Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy Seven or The Story "The Darksword
Trilogy" which I got the Darksword from.
1 Chapter 4: Secret Powers and Realized Love
Aeris sat watch Rueben as he stretched and took off his coat and hat. She shivered as a cold breeze swept by. Amazingly, Rueben walked over and put his coat on her shoulders. It immediately began to warm her up.
"Umm, thank you. But won't you be needing it soon?" she asked and Rueben shook his head.
"I'll be very warm in a minute, thank you." he said and drew his sword. He then held it by the blade and held it close to Aeris.
"Tell me Aeris, what is this round end on my sword's hilt made of?" he questioned her. Aeris pulled it close and then gasped.
"BLACK MATERIA!" she shouted in wonder. Rueben nodded.
"Remember, materia does not kill, the person who uses it does. The Black materia used by the man, who killed you, was used for evil. But tell me, what could it do for good?" he asked, and she gasped.
"That was how you saved Planet!" she said and nodded.
"And in the ensuing battle we were both mortally wounded. Over my many years here I gathered information from various people and learn that one thing bound how everyone uses materia. We draw power from it into a spell. But tell me what would happen if a person tried to draw and hold this power within?"
"It kills them. Shinra tried similar experiments."
"Yes, it kills the person, but what about someone who is already dead?"
"Do you mean.."
"Yes, Aeris. I tried it here and succeeded. It's not the power that kills the person; it's the sudden first change. Now watch this!" Rueben shouted. He put the sword back on his back. He made his hands into fists and began to concentrate. Aeris felt a great force of wind begin to build and blow. The sword began to throb with a blue light. Electricity began to crackle around Rueben, and he grunted in pain. Then, he suddenly let out a scream of rage and the very ground shook. There was the sound of a great thunder and the electricity and wind died down. Rueben looked the same, but Aeris felt a great change about him. She gazed in wonder at him. Then, for the second time, he smiled.
"You're the only one I've ever showed this too. Let me tell you that after that little show my speed and strength have doubled." He stated.
"Impossible! To do that with materia!" Aeris said, shocked. He nodded.
"Possible, but limited. You can only do it with one materia. Two materias, even of the same type and level, fight over the body. They then cause temporary paralysis. I know I've tried. But the stronger the materia, the stronger you become." Rueben said. He then did something, and Aeris felt and heard loud bang, as the power left Rueben.
"You have to return the power to the materia, otherwise it will not gain experience. I still have not mastered this Black materia."
"Amazing! And you want to teach me this?"
"Of course! You are by the far most talented person I've ever seen! Do you accept my offer?" he asked. Aeris stared at him and then grinned.
"Let's see what I can do. And I want to start today, now." She said and took of his coat.
"Fine. Choose your strongest and favorite materia. Then put the others aside, or in your pouch on your side." He said. Aeris obeyed. He grinned this time and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Let's see what you've got."
*****
They worked until midnight, and Aeris progressed quickly but the final barrier stood in her way. The materia required that she take a bit of her energy and form a loop between her and it. This is what usually killed people by putting too much energy into the materia, thus killing them selves. On her last attempt she swayed on her feet, exhausted. Rueben steadied her with his hand.
"Let's call it a day. You did extremely well for your first day." He said, and smiled again.
"How long did it take you?" she asked as they sat down under a tree. He hesitated before answering.
"A hour." He said. Aeris tried to get back up.
"If you can do it in that amount of time, then I can do it today." She said, but Rueben pulled her back down.
"You've been training most of the day, and when I did it I'd been planning it for months. I also got a full night's sleep the day before. But once you get through its no problem. All you have to do then is train using the materia. And once you break through with one, all the others break easier each time." He said and yawned. Aeris looked at Rueben.
"Rueben, you've been acting different today, are you okay?" Aeris asked. He looked at her, and she noticed it for the first time. His blue aura was gone and it was crystal clear. His face went beat red when he saw she noticed and his aura changed back immediately.
"So that's it! You do it on purpose!" she accused. Rueben's blush stayed on his face and he coughed.
"Maybe." He replied, and looked away. Aeris frowned, but decided to let it drop for the day. She yawned and leaned against his shoulder. Rueben became rigged, and drew in a sharp breath. Discouraged, Aeris sat up and leaned against the tree instead. Rueben sighed, and relaxed. They sat there for a while in silence and then Aeris stood up.
"Are you going back now?" he asked, quietly. Aeris nodded and picked up her things.
"I hope to see you around Rueben." She said stiffly, and began to walk away. Rueben jumped up and grabbed her arm.
"What on earth IS THAT suppose to mean?" he snarled. Aeris shook her arm from his grasp and glared at him.
"I swear Rueben, you are as dense as you are strong! I like you! I think you like me too! So why do you keep drawing away from me whenever we start to get close!" she shouted. Rueben lowered his gaze from her eyes to the ground.
"I'm sorry, but I can't. I don't want to hurt you. There are things about me you don't want to know." He whispered. Aeris stepped forward, and he looked at her. Her frown was gone, and replaced with concern.
"That's my choice, Rueben. I want to know everything. I care about you. I think I even love you." She whispered. Rueben hesitantly pulled her close to him.
"Then I'll tell you everything tomorrow night." He said.
"But the beast comes out tomorrow night." She said.
"Don't worry. It won't hurt you, I promise." He said, and kissed her. Aeris was surprised for a moment and then kissed him back.
