DISCLAIMER: NOOO!! I don't own FF7-verse or the characters. They're still the property of Squaresoft.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Huh, chapter 13.. I was having a little writers block again. It's horrible, I had to really force myself to write.. I hope it doesn't show from the text? Anyway, thanks again for reviews!! I'm terribly self-critical, and I sometimes feel like I can't fully capture the images in my head.. I'm glad you like this anyway!! ^_^
CHAPTER 13.
The dragon red
roves through the August eve,
lashes the clouds with it's tail,
drives them to flee in fright
and then the dragon looks up
and ponders - then
swallows the moon
and, sated, above the earth
shines with its full belly.
- Helvi Juvonen -
"Yuffie, are you OK?" Tifa kneeled next to the girl lying on the ground.
"Ouch. I think I'm gonna die." Yuffie held her arm. Zenobius had taken off towards Junon after a brief fight with their group last night, anxious to find Sephiroth. He had managed to hurt Yuffie, because she had been careless with him.
"It's just a scratch Yuffie.. Don't be such a baby." Tifa glanced at Cloud. She knew he was still upset because of Zenobius.. and concearned for the future. Now they had two homicidal maniacs to worry about, Tifa sighed and shook her head.
"A scratch? It's not you who got slashed, now is it? So show some compassion--" Yuffie began, when suddenly Cloud turned to look at her. "Shut up!" He shouted at her, turning everyone's heads.
"..I'm sorry." Cloud immediatly apologized, staring at Tifa.
"I'm sure Aeris' fine with Sephiroth." Tifa told him, smiling calmly. All of this brought back memories of the wrong kind, and apparently not only in her case.
"I sure hope so." Cloud muttered, turning his back at everyone. "But for the time being.. We should go to that tower over there." He continued, pointing towards a building in the distance.
"Yeah, sure thing." Barret coughed, glancing at Tifa as if to say she'd better do something about Cloud.
They began walking slowly towards the tower in silence. The thought in everyone's mind was where exactly Aeris was at the moment.. and was she still alive at all.
"Can you walk OK?" Tifa asked Yuffie, who had a suffering look on her face.
"Yeah.. What's up with Mr. Leader, anyway." Yuffie muttered, still a little upset by Cloud's outburst earlier.
"He has a lot on his mind right now.. You have to understand." Tifa smiled at the younger girl.
"I understand all right.." Yuffie sighed. Even though the day was beatiful and warm, she was feeling miserable, not least because of her injury.
* * * * *
"Hi. Did you sleep well?" Aeris smiled, staring at Sephiroth who was just opening his eyes. He heard it was raining outside, heavy drops of water exploding against the window.
"Not bad." Sephiroth answered her, and stretched his sore muscles. Sleeping the night in an armchair was an experience he wanted to avoid in the future.
"Sephiroth.." Aeris bowed her head, and dried her hair with a towel. She had probably just taken a shower, Sephiroth thought. "Have you thought about what I said last night.. About joining AVALANCHE?" She asked.
Sephiroth closed his eyes, he had never felt as strongly torn between the voice of his heart.. and that of his mind. "Look.." He finally spoke. "I'm sorry about last night. I managed to make a difficult situation worse.. for the both of us." He continued, refusing to look at Aeris. Was she hurt.. or glad? The other option was no better than the other.
"Don't apologize." Aeris told him, her voice quiet and uncertain.
He glanced at her, the shadows of raindrops playing across her skin. It was almost unbearable, to watch her and think of yesterday. To wish he'd never kissed her and at the same time.. want to do it a thousand times over. "We'd better head back.. If you're ready." Sephiroth stood up, and walked to the window. He watched the rain poaring down, the heavy grey clouds that covered the bright light of day. Weather provided a distraction he oh so desperately needed.
"I'm ready.. But I wish we never had to return." Aeris replied, walking over to Sephiroth. She leaned against the wall next to the window, and tried to capture his eyes. "I had the strangest dream last night." She confessed, her sad smile reflecting from the window.
"Oh? What was it about?" Sephiroth stared down at the petite girl.
"You were in it.. I only remember bits from here and there but.. We were children." Aeris answered his question quickly, her voice strangely shaken.
