Sephiroth sat down beside Aeris in the dark hallway, peering curiously at the creature she held in her lap. It took him a moment to recognize it as one of the bats that occasionally wandered the hall, taking up residence in the ceiling, and frightening those unused to the basement's dreary appeal. However, this bat seemed quite lifeless as it lay limply across Aeris's small lap.
"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.
The girl looked up at him, and again he noted the bright green eyes. Was it possible for them to show such depth at such a young age? "It's hurt," she replied, gesturing with one tiny hand to the languid form. "I found it on the floor. It tried ta move, but it just sorta..." She trailed off, not knowing the word.
"Collapsed?" Sephiroth offered. She nodded, and turned her attention back to the bat. "Are you sure it's not dead?"
"It's not," Aeris stated quite firmly. "It's soul hasn't entered the Lifestream yet."
Sephiroth blinked. "How can you tell?"
The little girl shrugged. "Mommy taught me how." She paused, then turned to him. "Your mommy didn't show you?"
He looked away. "No... she didn't. She wouldn't have known how."
Sephiroth felt the green eyes studying him before Aeris went back to her creature. "'m sorry," she mumbled. "Shouldn't've asked 'bout your mommy..." She laid her hands on the bat and closed her eyes.
"...how did you know she was dead?" the boy queried, studying this mystery intently.
"Your eyes," she answered softly. Sephiroth nodded and watched her silently. Finally, Aeris opened her eyes and frowned in annoyance. "Can't do it."
"...you're trying to heal it?"
"Yeah..." The girl lifted the bat from her lap and held it out to him. "You're older. Can you show me how?"
Sephiroth shifted, and his eyes slid more towards green, remembering how many times Hojo had tested his healing abilities... One of the more recent experiments had involved breaking both his legs and seeing the difference when he healed the left with materia, and the other on his own. His left leg still ached faintly, even after casting Cure several times. "I doubt I'd be much of a teacher," he said finally.
Aeris paused, as if contemplating the meaning of these words, and he was just about to explain them when she spoke again. "Just show me. You dun have to say 'nything."
"...all right." Sephiroth took the creature in his hands and stared at it for a moment. "It's different from healing yourself," he muttered.
The girl's eyes widened in concern. "The Professor hurts you?"
The boy shook his head quickly. "No, no... he... you don't have to worry about it." He cast her a sidelong look. "How do you know all these things when I don't tell you about them?"
"Your eyes," she repeated. "And your face. And..." She trailed off and shrugged. "Mommy doesn't know neither."
"...either," Sephiroth corrected softly, staring. An empath...
"Either," Aeris echoed. There was a pause. "The bat," she prompted. Sephiroth nodded absently and turned back to it, then closed his eyes and summoned that inner strength that he did not quite understand. He could feel Aeris's eyes on him, urging him on. The energy flowed out through his fingertips and into the little creature. Upon opening his eyes, he saw it stir, then begin flapping wildly. He lifted it slightly and it flew off into the darkness.
"...that was neat," Aeris murmured, staring after it.
The boy shrugged. "If you don't mind my asking, why do you care about an injured bat?"
"A what?"
"Injured. Hurt," he clarified. How had he forgotten he was speaking to a four-year-old?
"...it was hurt," she said, as if this would explain everything.
"But it's just a bat," Sephiroth stated.
"So? It was alive."
The boy studied her for a moment-the bright green eyes, the light brown hair, the slender arms around bare knees, the tiny booted feet, the soft curve of a young cheek, the slight smile and raised eyebrows. "...I hope you never lose your innocence," he said finally.
"What's that?"
Sephiroth opened his mouth to answer, but the laboratory door opened and a woman stumbled out, glancing behind her with a mixture of fear and outrage. The Professor was behind her, and he stepped out after her, turning his frown upon the two children. Aeris pressed herself against Sephiroth, and he looked down at her thoughtfully. "Ask your mommy," he whispered to her, then said aloud, "Come on, Aeris, you've got to get up and go back with your mother."
He stood, gently tugging the girl to her feet and pushing her towards her mother. He studied the woman for a moment-she was just like Aeris, with those deep green eyes, brown hair, and slender figure. But the gaze she fixed him with lacked the same quality her daughter's held. Instead of seeing into him, it looked upon him with growing fear.
Quickly, the woman hurried past him, pulling a mildly confused but happy Aeris along behind her. "...crisis from the sky..." he heard her murmur to the child, casting him another glance.
Aeris turned back to him and waved with her free hand. "Bye, Seph!" Sephiroth smiled slightly, waving back, but stared after the pair in confusion. Crisis from the sky? he wondered. Shrugging to himself, he turned to meet the Professor's dark eyes, but quickly dropped his gaze on seeing the anger there.
"What were you doing down here before I called for you?" came the sharp demand.
Sephiroth did not lift his head. "I... well, it was the normal time you ask for me. I thought perhaps Talya just forgot to tell me..."
"The door should have been locked," Hojo said, frowning.
"It wasn't," Sephiroth lied. He regretted having to put the blame on Talya, but if anyone found he could leave his room whenever he pleased... well, then there would be some major changes.
The Professor nodded slowly. "I'll have a talk with Talya later. Why were you talking to the child?"
"Aeris?" The boy shrugged. "Why not? She's obviously lonely..."
"Hmph. I don't want you putting any ideas into her head."
"Ideas?"
"You know what I'm talking about," Hojo stated coldly.
Sephiroth blinked slowly. The outside world... "But she's just a little girl. She needs friends."
The Professor scoffed. "Friends? And I suppose you'd be one of them, eh? You do know you're three times her age, don't you?"
