Sephiroth glanced at Minerva as she opened a door along the clean metallic hallway, and stood to one side of it. She nodded towards it, not saying a word. The swordsman took a step towards it, but turned back to her. Talya had left Minerva to escort him to his room on her own, so there was no chance of them being chided for conversing.
"...thank you for letting Aeris go," Sephiroth said finally.
The girl shrugged. "We said we would... I don't like to go back on my word." She frowned slightly and looked off down the hall. "...besides, Hojo will probably send us off to retrieve her anyway..."
"What control could he possibly have over you?"
Minerva looked back at him, and shook her head. Her blue-green eyes gave away nothing. "I should be going. Talya might get suspicious."
"...will I be seeing you again?"
"Possibly. But my room is right next to yours." She made a slight gesture. "Perhaps we can speak through the wall."
Sephiroth nodded and strode into the room. Minerva closed the door behind him, hesitated, then locked it. He stared at the door for a moment then surveyed the room-quite empty. Just a bed, a chair, and a small table. Like the rest of this place, it appeared very sterile and featureless. The off-white floor tiles and walls stood completely unadorned. The bedsheets were beige, and the blanket atop them only slightly darker.
He sighed and sat down on the bed, staring down at his feet. Like the rest of the room, they invited little interest. So he closed his eyes and laid back. He did not feel tired in the slightest, but perhaps sleep would bring more memories of Aeris. Maybe he could then figure out exactly what she was... and what she could do. Could she really... feel how others felt? She had, afterall, been right about Minerva...
And that brought him to another thing... Minerva had called Talya 'mother.' The girl was certainly a mystery. Who had Hojo used for the father? Himself again? Sephiroth shuddered violently and opened his eyes to find himself staring at the ceiling. He didn't want to think about that... I'm not like Hojo... I'm like Aeris, right? She told me so... oh, please, don't let me turn out like Hojo...
A knock on the door thankfully disturbed his thoughts and he sat up as Talya entered, closing the door carefully behind her. She grinned sheepishly. "...hi." Sephiroth looked away. She walked over to sit down backwards in the nearby chair, leaning her arms across the back. "Sorry about the whole capturing thing... no hard feelings, right?"
He shrugged.
Talya frowned. "The least you could do is say something. I know you hate me... especially for telling Minerva not to let Aeris go. But she's fine now. You don't have to worry about her. Not a scratch on her."
Sephiroth cast her a sidelong glance. "Hojo wants her, too. You and Minerva will go after her soon enough."
She shrugged. "It's just one experiment. Maybe he'll let you both go after he's done."
The swordsman laughed bitterly and shook his head. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"No... I guess not." Talya lifted her hands slightly, palms up. "But hey, a girl can hope, eh?"
A pause. "...so who's her father?"
"Huh?"
"Minerva." Sephiroth looked at her sharply. "I know you're her mother."
Talya shrugged. "I dunno."
He frowned. "How can you not know?"
She grinned and shook her head. "Aw, come on, do you really think I'd've been going steady with someone? A Turk like me? I've been with a lot o' guys."
"I would expect Hojo would have selected the father, to make sure the experiment was as similar to mine as possible."
Talya shrugged. "Maybe he did. But he didn't tell me who it was."
Sephiroth looked at her critically for a moment. "All right."
"For once you believe me!" she exclaimed, resting her chin in one hand. "How come you can always tell when I'm lying?"
The swordsman almost grinned. "If I told you, then I wouldn't be able to lie to you, now would I?"
Talya snapped her fingers. "Damn...!"
There was silence for a moment. "...how is Minerva... how is she cutting me off from my abilities?"
"I'm not really sure..." Talya said, shrugging. "It's one of her spells she figured out. All I know is she's gotta keep it up all the time."
"So no sleeping," Sephiroth stated. "Won't she get tired?"
Talya blinked. "You should know by..." She stopped. "That's right, you haven't gotten your memory back yet. See... you guys don't need sleep, really. You could never go to sleep if you wanted to."
"But what about tiring mentally?"
"I dunno... I'm not either of you, so don't ask me how your bodies work."
"......did you come in here for a reason, or did you just want to talk 'like old times'?"
Talya sat up and ran a hand through her hair. "I only came to apologize. I don't like what Hojo has me doing, but there's not much I can do to fight it without hurting the two of you." She grinned. "So do your best to kill him and escape, okay?"
Sephiroth smiled slightly, but only shook his head.
"Aight, well... I'd better be going off to report and all that crap." Talya stood and walked to the door. "I'll visit when I can. You work on that escape plan while I'm gone." She left, the door closed and locked behind her.
The swordsman laid back and stared up at the ceiling. Escape plan...? Why should I escape? I was always an experiment... He shook his head. He couldn't let Hojo go through with his plans. He may not have deserved a normal life, but no one belonged to Hojo.
But you're his son. You're his creation, so of course you'll go along with it. If his last major experiment produced you, just think how powerful the next product will be. Perhaps that one can ascend to Godhood. Succeed where you failed.
Sephiroth sat bolt upright. Get out of my head. You're no part of me.
But of course I am. I am a part of you as surely as you are Hojo's son.
Stop it! I am not!
Vincent says so. He would know best, wouldn't he?
He closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly. Maybe Hojo chose the father... artificial fertilization...
Too involved. There would be no point in that, would there? He might as well have let Vincent had her. For all you know, he fathered Minerva as well.
Sephiroth shuddered again at the mention of it. That's sick...
Isn't it? But he's your father for certain. It makes you want to throw up, doesn't it? You want to rip him out of you? But you cannot deny your heritage.
Even if he is... I'm not like him. Aeris said so. Perhaps I take more after my mother.
The Cetra girl is wrong. Don't listen to her.
What?
She doesn't know you. She just doesn't want to believe that you're really as cruel as you are. That is why she told you those things.
She wouldn't do that...
How do you know?
Sephiroth lay back on the bed. She just... wouldn't.
Don't let her convince you. Don't let her wrap you around her little finger and get you to do whatever she wants. I have seen what she's had her friends do in the past. And she gets in so much trouble, it's not worth the trouble worrying about her.
But...
It would be better for you if you simply forgot her.
...no, she wouldn't...
You don't know her very well, you thought so yourself. Certainly she seems good on the outside, but you have no idea what she is on the inside. I watched her for some time in her former life. You do not want to get yourself entangled with her kind.
Please, leave me alone...
