Return of the Sinned; Part 3
It had been two months since the incident at the village and Aerith found herself more and more attached to this silver-haired man by each passing moment. Of course, he would merely joke with her and smile occasionally, but any time he did, it made her sigh in contentment and stay at his side as they followed Jenova. She did feel a bit bad about not keeping in contact with Cloud or the others. It was just hard to get a moment to even write, seeming how Sephiroth always was on the move, only stopping to sleep and eat. Her thoughts did dwell a bit on Cloud, the way they both just clicked so well. The fact that part of him was bonded with Zack was in the back of her mind, but not totally gone from it. She didn't even feel conflicted with this, Cloud and Sephiroth. She knew that Cloud always had Tifa, but Sephiroth had nobody, not even his real mother who still lived, according to Vincent. Sometimes at night, she would catch him sitting alone and staring up into the sky, the stars reflecting in those Mako-stained eyes. It was those times where she wanted to be with him the most, to reach out and touch him and make him know that she was there for him. In a way, she felt a lot like Tifa did. She knew how she felt about a person, made no attempts to hide it, but still had trouble making the person exactly understand the extent of the feelings. What would Sephiroth think if she told him she was falling in love with him? He would probably stare at her like he always did, assume she was just being childish and keep going without a word. That was one thing that always got her mad, the way he treated her like a kid. She was old enough to know when she was in love, but he would dismiss it as just a crush. Sometimes it got her so mad that she just wanted to.....
"That must not be a pleasant train of thought."
Sephiroth's voice broke her out of her trance and she blinked, looking up at the black clothing of the man contrasting against the white snow of the Northern Continent. Sephiroth looked back down at her in his usual stoic face, then tossed a few sparse pieces of wood into their small fire, making the coals shoot hot sparks into the night sky. Aerith smiled at him and scooted closer to the fire, warming her hands up and pulling a small jacket further over her. He just sat down in a place cleared from snow and set the Masasume down lightly, making sure to keep it out of any snow. Then he turned back to the fire and let the flames reflect in his eyes, his two gloved hands pressing together a bit as it was cold even for him. The silence bugged her, like it always did and she shivered a bit, then moved her eyes onto him, "How much further to the Northern Crater?"
"A half day. I am still suspicious about this lead. Why Jenova would come back to this place is not rational. If this wasn't our only lead right now, I wouldn't have given this consideration."
Her young face was dimly lit by the fire and she stared at him, seeing how much he wanted to find Jenova and stop her. And she would help him as long as she could, and then some, "You don't think she's up here?" His head shook slightly and she shivered once again, "Well, at least we'll know she isn't here then."
He smiled a bit and looked at her, seeing how cold this was to her. He felt a bit responsible, he made her leave the last village before she could get supplies and blankets. It was funny, she was the only person on the Planet he cared about, even just a little. She was the only one like him; one of a kind. As she stared into the fire she was shocked as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her head quickly whipped to the side to find Sephiroth sitting back down next to her, settling in and pulling her right into him. She didn't exactly know how to take it and stared up into his eyes, which looked back at her in their usual coldness, "Tonight you'll have to stay close to me." A tinge of red ran across her cheeks, which was pretty well hidden by the fact they were already red from the cold. Still, her heartbeat quickened and she didn't even remember she was cold. Even further to her surprise he smiled and laughed lightly, just watching her reactions to him, "It is to keep us both warm. I promise I will be a perfect gentleman, okay?"
Now she felt a bit embarrassed and laughed herself, looking down a bit sheepishly, "It's not that, I just didn't expect it." He nodded and leaned back against the rock behind him, keeping his arm around her and pulling his coat a bit over her. She looked up at him a few times then right back down quickly. She couldn't believe she was this close to him, that he let her in so much. After a moment, she slid her arms around his lean torso and snuggled in close to him, resting her head against his chest and feeling a lot warmer, "Thank you, Sephiroth." Had it really been this long since he felt someone this close to him? Even as it felt so awkward, he found that it felt nice at the same time. He just held her close to him and nodded, looking into the fire and listening to her breathing become more and more shallow. As she drifted into sleep, he gazed back down at her and brushed some of his silver hair from his face, those same cold eyes now exposing some genuine feelings towards this girl. For the longest time he just watched her relaxed face against his body and had the strangest thoughts. What awaited him after he found Jenova and stopped her? He couldn't settle down just anywhere without being estranged to anybody who was close by. Without SOLDIER or the ShinRa, he had no purpose in his life. He was a broken creation, created for something that had since passed and left him as useless. As much as he truly wanted to clean the Planet of the humans, he had recently begun to rethink that plan. All because of this girl. He wondered who's side she would be on, his or Clouds. He already knew the answer as well.
