Chapter One

by: Micci McGuire

Aeris Gainsborough searched the scenery of her church for the item that eluded her so well. It must have grown legs and ran while she tended to her flowers, for it was gone now. Aeris stomped her foot.

"Where are you?" she demanded to thin air.

Finally she sighed and spotted the spout of her watering bottle, hiding behind one of the broken pews.

"There you are." she said, walking to it and picking it up. She filled it with water from a tub a few feet away and smiled. For the next four hours she tended to her flowers, until suddenly she stood and realized it was already dark.

She froze in hear. The last time she had tried to travel at night she was attacked and almost raped, if not some mysterious guy, who appeared out of nowhere and killed the man, and was gone before she could even thank him. She hated traveling home at all, because the Turks loved to chase her. She was a Cetra, and someone in their organization wanted her. They had been trying to kidnap her since she was a child.

She thought of other things, like who would possibly want her? Then she remembered stories of a fabled SOLDIER General being alive. Sephiroth. She had seen his face in newspapers, and read stories of his destruction. He was a ruthless, merciless, heartless murderer. He was the worst of worst demons, straight from hell. He had enhanced senses of smell and sight, due to the Mako given to him while he was in SOLDIER. She read he could move as fast as a cheetah, and made no sounds whatsoever. He was all in all scary.

Aeris grabbed her staff off the wall, something she never did, but this was a special occasion. She moved towards the doors, then turned and said a silent goodbye to her flowers before leaving.

She stepped through the door and surveyed the scene before ever taking another step. Satisfied, she closed the door and began walking, gripping her staff close to her. She made her way until she was about halfway home when she heard something move behind her. She didn't turn to see what it was, she just walked faster, hoping it was all in her head. Suddenly, someone grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

She screamed and dropped her staff.

There in front of her stood a tall scraggly mna, smiling maliciously. "Well, are you a sweet little delicacy. I would hate to ruin your innocence..." he said. Aeris gasped. She back up, but the man stepped forward. She continued backing up, but he continued to advance, until suddenly her back was to the wall. She saw her staff laying on the ground a few feet back. If she could just get to it.

The man didn't give her another chance before grabbing her, ferociously trying to pull her clothes off while pnning her to the wall so she couldn't escape. She screamed and slapped him, but it didn't phase him. He just squeezed her arms and kissed her harder. She pushed him, and he lost his balance and she ran for her staff. But something caused her to fall and the man leaped on her, crawling on top of her and pinning her arms above her head on the ground and kissing her more.

She screamed again.

Suddenly, the man stopped kissing her at the sound of a shotgun cocking a shell into the chamber.

The man turned and saw three other men standing behind him, all three in dark blue suits, staring at him.

"Get off the girl." one said.

The man laughed. "She's mine. I claim her." he said.

This time Tseng laughed. "She has value to Hojo. She is coming with us. Unless of course she would rather try her luck with you, be raped and never get over it, while we capture her anyway." he said.

Aeris' eyes widened. At least she could fend off the raper.

Tseng seemed to sense Aeris' answer, but didn't giver her time to give it. He then motioned to Rude, the man with the shotgun, and nodded. Rude pulled the trigger, and man blew backwards, bleeding profusely, dead.

Aeris screamed and jumped up.

Reno started walking towards her, but she screamed and turned to run.

"I advise you not to do that. Reno might just have to chase you down." Tseng snickered. Aeris turned and stared at him. She stayed quiet.

Reno continued towards her, pulling out a stun baton and pulsing electricity through the air.

"I would not do that if I were you." a deep voice said from the shadows. All eyes were on him as he stepped out of the shadows, a tall man with bulging muscles and long silver hair. He had glowing Mako green eyes.

Aeris gasped. It was the man from the newspapers. Sephiroth...

Sephiroth drew his sword and stared at Reno in disgust.

"Do not take another step towards her." Sephiroth seethed.

Aeris gulped. Sephiroth was going to take her from the Turks. She would rather be with the Turks then sudden death. Actually, she realized she would be better off way from them both. While they were busy with each other, they wouldn't notice her run.

She took off as fast as she could, leaving them behind. She turned to see if any were following, and Reno was already on her tail, already smiling about his victory. Aeris raised her speed, determined to get away.

Tseng sighed, shaking his head. He turned to Sephiroth, but he was already gone. Realizing what Sephiroth's plan was, he yelled for Rude to chase Reno.

Aeris ran around the corner, hoping to lose Reno. Suddenly, two hands reached out and grabbed her, one around the mouth, one around her waist.

She was pulled into the shadows and pressed into the body of someone else, her mouth securely covered.

"Do not be afraid. I will not harm you." Spehiroth's deep voice whispered in her ears.

This did not ease Aeris' fear. She wanted to scream, but didn't want to anger the murderer behind her.

Reno appeared around the corner, looked around for Aeris, and stamped his foot.

"Damn it!" he yelled. Tseng and Rude appeared too. They split up, and disappeared.

"Don't scream." Sephiroth whispered, letting her go. She whirled around on him.

"Aeris, I will not hurt you. I swear it." he said. Aeris watched his face closely.

"How do I know you are not lying?" she asked. Sephiroth stepped forward and touched her face softly.

"What does your gut say?" he asked. Aeris closed her eyes and delved into her senses, searching for the sign of danger, and found none. She opened her and looked up at Sephiroth, who smiled.

"See?" he said. Aeris nodded. He moved closer to her, and suddenly Aeris' senses flared with danger. Sephiroth's must have too, becuase he grabbed her and pulled her back into the shadows.

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, and he turned her away from the opening, and anyone looking at them would only see his back. Aeris closed her eyes and used the closeness to search his heart and soul for danger towards her.

"Run child!"

"Bad danger!"

"He will kill you!"

Aeris ignored the Elders and continued in her search. The planet screamed in her head, but she ignored that too.

Finally, she seemed satisfied. There was no danger. Reno and rude came around the corner and continued on.

Sephiroth let her go and smiled at her. "Come with me. It's not safe here." he said.

Aeris nodded and followed him as he led the way. They talked and Aeris was focused intently on him, not even realizing where they were until they were there.

She gasped when she recognized her house.

"How did you know where I lived?" Aeris asked.

"I have been watching the last of our race, Aeris."

Aeris was silent and just watched him.

"Remember, you are always safe." he said said. Aeris nodded and smiled.

She looked at her house, still unbelieving. She turned back to Sephiroth to thank him.

But he was gone.