"Momma!! What's that?" the child asked, pointing to the statue. The mother looked up, squinted, as she took her daughter's hand.
"Oh, that thing?" She asked her child. The small girl nodded, and the mother took her to the base of the gigantic stone memorial. Kneeling at the base, she moved away waist high weeds, showing the child an aged plate of bronze, so old and scratched, the inscription was barely legible:
..ud Strife, Tifa Lockheart, Bar.... Wallace, Red XIII, Cid Highwind,
Yuffie Kisaragi, C..... ith, Vincent Valenti.. ..........d Aeris Gainsborough.
"Hmph. When I was young, they tried to tear this thing down.. Takes up good space, anyway.. C'mon, honey, let's go home and make some supper!"
"Okay Momma!! Can we have pizza?"
"No, dear."
"But, I want pizza!"
***
Aeris gazed in Sephiroth's eyes. The power of the raw emotion, reflected in those blazing emeralds made her step back, a strangled gasp trying to find its way out of her throat. Her touch, ever so light on his shoulder, pressed too hard. Startled even more, Aeris pulled her hand from Sephiroth's semi-solid body, suppressing a shudder.
"Yes, I am repulsive, aren't I?" he asked quietly, his voice even more harsh than ever. Aeris' head hung, her hands clasped together, as if in prayer.
Looking up, she shook her head. "No.. It's.. I'm just not used to this.." she responded, holding up her translucent hands. Holding them over her eyes, she sighed. "I'm not real.."
Sephiroth nodded. After all these years in his hellish prison, he had never thought about his semi-solid self. Because his soul would never return to the swell of the Lifestream, a stream of spirit energy which held the souls of the deceased, he had been given this being, since it could not be called a body. Is was almost like an echo of his long dead body, yet you could see straight through him. Like a supernatural being.
Like a demon held in Hades.. And she is the Angel that Guards all.
He did not know how long it had been since he had been defeated by Strife. But, it had been long enough so that every single particle of Jenova that had resided in his mind had been wiped away, even the tiniest shadows that were in his broken mind. Sephiroth had come to great realization some time ago. He knew what he had done before, in the past, but it did not give him cause to think twice. Now, his lonely, forsaken soul had been hit with overwhelming guilt. What had he done?! He had been a general for Shinra, he had seen death and destruction, but he had not relished it. He had not loved to see the blood flow, or the get pleasure from seeing others suffer.
Sephiroth had come to grips with himself, knowing it had been Jenova inside of his head that had changed him into the evil he had been. For the first few times Aeris had come, Sephiroth had been so overcome with guilt, anger, and other chaotic emotions that he had been unable to speak with her at all. Her presence had sent him into deep, depressing moods from which any outside action could distract him.
And Aeris was feeling that now. I made a mistake in entering here.. I.. I have to get away.. And so she did. The Lifestream barrier dissolved as she passed, instantly solidifying once she had passed. Her heart twisted into painful knots. What.. is this?
Some time passed before Aeris' soul had calmed, sinking into the tranquil rhythm of listening to the spirit energy. But, once the thought of Sephiroth flashed through her mind, his image planted itself in her mind's eye. Opening her emerald eyes, such a vivid green that seemed to blend into the Lifestream, she looked, searching for the one thing that had always comforted her.
The consciousness of the Planet.
Kneeling, Aeris closed her eyes once more, shutting out of the painfully beautiful glare of the swell. Her translucent body began to glow with a bright, clear white, imitating the purity before her. Moments turned to eons of time before this amazing entity.
Then, ever so softly, an angelic voice slid into Aeris' thoughts, filling her being with serenity, hope, and contentment. It was warmth that once would receive from a mother.
...Aeris..
Yes.
Aeris... sad? The childlike simplicity of the statement made Aeris nod slowly. Somehow she knew that she should never feel sad, since she was always near the voice of her Planet.
I.. miss my loved ones.
Do not be.. sad.. They.. always with you.. Memories..
You are right.
Be happy..
I will.
And Aeris slowly retreated from the Planet's consciousness, her heart lighter, yet still heavy. She knew what was beginning to stir in her heart, and the way it made her feel was frighteningly right. Why did Fate make everything so cruel? Was what she was feeling even possibly?
