To love an Ancient 2: An Aeris and Kadaj story
9,732 Words
22 pages
Chapter 26
The Summit
Disclaimer
Nope, I don't own Final Fantasy 7...but I sometimes adopt their kawaii bishonens! (most specifically the silvered haired kind.)
Authors Notes
Hey guys! Thanks for the awesome reviews. They make me so happy. Anywho I'm not in the mood to ramble today. I want to get straight on with writing this chapter. Mwah!
Musical Muses for this chapter.
Disney Pocahontas. Haha. Im such a young hearted 22 yr old girl lol x
FF7AC Chorale
Rurouni Kenshin OVA Soundtrack
Enjoy!
O0o0o0o0
A journey the planet had fated a brave young flowergirl was beyond cruel. Death awaited her if she was but to slip just once. The snowy wind whistled cruelly in her ear, whipping her plaited hair over her face and temporarily blinding her vision. Not that Aeris needed to see where she was going. All she really needed to know was which direction to climb. And that was up. Kadaj her loyal companion was climbing at her side, eager to offer assistance when necessary.
'…so tired.'
The physical strain of the journey was weighing on her aching limbs. She had never pushed herself so far before, in such horribly cold conditions. Aeris panted weakly as she clenched her gloved hands across the snowy rock face. She pulled herself up to the next plateau of the mountainous terrain. Her face was glowing red with exertion and pain. She tried to prevent herself from looking down. This was for two reasons. The first reason; she did not want to induce any mental state of vertigo. The second reason, was how she did not want to see the truth that was no-where near the top of the mountain, instead she was still only at the bottom!
The flowergirl sighed. She wearily turned her head to her teenage companion. She blinked as an annoying piece of snow caught in her dark eyelashes, temporarily blinding her for a moment. The brunette cringed knowing that she could not use her hands to wipe it away lest she fall. She tried to blink away the white blots to no avail. However a pale hand came up to remove the white flakes, and Aeris smiled softly as she turned her gaze to the owner of that specific hand. Kadaj beamed beautifully at her. Even though he only had one hand holding his body weight against the mountain, he did not seem tired nor strained. He seemed perfectly at ease, as if climbing icy terrains was a common hobby for him.
The flowergirl shook her head. Kadaj had stopped climbing because she had stopped climbing. He was too nice a person. He was clearly more adept than her with many physical expertises, nevertheless, he climbed along with her at a pace which would have humiliated a snail. But Kadaj did not seem bothered at their lack of progress. His elder brother Yazoo on the elder hand had long since left them. Aeris would not be shocked if the callous male had reached the top of the mountain hours ago.
Aeris sighed softly to herself, visibly struggling to reach for another outcrop of rock to bring her just a few inches closer to her destination. A pale came out to grab at her black gloved one, and instead guide her hand to grasp a less perilous part of the rock face. The flowergirl flushed with warmth, and beamed at the teenager's kind assistance.
At this moment in time, fate had only been cruel and cold to her, and Aeris appreciated any form of genuine kindness from anyone who was willing to help her.
And then they climbed some more.
0o0o0o
She had climbed less than a fifth of the mountain.
She had to stop. She had to. She simply had no more energy. But still…Aeris knew she was nowhere near the top. No kindness on Kadaj's part could encourage her to move anymore. She wanted to go further, but her body had ran out of strength. She wanted to cry she was in so much pain.
Aeris turned watery eyes to her pale haired companion.
"I'm sorry. But…I…I can't go on any further…" Aeris panted brokenly as she dropped to her knees on the icy outcrop that both Kadaj and she were currently resting on. In their current position, the pair were exposed to the icy elements. Aeris clutched her dark blanket around her, concentrating on the simple act of breathing. The higher they climbed, the thinner the air became. The brunette's ardour was vastly declining.
Kadaj rushed to assist his Mother by looking inside his inventory and reaching for his infamous Curative materia. But before his pale fingers curled around the pale green orb, a hideous shriek came from above them. Kadaj whipped his head up, and his eyes dilated at the sight of three monstrous carrion bird creatures flying straight towards them!
Kadaj pulled out Souba, and leapt straight off the rock face, to decimate the trio of feathers in the air. He managed to slay two of them, but unfortunately, the third bird evaded his blade. The creature, enraged how Kadaj had made his comrades fall, released an angry quake attack, which caused the mountain wall to shudder violently. Aeris feared the worst as she looked up, expecting to see the beginnings of an avalanche starting from above.
Fortunately, the earth spell was not powerful enough to create an avalanche above them.
But unfortunately, the attack was still strong enough to shatter the ice beneath her feet.
Aeris cried out in alarm, as she looked up at Kadaj in the air.
And for a split moment, their eyes locked.
And then she fell!
"MOTHER!"
Kadaj screamed when he saw what was happening, and tried to fly down after her. But the remaining carrion bird snagged the teen's foot with its gigantic talons and began flying him high up into the air. Kadaj was now seeing red. He brought Souba down on the bird's legs and he slashed them both off with one strike. The creature howled with pain, and the sound ended on a horrible gurgle when the teen violently slit the bird's neck in fury. Kadaj let himself fall downwards, and his terrified eyes widened sharply when he looked downwards. His heart choked on a breath. He could see his Mother, her precious brown and pink form was rapidly disappearing out of his falling vision. She was going to die!
