AUTHORS NOTE: *Looks at the date she started this chappy* oh gosh - talk about titanic writers block!!! But i FINALLY got this chapter finished (as well as most all of the next - so you won't have long to wait.. if you're waiting at all! lol) umm.. also, If any of you want to see the chapters in their original format - just add me to your msn if you have it: kisakiayena@hotmail.com ..and i'll be glad to send you the originals! Caio.. R & R plz!
Angel Reborn
************************
CHAPTER SIX
AERITH
in
"What becomes of a fallen city?"
~Reaching the shore of the Midgar area - riding a chocobo!~
•°•
The salty ocean spray sprinkled against Aeriths upturned face as she rode on her brand new chocobo Snow, cooling her skin against the harsh midday sun that beat down apon her and the bird.
'This is lovely..' she murmered with content, a gentle smile crossing her delicate lips.
The pair had been crossing the ocean for hours on end, still not having reached any sight of land, but had contented themselves with each others company and the pleasent feel of the mild oceanic water as it dragged against their toes.
Girl and chocobo had already formed an incredible bond in this small time, almost as if they were both connected to the earth in the same way - spiritually. Understanding ran deep between them both, so Aerith didn't feel the slightest bit silly when she talked out loud to Snow.
'This all feels so new to me..' the beautiful Cetra spoke in awe, 'as if I'm a newbourne having cast my first glance at the world around me.' She smiled to herself and stared off into the distance dreamily, wondering for a moment why her words rang in her mind as being somewhat true.. 'what *have* I seen?'
For a while the two friends travelled the ocean in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. It may have remained this way for quite sometime longer had Aerith not been roused by the sight of something on the horizon.
'LAND!' she cried, overjoyed with the fact that she would finally be able to set her feet down on solid ground.
The distance seemed to close at a snails pace, but when the gold chocobo's feet finally took those first few steps onto the resisting earth, Aerith couldn't jump off fast enough.
She rolled onto her back and lay spread-eagled on the soft green grass, giggling. 'We're finally here Snow!' She exclaimed joyfully, 'Now we can have that rest we both need so badly!'
The tired chocobo would have warked in joy had she not been so overcome with fatigue.
Aeriths gaze was drawn over to a strange mountain of rubble set against the backdrop of dark looming mountains, a mass of twisted metal and crumbled concrete in the middle of the vast area of grassland she lay at the edge of. Somewhat perplexed by the sight, she headed over to take a closer look.
At the base of the pile of rubble, Aerith studied it all carefully, running a hand over the smooth metal surface belonging to part of the original Shinra building and stopping briefly to study the extravagant red and white company emblem emblazed apon it, before moving on. Selecting a sturdy foothold amongst the mass of debris, Aerith boosted herself up off the ground and slowly began her ascent to the top of the collapsed city, inspecting the area around her with interest as she did.
Some time later she finally took the last few steps to the top, before dropping down gratefully onto the remains of a marble pillar - most likely another part of the Shinra building, and looking down from where she had come. Much to her suprise, Snow was making her own way up to where Aerith was, taking little leaps from place to place and occassionally flapping her wings to keep balanced when a claw was placed wrongly or when metal became dislodged by the erratic movements.
Aerith scanned the area around where she sat, observing the massive fallen city with a critical eye. 'Whatever destroyed this must have been big!'
Milling over the possible reasons for such an empires demise, Aerith's gaze fell apon a bright red smudge of grafitti by her feet - perhaps one of the few remaining mementos of what lay beneath the upper plates now crumbled mass. Her fingers began to trace over the smudgy letters with a most delicate touch.. 'who or what was 'Averus'?'
Much to the young Cetras suprise, after only a short time of doing this the rough concrete beneath her curious hand began to quake ever so gently - a trembling that caused Aerith to stumble back in fear of a cave-in, and nearly tripped over her own feet in the process. Her stomache fluttering ever so slightly at that prospect. 'Oh please don't let it be..'
But Aerith had little to fear - seemingly as soon as the strange motion had began, it ceased altogether - prompting the curious girl to take another look at what had just happened, althought somewhat more cautiously than before.
What met Aeriths eyes bewildered her.
The scrawled writing she had traced only moments before was now glowing with a strange iridescent light, bathing the area around it with all the beautiful colors of the rainbow. Temptation by this unknown beauty made Aerith succumb to her inquisitiveness and she reached towards the the glowing letters, holding her breath as the pad of her index finger pressed against the slab of warm gravelly concrete, as before.
That single touch was all that was needed to trigger an amazing reaction.
A tinkling sound filled the air around where Aerith knelt transfixed, giving way to a single beam of lime-green light that spiraled softly into the glowing area before the amazed girl. As the last remaining whisps ribboned into oblivion, Aerith took afew paces backwards - trying to understand exactly what was happening. It was a good thing that she had made that sullen move aswell, for no more than a few seconds passed before the tinkling sound came back again, only louder this time.. and bringing with it a wonderous miracle.