"I know," the boy said. "I wasn't thinking about myself, though. Surely some of the village children are her age..."
"What!? You want her to mingle with them?" Sephiroth took an involuntary step back. "They're mere humans. I can't have her believing she is normal."
"...then you want her to be like me?"
"Hmph," Hojo said. "No. She is different from you. You stay away from her."
"Tell me one thing-how much can her mother teach her?"
The Professor blinked, then his frown deepened. "I'm only telling you because I know Talya will if I don't. Her mother knows less than I had hoped. Only curative magic. Strong, but still very simple."
"Then I could teach her daughter! She has the potential for more than that!"
"Do you really think she could learn anything from you? You two are complete opposites."
"No we're not!" Sephiroth cried. Hojo glowered at him, and he immediately realized he had gone too far. "We're the same..."
"That illusion won't last long, boy," the Professor said. "Stay away from her."
Sephiroth stood his ground despite his fear of punishment. "You can't shield her forever. She could turn out to be as strong as me someday, and then you'll have a real problem on your hands."
"Thank you for the warning," Hojo replied, a grin twisting his features. Sephiroth shuddered. "Come on then. It's time."
Katrina hardly gave any thought to the matter when a drop of water landed on her nose. She just lifted her hand and brushed it away, then went back to stroking Miera's soft mane and looking down at the canyon. It was really pretty from all the way up there. Especially in the evening, with the sun setting and casting a red-orange glow to rock that was already a deep reddish brown. As a result, the entire canyon seemed as though it was on fire. But, she noted with a frown, the sun seemed to be setting too fast, the darkness creeping in with a speed that it wasn't supposed to have.
Maybe it was just her imagination, she thought, glancing down at Miera, who lay watching the villagers below with her pale green eyes. Katrina's thoughts drifted to Aeris, and she wondered what she had wanted to talk with her mother about. The girl couldn't imagine seriously talking to her mom about anything, but she bet that Aeris had a much better relationship with her mother, even if she was deceased. She wondered briefly how the Cetra grew up, without her parents. Had someone else taken her in, or what? And where had she lived then? She'd have to ask later.
Another drop, this time on her hand. She ignored it. She wondered if Sephiroth was okay. No matter what the stories said about him, she kind of liked the guy. Sure, he was cold and a bit too logical, but he did have a slight sense of humor, and his lack of knowledge about some rather everyday things was amusing. Drop. Sometimes he was so clueless it almost made him seem... innocent. She hoped he was all right. That Hojo sounded like a real bastard.
She finally became aware of the fact that the sun had vanished completely from sight and the sky was blacker than it should have been. A drop of water landed on her cheek, and then another on her forearm, and she looked up at the sky, confused. It was dark and heavy above her, and more drops fell around her, the space between each fall getting shorter and shorter.
A little girl with twin braids ran up to them, a worried look on her face as she tugged anxiously on Miera's mane. "It's raining. Elder Margo said it's gonna be a downpour afore long. What're we gonna do 'bout the Candle?"
Miera lifted her head. "I thought I smelled rain. But I didn't believe my own nose." The feline got to her feet, flame-tipped tail swinging back and forth uneasily. "Kari, go ask Elder Hargo about a tarp to cover it with, and some stakes to hold it up."
"Isn't the fire too big for that?" Katrina queried as Kari scampered off.
The golden-furred creature only looked at her grimly. "It won't be by the time we've got the tent up." Miera then raced off, presumably to find Nanaki, leaving the girl sitting by herself in the rain that was getting heavier by the moment. Katrina pushed her damp hair out of her face and quickly got to her feet, resolving to go back to the inn.
She knocked on the door and, hearing no response, assumed that Aeris had gone back to sleep again. She didn't know exactly how taxing reviving Lucrecia had been on the Cetra's energy, but apparently it had made her incredibly tired. Only, Aeris did a pretty good job of hiding it when she was awake.
Katrina was surprised to find the Cetra sitting by Lucrecia's bed, her eyes closed, brow furrowed in concentration. The girl faltered in the doorway, unsure of whether or not to interrupt whatever Aeris was doing. She closed the door quietly and fidgeted there, on the verge of speaking when the Cetra opened her eyes and blinked once.
"...you look like you went into the shower with all your clothes on," Aeris commented. "But that can't be it. What's wrong?"
"It's raining," the girl answered.
"...raining?"
"Heavily, too."
Aeris blinked slowly, then bolted to her feet. "What are they doing about the Candle? If it goes out, then..."
"They're trying to get a tarp to shield it from the rain." Katrina couldn't help but raise her eyebrows. "Don't tell me you believe in that superstition about it."
The Cetra nodded. "I do. If it goes out, something bad will happen. And with Cloud out looking for Hojo..." She did not finish her sentence-she did not need to-and pushed past Katrina, opening the door and dashing off down the hallway.
Katrina blinked after her in astonishment. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to help!" Aeris called over her shoulder, running out into the rain. The girl shook her head and debated whether or not to follow her. Finally, she hurried after the Cetra, leaving Lucrecia's sleeping form alone. Well, she reasoned, if she hasn't woken up yet, what's the chance she'll wake up within the next few hours?
She halted at the entrance to the inn however, seeing the rain that came down quite heavily. She took a deep breath, then dashed out into it, finding herself drenched within moments. What on the Planet had prompted such a downpour in Cosmo Canyon, of all places?
Aeris was standing perfectly still before the dying bonfire, one hand stretched out towards it, her eyes closed. Her bangs were matted against her face, hiding much of it, but Katrina could see the same look of concentration she had had before.
"What are you doing?" Katrina asked loudly, so as to be heard over the sound of the rain.