But what he saw next was his Brother Yazoo, flying headfirst, down the rock face, straight after his Mother.
Where his Brother had materialised from, the teen did not know nor care. And as Kadaj continued to fall lower, time seemed to stop as he watched a sight beneath him that would forever haunt his memory for days to come.
0o0o0o0
Yazoo was bored. Decisively bored. As he had expected, Kadaj was miles and miles behind him, as he was forced to assist a certain useless female. The gunman had stopped climbing and instead sat on a thick slab of rock, which hid his form from view of the many airborne creatures that were hovering in the sky. There were many kinds of monsters, all of different sizes and colours. Dragons.. Insects... Birds… And every single one of them seemed to have been mutated by the stench of mako in the air. The gunman sighed, and looked at his velvet nightmare that he protectively held at his side. He pondered at the idea of shooting down the flying demons assailing the air. But the gunman knew that such a sport would bore him very quickly. Instead, he sat and waited for the sound of his brother's voice from below. It felt like many hours had passed when he saw a familiar pair knelt together on the rock face, a good few metres below him. From his current location, the gunman knew that his little Brother would not have been able to see his position, but Yazoo's sniper eyes in the icy shadows could see the pair beneath him clearly.
And that was when he saw it.
Danger.
Danger in the form of three birds, were heading straight towards Kadaj and the useless girl.
The gunman had acted on instinct. He let go of the rock face, and dived headfirst to aid Kadaj.
He drew his gun out in the air and was ready to shoot the three aerial creatures assaulting his Brother. But it seemed that Kadaj was making easy game of them. Instead, while falling, the gunman eyed the brunette's location. His eyes narrowed in growing irritation as he saw the platform the weak flowergirl was resting on, shatter beneath her. Yazoo was all too aware that Kadaj had his hands full tending to the birds in the air.
This left only one option for Yazoo. It was once more up to him to save that foolish woman….yet again..
Yazoo knew that if the female died, then Kadaj would fail his mission. And if Kadaj failed his mission….Yazoo knew what would very likely happen would be far from good. Yazoo urged gravity to make him descend faster. He sailed across the icy winds. He was a black and silver smear soaring downwards at death defying speeds. As the flowergirl came within his line of reach, Yazoo skidded down the face of the cliff, below the falling target. At the first opportunity, Yazoo grabbed the flowergirl's waist violently with his left arm, before smashing both his booted feet and his right fist into the rock surface beneath her, to prevent himself from sliding further down the icy rock face.
Yazoo sighed and looked up. It seemed that Kadaj was finishing off the last carrion bird that had attacked him. The gunman then looked to the shuddering bundle held against his left side. In truth, they were both now in a rather precarious position. Yazoo was squatting against the mountain, and Aeris was squished between him and the rock face. Her hands were clutching his narrow shoulders and one of the gunman's thighs were crudely pressed between her legs, making it seem like she was riding him in the most uncomfortable of ways. When the flowergirl's frightened face turned to eye her pale haired saviour, Yazoo revealed every emotion that he was currently feeling towards her.
He was enraged.
Furious…
'Don't even think about it.' The gunman's glare seemed to scream at her, as if accusing Aeris of intentionally trying to fall to her own death.
Aeris shuddered, too afraid to move. When she felt the ice break, she thought everything was over for her. In what was truly seconds, felt like unforgettable hours of raw fear. Aeris shuddered. She knew she had experienced many death experiences ever since she had left Midgar. Even so, that did not stop her from feeling afraid each time she encountered each danger.
Aeris warily looked into the eyes of her saviour Yazoo. In that moment, her fear for her own mortality overcame her fear for the silver haired gunman himself. 'Thank you,' the flowergirl mouthed weakly. She had suffered too much shock to say anything else.
Understanding her silent words, Yazoo glared at her even harder.
But Aeris met his glare with an even stare.
Deep down, the brunette knew that gunman did not save her out of kindness or warmth towards her person. And Yazoo knew that too.
'If she died, it meant he died too.'
And that was why Yazoo was so angry.
He had never felt the need to be responsible for saving someone else's life before.
The sensation he felt from it were rather…unwelcome..
All he knew was that he never wanted to experience this feeling again.
The familiar sound of another pair of feet smashing into the hard rock beside him awoke the gunman from his darkening thoughts.
"Yazoo! Mother! Are you ok!?" Kadaj panted, as he held onto the mountain. His face seemed much paler than usual. "Are you hurt?"
Aeris did not trust her voice to speak. The only voice she thought she could make was to cry. So instead of speaking, she nodded weakly. She suddenly began to feel rather nervous, as two pairs of uncanny green eyes stared down at her. Their constant staring made the flowergirl feel exposed, weak and vulnerable, and this served to heighten her feeling of exhaustion.
She was just so tired…
The brunette's green eyes dimmed. Her head drooped over the gunman's nearest shoulder. She felt Yazoo's body tense due to her limp action. However the flowergirl simply did not care anymore. Her brain no longer concerned the thought of fearing petty, pretty men, who could only glare, and act weird and creepy around her. She was just too tired to think such irrelevant thoughts anymore. With her nose so close to his neck, the flowergirl gave into the impulse. She sniffed and inhaled his scent. It was clean and masculine. But like the man himself, the smell was unidentifiable to her senses.
The brunette's mind was getting hazy. What she wanted more than anything was a nice warm bed with soft covers where she could sink into and never feel the need to rise from again.
