The musicians were gone, the tables were bare, the children had long since been carried off to bed, and those who had not already left were leaving now or planned to leave soon. A few had gone to sit at the Candle and gaze into its calming flame, quietly rejoicing in the peace that had been restored. In the east the sky was paling, though most did not notice it yet.

At one table, a particular redhead sat with his head down and arms sprawled across the wooden surface. A blond-haired woman was rising from one of the other chairs at the table, a look of exasperation on her face. A tall girl with silver hair that caught what light their was stood some paces back, as though trying to remain unnoticed. Their two friends had left earlier, and they had not thought to ask them to stay and help, nor had either offered.

"Reno, get up," Elena said, shaking him.

The redhead groaned and buried his head further in his arms.

"Reno," she said again, more loudly. "Get. Up."

"Ow... turn the volume down, Laney..." he muttered.

She sighed and refused to lower her voice. "Practically everyone's left already. Let's go."

He lifted his head with effort and glared at her. "Shut up, please."

Elena sighed in exasperation. "Reno, come on."

"Lemme 'lone," he muttered, lowering his head again.

Minerva caught the blond by the arm before she could start yelling. "You go on. I will take care of him."

She hesitated, then shook her head. "All right; you deal with him. Sounds good to me." She smiled a little and said a curt goodbye before walking off.

The silver-haired girl turned back to Reno, eyeing him critically for a moment before speaking softly. "If you stay here, you are only going to fall asleep again. Would it not be preferable to sleep somewhere comfortable?"

He lifted his head to look at her, expression almost skeptical. "How would you know? You don' care, Min."

She did not comment on his bluntness. "It is not that difficult to infer it from observation."

"C'n you use smaller words?"

Though she could not help but be a bit amused at the request, she sighed and shook her head. "You do know they may kick you out of here anyway."

Reno paused thoughtfully, then straightened, slowly pushed back his chair, and got to his feet. "Aight, aight, let's go." She walked with him silently back to the home of the shopkeeper where he had been rooming, ignoring his grumbling and muttering under his breath. He stopped at the door to look back at her, scratching his head. "I, uh... said some pretty stupid things, didn't I?"

Minerva shrugged. "It does not matter."

"Yeah, it does..."

"If you wish," she said, "we can talk about it later, but not now."

He nodded. "Yeah, you're right." A grin came to his face. "G'night, Min."

She smiled faintly in response. "Good night, Reno."

Seeing the smile, he winked before entering the house as quietly as he could... which really wasn't all that quiet, but no one really cared. Minerva turned and headed for the steps. She paused halfway up to look back down at the Candle. The people around it were clustered in twos or threes, all very close to one another with the firelight casting a warm glow on their faces. They radiated content.

Shaking her head, she climbed up to the top of the canyon and sat down beside Sephiroth at the cliff's edge. His gaze was on the sky, though she doubted he was paying any attention to what his eyes were seeing. She hated to interrupt his thoughts, but she had put this off for too long.

"Sephiroth?"

"Yes?" he replied without glancing at her.

"You knew Talya well, did you not?"

He looked at her now, gaze questioning, and nodded slightly.

"I have never thought highly of her, and Reno has asked me to find out who she was that I may hate her less." She scoffed a little. "What good it will do me now that she is dead, I do not know."

Sephiroth shrugged. "Aeris says that hatred is a terrible thing to hold in your heart."

"And she would know?"

"Why do you think she wanted Hojo dead?"

Minerva only looked at him a moment, then shook her head. "In any case... I do not know what questions to ask of you."

"Do you want proof that she cared about you? Reasons why she didn't disobey Hojo? My opinion of her? If she ever did anything worth remembering?"

"Everything, if you know it."

Sephiroth sighed, lay back across the rocky ground, feet still dangling over the edge, and put his arms behind his head. "Talya kept her job because she cared about us, not because she didn't."

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" she asked, situating herself crosslegged beside him. She could not read his expression. It was not cold, yet it gave nothing away. He seemed oddly... relaxed.

"Think about it."

What could have kept Talya from leaving if she wanted to? "...so she did not want to leave us."

"Yes, but there is a good deal more to it than that."

"Then explain it to me. Explain to me why she stayed after you were gone."

"She didn't want to leave us with Hojo. She thought she could make things better for us if she stayed. Besides, if she left, Shinra might have killed her or locked her up. In any case, she never would have seen us again. There was no way she could have managed to face Hojo, or take either of us with her."

"She could have left the Professor easily, without losing her life. I do not understand why she had to remain. She could have gone to warn you, rather than take you back."

"What makes you think she could have left alive? Hojo would have had no qualms about sending you to destroy her if she tried."

"Then her staying means nothing to me."

He shrugged. "Is it supposed to?"

"Are you not trying to tell me she cared? If she did, she never showed it."

Sephiroth closed his eyes. He seemed not to care about this conversation; or perhaps he was having difficulty putting his thoughts into words. Often as not, statements did not lead to the desired replies. That, and he was not nearly as good at this as Aeris must have been. "Did you ever try to escape, or disobey your orders-anything that caused you pain?" he asked.

"On several occasions."

"And did she come, once she found out?"

"......yes. She always came. But it was only to ask why I tried."

"No; she should have known you would never tell her. So that couldn't have been her reason. She wanted to be certain you were all right."