Aeris opened her eyes and pushed herself up on an elbow, looking around. She was back in Cosmo Canyon, she realized immediately. Elena sat in a chair nearby, and beyond her, Lucrecia occupied the other bed. Vincent stood nearby, watching her attentively, the ghost of a smile on his face.
The Cetra smiled and turned to Elena, who seemed tired herself and apparently hadn't noticed Aeris's awakening. "...Lucrecia's doing fine, I take it."
Elena gave a start and looked up. "Oh, you're awake. Yeah, she's all right. She fell asleep a few minutes after you did, and hasn't woken up since. But Vincent told me you slept for quite some time after you were revived. So, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Aeris responded. "Still tired, but I guess that's to be expected. I hadn't even got all my strength back... You know, Sephiroth must be very strong to have revived me without feeling tired in the slightest. And he gave me enough energy to keep me awake for a good while..." She glanced over at Lucrecia. "...I doubt I gave her nearly as much. But she'll be fine after a long sleep." Vincent took his gaze off the sleeping woman for a moment to glance at Aeris.
She smiled at him. "Did you get what you wanted, Vincent?"
He blinked slowly, frowned. "Lucrecia lives, but... We still have yet to free Sephiroth. Until then..."
"...you'll still feel guilty," Aeris finished for him. Vincent nodded, and his eyes shifted back to Lucrecia. "...and that girl. We should free Minerva, too."
"Huh?" Elena asked. "She almost killed you."
"But she didn't. She never would have. You do remember what she did, right? She set me free, against orders. Can you imagine what Hojo will do to her for that?"
Elena frowned, then finally shook her head. "I guess you're right... But what about Talya?"
Aeris blinked. "What about her? You think Hojo's using her, too?"
"Maybe..."
Vincent shifted and glanced at them again. "......and she nearly killed you, Elena. I'm surprised you harbor doubts about her." Elena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said nothing.
"I'm sure you could beat her in a fair fight," Aeris said, hoping it would cheer the Turk up. But she only dropped her head and frowned. "What's wrong?"
"...that's just it," Elena answered. "It was a fair fight. And she had plenty of opportunities to kill me, too. But she didn't. She just made sure I wouldn't get in the way, even if I almost died..."
"Maybe you're right," Aeris said slowly. "Afterall... you remember how she spoke to Sephiroth. 'It's the most painless way.' Like she didn't want to hurt anyone else..." She paused, and turned to Vincent. "What was she like when you knew her?"
Vincent blinked, and hesitated. "She was..." He frowned, trying to collect his thoughts. "...she had two personalities. Normally, she was only nosy, and mocking..."
"But...?" Aeris prompted, sitting up straighter.
"...I didn't know her very well," he admitted.
"That's all right," the Cetra assured him. "What was your impression?"
"I think underneath that grin, she's... troubled, and yet there is compassion there as well," Vincent answered, his eyes wandering back to Lucrecia's face. "She cared more about people than I ever did."
"Talya did?" Aeris asked, blinking in surprise.
"Yes."
"Hmm... but I wonder how Hojo has them both trapped?" Aeris pondered, leaning forwards slightly and twirling a lock of hair about her finger. "The Hojo I remember wouldn't have been strong enough to defend himself against either if they chose to kill him. Especially Minerva..."
"Maybe it's some technological thing, if she's using magic and all," Elena suggested. Aeris looked at her strangely, and the blond shrugged, thinking the look was because it was a stupid idea. "But whatever it is, they're on Hojo's side, and we're gonna have to fight 'em."
Aeris started to say something, but Lucrecia stirred and the three turned to look at her as she opened her eyes and struggled to sit up. She failed and lay back against the pillow, looking around. Her eyes locked onto Vincent. "Am I dreaming?" she asked. Aeris blinked, startled not by the woman's awakening, but by her aura. Of course-the Jenova.
"No," Vincent assured her. "You may have been, but this is reality now. You are alive..."
Lucrecia nodded slowly, then smiled. "Yes, I remember now... I suppose I'm so used to being alone that I thought it all must have been a dream..." Aeris glanced at Elena, then quietly slid out of bed, hoping not to be noticed. "Aeris," Lucrecia said.
The Cetra paused and turned back to her. "Yes...?"
"Thank you. Even if you wanted to, reviving me wasn't easy..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I hope you're not as tired as I am..."
Aeris shook her head. "I'm fine. And I hope you regain your strength soon, but I think we should leave the two of you alone for the moment." She looked meaningfully at Elena and the two left the room, closing the door behind them.
By the slanting crimson rays outside, Aeris guessed that it was evening. She was about to ask, when she noticed that girl who had gone with Sephiroth standing outside. She smiled slightly, then bowed her head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry... I don't think I ever caught your name."
"Katrina," the girl responded. The Cetra noticed a worried, confused look on her face. "Where's Sephiroth? Who's that woman you brought back with you? Something's wrong isn't it?" She turned to Elena. "And who are you?"
Aeris blinked, taking a moment to process these questions. "One thing at a time... first, this is Elena. She met up with us in Costa del Sol." She paused, considering what to tell the girl. "The woman is Sephiroth's mother, Lucrecia. And... we're not really sure where Sephiroth is. He left on his own." Elena opened her mouth to say something, but Aeris elbowed her. There was no reason to involve Katrina in this mess.
The girl nodded slowly. "All right... do you think he'll be coming back?"
"Probably," Aeris answered. "He likely just went to tend to a few things north of here."
"What's north of here?" Katrina asked.
Aeris shrugged, not saying anything about Tseng either. If Elena wanted to tell her, that was her buisiness... not Aeris's. "I'm not sure... He just mentioned it once or twice."
"Oh." The girl looked back and forth between the two women, then nodded again. "Okay."
The Cetra looked at the brilliant sky once again. "If the two of you will excuse me, I should do a planet reading... I haven't spoken to it in a long time." The others gave her strange looks. "What?" she asked. "I can do that you know. I am a Cetra."
"Right," Elena said quickly. "It's just... weird."
Aeris smiled in understanding. "I'll see you later then." She left the inn and headed towards the Cosmo Candle, only to find that several people were already sitting around it, talking amongst themselves. That would not do. So she walked past them with a smile and on up to the top of the canyon, seating herself at the edge of the cliff. She folded her legs beneath her and looked down at the villagers below her. Katrina and Elena joined the people at the Candle and they welcomed the two heartilly.
