"What is it, Vinny?" Yuffie asked, trying to peer around him.

"Someone is coming," he answered softly, quickly moving out into the hallway, eyes scanning for a place to hide. There was none in sight, only the one hallway curving away in both directions. The footsteps were coming closer. Vincent was sure that it was Talya, rather than Minerva; Minerva would not make a sound. Unless one of the others had escaped... He glanced at Yuffie.

She met his gaze, dark grey eyes anxious. "Shouldn't we run?"

"Where to?"

The ninja frowned and looked around. "Good question."

As he expected, Talya strode around the bend, halting when she saw them. "Huh," she said. "Should've known you'd find a way to get out."

Yuffie looked at Vincent questioningly.

"Talya," he identified for her. He eyed the woman warily. "Do you intend to fight us?"

She tapped a finger against her lip thoughtfully, but she looked a little nervous. "You guys want to free Seph, right?"

"Yes."

"Then hurry up and leave, before Hojo notices you broke your lock and sends Minerva to check it out." She grinned hesitantly and explained, "Hojo's got nothin' on me without her around. As long as he never finds out about this..."

"Understood." Vincent turned to Yuffie. "Let's go."

The girl hesitated. "Um... yeah." He did not wait for her or look to make sure she was following. He heard her footsteps though, faintly, behind him. She sped up a little when they were out of Talya's hearing range and whispered to him, "What about the others?"

"We cannot go back for them now. They will have to take care of themselves."

Yuffie glanced back over her shoulder. "...I guess. Hey, do you know the way out of this place?"

Vincent glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "I was no more conscious than you when they brought us here." They came to a hallway perpendicular to the one they were walking down, and he paused, looking both ways. There was nothing to tell him which way was which.

"Eenie, meenie, minie, mo," Yuffie muttered. "One way's as good as another I guess." She gestured to her right. "Let's try that way."

"Any particular reason?"

She shrugged. "Because I feel like turning right?"

Vincent nodded and they turned down the other corridor, listening carefully for any sounds that would indicate someone was coming, while at the same time trying to remain silent. After some time, and passing several more hallways, they came to a dead end... well, a dead end with a door reading 'Restricted Access.' There was a slot for a keycard beside it. Vincent thought he heard voices in the room beyond. He pressed his ear up against it.

"...and the outer door has been forced open. I want you to investigate." He recognized Hojo's voice and grimaced.

"Yes, Professor," came Minerva's reply.

Vincent quickly moved away from the door, gestured to Yuffie, and darted down the corridor and into one of the side passages. He stopped once they could no longer see the other hall. Yuffie caught up to him a moment later, panting a little.

"You are too tall," she whispered reproachingly. She looked up at him. "What was that all about anyway?"

"Hojo and Minerva were talking behind that door," he answered. "I believe they have discovered our escape. However... he said something about an 'outer door.' Perhaps someone else has gotten out as well."

"Or Aeris lost her mind and came to rescue us."

Vincent glanced down at her, raising an eyebrow.

"That would be like her to do, wouldn't it?"

"Perhaps..." He continued a ways down the hall. There were a few metal doors, but none with locks. Silently, he pushed open one of the doors to see what was inside, soon discovering that it was used for file storage. Vincent closed the door and met Yuffie's expectant gaze.

"Do you think she's passed us by now?"

"We should wait a moment to be certain."

She nodded and hugged herself, shifting from foot to foot. "Why are labs always so cold?" she muttered. She stopped her movement and looked at him. "Hey, do you think Hojo would keep Sephiroth close to or far from his lab room?"

"Close, I would think," Vincent answered slowly. "He always was impatient."

"Then we should check the other side passages we passed on our way here."

He nodded in agreement. If they freed Sephiroth, what then? His powers were rendered useless. He could lead them to the exit, as he had been brought there while conscious, but as for Minerva's wall... What were they supposed to do about that? Vincent frowned. They had no materia, so there was no point even considering whether or not Dispel would work. Perhaps Sephiroth will be able to think of something. He is more intelligent than you, afterall.

"Vinny?"

"Hmm?"

"If we got outta our cell, why hasn't Sephiroth gotten outta his?"

"Likely he could if he wished to."

Yuffie looked incredulous. "What, you mean he wants to be here?"

Vincent shook his head. "He does not think highly of himself. It is possible he thinks he deserves this sort of punishment."

"Gee, that sounds familiar."

He cast her a sidelong glance, but did not reply.

"Anyway... I think we can go by now, right?"

"Yes." Vincent took the lead and headed back towards the main hall. He turned along it, away from Hojo's lab, and then down the next side-passage. After searching several of such halls, most of which were quite long and had side-passages of their own, they found a cell block similar to the one they had been put in. Only here, the locks were somewhat different, and one of the cells was missing a door.

Yuffie pushed past him to look at that cell. "Woah... somebody pulled this door off. Do you think it was Sephiroth...?"

Vincent strode over to join her, noting that the ripped-off door lay on the floor. He knelt to inspect it. "No. There's a label. 'M-A05-C23.'"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He stood. "This was Minerva's cell. Perhaps she attempted escape and was recaptured."

"Jeez... Minerva did this?"

"I suppose. In any case, Sephiroth's cell must be one of these..." He looked over his shoulder, sharply.

Yuffie's voice dropped to a whisper. "Is someone coming?"