"Then why couldn't she tell me that?" Minerva demanded, emotion slipping into her voice. With Sephiroth, she did not care. Who would he tell? "Why couldn't she stop pretending not to care?"

He opened his eyes to glance up at her. "Did you ever tell her anything?"

"No. She always lied to me, so I never trusted her with anything."

"Your sense of right and wrong is so much stronger than mine ever was."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He closed his eyes again. "I knew she was lying, but I talked to her anyway, because I had no one else. And after a time, she stopped lying."

"So you are saying that trusting a person forces them to become trustworthy?"

"Not necessarily. But Talya had enough compassion in her that she felt guilty for lying to me whenever I confided in her."

"Did she feel guilty when you endured her beatings without protest as well?" Minerva asked bitterly.

"Yes."

"Did she ever stop?"

"No."

"Why not?"

He sighed. "Talya told me something once... If she stopped doing her job, then Hojo would simply find someone else who did it better." He glanced at her. "And, as apparently you do not know, Hojo gave much harsher beatings than Talya."

"So even that was supposed to be a mercy," she said, scoffing.

"What did you want from her? Friendship? Something akin to what she had with me?"

"Yes, something like what you had. You say she cared about us both, but she was your friend, not mine. What did I do wrong?"

"She wasn't good at reading people. She never thought you wanted her to show any emotion."

Minerva looked down at him, seeing what he meant. "...I was too self-contained. I could not forgive her lies, no matter what her intentions were in speaking them. I did not want to rely on someone who lied to me; that would be incredibly weak of me..."

"You didn't let yourself befriend her," he confirmed, "even though she was your mother. I suppose she was a dissapointment to you, not being remotely close to what a mother should have been. Blows instead of embraces."

"Sephiroth?" she asked, all harshness gone from her voice. "Do fathers normally hug their children, too?"

He blinked, noticing her change in tone, and pushed himself up to a sitting position to look at her. "Yes, I suppose so. Why?"

She shook her head and looked away. "No reason. I was only curious."

His gaze lingered on her a moment before shifting away. "As for anything she may have done for you... I do not know why you are asking me. I cannot read your memories unless Jenova decides to show them to me, and I have no wish for that."

Would you like me to show him anyway?

No.

"...she did introduce me to the concept of music," she said hesitantly. "And I suppose that was kindness of a sort."

...it's no fun this way. You insist on telling each other things, when I could just show you, and you would understand it so much better.

I'm tired of you and your fun. Shut up.

Sephiroth nodded his agreement. "Music is beautiful, isn't it?"

And I'm tired of you always telling me to shut up. Would you appreciate my voice better if I sang?

Minerva did not reply to either; she considered both conversations were over, despite lacking a greeting or dismissal. She remained where she sat and turned her attention to the Candle. By this time of morning, most people had left it and only one couple remained by the comfort of the flame. And once the sun peaked over the horizon and cast its pale glow across the eastern face of the canyon, those two were gone as well. Minerva shifted her gaze to the landscape, ignoring the village.

Sephiroth got to his feet, abruptly but purposefully.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

Sephiroth looked down at her, and she noted a confidence that had not been there before. A fresh confidence, not one he had regained; she was not certain he had ever held this sort of sureness, for it was one borne of knowing someone believed in him. "It is time I started living up to Aeris's opinion of me," he said. "There are questions I need answered, and doubts I need to dispell--both mine and others.'"

Minerva nodded. "I think I understand. I am surprised, though, that you are starting such a thing so soon."

"What should I be waiting for?" he inquired. Indeed he seemed much more content now, and she had to ask:

"Did she say she loved you?"

He hesitated but a moment, but that was enough for her to know he still harbored his old doubts. Not as strong, perhaps, but they would not be gotten rid of so easily. "She said she did not know yet. But her friendship is enough for me; afterall, it is more than I have ever had." He smiled faintly. "And she said that she would rather have friendship and death by my hand than never see me again. I..." He trailed off and shook his head.

She allowed a smile to grace her own face, if only briefly. "To have so strong a friendship must be a wonderful thing. I am happy for you."

His smile faded and he tilted his head, then nodded once as though he had answered his own question. "I am sure Reno will prove a good friend for you as well."

The girl blinked; that was not what she had been expecting. "I suppose so," she replied tentatively.

"He certainly seems to be trying anyway."

Minerva nodded. "...well, I suppose I have kept you here long enough. Go on and find your answers. You've already given me mine."

Sephiroth turned to leave, hesitated, and, when she said nothing further, strode off, headed back down the ladder. She watched him go, then returned her gaze to the canyon and her thoughts to all he had said, and what she had not.

Sephiroth approached the Candle silently, pausing some paces away. Cloud was seated alone in front of it, gazing pensively into the fire. Was he certain he wanted to bring this up now? I doubt his opinion of me become anything but worse. It is better to talk to him now before he can imagine anything worse than the truth.

The swordsman did not use the steps, but instead pulled himself backwards up onto the edge of the rock platform and sat looking at Cloud for a moment, saying nothing.

The blond noticed him with a start and immediately frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to speak with you," Sephiroth replied simply.

"And what do we have to talk about?"

"Aeris."

Cloud's gaze turned wary. "What do you mean?"