The Cetra sighed tiredly and closed her eyes. She felt like going back to sleep, but she couldn't put this off any longer now. Drawing back within herself, within her soul, she searched for that little corner of herself that belonged to the Planet, that part of the Planet that belonged to her. It was worried, anxious about something. It seemed to notice her, or at least become aware that she wanted to speak to it.
"What's wrong?" she asked in a whisper. "Are you worried about Hojo?"
The Crisis from the Sky stirs once more. I cannot heal the wound.
"Another Jenova reunion... but I thought Cloud killed it already."
It cannot be killed, not by its own children.
Aeris's lips tightened. "Cloud is no child of Jenova."
He is. He carries a part of it within him. Or did you not know?
"I felt something... but I didn't think..." She shook her head. "But if Cloud can't kill it, and Sephiroth can't, then who?"
Only one with the power of the Cetra and of the Crisis from the Sky itself can destroy it.
"What? But there's no one..."
There exists such a being. However, I am incapable of telling you everything. Finding this person is a task which I must leave to you. And the method of destroying the Crisis from the Sky I leave to them.
"...what of Sephiroth? What is his fate?"
He may travel down the same path as before, or he may forge a new one as yet untravelled. It is his decision alone.
"Are you afraid of what he might do?"
No.
"Why not? Surely you remember last time..."
Are you afraid of him, child?
Aeris blinked. "Well... not anymore."
Why not?
"...he has a good soul. If he can just stay free of Jenova's grasp..."
Then there is no reason to ask the same of me.
The Cetra hesitated, then nodded in understanding. "What is Hojo's role in all of this?"
He believes he can harness what can never be tamed by science.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand..."
Dear Aeris, I cannot tell you all the answers. There are some things which you must find out for yourself.
"Right... but I'm afraid of what might happen because of my ignorance..." She frowned in worry. "Every time I try to do something right, I make a mistake and end up hurting someone..."
That is a risk you must take.
"I just wish... that I knew how to make everything turn out well."
Do what you think should be done. What will happen will happen.
Aeris nodded. "You're right..."
Now get moving, you have work to do.
"Yes," she agreed, opening her eyes and climbing to her feet.
"Aeris," said Nanaki from behind her. She jumped a little and turned around to look at him. "Sorry," he apologized. "But, I couldn't help overhearing some of that. What's wrong?"
She hesitated. "...Hojo has Sephiroth. I'm worried about him."
Nanaki nodded and sat back on his hind legs. "I suppose you'll want to launch a rescue mission for him."
"Yes." Aeris grinned sheepishly. "I'm not allowed to go, though. I'm supposed to stay back with you and Miera." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Do you think the others will be willing to help? I mean... last time, we were trying to kill Sephiroth, and now to tell them we have to save him..."
"With you to convince them, I'm certain some of them, at least, will want to help." The creature paused, then added. "I doubt Yuffie will be one of them."
Aeris couldn't resist a giggle and bent down to scratch him behind the ears. "You and Yuffie, really..." She smiled. "Do you think she's matured any? It has been five years since we've seen her..."
Nanaki shook his head slightly, and tilted his head so she could scratch just the right spot. "Yuffie? Mature? The two words will never belong in the same sentence."
The Cetra laughed again, but stood up and smoothed her expression. "...I should call everyone. Can I use your PHS?"
"Of course," Nanaki answered, leading her inside. His PHS was sitting on the table, and he nodded towards it, then paused. "Would you like me to leave you alone? I know you'll be calling Cloud..."
"If you don't mind, that would be nice," Aeris said. Nanaki shook his head and padded out of the observatory. Aeris flopped down on the couch and took the PHS in her hand, staring at it for a moment. The impression of teeth marks in it made her smile, but the smile soon faded. Finally, she took deep breath, exhaled, and dialed Cloud's number.
"(Hello?)"
"Hi, Cloud."
"(...hey, Aeris.)"
"Look, I'm really sorry to be bothering you so soon... It's only been, what? Two days? Gods, it feels like it's been forever..."
"(Aeris? What's wrong? Are you all right?)"
"I'm fine, but... Hojo's still alive."
"(What!?)"
Aeris bit her lip. "And what's worse-he's captured Sephiroth."
"(Huh? How the hell'd he manage to do that?)"
She shifted anxiously. "I... I was careless, and Talya and Minerva-they work for Hojo-they caught me. Sephiroth traded himself in to save me..."
"(He did what!?)"
"You heard me. He's changed a lot, Cloud... or maybe he's just reverted back to how he used to be. Before Nibelheim. But I can't say-I didn't know him then."
"(...so you want me to kill Hojo and... rescue Sephiroth?)"
"Well, essentially... yes."
"(Do you know where he is?)"
"Not really, no. I'm sorry. You don't have to help..."
"(No, I will. Hojo won't be half as hard to kill as Sephiroth was.)"
"...but, Cloud... You don't understand everything. Minerva must be just as strong as he was, if not more so. And there's Talya. And Hojo has Jenova to aid him..."
"(Jeez... are the others going to help?)"
"I called you first. Vincent was going to go all by himself, but we convinced him not to. Elena's helping, but I can't go with you..."
"(Good. It's too dangerous for you.)"
"I thought you'd say that!"
"(Heh... Where are you?)"
"Staying at Cosmo Canyon for the moment. If everyone could meet here, that would work well."
"(All right. I'll call Cid and Barret, and you call Yuffie and Reeve.)"
"Okay. I'll see you soon..."
"(Bye.)"
"Bye..." Aeris pressed a button on the PHS to end the call, and lay back for a moment. Well, even if the others all refused, she had Cloud to help them... Tifa would probably go with him. She wished she could help, too, but Lucrecia was right. She was still too weak. If only she was as strong as Sephiroth...
Shaking her head, she dialed Yuffie's number.
"(Uh, hello?)"
"Hi, Yuffie. It's Aeris."
"(Yeah, right.)"
"I'm serious."
"(...you're dead. This's gotta be a joke.)"
"No, it's not. Um... see, Sephiroth woke up again, and he revived me..."
"(Oh Gawd, you're not kidding, are you?)"
"Nope."
"(So... wait a minute, Sephiroth? I thought we killed that freak...)"
Aeris winced. "You did. But the Jenova revived him. It's all right, though."
"(How is that all right? Won't he, like, kill everyone?)"
"Only bad guys," Aeris said, smiling a bit. "He revived me, remember?"
"(Oh... yeah... well...)"
"Just trust me on that. We have other problems..."
"(...oh, so that's why you're calling.)"
"Yeah."
"(What's up?)"
"You remember Hojo, right?"
