He felt the warmth from the blinding flash of light for what seemed like a long time, and as the seconds passed him by, the urge to open his eyes grew stronger. However, before he got that opportunity, something loudly clanged against the outer hull of the Highwind, causing it to lurch.
         As he stumbled, it was instinct which finally led him to open his eyes, all the better to look for something to grab on to. He managed to grip one of the steel bars that held up the railing by the bridge's large main window and, as he pulled himself back to his feet, his eyes roved to the window itself. Outside, most of the light had dissipated, and Meteor itself was slowly dissolving; large chunks of it still hovered nearby, yet they too quavered in the Lifestream's might. He theorized that the airship was hit by a wayward chunk.
         "Fuckin' Meteor!" he heard Cid swear from the general vicinity of the captain's console. "Bastard's finally gettin' what's coming to him and he still wants to put up a fight! Is everyone okay?"
         "I am," Cloud replied. Next to him, Tifa was already on her feet, and elsewhere about the bridge, he could hear the others give their own replies. A couple of them reported bruising and small gashes, but overall, there were no major injuries.
         Then Cait Sith's voice piped up. "I seem to be okay, but my moogle won't budge."
         "Sit tight for a minute," Cid said, turning the steering wheel and pulling a couple of levers. "We can take a look at yer moogle once this is all over. Right now, I just want to get us of harm's way."
         Cait nodded, and the airship began turning away from Meteor and Midgar. However, before it could complete its turn, there was a second loud clang and the Highwind lurched again, more violently this time. An alarm klaxon sounded as a pulsing red light flooded the bridge.
         "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Cid swore, gripping the steering wheel as the rest of his body tried to slide away from it. "Of all the goddamned—!"
         "Cid!" Tifa interrupted over the din. "What's going on?"
         "We gotta get the hell out of here, that's what!" Cid yelled back. "Just hang on and I'll get 'er straightened out long enough for us to bail."
         Cid pulled himself to his feet and immediately began working the controls. As soon as the floor was level again, Cloud ran over and unlocked the hidden compartment in the floor where the parachutes were kept. He knew that if Cid was talking about abandoning ship, then this situation was indeed serious and there was no time to lose.

         The parachutes were distributed quickly and efficiently, but they found themselves two short. The only ones aboard the Highwind without parachutes wound up being Cait Sith and Cloud himself.
         "Dammit!" Barret exclaimed, slamming his fist against a nearby wall. "Shoulda known the Shinra would skimp on the essentials!"
         Cloud said, "Barret, it's okay. We'll just have to improvise." He turned to Yuffie. "Let me have your parachute."
         "What?" Yuffie balked.
         "You shouldn't be too heavy. One of us guys'll hold onto you when we bail out. Now hurry up and give it to me!"
         Yuffie nodded and quickly took off her parachute, handing it to Cloud. As Cloud strapped it on, he turned to Cait Sith.
         "I shoulda seen this coming," the cat sighed. "Oh well, it was nice traveling with you all! Come visit my real self sometime, okay?"
         "We will, but we also don't intend to leave you behind."
         "What? But the moogle—"
         "You'll have to leave it. Your cat body's okay, right?"
         "Yeah, but you shouldn't have ta—"
         "Barret, can you carry Cait Sith?"
         The large black man shot a sidelong glare at Cait. "I ain't carryin' that… that…"
         Cloud sighed. "Okay, forget it. If you're gonna make a big deal out of it, you carry Yuffie and I'll carry Cait."
         "Hmph." Barret scooped up Yuffie in his arms and followed the others out of the bridge. Cloud reached his hands toward Cait.
         "Just a little warning, Cloud. This body's a lil' heavier than it looks."
         "I'll manage."
         Cloud picked up Cait, the cat wrapping its skinny arms around his neck; indeed, Cait was heavy for such a little guy, but not ridiculously so. After a brief last-minute check to see if he had everything he needed, he left the bridge in order to catch up with his friends.

