DISCLAIMER: The characters don't belong to me, they're Squaresofts.. I haven't given up hope though. ^_^
AUTHOR'S NOTES: In this chapter, the search for Aeris' cure continues. I know this is totally melodramatic.. But I can't help loving that kind of stuff.. Hmm.. Just one more thing: thanks to Angel Sakura!! I don't think there's a greater compliment, than to hear my writings inspire you! ^_^ Hopefully you'll find the courage to publish those fics of yours! Thanks to other reviewers too, I think just as highly of each of you! (Over fifty reviews, WOW!!) ..Well, onto the fic!
CHAPTER 27.
With each new day behind
you
you ask
do you remember when
and I do, almost all of it
and more.
- Mary Dorcey -
"You killed me." Aeris faltered towards Sephiroth, her clothes smeared in blood.
"No.." Sephiroth gulped, and backed up from her. They were standing in an abandoned warehouse, he could see rows of old cars and motorbikes that were covered in cobwebs. Behind Sephiroth, the last rays of the afternoon sun streamed in though a few small windows near the ceiling. In the sunlight, small particles of dust danced in the air, to the rhythm of air currents.
"I loved you.." Aeris whispered, her voice hoarse as though from lack of use. She walked closer to Sephiroth, who was slowly backing up againt the warehouse wall. A rustling sound echoed to the taller parts of the spacious building, as Sephiroth stepped on the loose soil on the concrete floor. A moth rose to it's wings, and flew past Aeris, soaring towards a hole in the ceiling through which a small patch of grey sky was visible.
"Why..?" Aeris asked, just as Sephiroth's back met the wall.
He swallowed hard at the sigh of Aeris shadow, that was dancing as though in pain. It was cast far behind her, moving like a flame blown by an intense gust of wind. Even though all colour was drained off Aeris' skin, and her eyes had lost their usual glow, Sephiroth found himself staring at her. There was something alluring about Aeris, that drew his attention to her every move.
"I didn't know.. Forgive me." Sephiroth told her in a calm voice, as Aeris stopped only a small distance away from him.
"Why should I?" Aeris questioned him. "I will never join my kind in the Promised Land." She continued, and listened to Sephiroth shallow, fast breathing.
"You're frightened..?" She sneered, and lowered her gaze on Sephiroth's bare upper body. "You should be." Aeris smirked, while pinning him to the wall by his shoulder. "You separate me from everything.." She whispered, while leaning closer to Sephiroth. Her lips withdrew into a malicious smile, as she placed a kiss on the side of his neck.
"From life.." Aeris murmured, and rose to stand on her toes.
Even if his heart was beating fast, like that of a frightened bird, Sephiroth couldn't move, like he had been rendered immobile by some spell.
"And death.." Aeris whispered in Sephiroth's ear, and then pulled back to meet his eyes.
"Aeris..?" Sephiroth protested weakly, as she claimed his lips. Her touch felt icy and fiery at the same time, different from how Sephiroth remembered it. He watched as Aeris pressed her petite frame again his body, and he felt the darkness and cold emanating from her. Sephiroth just closed his eyes and returned the kiss, tilting his head gently as Aeris dug her fingers into his long, silvery hair. He briefly felt the touch of her bony, cold fingers sweep across the side of his muscular chest, travelling the length of his body. Even though her fingers felt like plain bones surrounded by a thin layer of skin, Sephiroth never brushed them away.
* * * * *
"Huh..?" Sephiroth bolted up on his sleeping bag, and stared into the darkness surrounding his camp. The fire was still burning, and Yuffie was sitting by it.
"You had a nightmare?" She asked.
Sephiroth just turned his head away, not wanting to admit that even the touch of a ghostly Aeris had been arousing to him.
"You should sleep.. We've got some major researching to do, once we get to Niebelheim." Yuffie told him almost in a motherly voice, that was greatly disturbing to Sephiroth. He wasn't used to people talking to him in a caring kind of way.
"I'm not a six year old." Sephiroth snorted, and noticed Yuffie jumped a little at the harsh tone of his voice.