The Cetra did not answer. When she opened her eyes, they literally glowed that deep green, and Aeris smiled, gaze fixed on the site of the bonfire. Katrina looked, and for a moment saw nothing out of the ordinary. But then she noticed that the rain was bouncing off... something, about a foot above the diminished flame of the fire.
"What the...?"
Aeris's attention did not waver from the fire, which was still dying, but more slowly. "I cast a barrier spell..." the Cetra explained.
Katrina scanned her figure. "How? You don't have any materia on you."
"I don't need it anymore," she replied. "Now someone has to get some dry wood for that fire, or it'll go out for certain."
Villagers hurried to comply, but Katrina decided she would only get in the way, and stayed near Aeris, watching them. "They'd better hurry..."
It was dark in the reactor, but that did not matter to Vincent as he strode to the end of the bridge. Yuffie nearly stumbled into him, not paying much attention. Or maybe she just could not see. He heard Elena enter, more hesitantly.
"I can't see a thing in here," Yuffie commented.
"Why are we stopped?" Elena asked.
"I dunno. Vincent?"
He glanced at them, then returned his gaze to the cut-off edge of metal before him. "The bridge is gone."
"What do you mean?" Yuffie asked. "What bridge?"
"The one leading into the reactor," Elena answered her.
"I thought we were already in the reactor."
The Turk sighed. "Sort of... but there's an inner building to it, which is across the bridge." She paused. "I wish we could see something..."
"Oh!" Yuffie exclaimed suddenly. Vincent glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, watching as she dug around in a small pack and produced a tiny flashlight, which she promptly flicked on. Vincent flinched, the bright beam directly in his eyes. "Woops," the ninja apologized, aiming the light elsewhere. "Sorry about that, Vincent."
She stepped towards the edge of the bridge's remains and aimed the beam downwards. "Shouldn't there be a bottom we can climb down to, then cross over to the other side and climb back up?"
Elena shook her head. "No bottom. If we tried to get down from here, we'd end up in the slums."
"Well, I guess that means we can't go any further," Yuffie stated, turning to leave. "So let's just tell Cloud and get out of here."
Vincent caught her by the shoulder. "No. We will find a way across."
"But why?" she asked, turning to face him, then quickly shifting her eyes away from his.
"Because they may very well be inside this reactor," he answered, voice level and giving nothing away. No one needed to know about how much he wanted-needed-to find Sephiroth. To bring him back to Lucrecia.
Yuffie sighed, then looked around, aiming the flashlight where she looked. "...but how are we supposed to get across?"
"Elena?" Vincent queried.
"What?" she asked, startled.
"You know this reactor better than I do."
She shifted uncertainly. "...all the secret entrances and ventilation ducts are probably blocked or destroyed. Most of them were wiped out when the plate was destroyed, and the rest went with Meteor, I'll bet."
"Are you certain?"
"Yep. As certain as I can be."
Vincent frowned, turning to look across to where the reactor's entrance was. The gap was far too wide to jump across, and there was no way they could find any rubble or scrap of metal that could span it. None that they could drag inside anyway.
"Hey, I know," Yuffie said brightly. "Why don't you transform into Chaos and fly across? I mean... you'd sort of have to carry us, but you know..."
He stared at her, then shook his head slowly. "No."
"Why n-"
"What's Chaos?" Elena interrupted.
"A monster that has wings," Yuffie answered simply.
"...monster?" the Turk repeated, taking a step back. "And Vincent turns into it?"
The ninja nodded, not showing the slightest trace of fear at the prospect. "Yeah. He's done it before; there's nothing to worry about."
Vincent shook his head again, more firmly this time. "If I force a transformation, I may not be able to control it."
"Then how are we supposed to get to the other side?"
He frowned, having no answer to give her.
"That's what I thought!" Yuffie exclaimed. "Now figure out some way to transform controllably before I have to do something drastic!"
Vincent blinked at her in mild amusement. "Are you threatening me?"
The ninja put her hands on her hips and said flatly, "Yes, Vincent Valentine, Yuffie Kisaragi is threatening you. So get a move on."
He allowed himself a tiny smile before he closed his eyes and focused on Chaos. Perhaps if he could do a partial transformation...
"...Yuffie," Elena whispered. "Was it me, or did he just smile?"
"I think he smiled," Yuffie replied, her voice awed.
Chaos, I need your wings. He visualized the transformation, the wings growing from his back, nothing else. If he thought of the full transformation, it would... No. Only think of the wings. Biting back a groan, he felt them emerging from his back, piercing through the fabric of his shirt and pushing away his cape. He heard Elena gasp in surprise. He stretched the wings as far as they would go, wincing, found that they were done growing, and that if he continued to focus as he was, the rest of the transformation would follow.
Vincent opened his eyes and realized with some surprise that he was nearly gasping for breath, kneeling on the metal floor. He folded his wings against his back, a part of his mind marveling at the sensation of having wings. Looking at Yuffie, he raised his eyebrows slightly in question while attempting to catch his breath.
"...dude," she breathed. "That's pretty damn cool."
"I wish I could do that," Elena said.
Yuffie shook her head, expression becoming more serious. "It probably hurt though, didn't it?" He nodded in answer. She nodded also, solemnly, and waited.
Once he was breathing normally again, Vincent climbed to his feet. "...are you two ready?"
The ninja nodded immediately, a grin spreading across her face. "Looks like you can control it afterall, huh?" Her voice had a hint of an unvoiced 'I-told-you-so.' Vincent did not reply to it. Yuffie shrugged and moved closer to him. "So... we just hang on for the ride? You think you can carry both of us at once?"
"It is probably best to take you across one at a time..." he answered, uncertain of how much weight his wings could manage. He could feel Chaos stirring belligerently inside of him, and he could not help but sound a little anxious as he prompted Yuffie to hurry.
