"Hey sleepy-head, get up" Phoenix opened his mismatching eyes and looked upwards. His smiling sister stood above him; a giant metal plate in her hands. "Come on, we already ate breakfast. I managed to save you some..." Aeris kneeled down and put the plate on the ground. Phoenix leaned up and looked at the big metal plate.
"What is it? I'm not very familiar with food..." Phoenix trailed off while he leaned towards his food. Aeris giggled and titled her head.
"Well, the long brown strips are bacon. The big white circles with little yellow circles are eggs. The brown square things are toast. It's not the most elegant breakfast ever" Aeris grinned and turned her body around to a degree and grabbed a big glass or orange juice. "And this orange juice is...orange juice" She shook the glass in her hand for a moment then put it down. Phoenix reached over and grabbed an egg with his hand; the gooey mix of yellow and white dripped threw her fingers. Aeris blinked and shook her head. "Oh yeah, you need a fork...here" Aeris bent around and handed him a napkin with a fork in it.
"That would make sense" Phoenix let the rest egg drip through his fingers. He took the napkin and whipped his hand on it. With clean hands again, he used the fork to shovel eggs into his mouth. Soon, the eggs were all gone from the plate. Phoenix then jammed the fork into the bacon and lifted it upwards.
"Oh, you can use your hands with bacon. It's kinda greasy though, so it's ok to use the fork too" Aeris explained. Phoenix quickly consumed the bacon and then looked at the toast. He poked it with the fork, but noticed at once that the bread would slide off. "Yeah, for toast, it's better to use your hands" Aeris added. Phoenix quickly picked the toast up and munched it down. After a few moments the toast was no more. She handed him the orange juice. "And now wash it all down. Orange juice has an odd taste at first" Phoenix swirled the glass then threw the drink down his throat. She giggled when she watched his face turn bitter; his lips pulled inward for a few seconds.
"That was not what I expected" Phoenix blurted out; Aeris giggles exploded from her body. Phoenix narrowed his eyes at her; she slowed her giggles down and covered her mouth with her left hand.
"I'm sorry; I was only teasing!" Aeris smiled. And her smile grew even brighter when she saw her brother smiling as well.
"It's alright. Thank you for bringing me breakfast. I have never had such a nice meal" Phoenix confessed to her. Aeris flicks some strands of hair out of her face; the smile burning brightly on her face still.
"You're just saying that!"
"No, I'm very serious. It is the first meal that anyone has ever made for me that I remember. It was much better than the health bars I was living on" Phoenix explained. Aeris sat back onto her butt and pulled her knees close to her body.
"Thank you Phoenix. Would you mind if I asked you a question?" Aeris let the words roll out of her mouth. Phoenix stretched his arms upwards and nodded his head. "You know...those blasts you do. How do you do that? I mean, I know Cloud and Tifa do things sometimes where energy seems to come from no where. Your ability seems to be very...controlled" Aeris explained to him. Phoenix nodded his head and held out his hand. Aeris leaned forward when she saw a little ball of silver growing in his hand.
"I'm not sure if I can explain this properly, but I'll try. When I power up a blast, I need to concentrate all my energy on one area. As I do that, more and more of my energy goes to that area. It starts to form into a silver light, which you see in my hand. The more powerful the blast, the longer I need to concentrate. In battle, I can throw small ones very quickly. They do little real damage. In fact, more damage is caused by the force of the blow then the actual energy" Phoenix held his hand closer to Aeris; her face held a certain degree of worry. "It cannot harm you. It's just energy" Aeris reached her hand out over the ball and jerked it away quickly. "It will not harm you" Phoenix repeated. Aeris put her hand over again and held it there; the energy gave her hand a warm feeling.
"That is a nice ability...you have fantastic control over it" Aeris pulled her hand back. Phoenix grinned and let the ball grow larger. When it reached the size of his head, Phoenix shrank it down to the size of a cup saucer.
"It's very useful to be sure...you can heal, can you not?" Aeris grinned and held her hand again. She smiled as a soft green glow came from her hand. She kneeled down and leaned forward; the glow lighting up the tent area. Both of their faces were locked onto the light show coming between their hands.
"Yeah...it's very similar to yours. You know, the actual energy..." The tent area was filled with a clashing mix of green and silver. "Do you think your Jenova half is what allows you to gather energy like this...?" Aeris looked up from their hands at his head. When he looked up, she got a good look at those mis-matched eyes: The green Cetra eye and the blue Jenova eye. Both eyes closed and held tight for a second.
"I believe my Cetra half allows me such control over my energy. I believe the Jenova half allows me to use it as a weapon...I cannot heal like you can. I can heal myself; but I do not believe I can heal others..." Phoenix trailed off and looked back down at the green and silver light show going on. A sad little frown covered Aeris' face; the first time a frown had entered onto her face since the conversation had begun.
