Chapter 5: Turning Tides

It was a long walk back for Sora as her father lectured her on the fundamentals of fighting, which didn't include running into dangerous places without any training. The fact that she had gotten hurt was why they were so worried about her. Aeris rarely became apprehensive when Sora went out and for it to happen now sent alarms off in her parent's heads. Cloud wasn't as forgiving as Aeris about the incident that had sent them off running towards the Midgar ruins. It was because of that that Sora now had to train with her father.

Before Sora had met Seph, she had planned all along to train with her father but now she felt differently. She felt comfortable around him and that was what she liked. Sora's mother knew the punishment she had received was very fair and it would only seem like a punishment to her. As Sora thought about this, the three of them were now reaching their home. They'd been walking in silence ever since Aeris had dealt out Sora's punishment and Cloud was in front of them now.

Cloud turned around. "Are you ready to start your training tomorrow, Sora?"

She couldn't help but smile as she tried to look on the bright side. "Of course! Maybe I'll beat you and we won't have too practice."

"You won't even be able to scratch me!" Cloud turned back toward the house with a wave of his hand as if he didn't care.

Sora jumped on him in a fit of playful rage. Aeris couldn't help but giggle as the two of them tumbled to the ground, laughing.

A mile or more away, Seph wasn't having as great a time as Sora. As he'd expected his mother was nowhere to be seen inside the old church. It was nothing new to him but there was always that hope she would still be there. He tried to look past the sad reality of his life as he sat down on one of the pews, letting his sword ease out of his gloved.

His mother told him it wouldn't be this way for long but that was eight years ago when he had been six years old. Just as he'd been back then he still didn't know the truth behind his move to the Midgar ruins. There was only the faint memory of his mother's hurried whispering as someone knocked on the front door. Seph couldn't remember her words exactly but he was sure they had been instructions. From that point on he only remembered dragging Masamune through a trapdoor in the closet into an underground passage.

After that moment in his memory everything blurred together leaving only the feeling of how exhausted he had become dragging his sword behind him. From then on, he didn't see or go near his old house that his mother still lived in. She forbid him to ever go near the underground passage's entrance again and so he never did. Seph never questioned his mother about those things because he knew she wouldn't do something if it weren't right.

Seph stood up not wanting to sit there and feel sorry for himself any longer. Besides, he still wanted to practice fighting, despite the small headache that was starting to form. Picking up his sword Seph went into the back room of the church.

Sora lay staring at the ceiling with her mind clouded by thoughts of the day's earlier events. She hadn't thought Seph had a mother but today that notion was destroyed. Razu did seem like she cared about him even if it wasn't in a motherly way. Sora just couldn't put her finger on the reason why. There wasn't any more time for her to come to a conclusion because Aeris came into the room.

"Are you okay, Sora?" Aeris shut the door behind her. "What happened today?"

"I don't know...this monster attacked us and...I met Seph's mother....but then." Sora's voice trailed off as she sat up. "I've been having these weird visions and things...ever since I met him." The look on Aeris's face caused Sora to add. "They weren't anything bad...the visions I mean."

"If you see nothing wrong with going then I'm okay with it." Aeris turned to leave. "But you still have to practice with your father tomorrow."

AN: Okay it's been over a year.. Sorry it's so short. I'm sorry and sorry I made everyone wait so long but thanks to my English teacher I'm writing a hell'a'va lot better. I've also been revising this story slowly but surely. I started this chapter a long time ago but then I erased it and started over because I had not liked it. I'll try to write the next chapter mostly likely by mid April due to English homework that has been piling up as of late. So until then, bye!