For being an author, I suddenly can't think of a thing to say! Ha ha, got to love it. I enjoyed writing this chapter, especially towards the middle. Flashbacks are quite fun. I really am going to need to incorporate more in my story. Happy Reading!

Chapter Thirteen- Hearts and Souls

The sun sunk under the horizon, casting orange and pink hues across the cloudless sky. Night was rapidly descending. A lone helicopter carrying two occupants continued its solitary course towards the ocean. Sephiroth's face was completely emotionless save his eyes. Those green spheres were stern and troubled as he flew the craft as far as it would go before the fuel gave out. Every few minutes he would glance back at Aeris. Her condition remained the same, unconscious and still. His brow would furrow in concern. Has she sustained permanent damage? Would she wake up or had Tseng's antidote been administered too late? He didn't know. The past few hours of silence had conjured every foreign, sickening emotion a person could possess. He now recalled why he had buried them, forcing them into a dominant state. They served no purpose but to madden and sicken him to no end.

Fear twisted its icy tentacles in his gut, on and off worry would crease his brow, and panic made its home in his limbs. Worst of all were his earliest childhood memories which had finally surfaced. He had been so successful in repressing them he had almost thought they were simply dreams. Almost. Now he could see her face in every one of them as plain as the dying sun before him. She had not been a fantasy nor a figment of his imagination in an attempt to comfort him. She had been real and she had been taken from him. He swallowed thickly, sweat building on his forehead.

Leave me, he snarled inwardly. Instead he was greeted with a picture of her smiling face. Then the vision melted away and in its place stood Aeris. It was the image of her he committed to memory that one afternoon. The wind pulled her hair in all directions and her eyes danced merrily. It was almost more than he could stand. History was repeating itself. If he became close to anyone, if he let his heart feel, those he cared about were snatched away.

A red, blinking light stirred him from his dark musings. The fuel gauge was reading dangerously close to empty. He peered down at the ground. They were not far from the ocean. A few more miles and they would have reached the sandy beaches, but he decided against pushing it. He began his descent. He couldn't risk engine failure and a potential crash. He already had endured enough for one day.

The helicopter gently touched the earth under Sephiroth's guidance. It didn't so much as jostle Aeris. Carefully he walked past her unmoving form and out into the graying twilight. The sun had long since left from its proud station in the heavens to let the moon reign. He inhaled deeply, letting his lungs fill with the cool, night air. He strolled out the open door and began to grab various sticks and pieces of wood lying in the vicinity. He brought them near the helicopter. Drawing out his Fire materia once more, he created a substantial blaze. He reentered the craft and began to rummage around. Soon he found what he was looking for. Gray, wool blankets. He placed one outside on the ground before returning for Aeris. He picked her up and carefully wrapped her in two of the blankets. Carrying her out in his arms, he settled himself and the woman before the inviting flames and waited. Hour after hour drifted by. He would occasionally look down at her face in seemingly sweet repose, but he knew better. Her body was having to struggle to process and eliminate a deadly drug, literally poison in her veins. He smoothed her hair away from her eyes.

You brought this on yourself. You let your feelings go. She almost died because of you, a voice in his mind whispered. You couldn't even protect her. You aren't supposed to be near her. What good are attachments to people? It will only cause you pain in the end. He bristled as the thoughts continued to murmur in his head.

Enough, he ordered mentally and the whispers receded for the time being. Aeris remained unconscious for the rest of the night. Sephiroth leaned against the hull of the helicopter, listening to her soft breathing as she laid against his left side. Letting out a tormented exhale, he finally allowed sleep to claim his body. He slept fitfully. His dreams no longer comforted him. Instead visions of a pale faced Aeris with her eyes closed in eternal sleep haunted his subconscious. He awoke the next day, his body drenched in sweat.

He checked Aeris and noted her condition remained the same. Some of the blanket had slipped off her upper body during the night. He pulled it back into place. Carefully he laid Aeris on the ground and headed in the direction of the ocean. His previous emotions were churning in him again, causing more confusion and distress. He needed a way to relieve some of the pent-up tension in his body before he went mad.

The sun was just starting to resume its place in the sky when Sephiroth striped and walked into the ocean. The water was cold, causing goosebumps to form on his pallid skin. With a deep breath, he dove into the waves. He swam furiously, his powerful strokes cutting through the morning tide with ease. He did laps along the coast until he felt his muscles burn from the continued exertion and frenzied pace he subjugated his body to, momentarily overriding his feelings. He decided he had swam enough. At least he felt clean and more clear-headed. He retrieved his crumpled clothes and redressed. Taking his sopping mass of hair, he twisted it, releasing the salty water.

