4. Lay your head where my heart used to be
It was like rising for a never-ending darkness, but Sephiroth slowly became aware of his surroundings and his memory came back to him. He'd had another collapse, only this time he did not wake up alone as usual. He didn't have to open his eyes to know who's lap he was resting his head on, nor ask who's hands were stroking his hair comfortingly. Aeris.
Sephiroth made a drowsy scan of his condition and found himself tired, but otherwise unharmed. She'd stopped it in time. It was bothering him that thought; Aeris had stopped the pain and confusion. How was that possible? Why had she eased his suffering? Slowly, Sephiroth was returning to consciousness and he also became aware of how she was still humming. Her voice was impossibly beautiful. Legends would have it there were once female witches capable of soothing wild beasts with their songs, and Sephiroth had never believed them... until now. Her voice made all the chaos inside his head calm, and put the pain in his soul to rest. Aeris was his most dangerous opponent, and he was just beginning to understand why...
Opening his eyes, Sephiroth gazed emptily into the air, "how long have I been out?"
Aeris didn't seem startled by his sudden awakening at all, "not sure. Hours. It's night now."
She'd made a small fire, and Sephiroth realised that was why he wasn't cold. The fire and her closeness. "You could have escaped..."
He could almost feel her resigned smile as her hand once again trailed through his hair, making him unconsciously lean against the touch. "Escaped to where, Sephiroth? There is no place I can go where Meteor wont reach me. But I stayed because I wanted to. I stayed to be here with you. Like it or not, you need me and my help."
Something told him she wasn't talking about her helping him to summon Meteor and destroy the world.
Sephiroth sat up with a groan, brushing away her supporting hand. He didn't need her! ...Did he?
"Oh," he heard Aeris gasp, and quickly gazed over at her.
"Look at that," she whispered in awe, pointing up at the sky and he slowly raised his eyes.
Beautiful colours were dancing over the star-lit sky, unlike anything he'd ever seen.
"Northern Light," the former general mumbled absently, remembering he'd read about them once.
Aeris jumped to her feet, slowly swirling around as she gazed up at the sky, "it's beautiful!"
Sephiroth didn't reply, hanging his head and rubbing his face tiredly. He didn't care. Once he and mother had succeeded with their plan, that light would disappear too! Sephiroth felt like destroying everything beautiful. All beauty must die, he thought tensely, hoping to convince himself with his own harshness.
Still, he had to look over when he heard Aeris singing happily as she slowly walked along the narrow slope up to the edge of the crater. She appeared completely lost in the colour display spread over the heaven like a multi-coloured veil.
Sephiroth watched her for a little while, then something made him get up and follow.
He caught up with her as she swirled in slow circles on the snowy ground on the crater edge, and Sephiroth crossed his arms with a slight smirk. "You're going to fall, and I'm not jumping after you..."
Aeris giggled and poked her tongue at him, swirling off again, "yes, you would!"
Sephiroth failed to fight off a smile, "no, I wouldn't!"
Aeris raised a challenging eyebrow as she halted her pirouettes, and took a step towards the edge.
Sephiroth drew a sharp breath, taking a step towards her, "keep messing around like this, and I'll push you over that edge myself!"
She took another step, and Sephiroth wasn't even aware of himself moving until his hands were tightly grasping her upper arms. "I said; stop messing around!"
Her green eyes sparkled with the reflection of the Northern Light as she gazed up at him, smiling, "dance with me?"
Aeris was certain she could have knocked over the former general with a feather as she asked him the simple question. He looked like she'd asked him to run around naked in a town square.
"What?" He finally asked, his long fingers still digging into her arms.
Aeris managed a somewhat shrugging motion, "dance with me."
The silver haired man glanced around, almost like looking for hidden cameras, "here?"
Nodding like one would to a child, Aeris smiled patiently, "yes, here! I feel like dancing!"
Sephiroth shifted uneasily, obviously still not sure if she was serious or not, "but..."
Sighing, she took one hand in hers and placed his other around her waist, "do you know how to dance?" She wasn't too sure if dancing skills were one of the many things you were taught when you were training to be a skilled murderer.
Looking a little uneasy, Sephiroth cleared his throat. "Yeah, uhm, of course I do! But... we're in the middle of nowhere! And there is no music!"
Aeris tugged him along, "of course there is music! Can't you hear it? We're in a hall filled with people, and they're all watching us! They want to know if we're going to win the contest! If we're really as good as the rumor says!"
