DISCLAIMER: I am officially lacking the FF7-verse and it's characters. Squaresoft people are however, not. The quote is from a poem called "You left me - Sire - two legacies" by Emily Dickinson.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Umm.. I know I haven't been able to stick to my deadlines lately. I've been having stuff.. at school and.. err.. *insert your favourite excuse* Umm, if you're wondering why I haven't mentioned the notorious Weapons in this fic: A) I find it very difficult to write about them. I dunno why. *scratches the back of her head puzzled* B) If my memory serves me right, they appeared after Aeris died in the game. So I made her staying alive twist the plot into such that the Weapons never appear. Hence the un-mentioning of them. *grins* This chapter will include very little of my (bad) humour, because of the nature of the scenes in it.. So you might actually like this one. ^_^ Thanks to all of you who've kept reading and reviewing this story! (Over 100 reviews! WOW!!) It means a lot to me.
CHAPTER 34.
You left me Boundaries of
Pain
Capacious as the Sea
Between Eternity and Time
Your Consiousness - and Me
- Emily Dickinson -
"Oh my god." Tifa Lockheart gasped, lifting her face towards the skies. The white fluffy clouds that hung in the cold, still air were dyed blood red by the huge meteor that grew in size every moment Tifa spent looking at it. A long trail of lava and burned stone was cast behind the dark orb as it fell. She knew if that thing ever hit ground, it's flames would swallow everything they met and leave nothing behind.
"We don't have much time.. We have to stop them now." Cloud spoke in a tense voice, placing his hand on Tifa's arm. She flinched, turning her scared eyes at the man standing next to her.
"Cloud.. I'm afraid." She whispered. Standing in the opening of a cave, Tifa was just out the shadows reach. Sunlight and the meteors red glow highlighted her dark-brown hair, bringing a ruby sparkle to it. She looked unusually beautiful.
"I know.. I am too. But we can fight this. We have to." The look in Cloud's clear blue eyes was pure determination.
"Can we? I'm not sure about that anymore." Tifa's gaze sunk to the ground. "I mean, if what Sephiroth told you is true.. Jenova could gain control of you again or--" She spoke quickly, until a finger met her lips and silenced her.
"She won't. I'm not going to let her." Cloud said sternly. Tifa nodded, but the concearn didn't leave her eyes.
"And.. I still haven't told Aeris.. about her father.. Because of what is going on with Sephiroth and I really--" Tifa swallowed hard, lifting her eyes to meet Cloud's intense gaze. He leaned slowly closer, lifting her chin with his fingers as their lips met in a tender kiss.
"Uh..huh.." Tifa mumbled, her eyes locked to Cloud's. "What was I saying again?" She grinned sheepishly at him.
"Come on, we should go after the others before we get lost." Cloud offered the crook of his arm, and Tifa linked her arm with his eagerly.
"Yeah, like there's really much chance of that happening.." She joked, as the two began walking deeper into the tunnelsystem of Northern Crater. "With all the times you've gone over the maps, we could find our way even if we were blind.. AND demented." Tifa laughed.
* * * * *
"Red? Vincent? Where are you guys?" Aeris' voice quivered. She had stopped to tie her shoe-laces, but when she had looked up again she'd found herself standing at a cross-roads, without any of her friends in sight. Three identical tunnels all lead in different directions from where she stood, and worry was beginning to build inside of her.
"I knew I should've listened more carefully to the travel plans.." Aeris scolded herself while biting down on her lower lip. "Darn." She muttered, trying to recall what Red had said about the tunnels. Something about a mako fountain.. That was all Aeris could remember. At the time her thoughts had been rather preoccupied with other.. things. Or should she say, people.
Finally reaching a decision, Aeris took the middle tunnel, hoping she'd be able to return in case it was the wrong route. Of course, the chance of it being the right tunnel was just as startling to her. What if she'd come across Jenova, Sephiroth and..
"Egads." Aeris cringed at the thought of the black haired assassin, Zenobius. "He won't be here, no, uh-uh." Aeris shook her head and continued her walking. She had to catch up with the others soon, because they'd need her for beating Jenova. Not to mention a certain silver-haired ex-General she really wasn't supposed to be thinking. Aeris gulped at the thought of being forced to fight him. And not just because he was physically stronger than her. During this time they'd spent together, Sephiroth had made his way to the innermost chambers of her heart.. and soul. And once Aeris had let someone get under her skin, they never left, not completely. As long as she was breathing, Sephiroth would be a part of who she was. And that scared Aeris more than she was willing to admit.
She wanted to believe if only she was there when the AVALANCHEr's met Sephiroth, there would be no need for hurting him. And my heart wouldn't have to wither and die, Aeris sighed. If only Sephiroth would regain his memory.. Aeris could already picture their heartbreaking reunion in her mind. Sephiroth would say he was sorry for not remembering her.. no wait, he'd probably just look at her in that tortured way of his, and she'd say it was OK and then they'd kiss..
No no no Aeris bad thoughts, she scolded herself, a frown plastered on her face. Sephiroth was her enemy, at least for the time being, and she'd have to think of him as one. Not as her boyfriend.. which Sephiroth wasn't, anymore. Aeris kicked at a small rock on her path. She silently pondered, if this was what her adopted mother had been warning her about all along.
Oh yeah, like someone could predict this happening, Aeris snorted. It wasn't like everyday one's SOLDIER boyfriends turned evil and decided that they wanted to destroy the world in order to become gods.
Elmyra, Aeris thought about her and sighed. She wondered, what her adopted mother would tell her should she be here. 'I told you so' was the only thing that came to Aeris' mind. Elmyra had repeatedly told her, a relationship with a SOLDIER was doomed to fail.. Even if he was an ex-SOLDIER, and no longer followed Shin-Ra's orders.
