Chapter 21: Departures
Aeris sat in Reidmar's living room, anxiously waiting for Sephiroth's PHS to ring. Cid had agreed to turn around and try to search for the others. That had been hours ago.
"Hungry?" Reidmar held an apple out to her.
Aeris shook her head and began rubbing her shoulder absently. She was starting to feel a slight burning sensation there, but was too concerned for Vincent and the others to care about it right now.
"They have to be all right," Sephiroth muttered as he stared at the phone in his hand. "Vincent wouldn't be stupid enough to do something like dying. Nor would he let the others die either."
Reidmar nodded. "Medea's too stubborn to let a simple earthquake take her down. I've worked with her even longer than we've been married, so I know her pretty well."
Just as Aeris was going to ask him how long they had been married, the PHS rang. Sephiroth quickly answered.
"Yeah?" he spoke, "Vincent! Is everyone all right…? You have? …That's good to hear…all right then. We'll be waiting here."
He hung up and heaved a relieved sigh.
"Well…?" Aeris pressed.
"They were in the middle of the peaks when the earthquake hit," Sephiroth explained, "No one was hurt, and Cid was able to find them easily. The only thing damaged was Vincent's phone. That's why we couldn't get in touch with them until now. They're on the Highwind as we speak."
Aeris looked incredibly relieved. "I'm so glad to hear that," she said, "It feels like we're all living on borrowed time these days."
"They'll likely be here in the next half-hour," Sephiroth told the others.
"Maybe I will have that apple after all," Aeris said.
As predicted, the others had returned not long after, filing into the large house where Sephiroth had told them to meet.
"Reidmar!" Medea walked over to her husband and the two embraced.
"What happened to your arm?" Vincent asked Aeris protectively.
As Aeris explained to Vincent everything that had happened that day, Sephiroth watched Medea and Reidmar interacting. They certainly were the definition of the term "opposites attract", with Medea's calm and collected demeanor, versus Reidmar's carefree nature. If it weren't for Ifalna's occasional moodiness, Sephiroth would have assumed all Cetra were incessantly cheerful just by looking at both Reidmar and Aeris.
Medea then burst out laughing uncharacteristically, which turned a few heads.
"Oh, I've missed your silly, silly jokes..." she said before kissing her husband.
"So that's her hubby, huh?" Barrett asked as he walked over to Sephiroth.
The swordsman nodded.
"Is he like you two?" Barrett asked.
"No, he's actually a Cetra," Sephiroth acknowledged as everyone gathered in the living room and sat down.
"Really?" Barrett looked intrigued. "Bet that made Aeris really happy..."
"Everyone," Vincent addressed the thirteen people, "It looks as if our plans to deal with Jenova have been delayed yet again. Now on top of her summoning Meteor, we have the Planet's own guardians to worry about."
"Still no word of them as of now," Jessie said as she stared at her laptop.
Vincent turned to look at Rufus. "Do you think your father's own defense squads may be able to handle the four WEAPONs?"
Rufus shook his head. "That, I can't say. Nothing like this has ever happened before."
"There isn't any specific plan that they have," Aeris told everyone, "They're no different than the berserkers in the legends. All they'll likely do is kill aimlessly. I tried to get the Planet to stop them from emerging, but it could only respond to the pain. WEAPON should never have been released at all, but it is what it is."
"Looks like we'll have to bring out the big guns," Rufus said, "Honestly, I don't think that one airship to get around is going to work anymore. There's more than one creature."
"Indeed," Vincent agreed, "We'll have to find additional transportation, which will be hard since our funds are pretty much maxed out. All additional missions by the other branches have been put on hold for this."
Rufus smirked. "Not necessarily. My accounts may have been frozen, but there are certain activities that my father has no control over. I can make a few calls that'll help…unless you don't trust me."
Vincent crossed his arms warily. "I'm listening…"
Rufus nodded. "Okay. You may or may not know this, but I do have a certain appreciation for aviation, which I've had for a few years now."