By now Sephiroth was staring at her like she'd grown a couple of extra heads, and a chocobo tail.
Giggling, Aeris maneuvered him into a gentle turn, "what? You've never imagined things before?"
Sephiroth almost stumbled and pulled himself together, "I... never... It's not something I... No, I guess I haven't."
Aeris nodded and lead him into a waltz, "very well. I'll show you. Just play along, ok?"
Play along? He looked puzzled at those words, almost as if the concept of playing was as foreign to him as flying was to a turtle, but he gave a weak nod.
Humming softly at a song, Aeris winked at him and was relieved to see the faint smile on Sephiroths face. She'd gotten him curious!
The first few turns, he still seemed a little hesitating, so she leaned up to whisper; "I bet every girl here is jealous of me!"
Laughing silently, Sephiroth shook his head, "this is too weird..."
Aeris raised an eyebrow, "you do not mean to tell me, sir, that you do not take this dancing contest serious?"
The former general tried to put on a straight face, "I'm trying, ok?" His steps were already lighter, and she realised he was doing the leading now.
With a victorious smile, Aeris relaxed in his arms, "and you're looking so handsome in your parade uniform!"
She could almost envision the hall they were dancing, the roof was the colour of the dancing Northern Light, and eyes were locked on them in awe and envy.
Sephiroth cleared his throat embarrassed, "yeah, well, the judges are about to take points from us as the female part of the duo is unable to keep her mouth shut..."
Gasping softly with offence, Aeris slapped his shoulder lightly, "that's the last compliment you'll ever get from me, Mr General!"
She laughed as he spun them around, gazing up at the swirling lights covering the sky, and wondered if Sephiroth had noticed she wasn't humming anymore. It was the very planet that sang the song they were dancing to.
Aeris realised he had to hear it as well, feeling how he moved perfectly to notes only she had heard earlier, and her heart jumped with hope. If he was capable of hearing the planets voice, then his soul wasn't completely lost!
That was when she noticed they had stopped, and Sephiroth was gazing a little curiously at her. Oh... she'd obviously been staring, hadn't she?
She was about to say something, but the look in his eyes made her unable to remember what it was. They had stopped moving at all, merely standing in the snow with colours dancing over the sky above them and the planet's song alive in the air around them as their eyes were locked together. It was... perfect.
Slowly, Aeris lifted her hand to touch his skin, feel his jawline under her fingertips, and her heart beat even faster as Sephiroth closed his eyes at the caress.
Maybe it was everything that had happened, along with the magic in the air, that made Aeris lean closer and let her hand slide behind his neck. "Sephiroth...?"
The silver haired man gazed at her with a slightly dazed look in his eyes, and she could feel his heart beating. "I think we won," he whispered, and all Aeris could do was nod. She numbly realised she'd fallen into her own trap. By following Sephiroth, she had hoped to gain his trust and thaw his heart to the beauty of the world, but she'd failed to see the danger of him seeping into her own heart. And now she couldn't turn away from him, even if she had wanted to...
Sephiroth wasn't sure what was happening, but had she really been this beautiful all along? Or had she put him under some spell?
It would certainly explain the strange things happening inside him. Why was his heart racing? Why did his blood warm up? Why did he feel nervous? He'd killed thousands of soldiers, but this little girl made him nervous? Sephiroth shivered, keenly aware of how close against him she was now. How the scent of flowers rose from her to sedate his worried mind. One of her small hands were behind his neck, the other resting over his heart. He'd been accused of not having a heart for so long, Sephiroth had almost begun to believe it himself, but he felt it's presence under her touch. He hadn't felt this much in years...!
A loud growl cut through the air, and they both started.
Then Aeris began to giggle, while Sephiroth squinted down at his guilty stomach. Surely not?!
"Hungry, Sephiroth?" Aeris asked as she tried to contain her laughter, and Sephiroth felt his face grow warm.
"Obviously," he muttered, unaware of letting Aeris see him blush for the first time in his life. He'd never needed food on a regular basis, why did his stomach have to start demanding nutrition at that exact moment?!
Taking his hand, Aeris pulled him along as she cheerfully scolded him for not saying something earlier!