After a short while of walking in silence, broken only by the sounds of sand and ice grinding below Aeris' feet, the tunnel widened into a cavern.
"Huh..?" Aeris covered her eyes with her arm, as rays of light hit her pupils painfully. How could there be light, when they were probably several feet undel ground level by now? As her eyes adapted to the sparkling light, Aeris could see the walls of the cavern were covered in crystallized Mako. In the corner lay a large puddle filled with the same sftuff, only in liquid form. Aeris had the impression the puddle was far deeper than it looked like, but since the liquid was so obscure it was impossible to tell how far the puddle's bottom was. If there ever was a bottom, Aeris thought. It was possible she was looking at one of the rare places in the world where the lifestream had gushed into surface. The only other place where that had happened as far as she knew, was in Mideel.. The residents there had been forced to move more than once because of Mako-eruptions.
The cavern that spread around Aeris was beautiful. Shades of Aquamarine shrouded everything. She reached her hand up, running her fingertips over one of the smooth walls. The crystallized Mako felt cool against her skin. Her ears perked up at the gentle hum that had suddenly began to course through the caverns. A wave of electricity was rammed through her, and almost instictively Aeris knew it had been a forcefield of some kind. Jenova didn't want anyone to get in her way.. Now they were imprisoned to the Crater, until the barrier would go down again. Aeris shivered in fright. It wasn't a very pleasant thought.. She dragged herself to the Mako pool in the corner of the cavern. Eery shadows of green and blue light danced across the walls near it, reflecting the Mako's dreamy shades of colour. Watching the liquid, Aeris thought what she was supposed to do now. She had not seen a glimpse of her friends, and accepted that she had gotten lost. A part of her didn't want to keep walking. If she stayed here, she'd not be in danger of running into Jenova alone. The desease Jenova had given her was still a chillingly sharp memory in Aeris' mind. But.. If she stayed here, she wouldn't get to see Sephiroth again.
What if the AVALANCHEr's were already fighting him? What if they'd kill him, or he'd kill them? What if tonight would be everyone's last night on earth? Thousands of unanswered questions plaqued Aeris' already troubled mind. The only thing she knew, was that she didn't want to give up on Sephiroth. She couldn't. If he was important to her at all, she should be out there trying her damnest to stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life, not hiding in this cavern like a coward. But.. A part of Aeris was also scared to death of what she might have to face. She was hardly a physically strong fighter. These days, Aeris had begun to doubt her mental resources as well. And considering her involvement with Sephiroth, she might do the AVALANCHEr's more harm than good. It was a possibility she'd end up protecting someone, who in Cloud's opinion deserved nothing but ugly death for what he'd done.
Torn by her indecision, Aeris kneeled down next to the puddle of Mako. For a moment she just stared into it's depths, frightened to make the next move. Mako was poisonous, at least to those who weren't immune. Biting down on her lower lip, Aeris reached her trembling fingers towards the liquid. She waited for the voices of the Cetra to guide her, to tell her what to do. Yet none spoke. Closing her eyes in devout prayer, Aeris suddenly senced a presence behind her.
"So.. We meet again." A husky voice spoke.
Aeris' ears hummed from the intense energy of the Mako, but she could've recognized the voice anywhere. "Sephiroth." She whispered, forcing her eyes open again. Taking in a calming breath, Aeris stood up from the ground. Her feet felt like jello and dark spots danced across her vision, but she forced herself to turn around and face her lover.
"Cetra.." A malicious smirk spread over Sephiroth's lips as Aeris' eyes locked with his.
"H-hi." Aeris stuttered at the sight of him disconnecting himself from the shadows. There was so much she wanted to say to him, so many unspoken words, yet all she could push past her lips was a plain old, lame 'hi'. Sephiroth took a step closer, circling behind her like a sinewy black panther. He was so close she could smell the earthy, spicy scent of his skin. A shudder ran through Aeris' body, as she felt his long leather coat brush past her arm. She felt like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, helpless to duck for cover or run.
"Came to kill me, did you?" Sephiroth asked from behind her shoulder.
Aeris could hear her heart pounding in her chest, as the man behind her brushed his cheek against the tangled curls of her hair. She felt the hard bone of his jaw touch the side of her head gently, and an image of a big cat marking his territory popped into her mind.
"H-huh?" Aeris said breathily, as she heard Sephiroth inhale the smell of her. She pictured his muscular chest, broadening to contain the deep breath, and swallowed to resist the urge to lean back and burrow into him. How much she missed his big, warm fingers! Lost in memories of Sephiroth's embrace, Aeris failed to notice he retreated from her, and left her clutching the fabric of her dress. She stood rigidly with her fists clenched around the patches of cloth, waiting for Sephiroth's next move. Aeris had thought that this would be difficult, but what she had just experienced went beyond difficult. Even if he was evil again, she still wanted him. So bad it physically hurt to not touch him.
"You are a traitor to you sacred duty.. Still helping the humans, hmm? I imagine that's why you're here." Sephiroth spoke calmly, his eyes still fixed on Aeris. He walked a small distance away, until he was standing with his back nearly touching the rocky wall of the cavern.
"Why don't we start with hi, I'm Aeris. How's it going?" Aeris grinned, and waved her hand ill at ease. Sephiroth stood completely motionless, a smug grin plastered on his face. He knew the impact he had on Aeris, even if he couldn't remember his past with her. It was almost like he could smell it on her, like normal people smelled parfume. Aeris worried her lip, thinking if she had a similar effect on him. Sephiroth's heart perhaps, longed to touch her only his mind wouldn't let him. Just by looking at him, Aeris could sence his indecision about her.
"So you don't want to kill me? My my, don't you run hot and cold.." Sephiroth arched his brow, a mocking tone to his voice.
