Wooh! One chapter's out of the way. I hope y'all liked it. Here goes the next one.

Chapter 2

Aboard the airship, I found myself again on deck, watching the sky pass by over the railing. But this time, my thoughts were not dark and negative as before, but joyful and pleasant. Aeris was inside sleeping on a heap of blankets in the Meeting Room. Yuffie had leant her some clothes to wear, until she would be able to get her own. Our next destination was Costa del Sol, where Aeris and I would be dropped off and where she could stay for as long as she wanted to.

The trip was long, but my heart was light. I decided to go inside to check on my angel. When I entered, she was just barely awake, but she was still looking glorious.

"Hey, how are you?" I said as I sat down beside her.

"Mmm," she said, "I couldn't be better!!"

She looked so tired, but somehow still so vibrant. I looked at her lovingly. "Sleepy?"

"Maybe a little," she replied, "But that doesn't matter. But tell me Cloud. how did you know to find me."

I suddenly remembered how that had happened, and even though at the time I had described it as being something dark and even though it had felt that way, perhaps it was only a good force, alerting me of Aeris' revival.

"Well, you see," I started, "It was actually kind of weird. I was. I was standing out on deck, kinda in a bad mood when Tifa invited me to come inside and join everyone else. I wasn't in the mood, so she went back in. Then I got some weird feeling and it. it made me go inside, where everyone else was. I couldn't even help it! Then it got even weirder when I started saying that 'the girl' was back and waiting in the Northern Crater. Then I just passed out. It was so strange."

"Who, or what, do you suppose possessed you like that?" asked Aeris, with a bit of fear apparent in her expression.

"I haven't a clue. It felt. it felt kinda like, you know, when Sephiroth used to come over me and make me do stuff. You don't think it's him, do you?"

She took a deep breath and sat upright to answer my question. "I don't know. But Sephiroth's dead, how could it be him?"

"I don't know," I answered, "It doesn't make much sense. say Aeris?"

"Yeah," she answered inquisitively.

"How did you... you know. come back?"

"Well, don't you remember?" she asked with a cute smile, "I told you I'd be coming back when it was all over! You see, because I did a favor for the Planet and saved it from Meteor, it assured me that I'd be able to come back when everything had finished and be the same person, with the same body. My death was only temporary, so that I could carry out the Planet's plans. And also, the Planet needs me to be alive right now since my presence somehow makes it so that Sephiroth can't come back. You see, he was very powerful and much of his power he probably still has, even through death. But the Planet makes sure that he can't use it. It's all under control."

"Wow; I didn't know that that was possible. but tell me: what was the Lifestream like?"

She thought for a minute and then answered my question. "Hmm. I can't remember at all."

"Do you. do you suppose that maybe when the Lifestream spat you back here, Sephiroth managed to find a way out as well?"

A look of fear crossed of Aeris' usually content face. "I pray, with every inch of my heart, that that will not happen. Let's just hope that the thing that possessed you was good spirit. Otherwise, it could be anything."

I then did something I never expected myself to do. I leant in closer to Aeris and rapped my arms around her small waist reassuringly.

"Don't worry," I whispered in her ear, "I won't let that beast lay a finger on you."

