Don't own.

A/N: I decided to put a side note to remind you of the endings of the previous chapters, on the request of Foi. So, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

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Here's where we left off :

When she was finally able to get a hold of herself and Sephiroth assured her that she would be fine, Aerith wiped her tears off her face before thanking him with a shaky, small voice. Then, she used her remaining energy to cast a healing spell on herself, easing the last of her pain. A moment later, she closed her heavy eyelids, eager to get some well deserved sleep.

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A few hours later, sitting in a corner of the small cavern, Sephiroth listened to the sound of the rain falling endlessly on the drenched ground as Aerith still slept peacefully, her back facing him

'Maybe I should have helped her sooner…She will be a painfully grumpy after this…' he thought in the back of his mind, still thinking about the cruel blow the monster was about to give her.

Hoping that he was wrong and that she wasn't going to hold it against him like some frustrated child, he let out an exasperated sigh, trying to ignore the fact that if she decided to make him pay for it, he would deserve it.

But, when he had seen the monster lend a blow on her small frame, all interrogations had left his mind in a split-second and he rushed to her side without even thinking. Strangely, he had been afraid for her… and when she broke down in tears in front of him, her shoulders shaking from all kinds of emotions, he had been sincerely relieved to see that she was very well alive. Even if he admitted those facts to himself, Sephiroth still couldn't understand why he felt that way.

After all, he didn't care about her… did he? … She was only a tool for him to play with until he found something better to do, nothing more … There was no way he could feel pointless, human emotions and lower himself to the level of all other beings, who are blindingly following what they call their heart, willingly throwing themselves in the pit of sorrow that would certainly engulf them as soon as their illusionary happiness would be gone, leaving them with nothing more than the suffocating darkness of the harsh reality.

Then, they would cry, scream at the heavens for allowing their suffering, letting a cloud of black despair consume their weak, pathetic soul and destroy them forever.

'Even the greatest light will always, someday, turn black…That's reality.' he thought as a slight smirk drew itself on his lips.

Of course he wasn't like that. …Maybe he wasn't a spawn of Jenova anymore, maybe his body was completely human now…but his mind was way more stronger than that. He would never be caught in the cobwebs of human illusions.

…Right? …

As he reflected, soft whimpers broke through his train of thoughts, drawing his attention back to the small brunette lying in the opposite corner of the room. Obviously, she had woken up, if she had been sleeping at all.

Then, she rose to a sitting position before casting a healing spell on herself, finally removing all the bruises from her body, as if she was never attacked at all. But, that didn't stop her tears from falling as she buried her face in her hands, her back stubbornly facing Sephiroth. Getting annoyed at her for obviously trying her best to ignore his presence, he decided that he would not allow her to avoid him.

"There's no need to hide yourself in a dark corner, Aerith. I know you're crying" he said, his tone neutral.

Desiring nothing more than to be left alone while she hopelessly cried her heart out, Aerith stayed silent, listening to the cold monotony of the falling rain mixed with her sorrowful sighs, wishing for him to understand her unspoken wishes and let her be. But, Sephiroth absolutely couldn't stand the sight of her, stubbornly turning her back on him. For some reason, it made him feel as if she was trying to provoke him by ignoring his presence… and he felt as if fulfilling her wish would give her a small victory over him.

"…Come here, Aerith" he said a bit harshly, immediately noticing her body tense at the sound of his voice.

"I…I…want to be alone…" she cried, wondering why he had spoken in such a demanding tone.

"Well, that's too bad, because you're not, and I certainly won't leave this place to go sit outside under the cold rain like a damned fool" he spat, becoming impatient.

Surprised to hear him say something almost vulgar, she couldn't help but giggle, ignoring the slight anger that touched his voice.

"What?" he growled, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. …You're right, Seph. Forgive me." She said softly, finally turning to face him.

"Now, that's better…but I told you to come here"

Even if she didn't want to obey to what felt like an order, Aerith knew that if she didn't want to annoy him even more, doing as she was told would be the wisest thing to do. So, she got to her feet and approached him hesitantly before finally sitting by his side. Then, a heavy silence fell upon them, as the air became thick with nervous tension.