He returned to their makeshift campsite. He forced himself not to feel as he stared at her still form. His eyes drifted next to the fire. It had gone out sometime in the night. They would need more wood to keep warm until he could locate a place with gasoline and refuel their "borrowed" craft. He set out to gather some more logs and branches. He willed himself to focus solely on his task, blocking out all thoughts. After he had a sizable amount, he rummaged around in the helicopter until he found a packet of instant noodles, a pot, and a fork. Pouring some water from the canteen into the pot, he reignited the dead embers. Finally he decided he had avoided Aeris long enough. He sank down at his usual place and drew her in his arms. Her body sagged in them like a limp fish. With her in this condition, he couldn't help but think this is what it would be like if she were dead.

"But she's not," he murmured aloud, more as a reassurance to himself. He took a rag out of their traveling bag. He poured some of their drinking water onto it. Taking the rag, he moistened her cracked lips. He pried her mouth open a bit and squeezed some drops into her mouth. He paused in his actions when he heard his water boiling. He leaned forward and added the noodles. Soon they were ready and he ate them quickly, not caring when they burned his tongue. Time slipped by slowly. He continued to administer water to her in the same fashion. Still she did not waken. The whisperings returned, but this time Sephiroth didn't push them away.

So easily people can be snatched away from you. You of all people know how fragile life is. You are meant to be alone for you know you are an abomination, a monster. You ruin everything you touch. Death and destruction are your only companions in life. Hojo crafted you well. He gave a bitter laugh as the words darkened his heart.

The barriers she had slipped past began to reconstruct themselves. He remembered why he never let anyone near him. He had been foolish to think this would be any different. Hojo's words of the thing dreamed is always better than the thing attained taunted him. He knew deep in his soul he desired to have companionship, to have love more than freedom though he never voiced or properly recognized it. It was the most basic of needs and he had been denied it all his life. Truly, why should now be any different for him?

Sephiroth became more resentful and angry. He systematically began to crush any feeling towards the flower girl currently resting in his arms. He had forgotten. The whole purpose of his freedom was to exact revenge on those who had harmed him and formed him into the weapon he was today. Angrily he noted how he had become sidetracked. He could see there was no future for him in her company. The attachment he felt was futile and foolish. She was supposed to have stayed simply a pawn to strike at Hojo and nothing more. Yet, he had let her enter his heart. It had been a mistake and a painful one at that. He had learned his lesson. Her almost death had reminded him. Life is but a vapor in the wind.

He looked down at her, not fully detached, but definitely more distant. He still had a promise to complete. He would return her to Midgar. Yet, this time he vowed he would not let her slip into his heart again. The day ended and evening descended. He felt a slight stirring from her. Her eyelids seemed to be trying to open, but she did not have the strength to fight against the tranquilizer still in her system. She slumped once more. Sephiroth slept better, his night absent of nightmares. With his heart hardened, he did not feel the torment of crippling, weak emotions. The third day came and passed like the others. It was on this third evening, Aeris awoke.

Aeris felt like she was floating, suspended in a place of non-existence. It was as if she had been frozen and her body was just beginning to thaw. She also felt heavy, cumbersome, almost like someone had pumped her full of lead weights. She began to try to open her eyes. They wouldn't budge. She groaned softly and it hurt. Her vocal cords felt as if years of disuse had gone by. Her mouth was dry and her tongue leathery. Finally, with great, concentrated effort, she opened her eyes.

A black backdrop of night sky dotted with stars was the first thing she saw. She craned her stiff neck to the left and squinted, feeling disorientated. The hull of a helicopter loomed over her. It was a Shinra helicopter. Then flashback after flashback seared through her brain in such rapid succession she felt dizzy.

Helicopter. SOLDIERS. Flying. Rocky cliffs. Fighting. A gun blast. Numbness then nothing. She swallowed hard, her mouth feeling very dry.

What happened? Where am I? Where is Sephiroth?

She wildly scrambled backward, alarmed and heart hammering in her chest. The blankets untangled from her body in her haste. Her muscles immediately protested from the sudden movement and her arms gave out from under her. She crashed heavily on her back, her breath coming out in a hiss as blood rushed painfully through her limbs. She laid very still. Cautiously she let her eyes rove around the area. There was a small campfire, woolen blankets, but no sign of another person. Then she saw their traveling bag. A rush of air escaped her lungs in relief. They had escaped. Yet, where was Sephiroth?

She reached into the bag and pulled out their canteen of water. Greedily she drank until it was empty. Her mind felt less foggy, her body less wooden and stiff. Gingerly she sat up. So far so good. She braced herself against the side of the helicopter and carefully willed her body to stand. Her legs wobbled for a moment before righting themselves. She took a cautious step forward. They did not collapse under her. With her mobility back, she walked rigidly around the side of the helicopter. She paused, ears straining. Is that the crash of the ocean I'm hearing? She left the shelter of the helicopter and headed in the direction of the rhythmic pounding of the waves. Her breath caught in her throat as she behold the vast sea before her, shimmering silver in the moonlight. And standing inches from the tide was Sephiroth, his black trench coat and hair billowing in the night wind.