Food hadn't exactly been on his mind, Sephiroth sulked mentally, dragging his feet as he followed her back to their camp. Glancing up, he noticed the Northern Light was disappearing and the air had grown silent as well. It shouldn't surprise him, as Sephiroth knew it had been too good to be true. Still, a tug on his arm made him glance over and see Aeris smile up at him and he realised it might not be the end of what could have happened up there at all. He still had some time before becoming a god... Sephiroth shook away the uneasy thoughts, focusing on the chattering girl beside him. He didn't want to think about the future. Nor the past. Sephiroth just wanted to savour the presence.
He smiled at her fuzzing over him, enjoyed the food and was amazed when she drew a blanket around them both while curling up beside him.
His heart broke as she leaned her head against his chest.
The fire danced in the darkness as Sephiroth gazed emptily into it, arms absently around Aeris and told himself it was because of the cold.
But he was sorry when the morning came, and he had to wake her.
They continued along the rocky path they had reached, and he felt their presence long before they appeared.
Aeris squeaked and grasped Sephiroths arm as the black-hooded figures appeared and came towards them. "W-what are they?!"
Sephiroth smirked, eyeing them to find the strongest, "they're puppets."
He felt her gaze confused up at him, "puppets...?"
Pulling out the Black Materia, Sephiroth then glanced over as Aeris took a step away from him. "You feel it's power too, don't you?"
There was a harsh glimpse in her eyes, and Aeris gazed back at the approaching creatures, "I feel the evil radiating from it."
Sephiroth frowned, then turned back to the others as well. "Ah," he mumbled softly, walking towards them, "there you are."
Aeris hesitated, then he heard her follow him. Strange. Even as she was openly disapproving of his actions, she still followed. Still hoped.
Halting in front of one black-hooded man, Sephiroth held out the Black Materia. "I will give this to you. You know what to do, and I'll be expecting it back."
The man nodded deeply, groveling, "yes, master!"
Sephiroth then walked pass them, feeling himself pulled towards his destination even stronger. The clone would be powerful enough to deal with the puppet and his friends once it was installed with the Black Materia. Sephiroth was a little surprised that the little blonde puppet was strong enough to have followed him this far, but this would be the end of him! He glanced over at Aeris, noticing how pale she was, and wondered if she knew her friends had just died...
Aeris had fallen silent ever since Sephiroth had pulled out the Black Materia, a nasty reminder of what was really happening. Who Sephiroth really was.
No, Aeris shook her head, that was wrong. Sephiroth had shown he could be saved. He still had a soul. But it would be even more difficult than what she had originally feared.
She was so lost in thought that Aeris didn't notice Sephiroth stopping, and could only scream as a wind came out of nowhere. It was so strong it tore her along, wanting to toss her from the narrow path and into a dark death.
Then a hand locked around her wrist, and Aeris managed to glance up to see Sephiroth having jammed the Masamune in the ground and held one hand on it, with his other around her wrist.
"Dammit, Aeris," he exclaimed through the storm, "I told you to stop!"
Barely able to breathe in the strong wind, Aeris closed her watering eyes hard. She hadn't heard him, and now she was going to die. It had all been in vain!
"No, you're NOT going to die," Aeris heard Sephiroth growl tensely, feeling herself being pulled against the wind; back into safety.
Inch by inch, and panicked heartbeat by panicked heartbeat, Aeris then felt a strong arm wrap around her, and Sephiroth sprang into safety.
"Idiot!" Sephiroth sneered as they landed on a safe distance from the wind, "what the hell were you thinking?! Do you want to die again?! Are you that desperate to escape?!"
Aeris was trembling, but realised his harsh words weren't spawned by malice as he was holding her firmly against him, his heart thundering in his chest. He... he'd been afraid. Afraid that she would die.
His arms were wrapped so tightly around her it was almost suffocating, but it only made her wrap her own arms around him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't hear you..."
Sephiroth snorted angrily, "well, you'd better start listening or you wont last long here!" He then cleared his throat and released her to move away, "there are several such wind-traps along this path. Keep close, ok?"
Aeris started, not wanting to experience that frightening feeling of being tossed off her feet like a rag-doll again, and latched onto his left arm.
He sent her an undecided look, then sighed and gave a faint smile.
Aeris returned his smile, and they continued with Sephiroth guiding them safely through the wind-traps.
She noticed he got more restless by each step they came closer, Sephiroths eyes were almost glowing with impatience, and she wondered what would meet them at the end.
They had climbed down a steep hill, and they were standing outside a cave when Sephiroth grasped his head with a pained groan.
Reaching out, Aeris managed to support him just in time before he crashed to his knees. "Sephiroth! Are you ok?" It scared her to see him like this, like he was loosing control.