"(Yeah... the freak... What about him?)"
"He's alive again."
"(Him too!? Gawd! This is just getting too weird. Is there anyone else who came back to life?)"
"Not that I know of."
"(Okay, so you wanna know if I'll help you kill Hojo, right? Why don't you just have Sephiroth do it?)"
"Well... see, Hojo's got some help, and they captured him..."
"(They captured Sephiroth!?)"
"Yes."
"(Ookay then... I'm not even gonna ask.)"
"But anyway... will you help?" Aeris crossed her fingers and waited for the answer.
"(Well... I don't have anything better to do. It's boring here.)"
She blinked. "You do understand that it's going to be very dangerous, don't you?"
"(Yeah. So? I'm a lot stronger than I used to be! And Cloud's gonna be there, right? We'll do fine.)"
"All right. We're meeting in Cosmo Canyon. I'll see you."
"(See ya.)"
"Bye." Again, she ended the call. "Well... two down, one to go..." Aeris sighed. She wondered how Reeve would react. She really didn't know him that well, and hadn't even met him, really. Cait Sith could be a completely different personality. "No use wondering," she said to herself. "You might as well call him now." She punched in the number on the PHS and prepared to convince someone else to help Sephiroth.
"(Um... hi?)"
She blinked a few times, trying to place the voice. "Reno!?"
"(Uh... yeah... who is this? Reeve got a girlfriend I don't know about?)"
Aeris giggled. "I guess you don't remember me, after all that time you spent chasing after me."
"(Huh!? Aeris!? But you're-)"
"Dead. I know. I mean, I used to be."
"(You mean Elena was right on that one?)"
"Yes she was. Sephiroth brought me back. Now can I please talk to Reeve?"
"(Nope, sorry. He's not here right now.)"
"Reno... is he really gone, or are you just teasing me?"
"(He's gone. Really. Now what was that you were saying about Sephiroth?)"
Aeris hesitated. Well... was there really any harm in telling him? Reno wasn't the type to panic or go around telling the whole world. Unless, of course, he got drunk and told them... "If I tell you, you can't let anyone else know, except Reeve. Can you do that?"
"(What about Rude?)"
"Um... I guess that's okay."
"(Yeah, I can do that.)"
"Okay. Well, you see... Both Sephiroth and Hojo came back to life because of the Jenova."
"(Shit. That can't be good.)"
"Hold on. Sephiroth's sane again. So that's all right... except that Hojo caught him."
"(So he's gonna do experiments on him?)"
"Well... yes..."
"(Why is that a bad thing? He deserves it.)"
"No he doesn't!" Aeris snapped. "Now listen, if Sephiroth was the result of Hojo's first experiment, Vincent was the next, and there were all those clones... and now Hojo has a girl who looks like Sephiroth working for him, and she's bound Sephiroth, so he can't do anything. What do you think the next product will be?"
"(Shit...)"
"Exactly."
"(So... you wanna kill them? And you wanted Reeve to help?)"
"Hold on, we only want to kill Hojo."
"(What about that girl? Is she... uh... sane?)"
"Yes. I don't think she wants to be working for Hojo."
There was a pause. "(...is she cute?)"
Aeris sighed. "Reno... is that all you ever think about?"
"(It's high on my list, yeah. Which reminds me-did you hook up with Cloud? Is Tifa still single?)"
"No. They're married now..."
"(Oh. Sorry.)" Another pause. "(So, baby, are you looking for a boyfriend?)"
"Reno!"
"(All right, all right. You want me to tell Reeve all this crap?)"
"Yes."
"(Okay. And, uh... is Elena still with you?)"
"Yeah..."
"(She coming back any time soon?)"
"It depends on how soon we find Hojo."
"(You mean she's helping you kill him!?)"
"Yes."
"(She's crazy! She'll kill herself!)"
"I'd say she's a pretty good fighter."
"(Yeah, right.)"
Aeris frowned. "The rest of us will take care of her anyway. Just tell Reeve for me, all right? Everyone's meeting in Cosmo Canyon. Goodbye."
"(Wait! Hold on!)"
"What?"
"(...do you mind if me an' Rude join the cause?)"
"Uh... well, I guess that's fine. But why do you want to help?"
"(Hey, I never liked the guy either. Besides, we've gotta look after Elena to make sure she doesn't shoot herself in the foot or anything.)"
Aeris shook her head. "All right then..."
"(See ya there!)"
"See you." Aeris turned off the PHS and set it back down on the table. She hoped Cloud wouldn't mind. She knew how much he hated the Turks... but that was five years ago. He had been all right with Elena, hadn't he? Standing, she smoothed her skirt and walked outside.
Nanaki lay at the edge of the platform, looking out, but he glanced back at her as she came out. "How did you do?"
Aeris sat down next to him. "A lot better than I thought I would." She reached out a hand to stroke his mane. "Cloud agreed, and I'm pretty sure Tifa will go wherever he goes. Yuffie's coming because she's bored in Wutai..."
"Yuffie's coming?"
"Yes. She didn't sound quite as bad as she used to be, though," Aeris ammended. "It seems she's matured a little, anyway. And then Reno answered instead of Reeve, insisting that Reeve was out. I don't really believe him, but he agreed to help, as well as Rude."
Nanaki chuckled softly. "So we have all the Turks working with us now? I'm sure Cloud will appreciate that..."
Aeris smiled sheepishly. "Yeah..."
"So tell me... what were you doing out on your own last night?"
The Cetra blinked. "Oh... that's right, I didn't tell you..." She let her hand rest on his head. "I went to revive Lucrecia. You know how Vincent is... I thought she could help. And I think she has already."
"So you succeeded?"
"Yes. She's resting up right now." Aeris yawned herself at the thought of the comfortable bed she had left not too long ago.
"Sounds like you're tired, too," Nanaki commented. She nodded. He stood, stretched, and waited for her to get up. "You can sleep here tonight. The bed is really quite comfortable, and I could sleep on the couch. I'm sure there is room enough at the foot of your bed for Miera to make herself comfortable."
"Thank you," Aeris said, following him back inside.
"It's been a long time..." Lucrecia remarked, smiling tiredly. Vincent nodded, never tearing his gaze away from her. "You're just as beautiful as you always were," he said softly.
"Sit down, Vincent," she invited, weakly patting the mattress. He did as he was bidden, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "You, on the other hand, have changed your appearance quite a bit." She reached out and fingered the edge of his crimson cloak. "Darker, I must say. How many people have you gotten to believe you're a vampire?"