From the glowing concrete infront of Aerith appeared a very small green protrusion, pushing its way up through one of the smaller cracks in the giant slab. Straining against its resisting confine, eventually the concrete cracked in two, sliding off to the side and allowing the tender shoot to unfurl and soak up the warm afternoon sun. Aerith watched in fascination it grew still taller, not stopping until it was twice the petit Cetras height. Than, with a dazzling burst of colored light, the large sprout shot out several balls of aquamarine magic into the air around it. As they began to waterfall to the plants base, the sprout began to shape into a thick brown trunk and branches with the strangest leaves unfurling into existance atop it.
Aerith's heart hammered loudly in her chest as she watched it all happen, for a moment she was sure her eyes were playing tricks on her - how could a beautiful tree grow out of.. concrete?!!
As if sensing the young womans doubt, the magic that had gathered at the plants roots now spread out - bringing with it a trail of exotic wildflowers that led to where Aerith now stood.
Kneeling down, and now fully convinced that what she was seeing really was reality - Aerith picked a large orange blossom that lay infront of her and sniffed it gently. An amazing scent unlike anyone could have ever experienced before filled her nostrils at that moment, she smiled brightly and tucked the flower into the soft pink ribbon holding her hair, before standing up and turning to the vast area of Midgar that still lay in an ugly mass of twisted metal.
A new piece of the puzzle that was Aerith had slipped into place, and with determination blazing in her large green eyes, she eagerly set to work in returning the ugly scar that was marring earth to one of natures true wonders.
By the time night had fallen, what had once been just another ugly blemish on the earths vast spance had now been transformed into a one-of-a-kind beauty spot. Forests of tropical trees reached their branches up into the mild evening air, filling the night with the serene rustling of their branches. Some groaned under the weight of their yet untouched fruit-laden branches, longing for the time when they'de be relieved of their heavy treasures. Nestled in amongst the hollows where sun could gently filter through during the daytime, lush bushes of ripe red berries and delicate blooms pressed tightly against one another - each struggling to find the best spot in which to catch the filtered light and trive unhindered. Everywhere one would look, what was once nothing but sun-dulled metal and crumbling concrete was now carpeted with a rich covering of tender grass and glorious wildflowers, which had of course closed up as the sun had set earlier on in the day.
Exhausted but delighted at her handiwork, Aerith collapsed against the moss-covered roots of a very tall tree and shut her eyes, listening to the sounds of the night and allowing them to slowly lull her into a well-earnt sleep. Before she had completely drifted off however, Aerith was dimly aware of her new feathered-friend coming to rest beside her and allowing her to nestle up against soft, downy feathers.
The mild night wrapped it's newest precious dreamers in a star-studded cloak of darkness, serving it's daily purpose until once again it would be pressed on to make way for a perfect golden morning.. filled with the promise of a suprise or two for the beautiful Ancient!
•°•
©Erica Runge - 22nd of December, 2002. All main characters, etc ©Squaresoft and FFVII.
Angel Reborn
************************
CHAPTER SIX
AERITH
in
"What becomes of a fallen city?"
~Reaching the shore of the Midgar area - riding a chocobo!~
•°•
The salty ocean spray sprinkled against Aeriths upturned face as she rode on her brand new chocobo Snow, cooling her skin against the harsh midday sun that beat down apon her and the bird.
'This is lovely..' she murmered with content, a gentle smile crossing her delicate lips.
The pair had been crossing the ocean for hours on end, still not having reached any sight of land, but had contented themselves with each others company and the pleasent feel of the mild oceanic water as it dragged against their toes.
Girl and chocobo had already formed an incredible bond in this small time, almost as if they were both connected to the earth in the same way - spiritually. Understanding ran deep between them both, so Aerith didn't feel the slightest bit silly when she talked out loud to Snow.
'This all feels so new to me..' the beautiful Cetra spoke in awe, 'as if I'm a newbourne having cast my first glance at the world around me.' She smiled to herself and stared off into the distance dreamily, wondering for a moment why her words rang in her mind as being somewhat true.. 'what *have* I seen?'
For a while the two friends travelled the ocean in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. It may have remained this way for quite sometime longer had Aerith not been roused by the sight of something on the horizon.
'LAND!' she cried, overjoyed with the fact that she would finally be able to set her feet down on solid ground.
The distance seemed to close at a snails pace, but when the gold chocobo's feet finally took those first few steps onto the resisting earth, Aerith couldn't jump off fast enough.
She rolled onto her back and lay spread-eagled on the soft green grass, giggling. 'We're finally here Snow!' She exclaimed joyfully, 'Now we can have that rest we both need so badly!'
The tired chocobo would have warked in joy had she not been so overcome with fatigue.
Aeriths gaze was drawn over to a strange mountain of rubble set against the backdrop of dark looming mountains, a mass of twisted metal and crumbled concrete in the middle of the vast area of grassland she lay at the edge of. Somewhat perplexed by the sight, she headed over to take a closer look.
At the base of the pile of rubble, Aerith studied it all carefully, running a hand over the smooth metal surface belonging to part of the original Shinra building and stopping briefly to study the extravagant red and white company emblem emblazed apon it, before moving on. Selecting a sturdy foothold amongst the mass of debris, Aerith boosted herself up off the ground and slowly began her ascent to the top of the collapsed city, inspecting the area around her with interest as she did.