         The Highwind exploded above the party as they free-fell thousands of feet in the air. Cloud tried not to think about it and instead focused on the ground below, maintaining his grip on Cait with his left arm and his old friend Zack's Buster sword in his right hand. It was the only weapon of his that he had been able to take from the airship, but he didn't mind, since it was the only one that had any sort of meaning to him. His full hands meant that opening his parachute would be that much tougher, but Cait must've read his mind, as the cat had taken hold of the appropriate cord in one of his hands shortly after they fell from the airship. At the right moment, Cait pulled the cord, the parachute opened, and together they drifted to the ground.
         They were the last ones to reach the Planet's surface. Around them, their friends, along with the Highwind's crewmen, were in the process of removing their parachutes and straightening themselves out. Cid, who had touched down not long before they did, stood by himself, his parachute still attached to his back, staring at the smoldering spot in the sky where his beloved airship had once been. All around them, a few thin green wisps floated by, the final remainders of the Lifestream's summoning. To the north, Midgar had grown dark. No one said a word.
         "So what happens now?" Barret asked, breaking the silence.
         Cloud set Cait on the ground and began to remove his parachute. "I think… we should get some sleep, and see how things are in the morning. There's nothing else we can do tonight."

         "Hey, Spiky. Time to get up."
         This was the first thing Cloud heard the following morning as he felt himself being poked in the ribs by some sort of rod or pole. He rolled over and opened his eyes to see Reno leaning over him, nightstick in hand. The redheaded Turk sighed.
         "Damn. Just when I was about to activate the lightning charge, too."
         "What the hell are you doing here?" an irritated Cloud asked as he sat up in his sleeping bag.
         "I was ordered to escort you all back to Midgar. Most of your friends are already up; they asked me to rouse you out of bed. Best request I've gotten all day," Reno replied, rolling his eyes.
         Cloud just glared at Reno, not budging from where he was. He hadn't liked the Turk since the moment he set eyes on him, and even now, wished he could be rid of his presence. "You were 'ordered' here? Who sent you?"
         "Reeve."
         "So you work for him now that Shinra's been wiped out? You sure are easy."
         Reno stifled a laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know, Spiky. Anyway, guess I'll leave you to get dressed."
         Before Cloud could reply, Reno slipped out of the tent and closed it back up again. "Bastard," Cloud muttered under his breath as he got out of the sleeping bag.

         Cloud left his tent that morning in record time. Outside, their makeshift campground had been invaded by about a half-dozen MPs, some chocobos, and of course, that Turk who had given him that rude awakening. Cait Sith stood alongside a red chocobo, and talking with Reno were Tifa, Vincent, and some of the Highwind crewmen; catching snippets of their conversation as he walked by, Cloud noticed that they were all talking about what had happened in Midgar the night before.
         "Things are pretty bad right now," Cait said, speaking in such a way that was uncharacteristic for him, but appropriate for someone like his operator. "It seems like all we've been doing all morning is pulling bodies from the rubble. Fortunately, we've had plenty of help. Many of the uninjured have been more than willing to volunteer their time and energy."
         "Huh," Cid replied. "You'd think a place like Midgar would be swarmin' with riots right about now."
         Cait shook his head. "There actually hasn't been much misconduct. It seems that, in Meteor's wake, we've seen more of the best in people rather than the worst. I suppose we should be grateful for that."
         Off to one side, Yuffie had been rocking on the heels of her feet; silent this entire time, it was only now that she spoke up. "So what happens next? Don't know about you all, but I've really gotta get home."
         Cloud nodded. "You're probably worried about Wutai, huh."
         "Yeah, I guess. Can't leave it all up to my dad, you know."
         "I suppose this is where we all go our separate ways, then," Vincent said. He turned to Cait. "Reeve, I'll be willing to assist you and your people for a little while, but after that, I have my own matters that must be attended to."
         Cait nodded. "Thanks, Vincent. I appreciate the help. What about the rest of you?"
         Cloud, Tifa, and Barret all committed to assisting Reeve in Midgar, but Cid backed out, noting that, like Yuffie, he needed to take care of things at home before anywhere else. In the midst of all this, Nanaki and Reno had apparently wandered off somewhere, and only now returned to the campsite.
         Reno walked right up to Cait and said, "Reeve, I'm really sorry about this, but I have to go home as well. Something's come up."
         Cait replied, "Is it that urgent?"
         The Turk glanced back at Nanaki, who was now laying down on the ground, his eye closed, before facing Cait again. "It's extremely urgent. I'll be back as soon as I can, promise."
         "All right," Cait nodded. "If that's the case, take Maduin here. He'll get you to Cosmo Canyon without delay."
         Reno nodded once, then mounted the bird and guided it over to where Nanaki lay.
         "Let's go," said Reno.
         Nanaki stood up, quietly bid his friends farewell, then gave Reno a nod. Nanaki and the red chocobo took off toward the ocean at a full run. Cloud watched them go, his eyebrows pinched, when he felt Cait tug at his trousers, calling his name. Cloud looked down at him.
         "What's going on?" Cait asked. "Did something happen during your last visit to Cosmo Canyon?"
         Cloud glanced over at Tifa, who had been with him and Nanaki for that final trip to the Canyon. The sadness in her eyes seemed to verify what he had also seen there, when Nanaki came down from Bugenhagen's observatory and said those bewildering things.
         "I think Bugenhagen died that night," Cloud answered quietly.
         Now it was not just Cait and Tifa, but Cid, Vincent, Barret, and Yuffie who also had their eyes on Cloud. Cait shook his head. "I was afraid it would be something like that. Reno grew up in the Canyon and Bugenhagen was one of his teachers. From what he's told me, they were close, almost like family."
         "Gotta hand it to the old man," Cid said, his head bowed. "We couldn't have beaten Sephiroth without him."
         Cloud nodded in agreement. Indeed, they had received a lot of invaluable guidance from old Bugenhagen, and now he was gone.