Aeris was about two hundred meters from him. She gripped her red jacket tightly around her, immediately missing the warmth of the blankets and fire. She walked to him, her brown boots making soft sounds in the sands. She knew Sephiroth could hear her, yet he didn't turn nor acknowledge her presence. He stood stoically, his focus never leaving the surf. Aeris reached his side. She laid a hand on his right arm, looking up at the profile of his face illuminated by the moon's rays.

"Sephiroth?"

Finally he stirred, seeming to be awoken out of whatever musing he was in. He turned his attention to her. His green, Mako infused eyes stared down out her. They were hardened orbs of flint. They momentarily chilled Aeris to the core, but she pushed it aside. This was Sephiroth not Hojo or Harvey. She shouldn't feel afraid of him, though a small part of her did. There was a coldness around him, some barrier constructed to keep her out. Though she felt it, she also sensed it was very fragile. Underneath was a dam of emotions waiting to burst forth if the slightest crack was made in his shell.

"What happened?" she asked plainly.

"Tseng came with an antidote. I administered it to you. We left in the helicopter I took the liberty of procuring from Reno," he replied, his tone clipped and brusque.

"Are you alright?" she queried this time, her hand absently stroking his arm in a reassuring manner. Something was definitely bothering him. She could feel him stiffening under her touch. He suddenly moved forward and began to pace agitatedly in front of her.

"Life was less complicated before you came. I never let my emotions get in the way," he stated, not even seeming to register her question. His voice sounded like he was upset with himself. Aeris' face contorted into a puzzled frown. What was he talking about? She remained quiet, hoping he would explain himself. She was starting to feel very unsettled by the vibes he was radiating. She wanted back the Seph she had unearthed and warmth blankets.

"There were reasons why I blocked feelings, why I never let anyone close, though I couldn't fully recall all the details. I was doing just fine then you entered the picture." He continued to stalk, his eyes glowering eerily at her. She unconsciously shivered under their piercing gaze.

"You somehow slipped by my barriers. You distracted me from my original intent. You were supposed to stay a simple pawn to spite Hojo with. You caused me to lose sight of my revenge," he growled angrily.

"But your almost death, Aeris, reminded me. It reminded me how futile attachments were, how foolish companionship was, how easily anything held dear could be snatched away in an instant," he snarled, pausing in his pacing. Aeris felt the color draining from her face and her legs abruptly felt weak at his statement. A minute passed with only the sound of their mingled breathing. Finally he spoke, but his voice changed. It was distant and foreign, riddled with pain.

"You remind me so much of her," he said quietly. "You are so alike. The way you say my name, the way your face lights up, the expression in your eyes..." He gave a bitter laugh. "For so long I have pushed these memories from my mind until they were nothing, but a dull ache in my subconscious. Sometimes I thought I dreamed it all up in attempt to comfort myself. But because of you, they have returned and I know they are real."

Aeris stood frozen, transfixed by his words.

Me? she thought, utterly confused, I've been the cause of resurfacing memories. Who is he talking about? He again turned, but this time his eyes held a haunted expression in their depths.

"As you will recall, I grew up in the labs of Shinra. I have no knowledge of my birth father and mother. But I was not cared for by Hojo as an infant. He had no use for me in such a weak and pathetic state. The man couldn't care for a puppy if he tried," he said with utmost contempt. "Hojo did hire a young, aspiring nurse to raise me. Her name was Ava," he whispered softly. "I think she was in her early twenties. She was very gentle and her eyes were always loving, kind. I can remember her rocking me in her arms, singing softly. She was always singing. She was with me continuously. I don't think she ever left the labs. If she ever had a life outside of them, it no longer mattered to her." He paused, taking in a shallow breath. Aeris felt completely numb all over, unable to think or move. Dread filled her stomach as conclusions nevertheless began to form in her distraught mind.

"She was my world, the only genuine person that existed in that cold, sterile place. She read to me, played games, and tried to answer every question I had as best as she could. Hojo came by periodically, checking up on my growth, taking small samples. I think she stayed for she feared if she left me, terrible things would finally happen to me." His eyes darkened.

"She was right. Terrible things would happen for she knew what was in store for me. She had already been briefed on Hojo's master plan before she took the job." His voice changed drastically to a venomous hiss when he said the accursed scientist's name.

"She was the only one who had a conscience, the only one who gave a damn about me. I wasn't a lab rat in her eyes. I was a child. As I grew older, her eyes always seemed to hold a perturbed expression especially when Hojo came to visit. Sometimes I would hear through the wall of my cell her arguing loudly with Hojo. She would tell him not to go through with his plan, that it was madness. How could he even think to do such things to a child?" he continued, his tone deepening with loathing. He came to stand directly in front of Aeris, his tall form looming over her.

"What happened, Sephiroth?" Aeris asked, her voice shaking horribly as she waited for his reply.