"It is entirely possible the Cetra had fighting genes at some point. Don't blame the Jenova just yet. Besides, I think that's wonderful you can do those attacks! It gives you a huge edge in a fight. Not that I think you should be looking for fights, but you know you can defend yourself" Aeris forced herself to smile. And she stopped forcing her smile when her brother looked up with a fresh new smile on his face.
"I suppose you're correct. It gives me a unique advantage in a fight" Phoenix finally let his energy die out; all the green light remained in the room. Then the green light from Aeris died down as she stood up.
"On that note, I think its time we get going. Not much else we can do here" Aeris explained. She walked towards the end of the tent and looked back at her brother. "It was really nice talking to you Phoenix...nice to have a brother" With a red tint covering her face, she exited the tent. Phoenix titled his head and smiled brightly.
"We don't need much more than water, do we?" Tifa picked up a few canteens of water and slung them over her shoulder. The dark storm clouds that polluted the skies the day before were almost all gone; they had held in their storms and moved on peacefully. Cloud threw some left-over orange juice on the fire they had used to cook breakfast.
"Yeah, I don't see us being here still at dark. Maybe we should take some food...I mean, we left our supplies back by the gates of the town. We may need to stop for dinner" Cloud added. Tifa frowned and looked down at the cooler of food they had found; it was left by the dead soldiers from Junon. They had cleaned off most of the blood it was painted in. Most.
"We got a dozen eggs left, half a loaf of bread, a package of cheese...and what appears to be ham. But I'm not sure. I don't want to open the package and spoil it" Tifa leaned down to get a closer look at the contents of the cooler. "It's not the biggest cooler in the planet. But it's going to be a pain to carry with us" Tifa pointed out. Aeris strolled over behind her and looked down into the cooler.
"Well, we can take turns. That way it won't be so bad" Aeris cheerfully added. Tifa grinned and looked over her mass of brown hair and her shoulder at her. "What I do wrong?" Even then, the cheerfulness had not left her voice.
"You had a talk with him, didn't you?" Tifa looked into her friend's eyes; they were the brightest green she had ever seen them. Aeris blushed and pushed her hair off her neck.
"Yeah...it's nice. You know, knowing someone else is out there like me. That I'm not the last Cetra" Aeris explained to her. Tifa looked forward and closed the cooler. Leaning up, her brown hair fell down onto her back.
"You just like having a brother" Tifa let out a small laugh and faced her. Aeris sheepishly grinned and shook her head around. "It's like you talked to a rock star or something!" And both girls giggled softly.Cloud rolled his eyes until he heard Phoenix emerging from the tent; he was pulling his black and white back-pack onto his shoulders.
"You know, I forgot you were a teenager until you slept in" Cloud pointed out. "The back-pack helps add to the image too" Phoenix yawned; his arms outstretched high over his head. When he put them down, he looked at Cloud.
"You're not the first to say that to me. However, I believe I needed the extra rest" Phoenix looked over at the girls. "And some food" When he said that, Aeris smile grew even more, if it was possible. Tifa looked away from him and at Cloud as a few storm clouds came back to the sky above them.
"So are we just heading back to the chocobos and riding home? I mean, we know what happened to the others" Tifa pointed out. Cloud put his hand up to his face and rubbed his chin.
"I see no point in staying here-"
"Can I ask a favor?" Aeris jumped into the conversation quickly. Tifa and Cloud both turned their attention to her. When she saw she had their attention, she went forward with her question. "Do you think it would be a huge problem if I went to see if my old church survived? I mean, I know it didn't...I'd just like to see it one more time" Aeris explained. Tifa nodded sympathetically and patted her back.
"Its probably on the way. We could stop by...see if its still around" Tifa told her. Aeris nodded her thanks to Tifa then turned towards Cloud.
"Not a problem Aeris. Like Tifa mentioned, we can stop by on our way back...hey Phoenix, you gonna join us?" Suddenly everyone's attention to the young teen. Phoenix took a step back and looked at all of them at once.
"Well, I need to go look at my original lab. I think there were some files there I could use" Phoenix explained. A few more dark storm clouds came over the horizon and a clap of thunder could be heard in the distance. "I'd like to...you know, figure it all out" Phoenix finished it all. Aeris frowned sadly; her hair losing its luster and her eyes going from a gloss to a flat finish.
"Oh...well, I understand. I was hoping you'd come back to Kalm with us...we could use the help..." Aeris muttered; the words fell off her tongue like lead. Her hands tightened around the Princess Guard.
"We need to re-build the town-" Cloud started.
