"Mom!!"
"Shhhhh. Help me find that Bolt Materia."
I opened up a small satchel we had with many different coloured marbles in it. They glowed in purples, blues, reds, yellows, and mostly greens. We had a white one too, but Mom always kept that with her, hidden in the seam of her skirt. I was the only person who knew about it. Mom found the Materia she was looking for and peered around the corner of the hallway we were in. In an instant I saw her raise the glowing marble and it shimmered, then several security bots coming towards us were instantly fried by the magic lightning my mother called.
"Wow... Is it supposed to do that, Mom?"
"Yes, but... It's not normally that strong..."
Without another moment's hesitation, she grabbed me by the hand and we made a mad dash for the elevator. Mom had stolen a keycard from a guard earlier... But the elevator seemed to refuse it.
"They have us on lockdown. We'll have to take the stairs. Stay close to me Aeris."
I nodded. We went over to the door to the stairs down for the next few levels, but the door was locked there too. Mom said a bad word, then she tried pulling at the door. It gave way very easily under her strength, the metal of the door bending in unison with the curves of her fingers, and she paused a moment to look at her hands, horrified.
"Mom! I hear more guards coming!"
Mother was spurred into action, and she lifted me up and carried me down the next ten or so flights of stairs. We had to cross a level in order to get to the fire escape. There were a lot of stairs. About halfway down, my mother had to stop. I thought she was tired, but instead she kneeled down suddenly and coughed up blood.
My vision blurred. I think I was crying, but I was too panicked seeing my mother hurt like that. "Mom!!" I pulled at her sleeve.
"I'm okay... For the moment. We have to keep moving, quickly!"
We kept moving down the stairs. I held onto my mother's hand now instead of being carried, and I noticed that she seemed colder now. I knew what was coming, but I didn't want to think about it. I didn't have time to focus on the fact that my mother was dying with every step she took.
We got to the bottom of the stairs, and were greeted by a small group of more Shinra Soldiers. I opened up the small satchel of Materia we had, and Mom quickly withdrew another green one and froze all of the Soldiers in place before they could act. Mom briefly lost her balance and leaned on my shoulder for support. I held her hand. She was even colder now.
"Aeris... Give me the bag for a moment." I surrendered the bag and my mother took out a purple Materia, and it seemed to... Fall into her hand, absorbed. It made me sick to watch. "That should... Keep me going, a little longer," she breathed.
We managed to get down into the slums, my Mother who soon before managed to fight our way out of the Shinra building she hated so much now breathing slowly and leaning on me most of the way. She was so cold now, using the condensed spirit energy in Materia in order to keep going. She did it for me, to make sure I would get to safety.
"Aeris..."
"Yes, mom?"
"I'm going to explain something... Sort of complicated to you. I hope you'll understand it all... In time."
"I'm here mom, I'm listening."
"Many years ago, there was this woman named Jenova who came to the Planet... But the Planet did not react well to her... Being here. After a while, things started... Changing. The Knowlespole got colder, tame creatures became wild and violent. It was necessary to... Seal her away. But.. I watched her wake up, in Hojo's lab several years ago. She spoke our ancient language. She said the Planet was going to die."
"... Mom?"
"Hojo decided to run tests on her, even despite... My warnings. I think he thinks Jenova will somehow make... People stronger. That's what the Jenova Project was, and that's what he... What he put in me. A piece of Jenova. Because she's in conflict with the Planet... I can't hear them so well anymore..."
The rest of the walk was solemn and strained. We managed to get down to a place Mom called Sector 5. She said she was drawn to it, for some reason. As we were nearing the train station, Mom fell to her knees gasping for air. I handed her the bag of Materia immediately, and saw her drain the rest of them. Watching each one be absorbed like that made my stomach turn.
"I guess no one will be able to summon... Tiamat, or... Tonberry King... with those gone," she said as the red Materia dissapeared into her hand. "This is it, Aeris. I'm sorry I wasn't much of a mother..."
"Don't say that!" I cried.
"Aeris..." She shifted briefly so she sat up just enough to grab the base of her skirt and tear at it, the section with the White Materia in the seam. "This is yours now, as High Elder. You must carry it..."
"But.. I'm not..."
"Aeris, don't let this affect the way you live, or how you treat yourself. Live a fulfilling and good life. Then you'll have given your father and I both the greatest gift this planet could offer. Remember that."
"By the Ancients! Are you alright, ma'am??" A woman in a green dress and apron approached us.
Mother reached out to the woman. "Please... Take good care of Aeris for me..." Then I felt my mother's soul slip away to the Planet, to join the numberless voices of my ancestors as her hand fell limply to the ground.
The biggest thing that annoys me about being out all night is the mid-afternoon naps I have to take to make up for it. I had this dream so often at this time of the day I had the entire scenario memorized. It was still as terrifying as when I was only six years old.
Author's note: AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH.
Yeah, I'm terrible for updating. But I am bound and determined to finish this story! I must say, I'm not really happy with this section, but after much deliberation I've decided to leave it as it is. Technically it doesn't really reveal any new information, I just wanted/needed Aeris to be haunted by her past in some way. I'm sure I'll come up with a reason why later. Well, I do have the beginnings of a reason why, but that will flesh out later, for sure. Yeah.