"Then the day finally came when he began his 'work' on me. I was seven. Against Ava's vehement protests and pleas I was dragged away for intensive Mako injections and experimentation. I have never experienced more pain than that first day, Aeris. I don't ever think I screamed more loudly than those hours he had me in his vile hands. Ava's eyes were burning and tears were streaming down her face when I was finally returned to my cell. She had been locked out. Somehow, over my own cries, I heard her pounding on the door and shouting the entire time for admittance. She held me close, sobbing, asking me to forgive her for not being able to stop him. She stayed with me the entire night. I recall Hojo tried entering the next day, but Ava had somehow rigged it so it was locked from the inside. A special Shinra force had to break through the door. Ava was dragged away from me and "dismissed" from being my caretaker. Day after day the torture continued." In that moment his voice dropped to a throaty, almost strangled whisper. Aeris, the ocean, everything vanished from his vision as the most prominent memory finally arrived. He could see it all unfolding in such sharp, vivid focus. He was even unaware he was recounting it to Aeris.

He laid on the sterile lab table, strapped securely in place by Hojo's lab assistants. He had already struggled vainly against his bonds biting into his flesh, but to no avail. It was utterly futile. He had exhausted his already weakened body until it could no longer obey his commands. A faint sheen of sweat had gathered on him, making him feel clammy and chilled. Now his dull eyes simply roved upward to look at the gleaming, fluorescent light in defeat. He could hear a couple of the other scientists conversing with Hojo in a corner of room twenty. His body unconsciously quivered with terror as he heard them deciding on today's choice of treatment. Yet, today's procedure was of small consequence compared to the pain of his bleeding heart. The hole punctured in it by Hojo throwing Ava out of Shinra was more than he thought he could bear.

Why is this happening to me, he thought resentfully. Why is she gone? Why is Hojo doing this to me?

There were no answers for his young mind. Nothing made sense. Maybe he had somehow done something to incur his current quandary. Or something must be horribly wrong with him to have such a life as he did. He instinctively knew he was different from other people. He had always felt this. Yet, Ava had chased away his fears of being abnormal. She had made his questions disappear. When he was with her, it didn't matter if nothing added up. It didn't matter he didn't have a family or any playmates. One solitary tear gathered in the corner of his eye. It glistened for a moment, crystalline in the glowing light, before tracing down the side of his cheek. The only sign of his heart shattering into many fragments.

Where are you Ava?

Will you ever come back for me?

Please don't be gone. Please don't leave me alone.

He shuddered as a cold hand suddenly touched his bare arm, launching him back to the present. He hadn't notice the other scientists' departures. It was only Hojo and himself. Hojo had his familiar gleam in his dark eyes as he gazed down at the boy. Hojo's thin lips turned up into a sickly imitation of a smile, causing Sephiroth's body to grow cold while at the same time igniting the fires of loathing in his core. How he hated this man towering over him with sadistic satisfaction of having his "specimen" at last ready for testing. Hojo's hand moved upward to smooth back some of the silver strands of Sephiroth's hair. Sephiroth immediately recoiled at the contact.

"Ah, don't look so disapprovingly me, Sephiroth. The scowl on your face is most unbecoming," Hojo murmured, pulling out his holographic pad to begin his assessment of Sephiroth condition.

"Where is she?" Sephiroth growled through clenched teeth.

"Where is who?" Hojo replied, his voice becoming rather menacing. Sephiroth took no notice.

"What have you done to Ava?" Sephiroth ordered hauntingly, glaring daggers into Hojo's scowling face.

"You need not concern yourself with that woman anymore," Hojo said tersely, putting down the pad. "She is gone." He turned his back to Sephiroth for a second, reaching for something on a table adjacent to the one Sephiroth was currently occupying. Sephiroth saw the syringe filled with glowing Mako come into view and his struggles began anew, but much more violent than the first time. Hojo gave the needle a couple of flicks with his fingers.

No, please, no! Not that. Anything but that! Sephiroth thought in a near panic. Hojo grinned again, malevolently.

"If you must know," he said nonchalantly, pausing with the needle inches from Sephiroth's exposed forearm. Sephiroth immediately stopped his struggles, panting with baited breath.

"Ava had to be sent away because she couldn't, what's the word I want? Ah, yes, appreciate the magnitude of what I have in store for you, my dear boy. She was too blinded by feelings to see this is for your good. She is so simple minded; she merely didn't understand. She would have made a dreadful scientist." Hojo chuckled to himself at the last comment. Sephiroth looked up at him in disgust and confusion. He hadn't the faintest idea what Hojo was ranting on about. Why couldn't he just talk like a normal person? Why couldn't he just tell him where Ava was?

"You will usher in a new age for the evolution of Shinra SOLDIERS and possibly human genetics. So instead of whining and crying, be grateful," Hojo muttered, jabbing the needle into Sephiroth's already abused flesh.

Sephiroth sucked in a sharp intake of breath and waited. He didn't need to wait for more than a second before pain exploded throughout his body and skull. He writhed in agony, the bonds chaffing at his body, rubbing his skin raw.