Vincent nodded and slipped inside the open cell, hoping no one would notice. The young ninja followed suit. The footsteps grew closer until they were quite close, probably near the next room. Yuffie shifted uncomfortably beside him. He heard a lock click and a door open, and the footsteps again. The door did not shut behind whoever entered. He listened for voices, but heard nothing for several minutes.

"Min, are you finished staring at Seph already?" he heard Talya ask. "He's not gonna say anything. I mean, just look at him."

Minerva murmured something in response.

"'Course not, compared to you two."

"Then why, why are you free, while we must suffer and die here?"

There was a pause. "I'm not any more free than you are. You should know that by now."

"Hmph."

"Well. Min, you gonna go or not? The Professor's letting you out for a bit."

There was another pause before the door finally shut. Vincent heard no footsteps; he could not tell if the girl was waiting outside or if she was walking down the hall. For all he knew, she sensed their presence and was approaching them. Vincent moved to the adjoining wall to Sephiroth's cell in an attempt to make out any voices.

He heard Sephiroth laugh briefly. "The same rule applies to her as applies to you. I have no sharp objects."

Talya replied, voice uneasy, but her words too soft for him to make out. The following remarks were also too quiet to discern, but finally Sephiroth raised his voice slightly.

"You should leave before I frighten you more. But then, there is nothing else for you to do now, is there? Hojo can keep Minerva in check and she can keep me from doing anything destructive. No one needs you anymore. Or did Aeris manage to free anyone?"

Vincent blinked. Was Yuffie right? Had Aeris come?

Talya's voice faded in and out of his hearing. "...all her friends out... Apparently.... looking for you."

Sephiroth's reply was low and contemptuous, followed by Talya's worried voice.

"Surprise, surprise," the swordsman laughed. "This is who and what I really am." He added something else in a lower voice.

He could not hear an answer, but Sephiroth responded to something spoken.

"...I just hope..." Talya said. "...real you back. If anyone can..."

"Why so confident in her? She's only a Cetra." Sephiroth made another contemptuous comment.

Talya answered, and then the door slid open and her voice came through clearly. "Besides, she lasted an hour at least."

"What? Was Minerva playing with her?"

"Nope. And I don't think Min knows how to block her powers either," she added, sounding happy. "Don't scare her too much; she's probably the only one who can get us all out of this mess."

The door slid shut again and the two waited for Talya's footsteps to fade away into nothing.

"Did you hear what they said?" Yuffie whispered.

"Some of it," Vincent answered. "It seems you were right about Aeris."

"Oh, no. Did they capture her, too?"

"Yes, but I think she freed the others first. Talya was referring to her when she said she lasted an hour... Aeris must have fought Minerva."

"So, is she in there with Sephiroth now?"

Vincent nodded. "But... I am worried about Sephiroth. He did not sound entirely sane..."

Yuffie's eyes widened and she took a step towards the doorway, urgently. "Then we'd better hurry and get them outta there before he hurts her or worse, kills her again."

"No," he said, putting a restraining hand on her arm. "If we intervene now, we will have to deal with a mentally unbalanced Sephiroth. Aeris is the only one besides Lucrecia who I think could help him now. She needs some time alone with him..."

The ninja eyed him critically, trying to twist free of his grip. "So you're saying we should just leave them there?" she asked in a fierce whisper.

"For the time being, yes."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

"I know Sephiroth better than you do. He would not harm her now."

"But he killed her before!"

"And then he revived her," Vincent answered calmly.

Yuffie made a sound of annoyance. "He was sane then, though. You say he's not now. The last time he was insane, he killed her! I wouldn't put it past him to do it again."

He caught her gaze and held it with his crimson one. "Aeris means something to him. He traded himself for her so that she would not have to come here, and he has suffered for it. He knew he would suffer, but he did it anyway. He is not about to change his mind about her."

"Are you saying he cares about her?" Yuffie asked incredulously.

"Yes. I am."

"But he's never cared for anyone before. Why Aeris?"

Vincent's eyes held a hint of amusement. "Have you ever met anyone who hasn't cared for Aeris?"

The ninja blinked, then grinned and shook her head. "No, I haven't." The grin faded. "But I'm still worried..."

"Trust them."

She sighed. "All right. So how long do we wait?"

"An hour?"

Yuffie hesitated, then agreed reluctantly, "All right." She looked around, found a chair and moved it to the other wall to sit down sideways in it. "Wouldn't want to eavesdrop on them, now would I?" Vincent moved to join her, leaning against the wall.

"So what're we gonna do while we wait?" she asked after several minutes had gone by.

He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "Think."

"...guess you don't get bored very easily, do you?"

He shook his head.

Yuffie shifted uneasily. "Well, waiting here when Minerva could find us any second is making me nervous. An hour's going to seem like forever." She stifled a yawn.

"Tired?"

"A bit. We must've spent all day on that stupid lock and then another hour sneaking around..."

Vincent shrugged. "Go to sleep then. I'll wake you."

"Sleep? Are you crazy? There's no way I'm going to sleep now!"

He shrugged again. Yuffie fell silent. Vincent kept an ear trained for any sound and hoped that Aeris was able to help Sephiroth. He could not help but think the two to be an exaggeration of his own relationship with Lucrecia. While he had the deaths of those he had killed as a Turk and blamed himself for Lucrecia's death, Sephiroth had the deaths of hundreds on his hands and had purposefully killed Aeris... Lucrecia had offered her life to the Jenova Project, in contribution to science, while Aeris had offered her life to save the Planet. Of course, the difference was that Aeris and Sephiroth were not in love, and the Cetra had nothing to blame herself for.