Love transcends time and space, life and death.
"Sephiroth."
How did she come to love her murderer? Her heart, so full of compassion for every living being, so full of love, so full of understanding... She had given her heart unknowingly to a man colder and harder than steel and rocks. Aeris sighed painfully. Even, if beyond comprehension, even if he somehow returned her feelings.. They were both dead. They were both spirits, bound in the Lifestream, though for completely different reasons.
"Why?"
Why was she to love a man that she would never be able to actually touch? She would never be able to even have the gift of things lovers always took for granted. She could never hold his hand, kiss his cheek, smell his hair.. What was she thinking?! Never would she have him. Never. Death had come for her early, and He meant for her to never have what she desired as a young woman.
With that thought deeply embedded in her mind and heart, Aeris wept. She wept for her lost chance to live her short life. Shaking with sobs, Aeris knew she had to pull her emotions together and keep her calm.
When she had become the Planet's Guardian, Aeris had been given the ability to control the Lifestream to an extent. The Lifestream, in itself, reflected her strong feelings.. Only once before had she lost control of her emotions. At the time, Meteor was battling Holy against destroying Midgar and the Planet.
Holy, the nemesis magic potent enough to fight Meteor, had seemed to help Meteor and its destruction. Aeris had feared the worst, and begged the Planet that she might be able to guide the Lifestream to help Holy. Moments before destruction, the Planet had consented. Meteor was vanquished; the world was saved.
But, in the slums of Sector 5, a small, run-down church had caught fire from Meteor's flames, and was burnt to nothingness. Aeris, overcome with raw emotion, wept for her sanctuary. How long had she waited there after her death, her image flickering as curious children watched her appear, seeming to be tending her flowers?
How long had she waited, almost to the moment of destruction, hoping that her friends would hear? Aeris had hoped that her friends would hear that the Flower Girl's spirit appeared in the church. She waited for them to come, to see her, and for them to have heart.
But, the had never come.
This tore her heart into pieces, and the tears she had shed so violently made a storm erupt on the Planet's surface. The rainstorm was considered a godsend by most, for it put out numerous fires in districts of Midgar where survivors might have died. Aeris knew from then on the consequences of her emotion and its effects on the Planet.
Sephiroth..
***
Sephiroth looked up sharply, watching the Cetra girl flee from his presence. After a moment of startled surprise, he had rushed to the boundaries of his spirit-wrought prison, watching her fade into the sparkling green. A wave of self-loathing came over him again.
It's you she hates. She hates you for killing her, for taking away the life she loved so much. How many lives did you take in your life?! And you wonder why you're here, in this hellhole?!
I didn't want to kill her! It was Jenova's influence!!
So now you're going to lie to yourself. You ARE pathetic. You are nothing but a toy anyone could manipulate on a whim.
No! I will not let it happen! EVER!!
You've let her run from you again. Why can't you call for her, ask her to stay? You have nothing but her random visits to count on.
I want her to come back.
You miss her.
I need someone to be with.. Someone that truly understands.
You love her.
I love her.
Sephiroth looked blankly at his hands, angry at the transparent nature. He did not want to go on like this. But, he had no choice, no say, in what happened to him. And he had fallen in love with a woman he had murdered. What irony.. Such a cruel, sick humor Fate had. Toying with men's hearts even after death. Making him love a woman he could never have...
Aeris could never possibly understand what had happened throughout his life. His life had been chaotic, deranged, and filled with unbearably pain, physically and emotionally. It had made him into a cold, impassive man that cared for little more than himself. What a bastard he had been when he was alive...
And it had gone of scale.. Even into the rating of highly demonic when that THING, that alien.. Jenova. She had made him into the demon he was. She had pulled his strings, manipulated him in every possible way, made him do things when he was unaware, and finally taken over his battered mind. Sephiroth had been her zombie to control. Her puppet. A very powerful puppet.
Sephiroth had never truly repented from what he had done. But, now, he felt the need to do so. He felt that if he did it, he would make something up to Aeris, even though he did not know what.
I'm sorry.. For everything.
"I.. I'm sorry.."
"For what?" came a soft-spoken question.
