Chapter 33: Beneath the Sea
Running along the sea Aeris felt slightly odd being carried around as if a no more then a baby doll, but then again she did enjoy being inside Zack's gentle arms, locked safely away within his grasp. The wind was rushing pass her body, the coldness from the breeze was kissing her cheeks as it blew and a faint smile passed her lips again thinking of how Cid and the others might have reacted to her and Zack running upon the surface of the ocean, not a drop touching their frail gentle bodies.
Ahead, she spotted several waves, no higher then a couple inches, but rushing quickly before them as if pushed by invisible hands. It glistened brightly against the afternoon sun and when she let her gaze drop into the ocean she could see for miles down, the intoxication from the plants and animals that lived below did no damage, for the water was as clear as if you'd seen it through a white china glass newly polished. Zack's expression remained unchanged, his pace still a steady rythmn as he kept jogging happily, keeping his grasp tight around Aeris's waist, holding her steady within his arms.
When Aeris returned her gaze to the sea she could spot several dolphins beneath their feet, seeming to race them. She had never seen dolphins before, at least not up close like she was now and laughed out of excitement and Zack turned to face her as she began to giggle.
"What is it?"
"Dolphins! Look!" She cried pointing down into the water. He laughed in response and began to quicken his pace as he started off, breaking into a sprint now.
"Well they look like they wanna race, I say, they're on!" He cried and Aeris looked to him, her smile only broading as they continued to speed towards the grand city of Mako.
Aeris turned back again to the ocean but her expression quickly changed into dread...
"Zack...?" She started, a hint of fear lodged within it as she shrunk back towards him and locked her arms around his neck, holding close to him for protection.
"Yeah?" He asked, his eyes still locked ahead of them as they continued to race towards the continent that slivered in front of them now.
"There's something wrong with the water..." She whispered into his ear as if something was going to over hear her.
"What's wrong with the water? Seems perfectly fine to me, a grand dark blue, look! Even the sun has it's reflection upon it and it stretches towards us, like a spot light!" He joked as he continued his steady pace.
"That's it though... it's dark...." She quickly spoke up as she eyed the water in front of them, noticing a long thick shadow now beneath their feet.
"Dark? Naw, you're probably just tired, the water's never dark around here, you can see clear to the b-," He quickly ended his sentence as he lowered his own gaze to the ocean and saw what she was talking about.
Zack began to slow his pace, breaking down to a fast walk and then steadily made his way to a stop. His grip tightened around Aeris as he stood there and examined the deep depths and noticed the waves had become slightly bigger now. Zack kept silent, his eyes locked upon the shadow.
Aeris raised her own gaze to look around the surface for a balloon, plane, nearby mountain, something that could have possibily been casting it from a far but she saw so such object and her fear raised with the utmost quickness.
"Zack, what's casting that thing?" She asked her voice low, still feeling as if watched by something.
"I don't think it's being cast... I think it's right there..." he answered her, kneeling down alittle to see if his theory was correct.
"But it's not moving..." Aeris quickly spoke up to his response and he froze in his spot and pulled his hand to his lips motioning her to stay quiet as he kneeled further towards it.
"What the..." He began and almost instantly two circles formed below their feet, one side the other, ridges point outwards diagnolly but opposite to one another, expressioning the lines devisiously towards them with a grand blood red light that circled their bodies.
"What the hell?!" Zack screamed as he ran towards the outside of the color circle but was only knocked back instantly into the sea's surface. Losing his grip as he fell, Aeris flew from his grasp and hit the other side of the red light. It was clear to the both of them now that this was acting as a cage and there was no pyshical way to release themselves from it. Getting up, Zack shook his vision into focus and ran over to Aeris as she fell limp against the surface of the water.
"No no no! You can't do this! If you fall outta conscience the materia power will wear off, please open your eyes!" he begged her and quickly picked her up in reaction to knowing the weakness of his own spell.
"I will not let you keep me in here!!" Zack screamed as he lowered his head like a bull about to charge and broke into a run towards the circle's side, quickly turning to let his shoulder take the hit for him as he struck it. The reaction was nothing short of the same. He was thrown off his feet and across to the other side but he held Aeris tightly in his arms, fearing she'd fall into the sea and drown if he were to shift his grip the slightest bit. He felt her begin to grow heavy in his arms, weighing his own body down and he began to sink now himself from her own force that lay upon his lap.