"A-almost there," Sephiroth managed to gasp, swaying as he closed his eyes hard. "In... there..."
Aeris gazed nervously at the dark, ominous cave. "In there...? A-are you sure? I'm positive we can find a nice, much brighter cave..."
But he shook his head, and Aeris swallowed hard as he then tilted his head to whisper in her ear, "help me..." His lips brushing by her skin, and his voice smooth as warm silk with pain.
"Alright," she relented, and let him lean on her as she guided him towards the black entrance.
Sephiroth felt the body betraying him, felt the life in it seeping away, while random thoughts were bombarding his brain. Pain. It was becoming steadily harder to breathe, but he forced himself to stay conscious as he could feel his goal comming closer by each agonized step. She was helping him. This was her chance to kill him, yet she did not take advantage of his weakness and aided him instead. He was going to make it, but only because of a frail little girl that danced under the Northern Lights and made the planet sing. Sephiroth smiled.
He was almost lost in darkness when he heard Aeris gasp, and forced himself to open his eyes.
Sephiroth saw her stare in disbelief up at the ceiling, and he slowly raised his gaze as well, but the sight made him smile.
"Well, hello there, handsome," he whispered in a tired voice, looking at his frozen body inside the materia crystal.
Aeris gazed quickly over at him, "t-that's..."
Nodding, Sephiroth gave her a faint smile, "that's me." His legs gave in, and he nearly tore the girl along, but barely managed to keep from falling. "I think... I need to sit down..."
He let her help him over to a wall, then sank down with a sigh. "Made it... We're finally here..."
It was strange to see his own form, frozen in time, and not to mention the fact that half of him was missing.
Sephiroth cut a face, not entirely comfortable with the sight.
Aeris got up and walked out into the center of the room, gazing up the form inside the crystal. "That's... the real Sephiroth..." She glanced over at him, "and you're him?"
Nodding, Sephiroth gazed up as well, "that's me."
Aeris gazed from one to the other, "so... you're conscious? Can you... feel anything?"
Sephiroth chuckled tiredly, "I'm conscious, yes. I've been for years, but I've been unable to do anything as long as mother has been dormant." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, "I guess I do owe Hojo some thanks... I'll remember that when I'm ripping out his entrails..."
Aeris flinched, but kept calm. "So..." She walked over and kneeled down beside him, "now what...?"
Sephiroth sighed, "now... we wait." He reached out and found her hand, letting his fingers play over her soft skin. "I need the Black Materia..."
The clones should be there soon...
Then the room shook as something flickered behind the walls of ice, and Aeris started violently. "T-that's... "
Taking her hand in his, braiding their fingers, Sephiroth gave a faint, mean smile, "yes... Weapon is stirring... They feel my presence... Your precious planet wouldn't hesitate to unleash them on this world for the sins of one man..."
He felt the hate radiate from the monsters lurking in the ice, but it only made him smile. They felt threatened, because they knew he would win.
A jab in his chest made Sephiroth twitch and gasp for air, and he realised he was almost out of time.
"Sephiroth!" Warm hands were cupping his face, and he realised he'd obviously lost consciousness for a little while.
Forcing his eyes open, Sephiroth smiled as Aeris face swam into focus, "I'm still here... but I'm surprised you are..."
She smiled as well, tears glittering in her eyes, "I told you I wouldn't run! A-are you ok...?"
Drawing a strained breath, Sephiroth glanced up at the form inside the crystal, "I told you... this body is dying... I need the Black Materia..."
He motioned for her to help him sit up, and as she did he felt someone's presence approach the cave.
Sephiroth took a hold of her arm, "come on. We gotta take cover for a little while..."
She looked a little puzzled, but didn't object as he pulled her along as he stumbled over to a wall, and cast an ice3 spell to create a false wall of ice to cover them from the eyes of the intruders.
Wrapping an arm around her, Sephiroth held Aeris close, her back against his chest. "Don't make a sound. Understand?"
Aeris almost held her breath as she saw people entering, instantly recognizing several of them.
The young man leading them was without a doubt Rufus ShinRa, and the people with him were that Scarlet-woman followed by the spindly form of Hojo.
Aeris felt Sephiroth tense at the sight of the so-called scientist, and she let her hand slide up to cover his in a comforting gesture.
A sigh of gratitude brushed against her neck.
Scarlet was glancing around, eyes bright with awe, "Wow!! That's amazing! It's all Materia!!"