Sephiroth's head jerked up, and he saw before him the woman his heart had always yearned for. Aeris stood just outside his prison, her translucent and almost ghost-like being glowing an ethereal, a pure whiteness. She was a goddess, blessing his evil with her presence. He wanted to turn away, from shield her from his corrupted soul. But, Sephiroth could not tear his eyes from hers.
They were wide, innocent, open, and trusting. And filled with an unreadable emotion.. It made his cold being warm.
The moment that they were held in seemed to last for an eternity. They gazed into each others' eyes, greedily taking in the warmth that flowed between them. It was so loving and comforting that one would think that it was a true and tangible thing to grasp on to.
A thought hung in the back of Aeris' mind. In the end, the innermost feelings a person possesses will be revealed. Do we truly wish to know these secrets of the heart and soul?
"Sephiroth.."
Sephiroth looked back towards the angelic face, instead of those gorgeous, cavernous eyes that drew him in... "Yes?"
"Can I.. come in?"
"..Please."
Aeris' heart fluttered as she entered the brig. "I.. I wanted to tell you something.."
Sephiroth wanted to reach out and pull her close, but did not attempt to, knowing that it would be useless. He could not touch her, nor she him. "Aeris?"
Her eyes blazed with that warmth once more, even more strongly, drawing him in almost hypnotically. "..I love you."
"I love you." He blurted out after she had spoken. "I'm in love with you too.." Sephiroth whispered. Aeris hadn't moved.
Bowing her head, Aeris wept on the inside. "We'll never have a chance.. Not a damn chance to live!!" she screamed suddenly, clenching her fists.
Sephiroth was startled by her sudden outburst. He completely understood her words. "It can't be helped."
"Like hell it can't!" she yelled once more, visibly trembling. "I will have you, and you me.. We WILL have each other.. My love." Aeris reached out, gently caressing his face.
Sephiroth went to do the same, wishing that the could at least feel each other. But, they couldn't. They were just projections, with the soul jammed inside.
Aeris stepped back. "Wait for me..," she whispered softly, disappearing instantaneously.
"And where would I go?" Sephiroth replied bitterly.
***
Aeris knelt before the Planet's consciousness, her brow furrowed in concentration. An aura of golden light all but enveloped her.
Aeris..
Yes.
You.. sad more? Why are you sad?
I want to live!
The consciousness seemed to move, as if uncomfortable. It spoke to her mind in a more mature, aware...
Why do you suddenly wish to live, Guardian?
I want to live so that I might have what was taken from me.
And what was taken from you?
My chance to live with the man I love.
And who is it that you love?
..Sephiroth.
YOU LOVE THE SPAWN?! THE EVIL THAT HARMED ME?!
Yes! I love him, not the Jenova!! He's a different person! He, too, had his life stole from him!!
You wish to live again with Him? You wish to be born again?
Yes. I wish that we both are born again.. We will have each other in a new life.
Moments later, Aeris' eyes flew open in disbelief. "No! That is too much a price to pay!" Silence resumed as she listened to the Planet. She burned with desire to live, to be with Sephiroth. The price may be high, but.. It did not matter.
They would find each other.
Thank you, my Mother Planet.
You deserve the right to live, and to be happy.
***
Aeris appeared before her beloved, her eyes aglow with happiness, tinged with sadness. Her voice was full of happiness, yet the sadness echoed behind the words.
"What is it?" Sephiroth asked, in a trance of shock since their feelings of love had been revealed to each other. Now, she had been given he chance to live their lives with each other anew. "Aeris?"
"Sephiroth.. We are going to be reborn. But, we won't have any of our memories, only our love. We have to FIND each other. It will be a by chance meeting.. And when we do meet up, we'll know. But.."
"It seems to big a chance to take."
"Yes."
"I promise you, my love, that I will search the world over for you. I won't rest until I find you."
Aeris smiled, her worry dissipating. "I'll hold you to that."
At that moment, Sephiroth seemed to begin to fade away. No.. He's leaving me so soon? At least we'll be together.. In another life.
As if reading her mind, Sephiroth smiled, his voice a whisper. "Don't worry, we'll be together again. Someday." And then he was gone.
"Oh my love, where will you be?" Aeris looked to her hands, watching herself fade into nothingness.. Into the dark... Into the light..