So, as nothing distracted her from her gloomy thoughts, Aerith went back to thinking about the dream she just had, wiping away a few tears that fell down her cheeks. Noticing it, Sephiroth sighed softly, wondering how she could be so frail, sentimental, …weak … and, at the same time, have a will stronger than steel.

To him, those two characteristics just didn't fit together. A strong person could not show such weaknesses, and he was sure that Aerith was strong. Not to mention that she, of all people, had been able to overcome his greatest plans. Aerith was simply something he was completely unable to understand, a small being that contradicted his deepest convictions simply by existing.

That fact was enough to fuel his curiosity, and he decided to try and understand her way. After all, he never missed an occasion to learn something that could be useful to him someday…

"…Why are you crying?" he finally asked.

"Well…your allusions about Zack and me…made me think about him…and…I…realise that I miss him, so much…he…he's going to disappear forever, if he didn't already…" she struggled to say, feeling as if all the loneliness in the world was weighing down her small shoulders.

Listening to her words, the silver haired man stayed silent, unable to stop himself from being disturbed by her declaration. For some reason, it made him a bit mad to hear her talk about the raven haired man.

"I know I have to let him go, to leave everything behind, but…It…it's so hard…death is so cruel, Sephiroth…" she whimpered, sniffling slightly as she tried to wipe away her tears, only to have more of it flowing down her face.

"There's no point in thinking about such things. Nobody can do anything about it." he stated, a bit to coldly for Aerith's tastes, but she decided to ignore it.

"…You're right. But…I…feel so alone…since the day he left for Nibelheim and never came back, I feel like he abandoned me…even if I knew it wasn't the case…But…how could I think otherwise? I always was an outcast" she continued, unable to bear the aching of her heart as she tried to steady her breathing.

As he understood her on some level, Sephiroth nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"But I should be alright now. I have...new friends to care about…in Radiant Garden, my sister is waiting for me…And I know that, she believes in me. But now…I…can't even get to know her… I miss her, Sephiroth…I miss my mother, too…"

'I miss… him…'

"What do you want to do?"

"I…want to go back. My home, my life is in Radiant Garden. My place is with them… and I know that I don't need to keep an eye on you…not anymore…"

As she spoke those words, Sephiroth felt a strange aching tear at his chest and he clenched his eyes shut, turning his head on the other side of Aerith's emerald gaze.

"You'll be fine on your own, that's for sure. …And you're obviously annoyed by my unwanted company" she stated, rubbing at her eyes as her tears finally calmed.

'You're wrong…' …

Angry at himself for letting her words touch him, if only a little, he took a deep, calming breath before opening his reptilian eyes again, turning his cold gaze towards Aerith's puffy face.

"When do you want to leave?" he asked, his tone neutral.

"…After I visit one last place, I guess…since we are already on the way…"

"Alright"

Then, a heavy silence fell upon them once more as the rain seemed to pour even harder than before, crushing the smooth ground under it's liquid assault as Aerith bit her lower lip nervously, trying to form the words to ask the question tugging at the corner of her mind.

"…What will you do?" she finally said, feeling a knot tie itself in the bottom of her stomach, as she dreaded his answer for a reason that she did not quite get.

Sighing softly, Sephiroth seemed to ponder over his choices for a few moments before finally answering.

"I will leave this place"

That was the exact answer that Aerith didn't want to ear.

"Why?" she exclaimed.

"I do not belong here, and therefore my life cannot have a purpose as long as I wander around this holy land. I'm wasting my time."

Feeling new tears gathering at the corner of her eyes, Aerith grabbed him by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eye as she felt her heart race.

"Do you think I belong here? I may have found a new meaning to my existence, but I'm not totally at my place here. Our former planet is my birthplace, my real home, and it will always be!"

Wondering where she was getting at, he raised a questioning eyebrow, encouraging her to continue.