All of them had been given second chances, the Planet willing. He wondered what the Planet thought of Sephiroth now. Did it blame him for his earlier actions, or did it forgive as willingly as Aeris did? In any case, Sephiroth on the right side could only benefit the Planet... if he had enough confidence in him.

His thoughts found their way back to Lucrecia. If Aeris had found out about their predicament, then surely Lucrecia had as well. Vincent hoped she was not worrying too much. He hoped that she had no reason to worry. He had to bring Sephiroth back to her. Then what? Well, Hojo had to be taken care of... Then what? the question persisted. Whatever Lucrecia wanted. He was content to stay with her as long as she would have him.

She told you she would say yes. He shook his head minutely. Marriage? What point was there in getting married? Perhaps she would enjoy a wedding, though. He nearly laughed at himself. Here he was hiding in Hojo's lab and he was thinking about marrying Lucrecia!

He glanced at Yuffie. Now she had plans. She was, for all intents and purposes, Wutai's leader, and there was much for her to do in addition to whatever she did to help her friends. As far as he knew, she had not yet experienced any of the emotional confusion that came with falling in love, although many in the group had.

Aeris, Cloud, and Tifa were involved in what may have been the most insane love triangle in existence. Aeris's personality likely was the cause of that. Without meaning to, she had earned the affection of nearly everyone she met. And yet, she was always in so much danger, often treated as a thing rather than a person...

After some time, Yuffie tugged on his cape. "Has it been an hour yet?"

"Nearly," he replied.

"Close enough," she decided, standing and walking to the doorway. She looked down the hall, then walked out and to the door of Sephiroth's cell. Vincent followed her.

Reno nearly bumped into Cid, who was bringing up the rear of Cloud's group, when he caught up to them. He slowed down to match their pace, but Elena pushed past him and made her way to the front to give Cait Sith back to Reeve. Cid cursed as she shoved past him to rejoin Reno and Rude.

"Does Reeve know the way out?" she whispered to him.

"Well, obviously he knew the way in," he said, rolling his eyes.

"How should I know he was the one who led you guys in?" she retorted fiercely. Cid glanced at them over his shoulder. They fell silent for a time.

"...I hope Aeris is all right," Reno said finally.

"Me, too."

Cid snorted. "I'll bet that's the first time you two've ever agreed on something."

Elena seemed to take it as an insult, but Reno grinned. "I'm not taking that bet."

Eventually, their hurried pace came to a halt. "What is it?" Elena asked, poking him.

He turned to her, shrugging. "We probably got to Minerva's wall."

"Great. How are we supposed to dispel it without any magic?"

"I dunno." Minerva, if you can hear me, help us out here.

Someone near the front let out a startled yelp and stumbled forward. Reno blinked and looked around uncertainly.

"Don't look at me," Elena said, holding up her hands. Reno shrugged in response and followed the others out of the passage and onto what remained of the bridge. Cait Sith struggled back onto his moogle and looked at Cloud as he spoke.

"Problem number two. Anyone have any ideas?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Reno asked. The others turned to look at him, some with raised eyebrows. He gestured to where there had been a wall a moment ago. "Why do you think it just opened up for us?"

Cloud shook his head incredulously. "What? You think we can just walk across?"

"Well... yeah."

"Okay... But I'm sure as hell not going first." There were scattered murmurs of agreement. The redhead shot a glare around at everyone, then walked to the edge.

"Reno, you are insane," Elena told him.

He grinned at her, albeit nervously, and lifted a foot. Oh Gods, I had better not be wrong about this... Here goes... He stepped down onto... well, nothing. Blinking in surprise-he hadn't really believed himself in the first place-he took another step to make sure. And then he was really standing on nothing.

Reno's face split into a wide grin as he turned around. "See?"

Elena was the first to break the shocked silence and walk over to him. "I hate it when you're right," she muttered. The redhead stuck his tongue out at her and started for the other side. Elena followed, keeping close to him, and so did Reeve and Rude, silently. Nanaki hesitated, then bounded after them. One by one, the others fell into step behind him and they crossed the nothingness together.

Nearly everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they set foot on the other side. Cloud took the lead and headed out of the reactor, Tifa close behind. Reno started to follow, but turned back to peer into the blackness. ...thanks.

A thin crescent hung in the black expanse of sky, surrounded by a veil of glittering stars. Any other night, he would have called it beautiful, but tonight... With Aeris and Minerva left behind in the lab, he didn't want to call anything beautiful.

They made their way out of Midgar and headed for the Highwind. Once on board, they assembled on the bridge with Cloud in the leader's position once again. Reno frowned.

"Things don't look too good for this mission," Cloud said. "We lost two people, and all our weapons and materia. Aeris was most likely captured, and we didn't even accomplish anything we set out to do..."

"In other words, we blew it," Reno summed up.

"Yeah," Cloud said, frowning.

"Cloud," Tifa said, shaking her head, "you can't go back for her now."

The blond glanced at her and sighed. "But..."

"Tifa's right," Reno agreed. "One, we've got nothing to fight with and we'd lose even quicker than we did before. Two, I think we're all in need of some rest. And three... there is a chance, however slim, that Aeris beat Minerva and is on her way back out."