"I had a pretty good teacher on that one." Aeris stated calmly, staring at Sephiroth across the relatively small distance. He felt far more distant though, and she hated it. Her gaze travelled down his jaw, to his lips that were still drawn to a cold sneer. She licked her own dry lips, unable to stop looking at the man now leaning against the stone wall. His black leather coat hung casually on his shoulders, revealing sections of his flawless skin. His posture was relaxed; even if he soon crossed his arms on his chest.
"Stop acting like I should know you. I don't. I have no idea who you are." A hint of anger in his voice, Sephiroth closed his eyes and bowed his head down a little.
Aeris just kept looking at him in silence. His words cut deep; they made her heart bleed, but she couldn't stop herself. A nagging voice in her mind kept telling her, if only she could hold him, he'd remember everything and she'd have him back the way he was. That it wasn't already too late..
"Then why is it bothering you so much!" Aeris gritted her teeth, and took a step closer. Sephiroth lifted his chin, and opened his eyes slowly.
"It isn't." His voice was tense, and he stared at Aeris fixedly. Despite what he said, he hadn't made a move to attack her yet. Something was obviously holding him back, Aeris realized, and walked closer until she was standing right under the scrutinizing gaze of her ex-boyfriend.
"You always were a terrible liar.." Aeris smiled at him sweetly, reaching out her hand. To her surprise, Sephiroth never pushed her back. Her fingers met the side of his face, and she caressed his cool skin. "You feel it. You just can't understand it." She continued, studying the look of silent admiration on Sephiroth's face.
Aeris blinked, and saw that her hand was still stretched towards the puddle of Mako in front of her. As she slowly pulled her arm back, the retreating fingers sent ripples across the liquid's surface.
"Sephiroth..?" She whimpered, her voice barely audible in the darkness surrounding her. Aeris backed up from the puddle, her breathing fast and laboured. What was going on? She glanced furtively around her, not seeing anyone or anything. How could it be; one moment she had been looking into her boyfriends soulful eyes, and the next moment they had dissolved into the familiar pool of Mako? Aeris swallowed, thoughts bouncing around in her mind. It didn't make any sence! Was she losing it, or had she in fact contacted Sephiroth through the Lifestream? It had been too concrete to be just a figment of her imagination. His warmth, his voice and the smoothness of his skin.. It had felt as real as the ground she was sitting on. Exhausted and alone, Aeris was unable to hold back the tears that burned in her eyes.
* * * * *
"Did you feel that?" Red asked Vincent, a puzzled look on his feline features.
"Yes.. A powerful forcefield of sorts." Vincent nodded.
"Man, I really don't like this.." Barret sighed, and sat down on a boulder of stone. "First Cloud and Tifa are left behind, and then Aeris too--" He continued, but Vincent silenced him with a look.
"They're most likely together." Vincent spoke, sounding like he wouldn't accept any other option. It had been partly his responsibility after all, to look after the last Cetra.
"And what's with this forcefield thingy? Why would Jenova cast such a spell? To protect her own ass?" Yuffie interrupted, while scraping pieces of the crystallized Mako loose from the walls.
"Or to keep intruders like us away.. Yuffie, what are you doing?" Red stared at the young ninja bewildered.
"Oh, like you don't know how much this stuff is worth." Yuffie rolled her eyes and continued her scraping.
"Anyway.." Red spun around to look at the others. Immediatly his amber gaze met two familiar figures approaching.
"Thank God we found you!" Tifa heaved a sigh of relief as she and Cloud joined the rest of the AVALANCHEr's. The others greeted the missing members with smiles, and they quickly filled each other in on what had happened. Apparently Cloud and Tifa had ran into some unusually virile Dark Dragons, that had taken a while to defeat. The others told how they had lost touch with Aeris.
"So you think she'll be OK..?" Tifa frowned. The looks on everyone's faces weren't too conforting, and a silence hung heavy between them.
"I'm sure she'll be fine." Vincent ultimately spoke up. He began to pace aside Red at the lead of the team, Cait Sith, Barret and Cid just steps behind him.
"He's taking this pretty hard, I can tell.." Tifa told Cloud in a quiet voice, as they too continued to walk after the rest of the group.
"You mean Vincent?" Cloud asked in a baffled voice. "He doesn't seem the kind to get upset.. I suppose that all-consuming passion of his for Lucresia doesn't leave room for much else.." Cloud grinned, sadness in his eyes. He felt sorry for Vincent.
"You can be so dense at times." Tifa shook her head exasperated. "Aeris is missing, Sephiroth's gone loco and.. he promised Lucresia that it wouldn't happen. Now he may have to kill the one person he swore to protect.. Lucresia's son." Tifa explained.
"Oh. Right." Cloud nodded. He hadn't really thought of it that way. Vincent hardly ever spoke of his feelings, and even when he did.. Cloud searched his mind for the perfect word to describe the few times they'd talked. Cryptic came to mind.
"I believe we're getting close." Red whispered, and pointed at large boulders of crystallized Mako. The huge cavern that opened up from the end of the tunnel they were walking on, definately looked like a place Jenova'd use as her lair. Yuffie walked over to where Red stood, to get a better view.
"Well, it's a nice change from Art Deco. Mako boulders." Yuffie snorted as her soft brown eyes sweeped over the area. No Jenova in sight. "Gosh, how I've missed this reek of death and decay. Someone should bottle this and sell it as a repellent. They'd make a forture." She commented in a quiet voice, trying not to draw in the extremely stuffy air. Leaning back against the side of the tunnel, Yuffie wondered where Sephiroth was. He had to be somewhere in here.. Most likely Zenobius was too. Urgh, Yuffie cringed at the thought of him; now there was a guy she really didn't mind beating the living daylights out of. She glanced at Tifa and Cloud still talking at the back of the group. How nauseating. They appeared to have finally found each other. A part of Yuffie wanted to make a witty remark, but she held her tongue. There was a time and a place for it and.. Jenova's lair wasn't it. Damnit.