Her eyelashes fluttered, once…
Twice…
The third time her lid closed fully, and this time she did not awaken.
Aeris was asleep.
0o0o0o0
Two sets of mako tainted eyes looked down at the slumbering girl, and then they looked at each other.
"Mother is asleep!" Kadaj exclaimed, as if the event was something that was totally foreign for him to witness.
Yazoo fought the urge to roll his eyes.
"Let me carry her Brother. I will climb to the summit with her on my back," Kadaj said calmly, expecting the gunman to hand the brunette over without question.
Yazoo was about to comply to the young teen's words, but suddenly he had a change of heart. "No," the gunman said simply, as he pulled his right fist out of the wall. Now he was only using his feet implanted in the rock to keep him and the unconscious brunette from falling off the mountain.
The teen's brows jumped up into his hairline. "No?" Kadaj echoed, not expecting to hear such a response from his Brother.
"No," Yazoo repeated calmly.
"NO!?" Kadaj was getting upset now, and the gunman could tell Kadaj emotional outbursts would not help matters. He tried to distract the teen by making him focus on the problem at hand.
"Kadaj, give me the rope that's in your bag. I will swing the woman around. What I want you to do is bind her hands together, then tie her waist to mine. That way her arms can go around my neck and I can climb unaided whilst carrying her on my back."
The teen seemed ready to disagree with Yazoo's plan. Kadaj was ready to disagree with any plan which made Yazoo seem like the better son. "Yazoo, why don't you use the rope and instead tie Mother to me?"
This time Yazoo rolled his eyes. "We need to get to the summit Kadaj. Whether you are the one to carry her, or me, that is indeed irrelevant. Although, since I am carrying her at this very moment in time, it only seems logical that I should be the one who continues this duty. And since it is you who has a bag, which I know, contains rope inside, it seems more than logical for you to be the one to tie this woman to my back. Unless you wish to see her fall again, I recommend using the rope little Brother."
Kadaj bared his teeth at elder male. Yazoo's logical way of thinking always made so much sense that it sent the teen reeling with anger. "Why can't we wait til Mother wakes up, then we can let her decide who she'd rather have carry her?" The teen did not doubt whose company his Mother preferred.
Yazoo chuckled softly. His younger Brother was being predicatively possessive of the brunette in his arms. As was to be expected. To Yazoo, it was almost amusing. "Are you jealous of me Kadaj? You are jealous of this burden in my arms? You see, that is all I see of her little Brother. She is a burden to me, nothing more. My intentions at this moment in time are born of logic, nothing else."
Kadaj wanted to punch something so desperately, most preferably his older Brother. But he reigned in his temper. If his punched his Brother, then he might drop his Mother!
"Arguing with me will not change things Kadaj. Unless you care nothing for this woman, you will do as I say. Get some rope and bind her hands."
Kadaj was still seething, but did as he was asked. It seemed against his Brother, he could never win.
"Now tell me Kadaj, are her hands secure? I want you to put the woman's arms over my head, and then bring her body around my back."
Kadaj did so with a vicious glare on his face.
"Now use some more rope to tie her waist to mine."
The young swordsman's shoulder's were quaking with pent up fury as he knotted the rope around the flowergirl and his Brother. Kadaj secretly wished he could have used the rope to garrotte Yazoo instead. When Yazoo was sure that the flowergirl was secure on his back, and that the brunette's arms would not interfere with his climbing, the gunman began an impressive quick ascent up the icy rock face. Kadaj quickly climbed on from behind. All the while, the young swordsman did not even bother to hide his envy. The green eyed monster was glaring at his elder brother, cursing him to all seven levels of hell.
'It was so not fair!'
At this current moment, Kadaj despised Yazoo with every breath he took.
Kadaj knew that everything he had with his Mother was perfect, till Yazoo came and ruined it all. Now Kadaj felt like the third wheel. It did not help matters that this was now the second time Yazoo had decided what was happening on HIS MISSION!
'You bastard.' Kadaj seethed, as he eyed the pair above him. Logically, Kadaj was aware that being of a shorter stature, that put him at a slight disadvantage to Yazoo's impressive height. And although his Mother was not tall, he knew Yazoo would find it much easier to climb with her than he, due to his longer limbs, not that Kadaj would ever admit that to him.
An all too familiar squalling sound of an aerial creature, caused the teen to roll his eyes. Souba was out again in an instant. Frustration quickly evolved into fury at the sight of another bird monster, which had feasted its sights on his group.
Kadaj released a loud war cry and threw himself off the rock face and straight towards the feather brained creature. The monster was a perfect way for Kadaj to release all his pent up fury at the situation between his Mother and his Brother. The bird died quicker than Kadaj had intended. He was almost annoyed at how weak the monster was when he was ready for a more challenging fight. As the bird began its death descent to the ground. Kadaj, used its bulky body, to aid his momentum, so he could leap back against the icy rock face. When Kadaj looked up, he realised that Yazoo had not even stopped to wait for him despite the fight.
Kadaj shook his head viciously fuming. He made sure to climb even faster now to catch up with his elder Brother. As he climbed, the teen forced himself to see the logical side of this present situation. The teen was well aware that his Brother's setup enabled him to fight off any on coming aerial enemies, while Yazoo protected Aeris. However the more Kadaj tried to see the logic of Yazoo's plan, this only seemed to heighten the illogicalness in other areas! The way Kadaj saw it, Yazoo was a gunman. Being a gunman, he was the one who possessed a long range weapon, unlike he! Kadaj knew that his sword was more suited for close combat, and more preferably on the ground. But more importantly than that, Kadaj knew that he cared so much more for his Mother than Yazoo ever could.