"Were we any different than we are now?" Sephiroth asked her, wondering why she looked up at him with such pity in her eyes.
"Do you think nothing ever changes?" Aeris stared at Sephiroth, searching his eyes for an answer.
"I suppose so.." He answered, bowing his head towards Aeris. "Let's go." He told her coldly, and then turned to walk to the door.
"Sephy--" Aeris began, and then silenced herself. "Of course." She smiled awkwardly, and followed him to the door.
"Oh and Aeris.. Stop calling me that." Sephiroth muttered, his back turned at Aeris.
"Sure, Sephy." She laughed, walking beside him on the long hallway.
As they exited Fort Condor, Aeris sighed deeply. "I can't believe I went through all that trouble to dry my hair just for this." She told Sephiroth, as they walked into the poaring rain.
"..Life's like that sometimes." He nodded at her, falling back into his thoughts. Heavy drops of water fell down his hair, running down his smooth skin. Sephiroth loved the rain. It was as close as he had ever gotten to someone actually touching him as a child. At one point he remembered wondering, why everybody hated him so. He had done nothing, but lived his pitiful life. He had been told Jenova had died when giving birth to him.. But now he knew better. He had never had parents, he had been raised in a tank like one of Hojo's monsters. Jenova had never died, she was very much alive. And the true reason everyone had hated him was because they all knew..
"What are you thinking?" Aeris interrupted Sephiroth's thoughts.
"Nothing." He told her.
"Oh, don't gimme that." Aeris rolled her eyes, lifting her face towards the sky. She smiled as a raindrop hit her closed eyelids, as though she had been kissed by heaven. Sephiroth envied the way Aeris still saw beaty in everything. To him, very few things held any meaning anymore.
"Sephiroth.." Aeris frowned, biting her lip in worry. She looked so cute, Sephiroth smiled at the sight of her. "If you want to talk, I'm here.." Aeris fidgeted, embarrassed by Sephiroth's intense gaze.
"..I know." He nodded, and continued to walk in silence, listening to the rain. The raindrops would forever explode against the ground, forever ascend to the skies. Kind of like people, Sephiroth thought, it was impossible for them to escape their fate.
* * * * *
"Where the hell is he??" Zenobius snorted, resting after an entire night of walking around Junon. He had searched for Sephiroth everywhere, wanting to pay back for the injuries he had received in their last battle.
You're a new one..
"Who are you?" Zenobius said, glancing around him. He couldn't see anyone talking to him, yet he was sure he had heard a womans voice talk to him.
I am the one who can grant you limitless power.. My name's Jenova..
"What joke is this?" Zenobius searched for the source of the voice speaking to him.
I speak nothing but the truth.. Jenova continued.
"In that case, lady.. You don't happen to know General Sephiroth?" Zenobius asked, his sword drawn to attack.
..I do know him.. Sadly he betrayed my trust.. He shall never become a god.. Jenova muttered.
"Where is he, then?" Zenobius continued, puzzled by the woman speaking to him. She seemed familiar somehow.. He wondered who she was exactly.
He's coming.. Jenova's voice hummed.
"Really? I can trust you?" Zenobius snorted, a suspicious expression on his face.
Surely you can.. For we are one. How could you lie to yourself? Jenova laughed.
* * * * *
The rain had stopped as Sephiroth and Aeris entered a forest. Aeris' feet hurt, but she didn't want to bother Sephiroth. He had hardly spoken a word since they had left Fort Condor, and seemed to still be deep in his thoughts.. Aeris took a few deep breaths, enjoying the forest air cleansed by rain. She felt her mood change for the better as soon as the sun peeked from behind the thick, grey clouds. The green leaves of the trees were heavy with waterdrops, so the gentle breeze in the air couldn't move them around. It was so silent everywhere.. Aeris listened to the shuffle of their lonely footsteps, and kicked at the small rocks on the path they were walking on.
"Do you want to take a break?" Sephiroth asked, staring in front of him.
