I don't own anything except for the story itself.

Arrogance. My tragic flaw. If ever I failed at something, it was because of the overconfidance set in place by years and years of unending success. Were it not for this, I'd have slain my foes at the northern crater, not to mention 2 years later. It's hard not to be arrogant when you're someone like me; genetically enhanced and manipulated from birth in the vein of superiority.

If I could take it all back... If I had known then what I know now...

You couldn't have known.

I know. I know. I shouldn't think about it. it's just that it's all I have to think about in this place. If I didn't have you for company, I don't know what I'd do.

I'm the only person who cares enough to talk to you. Everyone else blames you for what happened.

Ironic, isn't it? You're the last person I'd expect to want to talk to me. To think I killed someone so compassionate that she doesn't blame me for doing it.

You're thinking about it again.

Heh. I wish I could just see you. I don't even know for sure that you're real. You could be the figment of an onsetting insanity induced by the loniness of this void.

Ooh... well... I'm not supposed to be saying this, because it hasn't been decided yet, but you may be seeing me soon.

What?

You see... something has come up... and since there aren't any cetra left to defend the planet, they're bringing me back.

How does this involve me?

They want me to have a bodyguard, someone who can stop from happening to what happened to me last time. As you know, I'm no fighter, and we need the best in all of the lifestream. That title goes to you, hands down.

However...

You killed me. You almost killed the planet. Everyone knows you're the best, but they're nervous about releasing you into the world after what happened. I've been arguing your case, but I can't give it more than a 50/50 chance of success. These people can't get it through their skulls that you've changed, no matter how much evidence I have.

That's how politics work everywhere. Trust me.

Well, I've got to go. It could be the last day of the case, wish me luck.

So that's where you've been skipping off to. Good luck, I don't want to be trapped in here. And... if I... don't get chosen... Can you still talk to me?

Yeah, as long as I'm close to the ground and it's peacful and quiet. It'll be especially easy if i'm close to the lifestream.

That'll be good. I'll be waiting for the news.

Goodbye, Sephiroth...

Goodbye, Aeris...

"Sephiroth? I'm back."

The voice of Aeris Gainsborough rang through Sephiroth's head. Sephiroth had been waiting for huors. Counting every second since her depature, he could see why she wasn't supposed to tell him about the trial. Unable to bear the wait any longer, the answer now in front of him, he blurted "What's the news?"

After a wait, sephiroth's hopes began to turn tail. Was she waiting because the news was bad, or was she playing with him? "Well?"

"We won!!!"

Instant relief poured over Sephiroth like stepping into a hot bath. His emotions swam and darted, as his thoughts followed suit. What would become of him, now that he was to be set free? 3 years, 23 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes was far too long without the sight of anything but his own body floating in an empty void.

As if an answer to that thought, the void around him dissolved into a swirling mass of color. He felt the ground take shape below him as the colors faded into each other, creating the fantastic afterlife of the cetra before him. Standing there was Aeris, his friend, his councel, the person who was there for him when noone else was. It was magnificent. A vast meadow of bright flowers and a an equally far coastline, all as far as the eye can see and under a bright orange sky.

"Sephiroth!"

She ran towards him arms outstreched. Her emerald eyes swam with tears of joy, Her friend at long last liberated from the solitary shell that seperated them from each other.

Sephiroth had never had this expirience before, so he played it by ear.

Streching his arms out as well, he embraced her and twirled her around, as he had observed soldiers do as they came home to their loved ones. In truth, he had always wanted to have someone to come home to himself.

Setting her lightly on the ground, they turned and began to walk slowly along the beach.

"So, give me the details. What are we doing?"

Aeris sighed. While she didn't like it, sephiroth was right. The councel wouldn't take kindly to dilly-dalliying. "The conditions of your return are as follows: You never leave my side. Sleep where I sleep, eat what I eat, go where I go. If anything presents any sort of threat to me, you are to do anything to prevent it, even if it means your death. That's it."

"Somehow I feel as if that's going to be harder than it sounds."

Aeris giggled. Aeris admired Sephiroth's ever present wit.

He sighed. He wasn't used to orders being given in this manner. "You haven't told me the reason we're going back yet."

"That's a problem; We don't really know. Our first mission is to find out what it is."

A strange look crept over Sephiroth's face. This "mission" seemed poorly planned, as if noone knew what was going on. And then he realised that noone did. "Why don't you just ask the planet?"

"The planet doesn't communicate that way, in fact it can't communicate that way. It can convey emotions, ideas and metaphors. So "talking" to the planet is an incorrect statement."

"I see."

As they strode along the beach, an elderly figure presented itself infront of them. He wore a crooked purple hat, a tattered robe and carried an equally tattered and crooked cane.

"I'm afraid it's time to go, dear." He said to Aeris. He then turned to Sephiroth and gave him a look of utter disgust and hatred. "You too." He spat.

Sephiroth was used to this kind of treatment, even during his days as a general, but having it come from someone who was obviously compassionate and caring made him feel ashamed. This, until recently, almost never happened to sephiroth, but he was beginning to get used to the idea.

Aeris glanced at Sephiroth in a way that obviously said "I'm sorry." Her forgivness was probably the most helpful thing he'd had since his imprisonment.

The old man raised his hands above his head and the world began to disappear, like the dissapation of smoke from a burning cigarette. Soon his consciousness began to fade as well until none was left and his journey into the real world had begun.

Please read and review, I haven't written a story since I was a kid. Chapter 2 coming soon.