"Well you sure could've fooled me.." She muttered under her breath, careful not to let Sephiroth hear her words. For a moment they were both silent, staring into the flames of the campfire. A small distance away, Cloud and Tifa were soundly asleep. The rest of the AVALANCHEr's had decided to stay at Cosmo Canyon.
"We should be on our way to Niebelheim, instead of.. 'resting'.." Sephiroth stood up, and ran his fingers through his long hair. The cold clear air sweeped against his skin, erasing the last tingling memories of the biculiar dream. "You should know.. death waits for no man." Sephiroth lifted his gaze at the skies, and stared at a dark cloud, that blocked out some of the moonlight.
"We can't be of any help to Aeris, if we're half asleep.." Yuffie spoke in a small voice, as she placed more pieces of wood into the fire. Sephiroth didn't answer her, instead he picked up his sword and rolled his sleeping bag.
"W-what.. are you.." Yuffie just watched, as Sephiroth carried his things to the black chocobo. The bird was sleeping with it's head tugged under it's wing, but it woke up with a startled look in it's green eyes, when Sephiroth mounted the animal and pulled it's reins loose from the branch of a tree.
"I'm going ahead." Sephiroth said coldly, and walked the bird forward. "Sephiroth.." He heard Yuffie sigh, but left the camp despite her protest. There was no rest for Sephiroth, even when he felt like he was doing everything he possibly could he still wanted to do more..
They had set up the camp not far from Niebelheim, mainly of Cloud's decision. He, Tifa and Yuffie had been tired, after everything that had happened. Sephiroth didn't feel very energetic himself, but whenever he tried to take a moments break a crushing wave of guilt washed over him. How could he even think about sleeping, when Aeris was counting on him to find a cure? Sephiroth made the black chocobo hasten it's pace. While riding in the darkness of the night like a lonely shadow, he had a chance to clear up his mind. He still had hard time believing, it was all really happening.. Some part of his brain still hoped, that he would soon wake up and Aeris would be right there beside him, smiling like nothing had happened. Sephiroth stared at the back of the black chocobo's head with a sullen look on his face. There just had to be a cure, he thought. Life had hardly been fair to Sephiroth, but if it were to strip him of his last inkling of light.. What would there be left of him, except an empty, hollow shell? What was he, without Aeris? Sephiroths eyes gleamed in the dark, as he lifted his gaze into the lights of the nocturnal Niebelheim. He knew he'd rather die with Aeris, than live without her.
* * * * *
"So you say he left not long after midnight?" Cloud interrogated Yuffie with a scolding look on his face.
"Yeah.. Look, it's not like I could've stopped him!" Yuffie defended herself. She wasn't going to let Cloud turn her into a scapegoat.
"You should have woke us up." Cloud gave her a look.
"Oh, you don't seriously think he might've tried to kill us!?" Yuffie shook her head in despair. Tifa and Cloud were in her opinion, hopeless. They just refused to see anything good about Sephiroth, and closed their eyes from all the evidence to the contrary.
"Nothing happened, so I guess she was right.." Tifa smiled at Cloud, and pulled the reins of the two remaining chocobos behind her. The AVALANCHEr's had already gathered their things and had their poor excuse of a breakfast, so they were ready to leave for Niebelheim.
"Yuffie, I swear to god if he's set anything on fire.." Cloud continued to look at Yuffie accusingly.
"Oh, get over yourself already! It's not like you're the only one who's had a near death experience.." Yuffie countered, noticing the bruises on Cloud's throat had changed their colour from red into dark blueish.
"Sephiroth might snap at any moment. He's never been the most stabile person, and this just might be enough to push him over the edge." Cloud glared at Yuffie, who seemed to have turned to Sephiroth's side along with Red and Vincent. "So in my opinion, we should be prepared for anything." He glanced at Tifa, hoping that she at least would support his thoughts.
"Cloud.." Tifa had a slightly awkward look on her face. "I'm not sure he's on a particularly destructive mood.. right now." She continued, and Cloud rolled his eyes. Not her too! He said in his thoughts.
