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Chapter Fifty The weeks following the ordeal were long and agonizing ones. Midgar had been completely demolished, between the Weapon's attack and the conflict between Meteor and Holy, and tens of thousands who were unable to get clear were dead. The lucky ones who had been evacuated early were the only survivors, and it was rare among them to see a family untouched by tragedy. Mothers became childless, children became orphans, and newlyweds were torn apart before their lives together had even had a chance to begin. A few hopeful search parties returned to Midgar, hoping to find more survivors, but each team came back empty-handed, until finally the city was abandoned altogether, left to decay until the planet reclaimed it as a part of itself once more. Those who still lived gradually migrated towards Kalm, and though they were few compared to the number of those who had died, Kalm was unprepared to support such a drastic population increase.
Amidst all the chaos and loss, however, hope was not lost. Reeve stepped forward to address the refugees' concerns; as he had been the Midgar city planner, he understood the needs of a booming population, despite the fact that Shinra had always told him to ignore those needs in favor of their own profits. The mayor of Kalm quickly learned how insightful Reeve was without their badgering, and the two of them began to formulate a plan to compensate for the influx of refugees.
The others who had been a part of AVALANCHE stayed in Kalm for some time as well, helping to build houses and restore some semblance of order to the small village. Without Shinra's Mako energy, the coal mines had to be reopened, but the monsters that Shinra's reactors had created still remained. Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent cleared them out, and Barret was just the man to oversee the reopening process. Once Kalm's mines were open again, he said, he was going back to North Corel to see if he could do the same.
Cid spent his time using the Highwind to transport supplies from other parts of the world, keeping the refugees fed and clothed, while Red became a sort of spiritual leader among them. Most of the people didn't understand the smallest part of what had happened above Midgar that night, and so he spent much of his time explaining Bugenhagen's teachings to them, speaking of the planet and the Lifestream, and the unceasing cycle of spirit energy. Kit saw the effects of this firsthand; although she still didn't have even the faintest memory of what her previous life had been like, the knowledge she'd once had as a doctor of psychology remained in her, and she'd taken to counseling the more distraught refugees. Many of them took Red's words as a great comfort, and it helped them to deal with the loss of their loved ones.
Yuffie was the only one among the members of AVALANCHE who didn't stay in Kalm to help with the refugees. Initially she claimed she couldn't stay in one place too long, that she had to continue her quest for materia, but after several of the others had berated her for her selfishness, she finally admitted that she really just wanted to go back to Wutai. "After all this," she told them with uncharacteristic gravity, "it just seems like I've been taking a lot for granted, you know? I mean, there's all these little kids that lost the only home they ever knew, and some of them lost their parents too... This kid I saw the other day was crying 'cause he's never gonna see his dad again. And as much as my dad cheeses me off most of the time... well..." After an admission like that, no one could really accuse Yuffie of being selfish.
At least, not until a few minutes later, when she asked Cloud if she could take all the materia back with her. Even so, Cloud just smirked and let her have it, and the others agreed. The fighting was over - they had no need for it, nor did anyone else in Kalm.
After Yuffie had departed, only eight spheres of materia remained in Kalm: the ones that were placed in the hilt of the Masamune. It was Kit's little secret that she'd kept it, hidden away in a closet in the house she now occupied, only to be brought out when no one else was around. As her child grew within her, the absence of his father became more painful, but at least she had the sword and the ring around her finger to remind her. Somehow, whenever the pain seemed too much to bear, it was enough to hold the sword, to place her fingers just as his had been placed. If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel his hands closing over hers, correcting her grip and steadying her hands on the hilt.
Weeks stretched into months, and life in Kalm became more stable. Seeing that the situation was under control, Barret took Marlene and returned to North Corel to get started on their mines. Cid began to spend more time at home in Rocket Town, though he literally swore up and down that it had nothing to do with Shera. The others were all still present six months after the final battle, when the time finally came for Kit's son to be born.
Outside her room in the makeshift hospital that had been set up, her cry of pain reached Cait Sith's sensitive electronic ears, and the moogle stopped its worried pacing. "Is this natural, do you think?" he asked Cloud. "She sounds like she's in real pain, and she's been in labor now for six hours..."
"How would I know?" Cloud replied irritably. "It's not like I'm a midwife. I don't know anything about children." Obviously nervous, he turned and stared out the window as he had been doing for most of the day.
"What about you and Tifa?" Red asked him, trying to change the subject. He'd been sitting patiently by the door the entire time, the twitching of his tail the only sign of his anxiety. "Do you suppose you'll have children?"
"Tifa and I..." Cloud sighed. "There's a lot I have to sort out before I can even consider it." Another anguished cry came from inside the room, and Cloud clenched his fists at the sound. Reeve knew exactly what he was wondering - what kind of child would this be?
In a chair in the corner, Vincent was calmly reading a book, apparently ignoring the commotion in the next room, and the tension of those around him. Only someone with sharp eyes - or someone as desparate for distraction as Reeve was - would have noticed that since Vincent had seated himself in that chair, hours ago, he hadn't turned a single page.
Back in his office, Reeve sighed, wondering why Vincent was there at all. He probably knew more about what Kit was going through than any of them, and yet he did nothing. The man was too distant for Reeve to feel comfortable asking why. Reeve would have been there himself, offering Kit what comfort he could, if he hadn't had so much work to do. As much work as had been done already, there were hundreds of people still living in temporary houses and tents all around the outskirts of town. He couldn't get away from the office in good conscience, but at least he could be there by remote control.
More cries of pain came from within the room, and Cait cringed along with Reeve. "Why do women ever agree to have children?" he exclaimed. "She sounds like it's nearly killing her..."
"It's not, or we'd hear Elmyra and Tifa calling for a doctor," Cloud stated calmly. Doctors were in high demand in Kalm, and couldn't be spared for something as routine as the birth of a child, but luckily Aeris's mother had some experience as a midwife, during her time in Midgar. Kit was in as capable hands as she could be, and they all knew that, but even Cloud's face grew a little paler as her screams grew louder. Still, he refused to look away from the window.
Suddenly the tension in the room was snapped, as Vincent slammed his book closed and stood. Ignoring everyone's startled glances, he strode over to the door to Kit's room and went inside.
To the intro. That means it's mine, not yours! |
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