Switched

Friendship and Freezing

Chapter 19

It was barely after dawn as Cloud stood and watched the three ex-Firsts board the Shera. He still didn't like the idea of letting them go without anyone watching over them, but he could admit that it did seem as if the Planet had chosen them.  Especially since two of them had been brought back from the lifestream. He didn't have to like that realization though. Those three, particularly Sephiroth, had caused so much chaos before they were finally stopped. He could also faintly remember how much Zack changed after his mentor was killed. He would never understand how Zack could be so forgiving. The same could be said for Aerith. He still couldn't believe that she had openly spoken to Sephiroth, with a smile too.

His musings were interrupted by a small hand on his arm. He turned to see the woman he was just thinking about standing there with a smile. She didn't give him a chance to say anything before she spoke. "You know it'll be okay, right? They all regret their actions and deserve the chance to prove it."

He couldn't hold back a frown. "I understand what you are saying, and... as much as I don't like admitting it, I can see it. It's just so hard to not see images of the old Sephiroth when I look at her. From what I learned the others weren't much better."

"And you never did anything horrible that you regret?" She knew her words were harsh, but she also knew guilt was something that he understood well. She didn't want to hurt her friend, but he needed to look beyond the past.

He cringed at her question. There were a lot of things that he regretted; her death was one of the top ones. Even though she was back now, watching her be killed and not being able to stop it still haunted his nightmares occasionally. His thoughts were so full of the things that he had done that it took him a moment to realize why she had asked the question in the first place. When he did, a twisted feeling filled his gut. Was he really treating the Firsts like he had been afraid his friends would treat him when they first found out that he was nothing but a puppet?

The thought left him cold. No one ever treated him differently. They had understood that he had not been in control and gave him the support he needed to overcome everything. He had never had to stand against Jenova and her control alone. From Zack to Aerith and the rest of his friends, he had always had someone there to help. The feeling twisted even tighter when he realized that was never the case for Sephiroth. He had been raised to shunt human emotion and pushed by Hojo to the point of despair. It wasn't surprising that Jenova had found fertile territory to plant herself.

He finally looked back to Aerith with a grimace. "You know I have. Thank you."

He gave her a quick hug and she smiled back at him brightly. "I knew you would recognize what they are trying to do."

"I think I will still need a little time to adjust, but I will watch with understanding instead of anger." She patted him on the arm with another smile before she walked off to join Zack. The other Soldier gave him a grin and a wave before he wrapped an arm around Aerith's waist and led her away. Cloud watched them for a moment. As they walked away, he felt a weight lift that he had long forgotten was there. He smiled at their retreating forms before turning back to see the Shera take off. He no longer felt the intense anger. His face was contemplative as he watched the airship disappear.

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Sephiroth was standing in the cargo hold of the Shera with Cid and his two friends. The pilot had brought them down to show them everything that had been left on board for them to use. It would take them a little over a day to get to the drop off point. They had plenty of time to prepare, but it was obvious Cid didn't want to waste time dealing with them.