Cloud. He knew of the feelings she had for him. She only had a crush on him, nothing compared to how she felt about that boy. Maybe that was the main thing keeping him from falling in love with her. After this was all done, she would return to him and be out of his life forever, maybe even battle him if he and Cloud truly did cross paths. Perhaps it was best that way, leaving him in his obscurity. He would tell her everything he knew about the Cetra and everything else, then she could be happy with Cloud. That was Sephiroth's curse, for being what he was, to be truly alone in his own right. A single star in a black sky. He didn't have too much trouble accepting that, until he met her. Now it was bothering him, having to give up something he cared for to another just because of what Jenova did in his name. With those thoughts churning in mind and narrowing his eyes as they stared into the fire, the cold night passed while the young girl at his side slept with an odd level of security, from merely being with him.
By the time Aerith had awoken the next day, the sun had already risen high into the sky and filled her body with warmth. With a tired yawn and a few mumbled words, she soon found that her companion was absent from the place he last resided in. Still covered by his black coat, which was growing warmer still by the rays of the sun, she sat up quickly and looked around, fearful he had left her alone and went ahead. A few minutes later she had already packed up what little supplies they had and set the black coat, neatly folded, on top of the pile. It was about that time when a familiar figure strolled back into the camp, sporting the long blade of Masasume along his left arm. A cool wind rippled his coat lightly and the Mako-saturated eyes of Sephiroth were locked on her figure, a look of apathy on his face. Turning around, Aerith was startled and placed a hand to the top of her chest, then let out a slow breath and looked at him sternly, "You scared the daylights out of me. Where have you been??"
Sephiroth looked at her for a moment, then spoke in a flat voice, gesturing his head to the side, "Up at the North Crater. While you slept like a nuisance, I searched the place. When did I have to start checking in with you? I do what I please."
Aerith was a bit surprised at his response and blinked, then sighed lightly, "Yes, I know that. I was just worried, I didn't know where you were and I thought...."
"You worthless child. Your concern for me is pathetic. You were afraid that I had abandoned you, just as your Cetra mother had all those years ago. I should have left you behind from the moment I rescued you. I can't imagine what I was thinking."
Now those cold words just left her breathless, her eyes bulging as she stared at his stoic face. Had she stumbled into a bad dream? Why was he saying such things? Against her will, a few hazy tears welled up at the bottom of her beautiful eyes, specifically from the words about her mother, "Why are you saying such things, Sephiroth? Did I do something that offended you last night?" Instead of words, she was horrified by his actions in response. Sephiroth simply stepped towards her and flicked his left wrist, bringing the blade of the Masasume around and aimed right at her young body. As a reaction, she stepped back and stumbled over the pile of supplies, falling backwards just in time for the blade to slice open her dress, and even grazing her skin enough to draw blood. As the blade came around it echoed against the rock wall and send some rocks sliding down the face, falling onto Aerith. The small rocks only cut and bruised her face and arms but it was the whole of the attack that truly hurt her. Looking up with fear at the man in black stepping over her, she could barely speak as Sephiroth raised the blade above his head, ready to thrust the end into her heart, "What's wrong with you!? Why are you doing this!?"
"Once from behind, and now facing. Your influence on this world ends here, Cetra."
Aerith's eyes could only widen as the blade was thrust down at her, her throat even unable to make a sound. It was at this point when another object caught her attention, a long blade of a sword coming piercing through Sephiroth's chest. The man in black suddenly froze up and coughed, looking slowly down to the blade impaled through his chest. Only was Aerith more stunned and she peered around Sephiroth to find none other than Sephiroth holding the sword through. Extremely confused and relieved at the same time, the second Sephiroth stared blandly at the first and was an identical match, aside from the lack of a coat.
"Jenova, you play these games well. No more, I won't let you harm this girl any more." All while Aerith watched, the real Sephiroth strained and lifted the impostor into the air at the edge of his Masasume, then with a brute show of force, flung the sword and sent the impostor from the blade and into the air. Reaching high enough to clear the small cove they slept in, the impostor could only watch as Sephiroth tucked the blade along his arm and stood casually. What it didn't see was the massive comet coming down from the heavens above, then striking it and turning it into nothing more than a speck of dirt on the rock as it smashed into the ground far away from the two. After dealing with the impostor, Sephiroth turned slowly to Aerith and looked at her, a few rocks still resting on her hurt body and her eyes full of tears. Before Sephiroth could say a word, the young girl was onto her feet and throwing her arms around him, pressing her face into his chest.
