Aeris awoke though she wasn't sure where she was. She sat up, and realized
she was lying nude under a blanket. Shaking her head, she rubbed a hand
though her long auburn hair. "Where am I," She muttered blinking. Looking
around, she saw that she was in a plain wooden room. A chair sat close by
with a change of fresh clothing on it.
Reaching modestly out for the change of clothing, Aeris grabbed them, and changed under the blankets she lay in. She then sat up and looked herself in the mirror seeing a young teenager wearing blue jeans and white t-shirt. She walked to the door and pulled it open peering outside.
"Hello…" She called out, hoping to find Cloud rush toward her with that warm smile he gave her sometimes. No one came. "Where is everyone?" She muttered walking into the hallway. "Hello!"
"Hello," A voice replied and Aeris turned to see an older man standing before her. "Did not expect you to wake up so soon. Thought you were out like a stone!"
She smiled and replied, "Thank you for helping me, but I'm not sure of where I am. Could you please tell me?"
"Just my small little cottage in the middle of nowhere. The closest place that you could go from here would be the old reactor place that big bird once nested, and thrives with all its young." He replied with a grin. "They are friends of mine, he is."
Aeris nodded and glanced out a window and saw the green plains of which he spoke lay between her and her fastest form of transportation. "Do you by any chance know a man named, Cloud Strife?" She asked hoping for the best.
The man grinned even bigger. "Of course. The whole world knows the man who killed Sephiroth!"
"Killed?" Aeris asked feeling her knees grow week. "How long ago was that?" She asked peering forward. "How long has Sephiroth been killed?"
The old man scratched his chin. "Well… I say about twenty years. A little more or less…"
"And what of Cloud now?" She asked. "What does he do now?" TWENTY YEARS!!!
She could almost feel the blood drain from her face as the man spoke. "Oh! He is
married to that Tifa girl. They had a beautiful ceremony, paid by Shinra, and I believe he trains the new SOLDIERS over in Coasta De Soul, or somewhere where there is beach. Never been there myself…"
He said nothing more, or if he did. She could not hear him as everything went black again and she fell to the ground.
* * *
He heard them far away before they even came into sight. Cloud did nothing though, because that was all he could do. His simply sat in a bed that was located in what he thought to be his old room. The town should have been destroyed, but for some reason, it wasn't.
"Are you ready to give into us Cloud? Join us perhaps?" Zack's voice called out to him through the bars that were his door. "Be something that Sephiroth could never dream of?"
Cloud glanced over at the form of the teenage Zack and said nothing. He had already tried to escape, but the walls would not break, and the guards that he felt watching him, would not show themselves. For now, he was trapped.
Zack passed through the bars and looked around the room. "Cozy," he muttered and came closer to Cloud. "You have the potential to be stronger than any of the ancients. Jenova has shown us away to make you so."
"And what shall I give up for this power?" Cloud asked staring strait ahead, and not toward Zack. Just, a little closer…
"It always comes to that…" Zack mocked him in a sobbing voice. "You, you you you! I died because of you! I gave up life for you! And what will you give? Nothing! Fine… If you will not join us, we will force you to join us. All the Huge Materia will be in our hands soon enough."
Cloud jumped for Zack, faster than a blur. He caught the black shadow in his hands, and forced him against the wall. Zack simply began laughing and fell though the wall.
* * *
"Ben?" A voice called out and he turned to find Vincent standing before him, his cape fluttering in the wind on the beach. Vincent walked to stand next to him, and neither two said anything. They simply stared out at the ocean.
"Why was my mother a bit hesitant about Aeris?" Ben finally asked. "If they were such great friends, why would she not be happy with her being back?"
Vincent sighed. "When we made that venture, your mother was just in love with your father as she is now. Well… more so now. But back then, Aeris wanted your dad as well."
Ben turned his head to look at Vincent, but Vincent just stared out into the ocean. "Had she not died, I'm still not sure who he would have chosen. Your mother knows Cloud loves her more than everything, but she is worried about how Aeris will take it."
"What do you mean?" Ben asked.
"Sephiroth awoke with memory of just dying. He is still mixed up on what happened to him." Vincent put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "He is not responsible for this. These events were put in motion, long time ago."
Ben nodded and touched the Ultima sword that now lay at his waist. "I shall get father back soon. They can't brake him. Nothing can."