She nodded, handed the flashlight to Elena, and hesitantly slipped her arms around his waist. Vincent was glad Elena chose not to comment on the awkward position and put his human arm firmly around Yuffie, unfolding his wings again. It surprised him how natural it felt to flap them, beating the air, rising off the floor and flying to the reactor's second entrance. He set Yuffie down on the ledge, lighting there himself only long enough to make certain she had her balance. He pretended not to notice the blush staining her cheeks.
He flew back for Elena, who turned off the flashlight and stuffed it in her own pack. In the darkness, he could see her brown eyes glowing faintly. She was even more hesitant than Yuffie to hold on to him-essentially, to embrace him, and who would want to hug a man such as him, now half-monster in appearance as well. But put her arms around him she did, and he took her across with him to where Yuffie waited on the ledge outside the doorway.
Watching as Elena removed the flashlight from her pack and turned it on again, Vincent drew away from them, as though shrinking from the light. He knelt down and closed his eyes, preparing to retract his wings, Chaos's wings.
"You're just gonna get rid of them?" Elena asked. "Mightn't they be useful ahead of us?"
"He has to turn back all the way human," Yuffie said, and he knew she had understood his anxiety. "If he doesn't, then it'll be really easy for Chaos to take complete control. Am I right, Vince?"
He grunted his agreement as he felt the wings begin to withdraw back inside him. There was the pain again, which he knew would be unbearable to many a human, but he managed it, barely making a sound. He kept his eyes closed for the moments it took him to catch his breath after the transformation, then opened them as he stood and turned to the doorway. Darkness occupied the room beyond, but he could see the faint glow of numbers on the next door's keypad.
Vincent quickly strode towards the door, ignoring the amplified presence of Chaos inside him. Yuffie and Elena followed with the flashlight. He studied the number pad for a moment before turning to the blond Turk. "The code had to have changed since I was last here."
She gave a little start, then stepped forward as Vincent moved aside. She punched in a few numbers, but the pad only made a noise and flashed a red light above the numbers before returning to how it had been. Elena frowned, then tried again with the same result. "...it's been changed again," she said. "I don't know who could've-"
"They're here," Yuffie said suddenly, interrupting her. "That's what it means, right Vincent?"
He nodded slightly. "...would you call Cloud and tell him what we've found?"
"Sure!" she exclaimed casually, although she looked a little nervous about the implications. She pulled out her PHS and dialed their leader's number. "Hi, Cloud! Guess what?"
Vincent listened with half an ear, not bothering to make out Cloud's responses. He gently pushed Elena aside so he could look at the keypad on the door.
"No," Yuffie said with a nervous giggle. "We think we found them." Vincent tapped lightly against the wall, searching for a hollow spot. "We're fine. We just... well, we got to the reactor, and the bridge was gone, and it looked like somebody cut through the metal." The former Turk glanced at her, surprised that she had noticed that. He went back to his work as she continued.
"Yeah, well, Vincent sprouted wings and flew us across. ...... I am being serious."
He found what he wanted, and began pulling at the metal panel.
"So anyway, then we got to the other side, and to the first security door, right? But somebody changed the codes. Real recent, too." She paused, listening, then turned to Elena. "He wants to know who's capable of changing the codes."
The blond thought for a moment. "The president, the department heads, the Turks... yeah, that's about it."
Yuffie relayed it to Cloud as Vincent succeeded in soundlessly pulling off the panel, revealing a circuit board.
"Yeah... looks like Vincent's trying to find another way of opening it right now. But none of us are hackers here."
"Reno is," Elena commented.
"Elena says Reno is, though. Anyway... what do you want us to do?" Vincent paused in what he was doing and turned to listen. "Okay. How are you planning on getting across the gap? ...... I don't think so. It was hard enough on him last time. Maybe, do you have some rope or something? ...... Yeah, you figure that out. And call the others. See ya." She turned off the PHS and turned to Vincent and Elena.
"Unless we can get the door open somehow, we're supposed to wait here until they reach us." Yuffie stuffed the PHS in her pack. "So, Vinny, d'you think you can get it open?"
He raised an eyebrow as he turned back to the circuit board. "Vinny?" he questioned.
Vincent imagined her grinning as she answered. "Don't like nicknames? Too bad. I think it's cute."
"You do realize he's in his sixties, don't you?" Elena queried.
"I know," the ninja replied. "But he's not like most old guys. He's cool."
Vincent ignored them and continued his work, for once finding use for the sharp, slender digits of his claw. The two women watched him in silence, Elena aiming the flashlight's beam by the panel, though he did not need the light. He wondered, idly, if there was anyone waiting for them on the other side of the door. Elena and Yuffie were only human. But then, so were all the others. He felt a vague pang of regret for bringing them along, but quickly reminded himself that they had come for their own reasons, at the very least because Aeris had asked them.Vincent's motives for coming were unknown to them, and mattered little.
With a faint, satisfying squeal, the metal door slid open, revealing the next chamber, dark except for a pair of blue-green eyes. Vincent's mind thought first of Lucrecia, then of Sephiroth, before realizing the eyes belonged to a girl whose silver hair caught what meager light there was and shone with a dull brilliance, though not nearly as startling as her eyes.
"Hardly very efficient," she commented. "You are out of practice."
Vincent did not answer. There was no need to.
"So that's Minerva," Yuffie stated, again without need.
"Another friend of yours?" the girl queried indifferently, not moving from where she leaned against the wall, arms folded across her chest. He could see no weapons on her but he was sure she was armed.
