She stood before the console, nervous. Her fingers twined within the material of her overcoat, and she gazed at all of them. They were so old, so wise. They knew all, and yet they did not....not in this instance.
And behind her she could feel his cold eyes boring into her back. He thought he knew everything, but he didn't. Not about her.
"Miss. Heartily, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. As you are dead due to sacrifice, we give you this chance to make one wish....." She opened her mouth to speak, but the oldest of them held up a finger; "You cannot ask to be returned back to your earth though. You may, however, help those on the planet with your wish."
"So what shall it be Aeris?" The woman who sat on his right asked. "Let it also be noted we have brought your murderer here to see that all his labours were in vain."
"Pardon me, sirs and madams. But I do not wish to have my wish go towards those on the planet. They can fend for themselves, they are wise and strong," and here Aeris paused, her soft voice faltering as she smiled....the strongest of them all was Cloud.
"My wish...however....is strange. It is my sole request. I wish to have Sephiroth join me in Heaven...." she stopped, for what was the point? The rest would be lost in the gasps that began to emit and the murmurs.
"What?" The outraged cry came from behind her, but she did not turn. She could not look at her murderer, not yet.
"Miss. Heartily, do you realize what you are asking? You wish to let your murderer, and potential murderer of billions of others to join you in the place where only the good of heart belong?" The wises demanded, his tone squeeking with his outrage and shock.
"Yes sir. I realize it is an odd request, one that has probably never been put to you and your advisors before. But it is all I wish for. You said I could wish for anything...and this is what I request." She folded her hands before her, as though a basket she carried in them, and she stared all of them down with her beautiful, humble eyes.
"Yes yes. We...realize this Miss Heartily. But it is very odd. And though we will not deny you this request, we must question why you have decided to make it?" The elder asked, looking to his left and right, to his 'esteemed colleagues'.
"I wish to save his soul," Aeris whispered softly, not daring to look back still to the silver haired man that stood there, at the edge of the dias in the shadows.
"My soul is beyond redemption!" Sephiroth smirked, his words soft yet resounding with an inner strength.
"No Sephiroth!" Aeris spun around then, her eyes filling with tears. "I cannot believe that. I do not see it in you. You were tainted, led astray. You still loved though. Loved so completely, so wholly that you were consumed with it. You were doing what you thought was right....and that is not wrong! It was that what you believed was right was.....to murder millions of innocent people..."
"Not all of them were innocent, Aeris," Sephiroth whispered sadly from the shadows. "I did it for...." Sephiroth stopped and looked away, his face hardening.
"He did it for his mother! Is that such a crime, to love ones mother so much they would do anything? Mother's have killed to protect their own children...why not then....can a son not do the same?" Aeris spun around, her hands clasping before her, in a copy of the position they were in back on the planet.
"Aeris, we cannot deny you your decision. We have said that. You need not to beg or plead for his soul. We place...what is left of it...in your hands. But be warned....it is no light soul." The elder waved his hand, and the two, the angel and the devil, were bathed in a light.
'Aeris....why did you do it? You...gave up your wish for me....to "save me" as you put it?' He did not speak with words any longer, at this time, in this place, to speak with the mouth, with words, was futile.
'I did it because....there is something inside of you worth saving Sephiroth. Something....perhaps not good...but worthy....of heaven.' Her eyes lifted slowly to meet with his, and they stood there, bathed in light, in a tranquility that could not quite permeate the air around the two of them.
'Aeris....I killed you! Why would you do this? Torture yourself with the sight of me?' He demanded in his baritone, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her for a moment. But only a moment though, for he swiftly released her, looking at his hands. Unworthy, tainted hands.
'I am not tortured Sephiroth. Let me ask you this though.....do you feel guilt?' She whispered softly, reaching out to gently rest her small, pale hands against the back of his larger, darker hands.
'Over your death? Over killing you? No. I did what had to be done.' Sephiroth hung his head, shaking it slowly. 'And therein lies the rub....if you did this, Aeris, to make me feel guilt...then you have failed. You shall not gain your revenge in that way.'
'If you do not feel guilt Sephiroth....then why is it that I sense you have not forgiven yourself?' She probed him with her beautiful eyes, eyes that saw so much.
'Because....the facts are there Aeris. I cannot excuse my reasons.' He pulled away from her, and began to walk away. But she followed him, floating instead of walking...for what had an angel legs for when she had her wings to transport her?
'Sephiroth....I see in you a wonderful man. In different circumstances I could have come to love you easily.' She smiled, her hands floating to gently rest upon the shoulders that have suddenly tensed. 'But....then it would have not been so sweet as the emotion I feel now.'
Sephiroth turned to gaze at her, his eyes pleading for the forgiveness he could not give himself....forgiveness he wanted from her....
'Aeris....what of Cloud?' he asked softly, still hesitant to find the redemption she offered him within her arms, within her heart....within her heaven.
'Cloud....is but a man. A man that is on the earth we left behind with the woman he loves. We are neither true man nor true woman Sephiroth. We merely are the opposites to one another.' She smiles, and kisses his cheek softly, her lips lifting away, allowing his hesitant tears to fall without hindrance.