"Look, boy- unless you have an airplane in your pocket, then shut up," Barrett snapped.
"If you'd have let me finish…!" Rufus said pointedly, "Then I'd tell you that yes- I do own my own private plane, two of them, actually. And it's all under the nose of the old man."
"Then we'll split the group up," Vincent declared, "Rufus, go ahead and make your call. Everyone else, don't wander off too far."
Everyone stood up and dispersed, leaving only Sephiroth, Aeris, Jessie, Rufus, Reidmar, and Medea.
"You were away too long," Reidmar said as he put his arms around Medea.
"I know," Medea sighed as she leaned into her husband's shoulder, "Let's just hope this will all end soon. Jenova is a lot trickier than we gave her credit for. She may have lost her identity and sense of restraint, but she's still very intelligent...whoever she used to be."
"Trickier in more ways than one," Reidmar muttered, "Did you know she can create off-shoots? We were attacked by one before the earthquake."
"Is that why Aeris' arm is in a sling?" Medea asked, suddenly worried.
Reidmar nodded.
Medea looked extremely uneasy. "Jenova's offshoot wounded her?"
"Yes."
"Did she break the skin?"
"Her shoulder was impaled," Reidmar told her, "But I was able to fix her up. It'll be good as new tomorrow."
Aeris walked over to the two rubbing at her shoulder. "Excuse me," she said, "But is there anything you can do about the burning? It's really starting to hurt."
"Your shoulder?" Medea asked quickly.
Aeris nodded, rubbing at it even harder.
"Do you feel anything else?" Medea wanted to know.
"It feels kinda hot in here," Aeris told her.
"What's the matter?" Sephiroth asked as he and Jessie walked over to them.
Medea forced a smile, not wanting to cause any unnecessary panic. "I think Aeris might have caught a bug. Aeris, why don't you go lie down in one of the bedrooms while we find you some ointment? I'm sure it'll be a while before Rufus' plane gets here."
"I do feel a little tired," Aeris admitted, "Geez…of all the times for me to get sick."
"We'll stop somewhere and get you some cold pills," Jessie said, "We'll just pump you full of that stuff until you're ready to fight again."
"Or until I end up higher than a kite," Aeris laughed, "All right. Wake me up when we're ready to leave."
Medea watched the young Cetra leave the room.
My god, I hope I'm mistaken…she thought.
Cloud sat outside the entrance to the inner city, absently tossing pebbles into the lake. He looked up at the sky, staring at the large meteor hovering in the distance.
"Hi."
Cloud turned his head to see Tifa standing behind him.
"Hey," Cloud greeted her.
"Sure has been a crazy couple weeks, hasn't it?" Tifa said as she sat down next to the trooper.
"Seems like one really weird dream," Cloud told her, "I never know what's gonna happen next. I wonder if that's what actual war is like? I was too young to fight in the Wutai war…thank the Planet."
"Shinra sure got creamed back then," Tifa mused.
Cloud nodded. "Both sides lost a lot of soldiers. If there ever was a real war, would I even make it? Chasing down Genesis Rhapsodos was hard enough, and he vanished off the face of the Planet anyway."
"War is a scary thing," Tifa acknowledged, "But I'm sure you'd come out okay. You did great at the temple."
"So did you," Cloud replied.
Tifa smiled. "Thanks. It's good to see my training paying off. Two years ago, I never could've gotten through that place without suffering some serious injuries like Rufus did. Lucky for him, Aeris was there to fix him up right away."
"What are you going to do when this is over?" Cloud asked.
Tifa shrugged. "Go home and continue to train as long as Master Zangan sees fit to stick around."
"Why don't you leave Nibelheim?" Cloud suggested.
Tifa now looked stunned. "Huh?"
"Why not?" the trooper pressed, "You're an amazing fighter for someone who's only studied martial arts for two years. If Rufus takes over, then maybe Shinra might be worth defending. I was actually starting to consider leaving the army once my service was up, but now...I'm actually thinking of taking the SOLDIER test again."