"She looks even younger than I am," Yuffie commented to no one in particular, ignoring Minerva's words.
The silver-haired girl nodded minutely. "I probably am." She titled her head. "So I know who I am killing, what is your name?"
The ninja scoffed and drew herself up proudly. "You mean so you know who's beaten you. Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai."
"I wish I could say you will die with honor, but I doubt any battle with me is entirely fair." She shrugged. "Would you prefer to wait until your friends arrive? Not that it will change this battle's outcome."
"You're right," Yuffie answered. "We're gonna win no matter what."
Minerva smiled slightly, but it did not touch her eyes. "I suppose you think the odds are against me?"
"Yeah. We beat Sephiroth, and we've gotten stronger since then."
"...you could not have truly defeated him. He was merely playing with you. He wanted to die."
Vincent had to blink at this. "How do you know?"
She shrugged. "Now, are you going to fight me now, or wait until your friends arrive." Vincent shifted to a ready stance, with a slight nod, but Yuffie caught his arm.
"Vinny, wait..."
He glanced down at her. "What?"
"I... I don't know. Nevermind." Frowning, he tilted his head slightly in question. Yuffie kept her voice low, although Vincent was certain Minerva could hear every word. "...I don't think she wants to fight. She's letting us wait because she wants to put it off."
Vincent nodded. "Probably."
"Couldn't we try to reason with her?"
"This fight is definite," Minerva answered. "Unless, of course, you simply turn and go. I will not stop you."
"We're not running." It was Elena who spoke, and the others turned to look at her in mild surprise.
The girl with silver hair seemed amused. "Brave words, indeed. Marching proudly to your deaths."
Her callous words angered Elena. "We won't lose, either! I'm ready to fight you, but I have one question before that: why? Why fight us if you don't want to?"
"Why become a Turk if you have no wish to kill others?"
"The answer is different and you know it!" Elena fumed. "You don't have any use for money. What's your motive? There's no logic behind it! You could kill Hojo all on your own!"
Minerva gave no reasons, no answers. Instead, she asked, "Why do you wish to come through here anyway? What could possibly be worth the risk?"
"We've gotta kill Hojo," said Yuffie. "Since you obviously couldn't." The girl's eyes turned a shade greener at this statement.
"And Talya owes me a rematch," Elena added. "I wanna beat her this time."
Minerva looked at Vincent, expectantly.
"...Sephiroth must be freed," he said simply.
The girl with the silver hair appeared to be thinking, weighing their answers against some other issue in her mind, kept secret to everyone else. Finally, she nodded to herself. "What makes you think they're through these doors?"
"Why else would you be guarding them?" Elena asked harshly.
"Unless she only wishes us to believe they are here..." Vincent commented. The three looked at each other, then back to the girl.
"Where are they really, then?" Yuffie demanded.
Minerva seemed to be wincing. "Oh, they're here all right. But you won't be able to find them on your own." Vincent was sure of it now: her face was contorted in pain, and the skin of her knuckles was white.
"Are you okay?" Yuffie asked, noticing it, too.
"Fine," she answered, though her voice was strained. "Why should you care?"
"You don't seem like a bad person," the ninja replied. "You're trying to help us more than hurt us."
Minerva grunted a response.
Yuffie took a few steps closer, her face showing genuine concern. She spoke gently, and Vincent was surprised by the tone of her voice, so different from usual. "Do you think you could show us the way instead of fighting us?"
"No," came the blunt reply. Yuffie's face fell, she dropped her eyes.
Elena sneered. "Not strong enough to fight whatever's keeping you tied to Hojo? It's easier for you to fight us instead?"
Emerald green eyes glared at her, but the blond held her ground as Minerva straightened, face a forced calm. "I am stronger than you think."
"Then prove it," Elena challenged her.
"I will."
Elena grinned triumphantly. Yuffie glanced at Vincent, confidingly, and shrugged.
"Your friends will be here soon. Should we not await their arrival?" Minerva suggested.
"Umm... yeah," Yuffie agreed. "Oh, hey, do you know how to help them across? I don't think Vinny wants to carry everybody again."
The girl nodded. "Certainly." The four walked back to the outer part of the reactor, and Vincent was quite content to drop to the back and let Yuffie lead. The ninja had matured quite a bit over the past five years, he noted. She was just the leader that Wutai needed to bring it back to its former glory.
They waited out on the little platform before the abyss, watching the far edge to which the bridge had formerly been connected. Elena soon found that the flashlight beam did not reach the other side, and Minerva was quick to notice that neither she nor Yuffie could really see anything. She lifted a slender hand, and a globe of light appeared to illuminate the reactor. Elena turned off the flashlight and handed it to Yuffie, who murmured her thanks to Minerva before replacing the object in her pack.
Reno was glad to join up with the others; he was tired of the looks Cloud kept giving him, especially if he caught the redhead glancing at Tifa. But what else was he supposed to look at? Midgar was ugly as shit. Uglier, actually. He could see the reactor now, a poor excuse for a building, but compared to the debris surrounding it, it seemed strong and almost beautiful. That was saying a lot.
Cloud, who led the group now, hesitated near the entrance, but Reno waltzed right on past him and took a few steps inside. Only a few because, as he soon saw, there wasn't much further to go. He was surprised at first to find a grey light illuminating the interior, but he soon located the source as a glowing orb suspended in air on the other side of the abyss that stood in place of any floor that could have been built. A few of the others joined him on what remained of the platform, and Reno looked down again to note that someone had obviously cut off the middle section of the bridge.