"I was so scared! I thought it was you and you were like the old you, not the old you but the old you Jenova used to be and you were going to kill me and I thought I was going to get stabbed and oh, it was horrible!"
Sephiroth blinked a few times and looked down at this girl, then smiled lightly and rested his free hand on her head, letting her heart rate come back down first before he spoke to her. After a few moments of hysterics, Aeris took a few deep breaths and looked up at him, a few tears still streaming down her face. His own eyes met hers in comfort as he spoke quietly, "Whatever the impostor said, it was a lie. Jenova was trying to isolate me once more by taking away anything I have around me." Aerith just looked up at him for a few more moments, then smiled weakly and nodded, wiping some tears from her bruised face. In a moment like this, it was the last thing she would have expected when he reached up and placed his free hand over hers, pulling it away gently to look at the bruises on her face. Even with the dark bruises, the red across her cheeks was apparent and she took in a sharp breath, letting herself go weak against him. It was in this time that Sephiroth could see why Jenova wanted to kill her. It was obvious to all but the ones it involved, he was falling in love with her. Jenova wanted to take his anchor to this place away by killing her, but he had kept it from happening. Aerith would never believe he could love her, though it was something that she wanted more than anything else she could think of. And Sephiroth could only fool himself for so long, convincing himself she could never love him back. In that moment he discovered from in her eyes his previous belief was false. And in that moment Sephiroth decided to give his stone cold heart to this girl he held in his arms someday. Leaning forward slowly and reluctantly Sephiroth looked into her eyes and wrapped his arm around her, even as it held Masasume. Aerith could feel her heart skipping, as his lips came ever closer to hers. His arms around her made her whole body tremble and her bottom lip quivered in anticipation of his kiss. When he stopped just mere inches short and seemed to have doubts about this, she made up his mind by raising on her tippy-toes, pressing her lips into his softly and closing her eyes. Had she been watching, she would have seen his eyes blink a bit, then close slowly as he let his guard down in a sweet, gentle kiss they shared in the cold fields of the Northern Continent.
It had been two months since the incident at the village and Aerith found herself more and more attached to this silver-haired man by each passing moment. Of course, he would merely joke with her and smile occasionally, but any time he did, it made her sigh in contentment and stay at his side as they followed Jenova. She did feel a bit bad about not keeping in contact with Cloud or the others. It was just hard to get a moment to even write, seeming how Sephiroth always was on the move, only stopping to sleep and eat. Her thoughts did dwell a bit on Cloud, the way they both just clicked so well. The fact that part of him was bonded with Zack was in the back of her mind, but not totally gone from it. She didn't even feel conflicted with this, Cloud and Sephiroth. She knew that Cloud always had Tifa, but Sephiroth had nobody, not even his real mother who still lived, according to Vincent. Sometimes at night, she would catch him sitting alone and staring up into the sky, the stars reflecting in those Mako-stained eyes. It was those times where she wanted to be with him the most, to reach out and touch him and make him know that she was there for him. In a way, she felt a lot like Tifa did. She knew how she felt about a person, made no attempts to hide it, but still had trouble making the person exactly understand the extent of the feelings. What would Sephiroth think if she told him she was falling in love with him? He would probably stare at her like he always did, assume she was just being childish and keep going without a word. That was one thing that always got her mad, the way he treated her like a kid. She was old enough to know when she was in love, but he would dismiss it as just a crush. Sometimes it got her so mad that she just wanted to.....
"That must not be a pleasant train of thought."
Sephiroth's voice broke her out of her trance and she blinked, looking up at the black clothing of the man contrasting against the white snow of the Northern Continent. Sephiroth looked back down at her in his usual stoic face, then tossed a few sparse pieces of wood into their small fire, making the coals shoot hot sparks into the night sky. Aerith smiled at him and scooted closer to the fire, warming her hands up and pulling a small jacket further over her. He just sat down in a place cleared from snow and set the Masasume down lightly, making sure to keep it out of any snow. Then he turned back to the fire and let the flames reflect in his eyes, his two gloved hands pressing together a bit as it was cold even for him. The silence bugged her, like it always did and she shivered a bit, then moved her eyes onto him, "How much further to the Northern Crater?"