Vincent shrugged. "Quite a few, I expect." He hesitated, then decided to leave it at that.
"...you're still handsome, but I think I like the old look better." She shifted slightly. "But I suppose you've changed your appearance to match your feelings... things were neater back then. More organized, more controlled. But now... I don't think you care anymore."
"Only about you and Sephiroth," he answered.
"...what about your friends? Cloud and Cid and the others...?"
Vincent shrugged, but sensed where this conversation was heading. He wasn't sure if it pleased him or not. "...I only knew them for a few weeks."
"Still," Lucrecia insisted. "Friendships can spring up very quickly. You kept your distance from them, though? Only went along to... to kill Hojo?"
"Yes..."
She hesitated. "What about now?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what about Aeris?"
Vincent said nothing for a long time. "...yes, I do care about her. You're right, as always."
Lucrecia smiled. "You care about her a lot, I think. I've been keeping an eye on you lately. Remember at the beach? You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you she was right... and I couldn't."
"I'm sorry... but I cannot help being stubborn. It must have been frustrating, not being able to say anything."
"You listened to her, though... why?"
Vincent searched through his mind for the answer he had been trying to bury. "...she reminded me of you at the time. I think... she still does." He lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry..."
"No, it's perfectly all right. But I thought you were going to stop apologizing."
He looked up and smiled slightly. "I'm sorry."
Lucrecia giggled. "Whatever am I going to do with you?" Vincent shrugged. She stifled a yawn with her hand and shook her head slightly. "I suppose I should rest up first, so I can remember the things we talk about..."
Vincent nodded. "Yes. Go to sleep. You need to rest up to get your strength back."
Aeris stood alone in the darkness, her head was lowered, she could barely see her feet. A cold breeze seemed to come from everywhere, and it made her shiver violently.
"Are you cold?" a low voice asked.
She whirled around to find Sephiroth standing there, concerned. "N-no," she stammered. "I'm fine." She looked around, but still there was only the black and the chilling breeze. "Where are we?"
"Where she wants us to be."
Aeris blinked at him in confusion. "Who?"
"There is no time for answers, Aeris. Look." He set a hand on her shoulder and gently turned her around. She found herself staring into a tall mirror. She could see Sephiroth standing behind her, hand on her shoulder, and she smiled. The image began to change bit by bit until it was Minerva standing behind her, her eyes that icy blue-green. Aeris's eyes followed the girl's other arm down to where her hand gripped the handle of the Masamune.
The Cetra took a step backwards in fear, and she felt the hand retract from her shoulder. Minerva lowered her hand.
"Don't worry," said Sephiroth from behind her. "She won't kill you, of course."
Aeris's reflection turned to Minerva and, with a unaudible plea, touched her arm lightly. The silver-haired girl stepped forward and out of the mirror. "Cloud," Aeris began anxiously.
"Don't worry," Sephiroth repeated, and stepped forward to meet Minerva.
"Sephiroth," said the girl, "it is time. She wills it to be so."
He nodded. "I understand. I have failed."
The Cetra watched in horror as Minerva drove the blade through Sephiroth. The memory of cold steel lancing through her... He sank to his knees. So cold... Minerva withdrew the sword. I am always by your side. Aeris turned away and shut her eyes tightly. Please, this can't be real...
"What is real?"
She whirled around only to find herself alone in the blackness once more. The mirror was gone, as were Sephiroth and Minerva.
"Thank you, Aeris," she heard her mother say. Turning around again, slowly, she looked around at all the Cetra gathered before her. The sky shone a brilliant blue and a gentle breeze stirred the flowers. She still felt cold. Only the memory of Sephiroth's hand on her shoulder had been warm.
"What...?" she murmured.
"You've killed Sephiroth, my daughter."
Aeris took a step back, violently shaking her head. "No! I didn't!"
"Of course you did. What's wrong?"
"I didn't!" Aeris repeated. "Jenova killed him! I'm sure of it!"
Ifalna bowed her head. "My dear Aeris, you said the same when he killed you. Do you really believe that? Jenova has no power over you."
"But-"
"Oh, come now, you did a wonderful job! He'll never bother us again."
"Please-"
The Cetra lifted Aeris onto their shoulders, cheering, singing, dancing, and carried her across the field towards the lake.
"No!" she screamed. "I didn't! I didn't kill him! Don't take me there! Please!"
But her cries were lost amidst the joyous clamor of the Cetra. Struggling wildly, Aeris broke free of their hands and tumbled to the ground. She pushed herself up to her hands and knees and then finally clawed her way to an upright position and frantically pushed at the crowd. The people would not move, and they reached for her again, praising her, telling her how well she did-Sephiroth would never bother them again.
"NO!" She could not hear her own voice, only the voice of her mother ringing in her ears.
"Thank you, Aeris. You've killed Sephiroth. Thank you."
With a cry of desperation, she broke away from the group and ran for all she was worth. The ground dropped away from beneath her and she was suddenly falling through emptiness.
"Sephiroth!" she called, and she thought she heard him answer her, but she wasn't certain. A feather. She landed softly on the smooth obsidian floor and folded her wings across her back. A cluster of angels had gathered around Sephiroth, some mournful, and others finally content. Minerva, clothed in black and holding the bloodied Masamune, stood slightly apart from the group.
Aeris glided over and knelt down beside Sephiroth, glancing at Lucrecia, who held his head in her lap. She looked down at Sephiroth's face. He looks like a sleeping angel himself, she thought. His one wing was draped over him and blood seeped through the pure white feathers where Minerva had stabbed him. Aeris smiled wistfully and laid a hand over his heart.
"Please," she whispered. "Please..."
"Who are you waiting for?"
Aeris looked up as Katrina took a seat beside her at the bonfire. "A few of my friends are coming to meet me here..." she answered hesitantly.
"...something's very wrong, isn't it?" the girl asked.
The Cetra stared at her for a moment. "Yes, you're right. I suppose I'm not a very good liar."
Katrina shifted anxiously. "Is Sephiroth okay?"
Aeris returned her attention to the gate. "I hope so."
"That woman... what's her name... Talya? Did she get 'im?"
"Captured him, yes."
"I don't understand," the girl said, shaking her head. "Why couldn't he just use his powers and escape and all that?"
Aeris's voice sounded hollow in the early morning air and her eyes were fixed on the entrance as though it was her last hope. "Maybe he doesn't remember how..."
Katrina looked worried. "Are you okay?"