'You have been saved Sephiroth....you are the one you were meant to be.' She smiled at him, feeling his large hand firmly clasp her own.
And behind her she could feel his cold eyes boring into her back. He thought he knew everything, but he didn't. Not about her.
"Miss. Heartily, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. As you are dead due to sacrifice, we give you this chance to make one wish....." She opened her mouth to speak, but the oldest of them held up a finger; "You cannot ask to be returned back to your earth though. You may, however, help those on the planet with your wish."
"So what shall it be Aeris?" The woman who sat on his right asked. "Let it also be noted we have brought your murderer here to see that all his labours were in vain."
"Pardon me, sirs and madams. But I do not wish to have my wish go towards those on the planet. They can fend for themselves, they are wise and strong," and here Aeris paused, her soft voice faltering as she smiled....the strongest of them all was Cloud.
"My wish...however....is strange. It is my sole request. I wish to have Sephiroth join me in Heaven...." she stopped, for what was the point? The rest would be lost in the gasps that began to emit and the murmurs.
"What?" The outraged cry came from behind her, but she did not turn. She could not look at her murderer, not yet.
"Miss. Heartily, do you realize what you are asking? You wish to let your murderer, and potential murderer of billions of others to join you in the place where only the good of heart belong?" The wises demanded, his tone squeeking with his outrage and shock.
"Yes sir. I realize it is an odd request, one that has probably never been put to you and your advisors before. But it is all I wish for. You said I could wish for anything...and this is what I request." She folded her hands before her, as though a basket she carried in them, and she stared all of them down with her beautiful, humble eyes.
"Yes yes. We...realize this Miss Heartily. But it is very odd. And though we will not deny you this request, we must question why you have decided to make it?" The elder asked, looking to his left and right, to his 'esteemed colleagues'.
"I wish to save his soul," Aeris whispered softly, not daring to look back still to the silver haired man that stood there, at the edge of the dias in the shadows.
"My soul is beyond redemption!" Sephiroth smirked, his words soft yet resounding with an inner strength.
"No Sephiroth!" Aeris spun around then, her eyes filling with tears. "I cannot believe that. I do not see it in you. You were tainted, led astray. You still loved though. Loved so completely, so wholly that you were consumed with it. You were doing what you thought was right....and that is not wrong! It was that what you believed was right was.....to murder millions of innocent people..."
"Not all of them were innocent, Aeris," Sephiroth whispered sadly from the shadows. "I did it for...." Sephiroth stopped and looked away, his face hardening.
"He did it for his mother! Is that such a crime, to love ones mother so much they would do anything? Mother's have killed to protect their own children...why not then....can a son not do the same?" Aeris spun around, her hands clasping before her, in a copy of the position they were in back on the planet.
"Aeris, we cannot deny you your decision. We have said that. You need not to beg or plead for his soul. We place...what is left of it...in your hands. But be warned....it is no light soul." The elder waved his hand, and the two, the angel and the devil, were bathed in a light.
'Aeris....why did you do it? You...gave up your wish for me....to "save me" as you put it?' He did not speak with words any longer, at this time, in this place, to speak with the mouth, with words, was futile.
'I did it because....there is something inside of you worth saving Sephiroth. Something....perhaps not good...but worthy....of heaven.' Her eyes lifted slowly to meet with his, and they stood there, bathed in light, in a tranquility that could not quite permeate the air around the two of them.
'Aeris....I killed you! Why would you do this? Torture yourself with the sight of me?' He demanded in his baritone, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her for a moment. But only a moment though, for he swiftly released her, looking at his hands. Unworthy, tainted hands.
'I am not tortured Sephiroth. Let me ask you this though.....do you feel guilt?' She whispered softly, reaching out to gently rest her small, pale hands against the back of his larger, darker hands.
'Over your death? Over killing you? No. I did what had to be done.' Sephiroth hung his head, shaking it slowly. 'And therein lies the rub....if you did this, Aeris, to make me feel guilt...then you have failed. You shall not gain your revenge in that way.'
'If you do not feel guilt Sephiroth....then why is it that I sense you have not forgiven yourself?' She probed him with her beautiful eyes, eyes that saw so much.
'Because....the facts are there Aeris. I cannot excuse my reasons.' He pulled away from her, and began to walk away. But she followed him, floating instead of walking...for what had an angel legs for when she had her wings to transport her?
'Sephiroth....I see in you a wonderful man. In different circumstances I could have come to love you easily.' She smiled, her hands floating to gently rest upon the shoulders that have suddenly tensed. 'But....then it would have not been so sweet as the emotion I feel now.'
Sephiroth turned to gaze at her, his eyes pleading for the forgiveness he could not give himself....forgiveness he wanted from her....
'Aeris....what of Cloud?' he asked softly, still hesitant to find the redemption she offered him within her arms, within her heart....within her heaven.
'Cloud....is but a man. A man that is on the earth we left behind with the woman he loves. We are neither true man nor true woman Sephiroth. We merely are the opposites to one another.' She smiles, and kisses his cheek softly, her lips lifting away, allowing his hesitant tears to fall without hindrance.
'You have been saved Sephiroth....you are the one you were meant to be.' She smiled at him, feeling his large hand firmly clasp her own.