"Well.. whatever the case, we should be going there already." Cloud snorted, and grabbed the reins of the green chocobo he had caught yesterday. He climbed to sit on top of the green bird, and pulled Tifa to sit behind him. Yuffie mounted her yellow chocobo too, and made it run at the front of their group.
"I sure hope we can handle Sephiroth.." Tifa sighed, clearly implying Cloud had better not irritate him in any way.
"Don't worry, I'll try not to say anything.." Cloud smiled as he felt Tifa wrap her arms around his waist.
The sun had risen only a moment ago, and dewdrops were still glittering on the leaves of trees. The air was fresh and light to breathe, and the threesome found themselves admiring the beauty surrounding them. Still, the thought of Aeris not sharing it with them was a shadow over everyones head. The thought of her dying was still foreign to them, since Aeris was always so full of life. Soon Niebelheim was visible in the horizon. "See, no smoke." Yuffie gave Cloud a look. She was clearly waiting for an apology, but Cloud just snorted.
"Let's just get to the mansion.. I think that's where we'll find him." Cloud suggested, glancing at Tifa.
"Oh, aren't you a regular Sherlock Holmes." Yuffie rolled her eyes, and made her chocobo sprint the last meters into the village.
"She's beginning to remind me of Sephiroth.. and it's so disturbing." Tifa voiced the thought in Cloud's mind.
"Yeah.. I know what you mean." Cloud nodded, and hastened their chocobos pace a little. Yuffie was behaving like the little sister Sephiroth never had, clearly admiring him for reasons that Cloud just couldn't understand. Not after everything that had happened.. Not after all the crimes that he had seen the ex-General commit.
As they entered Niebelheim, they all felt like they were re-living the past. It hadn't been that long, that they had been here only then with a fully healthy Aeris. Had she not gone looking for Sephiroth, Cloud thought, Jenova would have never had the chance to poison her.
"Cloud.." Tifa gave him a worried look, she was most likely thinking of the same thing. "We'd better go find him." She added, and the threesome tied the two chocobos into the white fence surrounding the Shin-Ra mansion.
"I really don't like this place.." Yuffie's voice shivered as she entered the gloomy looking building. "I saw a ghost in here." She said, and Tifa and Cloud glanced at each other. Not that it surprised either of them, Shin-Ra had probably killed people in this house. The basement was filled with abandoned machinery, test tubes and tanks big enough to hold a fully grown man in them. No wonder the spirits of the victims had chosen this location to haunt any passing visitors. Soon the three of them walked into the secret stairway, and decended the stairs that circled down to the bottom of the basement.
"That's where I found Vinny!" Yuffie pointed at the open door of a room next to the Library door.
Cloud swallowed as he placed his hand on the library door handle. He remembered the few other times, when he had entered this place.. Each of those times had ended in tears.. Something about the door had an ominous feel to it, but nevertheless Cloud bravely opened it. They immediatly saw Sephiroth, turning the pages of three open books. He was standing round-shouldered, leaning against the dark-wooden, heavy table. On the floor lay piles of other books, in a messy, disorganized way. As Sephiroth lifted his eyes from the text, they could all see the dark circles under his eyes.
"You." He only said, and rubbed his eyes.
"..Hi." Tifa was the first to speak, and then looked at Cloud. "We're here to.. do some research." She continued, noticing the strange look on Cloud's face. The situation must've reminded him of something, Tifa reasoned.
"Begin from the row on the upper left.." Sephiroth said coldly, and turned his attention back at the book.
"You haven't found anything then?" She asked, and Sephiroth gave her the most poisonous glare Tifa had ever seen.
"No. I haven't." He hissed, breaking a pencil that he had held between his fingers in half.
"O-ok then.." She stammered, and tried to walk as casually as possible to the bookshelve behind Sephiroth's back. Cloud and Yuffie soon followed her, trying to stay out of Sephiroths reach.
"Maybe we should.. compare notes or something." Tifa added then, from a safe distance.
"..I don't need notes. I'll remember." Sephiroth continued to speak in a harsh tone, turning the pages of the books. The three AVALANCHEr's looked at Sephiroths back a while, before Tifa continued gathering the six first books that caught her eye.
