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Well, I wrote more of Another Chance. It was meant to be a sequel, ended up looking like a second chapter, so I went with it.
FFVII Fic
Advent Children Alternate Ending
Another Chance
Part One can be found here.
Cloud took a single step back from the edge, turning to make his way down, when he decided that he didn’t really want to wait that long. Instead he turned his eyes downward. It took only a moment of study, and he casually jumped towards the only empty spot on the floor. Considering the kind of leaps he was used to, this one was nothing. He barely had to flex his knees at all to take the shock.
The candles around him flickered out, the breeze from his landing too much for the flames. Cloud almost smiled as he heard a few squeaks at his sudden appearance, but his attention was taken up by something else entirely. The room fell almost completely silent as he moved toward the pool of water. There were whispers, of course. People wondering what miracle he was going to perform next.
Oh, there was going to be some interesting results from this.
He didn’t care, though. Cloud had lived too long without the people he cared most for to let anything put him off track.
People scattered from his path, and the Zack part of his mind grinned and whispered that he must look like some avenging angel, all blond and brooding. The rest of his brain told the Zack part to bite it, and they were going to get to deal with the real Zack soon.
The mere thought made Cloud smile.
Time seemed to twist around him. He could see the others moving, his friends, eyes curious to what he was doing. And it seemed to take forever to get to the pool, even though it was only a few long steps away.
Then, like no time had passed at all, he was there.
Staring at the water, which shimmer brightly in the light from candles and lanterns, Cloud could swear he saw the others looking up at him, just waiting for him. All it would take was one step.
Around him, the whispering grew louder. He thought he could hear people saying something about fire, about light. As he stared into the water, he saw what they were talking about. Translucent flames were running along his skin. All colors, greens and violets and blues, they danced along his body, though he could only see them in the reflection of the water. Obviously, he was the only one with that problem since the whispers were what drew his attention to it.
Resisting the urge to shake himself, Cloud knew he would deal with it later. He had a mission.
Stepping forward, Cloud entered the water.
It was cold, enough to make his jaw clench. That little fact didn’t stop him, though, and neither did the fact that the water around him took on an iridescent shimmer, brighter than what the surrounding lights made it. The glow spread, driving out the few people who had been in the water. As he made his way further towards the center, he heard the people go silent. Their eyes were heavy on him, waiting to see what he would do next.
The only sounds were the sounds of breathing and of Cloud moving through the water. Until a voice, soft and full of question spoke up.
”Cloud?”
The blond paused, then turned and looked at his friends, eyes mostly on Tifa, who had called his name, worry clear in her voice. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “I know what I’m doing.”
She jerked, and the others stiffened, eyes wide, and Cloud didn’t even know why until he reached the center of the pool and looked down. The shimmer of the water was bright, but he was still able to see his reflection in it. And in that reflection he saw a smile he hadn’t seen in years. Since Aeris had died, or Zack, or even Sephiroth for the first time.
Hope had been reborn in Cloud, and it showed in his smile.
“This had better work, or all these fancy lights were for nothing,” Cloud spoke softly to himself, amused to hear a Zack comment coming from his mouth. He was sure he was going to be teased for that later.
Nervous and frightened, he was almost too scared to do it. What if it didn’t work? He knew there was no way he could live through his hope being torn away again.
“Just reach down and pull us out.”
That was what Aeris had said. Cloud took her at her word.
His hands reached, and he felt nothing. For a moment, the space of a single heartbeat, Cloud was sure he had been tricked.
Then a hand wrapped around his.
Pulling up, Cloud gasped as water dripped off of brown bangs, and Aeris looked up at him. Water streaming off of her, she flung herself into Cloud’s arms.
Holding her tight against his body, Cloud spun around in the best circle he could in the waist deep water. He was laughing, and so was she, and it had been so long since they had laughed while in each others arms that it almost hurt to think about. Not any more, though. Now they had so much time to look forward to, so much time to fill with this that nothing could take it from him.
After he spun her once, Cloud sat his lover down. “Two more,” he said softly, for her ears only.
A soft laugh, and a quick kiss. “Two more. Better hurry before they get upset and think we don’t love them anymore.”
Another quick squeeze, and Cloud let his arms drop from around her waist. She took a single step back, her smile in place as she nodded. “Bring them home, Cloud.”
He reached again, doubt gone from his heart, and it seemed like no time had passed when another hand grabbed his. This one was larger and broader than Aeris’s had been. The black hair that broke the surface was no surprise to Cloud as Zack stood up before him.