"I know you are worried about her because of me, and angry for other reasons as well; there is still love between you."

"How do you even know about that in the first place?"

"Doesn't everyone know?" he asked, then shook his slightly. "She told me, if you think that matters."

"What would you know about love anyway?"

"More than you think, obviously." He paused, could not hold the other man's gaze. "...I am in love with her as well."

Cloud gaped at him.

Sephiroth turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "You think the idea absurd, as well as my confessing this to you?"

"It is absurd! You can't be in love with her!"

He scoffed. "It certainly isn't a question of whether she is worthy of it. You do not think I am capable of such feelings... I do not blame you; I once thought the same of you. But it seems we are both wrong."

"But you can't...!"

"And why not?" Sephiroth demanded. "Am I so alien that I cannot have the same feelings as normal humans? I have been guarded towards you, yes, but that never meant there was nothing behind the guard. And Aeris... she knew that." He stopped. Anything more was not necessary, he thought, and he did not wish to speak it to Cloud anyway.

"So why are you talking about this to me? Shouldn't you talk to her about it?"

"I already have," he replied.

Cloud's eyes widened. "What did she tell you?"

"That she is uncertain of her own feelings..." He hesitated and went on less confidently. "Part of me wants her to love me back, but that is selfish, isn't it? For surely she is deserving of someone else... But then again, if she does not, she will surely feel guilty, and pity me, for that is her way." He shook his head helplessly.

The blond stared at him for a moment, then finally regained some of his composure. "You still haven't answered my question."

"I should think it would be obvious," Sephiroth said.

"Well it isn't."

He nodded. "...you don't trust me; you fear that I will hurt her. I wanted to assure you that I will not, which I cannot do if I refuse to tell you anything..." He faltered. "And, as foolish as it sounds, I wished to seek some kind of forgiveness."

This earned him another long period of staring. "...I think I've lost track of how many times you've surprised me today."

Sephiroth shrugged, and waited.

Cloud sighed. "You know I can never forgive you for what you did. Aeris can do that easily, but I'm not that kind of person... But maybe I can trust you with her, though I don't like it... and not just because I dislike you either. She..."

"...spends more time with me than you?"

He frowned, but nodded curtly. "Yeah... But... it's her choice, and if it makes her happy, then I'm gonna have to live with it." He turned his skeptical gaze on Sephiroth. "Are you really being serious about this?"

"I would not lie about something such as this; if anything, I would deny it. But that would be an insult to her, so I cannot. I would not say I love her if I did not. I had always seen strong emotions as weaknesses or foolishness."

"And you won't hurt her," Cloud went on.

"Never," he replied. "But have you never hurt her, Cloud?"

The blond blinked at him and shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you asking?"

His reaction surprised Sephiroth; he had expected an immediate no and had only been hopeful that he could come up with some instance where Cloud had treated her roughly. Perhaps he wanted to show that Cloud was not so much better for her than he. Perhaps he wanted a better reason to dislike the man. Perhaps he had only been following an intuition. He had not expected that feeling to be right.

"I was only curious before, but judging from your reaction, the answer is yes, and I want to know when it was, and how."

"Why should it matter to you?" he asked guardedly.

"Because I want to understand Aeris fully and completely, and she has not spoken of a time when you hurt her."

"Why do you need to understand her?"

"So I can help her, of course."

Cloud studied him from a long time. "Why can't you just ask her?"

"Why should I ask her about something that is your failure? It is yours to tell."

The blond sighed and closed his eyes. "It was at the Temple of the Ancients... you remember, don't you?"

Of course he remembered the Temple. That was where he first saw Aeris's strength of will, her stubborn determination, where he first saw her danger to him, first noticed her beauty, and where her familiarity first confused him. Before he had observed her with the others, but paid her little attention. He thought briefly of that dark hallway where he had first seen her, but Cloud went on and the image dispelled.

"After we got the Black Materia, you came to take it from me. And of course you got me to give it to you, because I was so weak..." He paused again, and now he was staring down at his hands. "Aeris was with me. I was angry at myself, and she tried to comfort me, but I... I knocked her down and beat her. I don't know who stopped me. I guess it was Vincent. He knocked me out."

Sephiroth was silent for a long moment, uncertain what to make of this. Cloud had... beaten her? For all that he loved her, he had grown angry and... beaten her.

And for all that you cared about her, she was in your way, so you killed her.

Yes, that was right. The worst sin was his, for murdering her. But he did not understand it. "Why hurt her, if you were angry at yourself?" he asked quietly.

Cloud shook his head miserably and looked up at him. "How should I know? I didn't mean to! I couldn't stop myself, almost like at the City..."

"But you had someone to stop you both times."

"...but I couldn't stop you."

"I see," he said finally. "Your actions were not entirely your own fault, so your instinct was not to take them out on yourself, but on someone else..."

Cloud blinked, surprised. "...I guess you could say that."

"It was more my fault than yours, for manipulating you," Sephiroth went on logically. "I may not have urged you to harm her, but you always had difficulty returning to yourself after I used you."

"......so even though you could have blamed me for hurting her, and I'm sure that's nothing to you--you don't like me either. And you'd probably like to blame me for something. Even though you could've done that, you're blaming yourself instead?"

"Yes," Sephiroth replied. "Because to do otherwise would be a lie."