Terrified but in pain, he sat for a moment, to deep in thought to move from his spot. He glanced down into the water and noticed the two gazing circles began to move, the inner one spinning clockwise while other outside was turning counter clockwise. Continuing to look down upon them only showed him that they were spinning faster with each passing second, as if gaining power to attack them now. Fear begining to over take him, he became desperate and jumped to his feet, and all while sinking began to coninuiously charge at the ligit bound walls of their new encountered foe but nothing seemed to break them, collasping again after a few minutes of his attack, he remember his other materia and laid Aeris against his chest and turned her body so it stretched out upon his own and dove deep down into his pockets and grabbed the few tiny marble shaped magic balls that he had collected. To devoured into fear to think, he grabbed the biggest one of the green set and placed it upon the center of his palm, clutching it, he turned Aeris again within seconds and jumped to his feet, noticing the thing below them was beginning to suck into the spinning circles beams of light beneath the sea from all directions.
Aeris began to awaken then from her unconscience state and she squinted for a moment as Zack closed his eyes and tighten his grip on the tiny orb tighter, his fingers digging into the palm of his hand as he shook it in fear, sweat pouring down his face. She felt much heavier then before and noticed Zack was struggling with her, but didn't know why he was still holding her, and why they were sinking now. Blinking alittle bit, she looked below only to catch the circles suddenly suck themselves in and disappear within seconds. Zack was mumbling a long line of words that Aeris had no memory of hearing, she tried hard to catch some of them to make them out but none came to mind. Beams of a glorious golden streams began piercing through the cracks of Zack's fingers, and she noticed a familiar liquid beginning to trickle down around his knuckles. It dripped mindlessly below them, staining the water a dark red and he seemed to be talking through his teeth now, trying to hold back the pain and suddenly wedge his hand open and dropped the marble, screaming in pain as he fell back against the blood red lit tomb they were still lodged in.
The orb fell pass them and slowly towards the sea. Zack leaned back, his eyes crunched closed in pain as he reared his hand upwards, crying out in agony, hot tears streaming down his cheeks in reaction to the cuts made from the materia. Aeris's eyes were fixed upon the ball, watching it's every twirl of movement, spinning beams that reflected her eyes as a grand show of glittering lights.
Striking the surface it exploded into a ray that shot straight towards the heavens and a loud groan of pain from below them erupted, as if the world was growling at them for dropping such a thing into it's depts.
Aeris opened her mouth to scream but it was drowned out but the rushing waters that began to boil around them and suddenly exploded upwards, sucking them down into itself as if to punish them for polluting it's waters with the golden magic item. Zack held tightly to her arm with his unspoiled hand, his eyes wide open now, his cheeks puffed from the collection of oxygen lodged into them. Frailing his other hand at her, he desperating tried to grab for her but the current was only growing, pulling them farther apart, their hands slipping from one anothers. Aeris had no time to take in a deep breathe and felt empty inside, her lungs were on fire, and her eyes were burning from the salt water that invaded them and she began to scream out of pain, bubbles flying from her lips in fear of death and she through her other hand forward towards Zack, defying the current that was trying to push it away, but missed. Zack had both his hands outstretched, one latched around her wrist now, pulled down from her upperarm, and his other still fidgetting about in the cold waters as he was pulled and bashed around within the river beneath the ocean. Frantically she through her arm again at him in a desperate attempt to catch his and he met with her own and yanked her as hard as he possibily could downwards into his arms, catching her in them, and holding her tightly. Her vision was beginning to become dark, weakness was overtaking her body, causing it to start to grow limp from the lack of air she so desired now.
Zack quickly pressed his lips against her own and released the air that he kept within in puffed up cheeks into her lungs, replenishing them instantly with as if she had recieved a fresh new breath but it did not last for long, within seconds, Aeris began to feel overwhelmed with the dizziness sense and she looked to the side as she pulled back from Zack's lips and saw a grand white light forming in front of them. Zack was shuddering as they flew with the current, his lungs beginning to take in the firey touch and desperatation to take a breath. Aeris watched as the light began to grow brighter in front of them, but felt as if she was seeing things and turned to see Zack was beginning to turn colors, a faint red and then as blue as the sea and as she looked into his glassly eyes she saw her own reflection was no different then his. Horrified she instantly turned away but a piece of a brown substance caught her eye and before she had a chance to dodge it, it struck within seconds against her forehead and knocked her head backwards and her out of unconscience once again as the light washed over their bodies and devoured them shooting them upwards from beneath the sea.