'It was just not fair!'
Kadaj did not know how much more he could take of this.
0o0o0o0
Aeris awoke many hours later laying across the rocky ground. She blinked hazily as she looked around at her unrecognisable surroundings. She shivered and drew her dark blanket around her. It seemed she was in some form of cave, which was lit up with the purest shades of raw mako. The sight was indeed breathtaking to witness. The gentle glow of silvery green painted across the rock and even threaded in the air was an example of nature's beauty. Aeris knew that if she was to listen, she could hear the strong hum of the planet throbbing in her ears. Unfortunately being only half Cetra, Aeris could not understand the words.
"Mother?"
At the sound of a familiar voice, Aeris blinked and looked to her right side. Kadaj was kneeling across from her, and seemed to be amusing himself by throwing small pebbles into the mako fire he had created to keep the flowergirl warm.
"Are you okay?" The teen added softly.
The brunette thought about the question. She felt a little drained, hungry and cold, but in truth she did feel okay. Aeris nodded, to which the swordsman beamed.
"Ah, so she has finally awoken. What a lazy woman."
Aeris felt her shoulder's freeze at an all too familiar drawling voice.
"Yazoo!" Kadaj exclaimed, as he turned incensed eyes on the elder male across from him..
Aeris flushed red, and turned to her left side, where Yazoo was perched rather comfortably on a rock protruding from the ground. One of his long legs was lazily swinging a few inches from the ground. All the while, his eyes remained focussed on his velvet nightmare positioned on his arm. The sight was almost repulsive. It seemed insane how the gunman always seemed to appear so horribly elegant without even trying. Even after all their travelling and fighting, Yazoo did not even have a single hair out of place. Aeris had to turn her head away in slight envy. She eventually drew her attention back to the younger teen on her right.
"So where are we now Kadaj? I can't seem to remember-" The brunette paused in her thoughts. The last thing Aeris remembered was climbing up the difficult icy mountain trail. Then the ground shatter beneath her, and she remembered falling.
She thought she was going to plummet to her death.
And then Yazoo caught her.
That last realisation in her memory was alarming in itself. The flowergirl's face burned, knowing that this was the second time Yazoo has seen her at her most weakest. The realisation was maddening as it was sobering. If it was not for Yazoo, then Aeris knew she would not have survived the fall. With that thought in mind, Aeris plucked up the courage to sneak a glance at the pale haired gunman before turning her attention back to Kadaj.
"We are almost there Mother," Kadaj reassured her. "We are inside Gaea's cliff now. We just need to head up a little higher. But we are less than a day away from the Sanctuary!"
The flowergirl blinked. She was unsure whether she had heard right. When she repeated Kadaj's words inside her head. Something strange happened. Her smile grew, and before she knew it, a loud sound erupted from her mouth.
She was laughing!
"Really!? We are almost there?!" Aeris cackled. Her companions looked at her as if she had truly lost her mind. Deep down she knew they were close, she just was not sure how close.
Kadaj's eyes widened at his Mother's spontaneous reaction. The flowergirl's happiness was infectious. Before Kadaj realised it. He too was laughing. However it seemed whatever spell the demi-Cetra had created, Yazoo was immune to it. He stared between the brunette and his Brother in clear confusion. He had no idea what they thought was funny. He frowned in puzzlement. This brunette continued to be an enigma to him. Her strange attitude and mannerisms… disturbed his placid ways of thinking. In truth, Yazoo did not like the changes the girl seemed to evoke in him. He did not like that fact at all.
And as Aeris continued to laugh, she felt her anxious fears begin to slowly crumble away. She could not believe it! She had finally reached the top of the summit! She was almost there. The brunette held a hand to her mouth. It must have been due to the lack of air in the cave but the flowergirl could not stop giggling. She knew it was mostly out of relief than anything else. There had been so many moments when Aeris truly believed she was going to fail in her mission. Her limbs were still aching in places they had never even ached before. Her body still had not adjusted to the coldness of the mountain. Her teeth were chattering a cold tune, and she kept on rubbing her shoulders. But those facts were not important now. The only thing the brunette found important was this. She was still alive, and she was almost there. She had not failed the Planet, and she had not failed Sephiroth. She was going to do this. She was going to find a way to create happiness for everyone. She was going to succeed
Aware that Kadaj was sharing her experience of delight, Aeris grabbed the young teen and hugged him happily, completely oblivious to the pale haired gunman watching her actions with acute awareness.
"Well shouldn't we be continuing on? Why are we still waiting here when we are almost there!?" Aeris asked eagerly, as she leapt up and urged Kadaj to his feet. Yazoo raised a wry brow at the brunette passionate antics before standing himself. In truth he could not deny that the girl had the power to grab his attention despite his many attempts to remain passive and disinterested of her person. Yazoo openly watched as Aeris fussed and jabbered with his younger Brother, hugging and patting at the teen's nose with fond attentiveness. At the sight of the pair, something strange and foreign inside him stirred.
It was an emotion Yazoo was wholly not accustomed with.
Jealousy.