How wrong I was.

~~~~~**********~~~~~

Within a couple of hours, we had reached Costa del Sol and Cid let us off the Highwind. The whole gang stood right on the deck to say our farewells.

"If you need to contact any of us," he started, "just use the PS."

Aeris then went to say bye to everyone. She started with the pilot, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, making him blush.

"Thanks for the ride, Cid!" she said, "I hope to see you soon."

"No problem, doll!" came Cid's husky voice, "Call whenever you need me to go somewhere in the ship."

She then walked over to Vincent, giving him a simple handshake. "How you doing, Vincent?"

"I'm alright," he said quietly.

"Chin up!" Aeris ordered cheerfully, "You've got tomorrow to look forward to, haven't you?"

"Thank you."

Then Aeris skipped over to Barret, giving him a cute kiss on the cheek. "You know Barret, if it weren't for your starting up AVALANCHE in the first place, we wouldn't be here right now. Thank you."

"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, hear?" he said like a soldier in the military, "But how 'bout another little kiss?"

Aeris laughed and shook her head, before finding herself in front of Red XIII. She scratched his head playfully, resulting in a sweet purr on his part. "You like that?" she asked, "Thanks for helping us out through everything. Your brains really are a huge help, you know!"

"It's been my pleasure, Miss Aeris," he purred, "And again. I'm sorry for what back with Hojo and everything."

"It's all in the past!" Aeris said, as she walked over to Cait Sith. She gave him also a kiss on the cheek. "You gonna get out of this costume sometime soon?"

"I hope so!" he responded, "Thank you, Aeris. It's been a slice! You're a great person to work with."

"No problem," she replied with a smile, "You've been wonderful as well."

Aeris then had only Tifa and Yuffie left. She started with the young ninja. "Got any new material since I was gone?"

"Um, a couple." said Yuffie, "And remember, if there's any material you don't want, you know what charity to give it to, right?"

"Yes, yes." Aeris laughed merrily, as she looked down at the miniskirt, halter top and sneakers she had borrowed from Yuffie, "And thank you for the clothes. I'll get them back to you as soon as possible."

"No problem!" The two hugged before Aeris went on to the last person she had to thank: Tifa. Tifa wore no friendly smile or warm expression. Instead she looked so strange and hostile. She had been so quiet all through Aeris' return.

"Tifa." Aeris said with a tear in her eye, knowing the sad truth about their lack of friendship, "I've always really liked you and respected. I just wish we could have become even closer friends."

"Yeah," Tifa agreed, but not in a very heart-felt or genuine voice, "Glad to see you again."

Aeris smiled with that same tear lingering in her eye. I wanted to hold her and let her know that Tifa could be a better person and that she wasn't all that bad. but instead, I did nothing. Aeris was still a lady about it, even though Tifa couldn't accept too much emotion sometimes, and gave her a hug.

"Goodbye, everyone," I said half-heartedly.

"Take care," she bid as she smiled and blew a kiss to the others.

The sweet scent of her hair then came my way as I slid my hand around her slender one before descending from the ship and helping her down. When we came to the ground she again waved to the others as the propeller from the ship started up.

"And thank you, Cloud," she said quietly when it was just her and me.

"For what?" I asked as I led her towards the town where I resided.

"For keeping your promise."

"Oh you mean taking you on the Highwind?" I said with ease, "It was no problem."

"No, not that. I mean. being my bodyguard."

"Oh," was my reaction. I didn't know what she meant. I had totally failed her! "Huh? Uh, Aeris, it was my fault that all that stuff with Sephiroth happened. I let you down."

"No you didn't. It was because of you that I'm here today, Cloud. You have still a good deal to understand. The reason, you see, why Sephiroth can't come back is."

"Well, cause you're back, right?" I interrupted, kinda scared she might say something that would make me uncomfortable.

"No, there's more, Cloud," she continued, "It's weird actually, but you need to understand. Well, we seem to have."

"MANGOS! Fresh mangos! Post-Meteor-crisis deal: three mangos for the price of one!"

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed. We hadn't even noticed it, but we had walked right into the heart of Costa del Sol and merchants were pestering us from every corner of the town.

"We passed the villa," I told Aeris, "What an idiot I am! C'mon!" I took her hand and led her back to the villa quickly. I was being weird, really weird, but I we had to escape the madness of town and the insanity of the merchants who were in full swing. We quickly ran to the villa, just barely escaping the guy selling codfish.

"Wow." Aeris said stunned, "This place is beautiful. It must have cost you a fortune!"

"Meh!" I said with ease, "It used to be President Shinra's I think. Would you like something to drink?"

And so the rest of the day passed by leisurely, like that of normal people, the people who have families and work from nine to five. They might have a Golden Retriever, two kids and a nice wife who makes good spaghetti. That was the kind of life I had always wanted, but things never turned out that way. But at least on that particular day, I could spend the rest of my time with the girl I loved.

I wondered if Aeris felt the same way about normal people as I went to sleep that night. I could see her lying peacefully in the bed across from mine, her chest again rising and falling with each breath. How beautiful she was. how I wanted her.

I let sleep possess my body and mind slowly and surely like the gentle release of pollen from a flower. It crept its way over me as I lied thinking of the girl of my dreams, who slept only a few feet from me. Life was beautiful at that moment in time.

~~~~~**********~~~~~

"Don't get too used to this, boy," came a sinister voice.

I was crouching in a dark room in the corner, where two hard cement walls met. I could see nothing. It reminded me of somewhere where hopeless people might go, in complete and everlasting mourning, jaded with their every breath. I felt alone. I hated that feeling. Where was Aeris?

"She's not here," came that voice again, "Don't you understand?"

Oh, no! I knew that voice. I knew that voice so well.

"Sephiroth, you get away from me!" I demanded, "You're not real!"

"Go ahead and believe what you want, but I know the truth." Footsteps came closer and so sounded the voice. "You were smart to guess upon how I've returned. Indeed, I've crept my way through a crevasse in the Lifestream, just as that girl found her way through a vortex. Is it just, though, that she be able to return to this world with such ease while the Planet would otherwise force me to stay locked away in captivity, my powers distant and unattainable? That's why I've returned, my boy. And this time you WON'T stop me!"

"SHUT UP!" I yelled, "You're NOT real! And don't you dare even touch Aeris, you monster! If you try, I'll rip you to shreds!"

Sephiroth then laughed his cold, devious laugh and he finally walked close enough to me to dimly illuminate the space around him, revealing his hideous and twisted smile. "Don't be so sure of yourself. You know so very little. and as for harming the Ancient: that's for you to do."

I stood up to challenge him, trying to reach for my Buster Sword, which was nowhere to be found. "I would NEVER hurt Aeris! Now be gone!"

He laughed again. "That's what you think, but just you wait."

The beast then slowly disappeared, though I tried to grab at him, to make him stay so that I could finish him off. But just as he had disappeared, so did my dark and ominous surroundings, as I realized that I was only still in my own bed in a cold sweat, and rather than fighting valiantly, I was merely clawing at the covers with my breath racing.