"So where is she? Jenova, I mean." Yuffie asked Red, who was still studying the seemingly barren space. "Isn't this the part where she's supposed to shout I'm invincible and then die a horrible ugly death?" The young ninja arched her brow.
"No, I'm afraid that part is yet to come. If we're lucky, that is." Red countered, a shadow of a smile flashing on his face. "I have a feeling she knows were coming.. And will be prepared." Red glanced at Cloud, who had already drawn his sword from it's sheath.
"So this is it." The blonde leader spoke. "Everyone get ready and stick together.. This won't be easy." He told in a firm voice, eyeing the caverns floor for the perfect place to fight. The last thing he wanted, was to be cornered or attacked from behind. The forthcoming battle would be difficult even without any surprises.
"Guys.. I think I see Sephiroth." Yuffie spoke up, catching the attention of everyone. In awkward silence Cloud and Tifa exchanged a look. If they'd be forced to kill Sephiroth.. Aeris would not take it well. Only, that was a big fat understatement. She'd die. And quite possibly not only in the metaphorical sence. She'd taken Sephiroth's leaving pretty hard, but his death would be something ten times worse. It was the ultimate goodbye.
"Look, up there." Yuffie pointed towards the ceiling, high-up in the cavern.
"Bloody hell, what is that thing?" Cid commented from the back of the group. A strangely shaped cocoon, filled with liquid Mako, was attached to the walls by black root-like bars. Inside the cocoon's shell, Sephiroth was sleeping peacefully, a neutral expression on his face. His long silvery hair spread down his back like a folded wing. He'd removed his long leather coat, rendering him naked from the waist up. There was sinister beauty in his perfection. Such that one would see in a shark, endlessly circling inside an aquarium. He had the same kind of magnetism, an aura of danger that attracted - or repelled people. It was a burden to be born with.. But a blessing to a lone wolf like Sephiroth. He'd liked it that people left him alone and feared him. Like the shark, he'd survived as long as he kept moving, never stopping, never caring.. And then Aeris had come along and caught him by the tail.
Below, Vincent silently wondered if the son of Lucresia would've ended up the same, had he never met Aeris. Certainly he'd have spared the young Ancient from a lot of heartache. "What punishment has Jenova conjured upon him..?" Vincent spoke.
"Don't look like the man's in pain. Maybe dat freaky thing's what draws the meteor here." Barret suggested, glancing at the dark-haired man now standing beside him.
"Like a magnet, you mean?" Vincent asked, and Barret just shrugged in response.
"I dunno. But sumthin' ain't right 'bout all this.." The former leader of AVALANCHE spoke in a thoughtful voice.
"I know.." Vincent replied, and fell silent again.
"I'd hate to interrupt your moment guys, but I think we're about to get some company.." Yuffie pointed towards the shadowy end of the cavern. They could all see something moving around there, and it made them reach for their weapons. "OK skin, anytime you wanna stop crawling is alright with me." Yuffie muttered to herself, clutching her large shuriken-type of weapon.
"Jenova! We know you can hear us!" Cloud yelled. The movement in the shadows ceased immediatly, and the AVALANCHEr's shared knowing looks. So this was it, the final battle. Tifa's hands shook a little, as she assumed her battle-pose.
"We won't let you get away with this!" Cloud continued, as the form in the shadows moved closer to them. A black boot appeared, followed by another just like it.
"Hello.." A low voice purred. "You missed me?" Zenobius laughed to a mocking tone. He was barely standing in the slit of light that reached the caverns floor, but there was no mistaking his identity.
"Zenobius.." Cloud growled.
"You killed my father! You bastard!" Yuffie shouted. Her face was red with anger, and it seemed all the emotions she'd been bottling up since the day Wutai was destroyed, suddenly came crashing into her consious mind.
"Oh you must mean Lord Godo?" Zenobius leered. "I had my share of fun in Wutai, true.." He burst into laughter at the shocked eyes that followed his movements.
"You'd admit it..?" Vincent was the first to speak. "Worse yet, you'd take pride in it?" He continued, stunned.
"Killing is what I do.. It's what live for. Why deny it? If you have an itch, you scratch it.. You don't mingle with the enemy, like nancy-boy up there. He really was pathetic." Zenobius spat. Yet everyone in the cavern knew, he could never say those things to Sephiroth's face and live.
"The way I recall, he nearly killed you. More than once." Tifa voice that thought from beside Cloud.
"Ha! That makes you.. worse than pathetic!" Yuffie joined her.
"What did you do to Sephiroth? And where's Jenova?" Cloud asked, anger in his voice and expression.
"Oh.. I doubt I'll have to bother her with a bunch of little pests like you.." Zenobius said coolly, running his fingertips along the blade of his sword. "And as for Sephiroth.. You needn't worry about him either." The black-haired man's lips withdrew into a malicious grin. "Once Jenova is through with him, he's mine for the killing."
"Through with him?" Cloud tried to milk Zenobius for more information.
"Yes.. Jenova needs him for the summoning of the meteor.. Or more accurately, she needs the Jenova-cells that are infused within his body. We could've used him as a corpse just as well--" Zenobius paused to take a breath. "But Jenova preferred it like this.. And I admit.. there are certain perks to this arrangement." He continued, looking defiantly at the group holding their weapons in preparation for battle.
"Such as?" Tifa spoke up, with a surprising amount of confidence in her voice.
"I get to kill you instead of her." Zenobius answered, taking steps forward. "Although, the kill I was most looking forward to, doesn't seem to be here.. Where is Aeris? Somewhere all heartbroken, weeping for lost love?" Zenobius laughed again.
"Man, does this guy love to hear himself talk." Barret muttered under his breath.
"We have to kill Jenova first.. There's no way we can kill Zenobius before we kill Jenova - or weaken her at least. Remember how quickly he recovered the last time?" Cloud told the group spread around him in a hushed voice, and they nodded in agreement.
