DISCLAIMER: If I owned FF7, would I be writing fanficiton?
Aeris wandered around the house, bored. 'I explored the town yesterday, finished cleaning the house earlier and now I have nothing to do…' She wished it wasn't so cold here so she could start a garden. Although, that would probably be a waste of time considering that Sephiroth said that they wouldn't be here long. She continued meandering through the house, making her way upstairs to the kitchen area. 'Oh, yeah! Those videos and papers! I can look through them to see if I can throw them away!' Aeris, excited at the prospect of something to do, immediately rushed towards to drawer she had stuffed them in the day before.
It took her awhile, but eventually she had figured how to work the complicated video system that had been set up. Aeris grabbed the one labelled 'The Original Crisis' and began to play it. At first the screen remained dark, but after a few seconds the screen showed the room Aeris was currently in, although the color seemed a little strange. The video moved up and down like the camera wasn't sure where it was supposed to be. On screen, there was a man dressed in a lab coat and a beautiful woman in a red dress. Aeris studied the woman closely. Something about her was so familiar. Who was she? All of the sudden, the man went to stand next to the woman.
"Camera's ready!" He announced excitedly, sounding almost like a kid. He seemed to remember he was an adult, and started talking again in a professsional voice. "Then, Ifalna, please tell us about the Cetra." He stepped away from her, as if to let her take the spotlight, but continued to focus all of his attention on her.
"2000 years ago, our ancestors, the Cetra, heard the cries of the Planet. The first ones to discover the Planet's wound were the Cetra at the Knowlespole." The woman, Iflana, stated. Aeris paused the video excitedly to think. 'Is this some kind of history of the Cetra?! Am I going to be able to find out more, finally?' She took a deep breath to calm down. Just as she was about to start the video again, something else clicked in her head. 'That woman's name is…Iflana? That was… My mother's name… Is that…?' Could it be? Aeris had vague memories of her mother. Most of her memories involved the Shin-Ra headquaters. 'I'll have to listen to her voice. I hear her voice sometimes, so I should recongize it.' Aeris swallowed hard, and pressed play again.
"Tell us Ifalna... Where is the land called 'Knowlespole'?" The scientist asked her.
"Knowlespole refers to this area. The Cetra then began a Planet-reading." Her voice. It sounded the same. There was no way, was there?
"Ifalna, what exactly does Planet-reading entail?"
"...I can't explain it very well, but it's like having a conversation with the Planet... It said something fell from the sky making a large wound. Thousands of Cetra pulled together, trying to heal the Planet... But, due to the severity of the wound, it was only able to heal itself, over many years." Iflana gestured while she was speaking, as if to make it easier to understand. But Aeris did understand. She had many conversations with the Planet. In fact, when she was younger, it seemed like, besides her foster mother, the Planet was the only one she ever talked to.
"Do the Ancients, rather, the Cetra, have special powers to heal the Planet?" The man questioned her. She shook her head.
"No, it's not that kind of power." She paused like she was trying to think of a way to explain it. "The life force of all living things on this Planet becomes the energy. The Cetra tried desperately to cultivate the land so as not to diminish the needed energy..."
"Hmm, even here so close to the North Cave, the snow never melts. Is that because the planet's energy is gathered here to heal its injury?" Iflana lowered her head after this question was asked, like it hurt her to think about it.
"Yes, the energy that was needed to heal the Planet withered away the land... then the Planet... The Planet tried to persuade the Cetra to leave the Knowlespole, but..." Her voice broke at the end and she stopped talking. Aeris felt her eyes get wet too, as she thought of the pain the Planet must have been in. In the video, the doctor lifted his shoulders.
"Ifalna... Let's take a break." He suggested to her softly. He sounded so gentle when he said that. 'Who is this man? Are they…?' Aeris wondered. Iflana shook her head.
"I'm all right... When the Cetra... were preparing to part with the land they loved..." She turned her body away, but not before Aeris saw the look of intense pain she had on her face. "That's when it appeared! It looked like... our... our dead mothers... and our dead brothers. Showing us specters of their past."
"Who is the person that appeared at the North Cave? I haven't any idea." The man asked, still talking gently.
"That's when the one who injured the Planet... or the 'crisis from the sky', as we call him, came." Iflana continued, almost as if she hadn't heard him. She covered her face up with her hands. "He first approached as a friend, deceived them, and finally...... gave them the virus." She paused in her story and looked up again. "The Cetra were attacked by the virus and went mad... transforming into monsters." She sank to the floor. It was almost she was talking about the loss of her entire family, the intense pain she displayed. The scientist ran to her side. "Then, just as he had at the Knowlespole. He approached other Cetra clans...... infecting them with... the virus..."
"You don't look well... Let's call it a day." He told her softly, rubbing her back for a moment before walking back over to the console and pressing a few buttons. With that, the video ended. There were more videos and Aeris fully intended to watch them. But at the moment she felt completely off balance. 'That was my mother. I know it. I can feel it. My mother.' She took a couple of deep breaths because she felt dangerously dizzy. This was unbelievable. What were the odds of this? Of her ending up in this town, in this house where her mother had lived so long ago. Of there not being anyone living here now, of her belongings still being here, of the videos still working. 'My mother.' Aeris realized that she had been crying.