"So you're telling me it's not my fault," Cloud went on, still incredulous.

"Yes."

You're being so nice today, Jenova commented. What brought about this change?

Do you even have to ask?

"Why?"

So it was Aeris. You know, of course, that the moment you are looking the other way, I will come to kill her.

Then I will be certain to kill you before you get that chance. "It's not what you expected of me, is it? Doing anything unselfish is beyond me, you think?" He shrugged slightly. "Make what you want of it. I do not have need of a scapegoat."

What pleasant conversations we have.

You are the one who starts the threats.

"You mean you don't want one, because it's obvious you're guilty of a lot of things, and it'd probably be easier to blame it on someone else."

Yes, blame me. You won't put blame on Cloud, but you'll put it on me.

Because you deserve it. "Easier perhaps, but it would be lying to myself, and I am finished with that."

Oh, so you like Cloud now?

No. And shut up. You're annoying me.

"It's really hard to believe that you've changed this much in a few weeks," Cloud said skeptically.

Fine, fine. I'll kill her slowly then.

"Was I truly that different before Nibelheim? I accepted responsibilities. I did not lie if it was not necessary. I took the efficient path, rather than the easy one. Is that not what I'm doing now?"

"What about after Nibelheim? You can't disregard that."

"...that was the result of lies--Hojo's, Jenova's, my own, the people around me--and my lack of outlet for emotion."

You did tell me to shut up, but I must say I feel better knowing you don't put all the blame for that on me.

Oh, wonderful.

"You never seemed like you needed one."

"If you had been brought up never to show your feelings, or even admit you had them, perhaps you would seem that way, too."

"Why are you telling me all these things? Why bother?"

"I have heard it said that once you understand your enemy, you can love them. Aeris has proven that true, and though I do not expect you to come anywhere near that, I am tired of your hateful gaze, tired of being uncomfortable around Aeris because I know you are watching and disapprove of it."

"How can I approve of it? You killed her."

"And the part of myself that enjoyed it has died as well."

"How can I know that?"

"Cloud--" He paused, looked sharply at the other man. "I will never hurt her. I do not act immediately on my anger as you do."

"But what about--"

"Nibelheim? I was in that basement for days, and I came to the decision to kill slowly, not instantly." He shook, his head. "I could never find a valid reason to harm her in the slightest, much less attack or kill her."

How about that she's a meddling bitch who stole you away from your mother? Jenova suggested.

Feeling especially spiteful today, are we? he asked in reply. She did not answer.

Cloud sighed. "Fine, fine... I wanted to call everyone together so we can fill them in on what happened and what's going on now..."

"You want me to help gather them here?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yeah. Anyone you see that you think needs to hear."

With nothing more than a nod between them, each went off to find who they could. Soon they were all gathered around the Candle, all sitting a little closer to each other than perhaps was polite, but since most were good friends, they did not mind. Sephiroth felt a few disapproving glances towards him, but they were easily ignored.

Soon they were all gathered around the Candle, all sitting a little closer to each other than perhaps was polite, but since most were good friends, they did not mind. He felt a few disapproving glances towards him, but they were easily ignored.

Especially with Aeris at his side, smiling gently whenever he looked her way. She was his support, his anchor, his best friend, his everything. And he had killed her. No, that was in the past, another life, it no longer mattered, she no longer blamed him for it, if she ever did, he no longer had to think about it.

Except that he could not keep the image from his mind, nor the subtle sound of the blade sliding into her. He pushed the thought from his mind and thought instead of all her words, her gentle smile, her green eyes, her warm embraces... He remembered the kiss they had shared, wondered again why he had done it. But whatever damage it had done, she was closer to him now than before, and that was what was most important.

He looked around at the group that waited so expectantly for someone to speak. He had chosen Cloud as the acceptable speaker, or at least the one to start this, but Cloud was silent. Sephiroth knew that he or Aeris could also begin this, but he did not wish to, and Aeris was also silent for the moment. No one else seemed in any hurry, perfectly content to wait until someone claimed leadership.

To Aeris's right was Nanaki, sitting up on his forelegs, eye trained on the dancing flames of the bonfire. No doubt he felt a weight lifted from his heart at seeing it relit, as everyone in the village had, for there was a smile on every face, and a brightness in every eye. Nanaki, though he had been suspicious of Sephiroth when he had first arrived, had accepted him much quicker than most, and had even given him respect. The guardian was wise despite his youth, and respect was certainly an honor.

Yuffie sat near him, idly stroking his mane while her eyes wandered elsewhere. The two were good friends, from what Sephiroth could see, though he didn't know either of them well enough to be sure. Yuffie was a bit of a mystery to him anyway; she welcomed him when no one else would, invited him to stay in her company, tried to talk to him, and even apologized once for assuming for a brief instant that he was a murderer, which she should have been doing all the time. Of all people, she should have been the most condemning, as he had led the war against her beloved Wutai. Yet she was not.

Miera lay at her side, head resting on her paws, eyes nearly closed. She radiated patience, as she had always done. She had told him very early on that he should try to communicate people, and when he scoffed at it, she only said she would let him find out on his own... And now he had several friends among these people, a few people whom he knew and was able to speak to. Surely Miera had known this would happen, that he would become attatched to people. But such was her way that she only suggested it, and then waited patiently to see that she was right.