"Let's go over there." She looked at Cloud, who seemed to be deep in his thoughts. They walked to the table at the end of the room, and noticed Sephiroth had scattered books there too. The reading chamber looked like a tornado had raged within it's walls, Tifa mused.
"Wow.. He must've been up all night." In Yuffies voice was a hint of respect, and Tifa couldn't deny what was right in front of her eyes. It seemed, Aeris had taken Jenova's place as the most important person in Sephiroth's life. They could only hope, that Sephiroth wouldn't end up destroying for her the same way he had done for Jenova.
"No!"
They could hear Sephiroth mutter in frustration, just as he sweeped everything down from the table he had been standing by. The loud crash caused Tifa's skin to develope goose pimples. They could hear Sephiroth move around, as he gathered new books and returned to his studies.
"I'm starting to think.. maybe we don't need to be here." Yuffie glanced at Tifa and Cloud in turn.
"He's gone over the edge all right." Cloud nodded, but at the same time he hoped Sephiroth would come up with the cure.
"Maybe someone needs to talk to Sephiroth.. I don't think we can just leave. He might.. lose it if we tried." Tifa turned to look at Yuffie.
"Hmm, yeah that sounds like a good idea. Who's gonna go?" Yuffie asked, and noticed Cloud turn to look at her too. "What?" She asked, and realized what two were trying to say. "Oh me, why?" Yuffie frowned, and glanced at Sephiroths back.
"We'll be right behind you.." Cloud assured the young ninja, as they walked back to Sephiroth.
"So Sephiroth.." Yuffie began with a nervous voice.
"Yes." Sephiroth mumbled, his voice clearly hinting he was not in a mood to talk to anyone.
"Maybe you should go rest.. or something, and let us do the works.." Yuffie suggested, and watched as Sephiroth corrected his posture, and turned to look at Yuffie.
"I'm not tired." He said then, tilting his head a little.
"Umm.." Yuffie grinned. There was something threatening about Sephiroth's indifferent expression. He looked like the calm before the storm. "We're just.. You.." She tried to begin. "Maybe you're too close to this to see straight." Yuffie finally voiced her thoughts. Sephiroth blinked, and turned back to the books.
"Sephiroth.." Yuffie took a step closer to him, but stopped as she noticed Sephiroths shoulders turn tense at her proximity.
"Leave me alone." He snarled, in an angry voice. Still, no matter how vicious Sephiroth appeared to have become, Yuffie couldn't help but pity him.
A few hours later the AVALANCHEr's had gone through almost every book in the library, without finding much more than vague references to the Temple of the Ancients. But as everyone knew, the building had been destroyed when Cait Sith had stolen the Black Materia. Cloud had mentioned to Tifa, that he was glad Cait Sith wasn't but a stuffed toy, for otherwise Sephiroth would've surely tried to kill him.
Over the course of the last hours, Sephiroth had began to behave more and more biculiarly. Violent outburst were followed by moments of silent despair, as the silver-haired man just sat still and stared into space with the strangest look on his face as though he was seeing something the others weren't.
"Should I be the first to say, this is hopeless?" Yuffie looked at Tifa and Cloud, obviously sad.
"We didn't really believe there'd be anything here anyway.." Tifa bowed her head down, thinking this had been Aeris' last chance. She had wanted to believe they'd find something.. But as the books ran out, so did Tifas hope.
When finishing the last book without receiving much more information, the AVALANCHEr's glanced at each other. They'd better admit the truth and return to Cosmo Canyon, Cloud sighed.
"Two temples..?" They heard Sephiroth mumble, and as they walked to his end of the library, the AVALANCHEr's noticed a blond-haired ghost, floating in mid-air.
"Yes.." The woman smiled at Sephiroth, and reached her mist-like hand to touch him. Yet, Cloud, Tifa and Yuffie were shocked to see her fingers pass through Sephiroths skin. "You don't remember? Poor General.." She laughed in a malicious tone, and glanced at the others. In a moment she vanished, her misty body fading like a cloud dispersed by wind.
