Remember 
Part I

    I wish I could say that our adventure had been a happy one.  We all 
became heroes.  We were loved.  We had a story to tell our grandchildren.  
However, it had been a war and in war, you lose friends.  I lost a friend and 
I still cannot forget her.  I cannot forget anything about her.  An image of 
her has branded itself on my mind's eye and everywhere I go and everything I 
see, it is she.  Always her.
    After my friends and I prevented the destruction of our world by a 
terrible spell that summoned a meteor, we gradually split apart and returned 
to our homes across the world.  Accept for me.  My memories captured me and 
tortured me, twisting my soul.  Whenever I received blessed and greedy sleep, 
I was cursed with nightmares of the past.  I saw the cold steel slip into her 
rosy pink flesh, over and over again.  I saw her eyes, wide with surprise, 
begging for help.  Like some hellish broken record these images continued 
until I could bear them no more.  I began my personal journey to find her.  
To find an answer for her pain.
    I returned to all of the places we visited back in those days.  I went 
back to Rocket Town, Corel, Junon, and so many other locations.  I went back 
to the ruins of Midgar, set against a background of gigantic mountains and a 
riveting blue sky.  I walked through the slums and pointed out the places 
where I had been with her.  I saw the playground, the rubble that was once 
Don Corneo's mansion, and the ruined Shinra Building.  
As I wandered through the slums, I realized that I missed the constant stench 
of Midgar, the litter strewn abroad, and the way the smog stung my lungs.  I 
missed all these things because they were a part of the place where we had 
met.  I desired them because they were a part of her.  I loved them because 
they were a part of us.
Gradually I realized that I was traveling a familiar path.  I raised my head 
from the ground I was staring at and beheld the church where I had met Aeris. 
No roof remained on the building and the rest of it seemed to have collapsed 
in on it, but it was definitely the church where became Aeris' bodyguard.  I 
climbed the fallen stones and wood with my arms out to balance myself.  
Still, I lost my footing and went sprawling headfirst.  I landed on something 
soft.  I raised up and took in a quick breath.  
There was the flower garden that Aeris herself had been tending to when we 
met.  And there, standing tall and proud of its beauty and resilience, was a 
beautiful rose.  My mind saw Aeris and the flower and Aeris became the 
flower.  Everything that I had seen in my journey came rushing at me at the 
speed of light.  I saw destruction and death, lovers torn from each other's 
arms.  A tear rolled down my cheek and my hand felt for the dagger at my 
belt.  I held the blade in front of my eyes and it was Aeris also.  The tears 
were flowing like a river now and I turned the dagger to my chest.  Soon I 
will be with her, I thought to myself and through my tears I smiled.  So soon.
I pressed the point against my chest, lightly, and felt the coolness of the 
metal.  I looked to the raging sun and I cursed him that he saw Aeris' death 
and did not do anything about it.  I cursed every living thing under the sun. 
 As I continued to rave, I gathered my strength, gritted my teeth, and 
prepared to send my loving dagger into my heart.  I was ready and this was 
the end.  The blade came closer and-
"Cloud?" 
I lost my concentration and the dagger fell to the ground.  I knew that voice 
so well.  A voice that had brought so much comfort and warmth.  A voice that 
I had hurt and deceived.  
"Tifa?"
I barely had time to say anything more before she had wrapped me in her arms. 
 I was covered in a flurry of kisses and drenched with tears.  She pressed 
herself against me so hard and refused to let go.  I sat there on my knees, 
indifferent to it all, still crying.  Pride no longer existed for me. 


"Oh, thank god, thank god, thank god..." is all that Tifa would say as she 
held me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked her with a voice devoid of life.
"I've been looking for you for so long, so long, so long!" She pressed me 
tighter and continued to cry.  "Thank god I got to you in time!"
"Why are you crying?"
"When I saw you screaming, with that dagger in your hand, I thought I'd never 
reach you in time!  I thought I had lost you for good!  Don't ever do that to 
me again Cloud!  Never again!  Please, don't ever scare me like that again!"  
She buried her head in my chest where the knife had met my flesh for a moment 
and her tears fell against it.  Slowly my hands cam up from my sides and I 
enfolded her in my arms and squeezed her as tightly as I could.  Her hair 
fell about us both and our tears fell into each other.  
"Oh god, Cloud, what can I do to help you?" She said this as she raised her 
head and stared into me with her large, begging, brown eyes.  I knew now what 
I had to do.
"There is still one place I need to go.  Will you come with me?"  

Thanks for reading the first part of my short story, Remember, my name is 
Chris and if you have any comments or suggestions please don't hesitate to 
send me an e-mail at redwaves_2000@hotmail.com.  I'd love to hear your 
opinions.