Crunch, crunch, crunch.  Dead and dying leaves crunched under foot as a dark foreboding figure slunk though the forest. Behind him every living plant wilted and died. The only sounds were the sharp crunching of the leaves and the audible sounds of the forest behind him dying. 

  He continued on through the dying forest until he came to the edge of a clearing.  At one end of the clearing was a beach, its sand and water pure and glistening under the starlight, untouched by his presence.  At the other end sat a modest cottage next to a frozen lake.  Everything in the small area was unaffected by him.  This wasn't his doing that was certain.  Could it be another being's doing?

The thought of there being another thing in this strange place elated him.  Oh the things he could do with such a thing, be it a man or some other creature. In a place like this, where his imagination was the limit, where scientific rules no longer applied, his mind overflowed with the things he could inflict upon this new toy in the name of science were unlimited.

With a renewed purpose he set out towards the cabin.

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Aeris tossed and turned in an uneasy sleep.  Her dreams were wracked with the cries of the planet.  Never in her entire time after her death had she ever heard the planet. She had assumed that she simply could not hear it in this place.  But now she heard it, and it was warning her of something.  The warnings were getting louder and louder by the minute, but she couldn't figure out what the planet was trying to tell her.  Sephiroth? Was something wrong, had he changed? No, she concluded, it couldn't be that.

Then what was it?  The cries were getting more and more dire by the minute.  In her sleeping/dreaming state Aeris began to get nervous.  A final heart rending cry tore Aeris from her sleep.  She bolted strait up on the couch.  Her breathing was labored and rivulets of sweat ran down her forehead. 

Terrified from the fear that the planet had planted in her Aeris' eyes darted around the room. The fire had burned down to coals and provided the room with only the faintest of glows.  All of her senses were raised, her ears picked up every little sounds in the room, her eyes immediately darted to the slightest flicker in the room.

The only sound in the room was her breathing.  As her breathing quieted she became aware of another sound, breathing.  She held her breath to make sure it wasn't just her.  The rasping breaths from the other side of the room continued.  She stared hard into the darkness where the sound was coming from.  She thought she could make out the shadowy outline of something in the corner near the door.

The thousands of horrifying possibilities rushed through her mind.  This must be it; the danger the planet had been trying to warn her about.  It was too late now; it was here! Oh what am I going to do! Oh no oh no oh no. A sense of panic pervaded Aeris' thoughts, making her sick to her stomach. 

Sephiroth! Maybe her heard this thing enter! He was a soldier he can save me. What if it already got him while he was asleep? He was probably on his way to save her right now he probably had sensed this thing as it neared the house. 

Her thoughts raced a mile a minute as she stared into the darkness.  The figure began to move closer to her, closer to the light.  What if it was some type of hideous creature that the planet had rejected and sent to live in this afterlife?  Something like Jenova, from some far off planet, which its soul was unable to return to?

The figure slowly advanced.  Aeris could hear her heart pounding as she lay frozen on the couch.  The figure that finally stepped into the dim light was worse than any alien creature, worse than any other thing Aeris could have imagined.  As recognition slowly crept across her terrified mind, it was too much for her to handle.  She let loose a scream that shattered the still room as she covered her head with a blanket.  As Aeris laid under the blanket, willing him to go away, she felt his icy hand on her leg.  She screamed again as he knocked her unconscious.s

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Sephiroth bolted up in his bed.  An eerie silence filled the air.  Immediately he sensed that something was wrong.  In and instant he was at the door with his masamune in hand.  Silently he opened the door.  His perfect night vision showed him that there was nothing in the hallway.

As he crept silently down the hallway a bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.  Aeris!  Sephiroth dashed to the end of the hall only to see his worst nightmare knock Aeris unconscious as she screamed.  Hojo.

The filthy rat like man looked up and met his eyes.  A sneer came to the Hojo's sickly pale face. 

"It looks like I have both my favorite toys back now hmm?" he said to himself.

Sephiroth pushed the shock aside, " What are you doing here?" he said venom dripping from every word.

" Why isn't it obvious? I'm collecting some new play toys. I need something in this place that I haven't created with my own mind, something real. I think you two will do nicely," he stated matter of factly, as if Sephiroth should find absolutely nothing wrong with what he proposed.

" Get away from her" Sephiroth said as he advanced toward Hojo, sword ready, "Now."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Hojo said as he moved to pick Aeris up.

In the blink of an eye Sephiroth was beside Hojo, he threw him into the wall on the opposite wall like a toy.

" I said, Get away from her", in an instant Sephiroth was once again beside Hojo. But this time he was ready. As Sephiroth moved in for the final blow, Hojo countered with his gun.  The bullet tore into Sephiroth's right shoulder, but did not hinder his swing of the masamune.  The blade tore into Hojo like a knife into butter. Hojo managed to fire another round, this time it hit Sephiroth square in the chest.

Despite being nearly cleaved in halve Hojo rose to his feat and staggered to the door.

"I'll be back, don't you worry. I will get you, my precious toys."

Stood threateningly watching Hojo leave. It wasn't until he could no longer feel his twisted presence before he allowed himself to sink to the floor.  A glance at his chest revealed a hole from which a river of blood flowed.  Holding his chest he struggled over to where Aeris lay.  Once he was leaning against the couch he looked down at his hand, entirely soaked in blood.  His vision began to blur as he felt lightheaded. He watched as Aeris slowly opened her eyes.  The last thing he heard was her scream his name.