Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.
SEA
Aerith had never seen the sea before. It was HUGE. It scared her.
She stood on the beach, letting the waves wash over her bare feet, boots discarded at the beach's edge. Tifa stood back, impatiently alternating glances between her and the camp farther inland, but Aerith didn't care. She wanted to see the sea. To see it with her own eyes.
She looked at the wide expanse of water, wondering why it looked so blue, wondering how long it went on for, and if someone was standing on the other side, just like her.
She wondered what it would feel like to stand in the middle of it, look all around yourself, and see nothing but water.
She took a step further. Then another, looking down at the water swirling around her feet, fascinated. The water was coming in, cold and cool, then going out, taking sand with it. The shifting of the sand beneath her feet, tickled her slightly, made her feel as it the ground was moving beneath her feet.
It was fun.
She giggled, and took a step further. The water was up to her ankles now. The occasionally sea-shell came in with it. She bent over, picked a small one up. It sparkled, slightly gritty from the sand, a little broken. She held it up to the light of the setting sun, watched it sparkle, then threw it as far as she could. Seized by a sudden playfulness, she kicked out at the water, ran on further.
An incoming wave brought the water up to her thighs.
The sudden force, the sudden, sheer force of the water, made her stumble, and fall backwards. She went down.
"Aerith!"
Tifa came over, pulling her out. "You crazy?" The other girl asked, balancing her. Aerith clung to her arm, suddenly petrified and exhilarated at the same time, looking around herself.
"Its so strong," she murmured. "It-it could pull me along with it, take me away…"
"Of course it could. Several people drown on the beach by accident," Tifa retorted.
Aerith looked up at her, eyes shining. Another wave washed over the, and Tifa gripped Aerith tighter. "Come on," she said.
"No," Standing rigidly, holding on tightly to Tifa, Aerith closed her eyes and felt the wave go back, feeling as if she was moving along with it, moving into the sea, with the water around her and the sand under her and the wind on her face whipping her hair around, the scent of the sea, feeling, feeling…
…feeling the planet around her.
It was there, suddenly, the voice of the planet, the heart of the planet, the full force of it, talking and touching her, the barrier placed by Midgar was suddenly removed, she could feel it, hear it, smell it, see it…
"Aerith? We have to go back."
Aerith opened her eyes. Tifa was standing next to her, outlined by the sun, her hair a wild dark curtain around her, her red eyes wide with worry, and thought, she looks pretty, she is pretty, she's a child of the planet, as much as I am…
Softly, gently, she brushed back Tifa's hair. Then, with an impish grin, she started running back up the beach, calling out: "Race you back to camp!"
Tifa stared. Then, smiling, she shook her head, and followed her friend back.
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