“Cloud, I’m disappointed in you,” Zack mock frowned at him, and the blond was ready for anything. Just about, anyway. He definitely wasn’t expecting what happened next. “When you haven’t seen someone in so long, you greet them like this.”
The water wasn’t as cold as before, though Cloud still didn’t appreciate having the back of his head in it. Well, he wouldn’t have appreciated it if he had notice it. But with Zack dipping him and kissing him hard, Cloud didn’t notice much else. All he knew was the lips against his and the hand he had tangled in Zack’s hair, and the firm hands supporting him against his lover’s body.
When Zack finally let him up, Cloud goggled for a minute, breathless and trying to convince himself that no, they didn’t need to finish this right now. He still had one more person to get out before he could finish that.
Feeling the flush from the kiss still burning his cheeks, Cloud looked at Aeris and Zack. All three of them nodded, and as Cloud reached down one last time, Aeris and Zack took up positions on either side of him, eyes on the crowd.
As Cloud drew the last of their group out, he could hear the gasps and muffled cries as soon as that distinct silver hair appeared on the surface. Thankfully, everyone seemed too shocked to do anything for a moment, because Cloud had no idea what would happen if he was interrupted halfway through pulling Seph out, and he didn’t want to know.
Sephiroth stood proud, still taller than the rest of them, not that Cloud had expected different. Instead, he reached up and dragged the last of their group down into a kiss. It was different than the one he and Zack had shared. It was soft, barely a brushing of lips. Pulling back, Cloud smiled up at him. “Welcome back again, Sephiroth.”
///
When Cloud had leapt from above, Tifa had been startled. That was something completely out of character with the Cloud she had known. He tended to avoid attention, not draw it to him in flashy stunts like that. Not that leaping from the second story was anything big for them, but for most people, it drew attention.
Her curiosity perked up when Cloud started towards to the pool. She had been here earlier when he had been brought by the Lifestream, and it wouldn’t surprise her if he had gotten some kind of message. She hadn’t been expecting the fire that curled around him, and had spread across the water once he had stepped in. Or the heartbreaking sweet smile when he had looked back at her. She had never seen Cloud smile like that, and it took her breath away to see it now.
Then her curiosity turned to awe as he pulled out Aeris. While there might had been some tension between the girls, they had been friends as well, and Tifa had been just as hurt by Aeris’s death as Cloud. When Cloud set the brunette down, Tifa had almost come forward, almost jumped into the pond herself to hug her resurrected friend. Then Cloud reached down again.
This time it was the SOLDIER who had come to Nibelheim with Sephiroth and Cloud. Zack, the man Cloud had pretended to be for so long, who had rescued Cloud from Hojo’s lab.
That kiss hurt. After that enthusiastic hug with Aeris, Tifa suspected that there were feelings between those two. She had given up on Cloud as a romantic partner, but she still took the part of surrogate sister, and was content with that. Or, as her feelings when Zack had kissed Cloud said, maybe she wasn’t so content after all. But.... She had never expected that of Cloud. Aeris, she could see. Zack, well, maybe she should have expected Zack, after the way she had heard Cloud talk of him.
She had assumed that was all. The two people that Cloud had missed most in his life, the ones that it had hurt the most to lose, had come back to them. And, really, it was only fair. Both had died unfairly, protecting Cloud, and he had helped save the planet. Surely he was owed a little happiness.
Her thoughts had been full of confusion when Cloud had reached down a third time. Who else was there for him to pull up, she wondered? He had never really spoken of a third person who had made that much of an impact on his life.
When that silver head broke the surface, Tifa had felt her insides go cold. It.... It couldn’t be. Cloud wouldn’t bring him back. Not after the battle earlier today, or the one two years ago, or the one five years before that.
But it was Sephiroth, who stood there, proud and defiant, eyes glinting evilly as they reflected the light of the water. Tifa clenched her hands, ready to fight. Until Cloud reached up and pulled their enemy down into a kiss. A kiss Sephiroth was more than willing to come down for.
That was just too much. Aeris, she could see. Zack as well. Hell, she was even willing to see the three of them together. But not Sephiroth. Not the man who had burned down their homes, and kill her dad and his mom. The man who had almost destroyed the world.
She had to separate them. After that, after Sephiroth was down, they could talk. Cloud could explain everything then.
Tifa darted forward, hands already raising.
She was fast. That was one of her strengths. She was fast and she was strong.