"Right... I guess we rest up tonight and figure out what to do tomorrow," Cloud decided. The others nodded and most of them left for the sleeping quarters.

Reeve waited until Cloud was gone before walking over to Reno. "I hate to say it, but I think you'd make a better leader than Cloud."

"Gee, thanks."

"No, I mean it. He's too emotional over this because Aeris is involved."

The Turk looked at him sharply. "And I'm not?"

"Reno, Cloud loves Aeris. You just think of her as a friend, I hope. There's a difference."

He nodded slightly and looked out the front window at the night sky. "I sure hope she knows what she's doing..."

Nanaki bumped his head against Reno's leg, hesitantly. "Aeris has the Planet to guide her. I am sure she will be fine."

"You'd better be right," he muttered, then turned to follow the rest of the group out. He found an empty room, a tiny one at that, and flopped down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. A thought occurred to him. If Minerva had told him to give his nightstick to Aeris, that implied he still had it. He reached for it and sure enough, there it was, hanging from his belt. But the others had lost their weapons...

And she put me in the cell with the air vent and told me it was there. She apologized to me and not the others. He grinned a little in spite of himself. Does this mean she likes me? With that thought, he drifted off into sleep and sweet dreams of a girl with silver hair.

Sephiroth crouched beside Aeris and watched her as she tried to force open the lock. He said nothing, for fear of breaking her concentration. Any thoughts of killing her, he forced out of his mind and replaced with all the things she had said to him before. Getting you out of here always came first. Why did she care so much about him? What was it she saw in him that she found to her liking? He wished he could understand it. That way... perhaps he could forgive himself, too.

A sound on the other side of the door made him start and glance at Aeris. She caught his glance, blinking a little. "What was that?"

"I don't know..."

There were several more sounds and then the door slid open.

"Yuffie? Vincent?" Aeris asked in astonishment.

"Yepper!" Yuffie confirmed, bouncing to her feet. Vincent was already standing behind her and the only greeting he made was a slight nod.

Sephiroth stood and Aeris followed suit, slowly stepping out of the cell and looking up and down the hall. "Which way's out?" she asked.

Yuffie shrugged. "Dunno, really. Are you okay?"

"Hmm?"

"You've got blood on your face..."

Aeris put a hand to her cheek. "Oh... this? Sephiroth healed me, but I forgot to wipe the blood off."

"Sephiroth healed you?" Vincent asked softly. "I thought Minerva sealed his powers."

"We can't figure out how he did it either, but I guess that's not important right now."

Sephiroth stepped out into the hallway, ignoring Yuffie's wary gaze. He pointed to the right down the hall. "That way."

The Cetra glanced up at him. "That's right. They brought you here conscious... Well, lead on."

He blinked, startled, then nodded and strode past them down the corridor. He heard them following behind him, and he listened for any other sounds that would indicate someone's approach. Of course, he doubted he would be able to hear Minerva coming.

They made it to the exit without incident and he opened the door to the reactor part. He hesitated, then continued on. He had paid little attention to when Minerva led Talya and him through this part, but he called on that dim memory to guide him. He could not let Aeris down; he would get her out of this place, away from Hojo.

And then he would return to kill Hojo. He had been tempted to turn towards the lab to kill him as soon as he left his cell, but he did not have his powers and he did not want to involve the others.

"I can't see a thing," he heard Yuffie whisper.

"Here, take my hand then," Aeris whispered back. He could tell the Cetra was right behind him. He wondered if she could see any better than a human. After a moment, he felt her tentative hand on his back and he noted that she probably couldn't see any more than Yuffie could.

Turning the corner, he nearly ran into Minerva. Aeris bumped into him from behind, and Yuffie stumbled into her.

Minerva stared at him for a moment. "...I have no orders to take you back if you make it this far from the lab," she said slowly, softly.

"What about my powers?"

She turned her head to the side. "...nor do I have orders to recast the spell if I should be rendered unconscious and lose it." She paused, looked back at him. "I believe I shall try sleeping as you suggested earlier when I return to my cell."

She carefully slipped past them and headed back to the lab.

"Can't you come with us?" Aeris asked hopefully.

"No."

Sephiroth watched Minerva leave over his shoulder, then glanced at Aeris and started walking again.

"Why doesn't she sleep?" Yuffie asked.

"She does not need to," Sephiroth replied, even though the question did not seem directed towards him.

"Oh... Why'd you suggest it to her?"

"...sleep brings dreams. Even nightmares would be better than what she has had to live with."

Aeris's hand moved to his shoulder. "...what you had to live with," she added sadly.

"Yes." He glanced at her once more.

None of the four spoke until they reached the wall at the end, where Aeris once again ran into him. She did not step back this time, but instead let go of Yuffie's hand and reached around him to touch the wall. "We're at the exit, aren't we?"

"Yes," he replied, watching her face over his shoulder. Aeris's face held the same concentration as when she had attempted to open the lock. He sensed a change in Minerva's spell, although he did not know how, and noticed one corner of the 'wall' was bending inwards, creating a little hole near the floor. Once it was big enough to crawl through, Aeris motioned him forward.

Sephiroth squeezed through and stood on the other side, stepping back to wait for the other three. Once Vincent was through, Aeris released her hold on the spell, and the wall was in one piece again. He turned to the abyss and glanced back at the Cetra. "I suppose you can do something about that as well."