"Oh, that's the ghost lady.." Yuffie grinned at Cloud and Tifa, who were baffled by seeing a real phantom. Sephiroth on the other hand, stared in front of him with an absent look in his eyes. Suddenly he got up and walked through the Library door.
"I guess we're heading back now?" Cloud snorted. He suddenly realized what Barret must've felt like, when Cloud had made decisions concearning the whole team by himself.
* * * * *
"Sephiroth?" Aeris sat up on her bed, and stared through the open window at the pale form of the moon. A dark cloud was just flowing past it, creating an eery play of light and shadow on the sky.
"He's not here." Aeris heard a male voice speak, and noticed Vincent sitting in an armchair by the window. "Sephiroth, Cloud, Tifa and Yuffie have left for Niebelheim.." Vincent continued.
"Oh." Aeris answered, and pressed her cheek back against the pillow. "I miss him.." She whispered, holding her gaze in the moon. She couldn't help wondering, if Sephiroth was looking at it too, if he was thinking about her even partially as much as Aeris was thinking about him. Even her dreams seemed to be filled with images of Sephiroth, eternally separated from her yet always around.. Like a shadow that allured her.
"I imagine he misses you too." Vincent spoke in a thoughtful voice. Aeris stared at him for long, and bit her lip. Ever since her getting sick, she had felt like the others were intentionally keeping things from her. As much as she liked the attention and care everyone were showing her, she was also annoyed by it.
"What do you mean.. Has he said something?" Aeris asked quietly, and pulled the blankets tighter around her body, as she felt the cold tremble her body to the core.
"I just heard Red speak of.. an incident to Yuffie." Vincent answered in a troubled voice.
"What incident?" Aeris asked, but Vincent just shook his head gently.
"It is not for me to discuss.. You should ask Sephiroth himself, once he returns." He continued, turning silent again.
"Yeah.. if he still wants to talk to me.." Aeris sighed, understanding the position Vincent was in. She had never thought he was really the rumour spreading kind, anyway.
"Have you any reason to think otherwise?" Vincent asked, sounding slightly surprised.
"He.. broke up with me.. He thinks he might make my condition worse by being with me.." Aeris snorted, a bittersweet smile on her lips. "But.. If I'm not with him.. every breath feels strenuous.." She continued in a faraway voice.
"I always felt so strong in his company.. like I could conquer the world." Aeris smiled, a glazed over look in her eyes. "I remember the night near Mideel.. Sephiroth was awake till dawn as usually, looking out for me.. He must've thought I was asleep at the time, but I felt him brush away a lock of my hair and I just.." Aeris stared at the ceiling, as a bitter lump grew in her throat.
"Wanted to cry.. It was so.. perfect." Aeris whispered as she closed her eyes, and attempted to fall back into the blissful oblivion of sleep.
* * * * *
"Finally here.." Yuffie gringed as she jumped down from her chocobo. They had spent another badly slept night on the plains before they had reached Cosmo Canyon again. Sephiroth had sticked with the team, though he had hardly spoken a word during the entire journey. Whenever Yuffie, Cloud or Tifa had attempted to begin a conversation with him, he silenced them with such hostile behaviour. Yuffie couldn't understand why he was so worked up about the AVALANCHEr's presence, for after all they were working towards a common goal: healing Aeris. And even if that would never happen, Yuffie sighed sadly, she still wanted to console Sephiroth, for a reason unknown to her. During the journey, Yuffie had stopped thinking of Sephiroth as the person who had forced her hometown Wutai to surrender, and instead she had begun to admire him for his skills and attitude. Yuffie felt they had much in common, even if Sephiroth was a lot older than her. They both sometimes pretended to be a lot tougher than they actually were..
"Hello." Vincent, Red and Cait Sith were standing by the entrance to Cosmo Canyon, as though they had been waiting for the others to arrive.
"Did you find a cure?" Red asked, and glanced at Sephiroth strangely. Tifa shook her head miserably, and Red nodded at her. Cloud imagined the three men had not probably believed that there'd be a cure to find, since they didn't look very surprised. If anything, their expressions were just sad.
