Author's note: This is a collaboration between Ceara Ivory and myself. We don't own Final Fantasy VII!
Those Chosen By The Planet
Disc 3 Part 7:
Pressure And Relief
Airlia smiled as she laid in bed with her fiancé, while Marlene laid sleeping on the bed, clutching her Boko that they had brought along for the ride. She thought about how much fun Marlene had on the carousel, being able to ride on a small chocobo. She looked at Rufus as his arm snaked around her chest. Her thoughts drifted to finding out the scars were gone.
She had suspected they were since Jenova healed her illness in her chest from jumping in the icy water. Still, she hadn't really had much time to confirm it as things went so quickly the past few days. She hadn't wanted to look at her chest, a source of much of her pain. Yet when she went with Rufus to the seamstress, she hadn't expected the extent that it was...
"Ah welcome Mr Shinra… Who is this lovely lady and beautiful little girl with you?" The woman asked as she finished setting up a mannequin with a beautiful white wedding dress on it.
Rufus smiled wide. "This is my fiancée, Airlia Marchand. And our pride and joy, Marlene." He couldn't resist the proud grin as he petted Marlene's hair. He noticed Marlene looking directly in front of her, a sadness in her eyes. He stroked her head comfortingly.
The seamstress noticed the sadness in her eyes, but didn't want to pry. "It's lovely to meet all of you. So are you coming then for a wedding dress and perhaps a flower girl dress for this lovely little girl?"
Airlia nodded as she gently nudged Marlene. "Come my little darling. Time to make you feel like a princess." She had to keep from saying 'angel' because it would only serve to bring more pain to her daughter.
Marlene nodded sadly before looking up. "Papa hasn't come to see me yet. Maybe he's not allowed like Louise is..."
Airlia nodded as she kneeled down and embraced her daughter. "He will come. He just has a few things he has to do. Maybe he's visiting Momma-Scarlet?"
Marlene looked at her. "Can Momma-Scarlet see them? Maybe he did go see her. He didn't have time before."
Airlia hugged her daughter tighter, "I don't know if she can or not… But he could try anyways. I couldn't see Louise after all, and she was protecting me… So maybe."
She stood back up to look at the seamstress, "What color do you think would make my little girl shine? She lost someone very close to her recently and I want to make her feel good and beautiful."
Rufus looked around at some dresses. "Maybe a mint green my dear." He pulled one dress off and matched the color to Marlene's skin.
Airlia nodded as she looked at the cute dress, "Yes, that's beautiful. Marlene want to try it on? See how it feels? Momma or Papa-Rufus can help you put it on if you need it."
Marlene nodded and took the dress into a dressing room. She didn't feel ready to call Rufus papa yet. She couldn't even really say the word papa without feeling a hole inside her.
Airlia instantly realized her error with words as her eyes dimmed a little. She turned to the seamstress and quietly explained that Barret was a close family friend who had helped to take care of her daughter when she couldn't. She explained how Scarlet was the love of his life so they agreed to share Marlene since she had taken to Barret so deeply. She had just finished and turned back to the dressing room when Marlene came out with a small smile.
Marlene looked up at Airlia. "I like it. It's pretty..." She looked in the mirror, away from everyone so she could clean up her wet eyes.
Airlia frowned as she leaned over to Marlene and held her close. "I promise… He'll come soon. He loves you too much to just stay away. Now what do you say you help me pick out a dress?" She wanted so desperately to perk up her daughter's spirit.
Marlene nodded a little. "I'm okay... I just needed to cry a little. Let's get you a really big princess dress! Like in the fairy tales!" She ran over to a really huge dress with a long cathedral train and lots of sparkles and sequins and lace.
Airlia blushed as she looked at the detailed gown. "It is like one out of a princess tale, isn't it Marlene?" She saw the back where it scooped down with a thin gauzy material with lace and sequin trim forming stars and a heart along the center. She looked away for a moment. Turning to the seamstress, "Can you come with me into the dressing room for my measurements?" She wasn't sure if the seamstress couldn't add a little white fabric to help hide the scars on her body.