Katrina was beside her, sitting crosslegged and alert, eyes never staying in one place too long. Some of the others probably wondered why she was there at all, but he knew she was good and kind and brave, and she had a right to know what was going on. Besides, she was also one of his few friends, and it was nice not to be quite so outnumbered by people who hated him, or at least disliked him. She was not nearly as normal as the others thought her to be, he knew, for what normal girl openly challenged a murderer to kill her? She was reckless, yet brave, naïve, yet attentive. She probably knew him better than he thought, knew more about what was going on than anyone suspected, for hadn't she been following in silence?

Then, his mother. His true mother, Lucrecia, a stranger who he had known only in stories, a stranger he had always longed to meet, a stranger who loved him unconditionally, for no reason at all. He did not understand it, but as a child he had always wanted to know about her, always wanted to know when he could meet her and if she loved him. Now she was out of the stories and part of his life. She had heard about him, and he about her, but neither really knew the other. She was trustworthy, but he did not know if he could bring himself to trust her yet. Not the way he could Aeris. Lucrecia was his mother, but she was still a stranger.

Vincent was close at her side, of course. He had gone to tell Sephiroth the truth before he committed another crime, but only because of Lucrecia, because she loved him... but she had no reason to love him, and so there was no reason behind Vincent's words to him. No, it wasn't meaningless. But it wasn't friendship either. Each had a silent understanding of the other, and perhaps they could trust each other with certain secrets, but it lacked any compassion or emotion. Perhaps he should have been trying to improve that relationship--certainly they had much in common--but he would take one thing at a time.

The thought occurred to him that he might not live long enough to do all he wanted, but he quickly dismissed it. Of course he would live. Aeris would be devastated if he died...

Cid sat near Vincent, though Sephiroth could not see him beyond the bonfire. He knew nearly nothing of the pilot. Unlike Cloud and Tifa, Cid had no personal grudge against Sephiroth. No doubt he had been fond of Aeris, but not close to her. Horrified at her death, but not broken. So he seemed hesitant to accept a killer, but not completely unwilling. He probably did not approve of his relationship with Aeris any more than the others did, but perhaps would accept it more readily than they.

Cloud was to Cid's right, and he met Sephiroth's gaze for an instant before looking away. Those eyes still held anger towards him, but not hatred, for which he was glad. He knew that talking to him today, striving to be confident and honest at the same time, he had achieved something. He had managed to change Cloud's view of him, if only slightly. Now the murderer had feelings. Now the murderer was willing to accept the blame. Now the murderer no longer murdered. Cloud could never be a friend, but he hoped that the man could at least cease to be so suspicious of him. He thought perhaps he deserved the suspicion, but Aeris would not agree, and so he quieted that thought.

Forever at Cloud's side was Tifa. That kind of devotion was something the swordsman could understand; had he fewer sins, he would never desire to be apart from Aeris. And yet, Tifa was merely Cloud's best friend, as Sephiroth was only Aeris's closest friend. For Tifa, such a relationship was painful, but bearable because of her love. For Sephiroth, even being a friend was more than he could have ever hoped for. Strange, how they could view the same situation so differently. But then, Tifa was used to having friends, wasn't she? At some point, did simple friendship become unsatisfying? Was it not enough? He did not want to consider it.

Reeve was near her, keeping a polite distance as was his way. He was a little older than Sephiroth himself--if one counted the years of the dead--and he had been the head of the Urban Development Department of Shinra even when Sephiroth was in SOLDIER. The man had always been polite towards him, a little in awe but not overly so, friendly without being gregarious. He was easily identified as a man of intelligence, and Sephiroth had liked him as much as he had liked anyone in that isolated life. It pleased him now that Reeve had not been corrupted by his years in Shinra and that he was working with the people involved with saving the world.

Elena sat fidgetting beside Reeve. Sephiroth knew little about her save that she had been a rookie Turk in the final days of Shinra. That, and that she had a strong affection and admiration for Tseng, who had died at the Temple of the Ancients, because of Sephiroth. Actually, she was devoted to him; she had found no boyfriend, and she had sought Aeris out soully to give her a message from Tseng. It was her request to Sephiroth that he revive the man, and he would do it if he was able. He had his doubts, however. Tseng was only human, and suseptable to the normal rules of the Lifestream.

Rude was, in contrast, completely still and silent. Of him, Sephiroth really did know nothing at all. He had come with Reno and Reeve, so perhaps that showed a loyalty to his friends, and the same hatred of Hojo shared by everyone. The man's silence was even deeper than Sephiroth's, yet still he had managed to befriend his fellow Turks, so there had to be something there, some compassion that made him likeable.

Reno was another matter entirely. He was as outspoken as Yuffie, and, like her, seemed to have an ecclectic taste in friends. Reeve, Rude, Elena, Aeris, and Minerva. All of them were completely different from one another. Sephiroth had never really spoken to the redhead, and he wondered what they would make of each other. He was curious as to why Reno had latched on to Minerva in particular, and perhaps he even felt a bit protective. Minerva obviously felt something in return. And Reno had befriended Aeris despite orders for her capture. So he was curious.