She nodded as she moved to stand by his side. She felt for his hand and grasped it before walking to the edge of the platform. She paused a moment longer, then led him across to the other side. Yuffie and Vincent followed them, Yuffie holding onto Vincent's cape, as she still could not see.

They left the reactor, but Aeris did not release his hand. She tilted her head back to stare at the sky. Sephiroth followed her gaze and could see why she was staring; the stars were quite bright and beautiful against the black... but not as beautiful as her face. He returned his gaze to Aeris, studying her features in the moonlight.

Finally, Aeris sighed, turned to smile at him, and glanced at Yuffie and Vincent. "Well. I guess we should find the others..."

"Likely they have returned to the Highwind," Vincent said.

"How did they get out, ya think?" Yuffie queried.

Aeris shook her head. "They did it somehow, or they'd still be stuck at the wall... Maybe Minerva disobeyed her orders again."

"She only finds loopholes where she can," Sephiroth said. "She follows her actual orders to the letter."

"I suppose that's the best she can do..." The Cetra turned to Vincent. "Can you lead the way to the Highwind?"

"Certainly," he replied, moving to the front of the group. Yuffie fell into step behind him with an uncertain glance at Sephiroth and Aeris. The swordsman ignored her and looked briefly at the hand that Aeris held in hers before following Vincent. What was the Cetra doing? Trying to comfort him with her touch? He nearly told himself he did not need it, but he knew he was wrong.

They found the Highwind in about an hour, and the rope ladder had not been pulled up.

"Looks like somebody was expecting us," Yuffie commented. She was the first to climb up, followed by Vincent. Aeris gestured for Sephiroth to go ahead of her and followed him within moments. Yuffie and Vincent had already gone inside the ship, but Sephiroth waited on the deck. Aeris started for the door, too, but paused and turned back to him.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked.

"I... what will the rest of your friends think?"

"If you come with me? I can see why they might be suspicious, but they'll understand, I'm sure. Cloud and Tifa are the only ones who really hate you..."

"And the others don't? Why did they fight me?"

"Because they love the Planet," Aeris answered, smiling. "Now come on. They won't bite."

He nodded slightly and followed her inside, remaining just inside the door. Cloud was already bounding up the steps to meet them, Yuffie walking after him at a much slower pace. Apparently she had alerted him to their presence.

Cloud embraced Aeris tightly as he reached her, holding her close for a long moment before stepping back and scratching his head in embarrassment. He glanced behind him, down at a sleepy-looking Tifa who had just emerged from their sleeping quarters, then turned back to the Cetra.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"How did you--?"

"They put me in the same cell as Sephiroth... Vincent and Yuffie found us and got the lock open."

Cloud blinked, looking past her at Sephiroth, noticing him for the first time. His gaze turned wary and he frowned. "Why did you bring him on board?"

"Where else is he supposed to go, Cloud?" Aeris asked.

"I don't know..." He sighed. "Are you tired? I think we've got one more bed..."

She shook her head. "Give it to Yuffie. She looks more tired than I feel."

Yuffie smiled in thanks and Tifa showed her to the right room so she wouldn't disturb anyone else.

"...what about you?" Cloud asked.

"I'll be all right."

"And him?" He nodded towards Sephiroth. The swordsman did not really mind them talking about him as though he were not there. He let his gaze wander, studying the Highwind.

"What about him?"

"What are we going to do with him?"

"If you're worried about whether he's going to hurt anyone, you shouldn't be. He hasn't done a single thing wrong in this life."

"That's not very reassuring."

Aeris sighed. "I'll watch him if you like; he's done nothing but help me."

Cloud looked at her sharply. "Aeris, I can't leave you alone with him. He killed you! Or have you forgotten that?"

"He brought me back. He traded himself for me. He healed me. When we were children, he was the one who helped my mother and I escape from the lab. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"I can't ignore the fact that he's the reason you died."

"Cloud... I'll be fine. I held out against Minerva for quite some time, and Sephiroth doesn't even have access to his powers. You've got no reason to be worried."

"But what if..."

"Cloud," Aeris said softly. "I can take care of myself."

He looked at her a moment, then nodded silently.

"Now you go back to sleep. You're going to need your rest."

Cloud hesitated, then nodded again and slowly returned to his room.

Aeris turned back to Sephiroth. "......I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Cloud... I don't think he'll ever learn to trust you..." She sighed.

Sephiroth shook his head. "I don't mind."

The Cetra looked up, smiling faintly. "You're so tolerant... Well. Where do you want to spend the night? On the bridge or on the deck?"

"Whatever you prefer."

"No, really, what would you prefer?"

He blinked. "...what do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," she said, putting her hands on her hips, trying not to grin. "I want you to choose for yourself. You say you don't care? You've got to have opinions in you somewhere. So find them."

Sephiroth slowly shook his head.

"Oh, come on."

He shifted uncomfortably. What did he want? The bridge meant staying inside... and while there would be no night air to make Aeris cold, her companions would likely assemble there in the morning. For those who had not yet heard of their return, it would be a shock and there would certainly be a commotion. The deck, however, would be somewhat cold, but it was isolated enough that someone would probably be sent to fetch them rather than the entire group coming there. He looked back at Aeris, who was waiting patiently.

"...the deck," he told her quietly.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?"

He shook his head.

"Well, you're in luck!" she exclaimed. "I'd rather stay out there, too. The stars are gorgeous tonight. Come on." She brushed past him to open the door and held it for him, then moved to stand by the railing of the ship. Sephiroth followed slowly, keeping his distance from her. She put a hand to her cheek. "I should probably wash the blood off... so people don't get so worried."