He always looked like he was searching for enemies, waiting for them to appear from behind every corner, Aeris thought. She imagined living like that must've been very exhausting.. It was amazing how strong Sephiroth was, to have survived such a life. She felt envious for his independence. Sephiroth never needed anyone to battle aside him, there probably wasn't a creature on this earth he couldn't destroy. "Yeah.." Aeris smiled tiredly, and watched Sephiroth walk to a nearby tree. He leaned against it's rugged surface, glancing up at the branches that reached their thousand small fingers towards the skies, as if trying to grab the clouds passing by them.
"We'll reach Junon tomorrow." He told her, with a voice that was neither sad or anxious.
"Sephiroth.. I don't think I can do this anymore." Aeris took a step closer to him, and held his eyes locked to hers with her sheer will.
"..What?" Sephiroth asked her, his face blank and expressionless.
"Pretend like nothing happened.." Aeris answered. Sephiroth turned his head, not wanting to discuss the issue.
"Pretend like there's nothing between us.." Aeris' voice was desperate. "We kissed.. And I don't just go around kissing everybody, you know.. It meant something to me. And after everything that's happened, last night and.. it hurts-- No, it kills me when you just brush me off like this." She held out her arm to touch Sephiroth, but pulled her hand back in the last minute.
"What do you want me to say, Aeris?" Sephiroth snapped at her, and walked further away, unnerved by Aeris' proximity. "That it'll be alright? That love'll conquer all?" He turned his back at her, his voice bitter and hateful.
"Love..?" Aeris watched him, standing midst the wet grass. Was he.. in love with her? Aeris' heart leapt at the prospect.
"I've seen too much to believe.. in anything." Sephiroth's voice never betrayed his cool exterior. "The kiss meant nothing to me." He said, folding his arms.
"..How can you say that?" Aeris stared at his back, a bitter lump rising in her throat.
"'Tis the truth." Sephiroth sighed, turning back to look at her.
They exchanged a long painful look, as a single tear rolled down Aeris' cheek. "You can't believe that.." She walked over to him, wanting desperately for Sephiroth to say the words she wanted to hear. Even if it was a lie, even if it could never be.. And he just stared at her in silence. The air surrounding them was heavy with unspoken words and charged with emotion.
"I must return to my mother.. I owe her." Sephiroth said finally.
"I know." Aeris gritted her teeth, not wanting to burst into tears.
"You must want to be with your friends.." Sephiroth continued. "We'll be enemies.." He concluded.
"I know that too." Aeris' voice finally broke, as she rushed to Sephiroth. "I know it's stupid and that it's wrong and all the other million reasons I shouldn't feel this way.." She raised her gaze from the ground, as she wiped away her tears. "But it doesn't change anything." She told Sephiroth, waiting for him to say the same.
"Aeris.. I don't know what to say." He whispered, lifting her chin with his fingers.
"Then don't say anything, OK?" Aeris pleaded Sephiroth, her lips parting slightly. "Just kiss me again." She whispered, thrilled to feel her body pressed against his taller frame again.
Aeris moaned quietly as Sephiroths lips brushed against hers, then gently clasped them. She felt a rush of adrenaline run through her veins, making her entire body tremble with fear and excitement at the same time. Aeris raised her hand on Sephiroth's neck, holding him close to her so that the kiss would never ever end..
"Erhm." Some very loud coughing suddenly reached Aeris' ears. She pulled back from Sephiroth, a drowzy look in her eyes, as though she had just woken from a long and wonderful sleep. His touch still lingered on her lips, making them tingle nervously. "Y-yes?" Aeris turned her head towards the voice, and noticed the entire group of AVALANCHE members staring at them.
"H-how long have you been there?" Aeris blushed furiously, whereas Sephiroth's expression was more surprised than ashamed.
"Long enough.." Tifa spoke, her expression a mixture of disgust and total shock.
"Ewww.." Yuffie stared at Aeris, her cheeks slightly flustered as well.
"Good to see you, Aeris." Red nodded at her, a look of realisation in his eyes.
"Well.. Great to see you all!" Aeris laughed nervously, her eyes shifting from Sephiroth to the AVALANCHEr's and back. "We were JUST about to come back to Junon." She explained, a guilty smile on her face.
"I Imagine." Cloud finally spoke, his words mainly aimed at Sephiroth.
"She looks.. awfully fine to me." Barret glanced at Red, trying to make someone ask the obvious question.