Zack shot his head upwards and instantly gasped for breath but Aeris was still limp within his arms, her hair flopped over her face like a wet rag doll. Seeing a shore no more then 3 feet in front of him, he began frantically despensing all his energy to reach it, pounding his arms against the water, scooping it behind him as he moved closure.
No more then a few seconds he flipped onto the shore of dry sand and flipped Aeris onto it's banks. Her arms were lifeless as they floppped beside her still body and Zack leaned his face towards her own to see if she was breathing but her chest did not lift to take in the fresh air. Despite his body's cries of weakness he tipped Aeris's head back and pinched her nose, drove his lips upon hers and blew fresh air into her lungs then pulled back but she still did not take more in on her own. Soft tears of tiredness and disbelief fell down his cheeks. Just because something had just happened was no excuse for him to lie down and let her go.
"A- Aeris! No! Breathe damn you!!" he screamed, his tears cluttering up his words as they fell into his mouth. He spit them from it and drove his lips down again into her own, forcing in fresh air to her lungs. As he pulled away he noticed she was twitching slightly and reached his hand up to the side of her neck, his index finger and middle pressed against the upper part of her neck.
Relief swept over him as a strong pulse pumped against his fingers but she was still not breathing on her own. Again, he tipped her head back and took all the air he could suck in and forced it into her body and a second after he drew back, water shot from her mouth as she began to cough, turning on her side, letting it flow out from her body.
"Zack..." she coughed, though her eyes were still closed from exhusation. Zack collasped beside her from his own weakness, his face lying in front of hers, taking in as much air as he could, as she did as well until their lungs felt full with enough to last them for awhile. Zack then closed his eyes as well, nudging his head slightly towards her to kiss her forehead with relief and then passed from consciousness himself, whispering to her before he fell back into his own mind.
"Aeris...."
Running along the sea Aeris felt slightly odd being carried around as if a no more then a baby doll, but then again she did enjoy being inside Zack's gentle arms, locked safely away within his grasp. The wind was rushing pass her body, the coldness from the breeze was kissing her cheeks as it blew and a faint smile passed her lips again thinking of how Cid and the others might have reacted to her and Zack running upon the surface of the ocean, not a drop touching their frail gentle bodies.
Ahead, she spotted several waves, no higher then a couple inches, but rushing quickly before them as if pushed by invisible hands. It glistened brightly against the afternoon sun and when she let her gaze drop into the ocean she could see for miles down, the intoxication from the plants and animals that lived below did no damage, for the water was as clear as if you'd seen it through a white china glass newly polished. Zack's expression remained unchanged, his pace still a steady rythmn as he kept jogging happily, keeping his grasp tight around Aeris's waist, holding her steady within his arms.
When Aeris returned her gaze to the sea she could spot several dolphins beneath their feet, seeming to race them. She had never seen dolphins before, at least not up close like she was now and laughed out of excitement and Zack turned to face her as she began to giggle.
"What is it?"
"Dolphins! Look!" She cried pointing down into the water. He laughed in response and began to quicken his pace as he started off, breaking into a sprint now.
"Well they look like they wanna race, I say, they're on!" He cried and Aeris looked to him, her smile only broading as they continued to speed towards the grand city of Mako.
Aeris turned back again to the ocean but her expression quickly changed into dread...
"Zack...?" She started, a hint of fear lodged within it as she shrunk back towards him and locked her arms around his neck, holding close to him for protection.
"Yeah?" He asked, his eyes still locked ahead of them as they continued to race towards the continent that slivered in front of them now.
"There's something wrong with the water..." She whispered into his ear as if something was going to over hear her.
"What's wrong with the water? Seems perfectly fine to me, a grand dark blue, look! Even the sun has it's reflection upon it and it stretches towards us, like a spot light!" He joked as he continued his steady pace.
"That's it though... it's dark...." She quickly spoke up as she eyed the water in front of them, noticing a long thick shadow now beneath their feet.
