[Advent Children] Old Ghosts
Title: Old Ghosts
Day/Theme: 13. walk the fine line between this world and the next
Series: Advent Children
Character/Pairing: Cloud/Aerith
Rating: G
He slept in the church. When he slept. Usually, he just lay there and concentrated until he was sure he could feel the geostigma creeping and crawling up his arm. It didn’t have to be this way. He could be warm and fussed over if he would allow it. All he had to do was go home. It wasn’t far. He was welcome there, more than welcome. His absence was resented more than his company. It didn’t have to be that way either.
He had always been stubborn. He hadn’t always been so loved. There were times when it was too much for him. Tifa would tease him about blaming himself too much when she was worried and snap at him about whether or not he had a deathwish when she was worried enough to be angry. It only added to the argument in his head and if he had to be harangued, it might as well be by the one with the most right to.
So he came here. It was the last place she had been alive, the place she had died, and where he could still feel her presence the most. If there was anywhere where her voice might be heard, it would be here, where the flowers grew and the water stayed pure. Even if she was only angry that he would be there now when he hadn’t been there to save her, it was only right to give her that opportunity to say so.
Night after night passed in peace though. Sometimes he dreamed of little things that reminded him of her, once he dreamed of her and Zack, but mostly he dreamed that she was there and he was the ghost. She would tend the flowers, tend the church, and do something so utterly her that he sometimes wondered how it could only be a dream. It was almost enough to convince him that there was some truth to it, because if it had really been his own imaginings wouldn’t she have been betrayed and furious and cursing her trust in him?
The dreams became more vivid as the geostigma spread, so maybe that had something to do with it. Maybe the church was as good at containing old ghosts as his head was. Maybe on some plane of existence, Aerith still walked there, just close enough for him to catch the occasional whiff. Whatever it really was, it felt like sanctuary, and he found himself hoping the line between worlds would blur just enough for him to be sure.
Day/Theme: 13. walk the fine line between this world and the next
Series: Advent Children
Character/Pairing: Cloud/Aerith
Rating: G
He slept in the church. When he slept. Usually, he just lay there and concentrated until he was sure he could feel the geostigma creeping and crawling up his arm. It didn’t have to be this way. He could be warm and fussed over if he would allow it. All he had to do was go home. It wasn’t far. He was welcome there, more than welcome. His absence was resented more than his company. It didn’t have to be that way either.
He had always been stubborn. He hadn’t always been so loved. There were times when it was too much for him. Tifa would tease him about blaming himself too much when she was worried and snap at him about whether or not he had a deathwish when she was worried enough to be angry. It only added to the argument in his head and if he had to be harangued, it might as well be by the one with the most right to.
So he came here. It was the last place she had been alive, the place she had died, and where he could still feel her presence the most. If there was anywhere where her voice might be heard, it would be here, where the flowers grew and the water stayed pure. Even if she was only angry that he would be there now when he hadn’t been there to save her, it was only right to give her that opportunity to say so.
Night after night passed in peace though. Sometimes he dreamed of little things that reminded him of her, once he dreamed of her and Zack, but mostly he dreamed that she was there and he was the ghost. She would tend the flowers, tend the church, and do something so utterly her that he sometimes wondered how it could only be a dream. It was almost enough to convince him that there was some truth to it, because if it had really been his own imaginings wouldn’t she have been betrayed and furious and cursing her trust in him?
The dreams became more vivid as the geostigma spread, so maybe that had something to do with it. Maybe the church was as good at containing old ghosts as his head was. Maybe on some plane of existence, Aerith still walked there, just close enough for him to catch the occasional whiff. Whatever it really was, it felt like sanctuary, and he found himself hoping the line between worlds would blur just enough for him to be sure.