"What the hell just happened?" Cloud finally got over the initial shock.
Sephiroth didn't say anything, but instead retreated to the shadows. Aeris followed him with her eyes, but realized that since the AVALANCHEr's were her friends, she'd have to deal with them on her own. "..Nothing." Aeris fidgeted, searching her mind for the perfect explanation. Any explanation really, since she didn't really understand it herself. There was such a strong bond between her and Sephiroth, but how could she put it into words they'd understand? What words could fully capture the beaty, that each moment with him seemed to contain?
"So, how was your journey?" Aeris tried to change the subject.
"Just great. We met Zenobius." Cloud told Aeris, and briefly glared at Sephiroth.
"He's alive?!" Aeris gasped, and noticed the little cut in Yuffies arm. "Oh my god, are you OK?" She checked, and all of them including Yuffie, nodded in reply.
"Where is he?" Sephiroth asked from the shadows, his voice turned cold again.
"He was asking the same thing of you.. Before he left for Junon." Cloud told him, clenching the handle of his sword, as if waiting for an excuse to attack Sephiroth.
"Junon?" Sephiroth asked, worried of his mother. She was weak, and Zenobius might try to hurt her to hurt him.. His enemies were usually cowardly like that.
"Yeah.. We got to go there and finish him off. He's a threat." Cloud stared at Sephiroth, as if he was talking about him.
"We'll all go, then..?" Aeris glanced at Sephiroth, who shrugged in reply.
"Whatever." He said, probably intending to go back no matter what the AVALANCHEr's decided.
"Aeris, listen.." Cloud shook his head, not thrilled about the idea of travelling with Sephiroth, even if it was just for one day.
"Then it's settled!!" Aeris giggled excited, completely forgotten the despair she had felt just fifteen minutes ago. Cloud and Tifa glanced at each other, probably wondering if the shock of being a hostage of Zenobius' had been a little too much for Aeris' fragile mind.
* * * * *
As soon as darkness had fell, Sephiroth had wandered away from everyone. He needed some distance from Aeris.. He felt so completely mesmerized by Aeris. When she was sleeping so close to him, the temptation of touching her was all too great. At first it had been enough for him to just watch her, but now Sephiroth couldn't keep his hands off of her. Every time his fingers closed in on her, he half expected them to pass through her without ever reaching anything solid. Somehow his mind perceived Aeris as a translucent blaze of energy, a ghost taunting him.. Yet his touch always met her warm skin, his fingers always tangled with her hair that smelled like apples and orchards in the spring. The fact that she was real was somehow inconceivable to him. The longer he was with her, the more clearly her felt it.. As though she was a part of him now.
Sephiroth rubbed his eyes, trying to convince his brain to concentrate on something else. He felt so sad and happy at the same time, it was almost ridiculous. Here he was, gazing at the stars like some pathetic loser. He felt so stupid.. Sephiroth couldn't remember ever being in love. He had never felt like he could actually enjoy the plain company of another. And it wasn't just because now he knew Aeris was a cetra too, like him and Jenova.. He had felt the same strange bond between them the first time he had ever looked deep into her eyes. He briefly wondered, how much he would've missed out of, had he never helped Aeris at Shin-Ra headquarters. On the other hand, his life would've remained simple..
In between thoughts of Aeris, Jenova popped into Sephiroth's mind and he briefly wondered she was doing. Sephiroth was sure she'd contact him if she was in danger, so he wasn't really worried. Quickly shrugging off the uneasiness his mothers' silence caused, Sephiroth's mind fell back to Aeris.
He remembered watching Aeris sleep at the Fort Condor. It had been early morning before he had finally given up to sleep. She had looked so vulnerable, Sephiroth thought. Why was it then, that whenever she touched him or approached him, he felt so threatened. He knew she could hardly hurt him fysically.. What strange power she had over him..? Sephiroth couldn't figure it out. Maybe he feared her like the late night fears the first rays of the morning sun? Taking in a deep breath, Sephiroth felt a little tired. He might as well sleep a few hours. He had to be in good condition to fight Zenobius. The man obviously had the same talents of recovery as he did. The same? Sephiroth tilted his head. No, they couldn't have anything else in common. Just a coincidence.. yet Sephiroth was too experienced a SOLDIER to believe in coincidences. Suddenly he heard footsteps approach him.
