Disclaimer: Final Fantasy belongs to Squaresoft. If you feel a need to go
and thank them for all their generous work, please feel free. Although,
somehow I think the extravagant amounts of money we spend on their games is
thanks enough.
Author's Note: *wanders around staring blankly* Hello? Is anyone out there? Heelllooooo????? *spins around suddenly* Who's there? *chirp chirp* Is ANYONE OUT THERE?!?!?
(I left this in, even though I got your guys reviews. I thought it was cute when I wrote it, so. there you go.)
On that note, it'll be a little while yet 'til I can super-age them. Okay, I know I should have made the Yuffie chapter later, but I didn't realize I would get this many ideas.. *sigh* Also, I can NEVER update over the weekends. No computer during weekends, you see. So, please don't hate me for that!! Enjoy!!
*sarcastically* Gee, thanks, SSFH. And here, I am, diligently working on your GW fanfic, and this one, and my college work, and my part-time job, and my OTHER part-time job. Actually, I don't mind (that much) being told what I can improve with in my fanfics. Feel free to do so, as long as you don't flame me. I'll cry. Really, I will. Then I won't write for months. -__-;;; Wai!! K, here's the chapter. Why did I have a huge author's note this time? Who knows????
Chapter 26:
Strange Comment
What did he mean? How could he know what she meant? She had once tried to explain it to Elmyra, but had given up after the massive confusion that followed her statement. Aeris had already accepted that no one would be able to understand what went on between her and the planet.
Not that she minded all that much. The planet was very friendly, after all, and sometimes the ability to talk with it was extremely satisfying. It made her feel special, in a way, that she was the only one in the whole world who could talk with the planet. So how could Sephiroth know what she was talking about? It didn't make any sense.
But, she wanted it to make sense. She wanted to be able to talk with someone openly about things that confused her, like why the planet acted strangely sometimes. It was hard for her to keep everything to herself.
"But. how could you?" she asked him, eyes staring intently at the ground. "I think you don't get what I mean. It's really hard to explain, I'm doing it wrong, I know."
"No, I understand you." Sephiroth let his eyes open slightly to look at her. "You might not believe me, but I do." He was unsure of how to proceed. Should he tell her about that voice in his head? The one that kept urging him to do and say things? It was getting harder and harder to not talk about it. But he felt like he shouldn't. Why should he? He's able to deal with things on his own, am I right? Why not just get up and walk away, right now? His thoughts were jumbled. Were they his? It was hard to tell.
"Seph?" Aeris looked up at him. "Thanks."
He didn't reply. The weirdness of the situation was settling in on him. It felt wrong, just to be sitting here with her like this. Why would he do something so. odd? It almost made it seem as if he wanted to be around her. What are you thinking? I don't know. I don't know what I'm thinking. You're getting confused. I know that. I'm always confused. Especially now. I told you that girl was trouble, but would you listen? Her only potential lies in her being a Cetra. That's not true. She has more potential than me. That's completely absurd. You have the most potential to become a god than anyone I've ever studied. That's why I'm in you. That's right. You want me to become a god. I keep forgetting. Don't forget it. It's important. Yes, very important. Why? I don't know. I don't know. I can't think. It hurts to think. I should stop.
So he did.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Aeris felt so relaxed with him. It was so peaceful being there, by his side. She wondered if he felt the same way. If he did, he sure hid it well. He was sitting there like a brick.
He moved a little, and Aeris felt relieved. She had been afraid that he was going to get all stoic and silent again. Her relief quickly faded when she realized he had moved to stand up. She looked up at him quizzically. He just looked at her, then walked away.
She stared after him, completely unnerved. What was that? Did he think her 'thanks' was an end to their conversation? Maybe that was it. It was hard to tell with him. Sometimes he would seem to care about her, but then he would act cold towards her. And what could she do about that? Not much, besides sit here and sulk.
So she did.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Everyone around Zack figured he was listening to them. They all thought he was keenly interested in whatever the current gossip was. They would have been wrong, and would continue to be wrong. Zack cared little for the topic of conversation, and perhaps even less for the people. Not that he was as cold as Sephiroth, far from it, but he tended to dislike people who acted in ways they felt would get them to be liked. In his opinion, it was a waste of his time to get to know their false personalities.
So, while people talked to him about issues that were of extreme importance to them, but held little or no relevance to Zack's life, his gaze traveled. It landed on the two children in the corner. It was odd to see them together, but not so much as the fact that Sephiroth seemed to actually be talking with Aeris. Sephiroth never talked to Aeris. Even when she had consistently tried to get him to speak, she had failed miserably.
Now that Aeris was upset, he was suddenly quite willing to open up to her? It made a weird sort of sense in Zack's mind, and that was what he was worried about. He wondered what Aeris thought. She certainly seemed like comfortable enough. She wasn't tense, and she wasn't twirling her hair in that unconscious habit of hers that surely meant nervousness.