He had no reply to that, so he said nothing, keeping his gaze on her. Despite the blood and despite the tears in her clothing, she still looked beautiful. What was wrong with him? Why did he insist on thinking of her that way? Sephiroth forced himself to look up at the sky instead.

"...what are you thinking about tonight?" she had to ask.

"You," he answered honestly.

"Oh."

He hesitated, then glanced at her. "What about you?"

Aeris looked down at her hands where they rested on the railing. "...many things." Pausing, she looked up at him. "...for one, I'm trying to figure out why you were able to use magic when your powers should have been sealed."

"Have you come up with any answers?"

She sighed. "...the Planet told me that someone with both the blood of the Cetra and of Jenova existed, and that only they could defeat Jenova. I suppose that..."

Sephiroth laughed softly. "I'm no Cetra, Aeris."

"Do you have anything to prove you're not?" she asked.

He blinked. No, he could think of no solid proof... "But I am nothing like you..."

"That's a matter of opinion... But humans are the same species, and they vary greatly. Why can't the Cetra vary in personality, too?"

He made no reply.

She turned away from the railing to face him directly. "You said Minerva doesn't know how to block the powers of a Cetra. Maybe you used those abilities when you healed me, rather than the ones you get from the Jenova in you." She took a step closer. "And I learned my healing spells from you. You had to have been using Cetra magic to teach me, right?"

"Aeris... I can't be..."

"Well, why not? Give me one good reason."

"Do you have any idea how absurd that is? The Cetra died because of Jenova's cells. I am still living, despite the fact that I have been killed twice."

She took another step forward, deep green eyes fixed intently on his. "...the Cetra were driven mad by Jenova and they transformed into monsters. Does this sound familiar?"

Sephiroth took a step backwards, staring at her incredulously. "I... I'm..."

"...the same as me," she finished. Somehow her face looked even more beautiful than ever at that moment; her green eyes glittered, her hair hung loose, cascading down her back and over her shoulders, blowing slightly in the wind, and her pink lips curved upwards in a faint, inviting smile. The starlight cast a blue-ish glow across her perfect skin; she had cleaned any trace of blood from her face.

He lowered his head, closing his eyes. "Then why can I not hear the voice of the Planet and those of the people in the Lifestream? And where did this Cetra blood come from?"

"Have you ever tried listening for the Planet's voice?"

He shook his head.

"And as for your heritage... Your mother, I think, had it in her. I felt something strangely familiar about her, but I dismissed it as the Jenova. I think now I was wrong."

Sephiroth looked back at her, still unwilling to believe. He couldn't be the same as she. She was so... so divine compared to him. She was an angel, and he was some demon from the underworld. "If you could sense it in my mother, why could you not sense it in me?"

Aeris tilted her head. "...the Jenova in you must have hidden it; her cells are quite strong in you."

"You truly believe that I am part Cetra," he said.

"Yes. I am certain of it."

He turned away, looking out at the night sky once again. He did not want to meet her eyes, for fear he would lose himself in them. "And what of Minerva?"

"Minerva?"

"What is she?"

"I... I don't know. I don't know who her parents are." She moved to stand next to him, laying her arms on the railing. She looked up at him. "Did she say anything to you?"

"...she calls Talya her mother, but I must say I doubt if Talya had anything to do with it. Perhaps she gave birth to Minerva, but she is not her mother."

Aeris nodded slightly. "She does seem too much like you and not at all like Talya..."

"She is much stronger than I am, and don't say that I have been through more than she because it is not true."

"You'd be the one to judge that... but you're strong, too."

He scoffed and cast her a sideways glance.

"I mean it. You're trying to fight your way back from insanity and you're forced to live in a world where so many people hate you, even yourself... and with reason. I won't deny that."

Sephiroth watched the quick flash of a shooting star. "...as long as you are with me, Aeris, I think I can manage just fine."

"Don't worry," she answered. "I'm not going to leave you alone again."

"Again?"

She smiled at him. "I should have insisted that you come with us then. Things would have been so much different that way..."

"What is this?" he asked in mild amusement. "You blame yourself, when you tell others not to?"

Aeris laughed. "I don't kill myself over it, Sephiroth. Life's too precious for that."

"Oh?"

She looked down, laughter fading to a tiny smile that held a hint of regret. "That's why I want you to experience it and do what you want, rather than cursing yourself, hiding, or letting someone else tell you what to do. It's all right for you to spend time with me, but I don't want you to depend on me forever. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad." She smiled brightly, then sighed in content, lifting one hand to rest her chin on it and gaze at the sky. "Beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yes... but..."

"But what?"

"Not as beautiful as you," Sephiroth answered softly.

"...I didn't think you noticed things like that."

"It's different with you."

Aeris looked at him for a long moment, eyes saying she knew everything in his heart. "I know what you mean."

He looked away, just a little too quickly. "...are you tired? Perhaps you should get some rest. Your companions are not the type to wait."

"You're right..." She stepped back from the railing. "Where, though?"

"...the floor seems to be your only option."

"I suppose." She looked at him, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Can I use you for a pillow?"

Sephiroth blinked, then shrugged. "...if you wish."

She bowed her head a little. "Thank you. I know you're not used to that sort of thing..."

He said nothing.