"She was really beautiful." She said out loud, clutching the video to her chest. 'I've got to watch the next one,' she said to herself, already putting the called 'What is Weapon'?' in the player, and leaning forward eagerly. On screen, the same scientist was pressing buttons on the console thing again. Her mother was sitting down in the corner, and Aeris' eyes stayed glued to her. The man took a few steps closer to her.
"Ifalna, can you comment on the thing called 'Weapon'?" He asked.
"Yes, Professor," she replied, smiling. She stood up and walked over to him. "The one the Professor mistook for a Cetra... was named Jenova. That is the 'crisis from the sky'. The Planet knew it had to destry the 'crisis from the sky'... You see, as long as Jenova exists, the Planet will never be able to fully heal itself." Jenova? Oh, no. Aeris started to feel worried about Sephiroth as she watched this.
"Back then, Weapon was a weapon the Planet produced of its own will?" The professor questioned.
"Yes, but... There is no record of Weapon ever being used. A small number of the surviving Cetra defeated Jenova, and confined it. The Planet produced Weapon... But it was no longer necessary to use it." She replied. The man shrugged.
"So, Weapon no longer exists on the Planet?" Iflana shook her head as he said this.
"Weapon cannot vanish. ...It remains asleep somewhere on the Planet. Even though Jenova is confined, it could come back to life at some time... The Planet has not fully healed itself yet. It is still watching Jenova." 'Yes it is,' Aeris thought, 'only now the Planet has only me, a half breed to defend it.' She sighed. 'I hope I don't let you down, mom.' The video continued, interrupting her thoughts.
"Where is Weapon?" He wanted to know. Iflana looked away.
"I don't know...... I can't hear the voice of the Planet well... Times... have changed. The Planet... is probably watching this situation closely." She rubbed her eyes, like she was trying to get rid of tears. The Professor turned away and shook his head, almost like he was disappointed. Then he turned back.
"…Thank you, Iflana, that will be all for today." He told her softly, before turning the camera off once again. Weapon. That was the creature that had come out of the Northern Crater when Aeris had been there before. Did that mean that Jenova's plan was still going forward? What about Sephiroth? What was happening? 'The next video. Maybe it will tell me something.' She grabbed the one that said confidential and popped it in the player. After a moment, two choices appeared on the screen. 'Daughter's Record: 10th Day After Birth' and 'Daughter's Record: 20th Day After Birth'. 'Daughter's record? Is it… about me?' Aeris wondered, her heart beating wildly. She choose the first option, 10 days. The screen went black.
"What are you doing, Profes...... I mean, honey?" Iflana's voice asked, although the screen remained dark.
"Oh, I'm thinking of taping it on video. But, the video's not working right..." The professor answered, sounding confused. Aeris could hear him pressing buttons and moving around, but the video never came on.
"What are you going to tape? Is there still something I haven't mentioned?"
"No, that's not it. I'm going to record my beautiful daughter." He replied proudly. 'Is he talking about me? Is he my father?' "And when she's sleeping, her face ...looks like an angel." He said it softly, and Aeris wondered if he was looking at her as a baby when he said it. Iflana laughed a little.
"First, we have to figure out her name. We can take the video later!" she scolded him lightly.
"I've already decided! If it's a girl, then it'll be Aeris. That's that!" He announced. 'My name. He is my father. My father named me. I never knew that.' Tears welled up in her eyes as she listened.
"You are SO selfish! But Aeris is a good name!" Iflana was smiling as she said it, Aeris was sure she could hear it in her voice. "Hee hee... it's a good name, considering it came out of that forgetful head of yours!" They both laughed at that.
"Right!? Oh, the video tape......" Aeris could hear the professor, her father, press another button and her parents voices stopped. There was a lot to consider after watching these videos, but she didn't giver herself time to think. She immediately started the 20 days video. This time it wasn't just audio so Aeris got to see her parents again. Her father was at the console, probably fixing it after the error in playing last time. Her mother came over to stand next to him.
"Video again? You just got through taping!" She said to him, surprised. He gave her a hurt look.
".........Please don't say it that way." He pouted at her. "It's our lovely daughter, both yours... and mine! Don't you want to capture her childhood on videotape?"
"If you keep doting on her like that, she won't grow up to be strong... Aeris is different from the other children. I wonder what dangers await her...?" Iflana sounded worried and sad. Aeris felt the tears that had been sitting in her eyes spill over. Her father faced away from her mother.
"Never say that! I will protect you and Aeris no matter what!!" He turned back to face her. "You and Aeris are my only treasures. I'll never let you go!!" 'If he meant that, then where did he go? Why can't I remember him at all?' Aeris wondered.
