KH2- Search of the Legendary Keyblades.
Chapter 1 part c Deal with the Devil
By Aer_seph4eva
Disclaimer.......
Kingdom Hearts doesn't belong to me, no matter how hard I dream or wish. If it did, Riku would wear black leather trousers instead of his blue stocky ones and Cloud, Squall, Yuffie, Cid, Aerith and Sephiroth would have played on your team instead of Goofy and Donald.
Oh thanks to everyone who reviewed my fic. I really appreciate it. I was also wondering if anyone wanted to become a Beta-reader for me. Someone I could tell the basic plot to and mention the delightful twists in the tale. Believe me when I say that this fic will be very long and very complicated, so am looking for someone who can help me. You won't have to write any chapters or anything, I just want someone to check over my work. If you would like to help me, you can notify me by email or write in the review box or whatever..
Oh, I was given an email questioning who the 4 villains are going to be. Well just to let you guys know that the are not original characters and they are neither FF nor Disney characters. And yes they are KH characters. It is not really hard to work out if you think about it. 4 mystery 'unknown' characters. UNKNOWN being the key word. Hint* hint* ^_^
Anyway on with the fic!
In the last chapter....
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Aeris cracked open one eye. Since her head was bent down she could only see a pair of black leather boots, and the knowledge that it wasn't another Heartless trying to attack her immensely relieved her.
'And there is only one guy I know who wears leather...' Aeris thought a weak smile tugging her lips at the thought of her saviour.
"Than...Thank you Leon...." Aeris uttered out softly as she attempted to close her eyes and nod off. The notion was instantly broken when she heard an unsettling, dark chuckle, that was so familiar.
"You're welcome little Cetra. But I am not your Leon," Came a deep voice to which Aeris' eyes widened dramatically.
"It...it...can't be.." Aeris gasped holding a hand to her mouth in shock and horror, as she shakily rose her head up to meet a pair of chillingly beautiful Mako eyes.
"We meet again Aeris..."
"...Sephiroth..."
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The two figures stood still, silently at each other, waiting for the other's next move. Neither moved. Neither showed fear and neither said a word. They both stared strong at each other, her forest green depths glaring defiantly at his unearthly aquamarine, neither wanting to yield and thus show weakness.
It surprised Aeris greatly when she found that it was him who was the first to lose eye contact. His eyes slowly lowered causing his gaze to move down to the rest of her body. Her face flushed slightly at his intense stare and she couldn't help but feel insecure and almost naked under his Mako gaze. Mako eyes which had lived countless lives, and each life they had, the greater the sins they committed, thus bringing upon greater nightmares for his victims who unfortunately managed to survive from an untimely death.
Yet there was one thing that Aeris had always remembered during her most fitful nights that were infested with her most terrifying nightmares. Her dreams which had now became so realistic yet so surreal. The worst when she felt her very own life seep away from her. Thick, crimson liquid oozing down her own thin fingers and the sudden urge to choke up the air as if she were about to breathe her last breath. Then the underlying stench of blood which crystallised and formed into a scab just above her abdomen, slick and wet as it saturated the material on her chest, staining it in her own fluids. Her dreams held such a sick yet painful feeling as her body took in a shuddering breath, her eyes wide with horror at how her frightful dreams will be soon brought to reality.
'He was going to kill her.'
She knew it was him, the one she saw from her dreams, although his attire seemed different, yet the same. It was those chillingly beautiful eyes which she had seen so many times held proof to her truth. How can something which held so much beauty hold the apparent this evil? A darkness yearning for so much death and destruction. So could this figure before her even be called a man?
His figure proved not as a arched wing was splayed open in a flurry of the colour of midnight darkness, to his right shoulder. The very image of a fallen angel. Like was written for the fated story of the demons, that an Angel who held too much darkness became punished by tainting what they cherish most. The flaxen white wings were turned into a obsidian black from their fall from the heavens causing event the very darkness of the earth to coil away from one who had became so tainted. Even the very sun feared his powerful form, The dark angel's skin, a flaxen white as if the light had not the courage to touch this demon, lest be burned.
The figure moved his lips slowly in what seemed an attempt to speak, while Aeris unconsciously took in a breath. Her wide eyes moving slowly down to meet silver of a mass size being wielded in the swordsman's powerful hands. She cringed at the sight of the blade now knowing that what she was seeing, was her fate. Her dreams were the unfortunate premonitions to end her sorry life. She could almost envision her blood tainting across the sword, dripping slowly to the ground into a puddle of darkness...
'Masamune. His sword is named Masamune...but how do I know that, if I have never heard that name before.....'
Aeris, although knowing her own fate, knew for certain that she wasn't about to accept it without a fight. But as strong willed as her mind was, her body was incapable of movement, already too full of fatigue from her encounter with the heartless, that she knew she couldn't even dodge a single slice from his blade if he were to aim it towards her.
'Isn't life's predicaments so uncanny. To be rescued from the heartless by my murderer.'
The flower girl was certain that she saw a twitch of the swordsman's lips as she stared up to look at his mouth, not having the courage to look any higher before looking back down at his sword. It was then instantly that the dark fighter's eyes flicked downwards and in an instant, and the flower girl felt harsh cold metal pressing firmly against her neck, against her pulse. The brunette suppressed a shiver, fearing that if she moved the slightest millimetre that the delicate skin of her neck would be sliced through like thin paper. She looked up without moving for her head, into the eyes of her murderer, knowing that her time was inevitably about to come to an end as he returned her stare with no emotion.
'And still Sephiroth has not said anything other than my name....' Aeris couldn't help it as her eyes began to tear up knowing that she was trembling on the knives edge. Feeling both mentally and physically feeling frozen and separate to that of the world. Only the blade which was set across her throat and the unyielding eyes, cold and unfeeling was the only proof that she was still alive...
Her eyes fluttered closed after a moment, unable to take in the sight of her executioner anymore, waiting for her final release.
Yet it didn't come.
She heard the rustle of leather above her causing her to crack open an eye. She watched as the extravagant angel fell swiftly down on one knee, the blade not even moving the slightest inch from her neck. Her breath hitched slightly as she realised that now that their heights were now equal and that Sephiroth was so close to her it was more than frightening. A thin bead of sweat made a path down the side of her forehead, its shine catching the swordsman's attention, his mouth twitching into a slight smile. The blade still poised against her neck.
"You are afraid."
Aeris jumped when she heard the low yet unnaturally alluring voice fill her ears. She drew back sharply when she felt a sudden spike of pain. She didn't have to see to know that her neck was bleeding as she fisted her palms against the pavement, biting her lip at the throbbing new pain, not wanting to give any more pleasure to her sadistic murderer.
He scrutinised her carefully watching as the crimson liquid made its way upon his blade.
"Why are you afraid of death?" he asked softly as the wind began to slowly pick up, silver tendrils blowing gently against the wind. "You have already experienced death before."