"Well." Aeris took his hand and moved over to the wall, settling down a few feet from the door. He sat with her, one leg stretched out in front of him while he brought the other to his chest. Aeris let go of his hand and curled up against him. He tensed up, as he usually did, despite his efforts to relax. It was a reflex he had developed in the lab; any physical contact was likely to be painful, so he had to guard against it. The habit was not easily broken.

But the Cetra did not seem to mind. "...Don't you ever take your gloves off?" she asked absently.

"...not really." He almost expected her to take them off for him.

"Hmm," was all she said, though. She closed her eyes and soon enough he heard her breathing slow to that of a deep sleep. He watched her for a time, then returned his gaze to the sky. A Cetra? Him? It was a bold idea, and it sounded ridiculous, yet everything she had said made perfect sense.

Sephiroth closed his eyes. How did one listen to the Planet anyway? It could not be so simple as that. He blinked a little as something returned to him, a presence just around the corner. Minerva must be asleep, he realized. He glanced at Aeris. She certainly is trusting... I just hope she is not wrong...

Aeris pushed herself up on her elbows and looked around. She was lying on a circular obsidian platform in the middle of nowhere. The sky around her was the color of blood and angry black storm clouds approached from behind her. A fierce wind blew, but even so, she stood, stumbling, nearly slipping off the pillar entirely. She looked down to be greeted only by a vast expanse of nothing into which the pillar extended.

"What do you think you are doing?" There were no walls, but the voice echoed, bounced of nothing, boomed around her like the rushing winds. This voice was unfamiliar to her and yet familiar all the same; it seemed to be made of millions of voices, the voices of her friends, her own voice, and yet it was a single voice of a complete stranger.

"Who are you?" she yelled into the wind. The wind threw her voice back into her face. Who are you?

"Foolish little Cetra... you think you can win against me? You think you can steal him from me?"

She turned around, searching for the speaker. "What are you talking about?"

"You know quite well what I am speaking of. Don't play innocent with me as you do with him."

"You mean... Sephiroth?" Aeris asked. Her eyes widened. "Jenova-"

"Oh, yes," the voice laughed. "Yes, yes... ignorant Cetra. Traitor. But you will not win this time..."

A strong gust of wind sent her sliding backwards and off of the platform. She caught hold of the edge and tried to pull herself back up. Somewhere, carried in the wind, were the cries of the Planet, cries that rang in her heart as well.

Sephiroth appeared on the top of the pillar, only she saw at once that it was not Sephiroth at all. He spoke with Jenova's voice, and in place of his eyes and his faint expressions were Jenova's single pink eye and her malevolent grin. "And now, dear Cetra, you will die." Crouching down, she grasped hold of Aeris's hands and held them for a moment, as if to pull her back up, then let go, flinging Aeris far out into nothing.

She screamed in horror as she saw what light there was slipping away and she, falling into darkness. "Sephiroth, please!"

"Aeris!" he cried out in horror, all traces of Jenova vanishing from his face. He leapt from the pillar, somehow falling faster than she, as if the black was pulling him down. He reached for her hand as he fell, and she grasped it strongly. Together they fell into the abyss.

Aeris landed hard on another pillar, this one much farther down. Sephiroth missed it and the blackness grasped for him, pulling him down. The Cetra slid to the edge, then pushed against the stone to keep herself from falling off, holding tighter to Sephiroth's hand.

"Don't let go..." she whispered. Somehow he heard her over the roaring winds and the taunting shadows and the keening screams of the Planet.

"She's waiting for me there. I have to."

"If you go, you may never come back," she said urgently.

Sephiroth smiled, eyes pale blue. "Then lend me your strength, Aeris, that I may come back to you."

She opened her mouth to speak, but the words would not come. She stared down at him helplessly, watched his hand slipping out of hers as the darkness took him. The blue slipped from his eyes as his hand slipped from hers. Soon he was lost to the abyss.

The wind died down, the sky cleared and the sun shone through, turning it a beautiful blue, blue like Sephiroth's eyes. The cries of the Planet died away and instead a lone mockingbird sang sweetly.

Aeris sat on the roof of the church, a field of flowers stretching out before her while one tree stretched out its branches toward the roof.

"Aeris!" Cloud called from the ground. "It's time."

She looked over the edge, smiled at him. "I'm sorry, Cloud. I've decided to stay."

"You're staying?"

"Yes... I don't belong in your world; there's nothing for me there."

"But what is there here?"

"Memories."

"Memories aren't life," he said sharply.

Aeris sighed and leaned back. "Yes, I know. But someday, I will find my own Promised Land. And I'm sad to say that it's not with you..."

"I guess this's goodbye then."

"Yes. Goodbye, Cloud. I'll miss you."

He left her alone and she turned her face to the breeze, imploring it to tell her tales of a man with silver hair and how he died in battle.

"Aeris!"

She lifted her head eagerly at the sound of the voice calling her name.

"Aeris..."

"Aeris, Aeris, wake up..."

She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head. Sephiroth was looking down at her, but he averted his gaze as soon as her eyes met his.

"I think some of your comrades are awake. I doubt they would appreciate seeing you in this position..."

"You're probably right about that," she murmured, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She pushed her bangs out of her face and tossed her hair over her shoulders, then smiled at him. "Good morning."

"Did you sleep well?"

She hesitated. "Somewhat. And you?"

Sephiroth shrugged, standing swiftly. "I did not sleep much."