He could feel the Mako in every part of his cells, twisting them, searing them. The Mako seemed to light every nerve of his on fire. He could hear voices and sounds in his mind, clamoring louder and louder until he wanted to rip his own head off. People in labs coats had called it Mako Poisoning. He had heard it uttered as they examined some poor SOLDIER who had become deranged by an overdose of Mako when his body wasn't able to handle its sometimes toxic effects.

Sephiroth couldn't stop himself when his screams finally escaped passed the barricade of his clenched jaws.

Please let me die, he thought in anguish. Please someone kill me! I can't stand this any longer. He opened his eyes and for a second he thought he had died. There, at the end of his table, was Ava. Though her usually neatly groomed, blond locks were tangled and her blue eyes were bloodshot, she appeared to be the most beautiful she had ever been to him.

"Ava," Sephiroth whispered, his pain completely forgotten as he stared at her loving face. He could see streaks along her rosy cheeks where tears had spilled and dried. She gave him a reassuring smile.

Hojo had his back turned and was reaching for a pair of ear plugs when the screaming stopped. Puzzled, he shifted around and came face to face with a spectacle that froze the blood in his veins. Ava stood a mere ten feet away from him, a pistol leveled directly at his forehead.

"Ava?" he gaped in complete astonishment. How she had infiltrated Shinra's high security labs, gotten past SOLDIERS and Shinra personnel alike, and had found where he was with Sephiroth baffled and terrified him.

"Surprised to see me, Professor?" she said acidly, her gun hand only shaking slightly from the intensity of her rage. "How I arrived here? With difficulty. How I planned this moment? With pleasure," she continued. Hojo's mouth opened and then closed several times, but no words came out.

"I can see this is hard for you, so I am going to make it very simple, Hojo," Ava snarled. "You are going to release Sephiroth to me and then inject yourself with anything you have in this room to put you out for some time. Failure to comply with my demands and so help me, I will kill you outright." Immediately she cocked the gun, her index finger resting on the trigger.

Hojo was visibly shaking as Sephiroth stared in awe at the woman holding the gun. The strength and courage she showed pulsated through his entire being. She was standing up to Hojo. Sephiroth had never seen anyone do that before. They all had cowered before him in fear. Now it was Hojo's turn to be afraid. After weeks of her absence, days when he had almost given up hope, she had come for him.

"You won't get away with this. You can't do this," Hojo hissed, his eyes darting around the room.

"Try me," Ava whispered threateningly. Hojo swallowed thickly.

"I won't let you..."

Bang! Ava shifted her position on Hojo's body and fired. The bullet whipped through the air and buried itself into the flesh of Hojo's right shoulder. Hojo let out a howl of pain as he staggered back, clutching his now bleeding wound. Ava's eyes were smoldering.

"It's a pity you made this room sound-proof," she taunted, "so no one could hear Sephiroth's cries. How does it feel Hojo to be wounded and knowing no one is coming to your aid?" She raised the gun once at his face.

"I won't say this again. Release him now or you die."

Hojo nodded wordlessly. He began to slowly take steps backwards to the keys hanging on the wall that locked Sephiroth's restraints to the lab table. He winced as he reached up and grabbed the appropriate one. He then took tentative steps forward and was beside Sephiroth, unlocking his bonds.

Sephiroth felt his head reeled with excitement as he felt the pressure disappear off his legs, abdomen, and chest. He sat up and the world spun for a moment and he shook his head to clear his vision. Ava's voice caressed his ears as he heard her finally speak to him.

"You're all right now, Seph. You are safe. I'm here. I'm going to take you with me and we are going to go far away. You will never have to feel pain or sadness ever again," she said softly, her eyes moistening once more as she took in his tortured, young form. Sephiroth swung his legs over the side of the table.

"You came for me," he whispered brokenly.

"Yes, Seph, I did," she replied as he slowly began to walk towards her one arm outstretched, waiting to welcome him in her embrace. Meanwhile Hojo was shaking so violently that the key slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor. He knelt down on the floor to retrieve it from under the table.

Bang! Bang!

Sephiroth never saw it, it happened so quickly. One second Ava was standing there and the next she was on the floor, gasping in pain as two bullet holes materialized on her body, one in her stomach, the other below her right breast. He whirled in horror as he saw Hojo standing calmly beside the table, his own gun in his right hand. All signs of nervousness and fear erased from his features, a glowering sneer in its place.

Sephiroth stood frozen in mute disbelief. He watched as Hojo again pulled the trigger, puncturing Ava's left lung. She heaved in a breath only to cough up blood.

"No!" he screamed in fury and despair. He launched himself at Hojo, trying to wrench the gun away only to be thrown effortlessly against the wall by Hojo. Ava continued to gag on her blood, shock still written on her face.

Hojo strolled forward and kicked her gun away which had fallen a few feet from her.