Sephiroth raised his eyes, and saw Cloud and Tifa walk towards him. They stopped a few meters away from him, uncomfortable with his presence.
"We need to talk." Cloud snarled at Sephiroth.
"About Aeris, I presume?" Sephiroth jumped down from on top of a rock, and leaned back against it.
"I'm warning you to stay away from her." Cloud continued, while the brunette Tifa stood beside him in silence. "If anything happens to her, I swear to god I'll kill you. You got that?" He continued.
Sephiroth briefly wondered, if the puppet's behaviour had more to do with Jenova's cells and her control over him than actual emotions. Sometimes he wondered that about himself, as well.. But as Jenova had explained, Sephiroth was somewhat superior to Cloud. "I have no intention of hurting her. She has done nothing to me." He spoke calmly, wondering if that girl Tifa realized what was going on. She was awfully close to Cloud, that was really all Sephiroth knew of her.
"My mother did nothing to you, nor did Tifa's father! Or any of the other people you killed in Niebelheim!" Cloud raised his voice at Sephiroth, as though his heartless behaviour annoyed him.
"They were in the way." Sephiroth snorted, not really caring to further explain his motives to Cloud.
"In the way?" Cloud's expression was pure rage. "That's the great all justifying reason?!" He shouted at Sephiroth, while Tifa tried to calm him down.
Sephiroth didn't answer, and he really didn't have to. Violence had always been the only way to react to things for him. He had been so angry his entire life, angry at the injustice of it all.. There was no way to revenge one's own fate. Hurting others had made him feel better about himself, as perverted as that was.
"You're a monster!" Cloud told Sephiroth, and judging by Tifa's glare, she agreed.
"Thankyou." Sephiroth leered, completely un-offended by Cloud's comment. He had long ago accepted who he was.. There weren't such words that could hurt him, he had heard all possible curses.
"You're a heartless, cold man.. You don't deserve to be cared by someone like Aeris." Tifa finally spoke, after gathering her courage.
"You don't deserve to be cared by anyone.." Cloud snarled. "We know you're her latest charity-project. She's the only reason we let you stay anywhere close to us." He told Sephiroth, finally turning away from him. He and Tifa backed away from him quickly, leaving Sephiroth alone with his thoughts.
"So don't think we'll ever forgive you.." Cloud said from a distance.
* * * * *
It was noon the next day, before the AVALANCHER's finally reached Junon. The sleepy town of fishers was as quiet as always, beside a certain little girl who was playing on the stairs of her homebuilding. Sephiroth and Aeris were walking in the front of the group, probably most because of Cloud and Tifa. They wanted to keep an eye on Sephiroth.
"Hello mister!" Priscilla shouted at Sephiroth. "Thanks again for saving my life! I'll take good care of ya when we get married." She giggled at Sephiroth's embarrassed expression.
Aeris smiled light-heartedly, thinking about how strange it was that people showing their affection towards Sephiroth seemed to bother him far more than those hating him.
"Great." Sephiroth snorted, trying to act as though he was sorry he had helped the girl.
"He saved that girl's life??" Tifa glanced at Cloud baffled. It was certainly something they had not expected from Sephiroth.
"He's gone more insane than I thought." Cloud sighed, making Aeris frown sadly. It was really not a wonder Sephiroth didn't like to show kindness towards anyone. People always perceived it as weakness.. Maybe Sephiroth had begun to think so himself.
"H-hey, thanks!" A SOLDIER who was guarding the elevator complimented as Sephiroth payed him a large amount of Gil to get in the elevator. "Open the Gate." The guard spoke to his radio, and the group watched as the heavy metallic doors opened slowly.
Sorry it took me a while to update! I'm really amazed I've gotten so many reviews already! Anyway, I guess you already know Zenobius will be the major bad-guy in this fic? I finally got to the point where he and Jenova meet.. I was just wondering, how long will this story be?? Like fifty chapters or something? I'd better start writing longer chapters, huh? Well, see ya in the next chapter!! ^_^ Major SORRY for the language.