and all the things that you

never-ever told me,
for all the smiles that are

ever gonna haunt me--

He runs to her; he slips and falters and messes up, he babbles soundless apologies; she smiles and forgives him.

And he comes down and rips through her chest; down her stomach; past her heart.

She seems to smile apologetically at him as her blood splatters across his face. Unspoken whispers seem to echo through his mind, words he wishes she wasn't saying now--

Cloud...look..I'm..I'm flying...far...away...

Ever

And she's just sleeping, except she's not.

But right now he's going to pretend she is, and he's going to pretend that the blood splashed across his shirt is water and he's going to try to erase the image of her slowly falling into his arms too slowly and too quickly; her arms still trying to reach out to him.

I get the feeling that you'll never...

& he's going to forget the fact that her eyes won't open; and as he slowly lowers himself to the cold marble floor; he's going to try not to look at the hot running red that splashes against her throat and surges angrily from her stomach; or the crime of it touching her lips that he nevereverkissed and oh god (AerithAerithAerith--)

All alone, and I remember now...

He kind of hates the fact that he has this inkling that despite everything, she really was waiting for him to catch her.

At the top of my lungs in my arms--

Her eyes dilated; trusting emeralds blinking in dazed confusion at the blood that was spewing from her mouth; or how suddenly her arms just d r o p p e d and she gives a little gasp as her body jerks debating whether or not to keep the blade in or let it slowly run it's jagged edges through her insides; until finally he decides to jerk it out--

And she gives a ragged wheeze; blood speckling her cute little ribbon-choker; sprinkling her full lower lip as she slowly smiles and raises her eyes to the shaft of sunlight streaming through ceiling, her dimming eyes closing slowly as she
savors the sunlight on her face one more time--

(And Cloud is selfish because he's begging Aerith to look at him.)

And then there was no more in her eyes of the little girl with big-girl dreams of flying in airships (Aerith) and touching the sky with her hands and there was no more laughter (Aerith, oh god--) because she's

gone, she's gone

she's gone, she's gone--

(AERITH!)

she dies,
she dies--
she dies,

and she falls far too slowly.

and at the end of the world--
or the last thing I see--

(there's no more sweet and happy giggles.)

or the last thing i see

there is no tender smile lulling him to sleep.

you are never coming home
never coming home--

(and there will never be a pink-clad figure gently
walking out with him into the sunlight..)

and all the things that you never ever told me--

(and he knew she had so much to tell him..)

for all the smiles that are ever gonna
haunt me--never coming home,
never coming home, could i? should i?

...and he had so much to say.

(nevercominghomenevercominghome)

And for a minute he sits there, bound by the blood and how beautiful she still is, was,
and for a moment believes that if he clutches her tight enough--

--..he might hear a heartbeat.

(you're not coming home.)

The first time I saw this scene I broke down sobbing. I felt like I lost a really good friend.
Sure, it's a video game, but anytime something happy and bright is taken away, don't you feel sad? :(
Song is, "The Ghost of You", by My Chemical Romance. It's the perfect Clerith angst song.

Please review.