         Then his thoughts, as they were wont to do, turned to Aeris…

*****

         For the first time in several years, sunlight streamed down upon the piece of ground where Reeve now stood. He was in Sector Five, taking a breather while dozens of people swarmed around, working hard at their collective survival. The previous night had been a sleepless one, but even though it was the afternoon of the following day, he was only now starting to feel tired.
         Reeve pried himself away from the large pipe he had been leaning against and, after some quick words with Sector Five's manager and a SOLDIER captain, proceeded towards the old, dilapidated church, where he was due to meet with his friends.
         When he arrived, Cloud and the others—Tifa, Barret, and Vincent—were already there, the final remnants of their party, as Cid had agreed to return Cait Sith to the Gold Saucer on his way back to Rocket Town. As he caught sight of them, Reeve broke out into a grin and quickened his pace. Cloud greeted the former Shinra executive with a grin of his own. They exchanged hearty handshakes, then Reeve followed suit with Tifa and Vincent. When he came before Barret, he hesitated; they had never seen eye to eye in the past, so he wasn't exactly sure how to approach this one-time adversary of his. For his part, Barret appeared to be having the same dilemma.
         Finally, Barret broke out into a huge grin and said, "Oh, what the hell," gripping Reeve in a tight hug, catching the latter off-guard. "I guess I owe ya for savin' me an' Tifa back in Junon, plus makin' sure Marlene was safe through alla this."
         "Don't mention it," Reeve gasped, doing his best to catch his breath once Barret had released him. "Now, would you all like to go somewhere and talk? Things are hectic at the moment and I can be called away at any time, but I'm curious to know what everyone's plans are."
         The others replied affirmatively, and they all entered the church. Inside, the hole in the roof had grown larger, but the flower bed looked the same as it had the last time Reeve was here, when he saw that familiar child. Pushing the memory of that bizarre encounter back into the recesses of his mind, he took a seat on one of the pews in the front row. Tifa chose to kneel on the floor, near the edge of the flower patch, while Barret took the pew across the aisle from Reeve and Vincent simply leaned against one of the still-standing pillars. Cloud, in the meantime, meandered all over the place, not remaining in any one spot for more than a few seconds. It was he who spoke first.
         "Can't we go somewhere else?"
         Reeve replied, "Right now there aren't too many places where we can talk in private."
         "What 'bout Elmyra's house?" Barret suggested. "Is it still in one piece?"
         "Yes it is. Reno and I spent most of the previous night there. How about it, Cloud? Will Elmyra's do?"
         Cloud muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Tifa sighed and shook her head.
         "I suppose it's decided," Vincent said. "We're staying here. So Reeve—you wish to know of our plans. What about yours?"
         "Heh, bet I can guess," interrupted Barret. "Rebuildin' Midgar, right?"
         "Actually, that's the last thing I want to do," Reeve replied. The others were all now focused on him.
         Barret asked, "But why? I thought this city was your pride an' joy."
         "It is, and it will always have a place in my heart. However, the world must move on, and Midgar can't be a part of that future."
         "Because of the mako reactors?" Tifa asked.
         "That's one reason. As for the other…" Reeve shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the flower patch before him. "When someone or something you love suffers an injury or gets sick, you fix it, correct? However, once something dies, it can never be brought back again."
         "But with Midgar, you could," Cloud replied. "Even without the mako reactors. So why don't you?"
         "With Midgar, it's not so much that I can't but that I shouldn't. Midgar has no place in this new world, even without its reactors. None of the dead do. They are no longer a part of the living world. That's how things are meant to be."
         "How can you sit here in this place and say that?"
         Reeve tersely replied, "You aren't the only one who lost her, Cloud."
         The church fell silent. Reeve rubbed the back of his neck, wondering if he had said the right thing.
         "Listen. I've lost a lot ever since this whole mess started. All of us have. Trying to hold on to these… these ghosts aren't going to do anyone any good. That's why I'm leaving Midgar alone."
         Tifa asked, "What about the people who used to live here? Where are they going to go?"
         "Right now we're moving them to the northern edge of the city, beyond the plates and reactors. From there, our real work will begin."