"The one you burnt down" Tifa spat out from no where. Phoenix's eyebrows narrowed at once.
"That was not exactly my doing-"
"Oh shut up! You burnt the town down! Just like your father! And you tried to kill my friends just like him!" Tifa roared; her anger could almost be seen coming out of her mouth. Aeris took a step back; her eyes wide in fear. Cloud took a deep breathe and looked at Phoenix; he wanted to see the boy's reaction.
"It was an accident. That was not my intent. I made a mistake. I did not start that fire but I could have contained it. I regret that" Phoenix explained calmly. Tifa slammed the lid on the cooler and marched over him. Stopping a mere inch from him, Tifa stared him dead in the eyes.
"You killed thirty-two people! Thirty-two people lost there life so you could be like your father. You got a good answer to that one?" Tifa's spit was hitting his face.
"Two hundred and forty-eight" Phoenix coldly replied. Aeris dropped her staff and came running over; her tiny body somehow wedged in between them. She pushed outward with her hands on their bellies, but both of them refused to budge.
"Stop-it-stop-it!" Aeris cried out. Cloud dropped his sword and sprinted over. Unlike Aeris, he did manage to get some separation between the two of them.
"Don't start you two"
"What's two hundred-forty eight?"
"Stop-it, stop-it!"
"Don't start-"
"That's how many people died when AVALANCHE blew up the reactor in Midgar. A deliberate attack that killed two hundred and forty eight people" Phoenix turned away from them and began to walk. Cloud grabbed Aeris and kept her from falling over when he walked off. The anger in Tifa's face washed out all at once; a sickly white pale look filled in where the anger was. Within a few seconds, Phoenix was gone. Aeris turned towards Tifa; she seemed to have captured Tifa's anger.
"Why did you say that? Why would you do that? He made a mistake!" Aeris lunged towards Tifa but Cloud held her tightly. Tifa stared blankly as Aeris clawed at her. "He was coming out of his shell! He was starting to become human! And you did that to him!" Aeris suddenly stopped fighting and collapsed to the ground. Cloud put his hands on Aeris' shoulder and gently rubbed them. While his hands were on her shoulders, his blue eyes were dead-locked on Tifa.
"Tifa...yeah, he was wrong to do that. I'm sure he regrets it...and you even had a point to bring it up to him. Especially if it made you uncomfortable. But you really went about it the wrong way" When he finished what he was saying he looked down at Aeris and began to massage her shoulders. The thunder cracked in the background again; the rain clouds were forming a union over the sky above them. Tifa looked like a sick ghost; her face was pale and frozen in disgrace.
"Right...you're all right. Even him..." Tifa looked down at Aeris and froze. She looked past her towards where Phoenix had walked to. In the distance, she saw him climbing over a pile of fencing and a former train station. "You guys...I'll meet you guys at the the front of Midgar" Tifa tossed two canteens on the ground in front of Aeris. "I'm gonna take the food; I noticed he had a back-pack on. We can put the cooler in there" Aeris, still shaking from her burst of unusual anger, looked up at Tifa with glazed eyes.
"You're gonna go get him?" Aeris choked out. Tifa nodded and walked past them; cooler in her hands.
"I'm gonna try Aeris..."With that, Tifa was gone; her footsteps growing more distant by the second. Now strikes of lightning appeared in the sky above them. Aeris, with a hand from Cloud, got to her feet and cleaned her eyes out.
"She's not going for him, is she?" Aeris asked; she really did not require an answer.
"She's going to make us feel better" Cloud answered; both of them knew it before Aeris had answered the question. "I have to admit, though, I'm shocked she's going...he made his point though...I wish he hadn't..." Cloud turned away and walked over to his sword. Aeris just sighed and let her head hang.
"It was such a beautiful morning" The sky filled with thunder now; thunder so loud it could wake the dead. Especially the recently deceased.
"News, I presume" Reeve looked up from his folder. Rude jerked his neck slightly upwards; a loud crack filled the sun-filled room. The storm clouds of the past few days had moved out to the sea; the sky was clear and bright. Only a few clouds dared the sky.
"We have our suspects down to three groups of men. And we're almost certain Dallin Overton. We overheard him saying how much he hates you and how much he'd like to get rid of you" Rude responded. Reeve put the folder down and leaned forward.
"Did he say these things in public-"
"No. To an aid in an elevator we had mic-ed. Once we find out who is actually making attempts on your life, we'll be able to forge a plan" Rude finished. Reeve nodded and picked up his folder.