"I want to tell her." Sephiroth looked at the others distrustingly.
"Sephiroth.." Vincent spoke up, and took a step closer to him. "We're sorry but.. Aeris passed away in her sleep last night." The dark haired man finally spoke, a deeply apologetic look in his eyes.
"Oh no.." Tifa raised her hand to her mouth, tears shining in her eyes. "I can't believe it!" Cloud shook his head, and pulled Tifa to his embrace. Yuffie just stared at the ground, kicking at the loose soil with the tips of her shoes. Red and Vincent looked just as depressed and sad, and Cait Sith was standing a few feet away from them, also silent. He probably felt like it was a private moment of the AVALANCHEr's he couldn't really join.
"Sephiroth, we're sorry but there was nothing we could do.. The poison just made her lose all her strength.. and.. We don't think she felt any pain though." Red swallowed, as he watched Sephiroth. The silver haired man was standing still with his head bowed down, and his expression was unreadable. There was such an empty look in his eyes, Red thought.
"The last thing she spoke of, was you.." Vincent added, finally causing Sephiroth to break his silent reverie.
"I want to see her." Sephiroth only said, in a faraway voice. Before anyone could answer him, Sephiroth turned towards the Inn and began walking there, guessing that was where Aeris was kept.
"Is he.." Yuffie glanced at Vincent and Red.
"I think it's best we give him some time.. This can't be easy for him." Vincent shook his head, while speaking in a quiet voice. It seemed almost like a cruel joke of destiny, that the son of Lucresia was forced to go through the same hell as Vincent, when losing her..
* * * * *
Sephiroth walked up the stairs, and past the register at the Cosmo Canyon Inn. The owners gaze sunk at the sight of him, and the man mumbled something like he was sad to hear of Sephiroth's loss. The words avoided Sephiroth's ears though, as he just walked to the door and knocked, half expecting Aeris to answer in her light-hearted voice. "..Aeris..?" Sephiroth said in a trembling voice, as he entered the dark room.
There were flowers in vases everywhere, but Sephiroth only noticed Aeris. She was lying on her back, with a peaceful expression on her face. Her hands were folded on her chest, and her chestnut-coloured curls cascaded down the sides of the bed and the pillow her head was rested against. "I'm here now.. See, I promised I'd return.." Sephiroth spoke to her, while walking closer.
Aeris looked pale, but as beautiful as ever. She was fully dressed and apparently prepared for a funeral, but all Sephiroth could think about was to wake her up. He gently placed his hand on Aeris' shoulder, then quickly pulled it back, with the irrational fear he was hurting her. "Aeris?" Sephiroth spoke again, his hands trembling as they approached Aeris' skin again. He brushed the back of his fingers against Aeris' cheek, waiting for her to stir in her sleep and smile.
But she just layed there.
Sephiroth kneeled next to the bed, and rested his head close to Aeris' shoulder. "I thought I couldn't find a cure. But then I remembered it.." He told her, speaking casually as though he could hear Aeris' replies.
"There are two temples, can you believe it?" Sephiroth frowned, as Aeris didn't answer him.
"Yes, you're right.. I shouldn't get too excited about it.." He continued. "But I.." Sephiroth blinked, and was silent a while.
"I was wrong.. I didn't read the engravings right.. The temple we visited was the one designed to protect the Black Materia, but there's another. The one that protects the White Materia.." Sephiroth explained. "So you see?" He glanced at Aeris' serene expression. "The temple can heal you.. I remember it now, it wasn't destroyed in the war I just.. forgot about it." A sudden look of guilt spread over Sephiroth's face.
"Yeah, I know.. I should've remembered earlier. I would've saved you from a whole a lot of worrying, huh?" Sephiroth smiled warmly, holding his eyes at Aeris.
"You just sleep, love.." Sephiroth smiled at her, as he leaned over Aeris' face and pressed a kiss on her lips. "I'm going to take care of everything.. And when you wake up--" Sephiroth whispered, and pulled Aeris' body to his arms. "You must want me to take you to the Temple already.. I don't want you to suffer any longer." Sephiroth murmured, as he held Aeris' limp form in his arms like a broken doll. He rose to his feet and carried Aeris to the door.