Looking up, he saw two people approaching them from the other side, across the air. One was a tall, silver-haired girl with eyes like Sephiroth's. The other was Yuffie, who had a handful of the girl's shirt and watched her feet walk across the air quite carefully. He watched them approach, studying the new girl carefully as she came closer. She was taller than him, actually, and very slender. She had a loose fitting blue shirt that still managed to set off her thin waist, a pair of black shorts, and brown sneakers without any visible socks. Her hair fell across one side of her face and hung a little past her shoulders. She was pretty, not hot like Tifa, but pretty. Reno grinned a little in spite of himself when she and Yuffie stepped onto the platform where he stood.
"Hi, Cloud," Yuffie said as she let go of the girl's shirt and stepped forward. "This is Minerva. We, um... we met her in the room past the first security door. She's gonna show us the way to where Hojo is."
Cloud eyed Minerva suspiciously-he was never one to trust people on sight. "Are you sure she won't turn on us?"
It was the girl with the silver hair who answered, and Reno liked her voice immediately, even if it was nearly emotionless. "I cannot guarantee it, but I will do my best to resist the control that Hojo has on me. I do not wish to fight you, but I fear I may end up doing so..."
"How do I know you won't just lead us into a trap?"
"Believe me, if I wished to kill you or capture you, I would do so now."
Cloud studied her a moment longer, then nodded. "All right. But the moment you make a wrong move..."
"You shall try to kill me," she acknowledged simply. "I know."
"So what's the deal with the walking-on-air bit?" Reno asked casually.
Minerva's eyes slid to him and he barely suppressed a shudder. That gaze was about as intense as Vincent's. "And you are...?"
"Reno," he answered, winking.
She only frowned and turned back to the abyss. "It is a spell... I can lead you across a few at a time. You will have to keep close to me."
"Sure thing," Reno murmured, receiving looks from Yuffie and Reeve, who stood nearby. He let Cloud and Tifa go across with Yuffie, and waited for Minerva to take the second group across. He stood right behind her, one hand on her shoulder, as she led him across. She felt a little tense beneath his touch and he wondered why. Upon reaching the other side, where there was more light, he got a better look at her face and saw the pained expression she wore.
"You okay?" he queried.
"Fine," she deadpanned, moving to the front of the group to lead them through the reactor. She stopped near the left wall, laying one hand against it. After a moment of waiting, where he sensed the concentration associated with magic. Then the wall just disappeared, revealing a tunnel beyond, too narrow for two people to walk side by side, but not so small as to make them crawl. Minerva led them into it, but Reno hung back to be at the end. After he entered, he glanced back to see the wall reappear. He laid a hand against it, finding the metal quite solid beneath his fingers. He shook his head and hurried to catch up with the others.
The tunnel was lighted, but there didn't seem to be any light fixtures. He assumed that Minerva had made another orb like the one outside so that they could see. Soon enough, he noticed several side passages branching off of the main one, and eventually, they took one of them. There were more turns afterwards, enough to make him loose track of them, and they even had to crawl through some sections. Reno wondered how Minerva kept track of it all. There was never a moment's hesitation, the pace was quick. He took a moment once to thank whatever gods there were that he wasn't claustrophobic.
Finally, they emerged into a room that seemed huge after the maze of tunnels. It would have been considered big had it been in someone's house, but in the reactor, it seemed small. The globe of light that had apparently been at the front of the group was floating somewhere near the ceiling in the middle of the room. There was a metal door with a number pad to one side of it, but Minerva was not walking towards it. She stood leaning against one wall, one hand to her head as if she had a severe migrane.
Reno hurried over to her. "Hey, are you okay?"
"I... I do not know..." she managed, voice strained. "I am not supposed to be here and he knows it. He knows something is wrong."
"Hojo?"
Minerva did not get a chance to answer before she collapsed on the floor, curling up in a fetal position, clutching her head. Reno, the closest to her, immediately crouched down beside her. "Are you okay?" he asked in alarm. He knew she had been in pain for the whole trip, but this was beyond her ability to control. She gave him no answer, only curled up tighter, hands sliding from her head to wrap protectively around her.
"Hey," Reno said quietly, laying a hand on her shoulder. All he saw was a flash of movement too fast for his startled eyes to track, but his instincts made him dart backwards. Still, he hadn't been quick enough, and he felt the sharp pain in his arm like an aftershock. He leapt to his feet, glanced at his arm. The cut wasn't deep, but a stream of blood was already making its way down his arm.
Minerva was on her feet, knife in hand. He had no idea where the weapon had come from, but he had reason to believe she had more. "I am sorry," she said, although her voice was about as apologetic as steel. "But I cannot fight it anymore." She did not wait to see what they made of this, but sprinted forward, towards Reno. He darted out of the way, pulling out his nightstick and turning up the setting. He saw Vincent fire several quick shots at the girl, but she dodged the first few and stopped the others in midair. They dropped uselessly to the ground as she launched herself after the closest person: Yuffie.
The ninja vaulted over Minerva's shoulders, landed behind her, and swung her shuriken. The bladed weapon missed by a hair and flew back into Yuffie's gloved hands. Reno let loose a bolt of energy from his nightstick and cursed as Minerva sent it back towards him with a sweep of her hand. He dropped flat on the floor and it sailed over his head, hit the nearest wall, and sparks of energy crackled along the metal before dispelling.
"Fire3!!" Cid shouted, and the girl made no attempt to stop the flames. Reno climbed to his feet, half grinning, half grimacing. He had been starting to like Minerva. He was sure that Hojo was forcing her to fight them, and it was just sad when she could have been on their side. When she wanted to be on their side. But, much as he disliked admitting it, Elena was probably right.