His eyes narrowed at that internal realisation. Yazoo knew he could repeat to himself a thousand times that he did not care for the flowergirl. Nevertheless that could not explain his erratic emotions. Yazoo had never experienced such a deep emotion from within, and so he had no idea how to deal with it. The gunman sneered to himself, and tried to think of other things. He forced himself to concentrate only on preparing himself for the final part of their journey in the caves, all the while avoiding looking at the flowergirl coddling his little Brother when possible. But such a feat proved to be almost impossible when Kadaj and Aeris waltzed in front of him hand in hand, leaving him to trail them from behind. More than once, his mako tainted eyes unconsciously wandered up the brunette's frame before he caught himself. He flushed in cold irritation, realising that his eyes kept on being drawn to her figure, like a moth to a flame. He felt disgusted with himself. He clenched his gloved hands in agitation. He truly did not understand why he was getting so annoyed. His thoughts were becoming more illogical by the minute. He could no longer understand his mental reasoning. It made no sense.
He glared at the pair between them who seemed too happy to walk side by side. Hand in hand.
The sight bothered him immensely.
What he wanted to know was….
'Why?'
'Why am I jealous?'
It wasn't like he wanted to hold the brunette's hand. Far from it.
A sudden image of her naked flesh flashed through his mind, and he involuntary shuddered.
Yazoo only allowed himself to think one thought,
And that was how much he loathed her right now.
Truly, irrevocably, loathed her.
Now that was a thought he could deal with.
0o0o0o0
Midgar: President Shinra's Office
0o0o0o0
At the sight of his blonde date, Rufus smiled with genuine relief. This was the first time a woman had actually turned up looking reasonably attractive for him and not looking like she had emerged from a Honey Bee Inn Brothel. In a simple sleeveless shirt and a knee length pencil skirt, Elena looked more ready for a day at the office than a candlelit meal for two. The only sign that the Turk had attempted to look pretty was the small tint of lip gloss which coloured her mouth a delicate baby pink, and the tiny studs which shyly glittered from her ear lobes.
Elena looked down at the table. It seemed that the Shinra catering company had gone all out for the President tonight. Their dining table had been beautifully prepared. The dark oak table was covered with a crimson tinted table runner and upon it the best china and crockery were gleaming out at her in hues of rich crystal and silver. An array of fruits were accompanied with different kinds of sliced meats, lobster, bread rolls and a rather aromatic broth which was centred in the middle of the table. Elena felt almost overwhelmed by the luxury of it all. If it was any other time, the Turk might have fallen in love with the rich opulence which was offered in front of her. Instead, she felt unsettled.
The thought of her wounded leader brought the blonde's mind back to the current reason of her mental upset. No silly dinner from the President could make would make the Turk feel better. Not when Tseng had been gravely injured. Elena mentally sighed to herself when the President invited her to sit down, before seating himself on the opposite side of the table.
The President delivered a roguish smile at his companion, and then poured wine for the both of them. When he passed the glass to the Turk, she accepted it graciously, but made no attempt to drink, nor eat much to the amusement of the male blond. He drew back in his seat and watched the female. His penetrating gaze did not seem to intimidate the blonde as he expected. She seemed distracted, as if she did not want to be there.
It was very rare for a female not to be leaping into the President's rich and bountiful lap.
It was a much comfortable change for him.
"Elena, how are you feeling this evening?" Rufus asked cordially as he sipped the dark claret liquid from his glass.
Blue eyes caught the way the blonde averted her gaze from his avid attention.
"I'm fine," Elena responded, as she shifted in her seat.
"Good," Rufus replied, as he continued to enjoy his drink.
The table became unhealthily silent.
"President sir-"
"Call me Rufus," The blond male interjected. He was feeling rather magnanimous with the female before him today. He would have blamed the wine and not the company. In truth, Rufus knew it was more to do with his painkillers that had recently taken effect in his system. It was very rare for him not to feel any pain from the mako shots that Hojo had administered to him over the last few months. Tonight seemed to be a lucky night for him.
"R-Rufus," Elena began uncomfortably. "Can you tell me why you sent Tseng out unaccompanied on his last mission?"
The President raised a brow, and paused in his drinking. 'Ah…' Now things were becoming much clearer. "What happened to Tseng was unexpected and unfortunate."
"You did not answer my question," Elena said, as she twisted a napkin between her hands. It was clear she was distressed by her Director's current incapacitation.
Rufus sighed. "None of my associates were aware that Sephiroth was currently located in the southern borders. Do not worry Elena, Shinra's medics are the best on the planet. Tseng will be healed up in no time"
"But you should have had backup for him!" Elena exclaimed. "This did not have to happen!"
"If I had sent backup, they would have all returned comatose like Tseng, or most likely, dead."
At that Elena went silent.
The President looked at the honey eyed assassin sat before him. "Remember who is in charge here Elena," He said calmly, as he swirled his wine in his glass.
"I'm sorry for angering you sir-" The Turk apologised quickly.
"Angering me?" Rufus asked. "You have done no such thing. Be at ease."
Elena tried to relax, but failed.
"Elena, are you not aware that this food here is simply not for show. Usually the purpose of a dinner is to dine?" Rufus mocked in jest, as he leant across the table to pick up a Kaiser roll. "Have you already eaten?"
Elena shook her head.