Aeris climbed to her feet. "I guess you don't need to."

The door opened and Aeris turned to see who it was; Cid stood there a moment in indecision, then grinned. "Guess we got somethin' done afterall, huh?"

Aeris smiled a little. "Yes. We got Sephiroth out... and we know what it's like in there."

"Right, right..." He hesitated. "Is he...?"

"What, sane? Yes, of course."

Cid nodded. "Heard you came back last night with 'im and, uh... I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine."

"Well, what're you waitin' out here for? Come on down to the bridge!"

Aeris hesitated and glanced at Sephiroth. He shrugged. She turned back to Cid, putting a cheery smile on her face. "All right. We're coming."

Cid blinked, nodded, and led them into the Highwind and to the bridge. Sephiroth, as usual, remained near the entrance, as if afraid to interrupt something or intrude in the slightest into the lives of whoever was in the room.

As it turned out, everyone was there, and smiles, greetings, and even a few hugs were in order. It wasn't until after everyone had confirmed that Aeris was back safely that they noticed Sephiroth and a heavy silence fell. Aeris followed their gazes and made a small, inviting gesture with her hand.

The swordsman took a few steps forward and stopped. He looked around, sighed, shifted his gaze to Aeris. She was just about to speak when Yuffie called out an unexpectedly casual greeting:

"Hey, Seph!"

Sephiroth blinked at her, then amusement entered his eyes. "...hello."

Aeris smiled at Yuffie, who winked back at her. The Cetra walked to Sephiroth and herded him closer to the group. Tifa took a step back, Cloud frowned, and most of the others watched him warily, but no one voiced any suspicions or aggressions.

"So, what now?" Yuffie asked. "We need to get rid of Hojo, but..."

"Most of us don't have weapons or materia," Tifa finished, frowning.

"I can take care of Hojo," Sephiroth said quietly, but everyone looked at him uncertainly.

Yuffie shifted anxiously, as though not sure what to make of this. "...you mean, you've got your powers back now?"

"Yes."

"Couldn't Minerva just block them again?" Elena asked.

The swordsman glanced at her. "I think I know how to prevent that now."

"Are you stronger than her?" Aeris asked.

"...I do not know."

"Then I'm going with you."

"Aeris, you can't-" several people began at once, but they all stopped and looked at each other. Cloud, Reno, Sephiroth.

She smiled a little. "All of you, I'll be fine. I'm not the weak little flower girl I used to be."

"Well... Maybe I can't keep you from going, but I can sure as hell go with," Reno said with a grin.

"Reno, what're you gonna do, whack people with a stick or something?" Yuffie asked.

He flourished his nightstick. "Yeah. A nightstick. Minerva must've given it back to me or something..." He added confidingly to Rude, "I think she likes me."

Rude smiled slightly and shook his head.

"I will accompany you as well," Nanaki stated, padding over to sit at Aeris's feet.

"Is anyone else coming?" the Cetra asked. She threw an apologetic glance at Cloud. She knew he wanted to come with, wanted to help them and protect her, but without his blade, he would be no good against either Talya or Minerva.

"I shall come," Vincent said.

"And what do you expect to fight with?" Elena inquired.

He merely looked at her and lifted his metal claw.

"Er... I guess that's pretty sharp..." she reasoned to herself. She turned to Reeve. "You're not going to send Cait Sith with them?"

He shook his head. "Mog is too clumsy to battle with opponents like that, and Cait's no good by himself."

"Oh."

"I guess it's settled then," Aeris decided.

"Do you have a plan for this?" Cloud asked.

The Cetra shook her head. "Not really."

"...I can take us directly to Hojo's lab," Sephiroth said. "Unless Minerva or Talya are there with him, we will not have to fight them."

"How exactly are you going to do that?" Cloud queried suspiciously.

"He's done it before," Aeris said. "That's how he got my mother and I out of the lab all those years ago."

"Then why didn't he get himself out?"

The Cetra glanced at Sephiroth. "...personal reasons."

Cloud snorted. "'Personal reasons'? Sephiroth has 'personal reasons'?"

"Cloud..." Tifa said gently, putting a hand on his arm. "He's a person, too, no matter what he's done..."

"This isn't about who I am or what I have done," Sephiroth said with a slight frown. "It is about killing Hojo."

"But how do we know we can trust you?"

"He hates Hojo much more than the rest of us," Aeris answered for him. "For him... this mission is revenge for years of being treated like a specimen."

Cloud hesitated, then nodded.

"I believe it is revenge for all of us, save Reno," Nanaki stated quietly.

"Even Aeris?" Yuffie asked.

The Cetra lowered her head. "Yes, even me. I spent the first seven years of my life in that lab, Yuffie. You didn't know? And my parents never would have died if it weren't for him." She looked up. "But before we kill anyone, I want answers." She glanced at Vincent, and he nodded in understanding.

"Well, is everyone ready?" Nanaki asked.

The other four who were going nodded or murmured their consent.

"Let's get going," Aeris said. She turned to Sephiroth. "Do we need to do anything? I don't remember..."

"No."

"Good luck!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"And be careful..." Cloud added.

Aeris smiled, then nodded to Sephiroth. The Highwind fell away, leaving the five of them standing in nothing for a fragment of eternity. The Cetra thought she felt something familiar, but as soon as she turned to look over her shoulder, the lab had surrounded them.

"I thought you'd be coming back presently..."