Aeris' lower lip trembled, feeling like her vocal chords had become paralysed with fear. She said nothing for a minute, testing the silence around her and the steady breathing of the swordsman just a foot away from her. His question brought up so many thoughts within her. Death... Yes, she knew she had experienced death before yet she had no memory of doing so. She had seem many deaths right in front of her when the Heartless invaded her hometown, merciless and cold. She still couldn't remember how she had truly survived when everyone else around her perished.
But still he was waiting for an answer from her, so she decided to voice an answer which she generally had with most of her confused thoughts.
"...I don't know.." It was an honest answer the brunette thought, not really caring if it would please the swordsman or not. Why care for the feelings of a man who was about to be your murderer?
The swordsman couldn't help but chuckle at the answer, the sound such a rich baritone that it drew the flower girl's attention away from her gloomy thoughts, if only for a short while.
"You haven't changed," he stated quietly, his empty hand resting comfortable on his knee. His aquamarine eyes stared at her form with high interest, or more precisely her irises which had darkened into a jade hue causing her pupils to seem dilated.
Aeris pondered his statement for a moment before quirking a smile of her own. "..neither have you."
The stern look he gave the brunette after her comment suddenly drew shivers along her spine.
Sephiroth laughed at her response, his smirk widening. "Oh but I have little one," he responded, gesturing to his leather appendage over his shoulder, flexing it so it shadowed half of his face. A truly blood chilling sight.
"Your blood also looks the same too," the swordsman continued, moving a gloved finger to touch the beads of crimson which was sliding against his blade.
The brunette cringed, drawing back a breath at the shock of his words. "What do you want Sephiroth?"
His eyes suddenly hardened. A smirk falling from his lips as he pressed his blade further against the flower girl's neck, who cried out in agony. "Shush... you are in no position to speak..." he growled, as his hand reached out to press a finger against the Aeris' wound, eliciting another painful cry from the girl before him. And then with a sadistic smile, he dragged the digit across the injury, coating it within Aeris' fluids before making a wet trail upwards to her frightened face. Crimson blood now stained the side of her ashen white face. Her eyes filled with trauma.
Aeris gulped, then nodded slowly with understanding. Her eyes couldn't help but stare at the single leather digit which was pressed against the side of her cheek. She gnawed her lower lip lightly, trying to prevent herself from pulling away. The stinging from her fresh wound had began to numb from the cold wind, to which she felt grateful for.
Sephiroth stared down at the girl, his gloved hand still resting on her face while the other held Masamune against her throat. Giving him the chance for total submission, but as he looked at her, he noticed changes from which he had never felt from her before. It was like her aura, which emanating off her form held a foreign signature, almost like a scent that he had recognised before yet had no true understanding of where it came from. Yes, he recognised her aura but he couldn't comprehend why. As the thoughts rampaged through his head, his face remained passive and cold staring down at the girl before him, with curiosity yet suspicion. He began to trail his finger upwards to her temple. Then suddenly, his mind flashed blank and an image of a unfamiliar place was burned within his mind. He swiftly pulled his hand away from Aeris' face as if he were burned. And in a way he was, his very fingers tingled from the contact from the images that were now swarming within his mind. He stared wide eyed at the brunette, drawing back his sword and taking a few steps away from her in disbelief. She only stared openly at him with surprise, her face mixed with fear yet bemusement as she rubbed her sore neck, wishing more than anything that she had a potion or an ether so she could heal herself.
'Why is he staring at me like that...what...is he thinking...?'
The swordsman placed Masamune back in its sheath while watching the brunette warily still sprawled out on the ground from where he had found her. He blinked a few times before clearing his throat, confusion lying within the emerald depths. "You're not the same Aeris are you?" Sephiroth questioned softly in the winds that Aeris almost didn't hear him. When realism and understanding did hit her, his question managed to take her directly by surprise causing the flower girl to hike up her eyebrows with apparent confusion.
'What?'
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing her form, the underlying essence of her aura emanating from her spirit. He could sense that it was strong and unyielding and naturally drawn towards the elements and awareness around her. It was then he knew why he recognised her form of power for he had felt it from himself.
He took a small step towards her again, tilting his head as he watched the flower girl shift backwards. "Are you.....like me?" he questioned pointing towards his own aura which resided within his heart. A heart which had been pulled and grown even more tainted over the passing of years. Aeris' furrowed her eyebrows, looking somewhat bewildered and slightly unnerved at the question.
After hearing no response, Sephiroth changed the mode of conversation.
"Can you feel it? Can you feel the changes?" he stated coolly, gesturing to the area around him which was filled with the shadows from the town. She knew he was referring to the Heartless. The darkness was thickening within the air like that of a pungent scent, strong and overpowering, drowning out all the flickers of light which glowed defiantly before them.
"I..." Aeris began before stopping mid sentence, having no idea what to say. She was still shocked at the way she was still alive and conversing with this demon of a man who just a minute ago was about to slaughter her.
Sephiroth folded his arms causing his wing to reflexively stretch out.
"..You do understand...yet you do not at the same time.... You are not the same. There is something different about you..." His eyes were cold as he had another good look at the girl before him checking once again to see if his senses were right.
"I do not feel a light nor a darkness within you," he said after a moment, his eyes settling down to the abandoned staff upon the floor before looking up to meet the girl's eyes who could only gape in response.
Aeris blinked a few times, clearly at loss for words. "...I....I don't understand..."
The swordsman's eyes twinkled with amusement. "You do not need to understand. Only accept."
Aeris' eyes flared with anger as she attempted to stand up, before failing. She had used up too much energy to even rise to her feet. "How dare you! You come onto me as if you are trying to kill me and now you are holding information back." She bit back with anger before freezing with alarm, as she remembered her position and a certain blade which was just recently pressed against her throat.
Sephiroth's lips twitched lightly, his eyes loosing it's iciness. "...Silly Cetra..."
The flower girl frowned in annoyance, her eyes narrowing. "I am called Aeris. Not Cet....whatever that is..." She began before being paused by a raised hand.
"Ssshh...You do not realise little one. How can you be called by a name from which you are not." The silver haired swordsman stated in a cool tone to which Aeris cringed in response.
"Stop talking like that! Who are you Sephiroth? What do you know?" The brunette growled, causing the swordsman to raise a slight eyebrow with amusement.
"....such a temper," he commented quietly with a small tut, "however, you still hold a great shine of bravery and foolishness to talk back to your past executioner."
He grinned as the girl struggled to stay silent.
"Good girl. You're learning quickly." he stated mockingly flicking his hair over his steel paldrons, his teeth glinting with maliciousness while his eyes held a more sinister look, glowing within the darkness.
"Hmmm...They managed to do a great job.." Sephiroth commented softly as he eyed the girl with interest, taking slow deliberate steps around her as if to intimidate her with his tremendous height as she laid half sprawled across the ground.
