Part 11: The Cool of the Moon

The future we write for ourselves

Part 11: The Cool of the Moon

 (“Canon in D”- Music that will make you Cry) Thing have finally calmed down and all wanted to celebrate. A wedding party and baby shower is going on.  Tifa and Cloud got married, hence the wedding. They are still watching over Denzel. Marlene is living with them but gets visited by Barret frequently. Cid and Shera got married and are expecting their first child, hence the baby shower. Vincent is watching over Shelke and Yuffie is around often. Nanaki likes hanging around the kids. Reeve moved in with Serenity. Reno, Rude, Tseng, Elena, Cissnei and Rufus join in the celebration. 

         At the party, Cloud makes a toast, “I just wanted to start by saying congratulations to Cid and Shera on your marriage and your little one on the way. He or she will be very lucky to have so many aunts and uncles in its life.”

“Damn straight! This baby is gonna be a spoiled little s**t.” Cid proclaims as he rubs Shera’s belly.

“I’m so glad that you are all here to celebrate with us these new milestones in our lives. I never planned on having old friends, old enemies and new friends being here for this moment. But whatever happens- happens. The one thing I will take from this life; that when something happens because it was meant to doesn’t mean you dwell on it…you move on…you learn from it…you grow from it. And it is okay to have help from another or to help another move on because life is much harder when you try to live it out by yourself. I know what I don’t want to happen; I don’t want life to wear me or the ones I love down, I don’t want it to break us. Some…if not all of us have hit rock bottom, but everyone knows that there is much more under that rock layer covering our planet. And even if you fall through that layer you are bound to rise through it again on another side. You may end up in a place you didn’t expect, but there is always a chance that you will end up in a better place; a better place where the hand of a friend, a lover, a mother, sister, father or brother reaches out to you to help you on your way. When you have people like that in your life you truly learn what’s important, what matters to you more and what you can have less of in order to protect and keep the things you need and have.” He reaches out his hand to Tifa; she takes it and stands up. “I know I’d do anything to keep you with me, keep you smiling and I will do my best to make everyday we have together happy. I am happier than I’ve ever been before and I don’t plan on losing it…this genuine smile that comes from within.” Tifa smiles kisses him passionately on the lips.

“Whatever the future may hold, we can handle it as long as we understand our weaknesses and use them as fuel for our strengths. We are on our way, together and perfectly flawed.”

Everyone raises their glass and toasts to that. Marlene and Denzel run over to Cloud and Tifa and trap them in a hug. Barret felt left out and got in on the action. Shera rests her head on Cid’s chest. Serenity hugs her children and Rufus joins in. Reno attempts to hug Rude but he pushes him away. Cissinei hip bumps Tseng towards Elena as Reno hugs her from behind. Yuffie punches Vincent on the arm and Shelke laughs and pets Nanaki on the head. Reeve and his Caith Sith sit at a table. Sephira comes over to them, grabs their hands and leads them to Serenity and the rest of her family. Serenity hugs Reeve as if she is thanking him for all he has done for her and Sephira. Sephira sneaks in-between them. 

                         Later in the night, Tifa is serving drinks while Cloud, Barret, Reno, Rude and Cid get wasted. Shera and Serenity make conversation with Reeve, Rufus, Tseng, Elena, Cissinei and Vincent. Denzel, Marlene and Sephira are playing with Nanaki. Yuffie, Sakuya, Riku and Shelke are sparing. When Tifa and Cloud decide to slow dance, almost everyone grabs a partner; Cid and Shera, Barret and Marlene, Tseng and Elena, Serenity and Reeve, Denzel and Sephira, Yuffie and Riku, Shelke and Vincent, Reno and Cissinei. Nanaki, Sakuya, Rufus and Rude sit on the step outside. In the sky they see a one winged figure fly by the moon and into the distance. At first they thought it was Sephiroth, but this person had another in tow. 

Safely making it back home, Serenity and her family, Rufus and his Turks crash and sleep in to late afternoon. When Serenity leaves her room, she sees piles of luggage lining the hallway. The Turks begin taking them to their helicopter they landed in the backyard. Serenity heads outside to see Rufus standing in the sand, gazing at the high noon sun that makes the water sparkle. 

 “So you’re leaving?”

“Yes, it’s time I move on. You don’t need me to stay with you anymore and I don’t need to stay with you either. I’m back on my feet again and you have a new man in your life who I’m pretty sure is here to stay. I have to finish what I started. I can’t stay.”

“It would seem so. I don’t owe you anything anymore, huh?”

“You never owed me anything. All I did for you was because I wanted to, nothing more, nothing less.”

“I’ve always counted on you and Sephiroth...Angeal and Genesis. I wanted all of you to fight my battles while I sat on the sidelines…it was the least I could do in the end.”

“Those battles were ones we had to fight together and you weren’t on the sidelines…you were working behind the scenes. You kept you family safe and that should be you priority. This isn’t the end; we are just beginning. We can finally live the lives we want to.”

“You’re right, my life is just beginning. I am sure we will cross paths again.  My home is always open to you.”

“It should be, considering this is Shinra property.”

“Rufus…thank you” A single tear slipped from her left eye. 