"A half day. I am still suspicious about this lead. Why Jenova would come back to this place is not rational. If this wasn't our only lead right now, I wouldn't have given this consideration."
Her young face was dimly lit by the fire and she stared at him, seeing how much he wanted to find Jenova and stop her. And she would help him as long as she could, and then some, "You don't think she's up here?" His head shook slightly and she shivered once again, "Well, at least we'll know she isn't here then."
He smiled a bit and looked at her, seeing how cold this was to her. He felt a bit responsible, he made her leave the last village before she could get supplies and blankets. It was funny, she was the only person on the Planet he cared about, even just a little. She was the only one like him; one of a kind. As she stared into the fire she was shocked as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her head quickly whipped to the side to find Sephiroth sitting back down next to her, settling in and pulling her right into him. She didn't exactly know how to take it and stared up into his eyes, which looked back at her in their usual coldness, "Tonight you'll have to stay close to me." A tinge of red ran across her cheeks, which was pretty well hidden by the fact they were already red from the cold. Still, her heartbeat quickened and she didn't even remember she was cold. Even further to her surprise he smiled and laughed lightly, just watching her reactions to him, "It is to keep us both warm. I promise I will be a perfect gentleman, okay?"
Now she felt a bit embarrassed and laughed herself, looking down a bit sheepishly, "It's not that, I just didn't expect it." He nodded and leaned back against the rock behind him, keeping his arm around her and pulling his coat a bit over her. She looked up at him a few times then right back down quickly. She couldn't believe she was this close to him, that he let her in so much. After a moment, she slid her arms around his lean torso and snuggled in close to him, resting her head against his chest and feeling a lot warmer, "Thank you, Sephiroth." Had it really been this long since he felt someone this close to him? Even as it felt so awkward, he found that it felt nice at the same time. He just held her close to him and nodded, looking into the fire and listening to her breathing become more and more shallow. As she drifted into sleep, he gazed back down at her and brushed some of his silver hair from his face, those same cold eyes now exposing some genuine feelings towards this girl. For the longest time he just watched her relaxed face against his body and had the strangest thoughts. What awaited him after he found Jenova and stopped her? He couldn't settle down just anywhere without being estranged to anybody who was close by. Without SOLDIER or the ShinRa, he had no purpose in his life. He was a broken creation, created for something that had since passed and left him as useless. As much as he truly wanted to clean the Planet of the humans, he had recently begun to rethink that plan. All because of this girl. He wondered who's side she would be on, his or Clouds. He already knew the answer as well.
Cloud. He knew of the feelings she had for him. She only had a crush on him, nothing compared to how she felt about that boy. Maybe that was the main thing keeping him from falling in love with her. After this was all done, she would return to him and be out of his life forever, maybe even battle him if he and Cloud truly did cross paths. Perhaps it was best that way, leaving him in his obscurity. He would tell her everything he knew about the Cetra and everything else, then she could be happy with Cloud. That was Sephiroth's curse, for being what he was, to be truly alone in his own right. A single star in a black sky. He didn't have too much trouble accepting that, until he met her. Now it was bothering him, having to give up something he cared for to another just because of what Jenova did in his name. With those thoughts churning in mind and narrowing his eyes as they stared into the fire, the cold night passed while the young girl at his side slept with an odd level of security, from merely being with him.
By the time Aerith had awoken the next day, the sun had already risen high into the sky and filled her body with warmth. With a tired yawn and a few mumbled words, she soon found that her companion was absent from the place he last resided in. Still covered by his black coat, which was growing warmer still by the rays of the sun, she sat up quickly and looked around, fearful he had left her alone and went ahead. A few minutes later she had already packed up what little supplies they had and set the black coat, neatly folded, on top of the pile. It was about that time when a familiar figure strolled back into the camp, sporting the long blade of Masasume along his left arm. A cool wind rippled his coat lightly and the Mako-saturated eyes of Sephiroth were locked on her figure, a look of apathy on his face. Turning around, Aerith was startled and placed a hand to the top of her chest, then let out a slow breath and looked at him sternly, "You scared the daylights out of me. Where have you been??"
Sephiroth looked at her for a moment, then spoke in a flat voice, gesturing his head to the side, "Up at the North Crater. While you slept like a nuisance, I searched the place. When did I have to start checking in with you? I do what I please."
Aerith was a bit surprised at his response and blinked, then sighed lightly, "Yes, I know that. I was just worried, I didn't know where you were and I thought...."