The Cetra nodded absently. "I'm fine... Just... tired, that's all."
"...so when are they s'posed to get here?"
"I'm not sure."
"They're coming to save Seph from that woman?"
"Not just her," Aeris sighed. "Did he tell you about Hojo?"
Katrina nodded. "Wait... well, he didn't, but Vincent did. He did say, I think, that Hojo was after him or something... And you, too. Some experiment thing."
"So he knew..." Aeris murmured to herself. "And that was why he told me...... Nevermind. Where do you think Elena is?"
"Oh! Yeah, she's sleeping in 'cause she was tired and she wanted us to wake her up when we saw her friends coming. I guess you guys know some of the same people, huh?"
"Yes, we do. It's just that they used to be our enemies... her and those friends of hers."
The girl blinked in surprise. "Huh? Then why are they helping you?"
"We have a common enemy," she answered. "No one likes Hojo."
"...he's pretty evil, huh?"
"Yes... but... I wonder..."
"What?"
Aeris shook her head. "Nevermind." The familiar blond spiky head appeared above the top step and a smile spread across her face as she stood up. "There he is now..." Hopping off the raised platform and onto the ground, Aeris ran to meet him, throwing her arms around his waist. "It's so good to see you again," she whispered.
Cloud smiled slightly and affectionately stroked her hair for a moment before he remembered Tifa. He removed Aeris from himself and grinned apologetically. Aeris lowered her head in embarrassment.
"It's all right," Tifa said.
Cloud looked around. "Where's Nanaki?"
Aeris blinked and glanced behind her. "I'm not sure. He should be coming soon..."
Katrina shuffled over to them. "Um... hi..." she greeted hesitantly. The Cetra smiled and introduced her friends to each other.
Nanaki bounded up as she finished, Miera behind him. "Sorry," he said. "We didn't realize you were here already."
Cloud blinked and looked back and forth between the two. "I thought you were the last of your kind."
"Well, you were all wrong," Miera said simply with a laugh.
Aeris smiled and turned back to Cloud. "Did you convince any of the others to come?"
"Only Cid," he replied, shaking his head. "Barret went back to Midgar, so you can understand he's got his hands full."
"They're still rebuilding?" she asked, surprised.
Cloud nodded. "Apparently. Midgar was huge, and a lot of people just deserted it after Meteor."
"I see," Aeris said. "Did you ask how Marlene was doing?" He shrugged. "Sorry. Forgot to." He scratched his head. "So how did you do?" "Pretty good, I'd say. Yuffie's coming, and... uh... well, I'm not sure what you're going to think of this, but the Turks want to help, too."
"What!?" Cloud exclaimed.
Aeris tucked her hair behind her ear. "Yeah. That's okay, right?" He frowned and Tifa touched him on the arm.
"We need all the help we can get, right?"
Cloud sighed. "I guess..."
"HOLY SHIT!!" The loud exclamation caused the six all turned to see Cid sprinting up the steps.
"Cid!" Aeris greeted happily.
To her surprise, he took one of her hands in both of his. "You really are alive. I mean... I didn't quite believe it when Cloud told me, but... Holy shit! It's good to see you!"
Aeris hesitantly freed her hand from his grasp and grinned. "Good to see you, too, Cid. I'm glad you could help..."
Cid ran his hand through his hair and looked around at everyone else as though just noticing them. "Uh... hi, everyone." He peered at Miera and Katrina. "New additions to our group of numskulls?"
Miera laughed. "I am afraid our mission is to stay back and guard Aeris. I am Miera, and the girl is Katrina."
"Well. In case you hadn't already figured it out, I'm Cid Highwind. Glad to meet ya."
Aeris prodded him with a finger. "So have you gotten together with Shera yet? Hmm?"
He blushed and shook his head. "Nah."
Tifa sighed. "What are we going to do with you, Cid?"
"I dunno," he answered, shrugging. Another person darted up the steps and ran to Aeris, picking up the stunned Cetra and twirling her around.
"Reno!" she yelped. "Put me down!"
Rude reached the top step, paused near Tifa, and shook his head. Tifa glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, and he lifted up his hands in a shrug. Reeve came up behind him, but the Cait Sith toy was no where to be seen.
Reno, instead of doing as Aeris told him, swept her up into his arms and grinned more broadly. "Aw, but you're so soft and huggable!"
Cloud glowered at him. "Reno. Put her down."
The red-head blinked, then complied, pushing back his messy hair. "Sorry. I couldn't resist." He grinned. "I guess you still like her, Cloud. Why'd you marry Tifa?"
Tifa flushed indignantly, but found nothing to say. "Because I love her," Cloud answered, anger threaded through his voice. Tifa looked at him sharply, then smiled.
"Hey now, no need to get so mad," Reno said, holding up his hands. "I came here to help you all." Cloud started to say something, but Aeris cleared her throat.
"For once, I agree with Reno," she said. "You shouldn't be fighting." The Turk grinned triumphantly and she shot him a glare, placing her hands on her hips. "But if you ever do that again..."
"All right, all right, I'm sorry! I'll be good!"
"You promise?"
Reno nodded solomnly. "Promise."
Aeris looked over towards the gate and noticed the other two. "Hi, Rude... Reeve..." She smiled at Reeve. "This is the first time we've really met, I think."
He nodded. "Yes, I guess it is..." He smiled shyly and extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you."
Aeris giggled and shook his hand. "Well met, Reeve. But I wonder... why didn't you just send Cait Sith?"
"There's no need for him anymore," he answered simply. "The only reason I had him before was because the Shinra wanted me to be in two places at once."
Aeris sighed. "Too bad... Cait Sith was cute..."
"Hey now," Reeve protested. "Are you implying that I'm not cute?"
She laughed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. That's not what I meant."
He folded his arms. "You still owe me a date, if you'll remember."
"Wha...?" Cloud said. Aeris blinked in confusion.
"Remember in the temple when the two of you wanted me to tell your fortunes?" Reeve prompted.
"Oh yeah..." Aeris peered at him. "But I thought you were just kidding."
He shrugged. "Nope."
Tifa frowned and tilted her head. "...fortunes?"
The three turned to look at her, then at each other. "Um..." Reeve began.
Aeris tucked her hair behind her ear. "Sorry, Tifa. It was a while ago, though... If I had known what was going to happen, I wouldn't have bothered asking."
"No, no, it's all right," Tifa amended quickly. "It was a long time ago, so it doesn't matter anymore. And then, you had more right to ask than I did." Aeris nodded and smiled in thanks.