She just wasn’t faster than Zack.
Even as she jumped to the side of the pool and leaped again, hoping to catch Sephiroth from the side, the fighter saw Zack move. Barely saw him more. It was more of his wake in the water that she followed, but then she was caught, her fist wrapped in one of his own, and his free arm curling around her waist to pin her arm to her side, securing her against his body. Beyond him, Tifa could see Cloud and Aeris both flinging themselves between Sephiroth and the others, including Barret’s armgun.
Cat eyes looked Tifa’s way for a moment, and Sephiroth sighed. “I am perfectly capable of defending myself from even someone as capable as Ms. Lockheart here.”
Still holding Tifa, Zack shrugged. “You have gorgeous girls fling themselves at you all the time, Seph, you just don’t have a clue on what to do with them. Leave them to me, okay?”
“Excuse me,” Aeris said, “but I have perfectly lovely times with Sephiroth on our dates. Are you saying I’m not gorgeous?”
Zack pouted at Aeris. “You didn’t fling yourself at him, baby. You kicked him in the knees when he wasn’t looking and dragged him off to your church. Spike and I had to rescue the poor man.”
At this point, Sephiroth coughed lightly. “If any of you are ready, I think it’s time we left before any of those people who left come back with a mob.”
Zack slogged over to the edge of the water to set Tifa down on the floor. “If I let you go, you aren’t going to use me for a springboard to get to Seph, are you?”
Completely confused by everything, Tifa could only shake her head. Zack smiled at her, violet eyes burning brightly. “You’re a sweet kid,” he told her softly. “Things are different now. You should wait to talk to Cloud before you do anything. Really. He’s not a kid anymore, and he’s not stupid. Never was. You’ve trusted him before. Trust him now.”
With that, he let her go. Tifa stared numbly at the four as they carefully left the water, its light dimming and then vanishing as they did. Keeping a wary eye on the other people, Cloud lead the other three towards the door. He looked at Vincent as the man stepped forward.
“Do not vanish on us, Cloud. There is much I would like to talk about.”
That was it. He was the only one who said anything as the four people left the church. Tifa wasn’t sure if she was angry or if she was relieved.
Nobody had died. And, in all her experience with Sephiroth, it was a first.
“What just happened?” she asked the water and empty air.
Next Chapter
FFVII Fic
Advent Children Alternate Ending
Another Chance
Part One can be found here.
Cloud took a single step back from the edge, turning to make his way down, when he decided that he didn’t really want to wait that long. Instead he turned his eyes downward. It took only a moment of study, and he casually jumped towards the only empty spot on the floor. Considering the kind of leaps he was used to, this one was nothing. He barely had to flex his knees at all to take the shock.
The candles around him flickered out, the breeze from his landing too much for the flames. Cloud almost smiled as he heard a few squeaks at his sudden appearance, but his attention was taken up by something else entirely. The room fell almost completely silent as he moved toward the pool of water. There were whispers, of course. People wondering what miracle he was going to perform next.
Oh, there was going to be some interesting results from this.
He didn’t care, though. Cloud had lived too long without the people he cared most for to let anything put him off track.
People scattered from his path, and the Zack part of his mind grinned and whispered that he must look like some avenging angel, all blond and brooding. The rest of his brain told the Zack part to bite it, and they were going to get to deal with the real Zack soon.
The mere thought made Cloud smile.
Time seemed to twist around him. He could see the others moving, his friends, eyes curious to what he was doing. And it seemed to take forever to get to the pool, even though it was only a few long steps away.
Then, like no time had passed at all, he was there.
Staring at the water, which shimmer brightly in the light from candles and lanterns, Cloud could swear he saw the others looking up at him, just waiting for him. All it would take was one step.
Around him, the whispering grew louder. He thought he could hear people saying something about fire, about light. As he stared into the water, he saw what they were talking about. Translucent flames were running along his skin. All colors, greens and violets and blues, they danced along his body, though he could only see them in the reflection of the water. Obviously, he was the only one with that problem since the whispers were what drew his attention to it.
Resisting the urge to shake himself, Cloud knew he would deal with it later. He had a mission.
Stepping forward, Cloud entered the water.
It was cold, enough to make his jaw clench. That little fact didn’t stop him, though, and neither did the fact that the water around him took on an iridescent shimmer, brighter than what the surrounding lights made it. The glow spread, driving out the few people who had been in the water. As he made his way further towards the center, he heard the people go silent. Their eyes were heavy on him, waiting to see what he would do next.
