A/N: Wow, I'm so glad, last chapter has got such a nice feedback. It has the greatest amount of reviews by now.
But, I figured that most people like or even prefer when I am less "straight-forward" so I decided to keep a balance between simplicity and elaborate details. I, myself, like details, but not when it's too much.
I hope my little experiment didn't bother you (lol), but well, I am here to get better, after all.
Oh...and there's a little reference to chapter 5.
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At dawn, Aerith stood by the window, her back facing Sephiroth. Brushing her silky curls, she hummed softly, and proceeded to tie her braid. In a corner of the room, the silver haired man leaned on the wall, glaring at her hands as they fumbled with a pink ribbon.
'I should have known' the man thought in annoyance, 'She bought distasteful garments again'
Oblivious, Aerith turned to look at him, smiling sweetly.
"Why do you stay in a dark corner, Sephiroth?" she chirped, "Come here, the sun is really beautiful"
Indifferent, the swordsman complied, and turned his attention to the open window.
Truthfully, Aerith was quite right. Low in the sky, the sun hovered gloriously beyond the rooftops, painting the clouds in various pastel shades. Still rising, it stood close to the planet and seemed to be larger than usual. Subtly, Sephiroth glanced at the peaceful being standing by his side.
"I have something for you" he began slyly.
"Hm? What is it?" she sang, cocking her head to the side.
"I found those yesterday" Sephiroth stated neutrally, digging under his leather coat, "I thought you might like them"
Intrigued, Aerith didn't protest as he took her hand in his, uncurling her fingers. For an instant, their eyes met; before something cold rolled on her skin, finishing its course to snuggle in her palm's warm heart.
"Oh, Sephiroth…" she breathed, admiring the pearls, "They're so beautiful"
Softly, she closed her hand and brought it to her chest. A strong pounding shook under her fist with each beat of life; pulsing blissfully.
"…Why?" the maiden whispered, her eyes searching his.
"Don't be so surprised. It was a random discovery"
He spoke emotionlessly, and a flicker of annoyance briefly crossed the woman's figure.
"I see. But still, this is very nice of you"
After a moment of silence, Aerith's eyes suddenly lit up.
"I'll have a better look outside!" she exclaimed, before running to the door.
In an instant, she was out of the room, making her way through the inn's silent corridors.
Sephiroth followed, and found her standing on the sidewalk, holding a pearl at eye's level. Caught by the sphere's slick surface, the sun's gold rays shone a pale, calming shade of green. Beholding its beauty, Aerith drew a warm, melancholic smile. Long ago, she often marvelled at her mother's materia. Its pure, translucent glow always blessed her with a feel of belonging. Now, in times of loneliness, she secretly yearned for it.
"Thank you!" the maiden exclaimed, throwing her arms around the swordsman's neck.
Taken off guard, Sephiroth froze as Aerith hugged him tightly. However, his senses quickly registered the situation, and a devious smirk drew itself on his lips. An unfortunate old woman walked by in time to notice the gesture, and shivered icily.
Snaking an arm around the maiden's waist, Sephiroth recognized this as a perfect occasion to make his proposition. In exchange for training, he could have asked anything. But, he was now perfectly certain of his decision. Yes, this shall be a nice act in his play…
"I have decided" he whispered, his hot breath teasing her neck.
"What do you mean?" she questioned, pulling away.
"Did anyone ever try to train you?" he inquired, pushing her question aside.
"Well, yes…Zack did but he eventually gave up…"
Sephiroth nodded sharply.
"You never learned" he stated matter-of-factly, "Because he treated you like a porcelain doll"
"What?" Aerith spat, clearly not getting his point.
"In the past, I have trained with high-ranked soldiers. My ways are harsh, and in order for you to learn, it'll be no different" he explained, his calculating eyes piercing through her.
"…I see…" the woman fidgeted nervously.
"That's why I'll ask you to trust me. This is the only thing I want in return"
For a moment, she stayed silent, eyes wide. Surely, Sephiroth had hit his head, hard.
"…That's it? You want my trust?"
"Yes. Also, I need the assurance that my work won't go to waste"
This sounded fishy…
"Oh?" Aerith arched a sceptical eyebrow.
"I won't train someone who is unable to strike. A few days ago, your instincts saved you" he began, "…Do you remember when I slaughtered that horrendous villager?"
She remembered all too well, and a nod was the only response she could muster.
"I want to make sure you understand what I tried to tell you that day"
With each word escaping Sephiroth's lips, a new layer of ice hardened his features. Swallowing hard, Aerith took a step back.
"You are already doomed if you refuse to attack before survival instincts overwhelm you. Prove to me, Aerith, that you are no longer a victim" he challenged, his voice dangerously cold.
Taking a step forwards, the man noticed a flicker of fear shadowing her eyes. Good, she took the bait.
"Now…run"
"W-what? This isn't funny…" she stammered, her heart racing.
Briefly wondering how a wonderful morning could have taken such a turn, Aerith moved back shakily.
"As my apprentice, you shall obey my every command. So, run. Now"
This time, his tone was downright frightening. Her heart skipping a beat, Aerith turned on her heels and ran.
Conveniently, due to the early hour, the streets were empty. The old lady had long ago disappeared from Sephiroth's threatening sight. Through the calm silence, frantic footsteps and the faint rustling of leather echoed.
'What's gotten into him?' the fleeing woman panicked, stealing a glance over her shoulder.
A few feet behind, her pursuer walked at an incredible pace. His features were hard, merciless.
Of course, she was oblivious to one fact: he was simply analysing her moves. Already, his trained eyes could notice her slight clumsiness, as well as sings of panic. The woman probably didn't think about a destination; her feet simply carried her away. Soon enough, Aerith reached the borders of the town and found herself in the middle of a vast, grassy plain. Immediately, her disorientation became painfully obvious. She was an easy prey; that much was certain.