Reno was looking around. "Where's Elena?" He glanced at the sky. "I guess she's still asleep, huh? It's too early for her to be up yet..."
"Oh!" Aeris exclaimed. "Katrina, you wanna go wake her up?" The girl nodded and dashed off towards the inn.
"...I'm guessing that was Katrina then," Reno commented. He looked down. "...who's the other cat?"
Miera hmphed indignantly. "I am not a cat."
"Then what the hell am I supposed to call you?"
"Miera," she answered. "My name."
Reno shook his head. "Jeez... how was I s'posed to call you by your name when I didn't know it yet?" She shrugged.
After a moment, Aeris spoke up. "Well, there's really no point in standing around. Why don't we go sit down?" Nanaki made a soft noise of agreement and led the group over to the Cosmo Candle where they assembled around it.
Aeris looked around at her companions. Cloud sat to her left, as handsome as ever, his beautiful Mako blue eyes glowing even more than usual in the fire. Aeris wished she could embrace him again, and stay in his comforting arms forever, but their relationship had been doomed, and now she had to find a way to let go of it... Cloud had Tifa, and he was trying his best to focus on that, rather than on the love he and Aeris could never express.
Tifa sat next to him, of course, always willing to go wherever Cloud went. The two had been that way from the start, one always trying to follow the other, always trying to save them. When Aeris had first come into the picture, really, Cloud had been trying to get back to Tifa, and then to save her from Don Corneo. It was mildly amusing, actually... but the Planet had meant for them to be together. Aeris had only gotten in the way.
Strangely, Rude sat next to Tifa. He had never talked much, so Aeris knew almost nothing about him. It was a measure of their friendship that he had stuck with Reno and Elena. And Reeve, too, apparently. She vaguely remembered him saying something about Tifa when they had gone to Gongaga... did he have a crush on her then? Who knew.
Reeve was to Rude's left, and Aeris's first impression of him was that he was rather timid, but also fairly laid back. Quite different from the outgoing, emotional Cait Sith they had all grown to love, despite figuring out he was a spy. Reeve had come over to their side, though, and worked as a spy for them instead. There were times when Cait had been much more serious and deep than usual, like that time at Gold Saucer when they first discovered his true nature...
She shook her head and peered through the flames at Reno. She couldn't see him very well, him being on the other side of the bonfire, but she knew him well enough. Aeris had known Reno since he first became a Turk. Shinra either sent him or Tseng after her on several occasions. She and Reno had had a rather strange relationship-when he was on duty, he was relentless in pursuing her, but on his break time, he would often just come by to say hello and chat for a while. Tseng, on the other hand... he had been a good friend to her before he became a Turk, but when working for Shinra, he often turned cold to her, and didn't come by in his off-hours like Reno had. She wondered if Sephiroth would be able to revive him...
Elena and Katrina returned, and the Turks greeted their friend warmly, Reno teasing her, but Aeris barely registered the conversation-none of it was directed to her. Elena seated herself next to Reno, and Katrina next to her, and Aeris turned her attention to the blond Turk. The poor girl wasn't particularly bright, and had probably gotten herself into more trouble than she could handle by joining them this time. But she could be a good fighter if she put herself up to it, Aeris was sure. Especially now that she was with the other Turks. They often functioned better as a group than individually.
Katrina was the youngest here, and Aeris knew only that Sephiroth had met her somewhere in the Icicle Area. She had to be open-minded to have accepted him, and now to be concerned about his well-being. The stories of Sephiroth and Meteor were widespread, but Katrina had no fear of him. Aeris had to wonder what such a nice girl was doing on her own, but there would be plenty of time to figure that out later.
Cid sat next to Katrina, and her first observation was the absense of a cigarette in his teeth. Had Shera actually gotten him to quit, or at least ease off on the smoking? Aeris didn't even want to know how she had done it. She made a mental note that after this was all over, she would have to get together with Tifa to play matchmaker. Cid and Shera belonged together, and Aeris was amazed they hadn't already married.
Miera lay near Cid, head settled lazily on her front paws, enjoying the heat from the fire. The feline creature seemed more amiable than Nanaki, more open and generally friendlier. Aeris guessed that all her years of being on her own had made her charish the company of others more than most people did, rather than make her secretive and quiet as it had done to Sephiroth.
Nanaki sat on his haunches to her immediate right, calm and quiet as always. Aeris reached out to stroke his neck and he lay down, glancing at her, one eye inquisitive. She smiled a bit, glad that her friend knew, to some degree anyway, what she was going through. He always seemed to know, and the two shared a sort of quiet friendship, each comforted simply by the company of the other. At the moment, the role of leadership had somehow fallen onto Aeris's shoulders, and she was not used to it.
It was Reeve who brought up the question many of those present were probably wondering: "It seems like everyone is here. What are we waiting for...?"
"Yuffie's coming from Wutai..." Aeris explained. "That's why she's taking so long."
"What about vampire-boy?" Cid queried.
"I'm pretty sure Vincent's with Lucrecia," she answered, then felt she needed to elaborate, due to all the confused looks she received. "You remember, his lost love? I... um... ressurected her."
Astonishment replaced the confusion. "You can do that!?" Reno exclaimed.
"Yes..." Aeris pushed her bangs out of her face. "I only followed Sephiroth's example. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known how."
Nanaki looked up at her. "You learned the spell from Sephiroth... interesting..." He paused. "...so it isn't any different for... ah... someone with Jenova in them than a Cetra?"
She shrugged. "Well, it's slightly different, but not by much..."
"RED!!" All heads turned as Yuffie made her entrance and flung her arms around the startled Nanaki. "I've missed you a lot!"
The red-furred creature grunted. "Would you kindly get off of me?"
"Oh! Sorry!" Yuffie sat up and looked around at everyone. She grinned and waved. "Hey, everybody! Long time no see." A pause. "Someone tell me why the Turks are here?"
"We're on your side now," Reno said amiably. He held up a finger and said in an overly-serious tone. "We came to this decision while sober, I might add."
"One has to wonder if you're still sober," Cloud muttered. Aloud he said, "Now that everyone's here, we might as well get down to business. Aeris?"
The Cetra gave a slight start, then nodded. "Right... I'm assuming everyone knows the basics of what we're trying to do. I guess the first thing is to figure out where Hojo is..." She frowned for a moment. "Does anyone know if there are any Mako reactors still functioning?"
