his seed.

Tifa wrapped her arms around him as he collapsed on top of her, gasping helplessly. She stroked his sweat-dampened, spiky hair and enjoyed the feel of him pillowing his head on her ample breasts.

“No more apologies,” Tifa whispered as she stroked his back. His silent nod and sigh of contentment made her smile with triumph.

~****************************************~

Some time later in the night, Cloud lay on his back with Tifa nestled against his chest. He could swear he heard someone talking to him, though the voice was so faint it was difficult to make out.

“Do it, man!”

He frowned, wondering what the familiar voice was shouting about. “Zack?”

Tifa stirred in his arms and mumbled, woken by the sound. “Hmm?”

Cloud looked down at her and rubbed the smooth skin of her back. “Sorry,” he mumbled, “didn’t mean to wake you up.”

She nuzzled his neck and sighed, rubbing her thigh over his. “What are you thinking about?”

“Life,” he admitted softly. He caressed her shoulder softly and stared up at the ceiling. “So Tifa, when do you want to set the date?”

It took her a moment to catch his meaning. “The date?” She repeated in a whisper. “You mean, for the wedding?”

Cloud nodded and brushed his lips over her forehead. “I think it’s past time for us to decide on a date.”

A thrill went through her and she stroked his chest lovingly with the palm of her hand. “How about sometime in the spring? In Kalm, maybe? I’d like an outdoor wedding.”

Cloud thought about it and nodded in agreement. Weddings were as much about pleasing the bride as getting married, after all.

~*********************************~

“Finally.” Zack collapsed on the grass as if exhausted by the whole affair. In truth, he’d expended a lot of energy willing his friend to pop that question. He was certain Cloud heard his frustrated explanation and he liked to think he was at least partly responsible for the blonde’s decision to settle on a date.

“You’ll wear yourself out, pulling stunts like that.”

Zack threw a chuckle Aerith’s way and he got to his feet, staggering a little despite his efforts to stay cool. She approached him and put an arm around his waist supportively, looking up at him with concern.

“I’m all right, sweet stuff,” Zack assured her breathlessly. He pressed his forehead against hers and sighed as he rubbed her slender back. Damn, he missed the thrill of desire. There was a time when he would have thought that not being at the mercy of his hormones would be ideal but now, he missed every accidental hard on and pervy thought that would have come to him at a time like this.

~I’m really regretting being a gentleman with her. I should have gone for it when I had the chance.~

Thinking of everything he’d missed out on only made him depressed. The only solution for when he felt like this was to sink into the Lifestream and sleep for a while. Zack pulled away from Aerith and forced a smile.

“You know what? I think I’m going to get some shut-eye,” he said.

She nodded, her emerald gaze soft and un-fooled. “Okay, Zack. Feel better soon.”

He stepped away from her, walking backwards toward the stream as he pointed at her. “If you need me for anything, you know where to find me.” He winked before turning around and hopping into the water. The Lifestream sensed his desire and it rose up and cocooned him, drawing his spirit into it. Zack closed his eyes and relaxed, falling into dreams of life and loss.

Aerith watched him go and she sighed heavily when she was alone again. She sank to her knees on the embankment and watched the Lifestream absently. If only there was some way she could give Zack what she knew he wanted. If only…but wait…who said there wasn’t a way? If Sephiroth could get back, why couldn’t other people? Aerith’s eyes followed the glistening stream of water and she gazed far, far down to where the steam forked into the hills. She could see the black corruption still lingering there, where Sephiroth’s spirit refused to be absorbed. There was no telling when or if it would ever go away. He was still so full of hate and anger, he might stay there for a thousand years longer.

Aerith began to think hard about possibilities. She felt guilty even as she searched her mind for a way to cheat death. As an Ancient, she had the power to do it if it could be done at all. If only for Zack’s sake, she stubbornly examined all possible loopholes, even the most unlikely ones.

~************************************~

Cloud and Tifa’s wedding had to be postponed, unfortunately. Just as the special day was approaching, the Deepground uprising occurred and thousands of people were kidnapped and sacrificed to Omega. The team that had stopped Meteor assembled and joined Vincent and Reeve in the fight to save not only the Planet, but the spirit world as well. Omega would have wiped out all life and taken the souls of the deceased as well, if it wasn’t stopped.

Zack and Aerith watched the events as they unfolded, both of them wishing they could help in the fight but unable to do anything. It was maddening to Zack, knowing that his very existence was threatened but unable to join the battle himself. As he and Aerith watched their friends fight, he noticed some activity occurring in Sephiroth’s corrupted little corner of the Lifestream. Zack narrowed his eyes and stared as the silver-haired warrior stirred within his pod of blackness. Sephiroth’s serpentine eyes met his briefly and they flashed with…eagerness?