"Do you think that going back to the Lifestream would help you find a meaning to your own existence? Being dead doesn't have any meaning! …When my sister told me she had found a human in the forest, I thought…I was sure that the man I would find was Zack. But it was you… At least, you should…try to take advantage of the chance that's given to you… Since I know…that Zack will never have that luck…" she pleaded, still wondering why she wasn't happy with the idea of sending him back to his death, far away from her and her friends.

After all, she had wished that exact same thing when she was looking at the night's sky, waiting for a bright, holy star to come grant her desire to see him gone… So…why did the idea of loosing him once and for all didn't please her at all? …

"…Hmph. Who do you think I am…death will never be able to stop me." he stated firmly, looking at her with a challenging look written all over his features.

"All right, then. You would try to go back to the world of the living, then destroy our planet? As you wish, Sephiroth. But tell me, what will you do, once you finally succeed?" she asked in the same tone, putting a hand on her hip.

"…"

Even if he wanted nothing more than to have absolute power and rule all the filthy souls staining his planet, Sephiroth couldn't find an answer to her question.

"You see? You don't even know yourself. But let me tell you, Seph…once you got all the power that you're thirsting for, there will be nothing left for you to conquer, nothing to give a meaning to your godly, yet pitiful existence!"

Completely taken aback by her firm, efficient reply, he looked at her with wide eyes as a satisfied smile graced Aerith's lips. Then, he smirked slightly, thinking that their conversation was taking an interesting turn.

"…You sound like someone who doesn't want to be rid of me…" he remarked, his grin growing wider as a slight blush crept to her cheeks.

Unable to find an answer to his remark, Aerith stayed silent, trying to hide her embarrassment as she desperately tried to understand herself. Looking into his unnatural eyes, she saw nothing more than patient attention and a tiny bit of amusement. No anger, no madness shone in the glowing depths of his reptilian gaze as he waited for her to find the words she was searching for.

Then, she realised that she no longer felt uneasy in his presence, and was able to see him almost as someone different than the man who had brutally ended her previous life and tried to destroy the planet. As she was about to answer, she slid her emerald gaze away from his, trying to swallow her nervousness.

"Well, hm…you could say that…I got…used to you, I guess" she stammered, embarrassed.

"Oh, really?" he teased.

"…Well, yes, even if you annoy me a lot…" she added, trying to sound convincing.

'This is getting interesting' Sephiroth thought as Aerith shivered under the cold air blowing through the cave.

Then, Aerith realised that maybe, the reason why she accepted him was a very simple one. Finally understanding her own feelings, she took a deep breath, trying to find the courage to tell him the words that formed in her mind.

"…That must mean that…I…I forgive you…Sephiroth…But…I think that I finally understand…blaming you in the first place only kept me from being able to move on…" she finally managed to say.

"…Why is that?" he asked, intrigued.

"All of my life, everyone who met me always treated me like some kind of helpless child that always needed someone to look after it's poor being. Cloud, Zack…they were no exceptions. It made me feel weak, and I hated it. They never saw me for who I really was, unable to look behind my frail appearance and kindness …The only one…who didn't think I was a hopeless girl… was you, Sephiroth."

Closing her eyes briefly to compose herself, she smiled sadly at him before speaking again.

"…I guess that's why you murdered me… since you knew I was strong enough to stand in your way. …Also…I can't truly blame you, because we both did what we had to do. We had no choice but to stand our ground and accept our destiny"

True, Sephiroth had always considered her to be a powerful yet frail being and never underestimated her true potential. When he had been fighting Cloud, the silver haired man had been careless, thinking that such a weak puppet would never be able to defeat him. …And that alone had been enough to cause his destruction. In his mind, the frail woman standing before him was a greater threat than the blond swordsman, and, oddly, he respected her for it. But, that didn't give him the right to murder her like a cold, dirty bastard, and he knew it.

"But now…those tragic events are far behind us. Jenova is dead. Your body and mind are totally free from her grasp. I don't care to know if you did all those horrible things by your own will or because she manipulated you in doing so. …The only thing that matters is that you don't make the same mistakes again. I'm willing to give you a chance…For me, for you…and for Zack. He is dead, and will never live again. You have an opportunity that never happens to humans…so…maybe you should make something useful out of it, hm?" She stated softly, feeling as if a great weigh had been lifted from her shoulders.