"Dark? Naw, you're probably just tired, the water's never dark around here, you can see clear to the b-," He quickly ended his sentence as he lowered his own gaze to the ocean and saw what she was talking about.
Zack began to slow his pace, breaking down to a fast walk and then steadily made his way to a stop. His grip tightened around Aeris as he stood there and examined the deep depths and noticed the waves had become slightly bigger now. Zack kept silent, his eyes locked upon the shadow.
Aeris raised her own gaze to look around the surface for a balloon, plane, nearby mountain, something that could have possibily been casting it from a far but she saw so such object and her fear raised with the utmost quickness.
"Zack, what's casting that thing?" She asked her voice low, still feeling as if watched by something.
"I don't think it's being cast... I think it's right there..." he answered her, kneeling down alittle to see if his theory was correct.
"But it's not moving..." Aeris quickly spoke up to his response and he froze in his spot and pulled his hand to his lips motioning her to stay quiet as he kneeled further towards it.
"What the..." He began and almost instantly two circles formed below their feet, one side the other, ridges point outwards diagnolly but opposite to one another, expressioning the lines devisiously towards them with a grand blood red light that circled their bodies.
"What the hell?!" Zack screamed as he ran towards the outside of the color circle but was only knocked back instantly into the sea's surface. Losing his grip as he fell, Aeris flew from his grasp and hit the other side of the red light. It was clear to the both of them now that this was acting as a cage and there was no pyshical way to release themselves from it. Getting up, Zack shook his vision into focus and ran over to Aeris as she fell limp against the surface of the water.
"No no no! You can't do this! If you fall outta conscience the materia power will wear off, please open your eyes!" he begged her and quickly picked her up in reaction to knowing the weakness of his own spell.
"I will not let you keep me in here!!" Zack screamed as he lowered his head like a bull about to charge and broke into a run towards the circle's side, quickly turning to let his shoulder take the hit for him as he struck it. The reaction was nothing short of the same. He was thrown off his feet and across to the other side but he held Aeris tightly in his arms, fearing she'd fall into the sea and drown if he were to shift his grip the slightest bit. He felt her begin to grow heavy in his arms, weighing his own body down and he began to sink now himself from her own force that lay upon his lap.
Terrified but in pain, he sat for a moment, to deep in thought to move from his spot. He glanced down into the water and noticed the two gazing circles began to move, the inner one spinning clockwise while other outside was turning counter clockwise. Continuing to look down upon them only showed him that they were spinning faster with each passing second, as if gaining power to attack them now. Fear begining to over take him, he became desperate and jumped to his feet, and all while sinking began to coninuiously charge at the ligit bound walls of their new encountered foe but nothing seemed to break them, collasping again after a few minutes of his attack, he remember his other materia and laid Aeris against his chest and turned her body so it stretched out upon his own and dove deep down into his pockets and grabbed the few tiny marble shaped magic balls that he had collected. To devoured into fear to think, he grabbed the biggest one of the green set and placed it upon the center of his palm, clutching it, he turned Aeris again within seconds and jumped to his feet, noticing the thing below them was beginning to suck into the spinning circles beams of light beneath the sea from all directions.
Aeris began to awaken then from her unconscience state and she squinted for a moment as Zack closed his eyes and tighten his grip on the tiny orb tighter, his fingers digging into the palm of his hand as he shook it in fear, sweat pouring down his face. She felt much heavier then before and noticed Zack was struggling with her, but didn't know why he was still holding her, and why they were sinking now. Blinking alittle bit, she looked below only to catch the circles suddenly suck themselves in and disappear within seconds. Zack was mumbling a long line of words that Aeris had no memory of hearing, she tried hard to catch some of them to make them out but none came to mind. Beams of a glorious golden streams began piercing through the cracks of Zack's fingers, and she noticed a familiar liquid beginning to trickle down around his knuckles. It dripped mindlessly below them, staining the water a dark red and he seemed to be talking through his teeth now, trying to hold back the pain and suddenly wedge his hand open and dropped the marble, screaming in pain as he fell back against the blood red lit tomb they were still lodged in.