But, this new landscape prompted her to run faster, and Sephiroth picked up his own pace. Once again, she stole a glance in his direction…and tripped as he suddenly began to run. Smirking in amusement, the swordsman observed the way her body fell forwards and landed ungracefully on a rocky shore.
'She falls like a newborn child' Sephiroth mocked internally. This would certainly leave bruises.
The swordsman reached Aerith's side before she had time to fully stand up. Roughly, he tackled her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her chest. Then, Sephiroth knelt above the woman and trapped her body between his legs. In a swift move, his fingers dug into Aerith's shoulder, rolling her onto her back.
"Let me go!" she screeched, trying to squirm away.
Unfazed, the swordsman flattened his palm on her sternum to keep her still.
Beneath him, Aerith panted, her cheeks red. Exhaustion already showed itself, and Sephiroth purposefully left her arms free. He had seen enough and was about to free her, when a tiny fist suddenly emerged and connected with his jaw. Taken aback, the swordsman jerked backwards, freeing her legs.
"You dirty woman…" he growled as Aerith sprang to her feet and dropped a large rock, "There was no need for violence"
Shocked by her own actions, the maiden stood still, eyes wide.
"What?!…Then why did you chase me?!" she exclaimed, "You wondered if I could strike, well I do!"
Brushing a hand over his jaw, Sephiroth grunted.
"I needed to analyse your most basic weaknesses in order to properly begin your training" he explained, rising to his full height, "Without the feel of danger, your reactions wouldn't have been accurate enough"
"You've scared me just for that? You're crazy!"
"Perhaps. But it also confirmed one thing: you do not trust me"
Aerith knew she should reply, but the words collided inside her brain, and came out as a shocked silence.
"Now, you will change into proper clothing. After dinner, I shall try to teach you how to fall without hurting yourself. You will need it"
With that, he turned his back to her and walked towards Lorely.
A few hours later, Luna flicked the pages of a dusty old book, standing in an equally unkempt room. Sighing in boredom, she took a glance at her watch.
'Damn that old scholar. He always makes people wait' she muttered internally.
With a flick of her wrist, the book fell on a wooden shelf and lifted a grey cloud in its wake.
"Oh, Luna! Forgive my old bones" a raspy voice cheered as said scholar appeared, descending a small staircase.
"Yes, I'm sure you weren't watching those cartoons again" Luna grunted, rolling her eyes, "Anyways, do you know anything about the last merged planet? …Gaia, I think, was its name"
"Straight to the point" the grey haired scholar mumbled, "But yes, of course I do know a few things. Why?"
"I've met two remnants. They need information"
"Hmph! Why didn't you tell them to come see me?"
"Because your mouth is too big and never shuts. You would end up saying too much, in front of a man better left in the dark"
Far from denying her words, he coughed a senile chuckle.
"Well, I can tell you this: Gaia certainly was a weird place. From what I heard, its people constantly tried to destroy it" the scholar began, before finally getting serious, "Gaia's will was passed on to Shikyo"
"I see…Shikyo is the guardian of Radiant Garden, right?"
The man nodded.
"Is this where Gaia's people were sent?" the woman asked.
The day before, Aerith had briefly spoken about her lost friends, and how she longed to find them. This was the real reason behind Luna's visit, since the senile man made an obsessive hobby out of studying the worlds.
"No. Most of them ended up at the end of this continent, in the Caloa district. But, very few were regenerated"
Hearing this, Luna smiled sadly. Before Aerith left, she would make sure to have a moment alone with her. The Cetra maiden deserved to know, about the guardians, the dangers of this world…and Gaia's remnants.
"What's so horrible about this man?" the geezer suddenly asked.
"…Nothing much, really" Luna sighed, "But death is written in his eyes"
Shaking his head, the man turned to his bookshelves. He knew just what might interest her.
Meanwhile, Aerith lay on a white blanket, spread on the fresh grass. Hands tucked behind her head, she observed the sky, taking bites of a sandwich. To Sephiroth's command, she now wore a pair of blue shorts and a comfortable top. In exchange, though, Aerith forced him to have a picnic with her.
"Sephiroth…will you still train me even if I don't…trust you…much?" the brunette asked shyly.
"It depends. I'll stop if you don't cooperate"
Aerith sighed softly, feeling a bit bad for hitting him. But he had it coming. After all, the man did imply that she had to do it…
"This talk about the woman you killed…was it all for show?"
"Partially. I do want you to know what I meant back then"
For a moment, silence fell. Slightly uncomfortable, Aerith swallowed hard.
"…Was it like that for you, as well? …Did you…learn to kill for survival?"
Her voice was soft, almost inaudible. It took a moment for him to answer.
"Yes" he said flatly, "My first victim was a scientist. This one particularly liked to torture me"
His tone was thick with cold indifference, and Aerith felt a chill run down her spine.
"I…I'm sorry. I never thought about it this way…"
Intrigued by the woman's sorrowful voice, Sephiroth glanced at her. Truly, it was fascinating, how she would react so strongly to such a trivial truth, while violence taught her nothing.
Then, her sparkling emeralds met his, and a smirk tugged at his lips, unnoticed.
"I promise I'll try" she said, smiling softly, "To...trust you…a bit more"
Sephiroth nodded, and stood up.
"Gather your things. Your training shall begin now"
"Yes" Aerith approved, standing as well.
Suddenly, her cheery self was back, and Sephiroth thought that, at least, she wouldn't be so defenceless once he left her. Because he would surely do so, when he had enough…
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A/N:I know their relationship may seem to get a little softer, but this is the calm before the storm.