"Yes...yes they did..." he mumbled to himself, kneeling down to reach for her face to which she crawled back in response. He mentally chuckled to himself as he idly played with her hair, causing the brunette to bite her lip as if that could prevent her from letting lose her emotions onto the silver haired swordsman.
"..So...Aeris, have you experienced any dreams lately, or should I say nightmares?" Sephiroth questioned looking into the brunette's eyes and watching them widen a fraction before narrowing, her head bowed down to prevent from staring in to the aquamarine eyes any longer.
"..no," she whispered yet her voice held a slight waver of discomfort within it.
Sephiroth smirk grew. "Are you sure little one? How did you know my name then? We haven't met nor crossed paths in this lifetime."
Aeris' body shuddered, yet she stayed silent.
"There's no point in lying. Did I forget to mention another one of my skills is telepathy? Either way, I know what dreams you have had because I have had them too," Sephiroth commented moving his hand to rest on her pale face.
"I don't dream of you!" Aeris exclaimed, swiping his hand away from her form with disgust, tears threatening to make their way down her face.
The swordsman pulled his hand back to his side knowing that he had her know within his grasp. "I didn't say that," he said softly repositioning himself so that he sat only a little way from the flower girl.
"Do you dream often of blood little one, cascading down your fingers from an never ending wound?" he all but purred reaching out again to pull her face towards him. Aeris feeling too frightened and tired just let the icy fingers trail yet again against the contours of her form.
Sephiroth smiled to himself, as another mental barricade had fallen and he was getting ever closer to fully possessing the girl before him. He stoked her hair playfully, imagining the softness of it through the thickness of leather. "Have you ever seen Masamune?" Sephiroth questioned out of the blue, unhooking Masamune from it's scabbard and bringing it to the girl's vision. "You've seen it, haven't you..." he said after a moment, watching the girl's reaction as she stared at her reflection through the blade. Feeling unnaturally at ease with herself which caused the warrior to raise an eyebrow in bemusement.
'Maybe she is just too tired...'
"Stop it..."
Sephiroth turned his head from his blade to stare openly at the female who was trying to control her bottled up emotions. Her voice no higher than a whisper as if it were any louder, she would use up all of her energy.
"What's the matter Aeris, don't you like knowing about the truth?" the swordsman stated softly, tilting his head in question.
"Stop confusing me.. Just go anyway..." Aeris whimpered a single tear tracing its way down her cheek.
Sephiroth gave her look of mock sympathy as he held his sword between both of his hands, testing its grip. "Sorry but I cannot. There is something I want very much from you."
"Please. Don't kill me... I....I... Oh gods Sephiroth! Please hold mercy! I haven't done anything to you! I don't even know you!" Aeris gasped, now fully weeping before the ever proud swordsman. Her voice coming out with hiccups as her heart tried to thunder it's way out of her chest. "Just please...just go away.." she said, her voice as quiet as a whisper.
The swordsman leaned towards the side of her face, taking a deep breath deliberately as to inhale her scent. "Who said I was going to kill you?" he questioned his eyes trailing down the elegant line of her neck, enjoying the reaction the girl was showing due to his closeness.
Aeris once again bit her lip, this time drawing blood. She tried to keep her body deathly still as her eyes fixed themselves to look towards the distance and away from a certain pair of hypnotic eyes.".........what do you want?" She said after a moment, her eyes searching in the darkness to stare at anything other than the demon beside her.
Sephiroth noted this with amusement looking in the direction her eyes seemed so intent in staring upon. A lamppost.
'Hmmm, she's ignoring me. Interesting...' Sephiroth leaned closer, enjoying his male dominance over the fragile female. The girl's hands which looked no bigger than the half the size of his own, and her eyes, which was the only sign of her power. Her green eyes glowed with their own strength of bravery that the swordsman couldn't help but feel unusually attracted to it. Aeris blinked causing the general to wake up from his thoughts.
"You both have the same eyes." he said softly after a moment bringing one hand to tilt the girl's chin towards him. Her face so sweet and alluring although there was still the apparent traces of fear and distrust. He was surprised with himself that he had not realised sooner of the rarity of her beauty in a world of traitorous life.
Aeris frowned darting her eyes to look in another direction although she made no move to move his hand. "Stop talking like that! You're confusing me!" She said with a passion looking down in her lap as she wringed her hands within it, fully away of the Mako glow boring holes into her face.
Her response only managed to amuse the flaxen haired warrior even more. "Can I ask you a question little one?" he stated calmly, unconsciously rubbing his thumb against the side of the girl's face who made no move to retaliate or fight back. Aeris rose her eyes up at him in confusion but made no attempt to speak.
"Do you know who I really am?" Sephiroth questioned on, chuckling at the total irony of his position. Here he was, conversing with his murder victim and actually enjoying it.
A brown eyebrow rose with surprise at the question looking at his face to see if he was truly joking but all she saw was the ever present blank stare and the look of amusement and secrecy within the Mako hued depths. Aeris eyes rose to look up at the never ending valley of stars that filled the night sky as if they could give her strength.
"In....in my dreams. I see...I feel you kill me....... and then.... I....I feel myself being taken to a place full of eternal darkness and fear..... where a beacon of light lies in the centre of a lake, separating the darkness. Yet the darkness and light are not fighting..... nor showing signs of hatred against one another. It.......is like there is apprehension, a tension within the air, that something is coming that they both hold fear to.....And then....... I....usually wake up after that..." Aeris stared down at her hands, playing with her silver bangles while she spoke .Once again, her dreams were being brought to the surface. A megalopolis, a barren wasteland of neon lights flicking upon the dark buildings. A figure clad within the tones of darkness fighting upon the mass of creatures as if created from a nightmare. A symbol of the heartless shining from within the darkness like that of a message of warning or danger, and then a mysterious lake casting a reflection of an imperfect full moon lying above it. Stalagmites arching over like claws, their tips pointed and oozing with a crimson hue as if they were trying to hide the clear waters from wandering eyes, as if protecting it by keeping it from the reach of others, or maybe...it was the other way round. That the lake was kept hidden to protect the very ones who would go and corrupt the very waters.
Sephiroth watched Aeris' movements carefully as she retold her dreams. He took notice as her hand began to fist together when she described the images of the heartless, the notorious acts they played upon her nightmares. The way that her eyes teared up when she described the pain she felt upon seeing the insignia of the heartless glowing with an energy of its own within the darkness.
"And then normally after that....I feel a flash and the image of four auras flow within me. These images, they are too fast for me to fully remember their faces....But I remember that they all were wearing hoods and black coloured clothes. That there were Keyblades clashing against one another, and there is one who shines out more than the rest..."
The general raised an eyebrow pulling back his hand to his side. "Oh really?"
The brunette nodded. "I remember him more than the others, for his aura holds more light than that of the others...... and his face is not covered by a hood. To tell you the truth...I....I first thought that this figure was you...as..... as he held a similar aura like that of you and he had silver hair. The only thing I couldn't tell was his eyes as they were covered by some sort of blindfold."
