Those Who Live - A Final Fantasy 7 Fanfiction

Those Who Live

By the time Denzel turned 15, Cloud learned to count by decades.

It took a full one to realize something was wrong.

"Gaia, Cloud! You have to tell me the secret to looking as young as you do!"

He had been gone for two years only, delivering packages in the Northern Continent, but he could already notice lines appearing on Tifa's face.

It was when Denzel walked in, now 25 years old and with a soon to be bride, that Cloud noticed his own change.

That is, his lack of change.

A picture hung on the wall in his room. He, Tifa, Barrett, Denzel, and Marlene all stood in front of the memorial to meteor. He looked in the mirror. Nothing changed.

After another decade, Cid was dead. Lung failure, apparently. Cloud never had liked the smell of cigarettes. Barrett went next. A coal mining accident. The tunnels caved in, and no one got out.

By then, Cloud had taken up refuge in the Nibel Mountains. Nibelheim had never been repopulated by actual people, so he wasn't bothered. It was peaceful, despite the memories.

Another decade took Tifa. He wasn't there for it, but apparently she had gotten caught in the crossfire of two rival gangs in the bar. She wasn't young anymore, and died in the hospital the next day.

It wasn't long before Yuffie was gone as well. He had been expecting it, but it was still a shock to see the once youthful and energetic princess on her death bed.

By then, Cloud was sure he must have been at least 100 years old. He had long since forgotten his birthday, but Yuffie had still been fighting at 95 before she passed.

He, Vincent, and Nanaki eventually decided to meet every decade. The meeting point, a lake near the Northern Crater, was only chosen do to convenience for all parties.

It was only ever Cloud that stayed, however. At the bottom of the crater, where no living being ventured, a memorial stood. Cloud remembered the day he put it there like yesterday.

Even though it was almost a century ago, he could remember well the cold metal on his fingers as he polished it, the familiar length, shooting out from a tall figure and imbedding itself in his-. No.

It had taken less than an hour to secure the area and leave the sword in a perfect stasis.

And now it stood, glimmering in the sunlight with the same grace it had a century ago.

Vincent would occasionally follow him to the crater after their meeting - perhaps out of concern for Cloud's sanity, or maybe out of respect to his once-lover's son - but Cloud would simply ignore the other man as he polished the sword in a daze of memories.

For a long while, the world was in peace. But all three of them knew it wouldn't last long. It was human nature to pursue power.

At first, Cloud didn't get involved in the war. He didn't even bother to learn the names of the groups. But when an explosion went off in the distance, and Nanaki never made it to the next meeting, he gave up on humanity. He let them destroy themselves.

The land eventually turned grey. Life started to disappear.

Cloud and Vincent had the honor of seeing the death of humanity, and its rebirth.

Small towns started popping up again. The Northern Continent was the first to populate significantly, surprisingly. And, as is certain with humans, another group rose to power.

Within this time, both Vincent and Cloud started to notice changes within themselves.

Cloud was first.