The orb fell pass them and slowly towards the sea. Zack leaned back, his eyes crunched closed in pain as he reared his hand upwards, crying out in agony, hot tears streaming down his cheeks in reaction to the cuts made from the materia. Aeris's eyes were fixed upon the ball, watching it's every twirl of movement, spinning beams that reflected her eyes as a grand show of glittering lights.
Striking the surface it exploded into a ray that shot straight towards the heavens and a loud groan of pain from below them erupted, as if the world was growling at them for dropping such a thing into it's depts.
Aeris opened her mouth to scream but it was drowned out but the rushing waters that began to boil around them and suddenly exploded upwards, sucking them down into itself as if to punish them for polluting it's waters with the golden magic item. Zack held tightly to her arm with his unspoiled hand, his eyes wide open now, his cheeks puffed from the collection of oxygen lodged into them. Frailing his other hand at her, he desperating tried to grab for her but the current was only growing, pulling them farther apart, their hands slipping from one anothers. Aeris had no time to take in a deep breathe and felt empty inside, her lungs were on fire, and her eyes were burning from the salt water that invaded them and she began to scream out of pain, bubbles flying from her lips in fear of death and she through her other hand forward towards Zack, defying the current that was trying to push it away, but missed. Zack had both his hands outstretched, one latched around her wrist now, pulled down from her upperarm, and his other still fidgetting about in the cold waters as he was pulled and bashed around within the river beneath the ocean. Frantically she through her arm again at him in a desperate attempt to catch his and he met with her own and yanked her as hard as he possibily could downwards into his arms, catching her in them, and holding her tightly. Her vision was beginning to become dark, weakness was overtaking her body, causing it to start to grow limp from the lack of air she so desired now.
Zack quickly pressed his lips against her own and released the air that he kept within in puffed up cheeks into her lungs, replenishing them instantly with as if she had recieved a fresh new breath but it did not last for long, within seconds, Aeris began to feel overwhelmed with the dizziness sense and she looked to the side as she pulled back from Zack's lips and saw a grand white light forming in front of them. Zack was shuddering as they flew with the current, his lungs beginning to take in the firey touch and desperatation to take a breath. Aeris watched as the light began to grow brighter in front of them, but felt as if she was seeing things and turned to see Zack was beginning to turn colors, a faint red and then as blue as the sea and as she looked into his glassly eyes she saw her own reflection was no different then his. Horrified she instantly turned away but a piece of a brown substance caught her eye and before she had a chance to dodge it, it struck within seconds against her forehead and knocked her head backwards and her out of unconscience once again as the light washed over their bodies and devoured them shooting them upwards from beneath the sea.
Zack shot his head upwards and instantly gasped for breath but Aeris was still limp within his arms, her hair flopped over her face like a wet rag doll. Seeing a shore no more then 3 feet in front of him, he began frantically despensing all his energy to reach it, pounding his arms against the water, scooping it behind him as he moved closure.
No more then a few seconds he flipped onto the shore of dry sand and flipped Aeris onto it's banks. Her arms were lifeless as they floppped beside her still body and Zack leaned his face towards her own to see if she was breathing but her chest did not lift to take in the fresh air. Despite his body's cries of weakness he tipped Aeris's head back and pinched her nose, drove his lips upon hers and blew fresh air into her lungs then pulled back but she still did not take more in on her own. Soft tears of tiredness and disbelief fell down his cheeks. Just because something had just happened was no excuse for him to lie down and let her go.
"A- Aeris! No! Breathe damn you!!" he screamed, his tears cluttering up his words as they fell into his mouth. He spit them from it and drove his lips down again into her own, forcing in fresh air to her lungs. As he pulled away he noticed she was twitching slightly and reached his hand up to the side of her neck, his index finger and middle pressed against the upper part of her neck.
Relief swept over him as a strong pulse pumped against his fingers but she was still not breathing on her own. Again, he tipped her head back and took all the air he could suck in and forced it into her body and a second after he drew back, water shot from her mouth as she began to cough, turning on her side, letting it flow out from her body.
"Zack..." she coughed, though her eyes were still closed from exhusation. Zack collasped beside her from his own weakness, his face lying in front of hers, taking in as much air as he could, as she did as well until their lungs felt full with enough to last them for awhile. Zack then closed his eyes as well, nudging his head slightly towards her to kiss her forehead with relief and then passed from consciousness himself, whispering to her before he fell back into his own mind.
"Aeris...."