Chapter 1: Resurrection
Sunrise. The black of night perishes before the fiery red of morning, the bright rays filling the hearts of all who bear witness to the timeless triumph of light over dark, good over evil. The world of the day awakes, humans, pets, forest creatures. The Dawn Chorus raise their voices in praise to the spirit of the Planet for granting them a new chance at life, with new surprises and new opportunities inherent. For Aeris Gainsborough, it was a time of bliss.
Since being reborn, she had arisen every morning and trekked up Mount Nibel to a sightseeing point, just to gaze upon the beauty of nature. She wanted to make sure that she took full advantage of all life had to offer, as the chance had almost been taken away from her for good.
As she started to walk back to Nibelheim, her thoughts danced back to her miraculous revival. Her friends - her dear, dear friends - had searched endlessly for a way to return her immortal spirit to her still perfect body, absolutely preserved in the lake where it had been lain to rest. And they had found one...
****************************
"Uuuugh!" groaned Cloud as he collapsed for the fifth time, the effort of his task overwhelming him.
"Yo, Spike, take a break! We can take over for a while. You need ta rest up a while, get some sleep man! You been at this all day!". Barret marvelled at his friend's resilience; even he would have called it a day hours ago. But Cloud had struggled to keep going, clenching the blue-green orbs until he fainted.
"I... can... keep going. I'm... alright."
"Hell you are! You're coming with me. We'll head back to camp, come back in the morning. Nanaki can cover for a coupla hours."
"But I've made... progress," wheezed Cloud.
"Yeah, and soon you'll be progressing to the grave! You know us humans weren't meant ta mess with these things!"
"I can talk to... Planet... with them. Got to... keep... going. For... her." Barrett's expression softened slightly.
"Cloud," he said as gently as he could manage, "Ya ain't gonna help Aeris by falling on yo' spiky butt over and over. Just rest tonight. We're all working on this. Ya don't hafta go it alone." Cloud sighed.
"I guess you're right. I'll get some sleep. But I'm coming back tomorrow."
"I know. So will I." With that, they left the strange, shell-like building and started the return journey to Bone Village, where they were staying until they completed their task. It had been their first port of call after Midgar, where they had remained for a few days to put out fires caused by Meteor. Aeris had been a dear friend to them all, and everyone was determined to bring her back, especially after she had saved them all from Meteor using the Lifestream. And the only way to accomplish their task, that they knew of, was to communicate directly with the Planet, using the strange, glowing spheres abundant around the Forgotten City. The only problem with this was that the spheres seemed to use a direct, telepathic link to communicate, and the stress this put on the human nervous system was dangerous, maybe even lethal. So far, none of the heroes had managed to withstand the pain long enough to make a connection, but they were getting closer. They would keep trying until they succeeded, no matter the cost.
****************************
Cid growled as the pain flared in is head, but hung grimly on to the orb. He was focused on his goal. He would not lose a battle of wills with a fucking ball! With every fibre of his mind, he attempted a to convey a message; I need to talk with you, Planet. The only response was a greater stab of agony. Cid grimaced, and fought it. Again, he tried his message, with the same result. Finally, with a clenching of muscles, he roared, physically and mentally, "FUCKING TALK TO ME, YOU *^&%&^*!!!!!!!!"
Instantly, the pain disappeared, replaced by a voice he felt, rather than heard; *there is no need for such language, little one*
Cid's jaw dropped open, his customary cigar falling to the ground in astonishment. Who are you? he thought at the voice.
*we are planet,* replied the voice *we thought you knew that. after all, you and your friends have been trying to communicate with us for almost seven cycles*
Cycles?
*of light and dark. what you would call days* Cid frowned. This was probably the strangest thing he'd ever done, and the 'Planet' sure talked weird. He shrugged. Oh well, might as well get on with it.
I ask for a favour, Great Planet, he thought. A little flattery couldn't hurt.
*what would you ask of us then, mortal?*
I ask for new life for the human once known as Aeris Gainsborough.
*why do you think we would grant it?* Cid was taken aback. He hadn't expected the Planet to argue.
Her life was taken unfairly. She deserves another chance.
*many are unfairly ended. why is she so different, that we should prevent her natural flow?*
She saved your sorry life, Goddamnit! If it wasn't for her, you'd just be another part of Sephiroth! You owe her your existence! What better way to repay her than by restoring hers?
*and we will. she will become one with us, and live again in many different forms across the ages*
She'd want to live again as herself!
*we are sorry, but your word alone cannot convince us of that. we feel she would want to be part of the lifestream.*
'No Planet, I would rather return to life as myself. I did not complete my time on your surface.' Cid gasped.
Aeris, is that you?!
'Yes. Cid! It's so good to hear your voice. Well, your thoughts. Oh, I see your hair's a bit greyer than usual.' Cid laughed. That was Aeris all right. Same gentle teasing, same sense of humour.
*are you sure aeris? we think you'd be better off joining us.*
'I appreciate the thought, Planet, but my mind is made up. I want to let my life run it's natural course before I join you.'
*then so be it. you are to be restored to life. go freely, and may you know great joy in your time. until next we meet, aeris gainsborough. and you too, valiant cid highwind, who put his life on the line to save that of a friend. congratulations to you and all your friends. goodbye* And with that, the voice of Planet faded and was gone.
Cid let go of the orb and blinked. Had that just happened? If so, where was Ae-
An explosion outside caught his attention. Cid ran outside to see what was going on, only to see a column of piercing green light blasting up from the centre of the city; Aeris' final resting place. He sprinted off down the track, through the small copse of trees, to the blue lake, arriving just in time to witness a miracle.
Aeris' body was floating in mid-air, at the heart of the column, the iridescent rays coruscating through her body, entering her eyes, her nose, her mouth. Cid was awe-struck by the majesty of it all. Suddenly, the green light vanished, and Aeris fell back to the lake. Cid raced out into the water and found her coughing and spluttering. She was alive! Lifting her carefully, he carried her back to dry land and set her down on the ground. "Aeris? can you hear me?" he said gently.
Aeris' beautiful green eyes opened slowly, and she smiled. "Remind me to learn to swim someday." Cid laughed, and the two hugged, glad to see each other after what they thought had been their final meeting. And for the first time in so very long, Aeris was happy.
****************************
Aeris blinked. Lost in her memories, she hadn't noticed that she was almost home. Just round the bend and she would be back at the mansion. She grinned. All she had planned for today was lazing around, as it was Cait Sith's turn to do the chores. Cait Sith. Now there was a strange per-
Something heavy careened into Aeris' side, knocking her off her feet. She gasped in pain. Rolling over, she saw the giant Zuu that had bashed into her wheel round in it's flight and bear down on her, it's talons ready to rip her to shreds. There was no time to escape. Retrieving the Princess Guard from the holster on her back, she stared down the oncoming monstrosity, preparing for what could be her last stand.