"I'm sorry Ava it had to be this way," Hojo said quietly, "but no one is going to stand in my way of achieving my dream least of all you. You should have planned on me being prepared for occasions such as these. This isn't the first time someone has made an attempt on my life because of their small-minded stupidity." He smiled thinly. He walked over and hauled a dazed Sephiroth to his feet and dragged the boy over to the dying woman.

"You might want to say goodbye," he told Sephiroth before walking over to the room's intercom.

This isn't happening. This is a dream. A bad dream, Sephiroth thought as his hand reached out to touch Ava's hand. But his hand connected with solid flesh and he knew it was all real. Ava took in another ragged breath. Her eyes were beginning to dim, yet she clasped his hand tightly.

"I love you, Sephiroth," she whispered. "Never forget that I love you. Remember me and live your life as good as you can." More blood spewed from her mouth. She sucked in another shallow breath. "Grow into a strong man, but be kind, Seph. Promise me, you won't give into Hojo and become like him."

"I promise," Sephiroth choked, tears blurring his vision. Ava gave him one last smile.

"Good boy," she murmured. Then she ceased to breathe.

"She died there, right in front of me," Sephiroth said hollowly, "and there was nothing I could do about it. Nothing. She died because of me." He said the last words in ragged anguish. Aeris' was biting her right, white knuckled hand, trying to kept in the sobs threateningly to explode out of her in any second. It was too horrible. All of it was too horrible to even comprehend. A strangled sound escaped from her throat. Before her stood not a powerful, detached warrior, but a broken child so wounded he seemed beyond repair. Then he shifted and morphed before her watery gaze. His eyes burned a vivid green.

"It was Hojo. Always Hojo," he shouted ferociously. "He has destroyed every part of my life! Look at what he has done to me," he yelled, ripping at the clasps on his trench coat. He wrenched off the coat, letting it fall into a crumpled heap at his feet, exposing his body completely to Aeris for the first time. Scars riddled his abdomen, his chest, his arms; lacerations that had went without the repair of Cure Materia because Hojo hadn't seen to their care until it was too late. His chest heaved with each breath and his eyes held almost a savage expression. He also tore off his gloves, the ugly, blackened brand glaring at her mortified eyes. She crashed to her knees, her legs no longer able to hold her up she was shuddering so violently.

"He altered my body, conditioned my mind, blackened my heart. He has created me into the monster I am. A destructive, brutal killing machine is all that is left. He has taken everything from me, Aeris, everything!" he roared. He stood, his whole body quivering with a rage unlike any other he had felt. It burned through every part of his being, scorching his heart, searing his soul, until he felt nothing but emptiness inside. He sank forward onto his knees as he felt the nothingness eat up what was left of him. His whole existence had been for nothing.

"I have nothing left, but my revenge," he whispered, staring into her at last tear-stricken face.

"Nothing," he echoed, his voice hollow. Then Aeris shook her head. She shook it violently, crystalline tears running off the sides of her face.

"That's not true," she said brokenly, her throat constricting so painfully she could barely speak. She reached up with her shaking hand and it came to rest on his chest, over his heart.

"You still have your soul," she whispered. "No one can take that from you. No needle can touch it. It is yours and yours alone. People can try to alter your soul, but in the end it is your choice to do with it as you will." She paused, sucking in breath, trying to summon the courage to go on.

"You didn't need to release me, but you did. Even if it was only to spite Hojo, you still made a choice not to let me suffer a similar fate as you and I am forever grateful. You fought against Hojo's conditioning and spared Harvey. When the SOLDIERS on that cliff attacked, you made the same choice not to kill them." Her voice was stronger now. "For the same reason, because you have still kept your soul. You have retained your humanity. You are a good person, Sephiroth. You have fulfilled your promise to Ava." He stared mutely at her, his glowing eyes looking at her with such an intensity she felt like she would melt. Yet, she held his gaze all the same.

"You have endured far more than is humanly possible and you still have the strength to continue to live. You are stronger and greater than I could ever imagine. And because of your choices, you have finally freed yourself of the mental and physical prison of Shinra, of Hojo. He no longer has control over, he can no longer try to manipulate you. You are free," she said fervently, the words tumbling out of her.

"You didn't merit what happened to you and I don't know why you had to live such a life as you have survived through." She shuddered. "Hojo does deserve every bit of retribution you wish to exact on him, but..." she paused.

"You deserve happiness more, Sephiroth. All the happiness this world has to offer and you will have it," she whispered. "And... you have me. You didn't lose me. You saved me." Her voice faltered, her hand slipping off his chest. Sitting in silence with only the crash of the ocean in their ears, he stared long into her eyes, searching them. In a moment, he rose slowly, fluidly to his feet, sand slipping off his black pants with a different expression in his glowing eyes. It was as if a myriad of emotions swirled through their depths, each quickly coming and going so she had no idea what was transpiring internally for him. She anxiously waited what his answer would be.