1 Chapter 4: Secret Powers and Realized Love
Aeris sat watch Rueben as he stretched and took off his coat and hat. She shivered as a cold breeze swept by. Amazingly, Rueben walked over and put his coat on her shoulders. It immediately began to warm her up.
"Umm, thank you. But won't you be needing it soon?" she asked and Rueben shook his head.
"I'll be very warm in a minute, thank you." he said and drew his sword. He then held it by the blade and held it close to Aeris.
"Tell me Aeris, what is this round end on my sword's hilt made of?" he questioned her. Aeris pulled it close and then gasped.
"BLACK MATERIA!" she shouted in wonder. Rueben nodded.
"Remember, materia does not kill, the person who uses it does. The Black materia used by the man, who killed you, was used for evil. But tell me, what could it do for good?" he asked, and she gasped.
"That was how you saved Planet!" she said and nodded.
"And in the ensuing battle we were both mortally wounded. Over my many years here I gathered information from various people and learn that one thing bound how everyone uses materia. We draw power from it into a spell. But tell me what would happen if a person tried to draw and hold this power within?"
"It kills them. Shinra tried similar experiments."
"Yes, it kills the person, but what about someone who is already dead?"
"Do you mean.."
"Yes, Aeris. I tried it here and succeeded. It's not the power that kills the person; it's the sudden first change. Now watch this!" Rueben shouted. He put the sword back on his back. He made his hands into fists and began to concentrate. Aeris felt a great force of wind begin to build and blow. The sword began to throb with a blue light. Electricity began to crackle around Rueben, and he grunted in pain. Then, he suddenly let out a scream of rage and the very ground shook. There was the sound of a great thunder and the electricity and wind died down. Rueben looked the same, but Aeris felt a great change about him. She gazed in wonder at him. Then, for the second time, he smiled.
"You're the only one I've ever showed this too. Let me tell you that after that little show my speed and strength have doubled." He stated.
"Impossible! To do that with materia!" Aeris said, shocked. He nodded.
"Possible, but limited. You can only do it with one materia. Two materias, even of the same type and level, fight over the body. They then cause temporary paralysis. I know I've tried. But the stronger the materia, the stronger you become." Rueben said. He then did something, and Aeris felt and heard loud bang, as the power left Rueben.
"You have to return the power to the materia, otherwise it will not gain experience. I still have not mastered this Black materia."
"Amazing! And you want to teach me this?"
"Of course! You are by the far most talented person I've ever seen! Do you accept my offer?" he asked. Aeris stared at him and then grinned.
"Let's see what I can do. And I want to start today, now." She said and took of his coat.
"Fine. Choose your strongest and favorite materia. Then put the others aside, or in your pouch on your side." He said. Aeris obeyed. He grinned this time and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Let's see what you've got."
*****
They worked until midnight, and Aeris progressed quickly but the final barrier stood in her way. The materia required that she take a bit of her energy and form a loop between her and it. This is what usually killed people by putting too much energy into the materia, thus killing them selves. On her last attempt she swayed on her feet, exhausted. Rueben steadied her with his hand.
"Let's call it a day. You did extremely well for your first day." He said, and smiled again.
"How long did it take you?" she asked as they sat down under a tree. He hesitated before answering.
"A hour." He said. Aeris tried to get back up.
"If you can do it in that amount of time, then I can do it today." She said, but Rueben pulled her back down.
"You've been training most of the day, and when I did it I'd been planning it for months. I also got a full night's sleep the day before. But once you get through its no problem. All you have to do then is train using the materia. And once you break through with one, all the others break easier each time." He said and yawned. Aeris looked at Rueben.
"Rueben, you've been acting different today, are you okay?" Aeris asked. He looked at her, and she noticed it for the first time. His blue aura was gone and it was crystal clear. His face went beat red when he saw she noticed and his aura changed back immediately.
"So that's it! You do it on purpose!" she accused. Rueben's blush stayed on his face and he coughed.
"Maybe." He replied, and looked away. Aeris frowned, but decided to let it drop for the day. She yawned and leaned against his shoulder. Rueben became rigged, and drew in a sharp breath. Discouraged, Aeris sat up and leaned against the tree instead. Rueben sighed, and relaxed. They sat there for a while in silence and then Aeris stood up.
"Are you going back now?" he asked, quietly. Aeris nodded and picked up her things.
"I hope to see you around Rueben." She said stiffly, and began to walk away. Rueben jumped up and grabbed her arm.
"What on earth IS THAT suppose to mean?" he snarled. Aeris shook her arm from his grasp and glared at him.
"I swear Rueben, you are as dense as you are strong! I like you! I think you like me too! So why do you keep drawing away from me whenever we start to get close!" she shouted. Rueben lowered his gaze from her eyes to the ground.
"I'm sorry, but I can't. I don't want to hurt you. There are things about me you don't want to know." He whispered. Aeris stepped forward, and he looked at her. Her frown was gone, and replaced with concern.
"That's my choice, Rueben. I want to know everything. I care about you. I think I even love you." She whispered. Rueben hesitantly pulled her close to him.
"Then I'll tell you everything tomorrow night." He said.
"But the beast comes out tomorrow night." She said.
"Don't worry. It won't hurt you, I promise." He said, and kissed her. Aeris was surprised for a moment and then kissed him back.