The Seamstress followed. "Interesting she'd pick out that dress. I just finished it this morning... Had a feeling someone special would need it." She stroked her chin in curiosity.
Once they were in the room, Airlia spoke. "That dress is beautiful, but the back… would you be able to add some white fabric to it? I have some old scars I don't want visible. Too many bad memories." She turned to lift her shirt a little to show the marks.
The Seamstress looked and moved her eyes closer, put on her glasses. "Hun... I don't see what you're talking about. Come to this light." She grabbed her sewing lamp and angled it. "You can't mean these thin white things can you?"
Airlia opened her eyes, masking her utter surprise deftly as she looked at the mirror and then looked at her chest to see even those marks were either gone or near invisible. "It wasn't like this so they must have finally healed. I took a bad spill about two weeks ago and had a lot of abrasions." She lied, that part of her past was dead with everyone else in Avalanche gone from Midgar. "That's incredible, I'm so delighted. It's just… I want to look perfect for him. And my spill worried him sick."
The Seamstress smiled understandingly. She grabbed her tape measure and began getting the necessary numbers. "Yes I think I made that dress for you. It's funny..." The Seamstress said. "While I was making it and right before it... I could swear there was a strange white mist or fog near my sewing machine..."
Airlia blinked as she filed that away… Was it Louise or Barret… or even both of them… "Thank you. I need to check with my fiancé on when the wedding will be, but we will gladly purchase both dresses. And the wedding will be in Golden Saucer, so you don't have to worry about moving it somewhere and possibly being damaged on the way."
The Seamstress nodded and they rejoined the other two. Rufus was standing in front of the dress looking at a photo in his wallet. He kept looking from the photo to the dress.
Airlia raised an eyebrow as she questioned, "What's wrong dear? You look confused about something…" And boy did she have a surprise for him, knowing he has seen the photos and he was there when she showed Tifa the scars.
Rufus handed her the photograph wordlessly. The picture of a light redhead in a near identical gown.
Airlia felt the wind come out of her lungs as she blinked and looked at him. "I'll tell you something later... and I have something else to show you too. Do you think this is a sign of approval?"
Rufus gulped. "I think she picked out your dress... Ma'am..." He handed the photo to the seamstress so she could see.
Marlene bounced up and down. "I wanna see!"
Airlia grinned as she picked up her daughter and leaned her over to see the photograph. "That's Louise my little one… Rufus's mother." She whispered into Marlene's ear.
Marlene felt a real smile come across her face. "Ooo pretty. Are you gonna have a really big head thingy like her too?"
She sent a small look at Rufus who nodded. "That's a veil and yes my little girl. I am. And you're gonna be the most beautiful flower girl ever."
Marlene looked at her momma and threw her arms around her neck. "Really?"
Airlia nodded as Rufus gently pat his daughter's head. "Really. Now let's take care of the purchase and we can go relax at the hotel for a little. We have tomorrow to play too."
Airlia hadn't had a chance to show what had happened when Jenova healed her of her cold yet. When they got in, Marlene was starving, so she had to order food first, and finally with her sleeping and the television news on, she was just about to talk to him when the news got interrupted with a live feed of Sephiroth.
"The carnage is getting out of control people! The citizens are asking when will Shinra take responsibility for the monster they created and put it to sleep like the rabid dog that it's become?" The reporter said as he tried to stand a safe distance away as Sephiroth landed, impaling one man before he started to swing his masamune around, dispatching the innocent people around him.
Still, he didn't see Sephiroth moving closer to him, nor the masamune coming closer still before it was impaled within the reporter's gut. Throwing him aside, he turned to the cameraman and smirked. "I ask that if any Cetra out there thinks he can take me on, then come on out and give it your best shot." He sliced at the camera and the broadcast cut out.
Rufus bit his lip. "The Beast is taunting us while trying to make the Cetras out to be the victims! It knows I can't kill my best friend. He knows I can't kill my brother-in-law."
Airlia nodded. "We have all been the victims of the Cetras. We will end this my love. We will not do it killing him… That's why we have the cameras. So we can prove to the world that it's not his fault, none of it is his fault. We will prove it so he doesn't have to die." She kissed him softly. She felt bad about wanting to show him the strange thing that happened to her body. This news had hurt him so badly. She just wanted to make him smile.