The only sounds were the sounds of breathing and of Cloud moving through the water. Until a voice, soft and full of question spoke up.
”Cloud?”
The blond paused, then turned and looked at his friends, eyes mostly on Tifa, who had called his name, worry clear in her voice. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “I know what I’m doing.”
She jerked, and the others stiffened, eyes wide, and Cloud didn’t even know why until he reached the center of the pool and looked down. The shimmer of the water was bright, but he was still able to see his reflection in it. And in that reflection he saw a smile he hadn’t seen in years. Since Aeris had died, or Zack, or even Sephiroth for the first time.
Hope had been reborn in Cloud, and it showed in his smile.
“This had better work, or all these fancy lights were for nothing,” Cloud spoke softly to himself, amused to hear a Zack comment coming from his mouth. He was sure he was going to be teased for that later.
Nervous and frightened, he was almost too scared to do it. What if it didn’t work? He knew there was no way he could live through his hope being torn away again.
“Just reach down and pull us out.”
That was what Aeris had said. Cloud took her at her word.
His hands reached, and he felt nothing. For a moment, the space of a single heartbeat, Cloud was sure he had been tricked.
Then a hand wrapped around his.
Pulling up, Cloud gasped as water dripped off of brown bangs, and Aeris looked up at him. Water streaming off of her, she flung herself into Cloud’s arms.
Holding her tight against his body, Cloud spun around in the best circle he could in the waist deep water. He was laughing, and so was she, and it had been so long since they had laughed while in each others arms that it almost hurt to think about. Not any more, though. Now they had so much time to look forward to, so much time to fill with this that nothing could take it from him.
After he spun her once, Cloud sat his lover down. “Two more,” he said softly, for her ears only.
A soft laugh, and a quick kiss. “Two more. Better hurry before they get upset and think we don’t love them anymore.”
Another quick squeeze, and Cloud let his arms drop from around her waist. She took a single step back, her smile in place as she nodded. “Bring them home, Cloud.”
He reached again, doubt gone from his heart, and it seemed like no time had passed when another hand grabbed his. This one was larger and broader than Aeris’s had been. The black hair that broke the surface was no surprise to Cloud as Zack stood up before him.
“Cloud, I’m disappointed in you,” Zack mock frowned at him, and the blond was ready for anything. Just about, anyway. He definitely wasn’t expecting what happened next. “When you haven’t seen someone in so long, you greet them like this.”
The water wasn’t as cold as before, though Cloud still didn’t appreciate having the back of his head in it. Well, he wouldn’t have appreciated it if he had notice it. But with Zack dipping him and kissing him hard, Cloud didn’t notice much else. All he knew was the lips against his and the hand he had tangled in Zack’s hair, and the firm hands supporting him against his lover’s body.
When Zack finally let him up, Cloud goggled for a minute, breathless and trying to convince himself that no, they didn’t need to finish this right now. He still had one more person to get out before he could finish that.
Feeling the flush from the kiss still burning his cheeks, Cloud looked at Aeris and Zack. All three of them nodded, and as Cloud reached down one last time, Aeris and Zack took up positions on either side of him, eyes on the crowd.
As Cloud drew the last of their group out, he could hear the gasps and muffled cries as soon as that distinct silver hair appeared on the surface. Thankfully, everyone seemed too shocked to do anything for a moment, because Cloud had no idea what would happen if he was interrupted halfway through pulling Seph out, and he didn’t want to know.
Sephiroth stood proud, still taller than the rest of them, not that Cloud had expected different. Instead, he reached up and dragged the last of their group down into a kiss. It was different than the one he and Zack had shared. It was soft, barely a brushing of lips. Pulling back, Cloud smiled up at him. “Welcome back again, Sephiroth.”
When Cloud had leapt from above, Tifa had been startled. That was something completely out of character with the Cloud she had known. He tended to avoid attention, not draw it to him in flashy stunts like that. Not that leaping from the second story was anything big for them, but for most people, it drew attention.
Her curiosity perked up when Cloud started towards to the pool. She had been here earlier when he had been brought by the Lifestream, and it wouldn’t surprise her if he had gotten some kind of message. She hadn’t been expecting the fire that curled around him, and had spread across the water once he had stepped in. Or the heartbreaking sweet smile when he had looked back at her. She had never seen Cloud smile like that, and it took her breath away to see it now.