"Then etiquette demands you to eat with me," Rufus remarked with a smile. He seemed more amused than Elena had ever seen him. In truth, it set the young Turk on edge. Seeing it best to comply with her President's demands for now, Elena picked up a slice of meat and warily began to eat.
0o0o0o0o
Back on the Northern Continent
0o0o0o0o
"Not again!" Aeris cried out, as she rubbed her arms with her gloved hands. It seemed the entire cave was ridden with poisonous monsters. Unfortunately, many had a fondness for biting her, despite most of her skin being covered with her blanket. Yazoo sighed behind her, and calmly cast Esuna, the only magick Kadaj did not seem to have on his possession. The pair watched as Kadaj finished off the remaining bugs in the area. Aeris all the while scratched her arms. Even though Yazoo had removed the poison element from her blood system, that did not mean the bites did not stop itching.
All the while, Yazoo watched the brunette, with eyes glaring in derision.
'Now what's his problem?' The flowergirl thought to herself, wondering why the pale haired gunman always acted so strange around her. She really could not understand the man. In truth, Yazoo was an extremely un-likable character. Aeris always believed that when someone disliked you, you usually had to do something untoward them. It seemed with Yazoo this was not the case. Assuming the elder male was irritated as she had not yet thanked him for his most recent white healing spell, Aeris corrected her error immediately.
"Erm thanks Yazoo?"
At the sign of her gratitude, the silver haired gunman seemed even more annoyed.
Aeris rolled her eyes. This man was ridiculous. She did not understand why Yazoo was always so horrible to her. He obviously did not like her. But despite this fact, Aeris knew that if it wasn't for him, she would have fallen to her untimely death. The brunette sighed to herself. The gunman was such a walking contradiction. "God help the woman who is unluckily enough to end up with you," the words slipped out of her mouth before she had time to register them, and Aeris gaped at the icy look that was directed her way.
"You assume I will let any women near my person in the future," Yazoo remarked slowly, as he moved his eyes away from the brunette to watch his Brother finishing off the last bug creature in the area before jogging back to them.
The flowergirl smirked, as an amusing thought suddenly came to her. It seemed things were beginning to make much more sense to her now. This thought was something she had not considered before. "Well excuse me for not realising you have no interest in women," Aeris answered with a sly wink. The way she insinuated it, made it appear that Yazoo had an interest for the other gender.
The gunman's mako tainted eyes flared in warning. Aeris' face faltered. She almost thought she had pushed the warrior too far. Then slowly, Yazoo's pale lips curled upwards in genuine amusement. Yazoo actually chuckled, before brushing past her to cast Esuna on his younger Brother, leaving the brunette baffled yet relieved at the same time..
' This woman thinks her silly words can affect me. She really is an amusing creature.'
Reassured that their current zone of the cave was now monster free, Kadaj gestured Aeris to join him, and then they continued on. The brunette smiled and jogged to the teen's side. Aeris knew that she would have tried to kill herself long before if she had been forced to travel alone with Yazoo. In the past, Aeris knew she used to ponder the mystery between Kadaj and 'Him'. Now when she thought about it, she came to this unusual conclusion. It seemed to her that Kadaj seemed to convey all of Sephiroth's likable traits. However it seemed Yazoo possessed all of Sephiroth's less desirable ones. Again, Aeris was genuinely grateful for Kadaj's warmth and kindness. It was something she knew she could always rely on. Aeris knew she trusted Kadaj completely. The moment that Yazoo came into the picture, Aeris realised the true value of having someone like Kadaj around. He really was a light to her, guiding her along, keeping her thoughts bright and happy. Yazoo on the other hand was more like a shadow in the darkness. His present was always there in her peripheral vision. She could not ignore him. He always remained disconcertingly near. In a way he embodied the ominous gloom that pervaded her journey of hope and light. His soul presence reminded her of the potential dangers that seemed to follow her were ever present.
They were moving further inside the cave now. Every now and then, Kadaj would tell the flowergirl to stop, as he and Yazoo killed any threats lurking in the darkness. And then they would continue on. Aeris realised the air seemed to be getting heavier that she could even see a thick white mist growing in the air. There also seemed to be a strong wind blowing towards them. Aeris relied wholly on Kadaj and Yazoo to guide her through the mako-lit cave. It seemed the silver haired pair knew where they were going, and for that Aeris was relieved. The mist seemed to be getting thicker. Now it was tainted green with the mako surrounding them. At the thought of the mako, Aeris grabbed a hand to her chest. She could feel the pulsing of the planet's breath all around her. The voices she could hear. They were…greatly distressing even though she could not make out specific words. However while she could not understand the language of the planet, Aeris could clearly make out the emotions, because she could feel it inside herself, as if the planet's feelings were her own. And what Aeris felt was this… The planet…it was in pain. It was crying. The further she moved inside the cave, the louder the planet's wailing grew. Aeris visibly cringed. She could not block out the sounds. They were beginning to affect her heart and mind. She was feeling dizzy and sick with the emotions surrounding her. The flowergirl hated the thought of anything or anyone being in pain, especially if she could not help them.
When Kadaj thrust a bar of chocolate in her face, the brunette blinked almost broke from her painful daze. She painfully declined the kind offer. She had no appetite now. Sorrow and pain were the only things she could currently taste on her lips now.
"You sure Mother? You haven't eaten anything," Kadaj remarked with concern. "Are you sure you would not like to rest a little while instead then?"