He put his arms around her and found himself crying. He'd been through much lately and he finally felt safe to let it out as she did with him.
She held him as he cried, rubbing circles into his back as she kissed his head. "It'll be okay my love. I promise. We will make this better. Because I expect your nephew to be my ring bearer and your sister to be my matron of honor. And I know Sephiroth will be your best man, unless he has to argue it out with Tseng or Rude." She half joked.
"Or Cloud. Cloud was one of my best friends along with him and Zack. We lost touch because of the Nibelheim Disaster... I thought he was dead for a long time..." He thought.
Airlia nodded, "See? As long as we think positively my love, it will happen. Cause it can hurt to be positive after so long when I was in the sector seven slums. But your mother was the one keeping me hopeful. And that dress… it can't be coincidence that the seamstress said that a white fog of sorts was around her sewing machine when she made it out of nowhere. I just wanted so badly to have your mother involved in our wedding somehow because of how much she meant to you, and for all she did for Marlene and me."
Rufus nodded. "My mother meant a lot to me. And to Anna... She's the one who inspired me to adopt children instead of having them naturally. She always said Anna was her first pride and joy and that there were a lot of kids out there who aren't wanted by anyone. I wanted to help them like Mother and Father helped her."
Airlia nodded before she kissed him. "I know my love. I'm just happy now that we can be together at long last. I know your father has probably been gathering things for the wedding ahead of time so that we don't have to worry about putting too much together, just clothing." Her body burned to be touched by this gentle man, but part of her was frightened too. She knew he would never hurt her, but what if he found her inadequate…
Rufus kissed her gently. He could feel her desire. "Don't worry my love I'll help you... But we should wait until there isn't a child in the next bed I think."
"I have no problem with waiting my love, I just finally feel like my body finally doesn't feel like ice so to speak… I was worried something in me was broken." She admitted because that had been true for a while. Content to her relationship with this incredible man, she snuggled into his arms as they turned off the tv and slowly drifted to sleep, much like they had in Wutai.
The next morning, screams woke them early from a dead sleep. "Attack! We're under attack!"
Airlia looked around as the words sank into her mind. "Rufus! He's here!" She urgently woke her love. She got up and grabbed her gun from the safe and put it in her holster on her hip, before turning to Marlene. "Marlene sweetie, time to go my little one. Come on, time to wake up."
Rufus woke up having felt his friend nearing somehow. "Airlia, listen to me. I want you to stay in here." He told her. "Lock the door. And if he gets in here, if you have to... He wouldn't want to hurt you. If you have no choice... Do it. Anna will learn to understand."
Airlia looked at him, "No! I won't lose you too! Please my love… Don't go! I'll take care of this… scare him off with Dio's men. I don't want you going." She kissed him gently.
He kissed her back and asked logically. "Then you would leave Marlene in here alone or worse take her out there to see all of that? Would you risk leaving her without a mother when she just lost her papa?"
Airlia nodded as she looked at him. "Come back to me my love… Please. Come back."
Rufus nodded. "I will. He's practically my brother and while I'm not Anna," he chuckled darkly. "I might have a chance of reaching him. So that at least this can stop..." He left the room with his gun. He remembered the dream he had. Sephiroth begging him to make him stop…
Airlia could only watch helplessly as he ran from the hotel bent on stopping the madness. "Anna.. please Anna… watch over them. Louise… Please protect them." Marlene held her mother, hearing the fear in her voice.
Rufus ran down the stairs of the hotel and saw to his horror several bodies. But no blood trail led up. "Sephiroth, I know you're still here... Come out and talk to me." He felt apprehension. "Please... Don't make me do it..." He whispered to himself.
Sephiroth turned, feeling another coming up to him. Smirking darkly, he greeted his brother-in-law, "Well well. If it isn't the Shinra Prince. Come to stop me? Oh but you can't can you… You don't have the balls to kill me do you? Besides, you're not a Cetra, so you can't kill me anyways."
Rufus took a few deep breaths. "Sephiroth, I know you can hear me. Don't make me do this... Let him go. He's a husband and a father! Let him go. I'm not a Cetra but take me instead. Let him go."