"So where is the big bad?" Yuffie asked, hatred hardening the look in her usually soft eyes.
"She has to be somewhere near to cast protective spells on Zenobius." Cloud shrugged. "But beside that, she could be anywhere." He continued.
"Hey.." Tifa gulped, "Should we worry about this?" As soon as she had finished talking, the gentle tremors of the ground grew more violent, punching down gigantic icicles that dangled from the ceiling.
"An earthquake?" Cloud swallowed, watching in awe as a huge wave of liquid mako shot through a wall, loosening Sephiroth's cocoon. The wave swept down, while mako continued to gush through the wall like someone had opened an artery.
"Go go go!" Cloud shouted in shock, and the AVALANCHEr's ran to a conveniently nearby ledge, to get away from the wave's path. Zenobius on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. The stream of liquid mako swept him along, as it continued to travel trough the tunnels.
"It.. it took both of them. Zenobius.. and Sephiroth." Tifa turned to look at Cloud, breathless and still shaking from her adrenaline rush.
"I sure hope Aeris' safe. That stuff is dangerous. Anyone who falls into it will mutate horribly.. Even those who are immune to it might get poisoned by it. And I haven't seen many cases where Mako-poisonings have been cured.." Cloud told her, relief evident on his face. It was a miracle they'd survived the eruption.
"At least Zenobius is out of the way.. Now all we have to do is take care of is Jenova." Tifa nodded. "I wonder where she is.." She continued, looking at the lake of Mako that had suddenly appeared over the bottom of the cavern.
"Gee, more evil to fight. And here I was, thinking I'd get bored soon. Little did I know." Yuffie stated, her face lifted upwards. A large airship with a scarlet red-painted bottom hovered over an opening in the ceiling, located just above the ledge the AVALANCHEr's were standing on.
"Shin-Ra.." Barret growled at the sight. "Circling up there like the goddamn vultures they are.."
* * * * *
"Back then.. You asked me how long it would take for the stars to hear your wish.. I can finally answer you; fourteen years. It took us fourteen years to meet again.. And how we had both changed! It almost makes me laugh, if it didn't make me so horribly sad. I once thought I could no longer feel pain, if I only followed Jenova's orders. I was wrong.. My soul will never seize to ache for yours. Not even in death.. What a fool I've been, to think there was peace in anything but your embrace.. I thought I had tasted cruelty before, but I hadn't. Not until tonight. This is my ultimate punishment, my final judgement; to know this now, when it is already too late.. I only wish.." Sephiroth burst into a fit of bitter laughter at the word, as though it was mocking him.
"..For things to be different.. For us to meet again.. In another lifetime. In different circumstances." He continued in a sad, wistful voice.
Aeris struggled to open her eyes, since she realized she was squeezing them shut. She could feel rough terrain beneath her body, and felt the sharp edges of small stones scrape against her sensitive skin.
"I wonder, would we still end up the same? Would I still end up destroying, just to remove the claws of longing that wound themselves around my heart the day I met you.." Sephiroth's voice was soothing, as he continued to talk in his deep, refined voice.
Even though Aeris instictively knew he was speaking within her mind, she felt an overwhelming desire to search for him behind her. It felt as though he was just next to her, whispering in her ear.
"You see, lover.. My missing piece.. It was always you. All this time.. It was you."
Aeris' eyes bolted open at Sephiroth's words. She could feel his bewilderment and pain, and curled into a fetal position on the ground. "Sephy.." Aeris whispered in anguish, her emerald gaze searching the space around her for any signs of life. Sweat beaded on her forehead, as the waves of pain kept coming. After an endless amount of time the pain became less, and Aeris was able to stand up on her feet. She faltered to the wall of the cavern for support, and continued to wander mindlessly ahead. She had the strangest feeling something was chasing her, and she'd have to run from it. But the more steps she took, the more she began to remember.
"I'm
not going to say goodbye.."
"I'll save you.."
"I promise."
"No.." Aeris sobbed, as she kept running forward on the narrow tunnel. "It's not true, it can't be.." She shook her head in denial, trying to cope with her throbbing headache. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, trickling down to her clothes.
"I never.. How could I just leave you there?" Aeris stopped abruptly at that statement. She had been the only one whom Sephiroth had trusted. She had been his childhood friend. And she had abandoned him. No one had suffered like Sephiroth had.. And a part of Aeris blamed herself for everything. Had she remembered, had she contacted him before he changed.. Everything would be different. That was the worst part. How could she forget her first love? How could she let Ifalna convince her he wasn't worth saving? The weight of her guilt was overwhelming.. And yet when Sephiroth had spoken to her earlier, he hadn't seemed angry or betrayed.. Just sad.
Still trying to process this new information, Aeris noticed a form lying on the edge of a larger Mako pool. She walked hesitantly closer, noticing it moved a little as it breathed. It was human.. and alive. Aeris clutched her head, as another wave of memories hit her brain. Hojo's voice, her mothers frightened eyes, the hoots of a trains whistle, gunshots.. Aeris turned her gaze at her hands. They were trembling like leaves. The strange feeling of deja vu Aeris had felt since the moment she saw Sephiroth now made sence. And it wasn't just that.. Her entire life Aeris had been attracted to SOLDIERs, without really knowing why. The glow of Mako in their eyes had reminded her of Sephiroth.. Even if her brain had forgotten her friendship with him, her heart never forgot. All her life, she had been nothing but a moth flying towards the most intense flame.. Her first love.
"Aeris..?" A voice asked.
She turned her puffy, tear-filled eyes at the form huddled on the ground. Raven black hair, dark clothing, empty hazel gaze.. "Zenobius." Aeris gasped as she recognized the man, and took a frightened step back. She stumbled on a rock, falling to the ground with a thump.
