Cosmo Canyon - Remembering Aeris

---

Cloud and his party arrive at Cosmo Canyon and go up to the observatory to see Bugenhagen.

Bugenhagen
Ho Ho Hoooo. If you ever are in need of my wisdom, you are always welcome here.

Cloud
Yeah, that's why we came.

Bugenhagen
What to do? Have you lost your way? When that happens we each have to take a good long look at ourselves.
There's always something in the deepest reaches of our hearts.
Something buried, or something forgotten.
Remember it... Whatever that is, must certainly be what you are all looking for...

Cloud
That's easy enough to say... But, I can't remember a thing.

Bugenhagen
It must be there. Look harder!

Barret
This ain't no good with just us! Cloud, we gotta get some others in here.

Tifa
...no good. Cloud, let's have the others come.

Nanaki
nghh... no good. We alone cannot do it. We need to have the others here.

Yuffie
You expect me to know that? Let the others do it!

Cait Sith
How about it, Cloud? Shouldn't we have the others come?

Vincent
I don't know, Cloud. I think we should have everyone here.

Cid
Ahh, no good. Cloud you call the others in here too!

Cloud nods and calls up the others on his PHS. They all gather in the observatory.

Bugenhagen
Do you see it? What is it that you are searching for?

Cait Sith
Nope. Not a thing. Naw. Can't come up with a thing.

Yuffie
Me either! I don't get any of this!

Cloud
I remember Aeris a lot.
No... not that.
You haven't remembered.
You haven't forgotten.
That's not it...
How would you say it... Aeris was right there all along. Right by our side.
She was so close, we couldn't see her. What Aeris did... The words she left behind...

Tifa
That reminds me... I was the same.

Nanaki
......as was I.

Barret
Me too...

Cloud
She said she was the only one who could stop Sephiroth's Meteor.

Tifa
But Aeris is gone.

Nanaki
Is it impossible for us to carry on... what Aeris tried to accomplish?

Barret
We ain't no Ancients, if that's what ya mean.

Cid
What, did that girl go off to that place?

Cloud
That's it!!

Cid
What's it?

Cloud
We don't know about it.
What did Aeris know?
Why did she face Sephiroth without running away?

Nanaki
I see... She returned there once again, correct?

Bugenhagen
Hmmm. Perhaps I'll have you take me there.

Nanaki
You're going too?

Bugenhagen
What's so surprising about that...?
Even I want to get out from time to time and see the outside world. I wonder what did it? I haven't felt like this in ages.

Nanaki
It must be the planet. The planet is calling you!

Cid
Yeah, hoo boy, the planet calling... right.

He walks out.

Bugenhagen
Ho Ho Hoooo. Then let's go.

The others all file out ahead of Cloud and Bugenhagen.

Cloud
Oh yeah, Bugenhagen. I have one more thing I want to ask you.
We're carrying around Huge Materia. This is pretty delicate stuff and we would like to keep it in a safe place...

Bugenhagen
Ho Ho Hoooo. Then we'll put it upstairs. Now, shall we be on our way?
I'll teach you how to work the machine. Watch carefully now. You just pull this here...

The machine turns on, raising the platform into the planetarium. The Huge Materia Cloud has collected now hover amidst the model of the solar system.

Bugenhagen
Ho Ho Hoooo. Is this what you call Huge Materia...?
This is really rare Materia, indeed.
Materia this rare is certain to have a special consciousness enclosed in it.

Cloud
Huge Materia...
It is glowing strangely...
- Get closer...
- Leave it alone
- Go back down

On approaching the green Huge Materia:

Cloud
This color... it's the same color as magic Materia.

On approaching the yellow Huge Materia:

Cloud
This color... it's the same color as command Materia.

On approaching the red Huge Materia:

Cloud
This color... it's the same color as summoned Materia.

On approaching the blue Huge Materia:

Cloud
Is that... Bahamut...?

Once Cloud decides to go back down...

Bugenhagen
Ho Ho Hoooo. Good. Now let's leave.
Do you remember how to use the machine down below? If you ever want to see Materia, come here anytime.

---

Back on the Highwind, Bugenhagen hovers outside the Operation room.

Bugenhagen
Hm, hmm, hmm!.......
Smells like machinery.
I love this smell.
Of course, I also love the smell of nature, too......
Hm? Is the deck up there?
Then I'll be on the deck just passing the time.
I can feel the workings of the planet in the smell of the wind.
I also feel the greatness of man's wisdom and the knowledge in the smell of machinery...
Well, bye for now.

He floats off to the deck above.

I wonder where you're taking me?

Yuffie
Cloud...... urp...... ugh.
You know, I was thinking...... phew...... Why does materia always have something to do with battles or magic?
I bet the Ancients must've always been fighting.
It must've been... ugh... terrible...

Barret
And Aeris... she's dead.
Guess she turned into spiritual energy and returned to the planet, huh?
But even if she did, there's no way we'll meet her again...

Tifa
I wonder what Aeris felt... when she was on that altar...?

Cloud
I'm sure she wanted to give her life for the planet...

Tifa
Really? I wonder? I don't think that's it at all.
I think she didn't think she would die at all, but that she planned on coming back all along.
She always used to talk about the 'Next time'.
She talked about the future more than any of us...
Although she never talked about it to us she must've had a rough life...
I think Aeris looked forward to tomorrow and the future more than anyone...
...she must've had many many dreams......

Nanaki
Aeris used to pat me on the nose sometimes.
I used to hate being treated like a child like that, but I also liked the attention.
I wanted to apologize to her for what I did when we first met.

Cait Sith
I went an' told Aeris' Mom about her death.
Yes, an' Miss Elmyra was cryin' herself silly... So was little Marlene...

Vincent
City of the Ancients...
The Ancients... after a long time that is probably what others will come to call us...
Hmmm... hwa ha ha ha... It's only a matter of time for us.

Cid
Aeris...?
I wanted to give her a ride in the Highwind......

Learner Pilot (LV11)
Okay then, let's go!

Cloud
- Let's go!
- Wait a sec......

Cloud and the others set out for the City of the Ancients.

---

If you speak to some of the villagers while Bugenhagen is with the party...

Elder Hargo (in the observatory)
I hope great Bugenhagen will take care and not overexert himself.
'Ho Ho Hoooo.' I may be light, But I'm not as young as Nanaki.
Oops. That will only get you angry. You're just like me. Ho ho ho.

Kid in Nanaki's Room
Both Nanaki and Mr. Bugenhagen are gone... I feel so lonely...

Or, if Nanaki is in the party:

That Nanaki's slick! He said, 'I'll protect this canyon'! But he didn't. I don't care about Nanaki anymore...

Nanaki
Sorry... I'm really sorry. But now, I have......

< Lucrecia's Cave | Cosmo Canyon | City of the Ancients >