The pitch black eyes narrowed on him. "No. I like this one. He's strong and powerful. Infact… I think I can put his power into perspective for you." He flicked a finger as he made the nearby hotel shake. "I know she's in there… her and the little bitch."
"I won't let you hurt them! Isn't it enough you took that poor child's father away from her! Isn't all this pain and suffering enough! I'm sick of it! Sephiroth wake up! I know you can hear me! If you let him kill me then you'll hurt Anna! Wake up!" Rufus shouted. He looked around. He remembered Anna saying she'd awoken him with a high pitched scream, maybe he needed a high frequency sound. He saw a speaker. If I can hit this just right then it should. He fired the gun at the speaker on the wall making an extremely loud, high-pitched shriek of feedback.
Sephiroth blinked, but it had been too late as the building started crumbling… "Rufus… Run… Get away from me… before he comes again please…"
Airlia held her breath as the walls began to crumble, she took Marlene tightly to her chest. "Hang in there baby. It's going to be okay my baby girl." She pressed Marlene tightly to her chest, "Don't let go." Airlia urged as she ran into the hallway and out to the open roof, fearing the elevators and the stairs were too dangerous, but maybe there was a way down from the level, or she could go to the edge of the saucer.
Rufus stood before his friend. "I won't leave you Sephiroth. Come home with us... Anna misses you..." He held out his hand to his friend.
Sephiroth shook his head. "So long as this materia is in me, he will hold onto me. Jenova can tell you more. I have… to go before I hurt anymore people get hurt. Please understand. And the next time you see me… finish it, please." He vanished.
Scarlet moped about in the Shinra building. She couldn't leave, but she couldn't focus on her work as she went to a window, unaware of a black cloud approaching her. All she could think of is the pain that everyone was in because of some stupid, greedy spirit.
The Black Cloud floated just behind her and pushed inside of her, taking advantage of her lack of focus. It whispered dark thoughts into her mind. "Kill Airlia... Kill the child..."
Her eyes turned black as she felt powerless to resist the orders from the spirit as she vanished.
Airlia hurried to the edge of the saucer to try and wait for help, the building was too unstable to remain in or on as she watched Rufus and Sephiroth argue.
Rufus watched his best friend vanish. "Anna... Please save your husband..." He went to find Airlia, quickly leaving the hotel.
Behind Airlia, Scarlet appeared completely in the control of the Spirit. "Kill...Airlia..." She said, her voice repeating the commands. The spirit was put out that she would not repeat the second. "Kill... Airlia..."
Airlia whirled around as she saw Scarlet, and the tell-tale eyes. "No… Scarlet fight it please! For Marlene's sake fight that thing!" She put Marlene behind her, "Marlene, no matter what, don't look back and hurry my darling. Rufus will find away to get you down from here."
Marlene nodded and ran. Except, as she did with Barret, she stayed near.
Scarlet drew near Airlia, hands outstretched wrapped around the girl's throat with inhuman strength. "Kill...Airlia..." Tears shined in the coal black eyes.
Airlia shook her head pulling at her hands as she whispered. "Don't do this Scarlet, please! What about Marlene! You don't want her to see you do this… Please fight it!"
Scarlet whispered. "Save...Marlene... Kill Airlia..." She held Airlia out over the edge of the Saucer.
The brunette had to try one last time as she saw her little girl slowing down. "Please don't do this Scarlet, please! If you must kill me, it's fine, but not in front of Marlene who loves you."
"Can't... Stop..." Scarlet managed to force out. "Too strong... Marlene... Danger..."
Airlia tried to wriggle in the grip as her consciousness was fading from lack of air. "Don't…"
Scarlet felt something in her snap as she released Airlia, right over the edge of the Saucer.
Airlia screamed in fright as she managed to grip the edge of the saucer, and struggled to try and pull herself up. "I can't.. Marlene needs me…" But her hands were slipping.
Her hands slipped as she screamed in fear when a white mist snagged her hand. She looked up to see the form turn to slowly become Barret. "Barret… You had better see Marlene more often." She warned mostly because she was out of her mind in fear. She was hanging over the edge of what had to be a thousand meter drop to the desert below. Even if it was sand, she would be dead.