Aeris shook her head. She was beginning to feel unwell. The air did not smell right at all. Aeris wasn't sure if it was the stench of the mako that was bothering her or something else.
"We are almost there Kadaj, it seems folly to let 'Him' wait any longer for her than necessary," Yazoo remarked dryly, as the trio continued to move through the mako mist where the wind blew most strongest. It was here, that the group saw something most fascinating.
"Look over there Brother, more of our relatives are late for the reunion," Yazoo said softly as he watched the jumbling mass of dark cloaked bodies stumbling up the rocky cliffs towards the same windy summit they were heading towards.
Illness momentary forgotten, Aeris visibly eeked in horror at the sight of them, she took a few steps backward, almost bumping into Yazoo. A sudden unpleasant memory came to her during her time in the Shinra Mansion. "I- I saw one of these in Nibelheim. What are they?" The flowergirl gasped. Her eyes had grown wide with awe and fear. She had no idea what she was witnessing. It seemed like a congregation of some sort where all the strange cloaked beings were hovering right at the precipice of the windy opening.
Surprisingly it was Yazoo who answered her. "They are our Brother and Sisters." Aeris gaped at Yazoo, not expecting such a response. She turned her head to look at Kadaj, assuming he would be just as surprised as her. However, Kadaj did not share the brunette's shock. He had always known who these cloaked individuals were to him. "These beings here are all bound to Sephiroth one way or the other. His presence has made them all attend. These ones are a little late though."
"Your Brother and Sisters?" Aeris echoed as she stared at the group of dark cloaked beings. They were all ringed around the huge crevasse in the ground where the source of the wind came from. Aeris noticed that while some looked clearly of human origin, some looked suspiciously monstrous. However they all seemed connected by their dark robes and pale hair. Then Aeris thought back to the gunman's words. "What the?"
A ghost of a grin appeared on the gunman's face. "Do not worry yourself about such things. I am sure 'He' will answer any question you ask of him."
The flowergirl furrowed her eyebrows. "He? You mean Sephiroth?" Aeris asked, as Yazoo guided them even closer towards the congregation of dark clothed beings.
Kadaj and Yazoo nodded simultaneously as they watched the deluge of cloaked bodies who were congregating at the top of the windy summit in front of them. They seemed totally oblivious to her presence.
Aeris turned her gaze from her companions to look at an even more horrifying sight.
"What are they doing?!?!" Aeris exclaimed in horror, as she saw one draw out a dagger and slash its own throat. Soon after one started, it started a chain reaction.
The mass of dark haired creatures were simultaneously committing suicide by throwing themselves inside the gale storm and down into the unknown mako depths below.
Aeris placed a trembling hand over her mouth. She had just witnessed an orgy of death.
Aeris turned to Yazoo for answers. When he said nothing, she turned towards Kadaj. "What happened?!? What's going on.? Why are they doing this?!"
Kadaj smiled at his Mother. He vaguely had an idea what his Mother was thinking. "In truth it really isn't as bad as it looks," the teen admitted, as he watched another surge of cloaked individuals catapult themselves into the dark, windy abyss.
"W-what?" Aeris looked now in horror at the teen before her. Then back at the suicidal cloaked beings who seemed more than happy to fall to their unknown deaths. The flowergirl was getting scared now. What she was seeing was unnatural. Memories of the night of the Nibelheim reactor resurfaced once more in her mind.
And his dark words soon returned to her.
Sephiroth had told her the way to reach the Sanctuary…to meet his Mother…to meet Him…was through death!
And it seemed…that despite travelling all the way to the North…going through endless forests and icy mountains of death….she had come to realise the same truth…
'Was this all a lie? '
'Was death the only way to reach the Reunion?'
The more cloaked beings she saw give themselves up to the planet, the more the brunette realised that her thoughts must have been the honest truth.
'…which means…'
"You lied," Aeris accused Kadaj, as she suddenly turned on him. "You lied!" She called out in a louder tone. Aeris could not believe it. She trusted the teen. She could not believe how Kadaj would lie to her all this time. He had betrayed her. Kadaj looked positively shocked. He did not expect his Mother to lash out at him this way. "No Mother! I haven't! Let me explain-"
"No!" Aeris exclaimed. "No more lies! You told me that I could reach the Reunion without dying. But from the looks of those men over there, what you said was untrue! How could you betray my trust like that Kadaj?!"
The young teen gaped at her. She had never been so angry at him. Kadaj really did not know what to say. But before he could build up a defence, his elder Brother beat him to it.
"Kadaj has not lied to you," Yazoo yawned calmly.
Aeris whirled on the elder male. "And how can I trust anything you say? You seem like you would rather harm me than help me!"
"Hmm." Yazoo quirked an eyebrow. He had no more to say on the matter
Suddenly Kadaj dropped to his knees and grabbed at the brunette's hands. "Please Mother. Please give me the opportunity to explain everything to you. I have not lied to you at all. I promised you there is another way to get to the Reunion without dying and there is. This is it!"
The flowergirl did not seem to be buying it. She did not know who to trust anymore. "Then Kadaj please explain why those strange people you call your Brothers and Sisters are casting themselves off into that windy chasm then? Or don't you consider suicide a method of dying?!"
Kadaj tightened his grip on the brunette's hands. He prayed that he could get through to her. "I know the mako winds made it difficult to see what was at the bottom, but the portal to the Sanctuary is here Mother. Please, please believe me." He bowed his head low. Everything depended on this. He had to make his Mother understand otherwise the entire journey would have been in vain.