Then her curiosity turned to awe as he pulled out Aeris. While there might had been some tension between the girls, they had been friends as well, and Tifa had been just as hurt by Aeris’s death as Cloud. When Cloud set the brunette down, Tifa had almost come forward, almost jumped into the pond herself to hug her resurrected friend. Then Cloud reached down again.
This time it was the SOLDIER who had come to Nibelheim with Sephiroth and Cloud. Zack, the man Cloud had pretended to be for so long, who had rescued Cloud from Hojo’s lab.
That kiss hurt. After that enthusiastic hug with Aeris, Tifa suspected that there were feelings between those two. She had given up on Cloud as a romantic partner, but she still took the part of surrogate sister, and was content with that. Or, as her feelings when Zack had kissed Cloud said, maybe she wasn’t so content after all. But.... She had never expected that of Cloud. Aeris, she could see. Zack, well, maybe she should have expected Zack, after the way she had heard Cloud talk of him.
She had assumed that was all. The two people that Cloud had missed most in his life, the ones that it had hurt the most to lose, had come back to them. And, really, it was only fair. Both had died unfairly, protecting Cloud, and he had helped save the planet. Surely he was owed a little happiness.
Her thoughts had been full of confusion when Cloud had reached down a third time. Who else was there for him to pull up, she wondered? He had never really spoken of a third person who had made that much of an impact on his life.
When that silver head broke the surface, Tifa had felt her insides go cold. It.... It couldn’t be. Cloud wouldn’t bring him back. Not after the battle earlier today, or the one two years ago, or the one five years before that.
But it was Sephiroth, who stood there, proud and defiant, eyes glinting evilly as they reflected the light of the water. Tifa clenched her hands, ready to fight. Until Cloud reached up and pulled their enemy down into a kiss. A kiss Sephiroth was more than willing to come down for.
That was just too much. Aeris, she could see. Zack as well. Hell, she was even willing to see the three of them together. But not Sephiroth. Not the man who had burned down their homes, and kill her dad and his mom. The man who had almost destroyed the world.
She had to separate them. After that, after Sephiroth was down, they could talk. Cloud could explain everything then.
Tifa darted forward, hands already raising.
She was fast. That was one of her strengths. She was fast and she was strong.
She just wasn’t faster than Zack.
Even as she jumped to the side of the pool and leaped again, hoping to catch Sephiroth from the side, the fighter saw Zack move. Barely saw him more. It was more of his wake in the water that she followed, but then she was caught, her fist wrapped in one of his own, and his free arm curling around her waist to pin her arm to her side, securing her against his body. Beyond him, Tifa could see Cloud and Aeris both flinging themselves between Sephiroth and the others, including Barret’s armgun.
Cat eyes looked Tifa’s way for a moment, and Sephiroth sighed. “I am perfectly capable of defending myself from even someone as capable as Ms. Lockheart here.”
Still holding Tifa, Zack shrugged. “You have gorgeous girls fling themselves at you all the time, Seph, you just don’t have a clue on what to do with them. Leave them to me, okay?”
“Excuse me,” Aeris said, “but I have perfectly lovely times with Sephiroth on our dates. Are you saying I’m not gorgeous?”
Zack pouted at Aeris. “You didn’t fling yourself at him, baby. You kicked him in the knees when he wasn’t looking and dragged him off to your church. Spike and I had to rescue the poor man.”
At this point, Sephiroth coughed lightly. “If any of you are ready, I think it’s time we left before any of those people who left come back with a mob.”
Zack slogged over to the edge of the water to set Tifa down on the floor. “If I let you go, you aren’t going to use me for a springboard to get to Seph, are you?”
Completely confused by everything, Tifa could only shake her head. Zack smiled at her, violet eyes burning brightly. “You’re a sweet kid,” he told her softly. “Things are different now. You should wait to talk to Cloud before you do anything. Really. He’s not a kid anymore, and he’s not stupid. Never was. You’ve trusted him before. Trust him now.”
With that, he let her go. Tifa stared numbly at the four as they carefully left the water, its light dimming and then vanishing as they did. Keeping a wary eye on the other people, Cloud lead the other three towards the door. He looked at Vincent as the man stepped forward.
“Do not vanish on us, Cloud. There is much I would like to talk about.”
That was it. He was the only one who said anything as the four people left the church. Tifa wasn’t sure if she was angry or if she was relieved.
Nobody had died. And, in all her experience with Sephiroth, it was a first.
“What just happened?” she asked the water and empty air.
Next Chapter