As he watched the two of them interact, he felt a twinge of jealousy. He knew he shouldn't be jealous. Really, he did. He knew that Sephiroth never talked to anyone, and Aeris wasn't the type to start ignoring one person in favor of another. He also knew, or liked to think, that Aeris wouldn't stop talking to him just because Sephiroth suddenly seemed a bit more chummy. However, the fact that Sephiroth was even becoming friendlier was something that Zack didn't know how to respond to. What was it about Aeris that had everyone so eager to become friends with her? There was something there, some slight aspect of her personality that seemed to attract everyone. People surrounded her, and she almost didn't notice it.
Even more so than himself, people watched Aeris with fervor. They watched how she moved, what she wore, the way she spoke, and when she laughed. The would study the way she wore her hair, the way her smile would brighten at a random person's greeting, and exactly how she moved when she sat down or rose. Zack thought it was disconcerting, to be so intently studied. Then again, he doubted she even was aware of they way they fawned on her. If she had been aware of it, she might not have felt so lonely. It might have saved her this morning, when she was near tears in front of their school.
Then again, maybe he should be thankful. It was because of that he had been able to talk with her that morning, and sit with her during the day. It was. unexpected, the way she reacted. He had been sure, completely positive that she would try to stay sill in between them so as not to accidentally touch either one. Then, when he had noticed how casual she was with Sephiroth, how they interacted so easily, he began to hope that she would act the same with him. Much to his dismay, she never even touched him. Sephiroth, however, got multiple 'accidental' brushes and pokes, among other things. Zack felt angry thinking about it. He knew he shouldn't be angry, yet he was anyway. Not at Sephiroth or Aeris, but at himself. How could he become so selfish in such a short period of time? Sephiroth needed her companionship much more then he did. Yet he only seemed to care about himself lately.
Movement caught his eye, and he watched with surprise as Sephiroth stood up and walked away from Aeris. He half expected her to run after him, but what good would that do? He watched as Sephiroth made his way over to where Zack was standing. Instead of stopping, Sephiroth kept on walking by. Irritated, Zack pushed through the small crowd and grabbed onto Sephiroth's hand.
"Seph, what are you doing?"
But he didn't answer. Instead, he turned and tried again to walk away. Zack just held on tighter.
"You and Aeris were just talking, what happened? Did she do something wrong?"
Sephiroth wouldn't even look at him. Zack pulled him closer and looked him in the eye. "Or are you just being your usual anti-social self?"
Sephiroth blinked, then looked at Zack. "I. I don't."
"You don't what, Seph?"
"I don't. understand."
"What?"
".what's happening. to me."
Sephiroth finally pulled free, and Zack was left to wonder what exactly that strange comment meant.
Author's Note: *wanders around staring blankly* Hello? Is anyone out there? Heelllooooo????? *spins around suddenly* Who's there? *chirp chirp* Is ANYONE OUT THERE?!?!?
(I left this in, even though I got your guys reviews. I thought it was cute when I wrote it, so. there you go.)
On that note, it'll be a little while yet 'til I can super-age them. Okay, I know I should have made the Yuffie chapter later, but I didn't realize I would get this many ideas.. *sigh* Also, I can NEVER update over the weekends. No computer during weekends, you see. So, please don't hate me for that!! Enjoy!!
*sarcastically* Gee, thanks, SSFH. And here, I am, diligently working on your GW fanfic, and this one, and my college work, and my part-time job, and my OTHER part-time job. Actually, I don't mind (that much) being told what I can improve with in my fanfics. Feel free to do so, as long as you don't flame me. I'll cry. Really, I will. Then I won't write for months. -__-;;; Wai!! K, here's the chapter. Why did I have a huge author's note this time? Who knows????
Chapter 26:
Strange Comment
What did he mean? How could he know what she meant? She had once tried to explain it to Elmyra, but had given up after the massive confusion that followed her statement. Aeris had already accepted that no one would be able to understand what went on between her and the planet.
Not that she minded all that much. The planet was very friendly, after all, and sometimes the ability to talk with it was extremely satisfying. It made her feel special, in a way, that she was the only one in the whole world who could talk with the planet. So how could Sephiroth know what she was talking about? It didn't make any sense.
But, she wanted it to make sense. She wanted to be able to talk with someone openly about things that confused her, like why the planet acted strangely sometimes. It was hard for her to keep everything to herself.
"But. how could you?" she asked him, eyes staring intently at the ground. "I think you don't get what I mean. It's really hard to explain, I'm doing it wrong, I know."
"No, I understand you." Sephiroth let his eyes open slightly to look at her. "You might not believe me, but I do." He was unsure of how to proceed. Should he tell her about that voice in his head? The one that kept urging him to do and say things? It was getting harder and harder to not talk about it. But he felt like he shouldn't. Why should he? He's able to deal with things on his own, am I right? Why not just get up and walk away, right now? His thoughts were jumbled. Were they his? It was hard to tell.
"Seph?" Aeris looked up at him. "Thanks."