Sephiroth's eyes widened slightly in realisation and he fought the urge to laugh.
'She's talking about that foolish boy Riku I came across in the Kingdom Hearts. I wonder what this all means...?' he pondered for a moment before drawing up a blank.
'Maybe Riku is more devious than I thought. Could he be working alongside a greater power like I?' A smile crossed his lips at the thought before turning his attention back to the quiet brunette.
".....I see..." he muttered after a moment contemplating the theories which were rising within thoughts, rubbing his chin in his hand.
Aeris turned to look up at him, expecting him to say some sarcastic comment. "What does it mean then......my dream I mean?"
The swordsman shrugged his shoulders."...fate will inevitably show us...."
Aeris pouted with annoyance. "Why are you holding information back? What do you know? Who are you really Sephiroth?" she finished with a frown watching as Sephiroth threw his head back with a laugh.
He wiped the corner of one eye. "You want to know who I am little one? I have been many things. A lab specimen. A hero. A god. An executioner. An angel trapped within the fall of man, and...most recently, your past murderer." He enjoyed the sight as Aeris paled.
"But...but... that was a dream! I have never met you before now!" Aeris protested unconsciously holding her stomach, feeling the area tingle as if wanting to be scratched. She blinked away the images of his death blade pressing against the inner walls of her organs before being brutally wrenched out.
Sephiroth watched the feeling of turmoil cross the girl's face although she tried her very best to hide it. She was too amusing for words. "I know you haven't little one. That's what I have been trying to say all along." Sephiroth replied, folding his arms.
Aeris blinked trying to comprehend his words, or wondering if she had heard right. "What?"
"Hahahahahahaha. You still don't understand do you. If I know you, yet you do not know who I am, that leads us to only two answers. It is either you have fallen with amnesia or...." Sephiroth stated calmly the same spiteful grin gracing his face. "...you are not Aeris.."
The brunette shook her head angrily, not understanding why those words managed to bring so much pain upon her heart that she knew herself were far from the truth.
'So why did I think otherwise..?'
"Why do you keep telling me that? I am Aeris!" Aeris protested more for her own sanity than that of going against the swordsman's words.
Sephiroth's look was sickeningly sweet "Are you upset little one? Don't be sad.. There is nothing wrong with being a clone," he replied, moving a hand forward to rest against her shoulder.
"I am not a clone! I am Aeris!" Aeris tried to reinforce, slapping the warrior's hand away as she tried yet again to sit up.
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Oh really. Care to explain why you have not got this?" And with that as the only warning, Sephiroth suddenly reached forward and pulled at the lower half of the girl's dress, exposing her legs and her lower midriff for all eyes to see. Aeris gasped with shock as she futilely tried to cover herself up with the now button less material. That was impossible as Sephiroth then reached which one large hand and grasped both of hers in his. The brunette struggled frantically as she felt another hand begin to make a slow pathway from her face to her abdomen, taking care to admire her flawless skin before reaching the centre of the girl's stomach, feeling her chest rise and fall repeatedly where a heat was growing from within.
Sephiroth licked his lips, knowing that he had won. "Oh so where is my mark?" he stated sarcastically, making an invisible ring to around the place her scar should have been.
Aeris squirmed under his touch, wanting more than anything to push him away. But she knew that even if she had the energy to do so, and run away, that she was sure as hell be unable to escape from him. "They were only dreams! Dreams are not real!"
The swordsman shook his head. "Oh how wrong you are...If dreams are not real. How come I am standing here before you?" he stated rhetorically, loving the way the girl was being so submissive.
"I could still be dreaming, or you could be manipulating me!"
He raised an eyebrow. "At a time like this?" he questioned under his breath as he gestured around him at the dark clouds in the sky, the faint squeals and screams in the distance, and the flicker of golden eyes crossing through the darkness.
"NO STOP IT!" Aeris screamed clutching at the sides of her head. "I am Aeris Gainsborough, from the world of Hallow Bastion!"
"Hallow Bastion? I'm sorry but the real Aeris didn't live there. It was on a rural planet in a town called Midgar." Sephiroth corrected liking the way that Aeris' eyes widened at the names of the places.
The brunette's eyes lowered to the ground. 'Midgar....Promised land...? Why...wait...why do those places sound...so familiar...?' she questioned to herself, coming up with no answer, before realising that she was doubting her very own thought patterns.
Her eyes flashed menacingly. "Stop messing with my mind and..." she pleaded, once again her tears rolled down the planes of her face as Sephiroth paused with sheathing his sword..
"I'm not...I'm cleansing it. Giving you back your identity." Sephiroth interrupted her quickly raising a hand to her shoulder as if attempting to reassure her that she had nothing to fear.
Aeris pulled back yet again, vigorously shaking her head. "Stop it Sephiroth! No!"
The swordsman's eyes softened for a second before hardening. "Calm down. You are reliving your own memories. I don't not control those thoughts." he stated callously pulling away from the girl who laid half exposed upon the floor weeping bitterly to herself. If it wasn't for the lack of a heart, the swordsman would have felt a twinge of pain in his left breast and a uncomforting feel of guilt of traumatising the girl before him. Yet, he just moved to his feet, loose black feathers fluttering to the floor as he stood in a stoic manner above the brunette feeling somewhat unbalanced with himself.
Aeris' shoulders quaked with utter misery as she tried to collect herself. But she couldn't stop the tears from cascading down her face. The feelings in her heart that were juxtaposing with her mind were causing her to have an emotional breakdown, and she couldn't even fight it. Having countless dreams of getting murdered by a man adorned in black and silver, coming to realisation that it was indeed her fate, that the stars had chosen her exit from life, was enough already. But to find out, that this figure before her was addressing her as if he knew her, as if she knew him, was slowly eating away at the sanity left within the girl. And now he was toying with her weakened strings, entwining them around his fingers, and tugging them playfully and then forcefully, knowing that even the slightest tug may bring her to her end.
Aeris sniffled, blinking away at her tears, unable to look at the man above her who was at the moment saying nothing. "Why...why did you come here? Did you just come here to break me?" she questioned after a moment, breathing deeply to try and slow down her erratically beating heart and the emotions which felt like they were suffocating her from within. Drowning her within her painful sorrows and her eternal tortuous dreams. She stared down at the ground, her eyes forlorn and empty.
'He said that he would not kill me...but he may be trying to play with me before he goes in for the final...'
Sephiroth stared, sensing her mental torment without even searching within her mind. Her aura held spirals of confusion, wrapped within a helix of pain and misery. His face did not waver however.
'She is surely not the same....like that of I......'
He pondered upon her words and the true depth of their meaning. Yes, he did know he had came to this town underneath the facade of everyone else. Even on the side he didn't oppose. Yes he was a tainted angel, never to be trusted on either the side of the light nor the darkness for only he knew the truth of his actions. The place he was reaching through the manipulation on others to the hierarchy of absolute power.