"I feel so much better now, darling." Iflana said, smiling at him. Her eyes looked wet. "If I hadn't met you, I......" Her voice broke. The professor walked over to her and put his arms around her neck. Just as he leaned in to kiss her, there was a knock on the door. He pulled away and turned to face it.
"Who could that--! I was just about to..." He sounded annoyed. "Damn!!" He grabbed his head, probably to let out his frustration. Her mother covered her face, looking a little embarrassed. "How dare they intrude on our 'private time' together!"
"I'll send them away." Iflana said, looking at him.
"Yes, at once!! Who the devil?" Aeris couldn't help smiling at this point. They were kind of cute together, so in love and happy. Iflana walked over to the door and opened it. A strong wind blew through the room.
"It, it's them!!" Iflana cried out, sounding scared. She ran behind the professor to hide. Two Shin-Ra guards ran into the room, guns out, followed by Hojo. Aeris swallowed, a sick feeling in her stomach as she watched. Hojo walked right up to her father.
"Heh, heh, heh...... I've been searching for you, Ifalna... Or should I say, Cetra!" Both of Aeris' parents stared at him defiantly. "Long time no see, Professor Gast!" 'My father was Professor Gast? I didn't know…'
"Hojo... How did you know?" He asked, angrily.
"Believe me, I had to turn over a stone or two to find you." He replied, in his nasally voice. Hojo turned away, and Gast shook his head. "Two years I waited.... That's how much I wanted this new sample..... Ha, ha, ha." He turned back to face her father. He looked shocked as he stared at the unwelcome visitor.
"...New sample? You don't mean Aeris!?" He grabbed onto the front of Hojo's lab coat, furiously. the guards pointed their guns at Gast, and he froze. Hojo pushed him away.
"Hmm, Aerith? What a nice name...... Ha, ha, ha." He looked at Aeris' parent arrogantly. Gast grabbed his head, again.
"That's it! I'm severing all ties with the Shinra." He decided out loud. "Hojo, please leave." For the first time since the people from Shin-Ra had appeared, Iflana moved. She walked, very calmly, in front of Gast and knelt in front of Hojo.
"Please, Aerith has nothing to do with it! All you want is me, right?" She looked calm, but her voice sounded very panicked. Gast looked at her shocked.
"Ifalna!" He looked so scared. 'Oh, please, I don't want to watch this.' Aeris thought, but she couldn't bring herself to stop the video. Hojo nodded at Iflana.
"I'll need all of you for my experiment." He looked at her father. "You understand, don't you, Professor Gast? We can change the future of the Planet!" He sounded like some kind of crazy cult leader. Gast stepped forward and knelt on the floor next to Iflana.
"Don't worry, Ifalna. I'll take care of this!" He tried to reassure her and she tried to smile at him.
"Please don't put up a fight. I don't want any harm to come to my precious sample." Hojo said calmly. He turned to face the camera. "Mmm? What a funny looking camera. Guard! Destroy it!" One of the guards, the one closet to the camera, turned and shot at the camera. Aeris jumped as he did so, almost forgetting that she was just watching and not actually in the video. The screen went black, but she could still hear everything that was going on. "Be careful with her!! Ha, ha, ha......" There was the sounding of someone struggling, and the something that sounded like someone being hit.
"Wh... what are you doing, Professor!?" Iflana cried out.
"Ifalna! Take Aerith and run!!" Gast answered, sounding out of breath. Out of nowhere, there was the sound of a gunshot. Iflana screamed.
"Darling......!!" There was a pause, and the sound of her mother crying, and the sound of a baby crying.
"Oh, and uh... don't forget the child!" Hojo commanded. There was sounds like he was rifling through something. "Hmm, a video? The Ancients... Weapon!?" He sounded excited. "Heh, heh, heh... a mountain of treasure! Thank you, Professor... Ha, ha, ha." The sound faded on Hojo's laughter. Aeris sat in front of the video player, frozen. Tears continued to stream down her face. 'My parents. I saw them alive and I heard my father die. He tried to protect us.' She tried to stop crying, so she could process the information she had just received, but she couldn't. She stood up and walked over to the sink to splash water on her face. She tried to gulp in air, but she just kept crying. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face it, and saw Sephiroth standing there, looking concerned.
"What happened?" He asked. He looked around the room, almost like he was expecting an attack. Without thinking about it, Aeris stepped forward, buried her face in his chest, and wrapped her arms around him. She felt his body stiffen, but she stayed anyway. She just needed someone to hold her right now. After a moment, his arms awkwardly went around her, and Aeris held him closer. She would need to figure out what everything meant soon, but, for now, she just breathed in and grieved for her parents.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh, my God! A new chapter! I'm so sorry! I suck as an author! And even I find this chapter kind of boring, but I'm trying to figure out where this story is going, so bear with me. Anyways, no promises as to when I'll upload another chapter. I don't have reliable use of a computer. So, I hope you enjoy this, and I'm sorry if you don't. And also, thank you very much to all the people who have read and reviewed this story! You guys are the reason I even bother! So thanks!