*****

         Despite the horrific events of the previous night, the afternoon sky was blue and clear above Kalm, with only the smoldering wreckage of Midgar breaking the vista, a murky grey smear on the southern horizon. Elena stood on one of the grassy plains outside of town, staring at this smear while sheep peacefully grazed all around her.
         Reeve had called her and Rude earlier that day—by some miracle of modern technology, the PHS communications networks had survived largely intact—and told her of the current state of affairs in Midgar. Some of his friends from the Highwind had returned to the ruined city to assist with the cleanup effort, while the others had returned to their hometowns, one of them with Reno. One of the most peculiar things Reeve had said was that he had sworn off of using materia, and encouraged her and Rude to do the same. He said something to the effect that it would be good for the Planet's recovery, and that it was something he and his friends had all agreed upon.
         "Even that materia thief?" Elena had asked.
         Reeve had laughed. "Yes, even Yuffie, though she always liked to collect it more than actually use it."

         Now she stood just outside of Kalm, enjoying the countryside one last time before her return to Midgar. Rude would be going with her, of course, as well as Barret's daughter Marlene;, Elmyra, on the other hand, decided to stay in Kalm. Being home was nice and all, but it also held the potential for stagnation; better to head into the heart of destruction and try to reconstruct as much of her old life as she could.
         As Elena began to return towards town, she was surprised to see a small black chocobo sitting in the grass. This chocobo appeared to be a newborn, not more than a few hours old; indeed, small bits of eggshell still clung to its slightly-damp feathers. A brief look around for any sign of the baby's parents turned out to be fruitless. She shook her head, wondering where in the world this chicobo could have come from, then bent down and carefully scooped it up in her arms. She wasn't sure what she would do with this bird, but felt compelled to do something; nowadays, a new life was a valuable and treasured thing.
         The chocobo was strangely calm during the entire trip back into town. When she came to her family's house, Rude welcomed her back, then asked about the bird. She shrugged her shoulders as she carefully set it down on a cushion on the living room sofa, saying that she had found it all by itself in the middle of the pasture. Rude examined the chicobo thoroughly, as though it was a criminal suspect, then asked Elena what she planned to do with it.
         "I was thinking we could keep it and raise it. I'm certainly not going to let it fend for itself."
         "Couldn't one of the people here do that? A chicobo's going to have a rough time of it in Midgar."
         Elena stared at the baby bird, and reached down to stroke the tiny tuft of white down on its head, just above its beak. "I know, but I want to take care of it myself."
         "That chicobo's a 'he', by the way."
         "How do you know that?"
         Rude's ears turned red. "You couldn't tell?"
         "W-well, I didn't get that good a look at it!"
         The bald man said nothing. Elena continued stroking the chicobo's head. "Anyway, I'm sure he'll be fine. Veck looks like he can handle it."
         "Veck?"
         "Yeah, that's his name. It just popped into my head. I don't know why, but… it seems like the perfect name for him."