"That's what I like to hear. I'm not real fond of being attacked by some random goons" Reeve pulled out a piece of paper from the file and placed it on the table. "Thanks thought Rude. I know the pay isn't what you should be making-"
"Favors need re-paid. I'd like to think we owe you for the warning about Meteor. When this is over, we're even. Agreed" Rude stated it more as fact than question; Reeve knew this was his way though.
"Of course Rude. I never considered that a favor though. But sure, we're even when this is all done" Reeve picked up his pen and signed his name to the document. "I'm shocked you haven't killed me for helping AVALANCHE" Reeve tossed out; the thought had been bothering him for a long time.
"You saved the planet. And thus our lives. And Shinra is dead. So forget it Reeve; you have no fear of the Turks" With that, Rude turned around and walked towards the door.
"Are you glad its gone Rude? Shinra...you glad it's gone?" Reeve looked up from his paperwork. A cloud passed over the sun outside; it blocked all the light from entering the room. Rude stopped at the doorway and put his hands on the doorway.
"I do not miss the greed. I do not miss the killing for no reason. I do miss the structure; I miss Midgar. Shinra never killed as many people as Sephiroth did with that attack. So I suppose I do not miss it. But I wish it would have happened another way" Reeve stood up when Rude finished speaking and put his hands on the desk.
"You never fought Shinra-"
"I was content. As where you, remember? It's gone and we are not. That's all that matters now" And with that, the door was open and Rude was gone. Reeve flopped back down in his chair as the sun-light entered the room again. He sighed and went back to work.
"Hey...hey...wait up!" Tifa jumped off the top of a fence and looked at Phoenix's back. "Just wait a minute!" She jogged; the cooler was not heavy but awkward. That awkwardness slowed her down quite a bit.
"What do you have to say" Phoenix stopped walking but did not turn around; his back stayed to her face. Tifa stopped a few feet behind him. She placed the cooler down and crossed her arms. The new cold wind slammed into her body and tingled her skin. Tifa looked around at all the destroyed buildings before stopping her eyes on him.
"Look...it bothers me. You know, the fact Kalm burned down. And since you had a hand in that....you bother me. You bother me" Tifa stated. She jammed her toe into the ground and looked down at the ground. "When I look at you, I see-"
"Sephiroth. My father" Phoenix finished the sentence for her. The thunder roared in the sky; it lingered for a few seconds. Tifa looked up at him as the wind whipped into her.
"Yeah...I know Aeris sees the Cetra in you. And Cloud...Cloud respects your ability. And I know you've guys have talked a few times. But I cannot look at you and not think of him. All he did to the planet. To my friends. To me" Tifa felt her body shaking; the cold air chilling her bones. Lighting filled the sky with a quick flash; when the light died down it seemed to be even darker than before.
"I regret Kalm...it was one of those things I will never forget" Phoenix looked over his shoulder at her finally; his green eye catching her attention. "And I am not...happy that I remind you of him" Phoenix looked forward again. "I have files to get" His boots moved forward now; his back-pack swaying slightly on his back.
"They really want you to come back to Kalm...look, at least go back and talk to them" Tifa looked up at him; the wind pulled the storm clouds closer over their heads. "I can go with you to get the files. Then we can go to see the others. You owe it to talk to them" Tifa uncoiled her arms and held them down at her sides."It would mean the world to her if you came back to talk to her" Tifa held her breathe and stared directly at his back.
"If you insist" Phoenix kept walking down the dead street; the breeze playfully knocking his jacket around on his back. Tifa bent down, picked up the cooler, and walked after him. She jogged up next to him and looked over; the cooler hanging down in front of her.
"Do you mind...if I put the cooler in your back-pack?" Phoenix looked over at her; his glare as hard as the cement underneath their feet. Tifa looked down at the cooler and sighed. "I'll take the back-pack and wear it. I'm just sick of carrying it" Phoenix shrugged his shoulders and snatched the back-pack as it came off his back. "Thanks-"
"I do not have anything in there now except a folder. Make sure the folder does not get torn" Phoenix handed her the back-pack. Tifa unzipped the pack and slide the folder out. She put the cooler in then placed the folder on top. "I may need it back to place more files in" With that he began walk again down the street. Tifa sighed and zipped the bag up. Slinging it over her shoulders, she followed behind him again.
"That's fine...how far is it?" Tifa strolled along the road as the clouds began to team up in the sky; the sun was becoming blocked off.
"Not to far...one day perhaps..." Phoenix stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. The bright green of his eye stood out in contrast to the black of his tanktop and the silver in his hair. "One day, I will not be his son in your eyes" With that, he faced forward and began marching again. Tifa's eyes went wide; her lips pushed together tightly. She closed her brown eyes and nodded.
"Perhaps...I hope" She muttered through clenched lips. She strolled down the street behind him. Above them, the skies were getting ready to unleash a storm on them.