"Aeris..."he whispered her name and nothing more. Words failed the great General Sephiroth. Nothing, absolutely nothing could he say in reply. Everything ceased to exist but the words she spoke and how they filled his aching soul like a healing salve. Instead he reached out his hand to her and she took it, her hand trembling slightly. He drew her to her feet with ease. She took a step towards him in the exact moment he did. Words were no longer necessary. Nothing more needed to be said.

She snaked her arms around his torso and buried her head in the hollow of his throat as his arms encircled her petite frame, pressing her tightly to him. He shuddered violently in her embrace, tears silently slipping off his cheeks and into her hair, but no sounds of anguish left his lips. It seemed his previous venting had already taken care of that. Now all was left for him was to simply cry. Aeris clung tightly to him, feeling her own eyes moistening.

Then his tears stopped and he drew in a deep breath. Bending his head till it was resting next to the shell of her ear, he murmured softly,

"Thank you."

Encased securely in his strong embrace, the dam in Aeris burst. She sobbed unashamedly on him, her loud cries renting the silence of the night. She cried for the pain he had suffered, for the sorrow buried so long in his heart, for the sadness and loneliness she knew they both felt throughout their lives. She wept for what they both had lost and what they both gained in each other. And she cried for the bond they had forged, their connection tested by the fires of fate and how it had endured.

"I'm so sorry, Seph," she wept over and over as he continued holding her, letting her cry as she had never cried before. "It's all right now," he said quietly in return, rocking her gently. Ever so slowly her sobs turned to quiet whimpers, then soft hiccups, and finally, they ceased all together. She loosened her hold around him and he released her. She took a small step backward and tilted her face to gaze up at his.

His eyes were strong once more with an expression of peace. He gave her a small, reassuring smile, his gloveless hand reaching up to stroke the side of her face. She leaned into his touch, letting him trace her cheekbone, the curve of her jaw. His hand slipped to the base of her neck and Aeris felt the breath still in her throat as he leaned forward, his eyes never leaving hers. Her eyelids fluttered shut as he pressed his lips against hers, giving her a chaste kiss. Aeris forgot how to breathe.

He moved his lips again, this time gently caressing hers. He kissed her tenderly, pouring into her all that he couldn't say. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips merging and moving with his. He wound his other arm around her waist and crushed her to him.

The sensations flooding her exhausted body were nothing short of exhilarating as they continued to kiss. His lips were wonderfully soft yet firm as he danced with her mouth. His free hand massaged the base of her scalp, causing all sorts of lovely tingling sensations to course through her being. He changed the angle of his mouth and she followed, quivering when he captured her bottom lip and gently nibbled on it. A soft rumble which sounded akin to a chuckle escaped his lips when she emitted a pleased sigh against his mouth. She twined her hands in his long, silky hair, reveling in its soft texture.

Finally they broke apart, foreheads pressed together and both panting for breath. If it wasn't for Sephiroth holding her so tightly, Aeris knew her legs, which had taken on the consistency of spaghetti, would have given out from under her. She laid her head on his chest, suddenly feeling very, very tired. She slumped against him, her body reminding her quite effectively of how weakened it had become over the past few days. Sephiroth noticed. In one fluid motion he had her in his arms and was strolling back to their makeshift campsite. Vaguely he recalled he was leaving his coat behind, but it could stay on the beach till morning. Aeris curled closer in his arms, trying to burrow deeper into the warmth his body was radiating. She had forgotten how cold the night air felt. He reached the fire, still burning brightly, and nudged a couple more logs into the blaze with his left foot all the while holding Aeris.

Sephiroth sank against the hull of the helicopter and onto one of the gray, woolen blankets. He reached over, grabbed another of the discarded blankets, and wrapped it around Aeris currently nestled on his lap and himself. Absently he considered how small she was compared to him, how he enjoyed the feeling of her in his arms and his alone, and knew something had permanently changed within himself. Aeris stirred slightly, adjusting herself on him. She shifted on her right side, right forearm and hand atop his thigh, propping herself up while her left hand came to rest atop his chest. Her knees were bent, resting comfortably on his long, outstretched legs. She sighed contentedly, wanting to never move again. She listened to the rhythmic beat of his heart, she felt each steady rise and fall of his chest, and breathed in his scent, a mixture of leather, wind, and something unmistakably him.

It was a simple, but precious moment they were sharing and they both knew it. A moment where nothing and everything existed in that sphere of time. The past, present, and future converged around them, their invisible cords gently but securely tightening about both their hearts and souls.

Aeris moved her face upward till it was partly concealed in the hollow of his throat. He rested his head atop her chestnut hair, staring lazily into the fire. Aeris smiled against Sephiroth's neck as soft, rumbling sounds began vibrating from his vocal cords. He was humming. It was strangely reminiscent of a tune her birth mother had sung to her. Her bleary eyes were closing as warmth filled her completely while she continued to listen. Sleep was again starting to take her. Sephiroth's humming died away as he heard the change in her breathing. Yet, before she drifted off, she pressed her lips to his neck, giving him several light kisses. He closed his eyes, savoring the delicious sensations she was stirring in him and wished momentarily she wasn't nodding off on him. Tomorrow, his mind murmured.