A few people gasped as Minerva simply stepped from the flames, unharmed, as they dissipated. "Just like Sephiroth," he heard Cloud mutter as he rushed forward, swinging the Ultima Weapon and managing to cut a gash on her back. A blast of power sent him flying backwards, but Minerva did not seem to notice Elena and Rude running up behind her. Finding that bullets were useless against her, they had chosen not to use them. The blond caught hold of the girl's arm, to keep her from running, and Rude landed a sound blow to her head before she twisted free and flung the knife she held.
The blade buried itself in Rude's shoulder, but he only grunted. Elena pulled him out of the way of any further attacks, back against the wall. The two of them crouched down on the floor, Elena working to remove the knife and heal the wound. Yuffie and Tifa started forward at the same time to attack, but a shock of some unnamed magic sent everyone flying back into the walls. Reno grunted, slid to one knee on the ground, and struggled to recover his breath.
Vincent, the first to recover, leapt forward at a speed rivaling Minerva's, raking his claw across her face, across her chest, her shoulder. Reeve took the opportunity to fire off a round of shots; most of them missed, but one burrowed into her calf. She did not fall, barely even faltered. There was blood trickling down her face and neck and arm, but she did not seem to notice it. She latched onto Vincent with one hand, and took another knife out of nowhere to thrust it into his left arm, where skin met metal. Instead of trying to break free, Vincent flung himself backwards, crashing the both of them onto the floor, crushing her beneath him.
Minerva shoved him forcefully off of her with a strength she should not have had and sent a lightning spell after him. The spell hit him in full force, stronger than any spell cast by materia, and knocked him back against the wall, where he slumped down to the floor, the energy crackling through him.
Reno sent off another bolt of energy from his nightstick, this one unfolding and reshaping into a pyramid barrier around Minerva. She slammed a fist against it, but found that doing so only sent her flying back against the opposite wall, which caught her and drained energy from her. "Ha!" Reno shouted in triumph, but his victory was short-lived. The girl let loose a maelstrom of raw power that shattered the pyramid and slammed everyone forcefully back to the wall. Reno could not manage to bite back his cry of pain this time, and he hit the ground hard, feeling the energy still racing through his veins, bringing pain wherever it went.
No one was so quick to recover this time, and Minerva chose her next target at leisure. She strode firmly to Cid, although Reno wondered if maybe she just couldn't run anymore, with that bullet in her leg. Cid, seeing her approach, swung his spear to attack her, but he was not in much of a condition to attack and she only flipped out of the way and landed a harsh kick to the side of his head as she came down. His head snapped to the side and he could only place a hand on the ground to keep from crashing to the floor. A stream of curses issued from his mouth as Minerva proceeded to withdraw yet another blade and slash towards him.
A well placed punch from Tifa sent her skidding backwards before she could pierce the pilot's skin. Minerva flung the knife at this new adversary, but Tifa rolled to one side as the blade flew past her, clipping a lock of hair, clanging against the metal wall, and landing with a clatter on the floor. Tifa came out of the roll and leapt to her feet at the same time Minerva did. She cast a powerful Tornado spell towards the girl, and the wind carried her to the center of the room.
"Ultima!!" Cloud yelled, and everyone who had begun to get up and advance towards Minerva halted and immediately pressed themselves back against the wall. The green light grew so bright, the high screech so loud, that Reno shut his eyes tightly and pressed his hands against his ears. The shrill shriek of the explosion sounded almost like a human scream, Reno thought, but he knew that Minerva was not screaming, even if the attack caused her immense pain. Even the redheaded Turk felt the edges and aftershocks of the spell, the room being just too small for him to get a sufficient distance away.
He opened his eyes to see Tifa pummeling a Minerva who lay curled up on the ground, trying to recover from the spell and unable to as she received the brunt of a well-timed limit break. But even the opening of a split second was enough for Minerva to cast a powerful fire spell that consumed both her and Tifa. When the smoke cleared, the girl was standing, breathing hard but recovering quickly, while Tifa lay crumpled on the floor.
Reno got to his feet and glanced at Elena and Rude, flung to separate parts of the room. He grinned, winked, and the three charged forward at the same time. This time Rude grabbed Minerva, Elena shoved hard, and the girl fell backward into Reno's charged nightstick just as Rude let go. The electricity raced through her and she stumbled for a moment before collapsing to the ground. Cloud took the opportunity to pull the unconscious Tifa to the sidelines.
Catching a glance from Yuffie, he sprinted away from Minerva. Rude and Elena followed his lead and they regrouped near the wall.
"Leviathan!!" the ninja cried, summoning the water god that protected her village. The sea serpent appeared in a way that made it seem as though it had always been there, encircled Minerva, spiraled up through the air, and a great rush of water followed, encircling and encompassing the girl until they could no longer see her. Leviathan continued its upward spiral, vanishing through the ceiling and carrying the water with it.
Minerva remained, a soaking wet mess with blood streaking her skin and her clothing. She began to climb to her feet, but a strong lightning spell from Vincent brought her back down to the floor. Reno glanced at the man, seeing that his claw arm hung limply against his side. He had removed the blade, but Minerva had severed the key tendons-or whatever they were-that allowed him to control the arm. Another lightning spell followed, and Cid ran forward to slash the girl with the blade of his spear, adding a gash on her thigh to all the other injuries. Yuffie followed up with a swing from her shuriken that cut a sizable wound in her upper arm.
Reeve's lightning spell was the last attack anyone got off before Minerva leapt into the air, the maelstrom of energy radiating from her in waves, first slamming each of the members of the group into the wall once more, powerful enough to render Yuffie unconscious. But she did not let them fall. Instead, everyone remained trapped in midair, the pain coursing through them in tides. Reno tried to struggle, but found he could not control his limbs. He even tried to speak, but found there wasn't much he could do about that either.
