Disclaimer: I never will own FF7. it's a sad, sad fact. But true it is…
Oaths and Bindings
Kiv gingerly rotated her shoulder, testing the bandage that Sephiroth had set in place. It barely moved. "Very well done. My gratitude."
"It's not the first time I've ever needed to bandage someone."
"That was obvious. Now if you will excuse me…"
"Where are you going?"
"This batch of herbs is nearly done drying, which means I need to harvest the next batch…This is a place of healing. I know the minute I fall behind on gathering supplies, some world will have a war, and many heroes needing healing will find their way here. Rather than face that nightmare, I try to keep abreast of my supplies." She laced her shirt tight about her shoulder to better hold the bandage and swung a large basket, one handed, to her back. "There is food in the cupboards. I shall return presently." With that comment, she swung out the door and disappeared.
* * * * *
Sephiroth idly played with the scraps of cloth left over from bandaging Kiv. Then with a sigh, he cleaned the table. Then he felt the dark tide that was his mother rising in his mind. "Good morning Mother. Sleep well?"
"What have I missed? The air smells of blood…"
"Nothing to worry yourself over…Kiv's body is quite resilient. She shall heal quickly."
"You damaged her?"
Sephiroth's mind worked quickly, churning over ideas, and idea that his mother would accept. For some reason, he didn't want Jenovah to know the extent of Kiv's abilities…not yet. "She tried to…take my materia away from me. She claimed this was a place of peace. She tried to use her claws against me when I refused…I have never seen such a wild glint in a human's eye. I taught her a necessary lesson."
"Ah, then the dreams are working then? All is well." He felt the great, dark vortex as his mother once more submerged herself in his deep subconscious. Then he felt the other stir.
A dry chuckle breezed through his mind like a cool wind "Yes, quite a lesson you taught her"
"Shut up Hio'La"
"I find that speaking is one of the few things I can do from this dark corner…that and listening. She surprised you rather badly didn't she?"
"Shut up, do you truly wish Mothe…Jenovah to find out?"
"No"
"I am going to find Kiv…to talk to her. To learn…we can't have Jenovah find out…"
Sephiroth got the distinct mental image of Hio'La stepping from his dark corner, the bindings falling to ash around him. He carried himself with such a calm air that for a moment Sephiroth had to remind himself that Hio'La was weakness…his weaknesses.
Hio'La strode forward into the light of his minds eye and drew forth a glistening sword of silver. He bowed slightly to Sephiroth and went to stand guard at the edge of the abyss his mother had sunken into. "For Kiv" he said as he turned his back to better watch the abyss.
* * * * *
Kiv ignored the sting of sweat in her knife wound as she gently loosened leaves and berries from their parent plant. Her basket was half full when she sat to rest. The silver ribbons of light in the sky swirled in a hypnotic pattern, the breeze whistled softly through the tall grass. The scene was missing only one thing…life. No insects buzzed among the blossoms, no small animals scurried in the underbrush. Animals preferred a place where time continued in its endless cycles. They knew that the Nexus was no place to live…only a place to recuperate. Kiv envied them.
Since her mother had chosen to die, it had been…silent. Sometime the only things keeping her…sane…were her endless tasks and her sword practicing. And know she knew she was losing the battle. "I have struck a patient…I have dreamed of blood" she whispered to the wind. She felt the scintillating, ancient energies of the Nexus reach up to offer comfort, forgiving her. But still she was chilled to the bone.
"I have been insane once, I will not be again. I will die first." Her words echoed eerily through the heart of Nexus itself, several voices taking up the echo until it thundered in time with the aurora's pulsing. Then the words changed and echoed back at her "So the Guardian has chosen. Will insanity truly be a greater threat than leaving the Nexus without a guardian?"
"I slaughtered hundreds and licked their still warm blood from the wounds I had made. I would much rather let the Nexus blooms creep over my body, than become a despot that cannot die."
The wind played with her word once more, and the myriad voices answered her…as they had since she had become guardian. "Well chosen Guardian. A new guardian can be found…it is much harder to stop a monster with our power. Well chosen." The wind died down, the words stopped their echoing rumble, and Kiv felt at peace for the first time since she had awoken.
* * * * *
Sephiroth froze as voices boomed out of the very land and air themselves "The Guardian has chosen death over insanity, so be it." The wind sang in so many voices he couldn't count them all, but one voice…one song…he knew. The voice was clear and young…and yet a voice of power. He let out his breathe in a sigh "Aeris…"
As he said her name, the wind died. The voices stopped…and the import of what he had heard sunk in. There was as silver flash, and he was facing Hio'La's sword point, the mists of his mind swirling about them. No emotion showed on the weakling's face, no concern for the blade he held to Sephiroth's throat. "What did you and that bitch you call mother do to her, that she should swear so? She has shown us nothing but concern and kindness…"
Sephiroth stared into Hio'La's emerald eyes and saw nothing but honor blazing in their depths. An honor he himself had forgotten…I used to live for my honor…when did that change? When did I give my honor away to this man before me?... "We gave her dreams…" he fell to his knees, prepared to die, tears streaming down his face "When I am dead…ask her to forgive me" He closed his eyes.
* * * * *
The blood loss and stress finally took their toll…Kiv slept in the sweet grass and dreamed…
She was sitting in the locker room after the fourth harsh round of bidding. It had been days since her "birth" …she had not eaten, had not slept…had not spoken, although she was sure she could. She waited, patiently, staring at the tiles as she heard the voices in the next room. The door opened and she paid it no heed. She was not protecting anyone, so the door opening was not a threat. Then she felt gentle fingers under her chin.
"Nineteen?"
She looked up, it was her technician…she smiled.
"Listen carefully…you are special. I made you myself, from the gene sequence up. I bypassed so many programming protocols to give you an education. You are yourself, no matter what they make you do…never forget that. I gave you my family's sword techniques. You are the daughter I can't have, guard well." He leaned forward to kiss her gently on the forehead. "Remember"
Then the dream twisted. She smiled. And whispered back "Your daughter would have a soul." She slid her arms around his neck and simply gripped. He looked at her, tears leaked from his eyes as blood flowed from his throat. "…love you…lov…"
She giggled "Sleep well father" she walked to the sink in the locker room and cleaned herself meticulously. Mustn't look bad for the buyers…
She awoke, curled up on her bad shoulder, blood seeping through the crisp bandage. She couldn't help it…she screamed. She felt something within herself break…a great floodgate opened and she sobbed, brokenly as she felt herself slipping. Then a voice whispered to her, it was a young voice…high and female, yet full of the old power "Hold on…not yet…"
In the torrent of her mind, she found a ledge, sunk her claws in and held. She felt parts of her slip away, wash away in the flood. She mourned them, but she could find them as long as she survived.
She stood and gathered the basket. "There is still a bit to do before I can follow my promise."
* * * * *
Sephiroth looked up in surprise as he heard a clang. Hio'La had dropped the sword and looked at him. Then enfolded him in a comforting embrace as Hio'La whispered "I cannot kill you, for you are me…we are one…or will be."
Sephiroth curled in the sheltering arms and simply accepted. "You are also our compassion aren't you?"
"Yes"
* * * * *
Deep, deep down in the dark depths of her progeny's mind, she felt a disturbance. Something was not right, the plans were changing. She awoke.
* * * * *
That's it for chapter 6!!!!