"Good night, Seph," she breathed against his skin, fast fading. She did catch his last words and they caused the smile to deepen on her face.

"Sweet dreams, my little flower."

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

A few days earlier...

Rufus stepped out of the silent church and into the dimly lit alleyway. He took in several deep breaths, glad to be free of the strange building. He still had the lingering sensation he had trespassed on sacred ground. It had been a most peculiar evening. Now he simply wanted the sanctity of his house to mull over the revelations he received from both Steven and Vincent. He began briskly walking in the direction of his black Mercedes Benz. Several blocks back he had discreetly driven the vehicle to a remote alley void of light with overflowing, grimy dumpsters. He removed a large tarp that covered the expensive car, hoping it was enough to keep prying, greedy eyes from noticing it.

The night air had a bite to it, causing small puffs of air to materialize before his mouth. He shivered. So far he had come across no one as he made the bleak trek back to his car. This slight observation made him wary. Rufus rarely felt paranoid, much less fear, but as he passed under a single bulb swaying overhead and casting ghostly shadows to flicker, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Twice he thought he heard someone breathing. Unconsciously his hand slipped into his coat pocket to rest on his semi-automatic pistol.

It was only five more blocks till he reached his car. He quickened his pace before suddenly stopping in an alcove. He paused, trying to still his own breathing. He strained his ears. There. He heard the sounds of footsteps. Then it was quiet again. Rufus craned his head around the corner and peered out into the gloom. He could detect nothing, yet the growing pit in his stomach told him he was being trailed. A cold sweat broke over his skin as a sense of deja vu took possession of his mind. His father had been murdered in an alley. Rufus removed the gun from his pocket and flicked the safety off. Both his hands held the weapon and he pointed it at the ground as he crept out of the alcove. He kept his back firmly pressed against the wall. He continued his slow, controlled pace, forcing nothing but rational thought and battle tactics to fill his brain. He was reaching the end of the alley. He stopped, wondering if he should round the corner when he saw the shadow of a man creeping forward. Rufus tensed, his index finger going to the trigger while simultaneously raising his pistol. The man continued to cautiously to step forward. He would be upon Rufus in a matter of seconds. Only a couple more feet and Rufus would be able to eliminate his threat...

Suddenly Rufus' would-be assailant rolled and landed on his stomach, his pistol raised, firing at the exposed Rufus. Rufus wasn't prepared for this in the least and had no time to change his position. He felt the bullet embedded itself his left shoulder. Rufus held in his cry of pain as he heard the man curse, missing his mark by so many inches. In that split second Rufus dove to the left and into his own roll, his reflexes kicking in before the man had a chance to fire again. His shoulder was on fire because of his maneuver, but he refused to acknowledge the pain. His adrenaline was in overdrive as he threw himself at his attacker, trying to wrench the gun away.

They struggled fiercely, Rufus' own pistol knocked away by the wiry, black-haired man. It clattered several feet out of Rufus' reach. Rufus somehow was able to kick the pistol out of man's grasp and place himself behind the man. Immediately he wrapped his right arm around his attacker's throat, strangling him. The man furiously clawed at Rufus' arm. Suddenly he threw his head violently backward. The sickening sensation of his nose being broken caused Rufus to slacken his grip. It was all his assailant needed. Using his hip as leverage, he launched Rufus over and off his back.

Rufus crashed heavily on his back, the wind knocked out of his chest. The back of his skull also slammed painfully against the concrete ground, causing him to see spots in his vision. He barely had time to roll out of the way as he saw a knife flash above him then arch downward at his throat. He swiped his legs out, knocking the man's feet out from under him. The man collapsed heavily on his left elbow, the bone snapping on impact. He hissed furiously as unbidden rage fueled his determination to finish his job. He switched the knife to his right hand and flung himself at Rufus, landing on top of him and driving his knife mercilessly at Rufus. Rufus threw up his left forearm in defense and felt the blade slice cleanly through his muscle and tendon. Rufus screamed in pain as a raging fire seemed to scorched his nerves. His arm fell to his side. His momentarily distraction cost him. Time slowed to a crawl and Rufus watched in a warped sort of fascination as the blade bore down. His life would be ending in mere seconds...

A gun blast reverberated through the alleyway. The man slumped on Rufus. Warm blood oozed from him onto Rufus' face and chest. He was dead. Rufus struggled to remove himself from the corpse, but his body protested from the loss of blood coupled with the pain of his injuries. His vision was clouding as he began to slip into unconsciousness. Before he faded, a flash of a red cape and a pair of gold boots caught his eye. Vincent.