Minerva sat crosslegged on Sephiroth's left, gazing steadily into the flame and ignoring everyone else. He thought of her as his sister, and they treated each other as siblings, but he really had no idea what her actually relation to him was. Indeed, he was more than twice her age-if one counted the years of the dead-but when it came to Hojo's experiments, he doubted years had any relevancy. In any case, he found he could confide in her as he could no one but Aeris, and she sought out his council as well, when she needed it.

Sephiroth glanced briefly at Aeris, then looked across at Cloud. Still no one was speaking, and others besides Elena were beginning to fidget.

"Hey, Cloud," Cid said finally, relieving them. "Are you gonna tell us what this is all about, or did you want someone else to play leader?"

The blond sighed. "Nanaki thought it would be a good idea to get everyone together and explain what was going on."

"So what's going on?"

"We did all that we set out to do; we killed Hojo and freed Sephiroth. So any of you can go home if you want."

"But?" Reeve queried.

"But there is another enemy to fight," Cloud replied.

"Who?" Cid asked.

"Jenova." It was Yuffie who answered.

The pilot raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know about this?"

"Sephiroth told me," she answered, tone only a little resentful of his surprise.

"Sephiroth?"

"I told her I was going to kill Jenova," he said, sensing the wariness of those who hadn't heard of his plans. Their gazes shifted to him, no doubt wondering several things. She was alive? And Sephiroth wanted to kill her? And why on the Planet would he tell Yuffie about this?

"How do you know she's still alive?" Elena asked. "Didn't Avalanche kill her when they killed you?"

"Am I dead?" Sephiroth asked in reply. The blond was abashed, and she looked down at her hands. Then, to lighten his remark, he added, "I hear her voice in my head. That is how I am certain."

"So, what?" Reno said. "You want us to help you kill her?"

He shook his head. "I have asked no one for help--I can kill her on my own--but there are those who desired to aid me anyway."

"Who?"

"Me, for one," said Yuffie.

"And I'm going," Aeris said.

"Teef and I are going, too," Cloud said.

"...I shall go as well," Minerva added quietly.

Reno nodded. "Then if you need another hand, count me in."

Katrina fidgetted, but did not speak.

"Well, it doesn't look like you guys need anyone else, so I'll head home," Cid decided. "I'm gettin' too old for this anyway."

"Thirty-seven is hardly old, Cid," Tifa laughed.

"It's three years short of forty," he told her.

"Then you'd better marry Shera quick, before you drop off the face of the Planet, huh, Cid?" Yuffie said, grinning.

Cid ran a hand through his hair. "Why do you guys always have to bring that up?"

"Because we've waited five years and still no engagement," Tifa replied. "We thought it'd happen in five weeks at the most."

"Fine," he said. "Someone help me find a ring, and I'll go home and propose to her."

Nearly everyone laughed.

"Anyway," Cloud said once they were quiet again. "If anyone wants to leave on the Highwind, you can talk to Cid about it."

"What about fighting Jenova?" Reno asked. "When are we gonna do that, and where are we going?"

Most everyone looked at Sephiroth, though a few still looked to Cloud. The swordsman shook his head slightly. "We have to find out where she is first, though I think I have a fairly good idea. As for when--I don't care. The sooner the better."

You think you know where I am? Silly boy. Even if you are right, I can be gone by the time you find out and come.

Then you'll run away from me? I thought you could defeat me easily.

You perhaps, but you and all your 'friends' may present a problem.

"Tomorrow?" Cloud suggested. "Unless anyone wants another day here..."

No one objected. "Tomorrow then," Sephiroth confirmed. I shall see you then, Jenova.

I'll no longer be here. I can easily find a new place to hide.

Hiding indeed.

"Does Jenova have any weaknesses to speak of?" Yuffie asked.

Sephiroth shook his head. "I know of none. You have fought her before, anyway. I have not."

"Huh. I guess you're right. But still... she talks in your head, so I figured you'd know something we don't anyway."

Aeris spoke up. "The Planet said that Sephiroth was capable of destroying her. It-"

"You can't be certain of that," Sephiroth said quietly.

"Oh, hush," she replied. "It was talking about you. And it didn't mention anything about you needing help. I think the seven of us should manage."

Yuffie grinned a little as she nodded, then hopped up. "So I guess we should get ready for tomorrow."

"Yuff, how much is there to do before you go?" Cid asked.

She put her hands on her hips. "I'm not talking about doing my hair or something, Cid Highwind. I'm talking about seeing people and talking to them and stuff."

"Very eloquently put, Yuffie," Nanaki remarked as he hopped down from the platform.

Yuffie turned with an indignant "hey!" and followed him.

Cid stood and shook his head. "Kids these days."

The rest of the group dispersed in little clusters. Tifa went with Cid towards the shops, he noted with some amusement. Aeris remained with Sephiroth before the Candle, taking up his hand once most of them were gone.

"Did you two put any thought to where you're going after this is over?" Sephiroth looked up at his mother, blinking. Vincent stood silently beside her, and a little behind.

"Where we're going?" Aeris echoed, blinking also.

Lucrecia smiled. "I assume you're staying together."

The Cetra blushed a little, which surprised the swordsman. "I suppose so..." she answered. "I really hadn't given it any thought. All I'm sure of is that we're not going to Costa del Sol." She glanced at Sephiroth. "Did you have any preferences...?"

