Part
Three: A Deadly mind
This was normally not done. Normally Sephiroth would just search through my mind and extract information through a link that all Ancient Cetra shared. We connected in this new way to become completely intertwined with each other. It was something that Cetra lovers did to know each other more completely.
Once I tried to enter his mind and beat him at his own game, but I found the door closed with heavy security. He had not wanted me to enter. He sent a mental shock to me that nearly made me pass out.
Now we are in the crossway, the point where both our minds meet. We looked at each other, or rather the subconscious of each other, and stood. He walked towards my mind and I walked hesitated, not knowing if I was to even try to enter his mind. I looked back at him and he nodded and went to search my mind. I smiled in response to the open door I now found to his mind.
I stepped through the threshold to Sephiroth himself and almost lost my breath. His mind was dark and full of pain and regret. I saw twisted images of death and scene after scene of loneliness. I saw the hard training he went through to become a SOLDIER and the awful experiments performed by Hojo. Finally, I saw a monster in the darkness, Jenova. Her eyes glowed red and she screamed at me with a retched voice, "You cannot have him."
She lashed out at me with tentacles that stung like bees. I lashed back with a powerful holy spell. She cried out a painful cry and lashed at me again. This time I could not block her blow. I fell to my knees and screamed in agony, Jenova was killing me. She was sucking all my energy and I felt faint.
Then and figure came from nowhere and cut the beast down to size. It was Sephiroth; he was fighting Jenova… for me. Jenova disappeared into the depths of Sephiroth's mind. Sephiroth turned to me and picked me up in his arms.
"Why did you fight her?"
"She was trying to hurt you. To lie to you and use you."
"She is my problem not yours, why do you care about me? Me, the warlord who destroyed nations without a care."
"Because I have looked at your life and seen your pain. No one should have to ever live like that." A tear ran down my face and I rested my head on his shoulder as he cradled me. He looked at me quizzically, but did not comment. "Did you find the truth?"
"Yes, now let us leave this dark place." We both kneeled and clasped hands as we did when we entered our connection. We opened our eyes. I looked around and stood. I saw Cloud and my friends still trapped in the same places as before. Sephiroth stood and looked at me, an intense passion in his eyes, a passion to know more.
"I don't understand you." He said a perplexing look on his face. "You could have died and you continued to fight her for me, why?"
"You asked me to help you, and I my heart felt for you. So, I helped you."
"You felt for me? How could a being such as yourself feel for a monster such as myself?"
"I don't think you're a monster. I think you are a confused man who has gone through hell to merely live a free existence. How does that make you a monster?"
"I have killed thousands without a thought of what they might feel."
"Only because you were raised that way. How could anyone expect anything else of you?"
Suddenly, he clutched his head and screamed out, "NOOOOO! YOU WILL NOT CONTROL ME!"
"Sephiroth, what's wrong?" I said and rushed to his side. I put my hands on his shoulders. Concern plastered my face.
He breathed heavily and clutched his side with one hand and his head with the other, he avoided my gaze and stared down. "She is taking control again." He rasped, and he fell to his knees shaking slightly. "I can't stop her. She wants me to kill you, I don't want to."
I kneeled in front of him and placed a hand on his head, making him look up slightly. My hand fell to the back of his neck. I spoke urgently. "Sephiroth, look at me, look at me!" Tears now flowed freely from my eyes, I tried to blink them away, but they still came. Sephiroth slowly lifted his head as if it weighed one hundred pounds and met my gaze once more.
"Listen to me. You promise me that you will fight her. Fight her! Don't let her win! Even if it's all a waste of time in the end, just promise me that you will fight her!" My voice trembled and Sephiroth stared at me, once more a look of confusion on his face.
"Why do you cry?" He asked in a voice scarcely louder than a whisper.
"I cry because I know the pain you are feeling right now, and the future you have been denied. Now, promise me you will fight her."
He gazed at me a long time, and I gazed right back. His breathing had slowed slightly and his eyes began to flicker with a green glow. He tried to blink them away and finally said, "I will fight her, I promise."
I was so happy that I had helped him. Even if he did not win the fight, resisting her control should be enough to prove he is still good. Then he will not be denied the Promised Land. I was so thrilled that I lunged forward and hugged him tight, and lay my head down on his shoulder.
Sephiroth's eyes widened and he stared down at me with shock. "What are you doing? No one has ever held me. No one has ever even looked at me without fear or hate. Why you? Why now, when I must kill you?"
"I know I must die, but that is a small price to pay for the lives and happiness of the entire planet."
"You are so pure and willing to help, even me." As he spoke he gently laid his hands on my back and looked down at me, seemingly in deep thought. After a few moments I released him slightly and looked up at him.
He gazed back and hugged me close once more, this time holding me very close and tight, I laid my head on his chest and he rested his head on mine. A single tear escaped from his eyes and he tensed. I knew he was loosing control again, this time for good. We only had a few moments, at best.
I gently pulled away from him and looked up. He leaned in very close, his lips only a few inches from mine, and then he closed the gap between us. He kissed me deeply and with a passion so strong I felt he could consume me. The first few seconds I was so astonished I merely held him and then I kissed him back, matching passion with passion.
I felt him become tense again and this time he cried out breaking the kiss and standing up. He clutched his head again and managed to speak a few words through clenched teeth. "I want you to hide, but I know I will find you, she will find you. I don't want to kill you."
"You're already forgiven. Now go, I'll be waiting for you." I stood and turned to see Cloud already running towards us, time was unfrozen. Sephiroth's eyes glowed green again and he summoned his weapon to hand. He flew up to the darkness above, laughing. He laughed like a mad man. He was not himself.
I had saved him, but I had not yet saved the world. I quickly knelt down and began to pray. After a few moments I heard Cloud and the others. They were starting to jump the pillars and soon reached the altar. Cloud was the first to make it there.
I opened my eyes and gazed at him, my prayer finished. He stepped forward and raised his sword to me. Jenova controlled him as well. I looked steadily at Cloud and he froze.
"What am I doing?" He backed up away and half way down the stairs to the altar. "Aerith, let's go. Sephiroth will be here."
"He is here." I said. We both heard a noise from somewhere, a screeching noise like something falling. When Cloud finally knew what it was it was too late.
Sephiroth's blade was protruding from my chest along with great amounts of crimson blood. Cloud's eyes widened and he screamed, my name. I fell forward; the only thing holding me up was the blade of Sephiroth's sword. He laughed and ripped it from my body. My ribbon fell off from the jerking motion and my white material fell with it. It bounced on the marble floor of the altar and eventually fell into the water below.
The sword now gone I fell forward into Cloud's arms. He was crying and his breathing was hard. He cradled me and placed his hand on my wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but to no avail.
"Aerith, hold on. We'll get you to a doctor and you'll be fine. Please hang on, please, please don't go, you… you can't die, I love you, you can't… die!" He slowly rocked me in his arms and I saw my blood all over him. He didn't care. He just rocked me and said, "NO, NO, NO, don't go, Please, GOD NO!"
My eyes began to flutter and I weakly raised my hand to touch his face. When my hand touched his cheek he paced his hand over it.
"I… will see you… again, … I promise. I… love you." I stuttered and breathed faintly. My last few words I almost mouthed I said them so weakly.
"Please don't go, I… can't, I LOVE YOU!" I smiled at him and my hand fell from his cheek and landed limply on the floor, splattering tiny drops of my own blood in every which way. A smile was still on my face and the last thing I saw was Cloud crying over me and the others about ten feet behind him, also with tears in their eyes. Cloud was different; his tears were flowing faster and with more emotion in them than anyone else. For this was the first time I had ever seen him cry.