"It is you." Zenobius lifted his head a little, to look at the young woman quickly crawling further away. "The time I spent in training at the SOLDIER-academy in Midgar was the best time of my life.. But don't get me wrong.." The man burst into an insane laughter, lifting himself to his feet. The black strands of hair were wet with Mako, and cascaded down the sides of Zenobius' head instead of sticking up in messy spikes like usual. His clothes were soaked too, and clung to his lean body. As the man took a step closer to Aeris, his shoes made a squishing noise.
"It's not because of you.. girlfriend.." Zenobius laughed at Aeris' shocked expression. She struggled to get back to her feet, but found that her muscles no longer had the strength.
"..Z-Zack..?" Aeris stammered in a disbelieving voice. It couldn't be him! Zack had gone missing so many years ago, presumed dead.. And despite some similarities in appearance, Zenobius was nothing like Aeris' former boyfriend.
"That's right.. Don't you recognize me..?" Zenobius laughed, taking heavy steps closer. Aeris kept crawling back, until her head reached the cavern wall. She managed to get up by supporting herself against the wall. Zenobius kept walking closer, his breathing becoming more and more laboured.
"Hojo improved me a little, but that shouldn't be a problem for you.. You like your men freaky, don't you? Dangerous like the General?" Zenobius made wheezing sounds as he breathed.
"I-I.. Zack.." Aeris stuttered, pressing herself against the stone wall behind her.
"Don't call me that.. I'm all shiny and new. I'm not him anymore." Zenobius leered, leaning closer to Aeris. She was repulsed by the smell of sweat, blood and Jenova in particular, that permeated the air around the black-haired man.
"No, you're not." She squirmed in disgust.
"Remember that night, when I came to Midgar for my vacation.." Zenobius forcefully turned Aeris' head, so that she was looking straight into his eyes. No matter how hard she tried to look past him, or close her eyes, she could still smell his breath and hear the voice that made her blood run cold.
"You weren't too disgusted of me then.." He sniggered, and brushed Aeris' cheek with the back of his hand.
"Oh Zack, I love you! Let's get married and have lot's of children and a house with a view of the ocean and a chocobo.." Zenobius did his best imitation of Aeris' sweet voice. "Pu-lease." He stretched the word in mockery. "What's it like in the world you live in? 'Cos in mine, nobody lives happily ever after." He kept talking, even though Aeris' lower lip began to tremble as a sign of impending tears.
"Remember what you told me? How lonely you'd been before you met me? How you had imaginary friends?" Zenobius laughed, and for a moment Aeris thought he looked just like Zack. Zack had loved to tease her - most of the time she had thought it was adorable and sweet, but at times the things he'd said about her.. had been more than playful notions.
"The
way you dress, I'm not surprised you sell so many flowers--"
"You and your voices. If you weren't so damn cute I'd get
tired of hearing about it."
"Day-dreaming at work again? No wonder you still live in the
slums."
His comments had eaten away at her self-esteem.
"I think you long ago forgot about the reality, and began to live in that imaginary world of yours," Zenobius ranted on about the subject. "You probably thought you could fit the General in that flowery world too.. But he's not like you. He knows what the world is really like, and how it gives a damn about what you want, or what you need. It's like a hurricane, you can't control it, you just go where it throws you." Zenobius raised his voice a notch.
"I once respected Sephiroth, because he did what was necessary. He survived. And then you come a long, and tamed him into this.. abomination of nature." He laughed. "You destroyed him.. It's only fair you should get to watch him die." Zenobius finished, just as Aeris broke free of his grasp.
"I love him, Zack. I don't expect you to know anything about that!" Aeris was surprised by the anger and bitterness in her voice. "You never listened to what I had to say! You treated me like I was some silly schoolgirl for you to push around!" She told him, no longer seeing the dark features of Zenobius, but instead her old boyfriend, whose memories the creation of Hojo's seemed to have retained.
Irritated by the defiance flashing in Aeris' eyes, Zenobius shoved Aeris back. The back of her head met the rugged edges of the stone wall painfully, but she refused to give Zenobius the satisfaction of hearing her moan.
"Apparently, you're still pushable." Zenobius puffed, pinning her to the wall by her throat.
"Let me go!" Aeris said firmly, trying to wriggle herself loose from his grasp.
"You're not going anywhere. You and me, we've got catching up to do." Zenobius growled, and licked at his dry lips.
"Let me go!!" Aeris tried again, landing a kick on the side of her assaillants leg.
"You bitch." Zenobius only wound his fingers tighter around Aeris' throat. Her vision was becoming blurry due to the lack of oxygen.
"Z-zack.. I.. I can't breathe.." Aeris gagged for air, her rosy complexion slowly turning blue.
"Don't--" Zenobius released her, and she immediatly began coughing and gagging for breath. "--annoy me any more than you already have." He finished, leaning closer to Aeris so that his body blocked her only escape route.
"Zack.." Aeris lifted her tear-filled gaze to meet the man's empty hazel-eyes. "Please.. What do you want?" She asked.
"What I want?" Zenobius snorted in amusement. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to decide how to answer. "You know what really bugs me?" He looked at Aeris scornfully.
"That you'd choose that sell-out over me! What does he have that I don't?" Zenobius scowled. He really couldn't figure it out.
"A soul." Aeris answered quietly, her expression softening for a minute.
"Come on! What a lame-ass answer is that?? You can tell me.." A smug grin curled Zenobius' narrow lips up. "I bet there are some things I can do better than soul-boy.." His voice became a low whisper, as he leaned closer, placing a moist kiss on Aeris' neck. Aeris just stood rigidly, too horrified and disgusted to react.
"Now girlfriend.. give us a kiss." Zenobius' voice was pleased at the sight of her fear..
"Ewwww.." Aeris tried to back up as far away as she could from Zenobius' lips, when she suddenly heard a gunshot ring out in the air.
