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Title: Circles
Fandom: FFVII
Wordcount:986
It had been a long set of years, Cloud thought as he sat on the cliff that looked out over the remains of Midgar. It had always been a special spot for him, even if the years had worn away anything that might have reminded him of Zack. Even the shape of the stone had changed, but enough of it remained to give him a high ground view of the city that had one ruled the world.
Not that it had really been lived in since Meteor had been called so long ago. He remembered the slow move from the city to the new town called Edge. How people had slowly moved away from that, even, scattering themselves across the surface of the Planet. Major cities had never really been something that happened, Midgar being the major exception, but towns were even smaller now. During his runs delivering things, Cloud wasn't surprised to find tiny little groupings of people, usually less than a hundred or so, in a little village of sorts.
Usually they cropped up around each other. Four or five of these villages within a day's walk of each other. Not any closer than that, but enough so that they could share a doctor or a materia shop. Without Shin-Ra to keep everyone tightly dependent on one company, people scattered. Even the WRO couldn't really replicate that level of interaction that Shin-Ra had forced upon people.
But as years passed, Cloud had noticed something. More and more of those little villages had begun to vanish. Not merging with others, just fading away. Oh, sometimes, the younger kids would move to a place like Edge or to a slightly larger village, but people just weren't having kids as often anymore. Cloud had been an only child, as had Tifa. Actually, most of the people he knew were only children. Zack had been one, so had Aeris.
He wondered if Nibelheim would have died out, if left along long enough. After all, most of the boys in town had left to joined Shin-Ra. Cloud hadn't been the only one with the dream, just one of the youngest to leave.
But the population was dropping. Once, when he was visiting with Nanaki, both of them sitting beside the fire, watching his great-grandcubs tumbling over each other, getting used to wobbly legs as they chewed on each others ears, Cloud had wondered about that out loud. Nanaki, going more gray every time that Cloud saw him, had nodded.
"You aren't the only one who has noticed. A lot of people have been stopping by, visiting, some of them staying because nobody is left back home. It's not a disease. People are tired."
Tired.
Cloud knew all about being tired. He was tired all the time. Had slowly outlived everyone he had known. Vincent had kept up for a while, and Nanaki was the oldest friend he had, both of them far older than the people that lived in Cosmo Canyon now. Though it wasn't called that anymore, was it? Cloud couldn't remember the new name. People had called it something different after Nanaki had finally passed away. He was sure it was something to honor his friend, but it would always be Cosmo Canyon to him.
Too many years had passed, and Cloud was wondering if things were ever going to change.
Then Aeris had spoke to him.
He hadn't heard her voice in a long time. She had lingered a while, longer than Zack. The man who had died to keep Cloud alive had slowly faded over the years. He had been only human, and nobody who was human could resist the pull of the Lifestream forever. Aeris said he wasn't gone, but he slept. It was a way from him to hold himself together, and she hadn't said anymore on the subject. And, slowly, she herself had started to be quiet for longer and longer spans of time, until he woke up one day and realized he hadn't heard her in years.
For a long time, Cloud had cursed everything.
But she had finally spoken to him again, and something tight in his chest had loosened up some. Especially when he heard her message.
It was a goodbye.
Zack was gone, and Aeris was leaving as well.
Sitting on the cliff, Cloud pondered her words, what she had told him as she had said her goodbyes. One last request from her, one last wish she wanted him to fill for her. It was from the Planet itself, and he couldn't find it in his heart to say no to her.
Sitting on the rocks, Cloud waited, watching the bustle of the town that had replaced the town that had replaced the town that replaced Edge. Nobody down there would even know the name Edge anymore. Let along Midgar. They knew that there had been a great city there once, the skeleton of it still reached for the sky. But none of them knew the story behind it.
Though he knew that Mako had one again been discovered.
"It's been a long time, Cloud."
He didn't moved, just sat there, not even looking back. "It has. You ready for this?"
"Will you be joining me?"
Cloud pondered it for a long, long moment. Then he nodded. "I have nowhere else to go, do I?"
He stood, and dusted off his pants. Checking his bracer, he studied the dull gleam, a deep blue shimmer off the materia. Not the paler blue of an All or anything like that.
The color of blue one got off of black.
"Shall we travel as your mother did?"
Sephiroth chuckled. "Of course. You'll be calling it?"
"Yes." Cloud looked out at the tiny group of people, living their lives.
"This world is dying. We need to set the lifestream loose to find a new world to thrive in."
And Cloud cast Meteor.
