𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖢𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖽 𝖮𝖿 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖯𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖾𝗍

41: I love you.

Cloud's point of view:

He lifted her in his arms with his heart shattered in million pieces. She was cold, she was covered in her own blood and she looked so pale. This look on her was so frightening, there was really no trace of life within her, she was really gone.

Cloud broke down once again as he cried so hard at the emptiness he once felt, this time experiencing it again. 

He was feeling as if he has become a better person thanks to her, so why did she have to leave him? He wanted her to see the progress because she was the cause of it, how was he supposed to keep that up when she wasn't around?

The pillar was shaking violently which made Cloud whip his head above. The Whispers were swirling around them, wanting to capture Yui's soul, but Cloud held onto her tightly, as if he was holding onto his dear life.

"Cloud! The plate is about to collapse, get your ass here!" shouted Barret.

He didn't waste a single minute and with Yui in his arms, he dashed upstairs while pushing Whispers away.

When he appeared from the flames with Yui in his arms, both Barret and Tifa gasped.

"Yui!" Barret came running towards Cloud.

Cloud was full of emotions again, he felt like shouting at everyone, he felt like blaming everyone but he kept it all inside him because now he had to get her out of here.

The shaking became violent, so there was no time left as Barret dashed towards the railing to make a route for escape.

But before Cloud joined Barret, he noticed Tifa kneeling on the ground, looking down on the slums.

"So.. in the end they are all going to die.." she said helplessly.

For some reason, instead of feeling sympathy towards his childhood friend, he felt anger and emptiness. He wasn't able to feel anything but that.

"Let's go." Cloud said sternly which made Tifa snap out of it.

She stood up, but instead of running away, she looked at Yui in his arms. Her eyes watered but without saying anything, she went towards Barret who was panicking.

"Cloud, get in here!" Barret shouted.

And even though the situation was urgent, he looked at Yui. He still couldn't get over it, he knew she must have been in so much pain, he hated that he couldn't stop her, he hated that he let everyone pressure her, he felt guilty, he knew he could have done everything differently.

"Is that how you felt all this time?" he asked while peering into her pale face while tears streamed down his eyes.

"CLOUD!!!" Tifa shouted and Cloud noticed that everything was crumbling down now.

But it was too late, Cloud dashed towards where Barret and Tifa were, but everything in front of him crashed and Barret along with Tifa were now already in the middle of sliding through the whole sector.

He suddenly lost a way for his own escape so he frantically searched everywhere.

"Cloud!!! Hold onto me!" suddenly a very familiar voice echoed in this mania. It was a voice he hasn't heard for so long.

When he turned around, the time slowed down for him, and it felt as if he has seen angel. 

"Z-Zack?" he was stunned in one place.

"No time to explain, just grab onto me as soon as I'm near!" he shouted which made Cloud do as he said.

Zack grabbed Cloud tightly even though Yui was still in arms. They were now sliding through the cracks of sector 7 while everything behind them was exploding from the sudden chemical reactions.

Cloud was holding onto Zack, while Zack was holding onto him. He was familiar with Zack's warmth and it made him go back to when they met until the moment he died. He then looked into Yui's face to realize how this was possible.

His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach after realizing that it was Yui who saved his lifetime friend, yet there were still so many questions even after he had come to that realization.

But his thoughts were interrupted after the explosion behind them made them let go of the swing. They all fell into the crumbled sector 7 while Cloud never let go of Yui.

It was dark for a while, Cloud was yet slowly regaining his consciousness, and the first thing he heard, were Zack's pleas.

"Yui! Yui!!!" he shouted out of desperation.

When Cloud got up, he took a notice of how Zack tried to perform CPR at Yui.

"Open your damn eyes, goddamn it!" he shouted as he tried to regain Yui's heartbeat.

At this scene unfolded in front of him, he wanted to cry again.

"You're not dying when I'm here, you hear me?! Stay with me!"

Cloud hurried by his side, trying to somehow assist him. And when Zack registered him, he looked a bit relieved.

"Alright, I'll keep pressing her chest and you do mouth-to-mouth. She's not completely gone just yet! We can do this!"

"She's gone, Zack.." he said, hating to be the one to say it.

But Zack only brushed him off, "I was also gone back then but she hasn't given upon me! She's still warm! Touch her cheeks." 

And he did as he was told. 

When he suddenly felt her warmth once again, his eyes widened in surprise. But he was so sure she was ice cold when she was with him. How was this possible?

"Yui's fighting for her life, so we need to give her a push, come on!" Zack encouraged Cloud.

Zack pushed a few times on her chest and Cloud then gave her his air through his mouth. It was maybe thanks to Zack, but he was encouraged to save her. He knew he would anything to make her come back to him.

They did this process multiple times but it seemed as if it all was for nothing. Even Zack stopped for a while after the exhaustion struck him as well, but Cloud was the only one who kept going. He knew Zack was doing this the whole time, so they could do it. He believed.

But the very familiar particles were falling from the sky again which made Cloud look up. They were falling down to where Yui was laying.

He didn't know anything, was it going to take her away or save her?

Either way, Cloud held onto her tightly. He didn't let go of her even when the lights approached her.

"They are souls." said Zack which made Cloud look at him in wonder.

And right next to Cloud stood a boy who seemed as a lifestream ghost. It was something bewildering happening that all they both could do, was to watch in silence.

It was the same boy from the train graveyard. Cloud was sure it was him because he took a glimpse of him before. But next to him was an older spitting image of Yui. It seemed as some relative of hers.

She touched Yui's cheek and stroked it, "I have always hoped you wouldn't use your self-destructing power on you, but once we taste the touch of a great power, we want to use it. Some use it for doing bad things, but you.. you used it in order to save your friends.."

Cloud peered into her face which made the soul look him in the eyes, "So you're the one who saved her. Thank you." she smiled sincerely which made him remind himself of Yui's smile.

It must have been her mom.

"She died because I..." but he was interrupted by her swift movements that made her press her own forehead against Yui's, "My child.. My dearest sugarplum, this world is full of danger that I never wanted you to meet together with Aerith, and the sight I have always dreaded the most, was seeing one of you die. And that's why I'm sending you back to your friends." the lifestream around her invisible body then started to flow into Yui.

"Remember that mom always loves you and Aerith the most. That will never change, even if death tore us apart." she whispered as she and the child beside her disappeared in the bright light. 

Cloud held onto her and the light suddenly disappeared.