'…You're too naïve for your own good…' Sephiroth thought, looking at her through a mask of cold indifference.

Oblivious to his reflections, Aerith looked at his fine features, admitting to herself that the dark light surrounding them made him strikingly handsome, since his entire being seemed to mingle in the darkness like he was a part of it. Of course, he was always good looking, even under the white light of a sunny afternoon, but…now, he couldn't be more attractive.

Trying not to blush, Aerith then noticed that his hands were still bare, since he didn't put his gloves back. As he had slender, fine yet masculine hands, Aerith wondered why he always kept them hidden under his thick leather gloves, never showing their gracefulness for others to see. But, looking at his soft looking fingers, an idea crossed her mind and she smiled almost mischievously, having found a nice way to change the subject and finish the day in a good tone.

"…I still hurt a bit, you know. …Does your offer still stands?" she asked playfully, trying not to giggle as a smirk reflecting her own slowly crept upon his lips.

"If you wish it…I guess it does" he replied in a soft voice.

Then, Aerith couldn't help but giggle as she sat in front of him, trying to swallow her nervousness.

'Well…I guess it will be a good way for us to try and get along a bit better…' she thought, still unable to believe that she had dared asking him that.

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Meanwhile, Tenzen and Ifalna were out in the small village to buy some goods for the journey ahead as the rain finally calmed down. As they were walking calmly on the deserted streets, Ifalna was playing with a lock of her long, curly hair, clearly showing her nervousness.

"What's on your mind?" Tenzen asked, encouraging her to open up.

"…Do you think Aerith is alright?" the woman asked, her voice tainted with worry.

"I don't know"

"I've been thinking about…what would happen if she was infected as well. You know, she is with Sephiroth, after all…maybe… it's possible that she just hid it like Kitakaze…If that's the case…she may be on the verge of death, and we don't even know about it…"

Not wanting to even acknowledge the possibility, Tenzen closed his eyes briefly, clenching his jaw as he waited for Ifalna to continue.

"Anyway…we have to find them soon…" the woman added, trying to steady her trembling voice.

"Yes, I know"

"We have to find a cure…I'm…afraid for Kitakaze…and…for everyone…"

Wondering the exact meaning of her words, the swordsman raised a questioning eyebrow, looking at her expectantly.

"…That virus seems to spread rather easily…I …I'm infected too." Ifalna admitted, feeling a lone tear roll down her cheek.

That sentence was followed by a heavy silence as they both tried to keep their composure, a wave of anger, sadness and worry drenching their already confused minds.

"…Don't worry. I won't let Kitakaze or Aerith die, and you'll be well." Tenzen said after a moment, trying to convince himself more than her.

"What about you?" Ifalna added, her voice betraying her worries.

"…You noticed?"

Having trouble to keep her voice from trembling, Ifalna simply nodded, shooting a worried glance to his bruised arm.

"I'm not important right now. Aerith and Kitakaze are. …And if they die because of him…I swear I'll make him suffer" he said under his breath, in a low voice that showed how serious he was.

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Two hours later, Sephiroth was sitting in the same corner from before, trying to fight off the sleepiness that struggled to take over his mind as he held a small, warm body in is arms, snuggled peacefully against his chest like a little ball. As she always did in the past, Aerith had fallen asleep while he was massaging her shoulders, and they now both kept the other safe from the bitterness of the cold wind blowing restlessly outside of the cavern as the rain had finally came to a stop.

At first, she had been very tense, trying to swallow her nervousness as she reluctantly let him touch her bare skin. But, as she was the one who asked him to do it, she eventually clamed down and finally started to relax. After that, it didn't take long for her to fall asleep against him, consciously or not, he couldn't really say.

Now, he was a bit surprised to see how easily he had been able to make her trust him. Surely, he didn't deserve that trust. But…he certainly wasn't going to let his chance pass by. Smirking evilly, he decided that, maybe, making advantage of it wouldn't be that bad ...

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A/N: So, how was that? I'm really busy with school now, but I'll try to keep my word and update weekly.