They slammed into the wall a second time, and a ripping pain followed, Elena and Cid loosing consciousness as well now. Black dots danced before Reno's vision as he fought to remain conscious himself. The third wave of agony sent him into the black abyss. The last thought in his mind was one not thought by him: I'm sorry...
Aeris sat in a puddle by what had been a great bonfire, letting the dismal aftermath of the rain wash over her. She was already soaked to the bone, so she barely noticed the raindrops. All she saw or noticed was the pile of damp ashes and wood lying before her. She felt a great weariness and a sense of defeat, which seemed to be reflected in the few villagers who strayed outside to look worriedly at the place where the Candle had been.
Nanaki hopped up onto the platform, his paws making little splashes in the shallow puddle. "Thank you for helping, Aeris."
She did not glance at him, said quietly, "It didn't matter in the end. The fire still went out..."
"It's all right," he murmured, bumping his head against her thigh as he sat down beside her. "There was nothing else you could have done."
"How do you know?" she asked, looking down at her hands where they lay in her lap. "Maybe there was, and I couldn't think of it."
"It does not matter now. Do not worry about it."
Aeris raised her face skyward, letting the raindrops pelt her numbed face, eyelids fluttering whenever a drop strayed too close to her eyes. "Nanaki, what does this mean? Why did the sky choose this day and this place to let loose all its rain? The Candle went out-something terrible's going to happen, maybe it already has. Cloud is in danger. I have to hurry..."
"...Aeris?" Nanaki queried, lifting his head and turning so he could look at her with his one eye.
"I'm going to help them." The statement was clear and firm, but her voice remained as quiet as before.
The creature's one eye widened. "You can't. It is too dangerous. Cloud told you to stay here."
"But I'm not safe here either!" she exclaimed, looking at him sharply, then dropped her voice and her head again and continued. "Even less safe, with only you and Miera to protect me."
"The fighting is there, Aeris, not here," Nanaki said gently.
"We don't know that. Maybe they haven't even found them yet, and Minerva's on her way here, right now, to recapture me."
He looked at her for a long time before speaking. "...then I am coming with you."
"What about the canyon?" she asked.
"There is no danger for it, if you are leaving. It is you who need protection, not the village."
Aeris frowned slightly. "Will Miera stay at least?"
"It is up to her."
"...all right." Aeris got to her feet, shivering from the cold she had not noticed before. "Let's go inside and get dried off," she suggested.
Nanaki followed her off the platform. "A good idea indeed. Do you have dry clothes? I have not seen you wear anything besides that."
The Cetra stopped. "Oh... no, I don't."
He nodded towards one of the shops. "Why don't you buy something from there?"
"I don't have any money..." Aeris said ruefully.
"Then I will pay for it," Nanaki amended, leading her inside the shop and out of the rain. Five minutes later, she had a dry change of clothes and they headed back to her room at the inn. The clothes were Cosmo Canyon style, which meant they were loose-fitting in redbrowns and beiges with patterned trims. Upon her return, she found Lucrecia awake and sitting up, eyes on her as she entered. The woman had apparently heard her opening the door.
Aeris smiled and set down the bag on her bed. "You're finally awake."
"Yes..." Lucrecia replied. "Is it raining outside? I didn't think it rained often in Cosmo Canyon..."
The Cetra's smile faded slightly. "Well, it has to rain sometimes, and it picked today."
"You look tired," she commented. Her gaze moved to Nanaki. "Who's this?"
"I am Nanaki," the creature replied politely. "I am one of the guardians of this canyon."
Lucrecia smiled. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Lucrecia." Aeris was surprised that she wasn't startled by his ability to speak. "Has Vincent come back yet? How long have I been asleep?"
The Cetra had to laugh a little. "Not that long. He's still gone. He only left this morning."
"All right... do you think he's doing all right?"
"I'm sure he's fine..."
She tilted her head, inquisitive blue-green eyes so much like Sephiroth's. "You don't sound sure of it. Did something happen?"
"Just superstition really," Aeris said, trying to set her at ease. "They say that when the Cosmo Candle-the bonfire-goes out, then it's very bad luck and..."
"...it went out," Lucrecia finished.
"Yes."
"It is only a legend," Nanaki put in.
"Oh, don't try to reassure me. I am certain everything will turn out fine."
Aeris felt compelled to tell her what she planned on doing. "Nanaki and I are going to help them. We're leaving tomorrow."
Lucrecia blinked. "But I thought you stayed behind for safety."
She shook her head. "I'm not really safe here. Besides, I think they could use my help." She drew herself up proudly. "I am a Cetra afterall."
Soft laughter answered her. "Well, it isn't as though I can stop you. I suppose you know your own abilities better than anyone else." Aeris nodded and added mentally, Now I do. Lucrecia slid out of bed and got to her feet, turning to Nanaki. "The lady will be wanting to get some sleep, I suspect, before you head out tomorrow. As for me, I'd like to see something besides this bedroom. Care to show me around?"
"Not at all," Nanaki replied, nudging open the door and leading her out.
Aeris smiled softly and closed the door behind them. She changed into her new clothes and, blowing out the candles that lit the room, laid down on her bed to get some rest. Cloud, I hope you're doing all right. I hope I didn't send you off to die against adversaries you cannot beat. I hope you're not worrying about me the same way that I'm worry about you. You probably are anyway, though, aren't you? But I'll be there soon. So don't worry. And Sephiroth, you hang in there. I'm coming. You're going to get free, and you're going to experience life like you never got a chance to before. She smiled. She liked to think that they had heard her, even if they hadn't. And as she drifted off to sleep, she thought she heard an answer. Please hurry, Aeris...