“I think someone’s rooting on Omega,” Zack muttered, nudging Aerith.

She looked up and followed his gaze. She sighed sadly when she saw the eager expression on that beautiful, cold face within the inky darkness. “He’d rather not exist at all than join us,” she murmured. Her pity for him increased.

Zack put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. “He’s had every chance in the world to let go and be at peace,” he reminded her, “but the stubborn butt-head won’t do it. Don’t feel too sorry for him. He’s where he’s at now because he wants to be.”

She heaved another sigh and nodded with reluctant agreement. It was useless to upset herself over Sephiroth’s fate. It wouldn’t do him any good and it would only make her waste energy. She looked into the Lifestream again and leaned against Zack’s tall form, comforted by his presence. If everything were going to end, she couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather be with when it happened. He put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck, his amethyst eyes narrowed and fixed on the images in the water.

“Fight good, guys,” Zack murmured. “We’re counting on you.”

~**************************************~

Cloud and the others destroyed the reactors linking Omega to the Lifestream, weakening it enough to give Chaos the opportunity he needed to attack. He was victorious but everyone thought that he and Vincent sacrificed themselves to take the being out. The resulting explosion of the battle convinced Cloud and the others that their comrade was a goner. Much to their relief, they discovered a week later that Vincent survived the battle and spent his time recovering in Lucrecia’s cave.

Now that the threat had ended, Cloud didn’t want to waste any time. Given that every time he and Tifa tried to tie the knot, some dire threat arose, he thought it best not to wait. After discovering that Vincent was alive, he made his decision and booked a couple of rooms at the Kalm Inn. He told Tifa and the kids to pack their bags and when they stared blankly at him, he explained.

“We’ve got a wedding to organize.” He looked at them each in turn. His posture was stiff and determined. “Tifa, I know you wanted a spring wedding but there’s no telling what else might happen if we wait. Is it okay?”

Tifa nodded speechlessly, her mouth slack with surprise. She wasn’t sure why but part of her suspected that Cloud was relieved to have their plans interrupted by another emergency. His urgency to get the ceremony underway before it could be interrupted proved to her that she was completely wrong about his “cold feet”.

Cloud was satisfied with her response and he began dialing friends and making arrangements while his fiancé and the kids packed their bags.

~*******************************~

Aerith was grinning from ear to ear as she watched her two friends say their vows in the center of Kalm. The town had recovered nicely from the tragedy of the Deepground attack and those who had escaped returned to rebuild their hometown. Marlene was the flower girl and Denzel was the ring bearer. Yuffie was Tifa’s Maid of Honor and Barret was Cloud’s Best Man. Marlene was just a bit too enthusiastic with the flower petals and poor Cloud had several of them in his fluffy golden hair.

Beside the Cetra, Zack watched the scene as well and he put an arm around her. He grinned with equal pride and happiness as he watched his best friend place the silver band on Tifa’s finger. With typical Cloud-like awkwardness, the blonde stumbled over his vows a little and blushed self-consciously. He made it through them and Zack could tell he was relieved to be done with it when he kissed his bride.

“Way to go, kid,” Zack approved, squeezing Aerith lightly. “Knew you could make it through.”

“I wonder when we’ll see Tifa start growing a baby bump,” Aerith pondered with a smile.

“Wouldn’t surprise me if that happens right after the honeymoon,” Zack remarked. “Spike gets things done fast when he sets his mind to it.” He leered at the lovely Ancient and waggled his brows. “I know I’d get started right away, if it were me.”

Aerith slapped him playfully on the bicep. “You wouldn’t need baby-making as an excuse, you perv.”

“That’s true,” Zack agreed with a smirk. “But it might overpower the ‘headaches’ my bride might suddenly get when I wear her out.”

“I wouldn’t lie about headaches,” Aerith shrugged. “I’d just tell you flat out I’m not in the mood.”

“Ouch,” Zack winced. “You’re a brutal lady.”

Aerith chuckled, looking at him sidelong. Honestly if they were alive and together that way, she couldn’t imagine herself unwilling unless she was sincerely ill. Any straight girl would have to be crazy to turn down a hunk like him. It made her wonder how many little “conquests” Zack had enjoyed in life before his tragic demise.

“Zack, how many women have you had?”

He smiled crookedly at her. “You make the ladies sound like candy or something.”