"We went and shut down Junon's underwater reactor ourselves," Reno stated. "And we check it every couple months to make sure no one's turned it back on."
"The one in Fort Condor was disabled," Miera put in. "I am quite certain the locals wouldn't allow anyone to restart it."
"We destroyed the Mako reactor near North Corel since the explosion wouldn't harm anyone," Cloud said.
"What about Nibelheim?" Tifa asked.
Katrina shook her head. "Sephiroth told me he shut that one down when we spent the night there just last week."
There was silence among the group before Aeris prompted, "Could one of Midgar's reactors survived?"
"If I remember correctly, the south-east part of Midgar was hit the worst," Reeve said. "So perhaps the Number 8 Reactor... Do you think Barret checked it out?"
"I dunno," said Cloud, shrugging. "Maybe he figured it was destroyed by Meteor and didn't bother, or maybe he did."
"Or maybe the wreckage makes it difficult to get inside," Aeris suggested. "But in any case, that seems to be the only thing we have to go on right now."
"So now that we know where we're going, what should we be expecting when we get there?" Reno asked. He grinned and added, "What about that cute silver-haired girl you were talking about?" This remark brought about a chorus of sighs, groans, and much eye-rolling.
Aeris shook her head. "The girl's name is Minerva. From what I can tell, she's a successful attempt at creating another Sephiroth. Elena suggested that Hojo might be keeping her under control with some sort of technological implant, but we really don't know." Here, Reno and Rude turned to look at Elena, who flushed and lowered her head. The two male Turks exchanged surprised glances, then turned to look at Yuffie as she spoke.
"So the easy thing to do is ta kill Hojo first so he can't use it, and then she's on our side?"
"That would be the best situation, but it's highly unlikely. My guess is we'll be fighting Talya first."
"Talya?" Reeve asked, blinking in recognition.
"Yes," Aeris confirmed. "An ex-Turk, so you may have heard of her. I think she was originally assigned to Hojo a few years after the completion of the Jenova Project and never left his service... Only she's likely been experimented on, too, so she's not totally human anymore."
"So after kicking her ass..." Cid began.
"You have to defeat Minerva," Aeris finished before he could put in any more obsenities. "And then you can get to Hojo."
"Hojo should be a piece of cake," Yuffie declared.
"I don't think so," said Cloud. "He's got Jenova in him now, remember? He'll have some strong spells to throw at us..."
"Great," Reno commented. "Anyone else we have to worry about?"
Aeris shook her head. "Not that I know of. But I'm guessing that Minerva is guarding Sephiroth, so if you defeat her, you should be able to free him and then he can help you."
"But just how much will he be able to help?" Katrina asked. "If he can't remember a whole lot, why would he remember spells and stuff?"
The Cetra frowned. "Well... I don't know. But his skill as a swordsman should be enough of itself to provide some aid..."
"All right then," Reeve said. "Is that it?"
Aeris nodded. "That's about everything I can think to tell you. Vincent knows just as much as I do, so if you have any questions, ask him. He'll be going with, of course."
"Dangit, he gives me the creeps," Yuffie complained.
"Live with it," Cid told her.
"Cid? Did you bring the Highwind?" Cloud asked.
"Sure did," the pilot answered. "I set her down to the west of here, though. The canyon makes for a hard landing."
"Yeah," Cloud agreed as he climbed to his feet. "All right everyone... let's m-" Cid gave him a sharp look and he stopped mid-sentence and cleared his throat. "I mean, let's move out. Aeris, you want to go get Vincent?"
The Cetra nodded and hurried to the inn. She knocked on the door, and Vincent's soft "Come in" answered her.
"Everyone's briefed and ready to go..." she said. Looking down at Lucrecia, she saw the woman was still asleep. "I'll tell her where you went, all right?"
Vincent hesitated, then nodded as he stood. "...and tell her I promise to bring Sephiroth back to her."
Aeris nodded. "What about promising not to get yourself killed?"
"...you know I can't, Aeris."
"It's Hojo. He made you what you are-maybe he knows some way of killing you. So promise me?"
He looked down at her thoughtfully for a moment. "...I promise."
Aeris smiled, then stepped back from the door. "Go on now, no need to keep everyone waiting. I'll take good care of Lucrecia, so you don't have to worry."
"Goodbye, Aeris," Vincent said quietly, then brushed past her and on outside. Aeris followed him out, at a slower pace, and joined Katrina, Nanaki, and Miera at the gate, watching everyone leave to follow Cid west, saying their goodbyes. Reno blew her a kiss as he left, and Aeris shook her head at him. Cloud was the last to leave, pausing before Aeris.
"We'll kill Hojo and bring Sephiroth back no problem," he assured her. "You don't have to worry at all."
"I'll worry anyway. I wish I could go with you..."
Cloud shook his head, and grinned. "I can't let you. It's too dangerous."
"I thought you'd say that..." Aeris murmured. She gave him a brief hug, then smiled. "You'd better get going, or they'll take off without you. Call me if anything comes up."
"Yeah..."
"See you..."
"Bye..." Cloud waved a bit, then turned and jogged off after the others. Aeris watched them until they were out of sight, then turned to head back to the inn. She was mildly surprised when Katrina followed her. Aeris sat down on the edge of Lucrecia's bed, while Katrina closed the door and sat on the other bed.
"So that's Sephiroth's mom, huh?" Aeris nodded. "...she's pretty."
"Yes," the Cetra agreed. "Sephiroth must have gotten everything from her, because I certainly don't see any of Hojo in him."
"I've never met Hojo, but from everything I've heard about him, you're right." Katrina swung her legs a bit. "Are Lucrecia and Vincent going to get together?"
Aeris looked at her for a moment. "Probably. I don't see why they wouldn't."
"Then Sephiroth will have parents, right? That'd be cool."
"Yes... He certainly was a neglected child... as far as love went, anyway. He doesn't think anyone cares now."
"Looks like somebody's got a crush," Katrina said.
Aeris blinked and looked up sharply. "Huh?"
"Seems that way, anyway."
She shook her head. "No... I'm just worried about him. You are, too, aren't you?"
"Yeah..." Katrina admitted.
"But about all we can do is pray."
"Yeah."
Aeris sighed tiredly. "Do you mind if I go back to sleep for a little while? I think I'm still recovering..."
"Nope, not a bit," Katrina said, standing up. "I'll watch her, and you get some rest."
The Cetra smiled gratefully and moved to the bed, flopping back and closing her eyes. Sleep found her almost imediately.