Fandom: FFVII
Wordcount:986
It had been a long set of years, Cloud thought as he sat on the cliff that looked out over the remains of Midgar. It had always been a special spot for him, even if the years had worn away anything that might have reminded him of Zack. Even the shape of the stone had changed, but enough of it remained to give him a high ground view of the city that had one ruled the world.
Not that it had really been lived in since Meteor had been called so long ago. He remembered the slow move from the city to the new town called Edge. How people had slowly moved away from that, even, scattering themselves across the surface of the Planet. Major cities had never really been something that happened, Midgar being the major exception, but towns were even smaller now. During his runs delivering things, Cloud wasn't surprised to find tiny little groupings of people, usually less than a hundred or so, in a little village of sorts.
Usually they cropped up around each other. Four or five of these villages within a day's walk of each other. Not any closer than that, but enough so that they could share a doctor or a materia shop. Without Shin-Ra to keep everyone tightly dependent on one company, people scattered. Even the WRO couldn't really replicate that level of interaction that Shin-Ra had forced upon people.
But as years passed, Cloud had noticed something. More and more of those little villages had begun to vanish. Not merging with others, just fading away. Oh, sometimes, the younger kids would move to a place like Edge or to a slightly larger village, but people just weren't having kids as often anymore. Cloud had been an only child, as had Tifa. Actually, most of the people he knew were only children. Zack had been one, so had Aeris.
He wondered if Nibelheim would have died out, if left along long enough. After all, most of the boys in town had left to joined Shin-Ra. Cloud hadn't been the only one with the dream, just one of the youngest to leave.
But the population was dropping. Once, when he was visiting with Nanaki, both of them sitting beside the fire, watching his great-grandcubs tumbling over each other, getting used to wobbly legs as they chewed on each others ears, Cloud had wondered about that out loud. Nanaki, going more gray every time that Cloud saw him, had nodded.
"You aren't the only one who has noticed. A lot of people have been stopping by, visiting, some of them staying because nobody is left back home. It's not a disease. People are tired."
Tired.
Cloud knew all about being tired. He was tired all the time. Had slowly outlived everyone he had known. Vincent had kept up for a while, and Nanaki was the oldest friend he had, both of them far older than the people that lived in Cosmo Canyon now. Though it wasn't called that anymore, was it? Cloud couldn't remember the new name. People had called it something different after Nanaki had finally passed away. He was sure it was something to honor his friend, but it would always be Cosmo Canyon to him.
Too many years had passed, and Cloud was wondering if things were ever going to change.
Then Aeris had spoke to him.
He hadn't heard her voice in a long time. She had lingered a while, longer than Zack. The man who had died to keep Cloud alive had slowly faded over the years. He had been only human, and nobody who was human could resist the pull of the Lifestream forever. Aeris said he wasn't gone, but he slept. It was a way from him to hold himself together, and she hadn't said anymore on the subject. And, slowly, she herself had started to be quiet for longer and longer spans of time, until he woke up one day and realized he hadn't heard her in years.
For a long time, Cloud had cursed everything.
But she had finally spoken to him again, and something tight in his chest had loosened up some. Especially when he heard her message.
It was a goodbye.
Zack was gone, and Aeris was leaving as well.
Sitting on the cliff, Cloud pondered her words, what she had told him as she had said her goodbyes. One last request from her, one last wish she wanted him to fill for her. It was from the Planet itself, and he couldn't find it in his heart to say no to her.
Sitting on the rocks, Cloud waited, watching the bustle of the town that had replaced the town that had replaced the town that replaced Edge. Nobody down there would even know the name Edge anymore. Let along Midgar. They knew that there had been a great city there once, the skeleton of it still reached for the sky. But none of them knew the story behind it.
Though he knew that Mako had one again been discovered.
"It's been a long time, Cloud."
He didn't moved, just sat there, not even looking back. "It has. You ready for this?"
"Will you be joining me?"
Cloud pondered it for a long, long moment. Then he nodded. "I have nowhere else to go, do I?"
He stood, and dusted off his pants. Checking his bracer, he studied the dull gleam, a deep blue shimmer off the materia. Not the paler blue of an All or anything like that.
The color of blue one got off of black.
"Shall we travel as your mother did?"
Sephiroth chuckled. "Of course. You'll be calling it?"
"Yes." Cloud looked out at the tiny group of people, living their lives.
"This world is dying. We need to set the lifestream loose to find a new world to thrive in."
And Cloud cast Meteor.
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Oh, my heart.
The Zack and Aeris leaving bit also left me wincing horribly. This was a lovely piece, thank you.