He didn't reply. The weirdness of the situation was settling in on him. It felt wrong, just to be sitting here with her like this. Why would he do something so. odd? It almost made it seem as if he wanted to be around her. What are you thinking? I don't know. I don't know what I'm thinking. You're getting confused. I know that. I'm always confused. Especially now. I told you that girl was trouble, but would you listen? Her only potential lies in her being a Cetra. That's not true. She has more potential than me. That's completely absurd. You have the most potential to become a god than anyone I've ever studied. That's why I'm in you. That's right. You want me to become a god. I keep forgetting. Don't forget it. It's important. Yes, very important. Why? I don't know. I don't know. I can't think. It hurts to think. I should stop.
So he did.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Aeris felt so relaxed with him. It was so peaceful being there, by his side. She wondered if he felt the same way. If he did, he sure hid it well. He was sitting there like a brick.
He moved a little, and Aeris felt relieved. She had been afraid that he was going to get all stoic and silent again. Her relief quickly faded when she realized he had moved to stand up. She looked up at him quizzically. He just looked at her, then walked away.
She stared after him, completely unnerved. What was that? Did he think her 'thanks' was an end to their conversation? Maybe that was it. It was hard to tell with him. Sometimes he would seem to care about her, but then he would act cold towards her. And what could she do about that? Not much, besides sit here and sulk.
So she did.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Everyone around Zack figured he was listening to them. They all thought he was keenly interested in whatever the current gossip was. They would have been wrong, and would continue to be wrong. Zack cared little for the topic of conversation, and perhaps even less for the people. Not that he was as cold as Sephiroth, far from it, but he tended to dislike people who acted in ways they felt would get them to be liked. In his opinion, it was a waste of his time to get to know their false personalities.
So, while people talked to him about issues that were of extreme importance to them, but held little or no relevance to Zack's life, his gaze traveled. It landed on the two children in the corner. It was odd to see them together, but not so much as the fact that Sephiroth seemed to actually be talking with Aeris. Sephiroth never talked to Aeris. Even when she had consistently tried to get him to speak, she had failed miserably.
Now that Aeris was upset, he was suddenly quite willing to open up to her? It made a weird sort of sense in Zack's mind, and that was what he was worried about. He wondered what Aeris thought. She certainly seemed like comfortable enough. She wasn't tense, and she wasn't twirling her hair in that unconscious habit of hers that surely meant nervousness.
As he watched the two of them interact, he felt a twinge of jealousy. He knew he shouldn't be jealous. Really, he did. He knew that Sephiroth never talked to anyone, and Aeris wasn't the type to start ignoring one person in favor of another. He also knew, or liked to think, that Aeris wouldn't stop talking to him just because Sephiroth suddenly seemed a bit more chummy. However, the fact that Sephiroth was even becoming friendlier was something that Zack didn't know how to respond to. What was it about Aeris that had everyone so eager to become friends with her? There was something there, some slight aspect of her personality that seemed to attract everyone. People surrounded her, and she almost didn't notice it.
Even more so than himself, people watched Aeris with fervor. They watched how she moved, what she wore, the way she spoke, and when she laughed. The would study the way she wore her hair, the way her smile would brighten at a random person's greeting, and exactly how she moved when she sat down or rose. Zack thought it was disconcerting, to be so intently studied. Then again, he doubted she even was aware of they way they fawned on her. If she had been aware of it, she might not have felt so lonely. It might have saved her this morning, when she was near tears in front of their school.
Then again, maybe he should be thankful. It was because of that he had been able to talk with her that morning, and sit with her during the day. It was. unexpected, the way she reacted. He had been sure, completely positive that she would try to stay sill in between them so as not to accidentally touch either one. Then, when he had noticed how casual she was with Sephiroth, how they interacted so easily, he began to hope that she would act the same with him. Much to his dismay, she never even touched him. Sephiroth, however, got multiple 'accidental' brushes and pokes, among other things. Zack felt angry thinking about it. He knew he shouldn't be angry, yet he was anyway. Not at Sephiroth or Aeris, but at himself. How could he become so selfish in such a short period of time? Sephiroth needed her companionship much more then he did. Yet he only seemed to care about himself lately.
Movement caught his eye, and he watched with surprise as Sephiroth stood up and walked away from Aeris. He half expected her to run after him, but what good would that do? He watched as Sephiroth made his way over to where Zack was standing. Instead of stopping, Sephiroth kept on walking by. Irritated, Zack pushed through the small crowd and grabbed onto Sephiroth's hand.
"Seph, what are you doing?"
But he didn't answer. Instead, he turned and tried again to walk away. Zack just held on tighter.
"You and Aeris were just talking, what happened? Did she do something wrong?"
Sephiroth wouldn't even look at him. Zack pulled him closer and looked him in the eye. "Or are you just being your usual anti-social self?"
Sephiroth blinked, then looked at Zack. "I. I don't."
"You don't what, Seph?"
"I don't. understand."
"What?"
".what's happening. to me."
Sephiroth finally pulled free, and Zack was left to wonder what exactly that strange comment meant.