"Yeah?" Tifa looked pleased.
Cloud nodded. "And you might actually make a decent candidate for the Turks. A lot of them are trained martial artists."
Tifa did a double-take. "...A Turk?!" she sputtered.
Cloud smiled. "They're not all like Reno. I've met a few of them and they're pretty interesting people. Also...I might have overheard Tseng tell Reno you'd make a great candidate. So if you were to ask him, I'm pretty sure you'd get in."
She looked at her feet, mulling over the idea. She had never entertained such a far out idea before, but then again, did she really want to spend the rest of her best years as a part-time mountain guide and hotel receptionist, especially after what was turning into such a wonderful adventure beyond her wildest dreams...?
They both looked up suddenly at the sound of a couple of aircrafts flying above them.
"That must be Rufus' planes," Tifa said, "We should go see what's going to happen next."
"Right," Cloud agreed, "But just think about what I said."
Tifa didn't respond as they both stood up and began jogging out of the woods.
"Hey Aeris!" Jessie called as she climbed the stairs leading to the bedroom. "We're just about ready to split up. Let's go so Vincent can figure out where each of us is gonna go."
She entered the room to see Aeris laying in bed, apparently not having heard Jessie.
"Aeris- I said we gotta go!" Jessie went over to the bed.
Aeris still didn't move.
"Hey! Rise and shine, up and at 'em!" Jessie reached over and grabbed Aeris' arm before jerking back suddenly. Aeris' arm was cold and clammy.
The younger girl slowly opened her eyes, and immediately tossed back the covers.
"My head hurts…" Aeris moaned, "..and why's it so hot in here?"
"Shit…you really don't look good," Jessie said nervously.
"Is everything all right?" Reidmar asked as he entered the room. Medea followed him anxiously.
"I think Aeris is really sick," Jessie told them, "She's all cold and…just look at her! She can barely move!"
Medea went over to Aeris and looked the girl over carefully. "Jessie- go tell Vincent to hold off on our plans for now."
"What's wrong with her?" Jessie asked worriedly.
"Go- now!" Medea ordered her sharply.
Jessie fled the room.
Everyone had been waiting silently in the living room for the past fifteen minutes, when Medea and Reidmar came downstairs finally.
Sephiroth stood up and looked expectantly at the two.
"Aeris has Jenova's virus," Medea announced miserably. "You might be aware that she, Sephiroth, and my husband encountered a monster sent by Jenova earlier this morning-"
The room exploded into a frantic clamor.
"But she was just fine a couple hours ago!" Biggs protested.
"Is she contagious?" Reno asked.
"She shouldn't be," Rufus told him, "According to all the history texts, humans never caught the virus."
Tifa looked panicked. "But that disease killed the Ancients!"
"Does this mean Aeris is going to die?" Zack asked frantically.
"I don't know," Reidmar shook his head, "There hasn't been a case of this virus reported in over a century. Medical science is always advancing, but I honestly can't say anything either way. All we can hope to do is to fix the gateway and send her through where she can be properly treated."
"But how long can she last until then?" Sephiroth asked harshly.
"I'd predicted it would only be a couple of days before it was all set," Reidmar told him, "She'll certainly last until then. But it's safe to say, Aeris will no longer be participating in this mission. You'll have to stop WEAPON without her."
Sephiroth shoved past Reidmar and hurried up the stairs. Upon reaching Aeris' bed, he knelt down next to her and placed his hand on the edge.
"Hey…" Aeris said weakly, "I don't get it…I lay down to take a nap…I thought it would make me feel better…but now I feel rotten…"
"Just rest," Sephiroth told her, "Looks like you're going to see Mom and the professor a little sooner than I will."
"Really? I'm glad," Aeris whispered.
"So just stay in bed until the portal's fixed. After that, they'll take you to a hospital and treat your illness."
"Am I really that sick?"
"You'll get better," Sephiroth insisted.