Vincent nodded and motioned for Ben to follow him. "Come on," he said. "Let's catch the ship to Junon. Reeve already left to take Barret and Red to Cosmo canyon."
Reaching modestly out for the change of clothing, Aeris grabbed them, and changed under the blankets she lay in. She then sat up and looked herself in the mirror seeing a young teenager wearing blue jeans and white t-shirt. She walked to the door and pulled it open peering outside.
"Hello…" She called out, hoping to find Cloud rush toward her with that warm smile he gave her sometimes. No one came. "Where is everyone?" She muttered walking into the hallway. "Hello!"
"Hello," A voice replied and Aeris turned to see an older man standing before her. "Did not expect you to wake up so soon. Thought you were out like a stone!"
She smiled and replied, "Thank you for helping me, but I'm not sure of where I am. Could you please tell me?"
"Just my small little cottage in the middle of nowhere. The closest place that you could go from here would be the old reactor place that big bird once nested, and thrives with all its young." He replied with a grin. "They are friends of mine, he is."
Aeris nodded and glanced out a window and saw the green plains of which he spoke lay between her and her fastest form of transportation. "Do you by any chance know a man named, Cloud Strife?" She asked hoping for the best.
The man grinned even bigger. "Of course. The whole world knows the man who killed Sephiroth!"
"Killed?" Aeris asked feeling her knees grow week. "How long ago was that?" She asked peering forward. "How long has Sephiroth been killed?"
The old man scratched his chin. "Well… I say about twenty years. A little more or less…"
"And what of Cloud now?" She asked. "What does he do now?" TWENTY YEARS!!!
She could almost feel the blood drain from her face as the man spoke. "Oh! He is
married to that Tifa girl. They had a beautiful ceremony, paid by Shinra, and I believe he trains the new SOLDIERS over in Coasta De Soul, or somewhere where there is beach. Never been there myself…"
He said nothing more, or if he did. She could not hear him as everything went black again and she fell to the ground.
* * *
He heard them far away before they even came into sight. Cloud did nothing though, because that was all he could do. His simply sat in a bed that was located in what he thought to be his old room. The town should have been destroyed, but for some reason, it wasn't.
"Are you ready to give into us Cloud? Join us perhaps?" Zack's voice called out to him through the bars that were his door. "Be something that Sephiroth could never dream of?"
Cloud glanced over at the form of the teenage Zack and said nothing. He had already tried to escape, but the walls would not break, and the guards that he felt watching him, would not show themselves. For now, he was trapped.
Zack passed through the bars and looked around the room. "Cozy," he muttered and came closer to Cloud. "You have the potential to be stronger than any of the ancients. Jenova has shown us away to make you so."
"And what shall I give up for this power?" Cloud asked staring strait ahead, and not toward Zack. Just, a little closer…
"It always comes to that…" Zack mocked him in a sobbing voice. "You, you you you! I died because of you! I gave up life for you! And what will you give? Nothing! Fine… If you will not join us, we will force you to join us. All the Huge Materia will be in our hands soon enough."
Cloud jumped for Zack, faster than a blur. He caught the black shadow in his hands, and forced him against the wall. Zack simply began laughing and fell though the wall.
* * *
"Ben?" A voice called out and he turned to find Vincent standing before him, his cape fluttering in the wind on the beach. Vincent walked to stand next to him, and neither two said anything. They simply stared out at the ocean.
"Why was my mother a bit hesitant about Aeris?" Ben finally asked. "If they were such great friends, why would she not be happy with her being back?"
Vincent sighed. "When we made that venture, your mother was just in love with your father as she is now. Well… more so now. But back then, Aeris wanted your dad as well."
Ben turned his head to look at Vincent, but Vincent just stared out into the ocean. "Had she not died, I'm still not sure who he would have chosen. Your mother knows Cloud loves her more than everything, but she is worried about how Aeris will take it."
"What do you mean?" Ben asked.
"Sephiroth awoke with memory of just dying. He is still mixed up on what happened to him." Vincent put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "He is not responsible for this. These events were put in motion, long time ago."
Ben nodded and touched the Ultima sword that now lay at his waist. "I shall get father back soon. They can't brake him. Nothing can."
Vincent nodded and motioned for Ben to follow him. "Come on," he said. "Let's catch the ship to Junon. Reeve already left to take Barret and Red to Cosmo canyon."