'But could I tell her? We are one and the same although she has not remembered.'
He frowned at the thought. Never had he ever thought upon giving his prize information. He knew that no one could ever be trusted to know the secrets of a god's mind and to try and comprehend the absolute detachment from the utter meaningless life held for every living being. The pointlessness of fear of the dark and the light.
'Why would one fear what they already understand? It is the one who hold the balance between both is what should be feared.' He continued to stare down at the brunette who was looking down at the floor. 'She is not like mankind. She is not one of them. She has broken the laws of life like I have and so has broken away from the two paths...'
Sephiroth rubbed his chin, his decision made.
"No...I did not expect to see someone that I knew. I am on a mission." he answered quietly, his coat flapping within the wind. For now he had decided that he wasn't about to give away information, only if the girl asked for it. She had proved her worth by not attempting to escape.
Aeris decided not to look up at the swordsman so she kept her head down still listening,. She had already pieced together the reason why Sephiroth was standing there before her.
'He is evil. He has joined the Darkness.' she realised, an obvious reason to why the Heartless had appeared all over her town and had been terrorising the other planets as well.
"You....you've joined the Heartless haven't you?" Aeris stated, already expecting his answer.
Sephiroth's eyes widened slightly with surprise before he threw his head back and laughed openly. "Do I bear the symbol of the Heartless?" he stated pointing down to his chest. Aeris slowly raised her eyes upwards staring at the large expansion of his chest, noting the thick leather bands crossing over yet there was no black heart there.
'What does this mean then? But the Heartless...He's evil...'
"Surprised little one? I at least thought that someone like you would have known better." Sephiroth stated, his shoulders still trembling with uncontrolled chuckling.
"Then...what...you're on the light?" Aeris stated, before pausing. She truly had no idea on how to answer if he replied yes.
'He's not on the dark side...but...I don't understand...he can't be on the light..'
Sephiroth continued to chuckle. "Silly Cetra...I am neither on the dark side or the light. I prefer to be kept balanced. Too much of either is what is causing the sides to clash, correct." Sephiroth replied, still amused at the thought. 'She thought I was on the light.. How amusing.'
"But who says that there are only two sides of dark and light. It is possible to be one without having traces of the other? No man would be complete without their own balance of the two. It is their own mind which decides to follow a paths which either leads to the Light or the Darkness." His lips twitched into a smile. " You should know this. For you did this too. Think of it like Materia." Sephiroth began before pausing, remembering that this was not the same Aeris from his past life, no matter how alike they looked. "You do, remember what Materia is don't you?" Sephiroth questioned which caused Aeris to pause and think before nodding slowly. "Think of a Magic Materia such as Fire. It possesses great strength and energy which is neither good or bad. Yet it holds the power to do both. It can be used to protect and defend, or it can be used to attack and destroy. It is the same as the Light and Dark. They say that the Heartless is based upon the darkness, and the saviours are based upon the light. But what about those who hold the balance of the two?"
Aeris bit her lip as she fought for an answer to his question, not really understanding what he was trying to say. "They choose which path they follow?"
Sephiroth nodded. "Exactly. The ones who are balanced feel out of place so they decide to choose a side. But what about those who cannot choose as they feel that they are neither light or dark?"
Aeris decided then she was more than just confused. "I don't know..."
Sephiroth noted her lacking of understanding, so he decided to change the way he was coming across. "It is always the same story wherever you go. What ever planet you visit. Good always fights the Evil like that of this world. The Darkness versus the Light. But...what happens when another team wants to play against those two?"
The brunette blinked."?????"
Sephiroth tried to hide his annoyance. "Soon.... there will be a great war that will be even more catastrophic than the battles between the Darkness and the Light.."
Aeris was trying her very best to take in all of the information. "The ones who hold the balance between the two?"
Sephiroth looked mildly surprised that she had realised so quickly. "Correct.." he stated with a curt nod.
' don't understand..?' Aeris thought. 'A war between Light, Dark and the Balance between the two...I don't understand!'
Sephiroth smiled to himself. "I don't intend you to. It is I who needs to know all. These foolish humans, they fear the Heartless so much yet they have not realised the greater picture." he replied causing Aeris' eyes to widen in surprise before remembering what he had said earlier.
'He can read my thoughts...'
'The Darkness have fears too...' Sephiroth responded, causing Aeris to jump with surprise staring at the flaxen haired warrior with surprise.
Sephiroth's lips twitched. "Aeris watch," he stated calmly as he pointed to a building down the street, the inside light clearly seen as the curtains had not been drawn.
"Can you see the two children?" Sephiroth continued as Aeris strained her neck forward at the window, seeing two dark figures inside before nodding.
'What is he planning?'
'Nothing...Just watch.'
And so watch Aeris did from her place on the floor. Her first thought was that Sephiroth was going to show his power of manipulation or maybe even kill them. She sighed softly to herself with relief as Sephiroth made no move to them. She then suddenly choked upon her gasp as she saw two dark creatures crawl silently across the side of the house. It was then she understood. Her eyes widened in horror as the heartless drew closer to the children's window, their black antennae twitched as their amber eyes glowed with perverse delight. Aeris looked up to Sephiroth's face and saw that he too was watching the black creatures dissipate into liquid and crawl under the window sill.
'I've got to help them!' Aeris thought, as she struggled to rise to her feet, this time succeeding. She was aware that Sephiroth was now looking at her but she paid no need as she began to limp towards the house. She knew that she had to do something so that the Heartless would not hurt those children. Her thoughts were suddenly stopped when she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her body, making her unable to move. She struggled knowing that it was futile because she knew who was holding her back.
"Sephiroth! Let me go! I've got to help them!" Aeris exclaimed with anger as she tried to squirm out of the swordsman's vice like grip, yet he did not move. Her eyes began to glaze with trauma as she heard the horrifying screams and thuds from within the insides of the house. She shuddered in horror as she imagined what was happening. The way the Heartless would crawl towards the children, their eyes bloodthirsty and holding the need to capture their victims. Then they would latch upon their small chests and clutch upon their pounding hearts, pulling out all the threads of hope until their hearts had become severed from their body. Aeris' body decided to give way soon after the screams went silent. If it weren't for the arms around her, she was sure that she would have fallen to the ground.
'I couldn't save them.' That was the first thing the flower girl realised, her lower lip trembling as her eyes watered once again. Although Sephiroth was the one who held her back, she knew that either way, she wouldn't have been strong enough to protect those girls let alone herself. She shivered with misery trying to ignore the heat from the body behind her.
"Those poor children," Aeris whispered, her voice cracked with emotion.
Sephiroth nodded behind her. "In every war, there are always casualties." the warrior stated nonchalantly, watching as three Heartless crawled out of the house.
Aeris blood boiled at his callous remark. Innocent children had been killed by the heartless and all he could say that they were casualties!