Barret shook his head. "Had stuff to do and learn… Now to try and help." He tried to pull her up as she felt herself slipping through the mist. "Hang on there Airlia!"
She felt her body flush in fear as her hand slipped through the mist. Her mouth opened in a soundless scream of horror and fear.
The desert below shook with the quake that rocked the Saucer before, from out of the sand, a giant red mech rose. In its hand it caught the falling woman.
Airlia groaned as she looked up at the strange creature. "You… you saved me. Did Anna send you?" It rose gently to the height of the saucer while she looked around.
The Red Mech nodded, a giant red jewel was in its forehead. Gently it placed Airlia back on the Saucer. The red jewel shimmered and the building stopped shaking and crumbling.
Airlia ran back to Marlene and held her tightly. "My baby girl. I have a feeling you'll be seeing your papa more now… He tried to help me."
Scarlet sat sprawled on the roof. She had seen it. She had seen him and suddenly her mind was her own again. She sobbed as she realized what she almost did.
The Red Mech looked at Airlia and picked her and the child up as if to check them for injury.
Airlia smiled up at him. "We're okay, just a little shaken. Could you help us and Scarlet down to the ground level? Please?"
It nodded and took all three of them to the ground where Rufus waited.
The brunette picked up Marlene and turned to Scarlet, "Come with me. It's okay… No one else has to know… It wasn't your fault."
Scarlet sobbed. "I saw him! I saw him! I nearly killed you! It wanted me to kill Marlene too but I was able to fight that..."
Airlia nodded as she held the sobbing blonde. "It's okay Scarlet, no lasting harm done. I promise, I'm okay. And it looks like we have a new giant red friend." She turned to the creature, "Thank you… for everything you did for us."
The Red Mech seemed to set himself up to protect the Golden Saucer from further attack. The red jewel flared bright and a wall of holy flame formed around it.
Rufus ran to his fiancée and his daughter and held them tightly. "What happened Airlia?"
She set her daughter down to whisper into his ear, "The demon… not the behemoth, the other one… It went after Scarlet and tried to have her kill Marlene and I. It couldn't get near Marlene and I almost fell. Our new giant friend caught me as I fell and brought me back up. Barret tried to help me too."
Rufus held her close. "You're safe... You're safe..." He couldn't get over that he nearly lost her again. "You're safe!"
Airlia nodded with a small smile. "I'm okay my love, I promise. I ran to the edge of the saucer because I didn't dare go down the stairs and refused to go near an elevator as the building shook and walls crumbled. All I could see is steps giving out from under me. I couldn't put Marlene in that risk. So the wall was my best bet."
Rufus bent down and picked up Marlene. His tears hit the little girl's cheek. "I nearly lost the two most important people in my life." He looked up to the mech. "Thank you for saving them. They're my life."
The red mech nodded as he turned to watch for more trouble coming. Airlia hugged them both tightly, "I'm so glad to have you both in my life. My little girl and my love…" Her relief was palpable as her mind went back to the blonde. She turned to Scarlet, "Thank you… for not letting that … that thing hurt Marlene."
Dio stood outside the saucer practically in tears. In his eyes he saw millions of dollars and patrons falling into the ocean. "It'll cost...thousands if not millions to repair! I'm finished!"
Rufus turned to Dio with a smile. "You really think I'm going to let you take the bite on that price tag? I'm going to send you as many hands as needed to repair this place without it being charged to you. This is everyone's problem, not just yours. If anyone comes to you about a civil death suit, you come and talk to my father or myself."
Dio began crying happy tears. "Oh thank you! Thank you! I guess it's a good thing the damage isn't what it could have been... But how?"
Airlia pointed at the guardian, "That red mech… It used it's jewel to stop the place from shaking… It saved my life…"
Dio looked up at the mech, his mouth falling. "Well umm... Thanks, you saved my livelihood Young Mr Shinra. I need to repay ya... I know... The Ruby Saucer... Jewel of the Desert..." He looked at the others. "For the ruby in its head."
