The Unknown One

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed, his eyes fixated on the woman before him. She smiled softly, walking towards him. He would've smiled back, but the only problem was...he had no idea who she was.

"Who are you?" he questioned.

"My name...isn't important right now. What's important is that you must ask yourself one question...do you?"

"Do I what?" he asked, clenching his fists as she approached.

She noticed this, stopping. "Is your ambition great enough, your will strong enough to seek past your old memories?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are in your memories. If you do not seek past it, you'll never get out, and this shall be your eternity."

"Again who are you?"

She laughed. "Again, my name is not important, Sephiroth!"

He raised an eyebrow. "How did you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about you," she stated. "But there are things you need to know...about her."

"What?"

"Her past...the things she has gone through...why she is here..."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..." She held out her hand. "Well, just see for yourself. Just take my hand."

Sephiroth slowly did what he was asked, the surroundings melting away to a beautiful blue sky once more. But this time it was out in a field, just a flatland. He looked at the woman who stared off in the distance.

"This was the day she was born, off in the distant kingdom somewhere. For this moment on, they would know she was different, she was special...and it would bring bloodshed..."

"What are you talking about?"

She turned to face him. "After they learned that she was not normal, they researched it and learned that there was another, a great grandmother who came from another world who possessed such wings. The word spread and other kingdoms learned of the healing power she had." She shut her eyes, the field fading into rubble and fire, a black, smoke filled sky above. Screams of pain, of death rang through his ears as the woman opened her eyes again, speaking. "They fought endlessly, until finally they reached the inner walls, and finally...They took her, killing everyone in their path, including her parents. She was only a year old then, ever able to speak anything."

She waved her hand, bringing the time path along. This time they were in a different kingdom, but the results were all the same. "Another few years past, locked away in a tower where no one could reach her, fed meals by a mute. Until one day, the same kingdom came back to reclaim her. They did so, but were no different and locked her away in an even more secure place. Again, a year later, the same kingdom attacked, placing her in the same place. It was all a prison to her, not protection, and through it all she could not speak, but learned how to understand, learned how to write by the mute. Soon enough, she was old enough to understand what was going on, and had had enough. So, she jumped out of the forty story window, her wings that had cursed her taking her wherever the wind went." Again the scenery changed, presenting a castle far off behind them. "But it only lead to another kingdom. She was so weak all she could do was ask for their acceptance, and not use her for her powers as the others had. The thought passed their minds, but their worlds had been there too, and didn't want to go there again. So they offered a piece of what they had, a place to live in peace. She took it, and so remained.

"When the door was opened for the first time, in her dreams she was able to see into our worlds, direct her vision to anyone she wanted. She saw you, Sephiroth, because she had asked for someone like her, no matter what your past was. She saw something within you, and wanted to meet you, to see how she should react to those around her who didn't seem like her. People had thought of her as an angel, and so she thought of you as one." The woman smiled. "As she had mentioned before, I presume."

"Yeah, she did..." he said skeptically. "Tell me, how do you know this?"

"When the Heartless came...I had nothing. I didn't care about anything, and so I let them take my heart. And so I have remained, here, in this darkness, and have seen everything that has gone on." She shook her head slowly. "But that's not important. She's here, somewhere, dwelling in her memories. I've brought you this far, but you need to find her yourself. I cannot find anyone within this place unless I know them in some way."

"But you found me. You know me?"

"Of course. You are...my relative..." It was the only words she could manage to choke out without having to break down crying.

"Who are you, for the last time?"

Her image began to fade, a wry smile on her face. "My name is Lucresia, and that is all you'll ever need to know." And with that, she disappeared, leaving him once again to this memory which he stood before.

***

He walked through the field, seeming never ending. But as he reached and area, occupied by one small, wooden house, to all he could see. As he moved around to the front, he saw a hill, a small willow tree sitting near it. And there, out of it all, sat who he had been searching for. He walked up, slowly approaching her as she stared off, her arms wrapped around her knees.

"This was my home..." she said suddenly, but he soon learned her mouth did not move, "for fifteen years. Alone, watching the worlds that I wanted to live in, but never got the chance." She looked up to him, her face emotionless. "I know who you were now. I saw your memories. Before I thought you just did it because you were manipulated, but now..." She turned her face away.

He kneed down, trying to explain. "But I was foolish then, I didn't understand..." He put a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched it away, her face now angry.

"I know why you're here. You want to save me, to get me from the Heartless. But how can I believe you, when the same grin you had when you killed that girl was the same when you killed the Heartless? You just want me for my healing powers, as everyone else did. You don't care if people die, and if I died you wouldn't care. If you don't care, why should I? Makes no difference anymore. There's no one left anyway. If you don't care, then I don't care. We're not going anywhere anyway."

Sephiroth sat back, shot down. He had no idea this was the way she was thinking. But he knew from the start that was the way she would act, it was the way everyone acted. His ghosts were restless, and would never allow him to leave the life he had set out before him. It didn't matter what he wanted to be, it had been what he had become, and that was all. It didn't matter if he cared about anyway, because...they only got hurt in the process. Didn't matter which way, whether it be harm or mental, his past would creep forth and possess him, leading to future events to tell what was really not him anymore.

She stood up suddenly, sighing. "But you know...I did care about you. But that doesn't matter, seeing who you'll never care about anyone else." That was when she started to walk away.

Sephiroth quickly stood up, running after her. He suddenly grabbed her hand, but she flinched away, turning to face him. "What, what do you want? I can't send you back, okay, I can't even speak in this place, I have to say things through my head! Please just leave me alone, so I may at least spend my eternity in darkness in peace."

As she turned away again, he just stood there, watching her cry. He didn't know what he should do at this moment. But he had to explain, he had to make amends somehow. His whole life he had made lies with his life, and yet somehow he had to say something, anything that his past would let through his throat. Finally, in being tense, he reached out his hand, putting them on her shoulders. It was the biggest move he had ever made, but he made a move that would finally vanish his cold soul. He put his mouth close to her ear, whispering.

"If you will spend eternity here, then I will always spend it with you..."

She stopped, turning around o face him. Something changed within her eyes, as if she believed him, and she did. She put up her hands, placing them on the sides of his face, and smiled in her tearful eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, Sephiroth's head on the side of hers. He then shut his eyes, as well as she.

Their world faded out, and soon enough they found themselves standing where they had been, only in what was the real world. A laugh came from behind and Kerah turned to face it, Sephiroth stepping in front of her and staring forth into darkness.

"Good job. You got out of your labyrinth of memories. Bravo. However," a figure stepped out onto a flight of steps, a pair of doors revealed behind him, "you won't have the time to live."

A glowing black orb formed in the man's hand, aiming for them...