“I’m serious!” Aerith insisted. “I really want to know.”

He chuckled. “Why?”

She put her hands on her hips and glared up at him. “Because, that’s why!”

He reached out and cupped her chin. “Jealous, much?”

“No,” she snorted. “I’m just curious. If you must know, I can’t imagine a guy like you having trouble getting what he wants.” She lowered her eyes and bit her lip, again thankful that she wasn’t capable of blushing.

Zack released her chin and crossed his arms over his toned chest. “What will you give me if I tell you?” He purred the question seductively, his eyes holding hers steadily.

“Obviously not what you’re thinking,” she muttered. “We’re dead, remember?”

He shrugged. “So? I can still appreciate the sight of a woman’s body, even if I can’t do anything about it.”

Her jaw dropped. “You want me to strip for you?”

He burst into laughter and put an arm around her. “Relax, I was kidding. I may act like a sleaze but I respect you.” He planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “Always have.”

She smiled faintly. Yes, she knew he respected her. He’d never laid an ungentlemanly hand on her, even when his flirting reached inappropriate levels. “So, how many?”

Zack sighed. “Trying to figure out how much of a man-whore I was?” He guessed.

“Maybe,” she shrugged. “I just never got the opportunity to do…uh…”

“Me?” Finished Zack with a broad grin.

She slapped his chest. “Anyone,” she corrected. “You never even kissed me. I guess I’m curious to find out how much you experienced that I didn’t.”

Zack sobered and his eyes softened with regret. “I’m never going to forgive myself for holding back with you. Okay sweet stuff…how about you give me a number and I’ll tell you how close it is to being right?”

“Fine,” she grumbled. “Two?”

“More than that. Zack, remember?”

She rolled her eyes. “Twenty?”

“Whoa,” he exclaimed, “less than that! I’m Zack, not the Midgar sperm factory!”

Aerith giggled softly and shrugged. “Sometimes I wonder. Okay…how about ten?”

“Less than that.” He smiled at her.

She was a little surprised to find that he’d been with less than ten women intimately, but perhaps she was being unfair. Scoundrel that he pretended to be, Zack had more honor than most guys. “Five, then?”

Zack pointed down silently.

“Four?” Aerith guessed, hardly believing it.

“Yup,” Zack confirmed with a nod. “I guess I could have had more but I only took four opportunities. Feel better?”

“Not really,” Aerith sighed. “You actually know what you’re missing. It must be hard on you.”

Zack frowned at her. Sometimes he just didn’t get Aerith Gainsborough’s reasoning. “Well, there’s nothing we can do about that,” he said lightly. “There’s a lot of stuff I don’t miss about living…like bug bites, nausea, my old drill sergeant, lima beans. On the bright side, I don’t have to put up with any of that stuff here.”

Aerith smiled. “But you’d put up with all of that if it meant you could do all of the other stuff you miss, right?”

“Sure I would,” he agreed, “but it doesn’t matter ‘cause it’s not going to happen.”

“Don’t be so sure of that,” Aerith said in a distracted tone. She began to concentrate, working her powerful will into the Lifestream.

Zack stared as tendrils of water spiraled up from the stream to twist around her outstretched hand. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“I’m making my decision,” answered the Cetra with a sidelong, sober glance at him. “I’m sending us back.”

Zack ogled her. “Y-you can do that?”

Aerith nodded and continued to weave the Lifestream. “I wasn’t sure until yesterday,” she answered, “but I am now. Um, it’s probably going to hurt.” She glanced at him again. “I’ve got to transmogrify our spiritual bodies into flesh.”

“Pain doesn’t scare me,” Zack answered, “but are you sure this is going to work? I mean, we’re not going to end up as human soup, are we?”

“It will work,” Aerith assured him. “I’m breaking all the rules but I promise, we’ll make it.” She reached out with her other hand and took hold of Zack’s firmly. “Hold on tight,” she warned, “I don’t want us to end up in separate places.”

Further down the stream, Sephiroth stirred within his dark, protective bubble. He saw what the Ancient was doing and he snarled, well aware that she could succeed. As the pure waters of the Lifestream rose up and spun around Aerith and Zack, Sephiroth gathered his energy. He knew he couldn’t stop them from achieving their goal but he would be damned if he allowed them to escape without a parting gift from him. As the water swirled around the two of them and began to carry them away through the gateway, Sephiroth lashed out with his black essence and struck Zack.

Aerith shouted her companion’s name as she lost her hold on him and the last thing she saw before leaving the afterlife was Zack tumbling away from her.

~*************************************~

-To be continued