"Huh?" Aeris looked into Zenobius' surprised eyes, as something flickered in them before they rotated up and the tall man collapsed on the floor. Under him, a pool of blood spread out like someone had opened the cork of a bottle. Or dropped a milk carton on the floor. Rivers of crimson red flowed freely, tracing the tiny ruts and risings of the ground. Aeris felt her feet began to wobble at the sight, and she clinged to the wall behind her.
"Well well well.. If it isn't my darling specimen.." A male voice spoke.
Aeris turned her eyes from Zenobius' corpse to a group of people standing not far away. At the front of them, stood a man in a white lab-coat. His ebony-black hair was held behind his head on a messy ponytail, and he had metal-framed eye-glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.
"Professor Hojo.." Aeris gulped, her voice that of a scared little girl.
"Yes, dear.. Long time no see." The scientist nodded, handing out his shotgun (whose barrel was still emitting smoke) to a woman standing next to him. She was wearing a skin-tight scarlet red evening gown, her blonde hair held up on a neat bun. A few thin whisps of hair fell down the sides of her head, framing her delicate features. However, the expression on her face was cold, and behind her eyes hid a sparkle of cruelty.
"You killed him.." Aeris pointed at Zenobius, sounding upset even though she really wasn't. In fact, Hojo had quite possibly saved her life - something she could feel really weird about later on.
"Yes, Zenobius.. He's really the only successful Jenova-human hybrid. You see.." Hojo took off his glasses, and cleaned the lenses with a white handkerchief. "During the testing of specimen J-01 I discovered some.. latent flaws in him." Hojo began, sounding like he'd be likely to hold a long speach.
"J-01?" Aeris swallowed, "You mean Sephiroth?"
Hojo nodded to confirm her suspicion. "Yes.." His voice was pleased, as he returned his glasses on his nose and fixed their position with his index finger. "He had Jenova's superior strength and intelligence, her inhuman rate of recovery.. But unfortunately.." Hojo frowned, "also the human weaknesses passed on to him by his mother."
"Back then the President was planning on shutting down my operation, so you can imagine my horror when I discovered my greatest success.. wasn't a success at all. At first I tried to hide it by removing all references to his human mother from my files - I wanted everyone to believe the petty flaws like a conscience, remorse, compassion.. Could not be from anyone but Jenova. I wanted them to believe I hadn't failed, that I had indeed produced a son to Jenova; a descendant of her race.. At least, for as long as it would take me to create a superior model." Hojo glanced at Zenobius' corpse and shook his head in dissappointment.
"I fixed the flaws, by not using a human mother this time. I built this being from scratch.." Hojo looked at Zenobius vacantly. The smell of his blood lingered in the air. "Combining parts of Jenova to parts of.. well.. other beings.. And then using a fresh human brain for better control.. Rather ingenious of me, wouldn't you say?" Hojo smirked. "And this is how he ended up. What a pity." He sighed.
"But I guess it doesn't matter, since there's no need for him anymore. Now that the meteor is coming, and rivers of pure Mako will gush to Planet's surface - as a scientist I must say I find this infinately fascinating." Hojo leered.
"You're a monster! The world will be destroyed if you let them do this!" Aeris spoke, despair in her voice.
"Silence, child.. I know what I'm doing. This is after all, what I've been aiming at all my life." Hojo's expression was completely neutral.
"No, you don't know!" Aeris just shook her head. She had to make them understand.
"I believe we do." A man with short, blonde hair spoke from beside Hojo. "Once the ground opens up, we can build a mako-reactor here. We have no intention of letting Jenova go through with this, not all the way. Once she's had her share of fun, we're going to attack her and then store her.. For further use." The man Aeris suddenly recognized as President Shinra's son Rufus, continued.
"How do you know you can stop her? You don't know what large amounts of Mako will do to her, Sephiroth said--" Aeris tried to recall the thing's he'd said about Jenova's talents of recovery and how mako affected them.
"Now who's the real scientist here, him or me?" Hojo mocked. "I think I know a little bit more about this than he does. He's just a lowly specimen."
"You don't have a mental link to Jenova, but Sephiroth does. He knows more about her than you can imagine. Now please, you have to believe me. She'll become invulnerable once she gets in contact with the lifestream!" Aeris spoke, and watched in fright as the blond-haired woman in the scarlet red dress raised the smoking shotgun at her. "Please listen to me!" She pleaded, her eyes nervously shifting between Hojo, Rufus and the woman.
"Scarlet, shoot her." Rufus ordered, and shared a smile with the woman.
"My pleasure." She purred.
"There's no need for you anymore.. We've found our promised land, and soon, we'll have all the cell-samples we need to create an army of super-SOLDIERs.." Hojo explained. "Soon the world shall be in Shin-Ra's reign, and I'll have all the resources I need.. to make myself immortal, perhaps?" Hojo laughed. "Oh, the possibilities are limitless!"
Aeris just stared back at the group, thoughts racing through her mind. She might not have Tifa's strength, Yuffie's energy or Cloud's courage but.. She did have an orb of Mastered Earth materia.
"Earthquake!" Aeris shouted, twirling her staff in the air. The ground opened up, rivers of lava burning at her enemies. She saw the group stumble to the ground from the fierce spell, and Aeris used the opportunity and ran. She sprinted faster than she ever had, fear giving her feet more speed. At this moment all Aeris' mind could process was the sight of endless tunnels and caverns, each followed by one just like it. She had completely lost her sence of direction, but couldn't stop running. She could almost hear the steps of her chasers, even though they had been left long behind. Her heart pounding from the exercise, Aeris made her way towards a dim light that shone at the end of a very long tunnel.
* * * * *
"Bolt3!" Cloud's voice roared, as he leaped towards Jenova with his broadsword tilted for a powerful slash. An immense web of lighting covered Jenova's large body, the blue ribbons of thunder dancing over her skin. Just as the spell ended, Cloud's sword met her flesh and carved it painfully.