Kadaj hugged her legs and Aeris stood frozen. She was on the precipice. She had no idea what to do. More figures seemed to be approaching the misty chasm, but they seemed to be waning in number. Aeris looked at individual that jumped. They all seemed so confident to fall to their doom, while some were forced by the eager others that were behind them. As time passed, only a few remaining figures were currently cloistered around the edge of the windy terrain. And in that moment, Aeris' attention was drawn to one specific dark cloaked figure who seemed ready to jump like all the others. But instinct inside her told her that this being seemed different. Due to the turbulent winds whipping the air, it caused the being's dark hood to be thrown off his face, revealing his shadowy features to view. But when Aeris took in all his features. Her face bleached of all emotion.
And that was when she remembered them.
Those eyes…I recognise those eyes..
Haunting mako blue, the very colour of the sky.
Aeris stared at a face she had not seen in many years. Despite his spiked hair which had transformed into an unnatural silver tone, Aeris could easily remember a time when his same wild hair had gleamed a healthy raven black.
Then suddenly, the blue eyed man looked in her direction.
And Aeris' mouth trembled. She had no doubt now.
Despite the silver toned hair, everything was the same as she remembered.
It was him..
It was…
And as recognition dawned in the man's mako tainted orbs, one of the impatient and nameless cloaked men from behind viciously pushed him into the windy crevasse without any warning.
And then Aeris screamed out as the blue eyed male fell straight into the thick mist, and then he was gone.
"Zack!"
Aeris pushed Kadaj off her. With no thought to her safety or her sanity, Aeris tried to run towards the edge of the windy crevasse.
"Zack!"
To be effortlessly pulled back by Yazoo.
Aeris banged at the gunman's arms. She wanted to be free. She just saw Zack. Her lost love from the past and had just fallen…….like so many others to his death. The brunette shuddered. Aeris had no idea what to think anymore. Everything had turned to madness before her very eyes. She was giving up on thinking rational thoughts. It seemed in her life, only insanity prevailed.
"Now listen. I care little if you do not believe my words, or Kadaj's. If you are indeed wise you will listen to them, and you will accept them. For what I say is the truth. What you have been seeing here are my Brothers and Sisters…these are people who have been invited to the Reunion by Sephiroth's will. As you are well aware, the Reunion is taking place in the Sanctuary that does not exist on the crust of this Planet. Now one way to reach this place is through death and travelling through the lifestream. However as we are all very aware about your displeasure with killing, that is why you have been purposely brought here. You see this place is a direct portal straight to the inner sanctum where 'He' is located. And no, you do not need to die to enter through the portal. Sephiroth's will has made it thus. Now when you enter this portal, you will cross through a tunnel. When you travel to the end of this tunnel, that will be when you have reached the Sanctuary. And now, I will repeat this one more time for I know you are of simple mind. You will not die if you go through this tunnel. You may get lost but you cannot die. The chances of you getting lost are minimal since Kadaj will show you the way. After all, that is why Kadaj was brought here, to guide you to Him safely. Now do you understand foolish girl?"
Aeris was trembling. As insane as it was to admit, all she could think about was seeing Zack now. She had thought he had died during the Wutai war. She was getting so emotional. "Will I see Zack? If I jump in there will Zack be on the other side?"
Yazoo sent the brunette an odd look. "Well if you don't jump. You won't find out now, will you?"
Yazoo drew away from the brunette and Aeris watched as the very last cloaked individual plummeted down into the windy depths. Now they were the only three to stand before the windy crevasse.
"See you on the other side little Brother," And then Aeris watched in alarm as Yazoo let himself fall into the white misty abyss with no fear. And then he was gone.
Aeris gaped into the swirling whiteness. She was petrified. When Kadaj came up beside her to grasp her right hand, it did not help to relieve her growing fears. Instead it elevated them.
"I…I don't think I can do this…" Aeris began, ready to take a step back.
"I know you can do this Mother. Just have faith. I promised to never let go of your hand. I'm with you always." Kadaj spoke truly and honestly from the bottom of his heart.
"I really hope you and Yazoo aren't lying about all this." The brunette said, as she warily inched herself to the edge of the crevasse. She looked down but she could see no bottom. She could feel the wind rush at her face, pulling at her ponytail. "I will be really angry if this is just some twisted lemming exercise. You know I don't believe in suicide, don't you?"
Kadaj actually laughed at his Mother's words and he tightened his grasp on his Mother's hand. "Oh Mother. It will be worth it. I promise you it will be painless. I know a really easy way of doing this, lets do it on three okay?"
Aeris could think of no better way to do this, and so she reluctantly nodded. Kadaj squeezed her hand in reassurance.
Kadaj grinned. "Okay then, -1."
Aeris gulped uneasily.
"-2."
Aeris closed her eyes.
"3!"
And Kadaj fearlessly leapt off the platform, taking a screaming Aeris with him.
Whew Cliff-hanger. Now this is something I have had planned for a long, long time lol x Tell me guys what you think of this chapter. I really enjoyed writing this one. Things are getting so much weirder. I'm sure those who read TLAA1 might have wondered where my Zack went. Well lets just say he was slowly making his way to the Reunion like so many others who are connected to Sephiroth and Jenova.
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