"You heartless monster!" Aeris growled pulling out of the swordsman's arms with a force she did not know she possessed. "You could have saved those children. But you did nothing. You just watched them die!" she growled, tears streaming down her face, yet she didn't care.
Sephiroth shrugged. "I know."
Aeris turned away from him, ignoring the pain she felt from standing up on her legs. "How....how could you just stand there and do nothing?" she questioned, looking in the direction of the house that those two children had been only a few mere minutes ago.
"For I have got the choice. This is what I have been trying to say all along Aeris. This war between the Light and the Darkness is just a mere facade. Blinding everyone from the real truth. Saving children from the Heartless has no importance... Fate has already drawn their paths from which we cannot change. If we rescued them today then it would be tomorrow when they succumbed to the darkness.. Don't you see Aeris? What is happenings now is irrelevant. Those children's deaths, this towns' destruction, this planet's demise. It's of no great concern You need to open your eyes at the bigger picture."
"Those poor children have died Sephiroth! Are you saying that their lives are not important?" Aeris exclaimed with fury having the sudden urge to fight something, anything, so to release all of her pent up anger.
The swordsman shook his head. "Life is never not important. It is just that their deaths are nothing when you think about the bigger picture. The very universe dying."
"What?"
Sephiroth rubbed his eyes as if contemplating on whether to tell her the truth or not. "A presence is coming Aeris which is neither good nor evil. An Unknown presence which both the Light and Darkness fear......These Unknown.... they are so like the darkness. Children cower away from the darkness as they do not understand what lurks within the shadows. They are scared of the unknown...." Sephiroth said with passion, raising his arms to the sky as if he were lecturing the very world of his vast knowledge.
"However the Darkness can be easily understood. It craves the very Hearts of others to survive. The Light survives by fighting against the evil. But the unknown.... What do they fight for? Good, Evil or neither?" The swordsman turned in a circle, gesturing to no-one in particular before walking towards the lamppost and leaning his form against his, his eyes ever present on Aeris.
"But Aeris, how can you fight for neither good or evil. All actions have consequences whether good or bad, so what is their power?" he stated rhetorically, raising his head upwards against the post and watching a few moths flutter against the lamp above his head.
"How can they possess a power greater than either the darkness and the light to be able to keep themselves hidden for so long." Sephiroth questioned more to himself than the brunette, his lips drawn in a firm line as he contemplated.
Aeris watched him carefully, trying to predict whether or not he was leading her into one of his traps. She cautiously moved and bent down to retrieve her staff. The firm wood in her hands gave her reassurance although little, knowing to herself that if the swordsman were to go on an onslaught, her weapon would be no match for his skill with the sword.
'But what he is saying is rather interesting. Maybe I could try and find out what his aim is and then tell Cloud and Leon.'
Flexing her fingers around her staff, feeling more relaxed now that she was armed. The brunette decided to play along with the madman's rambling, even though she knew that what he was saying was untrue.
"How do you know so much about these Unknowns?" she questioned noting for the first time that Sephiroth was not staring at her now, but looking more into space which gave her great relief.
Sephiroth was quiet for a moment, and Aeris first thought that Sephiroth had not heard her. But when he replied, his voice was quiet, with an undertone of bitterness within it. "We're apart of them Cetra." he said softly raising his head and looking up at the skies, taking awareness of how the girl's mouth had dropped slightly.
Aeris held a look of bemusement, not expecting that answer."?????"
Sephiroth chuckled to himself, almost feeling the confused aura the girl was emanating. "We are still alive today because of them," he added as an afterthought turning his aquamarine eyes upon the girl, which glowed softly in the night.
"Do you understand now Aeris? All of us died when the Planet was taken over by the Heartless. Everyone did. The Unknowns, they brought us back." Sephiroth finished, his hand rubbing over the place his tattoo once marred, the lack of scar the only proof he had for his new existence. As if the burdens and the pains of his, disappeared with the insignias of the past. He wasn't labelled as a lab specimen anymore, nor a mindless puppet, or even ShinRa lackey. He was his own man, and that was how he was going to stay.
Aeris took a few steps back. Fear apparent on her face. "No...It's not possible..."
Sephiroth turned to look at her. "How is it not possible? We were revived by the Unknowns Cetra. You, me, even Cloud. We are not the same as we were. Our bodies had changed. Our memories were cleansed, that is why we can only remember fragments. Broken memories which hold no purpose, no help to us."
The brunette shook her head, avoiding the thought that he knew of Cloud.
'He's lying. He's trying to manipulate me. He's..'
"I don't believe you," Aeris whispered, turning her head away, her chestnut bangs obscuring her view and for that moment, she wished that she wasn't the foolish girl that she was. She wished that she had listened to Cid and did not rush off to fight the Heartless. And Cloud and Leon had gone to other planets, so she was on her own.
She knew she was doomed and she hated it.
"How do you remember your own death? By my hands none the less. Why are you still here?" Sephiroth questioned as he took a step towards the brunette. Being slowly and quiet, like a predator catching his prey, and in a way he was but this time he wasn't going in for the kill, but for information.
Aeris clenched her staff between her hands trying not to listen, trying her best to zone out his words and focus on the beating of her heart. The sounds of the winds had now gone unusually quiet.
Sephiroth took another step forward. "I bet you remember seeing places and people that you have never ever seen before. Never understood."
She willed herself not to listen, her staff creaking under the sheer pressure of her hands.
Another step. "How can you explain your lack of scar?"
She shut her eyes, biting her lower lip.
She didn't realise how he had came so close to her as she reopened her eyes. Staring into eyes so haunting and beautiful due to their soft glow, so unlike those of the Heartless. She shook her head, trying to get rid of her thoughts. She felt no pull towards this demon of a man. No matter how beautiful he looked or how ethereal and majestic he looked in black, red and silver, the darkness of his heart, was just too much for Aeris to take.
'But why does my heart throb when he is so close. No...He's just scaring me. I feel no Attraction!' She protested to her mind, as her legs began to quiver when the swordsman moved even closer. She took an uneasy gulp when his was so close to her that there bodies almost touched. Her fear turned to anger as she pulled back a few steps, her green eyes to sparkling with her own inner strength.
'How dare he. Sneaking up on me!'
"You lie! I am Aeris Gainsborough of Hallow Bastion!" The brunette exclaimed with passion, unshed tears glistening at the corner of her eyes as she tried to defend her identity.
Sephiroth was slowly beginning to grow annoyed. He thought that he had her under his grasp yet she still relented to believe the truth of his words. "That Holy Fortress? Baka...How can you still not understand? You've told me of your visions yet you still disbelieve the proof which is already there. If cannot believe that you are a clone then why can't you accept that you have been reincarnated by a greater power?" the swordsman growled angrily, his calm demeanour suddenly gone as he began to wildly pace.