Aeris put her hand on Sephiroth's. The swordsman winced- her hand was ice-cold.
"You're going away, though..." Aeris' voice held a hint of sadness.
Sephiroth sighed, conflicted.
"I…won't leave if you don't want me to."
"But you're our strongest fighter," Aeris protested, "Don't stick around just for my sake. I'm sure someone else will take care of me."
"I'll look after her while Reidmar works on the gateway," Medea announced as she walked into the room.
Aeris managed a small smile. "There- see? Don't worry about me." She then closed her eyes.
Medea went over to Sephiroth. "You really shouldn't stay here. We don't want you to catch the virus as well. We can order a vaccine for you, but you need to stay away from her until then. If you catch Id's Death, we can't treat you."
Sephiroth stood up. "I understand," he said as he left the room.
He sat in the living room of the house he and Aeris had been staying in. Looking out the window, he sighed.
I let Jenova's influence get the best of me again, he thought miserably. Only this time, it was worse. I could barely tell where my thoughts ended and hers began. And this time, I couldn't protect Aeris…
"Sephiroth?"
The swordsman looked up to see Vincent and Medea standing in the open doorway.
"Are you all right?" Vincent asked.
Sephiroth laughed bitterly. "Aeris is seriously ill, and Meteor's been summoned. What do you think?"
Medea hesitated, and then finally asked: "What is your plan now?"
Sephiroth closed his eyes for a moment, before finally turning around to face her and Vincent.
"Nothing's changed," he said finally. "I came to deal with Jenova and the Shinra."
Vincent nodded silently.
"But the truth is…I'm afraid. Twice…I nearly lost control…"
"What do you mean?" Medea asked gently.
"Twice…" Sephiroth said, "I nearly hurt her. If I hadn't stopped myself, I may have done something unforgivable. If anything, this is why I should quit this journey. If I could…" He winced before continuing, "...do what I almost did to Aeris of all people, then what about everyone else? I don't want to do something I'll regret for the rest of my life."
Vincent looked at Medea, who sighed.
"But I'm going, regardless," Sephiroth said.
The two looked at him, surprised.
"Jenova took my birth mother away from me. Aeris may die because of her. And now she's trying to destroy the Planet. Mental illness or not…I can't ever let this go. I will be the one to kill Jenova…or give her peace…whatever you wish to call it. I don't care."
Vincent nodded. "I'm glad to hear that."
"So long…" Sephiroth continued, "As I can count on everyone to stay with me…and stop me from doing committing anymore sins."
Vincent looked at his son. Never had Sephiroth ever requested any kind of moral support from anyone like that. Never had Sephiroth seemed so vulnerable, much less admit it freely. Even on that day eighteen years ago, when he rescued a frightened little boy from the Shinra labs, the boy had tried his hardest to keep cool at the sight of a complete stranger bursting into his room. To see him so hopeless now was wrong on so many levels.
"All right, Sephiroth," Vincent conceded. "We've got your back."
"You can count on us," Medea added.
Sephiroth heaved a sigh. "I can only hope that what Aeris did can hold Meteor off until we can get back to Jenova."
"We still have a chance," Medea told him, "Cid is still waiting for you. Go follow WEAPON and deal with them. And in the meantime, the hospital on the other side will do all they can for Aeris. Rest assured, no one is going to let Aeris die anytime soon."
"Let's go," Sephiroth headed for the living room, where everyone was still waiting.
A/N: I'm pretty sure most returning readers know what happens in the end with Aeris, so I'm not going to beg for mercy this time.
However, we can see things start to diverge for Cloud and Tifa in this reboot, as I'm sure they will in the game's remake. And of course they would! Why on earth would Cloud ever want to go back to Nibelheim, even if the original version of my story saw him rendered unfit for duty and with diminished prospects? Just because his crush likes him back? Cloud may have low self-esteem, but he's not a sucker. Why wouldn't Cloud try to convince Tifa to leave her old life behind? It makes more sense.