"You worthless child. Your concern for me is pathetic. You were afraid that I had abandoned you, just as your Cetra mother had all those years ago. I should have left you behind from the moment I rescued you. I can't imagine what I was thinking."
Now those cold words just left her breathless, her eyes bulging as she stared at his stoic face. Had she stumbled into a bad dream? Why was he saying such things? Against her will, a few hazy tears welled up at the bottom of her beautiful eyes, specifically from the words about her mother, "Why are you saying such things, Sephiroth? Did I do something that offended you last night?" Instead of words, she was horrified by his actions in response. Sephiroth simply stepped towards her and flicked his left wrist, bringing the blade of the Masasume around and aimed right at her young body. As a reaction, she stepped back and stumbled over the pile of supplies, falling backwards just in time for the blade to slice open her dress, and even grazing her skin enough to draw blood. As the blade came around it echoed against the rock wall and send some rocks sliding down the face, falling onto Aerith. The small rocks only cut and bruised her face and arms but it was the whole of the attack that truly hurt her. Looking up with fear at the man in black stepping over her, she could barely speak as Sephiroth raised the blade above his head, ready to thrust the end into her heart, "What's wrong with you!? Why are you doing this!?"
"Once from behind, and now facing. Your influence on this world ends here, Cetra."
Aerith's eyes could only widen as the blade was thrust down at her, her throat even unable to make a sound. It was at this point when another object caught her attention, a long blade of a sword coming piercing through Sephiroth's chest. The man in black suddenly froze up and coughed, looking slowly down to the blade impaled through his chest. Only was Aerith more stunned and she peered around Sephiroth to find none other than Sephiroth holding the sword through. Extremely confused and relieved at the same time, the second Sephiroth stared blandly at the first and was an identical match, aside from the lack of a coat.
"Jenova, you play these games well. No more, I won't let you harm this girl any more." All while Aerith watched, the real Sephiroth strained and lifted the impostor into the air at the edge of his Masasume, then with a brute show of force, flung the sword and sent the impostor from the blade and into the air. Reaching high enough to clear the small cove they slept in, the impostor could only watch as Sephiroth tucked the blade along his arm and stood casually. What it didn't see was the massive comet coming down from the heavens above, then striking it and turning it into nothing more than a speck of dirt on the rock as it smashed into the ground far away from the two. After dealing with the impostor, Sephiroth turned slowly to Aerith and looked at her, a few rocks still resting on her hurt body and her eyes full of tears. Before Sephiroth could say a word, the young girl was onto her feet and throwing her arms around him, pressing her face into his chest.
"I was so scared! I thought it was you and you were like the old you, not the old you but the old you Jenova used to be and you were going to kill me and I thought I was going to get stabbed and oh, it was horrible!"
Sephiroth blinked a few times and looked down at this girl, then smiled lightly and rested his free hand on her head, letting her heart rate come back down first before he spoke to her. After a few moments of hysterics, Aeris took a few deep breaths and looked up at him, a few tears still streaming down her face. His own eyes met hers in comfort as he spoke quietly, "Whatever the impostor said, it was a lie. Jenova was trying to isolate me once more by taking away anything I have around me." Aerith just looked up at him for a few more moments, then smiled weakly and nodded, wiping some tears from her bruised face. In a moment like this, it was the last thing she would have expected when he reached up and placed his free hand over hers, pulling it away gently to look at the bruises on her face. Even with the dark bruises, the red across her cheeks was apparent and she took in a sharp breath, letting herself go weak against him. It was in this time that Sephiroth could see why Jenova wanted to kill her. It was obvious to all but the ones it involved, he was falling in love with her. Jenova wanted to take his anchor to this place away by killing her, but he had kept it from happening. Aerith would never believe he could love her, though it was something that she wanted more than anything else she could think of. And Sephiroth could only fool himself for so long, convincing himself she could never love him back. In that moment he discovered from in her eyes his previous belief was false. And in that moment Sephiroth decided to give his stone cold heart to this girl he held in his arms someday. Leaning forward slowly and reluctantly Sephiroth looked into her eyes and wrapped his arm around her, even as it held Masasume. Aerith could feel her heart skipping, as his lips came ever closer to hers. His arms around her made her whole body tremble and her bottom lip quivered in anticipation of his kiss. When he stopped just mere inches short and seemed to have doubts about this, she made up his mind by raising on her tippy-toes, pressing her lips into his softly and closing her eyes. Had she been watching, she would have seen his eyes blink a bit, then close slowly as he let his guard down in a sweet, gentle kiss they shared in the cold fields of the Northern Continent.