Aeris began to grow frightened at the sudden change, not knowing what to make of her situation. Her eyes looking at the length of Masamune on the swordsman's back and the way it felt in her dreams. She began to feel very sick."........."
'Maybe I should just agree with him. I am in no situation to argue. I don't even know him.'
Knowing that this was her only choice, Aeris decided that it would be indeed better to just agree with this madman before her is she wanted to live any longer. She fought back the feeling of nausea from the thoughts of her dream. "What are these Unknowns then? Aliens?" Aeris questioned after a moment.
Sephiroth stopped and turned to look at her. "Depends what your term of alien is.... In fact the Unknowns are a lot like you and me. Legend has said that they are clones of us in a alternate dimension but are more enhanced with technology. People who have no heart to listen to, only a soul to guide them. I am trying to search for them."
Aeris nodded, taking the information in but not really thinking upon it. "But what do these Unknown have to do with the Heartless reconnecting the worlds?"
"That is what I have came to find out. I want to find who the person is who revived me. What they are trying to accomplish. Aren't you interested to see your creator?" Sephiroth questioned, his voice lowering back to it's usual tone.
Her face flushed with anger. "I'm not a clone!"
The swordsman shook his head disapprovingly. "Why are you afraid of the truth?" he asked, hearing no response. " No matter...These Unknowns are interesting..... Beings who hate the Darkness and the Light as they are a part of neither. What are they truly searching for? A balance in life?" he questioned to himself, remembering his own quest to find his 'Promised Land' before realising there was none. There was no such place as there is no such thing as 'Perfection'. What may have been an utopia for one person would have been a punishment for another. The ShinRa were enough proof of that theory.
'A balance of life?' Aeris pondered swearing she had heard someone say sometime in the past. A certain figure came to her mind. "Is this related to King Ansem?"
Sephiroth blinked as it took him a few moments to realise who she was registering to. "That crazy fool. That scientist was only at the surface of this discovery. Nothing more," he stated with disgust, knowing full knowledge of this man from Riku, and he couldn't help but compare him to a certain scientist he knew in another life....although his name had been lost through the folds of time.
Aeris ignored the words of blasphemy that Sephiroth had stated about her King. "So you are searching for the Unknowns?" she asked mildly, already knowing the answer.
The swordsman nodded. "Yes...I want to know what there agenda is. Who they are. Why they created me, you Cloud and the others. And for what purpose."
"Hmmm. Could it be that they are trying to join a side? That could be why the Heartless are reacting so violently. Perhaps they fear the Light gaining an ally?" the swordsman thought, rubbing his chin.
"This is getting complicated." Aeris pointed out as Sephiroth turned his eyes back on her.
"Not if you think about it. The Unknowns are searching for the Darkness and the Light," he stated coolly, as he folded his arms.
Aeris nodded in understanding. "I know but....why?"
"That is what I am trying to find out." Sephiroth replied
The brunette scrunched her face in confusion, oblivious to the fact that her body had loosened with tension. "How are you..."
Sephiroth intercepted her question, already expecting what she was about to say.
"By giving the Unknowns what they want. The Light or the Darkness. They will then come to me."
Aeris understood that answer but she knew that there were still many that she did not know but wanted to know. She giggled quietly to herself when she had a sudden thought on playing twenty questions on Sephiroth. She had already asked more than enough questions but she couldn't help but ask this one since Sephiroth didn't seem like he was trying to kill her now.
"Why are you here then?"
Sephiroth's mild look turned into that of suspicion. "I came from the Kingdom Hearts with the Heartless. Why?"
Aeris face vaulted. 'Heartless? But..' "Now I'm totally lost. I thought you just said that you haven't joined the Heartless!" she stated as she scratched her head with confusion.
The swordsman rolled her eyes, yet he didn't feel the need to be suspicious of her questions. 'She is too naive to be planning something.'
"I didn't," Sephiroth began impassively. "I have been trapped there ever since I awoke three years ago. My only communication to the outside worlds was through the Coliseum but that was only for short periods of time. I did not have sufficient energy to escape to the other worlds, so I waited until I gained information from the Kingdom Hearts........ And now a rift opened to the other worlds."
Aeris remained quiet while he was spoke. 'I heard Sora once talk about defeating a Sephiroth at the Coliseum. It should have clicked that they were the same person as Cloud came from there too....'
"So you're not going to kill me then?" she questioned after a moment.
The swordsman gave a sly grin. "Only if you give me a reason to."
"........."
Sephiroth gave her a look. "Aeris. I have no need to kill you. I have killed you once in a past life, but that was another life, another story. I am searching for the Unknowns and I can only do this if I acquire the Bearers of Light and Darkness.." he finished, letting the beginnings of his plan slip of his tongue.
"Two people who control the Darkness and Light?" Aeris questioned, not understanding why those words seemed so familiar.
The warrior nodded. "Yes...I assume you do not know them..." he added watching her reaction.
Aeris balked as a certain childish brunette popped into her head bearing a cheeky smile, a Keyblade hoisted over her shoulder.
'Oh no! Sora is the Bearer of the light!'
"..........no," Aeris lied, her face sweating with discomfort of his scrutiny.
Sephiroth was giving her an odd look, clearly disbelieving her.. 'Is he reading my mind?'
Sephiroth grinned as Aeris gasped. 'He is!'
"Oh what was that name you thought? Sora. It sounds familiar." Sephiroth questioned, trying to draw out more information from the brunette who stood fixed with shock. He was suddenly dawned with realisation at the memory of the name on the billboard in Olympus. "Ah yes....the Coliseum. Sora was that Keyblade wielder. Now it makes perfect sense." Sephiroth stated as Aeris' face paled dramatically. 'Oh no..'
Sephiroth drew his tongue across his teeth, knowing that he had Aeris' mentally cornered. "Is he the bearer of Light?"
Aeris shook her head. Trying not to think about the Keyblade Master or his friends, knowing that Sephiroth would be able to read through her mind. "I don't know. I don't know of him. Maybe you are thinking of someone else!" Aeris said with discomfort, taking a step back causing her hands to touch brick. She now realised that she was now both physically trapped and mentally trapped.
Sephiroth knew this too and with a feral smirk cornered her. Using his height to his advantage. "I don't think so. You are reacting too oddly for me to be wrong."
Aeris was beginning to hyperventilate. She would never let any of her friends be harmed by her own foolishness. Sora had done so much to the world, and came out with nothing. She definitely wasn't going to give Sora to Sephiroth. "I...don't hurt him! He already is in pain." Aeris begged unable to block out the mental pictures of the brunette, and his two partners which travelled with him.
Sephiroth closed his eyes with satisfaction, reading the image so vividly as if the boy he searched was right before him. Yes he did remember him, the unruly brown spikes, the red gear. The same cerulean blue eyes which held a fierce determination as he stepped onto the podium to claim his awards. Yes this was the Sora he knew of. The boy who beared the same Keyblade he fought against and won by only by sheer luck. His lips turned up as he remembered the fight when Sora beat his old rival Cloud, hands down. 'Yes, I know who Sora is...'