“No, thank you.” He wipes the tear away and kisses her on the forehead. She wraps her arms around his midsection as he rests his cheek on her head. She smiles and lets him go. He begins to walk away and then stops midstride. Reeve came out the house and started walking over to them. Rufus walks next to him and puts his hand on his shoulder and says, “Take care of her. I’m counting on you as much as I am counting on her to make those kid’s lives a thousand times better than any of ours. I’m counting on both of you to keep each other happy. You make her life simple; you can give her a home that rings with joy and laughter. Me, I would only complicate it. ”

“I know and you should know I’m counting on you too. I’ll be seeing you again soon, we’ll be seeing you again soon, count on it. And oh, I never got to thank you for the funding so, thank you Rufus.”

He smiles and walks towards the house.(End)

(“On Our Way”-Piano Version) They all say their goodbyes and Rufus and the Turks head back to Midgar’s Edge. As they are flying away, from the ground Sakuya, Riku and Serenity follow them by running and waving until they couldn’t keep up any longer. 

 In the middle of the night, early morning, Serenity and the rest return to Destiny Islands. In her room, she can hear commotion on her balcony. Serenity approaches the door and sees a black feather lying in the crack of the doors.

“Sephiroth?”

 “Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return. To become the dew that quenches the land; to spare the sands, the seas, the skies. I offer thee this silent sacrifice”.  Genesis lands on her balcony holding Weiss in his arms; still unconscious.

“I never heard that verse before, but it sounds like the perfect ending… so you are still alive, I’m glad.”

“I was sleeping, waiting for Minerva to tell me what I need to do. Weiss awaken me when he landed in my cave. Together, we will protect the planet. There is no time for slumber.”

 “So that is what I saw; I thought you woke up awhile ago.” She says to herself.

“She’s gone now, the conscious of the Lifestream. Someone must know its intentions, and I believe that to be you sister. You are the only person who can connect with this planet on that level. You and your cousin, Aeris need to work together in the living world and the afterlife to protect this planet and I must protect the Goddess. This is Minerva’s, the Lifestream’s will.”

“She showed me those visions for a reason and now I know why. She had visions for this world, much like Jenova had for her own, but Minerva let us decide what future we see for ourselves. That green angel could have been anyone and we chose it to be her, we allowed Minerva to sacrifice herself for our sins.”

“And by that sacrifice we shall honor her wishes.” Nero climbs over the railing of the balcony. He was cast out of Weiss’ body while he traveled through the Lifestream and found himself in Genesis’ cave as well. He used to darkness to follow them here. Genesis places Weiss on the couches in her room. Nero watches over him. Both seem less vicious, less heartless, especially when one is asleep. She allows them to stay with her as long as it is safe.

              In the morning, Serenity goes into her backyard. Her children are hanging out with their uncle and their two new “uncles”. Riku is talking to Genesis, Sakuya to Weiss and Sephira to Nero. She can’t help to see Weiss as Sephiroth and Nero as Angeal. She can’t help to see Lucrecia and Aeris in herself. Happy to have her brother and children safe she joins them with Reeve who finally got to spend the night together without interruptions. They all sit in the shade of a Banora White Tree; a seed she had planted as soon as she arrived at this house, a house she knew would be her new home.

            At night she leaves dumb apples on her windowsill and when she wakes up, black and white feathers are in its place. She knows she is being watched over by angels and they know she is looking out for them. In her dreams, she thinks back to the day her journey began.

 

Laying under the best Banora white tree in the village, they look at the stars.

“Hey Angeal, what do you think Midgar is going to be like?”

“An adventure of a lifetime.”

“Something new and more interesting than this boring village.” Genesis replies without being asked.

“There is such a big world out there…I want to see it all!” Serenity exclaims.

“Wherever you are going, I’m going with you.” Angeal claims.

“Yeah, we’re after the same rainbow’s end that’s waiting around every turn and bend of the river of life. Such a heart breaker and a dream maker.” Genesis says poetically.

“I wonder where we will be in a couple years.”

“I will be the greatest Soldier having surpassed the great Sephiroth.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“Ha, you two have fun swinging your swords around. I’m going to change the world with my brain and not my brawns.”

“What brains?” Genesis mocks. She throws grass at him.

“Well, whatever the future may hold, promise that we will always be friends.”

“No matter what?” Angeal asks for reinsurance.

“No matter what.” Serenity holds out her pinky fingers to Genesis and Angeal. Angeal pinky swears while Genesis just waves it off and says, “I couldn’t get rid of you two even if I wanted to. I’ve got to stick with you. To keep ya out of harm’s way.”

“And we got to keep you out of trouble.”

“Yeah, you knucklehead of a brother.”

         They sleep under the stars after staying up late into the night full of excitement, anticipation, recollection, hesitation and then determination. Serenity makes a prayer to the planet, “Have mercy on me. If things go wrong promise me I can return them to the way they used to be. Promise me that I will find happiness in this new place I’ll call home. My heart is yours, my life, my all. Will that be enough? I sure hope so, so please watch over me in any form that you can.” In the morning, they would leave their small village and head off the Midgar to begin their stories; not the stories that were written by the hand of those before them but the stories they write for themselves. (End)