You miserable humans, you think you can defeat me?! Jenova's voice screeched within Cloud's mind, and he stumbled to the ground, doubling over from the pain.
"Cloud, are you OK?" Tifa ran to the blonde leader, placing her hand on his shoulder for support.
Mwahahaa!! How pitiful! Jenova laughed, her tentacles swaying wildly in the air, throwing boulders of Mako at her attackers. The stone floor beneath everyone's feet shook gently at the force of the boulders hitting ground.
"She's insane!" Red shouted, while attacking Jenova with a Flare-spell. The pain the attack inflicted upon the alien hovering before them, only made her slash out that much worse. They could all see her skin was becoming blistered, and she reeked of an acrid, foul smell.
"Let's see how she likes this!" Barret aimed his gun-arm at the wall above Jenova's mutated head, and shot at it with his limit-break attack.
You missed me. Jenova laughed.
"No.. He didn't." Cloud spoke up, lifting his head from Tifa's shoulder just in time to see a whole section of the cavern floor fall upon Jenova's bleeding and bruised body. A horribly distorted cry echoed in the cavern, until the dust settled and the sight of large, sharp-edged rocks piled up on top of Jenova was visible to the AVALANCHEr's.
"Is she.. dead?" Yuffie took a step closer.
"Not yet." A soft voice came from behind. The AVALANCHEr's spun around to look at the woman standing there.
"Hi everyone." Aeris smiled at the stunned expressions her friends wore. "I'm OK, really." She said, but in her eyes was a vacant, numb look. She walked slowly towards the rubble, and watched at a large tentacle, still searching for something to get a hold of. In a matter of minutes it twitched into a spasm, and then remained perfectly still.
"We did it. We've beaten Jenova." Tifa gasped, turning to look at Cloud, who immediatly took her into his embrace. The pair kissed passionately, ignoring the cat-calls and whistles of their friends.
Aeris looked at the two a moment, before lifting her face up. The meteor was so close, she could feel the warmth of it's flames on her skin. "The Shin-Ra are here." She announced, receiving baffled looks from everyone. They could feel something was wrong with Aeris. She was too calm, too composed - not like the Aeris they had known at all.
"B-but.. how?" Red stammered. "They would not be able to break through Jenova's barrier, until she was dead.. How could they be here already?" He asked.
"I don't know. Maybe they have a way to open a portal in it or something. But they're here. They killed Zenobius. Shot him in the back. The shell exploded and parts of it pierced his skull." Aeris spoke calmly. Tifa and Cloud shared a worried look. This wasn't like Aeris at all.
"Morbid much?" Yuffie crossed her arms. "What's wrong with you? You're acting all Sephi--" The young ninja was silenced by Vincents elbow that hit the side of her arm. "Hey, that hurt!" She protested, casting a glare at the man next to her.
"Do you know how to stop the meteor?" Vincent asked, taking a step closer to the last Ancient, who was still facing the rubble Jenova's body was buried under. He was feeling on edge after the intense battle that had ended only moments ago, but he also senced something was terribly wrong with the young woman now standing in front of him. That lost look Vincent had sometimes caught from Sephiroth's eyes, had appeared in Aeris' emerald gaze as well.
"Yes." Aeris' voice was firm, as she turned around to face Vincent. Her head was slightly tilted to the side, so that her long braided curls hung loosely down her shoulder. "We must go to the City of the Ancients.." She spoke, glancing at the viciously burning star on the sky. "Before it is too late."
"What's wrong with her?" Cloud asked Red in a hushed voice. Yuffie, who was standing next to him, heard every word though, and arched her brow in mockery.
"Forgot to equip your brain again, eh Cloud?" She asked, and a realization dawned in Cloud's eyes. Of course, Sephiroth. It always came down to Sephiroth.
"I must pray to my ancestors, and the Planet.. And summon Holy. It is the counterspell to the one cast here.. I can feel the way it's still working.. Vibrating in the air.. It would've taken someone of incredible strength to perform.." A wistful smile curled Aeris' lips up.
"Sephiroth?" Vincent responded, concearn in his voice.
"Yes.." Aeris bowed her head down, and turned around, refusing to meet the worried glances everyone shot in her direction. "A little time and I'll be alright. Don't worry. I've had a rough week, that's all." Aeris said, understanding the others were waiting for an explanation for her behaviour. She knew this wasn't how they were expecting her to behave, but she couldn't help it. Aeris had never been good at hiding her emotions, and now she felt numb. She could hear her friends talking, and felt the freezing cold pinching her cheeks. And yet.. Everything seemed muddled. Like she'd just had a thousand rounds in a carousel, or drank way too much alcohol. The world was spinning inside her mind and she was helpless to stop it.
"We should leave soon." Aeris spoke in quiet words, her ears not registering the sound of her own voice.
"See, she has her lucid moments." Yuffie remarked as Aeris turned around and walked past the main group to an opening of a tunnel. "Or, I could be mistaken." The youngster continued, grinning sheepishly.
This is probably the most action-packed, angsty chapter in this story.. Not to mention, the longest! And I sincerely hope it turned out OK, despite the fact that I suck at writing battle scenes. Therefore I try to avoid writing them as much as possible. (Hence the superhuman shortness of that particular scene.) This was also the everyone-remembers-everything chapter. Remember that part in the game where Tifa helped Cloud to remember who he was? Something like that went on here with Sephiroth, Aeris and Zenobius(Zack) too. Only I never wrote the exact scene where it happened - due to laziness on my part. I just didn't feel like repeating the scenes I had already described in the numerous flashbacks throughout this story. But basically, those were what they saw. So there. ^_^ Stay tuned for chapter 35! (Yes, this wasn't the end!!)