He shrugged. "...I don't want to go back to Nibelheim, and I doubt the people of Wutai would welcome me, but aside from that, I really don't know."

His mother hesitated. "Vincent and I had considered returning to Nibelheim. Despite what happened there, we still love it."

Aeris smiled. "We'll put a little more thought to the matter then, and see if we can narrow our choices down. Who knows, we may decide to stay here. The people seem accepting enough."

Accepting. So she was taking that into consideration. "Mother," Sephiroth said falteringly. "Do you think I could talk to you...?"

"Alone?" she asked.

He hesitated and looked at Aeris. "You can listen if you like..."

"Only if you want me there," she replied.

"I... I think I want you to hear whatever is said." He turned to look at Vincent. "However, I doubt you would want to hear this, and I don't want you to anyway. So, if you don't mind..."

Vincent shook his head no and turned to leave. The three remaining watched him descend the stairs and stride away from them.

Lucrecia sat down beside Sephiroth, but turned slightly towards him. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

He shifted uncomfortably, glanced once at Aeris as if for support. "Mother," he began, and he saw Lucrecia smile faintly as he called her that. "I... I want to know more about my father."

The request obviously startled her, as did the tone of his voice, free of anger. She could not reply. Aeris only smiled a little. He wondered what she thought of his words.

He nodded in response to his mother's unspoken questions as he turned his gaze to the fire. "Yes, of course I have accepted it. I cannot deny that Hojo is my father, however much I dislike it. And neither can I discard his memory so easily. I knew only his cruelty and killed him in anger, and yet... He said that he loved you, somehow. And Aeris believed him, I think." He glanced at her briefly, saw her nod, and went on. "I cannot imagine it, after all he had done to me, but... Mother, you would be the one to know, if he was ever any different, if he ever had a soul or a heart."

"Hojo was... far from perfect," she began falteringly. "But he did have feelings. He was very hard-working, but somehow he found time to help me do my own work. And the conversations we would have! Now, Vincent would listen, but Hojo would always reply. We shared so many of the same ideas... But... things changed once I married him."

Sephiroth waited patiently for her to go on. Aeris remained silent.

Lucrecia's voice dropped to a murmur. "I think he knew, that I still loved Vincent, and he was angry at us both for that. He always did hate Vincent, and the fact that my love made them rivals... that made the hate stronger." She lowered her gaze. "Even though... I never actually said it to either of them. I always regretted that."

"Even saying it to Hojo?"

"Yes, even to Hojo."

Should I say it to Aeris then?

Unless you think your feelings for her are going to change.

They're not, he told her firmly, so I will.

I can't believe my words just made you decide to tell that Cetra you love her...

He would have smirked had he been alone.

"Maybe," Lucrecia went on, "maybe if I had told him, he wouldn't have grown so spiteful. Maybe I would have been a joy to him rather than a constant reminder that he shared my love with Vincent. Maybe that was why he grew to hate me, too."

"He meant to use you from the start," said Sephiroth, causing her to look up sharply, "but he fell in love with you by accident. He told us that he was jealous of Vincent, and so to get back at him, he let you die. But I cannot understand how he could, if he cared at all for you..."

"Perhaps that was the only way he could see to stop me from loving Vincent... and thus, end his feeling of inferiority."

Sephiroth nodded, then frowned. "...and his treatment of me? I know he did not spend all his time running tests on me. There was time for other things..."

"...you must have reminded him of me," she said, smiling gently. "You do have my eyes."

"So he was trying to make himself forget?"

"He never mentioned me, did he? And he told you that Jenova was your mother?"

"Yes," he replied.

She sighed. "I wonder if he believed that himself for a while... Maybe he did forget me, for a time, when you kept your eyes lowered and your mouth shut. Perhaps then, he couldn't see me in you and couldn't feel any pain over losing me."

"I suppose that makes sense," Sephiroth agreed tentatively.

"...I asked him once, if he ever wanted children, and he told me definately not; they would be a pain and a nuisance. But then he laughed, and I thought he must surely be joking. Or at least, he might enjoy them when they weren't being a pain and a nuisance. But now I don't think so..." Lucrecia shook her head. "You would have been the perfect son for him, had he bothered to treat you like one. You were always such a quick learner. You never would have been bothersome..."

"...but your memory tormented him," Sephiroth said suddenly, "just as it did Vincent. And while Vincent clung to that memory and punished himself for your death, Hojo did everything he could to destroy that memory so he did not have to see himself as flawed. He would have seen a sorrow over your death as a weakness, I am sure, as well as ever having cared for a human in the first place."

"So he was just a man who wanted desperately to be perfect," she concluded sadly. "Professor Gast was a reminder of his mental inferiority, I was a reminder of his emotional weakness, and you were a reminder of both, as well as his lack of physical strength... That's why he hated you, my son, because you were sure proof of his imperfection. I don't think he ever got over that, no matter how many times he must have told himself that your greatness added to his because you were his 'creation.' It must have been devastating; he wanted recognition and all he ever got was hatred."

They sat with a silence between them, each thinking of Hojo's cruelties... although for Lucrecia, there were good memories along with the bad. "Even knowing all that," Sephiroth said finally, "I don't think any healer, not even Aeris, could have cured him of his hatred or his cruelty." He blinked a little and glanced at the Cetra beside him. She smiled in reassurance.