"I wasn't going to hurt Sora. I was only going to use him as a small bargaining chip....." Sephiroth began lightly, trying to coax the whereabouts of the Keyblade master from the girl.
Aeris tossed her head side to side. She wasn't about to endanger her friend even if her life were at stake. "No!"
Sephiroth frowned darkly. His tone hardening. "Where's Sora?"
"I don't know!" Aeris shouted, almost hyperventilating.
The swordsman was not convinced. "Where is Sora?"
"I'll never tell you!" Aeris retorted, before slapping a hand over her mouth at her mistake.
Sephiroth smiled to himself. "Oh really? I could kill you again." he offered, expecting the girl to cower before him but she still relented. Her eyes holding a fire that Sephiroth had never seen aimed at him before.
Aeris felt like she was seeing red but she didn't care. "I don't care! Just don't hurt him."
Sephiroth couldn't help but feel respect for the girl. 'She would rather risk her own life to save another. How noble...' But he knew how to play people like her. They all bear the same weakness. His eyes twinkled in amusement as his lips curled up maliciously.
"How weak..." he muttered as he pulled himself away from the girl as if he had given up. Aeris stared on with confusion and relief. His right hand moved to grasp the hilt of his sword. "If that's how you are going to play it, then I will have to torch this town, and kill every man woman and child till you agree to my demands."
Aeris' eyes dilated in horror. "NO!"
Sephiroth drew Masamune from his sheath anyway and took a few testing slashed in the air. "Then tell me. Where is the Bearer of Light?" he demanded pulling out his fire materia from the hilt of his weapon and eyeing it carefully as he listened to Aeris' erratic breathing.
Aeris didn't know what to do. Whatever she did, there would be a tragic price. If she relented to Sephiroth, then he would get Sora..... But if she didn't, Sephiroth would kill the rest of the survivors in the town. She didn't know what to do and what made it worse that she didn't truly know the exact whereabouts of Sora either. She was truly at loss.
"I really don't know..." Aeris began, on the verge of crying again. She was the one who held the very lives of the villagers in her hands. Whatever action she would give would have a tragic consequence.
"...he...he has been lost for the past three years when the words became disconnected again."
Sephiroth seemed to have believed her. "I see...Do you know who the Bearer of Darkness is?"
Aeris shook her head. "NO! I mean...no..."
Sephiroth decided to let that little blunder slide. He had already got more than enough information ready. He just need to know one more vital piece and then his path would finally be complete to walk across
."............take me to Sora. If you don't want me to burn down this town. I have done it before." Sephiroth repeated, his eyes cold and unyielding.
Aeris pulled at the tips of her bangs. "I said I don't know where he is!"
Sephiroth knew that he was indeed going no where with this. Whether it was that she was a female and she couldn't deal with such trauma, he didn't know. But he then decided to change his technique, knowing that this would be the one that would trap her. "What do you want?"
Aeris blinked. "Excuse me?"
The swordsman shrugged, placing his materia back into his weapon. "I can give you whatever you want.... if you tell me where Sora is,"
Aeris finally realised what he was trying to say. 'Bribery.'
"I want nothing from you!" the brunette spat with distaste, not liking the way that Sephiroth would think she would be so low as to go to that. She was no low life traitor.
Sephiroth did not let himself be discouraged. "Tell me what you want and then I'll give you it. Just tell me where Sora is." Sephiroth repeated yet again, this time re-sheathing back Masamune and trying to appear as genuine as possible.
Aeris shook her head as she pulled at the ends of her hair. "No! I don't want anything."
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow clearly disbelieving her. "Oh really? Not even Cloud's love." He watched as Aeris flinched at the blonde's name. He knew he had hit the right spot. "I could manipulate him to fall madly in love with you. It is within my power," he stated watching as a swarm of emotions flashed across the girl's face. He then added as an after thought. " I could even erase all his memories of Tifa.."
Aeris suddenly came back to reality from his words. "NO!"
Sephiroth pasted a cheery smile on his face as he folded his arms. "I know that there is something that you must want."
"My life's fine!" Aeris bit back appalled that her heart had even considered of Sephiroth making Cloud love her.
"Don't you ever feel lonely?" Sephiroth questioned after a moment, walking towards her and gesturing to the empty streets.
Aeris was not going to be manipulated into agreeing into his wills. "I won't be a traitor to Sora!"
Sephiroth thought upon the word. "A traitor?" Testing the word in his mouth. " I will cause no harm upon Sora."
Aeris couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "But I thought you said that these Unknowns hate the Light and Darkness Bearers?"
"It hasn't been identified..." Sephiroth retorted back.
Aeris bent her head down, clearly upset yet spent from their arguing. One of them would have to relent, and Aeris feared that it would soon be her."....I just can't."
Sephiroth shrugged his shoulders and turned away from the girl. "So you want more blood to be spilt upon these streets? Very well Cetra. You have made your choice. Who could I start with.....oh maybe that Pilot....Cid was his name wasn't it?"
Aeris balked, as the blonde appeared into her mind. "No! Don't please!"
Sephiroth stopped mid stride. "So you'll do what I'll say?"
"..........."
"Take me to Sora. I will give you my word that I will not kill him. I need him if I am to find these Unknowns.."
"I will form a false team up with Sora for undoubtfully, he will search for the Keyholes to seal up the doors. I want to be there when he meets the Unknown. Don't you want to meet your creator?"
"No! I'm staying here!" Aeris exclaimed.
The warrior shook his head with mock regret. "Traverse Town will be no more soon,"
"No!" Aeris screamed.
Sephiroth liked her reaction. "Well I may save the villagers. It depends on your answer."
The brunette fell silent."............."
"It's you're choice....I can wait, but I don't think the Heartless can.." Sephiroth finished, and then soon after he said it, there was the sound of scraping of claws echoed across the floor, as a line of Heartless came upon the scene. Their antennae's straight and alert, their eyes wide with lust for food as they dived forward.
Aeris knew it was either now or never. She look from the swarms of Heartless and then back at the swordsman and said the first thing which came out of her mouth.
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Cliff hanger...You just gotta love them...Or hate them....^_^
Wow. A whole chapter dedicated to Aeris and Seph. Well One of my reviewers mentioned that I didn't put enough bonding of Aer and Seph in the previous chapter. Hopefully this suffices. Over 10,000 words of Aer/Seph goodness. Oh and for everyone out there, I have to tell you that I will be updating much more often now, since all my exams are all over. YAY! I'm so happy.
Oh one more question. I want to know if you guys would rather me do shorter chapters so that I update quicker or would you rather me keep to average 10,000 words, per chapter.
Please read and review. It makes me type much faster.
Ja ne
^_^
Aer_seph4eva
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Aer_seph4eva@yahoo.co.uk