"I've missed you.. I'm sorry I said we should break up. I didn't mean it." Sephiroth spoke to her while carrying Aeris down the stairs of the Inn, ignoring the frightened and pitying looks the owner and some of the men in the bar below gave him. "I can't breathe without you.." Sephiroth whispered Aeris, supporting her head. "God I love you.." He spoke to her ear, studying Aeris features as though listening to a reply.
"You look so beautiful when you're asleep.." Sephiroth told Aeris, and smiled sweetly. "Like an angel.." He complimented, as he carried her out into the sunlight.
"See, isn't it a nice day? A little bit of fresh air will do you good.." He continued to talk, while walking to the black chocobo. With minor difficulty Sephiroth managed to get on top of the bird while at the same time holding tightly onto Aeris, as though never wanting to let go.
"Oh Sephiroth, what are you doing!?!" Cloud and Tifa said simultaneously, while running to him and Aeris.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to cure her!" Sephiroth snapped at them, and steered the black chocobo away.
"Sephiroth, you do realize.. death is not something you can exactly heal?" Tifa spoke cautiously, glancing at Cloud and Aeris in turn.
"Why should I listen to your lies!" Sephiroth raised his voice. "She's going to be fine! I'm going to heal her and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" He continued, and with a wave of his hand Cloud and Tifa were thrown quite a distance away.
"You're insane!" Cloud shouted at him. "There's nothing you can do!" He tried to talk some sence into the silver-haired General, but it was no use.
"Yes there is.. There's a second temple near Wutai.. I just forgot about it.." Sephiroth's voice was faraway, and he didn't look like he was completely in his right mind either.
"Sephiroth, please, this is crazy!" Even Yuffie argued, but Sephiroth just encouraged his black chocobo into motion. In a short while, he dissappeared down the staircase and further towards the sea.
"He's really gonna do it, he's really.. Gonna try and heal a dead woman.." Cloud got silent, as he thought about how Aeris had looked like a mere shadow of her former lively self. The blonde man could hardly believe it himself, that she really was dead.. It hadn't been that long ago that he had talked with her.
"Where's Barret, by the way?" Tifa asked Red and Vincent.
"He went back to the Highwind, to tell Cid about Aeris.. I'm sure we'll find him there." Red answered.
"We have to go after Sephiroth. He's completely lost it. After he realizes Aeris is really dead, who knows what he might do!" Cloud shook his head, and grabbed Tifa's hand. They gently squeezed each others fingers as a sign of support, and smiled at each other sadly.
"You mean.. he's our enemy again?" Yuffie gulped.
"It's a possibility, yes." Cloud nodded.
"Well isn't it convenient for you! I bet you've just been looking forward to an opportunity like this to finish him off!" Yuffie raised her voice, tears in her eyes.
"Oh Yuffie.." Tifa sighed, and tried to reach out for her hand. Instead, the young ninja ran away in tears.
"I don't think I've ever seen her cry." Tifa looked at Cloud, frowning as she suddenly remembered her promise. "Oh Cloud.. I just remembered something." She spoke. "Aeris made me promise I'd look after Sephiroth if anything happened to her.." Tifa continued, and Cloud nodded at her in silence.
"I don't really want to kill him.. you know." Cloud told her then. "I may not like him.. But I'm not a murderer or anything." He continued, glancing at Vincent, Red and Cait Sith.
"We know." Red answered.
"Well then, we'd better eat and then head back to Highwind." Cloud ordered, sounding a lot less enthusiastic than usually. The thought of chasing Zenobius and Jenova and getting back the Black Materia were suddenly nothing but faraway words at the back of his mind.
Another chapter done!! I had intended this to be of a less angsty mood, but look at this, all gloomy and stuff. ^_^ These are some seriously depressing chapters in 'Pieces of Us'. I don't want to spoil this story by telling you exactly what's gonna happen, but please don't stop reading now.. You never know what you might miss! *smiles mysteriously*