"Maybe if I'd..." Lucrecia began.

"No," Aeris interrupted, speaking for the first time in the conversation. "You had no obligation to change him, and I can't imagine how hard it would have been to get him to even admit that he needed to be changed. It's near impossible to help someone who doesn't want your help on some level or another."

"...and even deep down, he didn't want it," Lucrecia finished for her. She sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Mother?" Sephiroth faltered.

She looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Am I anything like Hojo?"

Lucrecia shook her head, smiling slightly. "No, not a bit. And I'm glad. Yours is a different kind of intelligence, a different kind of determination. Your motives are much purer, and they always have been. That's why I'm proud of you, my son."

He smiled a little and bowed his head. "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me for that," she replied. "Now, is that all you wanted to say?"

Sephiroth nodded. "That was all."

Lucrecia stood. "I had better get back to Vincent." She shared a knowing glance with Aeris. "You leave him alone for five minutes and he's found something else to blame himself for." She bade them farewell and hurried off in the direction that Vincent had gone.

Sephiroth turned back to Aeris, uncertainty in his gaze.

"You surprised me," she admitted. "But it was a pleasant surprised. I'm glad you're trying to understand even the ones you hate. I think that helped me some, too."

He nodded a bit. "I had hoped it might..." He paused. "But, I would not have thought to ask her, except that Minerva asked me about Talya this morning, wanting to understand her better."

She smiled. "Then you helped her, also. What else have you done today?"

"...I talked to Cloud," he replied, looking down.

"About... us?"

He nodded.

"Do you think it helped?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "Perhaps a bit. I cannot be certain." He glanced sideways at her. "...did he really hurt you at the Temple of the Ancients?"

She blinked in surprise. "Yes... he did. But I've long since forgiven him for that."

"I thought you might have."

Aeris looked up at him, smiling. "You're being a healer today, Sephiroth... I can see it in your eyes, and it's beautiful."

He dropped his gaze again and mumbled something under his breath.

She laughed. "Modesty? I think you should be proud of yourself. Being a healer is not an easy thing, but there are a shortage of them on the Planet. It's always nice to have a healer at your side."

"Do you think Jenova can be understood?" he asked, on a whim.

Hm. Something mildly nice about me. What in the world has gotten into you?

I don't have to like you to understand you.

An impression of a sigh. Oh well. It sounded nice anyway.

Aeris shook her head slowly. "I don't know. I suppose she can be, but I wouldn't be the one to understand her. She has to die for the Planet to survive, that's all I'm certain of. Maybe she's afraid of dying, maybe she's the last of her kind and she's struggling to carry that on, I don't know."

Are you the last of your kind? Sephiroth asked.

Silence.

"...she won't answer me," he said. "It's strange for her not to want to talk about something. But then, she has always avoided discussions of what happened two millenia ago unless she felt like ranting at the Cetra."

"Part of me might be willing to hear her words, to try to understand her, but... I have stories and vague memories from the Cetra before me, and what Jenova did was terrible. We were kind to her, we befriended her, and what we received was betrayal and painful death. Perhaps there's some explanation for it, but I can't see it. We have always fought her in self-defense, and there is no way she can't understand that through you and Minerva."

Sephiroth nodded. "You're right."

She's wrong!

I don't want to talk to you now. Go brood or something.

Aeris shrugged a bit. "Maybe. You'd know better than I would." She leaned back on one hand, her other still clasping his. "What did you want to do today?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "I never think much about it."

After a moment, she sat up again, holding his one hand in both of hers. "How about we start by taking off your gloves. You don't need them, do you?"

He shifted uncomfortably, but shook his head. She carefully tugged off the one and set it down on the ground before reaching for his other hand. He let her take that glove off, too, then lowered both hands to his lap, trying not to show his discomfort.

Aeris took up his hand again, gently, and he marvelled silently at the feel of her skin against his own. "Did you think your own hands so dirty that you couldn't touch anyone with them?" she asked softly.

He should not have been surprised that she guessed his reasons, but he was anyway. "Yes," he murmured.

She clasped both his hands firmly, even though hers seemed so tiny around his. "You shouldn't think that. These are the hands of a healer. These are the hands that brushed away my tears. These are the hands that held me to drive away my solitude. They are nothing to be ashamed of."

"...but they are also the hands that weilded the Masamune and took countless lives. There is much blood on these hands."

"These hands are clean," Aeris said.

He did not reply. He kept his eyes on their joined hands. "Aeris?" he asked after a while.

"Yes?"

"Do you really mean to stay with me after this is all over?"

"Of course I do," she replied.

Sephiroth nodded, looked up, smiled. "I'm glad then."

"Where do you want to go?" she asked, returning his smile.

"I don't know."

She looked around, then stated, "Well, we can't stay here. There aren't any gardens, and I have to have my flowers..."

"You are a flower," he said.

"Right!" Aeris replied. "So I have to have my family with me."

Sephiroth laughed, and she grinned.

Author's Notes: Much of this chapter was influenced by Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card (Go read it! O.o!), because I was reading it at the same time as I was writing. Or, rather, alternating between the two. :/ I think I like it anyway tho. Plus, it's the 23rd chapter, put up on the 23rd. That alone makes it special. XP

Oh! And thanks for all the reviews! They really make my day. ^_^