Some time later she finally took the last few steps to the top, before dropping down gratefully onto the remains of a marble pillar - most likely another part of the Shinra building, and looking down from where she had come. Much to her suprise, Snow was making her own way up to where Aerith was, taking little leaps from place to place and occassionally flapping her wings to keep balanced when a claw was placed wrongly or when metal became dislodged by the erratic movements.
Aerith scanned the area around where she sat, observing the massive fallen city with a critical eye. 'Whatever destroyed this must have been big!'
Milling over the possible reasons for such an empires demise, Aerith's gaze fell apon a bright red smudge of grafitti by her feet - perhaps one of the few remaining mementos of what lay beneath the upper plates now crumbled mass. Her fingers began to trace over the smudgy letters with a most delicate touch.. 'who or what was 'Averus'?'
Much to the young Cetras suprise, after only a short time of doing this the rough concrete beneath her curious hand began to quake ever so gently - a trembling that caused Aerith to stumble back in fear of a cave-in, and nearly tripped over her own feet in the process. Her stomache fluttering ever so slightly at that prospect. 'Oh please don't let it be..'
But Aerith had little to fear - seemingly as soon as the strange motion had began, it ceased altogether - prompting the curious girl to take another look at what had just happened, althought somewhat more cautiously than before.
What met Aeriths eyes bewildered her.
The scrawled writing she had traced only moments before was now glowing with a strange iridescent light, bathing the area around it with all the beautiful colors of the rainbow. Temptation by this unknown beauty made Aerith succumb to her inquisitiveness and she reached towards the the glowing letters, holding her breath as the pad of her index finger pressed against the slab of warm gravelly concrete, as before.
That single touch was all that was needed to trigger an amazing reaction.
A tinkling sound filled the air around where Aerith knelt transfixed, giving way to a single beam of lime-green light that spiraled softly into the glowing area before the amazed girl. As the last remaining whisps ribboned into oblivion, Aerith took afew paces backwards - trying to understand exactly what was happening. It was a good thing that she had made that sullen move aswell, for no more than a few seconds passed before the tinkling sound came back again, only louder this time.. and bringing with it a wonderous miracle.
From the glowing concrete infront of Aerith appeared a very small green protrusion, pushing its way up through one of the smaller cracks in the giant slab. Straining against its resisting confine, eventually the concrete cracked in two, sliding off to the side and allowing the tender shoot to unfurl and soak up the warm afternoon sun. Aerith watched in fascination it grew still taller, not stopping until it was twice the petit Cetras height. Than, with a dazzling burst of colored light, the large sprout shot out several balls of aquamarine magic into the air around it. As they began to waterfall to the plants base, the sprout began to shape into a thick brown trunk and branches with the strangest leaves unfurling into existance atop it.
Aerith's heart hammered loudly in her chest as she watched it all happen, for a moment she was sure her eyes were playing tricks on her - how could a beautiful tree grow out of.. concrete?!!
As if sensing the young womans doubt, the magic that had gathered at the plants roots now spread out - bringing with it a trail of exotic wildflowers that led to where Aerith now stood.
Kneeling down, and now fully convinced that what she was seeing really was reality - Aerith picked a large orange blossom that lay infront of her and sniffed it gently. An amazing scent unlike anyone could have ever experienced before filled her nostrils at that moment, she smiled brightly and tucked the flower into the soft pink ribbon holding her hair, before standing up and turning to the vast area of Midgar that still lay in an ugly mass of twisted metal.
A new piece of the puzzle that was Aerith had slipped into place, and with determination blazing in her large green eyes, she eagerly set to work in returning the ugly scar that was marring earth to one of natures true wonders.
By the time night had fallen, what had once been just another ugly blemish on the earths vast spance had now been transformed into a one-of-a-kind beauty spot. Forests of tropical trees reached their branches up into the mild evening air, filling the night with the serene rustling of their branches. Some groaned under the weight of their yet untouched fruit-laden branches, longing for the time when they'de be relieved of their heavy treasures. Nestled in amongst the hollows where sun could gently filter through during the daytime, lush bushes of ripe red berries and delicate blooms pressed tightly against one another - each struggling to find the best spot in which to catch the filtered light and trive unhindered. Everywhere one would look, what was once nothing but sun-dulled metal and crumbling concrete was now carpeted with a rich covering of tender grass and glorious wildflowers, which had of course closed up as the sun had set earlier on in the day.
Exhausted but delighted at her handiwork, Aerith collapsed against the moss-covered roots of a very tall tree and shut her eyes, listening to the sounds of the night and allowing them to slowly lull her into a well-earnt sleep. Before she had completely drifted off however, Aerith was dimly aware of her new feathered-friend coming to rest beside her and allowing her to nestle up against soft, downy feathers.
The mild night wrapped it's newest precious dreamers in a star-studded cloak of darkness, serving it's daily purpose until once again it would be pressed on to make way for a perfect golden morning.. filled with the promise of a suprise or two for the beautiful Ancient!
•°•
©Erica Runge - 22nd of December, 2002. All main characters, etc ©Squaresoft and FFVII.