Rufus stepped up beside her, and Aeris recognized the warm look the blonde woman was sending the young man.
"The outside is rich with Mako energy. The inside is a treasure grove of Materia. This truly is the Promised Land," Rufus said with a smirk, obviously planning on how to spend his riches already. Aeris' eyes narrowed.
Hojo huffed with disgust, eyeing his surroundings with little interest, "There is no such thing as the Promised Land. It's a legend... an old wives tale ...it's utterly ridiculous."
"Everything's as I imagined it to be. Isn't it splendid?" Rufus declared with a hint of boyish enthusiasm, then glanced drily over at Hojo, "It is that kind of dullness that makes you a second-rate scientist."
Aeris fought back a giggle at the congested look on Hojo's face at those words, and she could even feel Sephiroth smiling.
Then the ground shook again as the growl was heard, a figure flickering behind the ice walls again.
Rufus started, staring at the wall, "what's happening?"
"It's coming from within' the wall! Something's in there! It's moving!" Scarlet exclaimed, taking a step away.
Hojo laughed silently, clearly not frightened at all; " Weapon... Then it really does exist... I didn't believe in it."
Rufus glanced sharply over at him, "What does this mean?"
" ...Weapon. Monsters created by the Planet. It appears when the Planet is in danger, reducing everything to nothingness. That's what was stated in
Professor Gast's report," Hojo muttered superiorly.
Rufus' eyes narrowed, "I never saw that report... Where is it?"
Hojo patted his coat, "Here, right here."
"You keep a lot of things to yourself," Rufus said in a dangerously silent voice.
At that moment a figure flickered behind the wall beside where Aeris and Sephiroth was, and she almost screamed, but Sephiroth hugged her closer in a combined gesture of a warning and a comforting hug.
"They wont do us anything," he whispered in her ear, barely audible, and she managed a weak nod.
Then Cloud appeared out of nowhere, and Aeris went numb. Oh no... Not him... She couldn't face him... not now... not ever...
She wanted to close her eyes, wanted to hide forever... but was unable to look away.
Then the others appeared as well... Tifa... Barret... Everyone...
Aeris was unaware of the tears trailing down her cheeks, falling to land on Sephiroths wrist...
She could only watch as Cloud began to act strange, as she knew Sephiroth would not let her go to him. And if she was allowed, would she be able to?
Biting her lower lip, Aeris saw the blond man levitate towards the ceiling, and numbly realised the crystal containing Sephiroths real body was gone.
She heard them talk, but their voices made no sense to her as her eyes were locked on Cloud. He looked so troubled. Her heart was bleeding.
Then Cloud called out for Sephiroth and the crystal came crashing into vision, and Aeris sorrow turned to fear as she saw Cloud give the Black Materia to the frozen form of his nemesis.
The ground began to shake, Weapons were screaming in anger, and the Highwind roared into the sky to flee the collapsing surface.
Sephiroth sank to the ground, and Aeris kneeled beside him. "S-Sephiroth...?"
He glanced up at her, his sight a blurry haze, and realised she was crying. But her tears were not for him, Sephiroth knew that.
"I'll see you later..." And his eyes closed as his heart ceased to beat.
Sephiroth was awake, but not. He was more aware, then conscious he figured. He could hear the girl call out his name, but was unable to speak.
Sephiroth felt another presence as well. The puppet.
Oh, he would enjoy killing him!
Shining tears had trailed down her rosy skin, but they were not shed for him, and that made Sephiroth furious.
That little puppet was to blame for everything that had gone wrong, killing him by surprise five years ago! He even bore mothers cells inside him now, and Sephiroth vowed to tear them out with his own two hands. The puppet was not worthy!
The only weak consolation was the fact that Sephiroth could feel the puppet was now an empty shell of what he had been, after Sephiroth had stripped him of the illusion he'd been carrying around about his past. It had been easy to make the clone take his appearance aided by the Black Materia and tear down the puppets mental defences.
And now Sephiroth would take his life!
He felt darkness comming over him, and Sephiroth let himself sink into it, knowing when he opened his eyes again he would be alive once more, and the world would be his for the taking!
AN:
Finally managed to finish up on the chapter despite busy days, and am already half-way on the next one so it shouldn't take as long as this one did.
Once again humble thanks to my reviewers! Without you this would never be half as fun! You're the best!
And remember to feed your Sephiroths to keep from having magic moments interrupted!