8. Enter The Chocobo Sage!
They entered into the cosy little house, Aeris hushing quietly at the muttering Sephiroth as they walked up the stairs to the second floor. The old man, that Aeris knew had to be the Sage, motioned for them to sit down in front of the fire place.
"Care for tea...?" The tiny man asked, shuffling over to a table filled with all sorts of things.
Aeris helped Sephiroth ease down on the fluffy rug, ignoring his protests and dismissive gesticulations, before sitting down beside him and smile brightly to their host. "Oh, yes please! It's so cold outside!"
The Sage nodded, scrambling with a tea pot, "it's even worse than usual this year. Even the chocobos seek refuge in the lower valleys where there still are snow-free spots for them to graze on..."
"So you are the Chocobo Sage then?" Sephiroth smirked, determined to not let the old man squirm his way out of helping them.
The tiny man paused and pushed his hat slightly higher up on his head and seemed to consider the silver haired man's words, before tilting his head puzzled, "who?"
Aeris saw the reptilian eyes narrow with anger and she quickly cleared her throat, "like we said, we were told the Chocobo Sage was living in this area..."
"That's funny," the old man declared puzzled as he poured water into the tea pot from a small bucket, "I'm the only one living in these mountains..."
Sephiroth drew a sharp breath, ignoring the pain that shot through him, "well, are you him or not, you buffoon?!"
The Sage put the tea water over the fire, tutting at the impatient tone, "you need to take it a little easy considering that nasty wound of yours, Sephiroth."
Aeris started and quickly gazed over at the former general to see her own surprise mirrored in eerie eyes. None of them had mentioned Sephiroth's name.
"You know who I am?" Sephiroth asked suspiciously, suddenly tense as iron.
"I don't know," the Sage replied in a quizzically tone, "do I?"
Forcing himself calm, Sephiroth waved a hand angrily, "you just said my name!"
The Sage absently played with his beard, "I did?" He shook his head, "can't remember for the life of me."
Aeris blinked surprised as she watched the Sage find a second tea pot and hold it up as he asked them if they wanted some tea.
"You already put on some water, you idiot!" Sephiroth exclaimed, "now answer my question!"
The old man glanced at the tea pot over the fires and chuckled, "it appears you two are in luck! I just put on some water!"
Aeris fought back a giggle, but saw the former general about to hit the roof. "Uhm, we need to cross the ocean to reach Midgar. It's really important, you see. Is there anyway a chocobo could help us?"
The Sage leaned forward to peer at the glaring Sephiroth, "should you be traveling with such a wound, young man...?" And poked Sephiroth in his shoulder with the odd cane again.
Biting back a cry of pain, Sephiroth gasped for air as rage flared up even worse, "what do you think you're doing, you imbecile?! That hurts!"
"It's kind of a crisis," Aeris hurried to interrupt, "we really need to cross the ocean."
Straightening, the old man glanced over at Aeris, "cross the ocean, you say? You're going to need a chocobo for that."
Sephiroth rubbed his eyes, fighting off a growing headache.
Aeris nodded, "do you know where we can find such a chocobo...?"
A few seconds passed in silence, then the Sage tilted his head, "how about I put on some tea water? Want a biscuit?"
At that point Sephiroth got up, and Aeris gazed nervously at him.
The silver haired man waved away her worried look, "I'm just going to sit outside for a little while. I need some air."
Aeris watched him slowly walk down the stairs, cringing with pain from time to time, and she sighed thoughtfully.
"The gold chocobo will be ready by dawn," the Sage declared absently as he peered into a third kettle he'd found.
Aeris smiled.
Sephiroth painfully eased himself down to sit on the lowest step of the stairs. That old man had been seconds from a violent death, but he knew Aeris wouldn't exactly approve...
It was starting to get dark outside... Well, as dark as it would get with Meteor burning in the sky.
Sephiroth glanced up at it, feeling himself almost hypnotized by it's deadly presence, feeling it beckoning to him. Sensing Jenova's whispers in the back of his mind. It would be so easy to let go, but Sephiroth gave a wry smile. He'd never taken the easy path, had he? Why start now?
Besides, this was the first time in his entire life that he was free. Free to do whatever he wanted, with no one pulling his strings. There had always been someone telling him what to do, but now he was acting on his own.
As the door opened, Sephiroth tensed.
If that old man had followed him...
He let one hand slide over to rest on the hilt of the Masamune.
"Tea?" A petite hand held out a cup in front of is face, and Sephiroth glanced up to find Aeris smiling down at him.
"Yeah, thanks," he accepted the cup from her, placing both his hands snugly around it to warm them.
Aeris sat down beside him, nursing her own cup as she too gazed up at Meteor. "You know," she said after a short silence, "if it weren't for the fact that it's out to kill us all and end the world... Meteor might actually have been pretty. Look at the flames dancing in the sky..."
Blinking surprised, Sephiroth looked up at the Meteor before sipping his tea. He cut a face at the taste. Way too much sugar!
Aeris giggled at the look on his face, "I'm sorry but the Sage insisted on making yours... A little heavy on the sugar, huh?"
Sephiroth nodded, swallowing down the sweet liquid with a shudder, "yeah... Thanks for the warning..."
"I forgot!" Aeris defended herself meekly with a badly hidden smile, "besides... had to see the look on your face."
The former general smiled as well, "glad to be of service, if only to act as the entertainment!" He absently gazed into the semi-darkness again and let his thoughts wander back into his past. It was strange how when you had death hanging in the sky that you went over all your regrets and mistakes... In a moment like that, shouldn't one rather focus on all the happy memories and precious moments? Sephiroth forgot and sipped his tea, once again cutting a face at the taste, knowing he only had regrets and mistakes to look back on.
"How are you feeling?" Aeris asked silently, her eyes filled with concern."The trip here must have worn you out..."
Sephiroth tossed out the sickeningly sweet tea, and smiled slightly. "I should be ok. I'm trained not to let wounds bother me or slow me down, remember?"
She didn't look convinced.
Aeris put her cup down on the ground, turning to place a hand on his cheek to make him face her, "but that's not what I asked..."
A little out of balance because of her touch, Sephiroth managed a shrug, "I... don't know. Confused and a little lost, I guess."
Her smile was purely angelic and she let her fingertips trail along his jawline, "just remember that you are not alone anymore, Sephiroth. I'm right here beside you."
"For how long?" The words came out of Sephiroth's mouth before he could stop himself. It was a thought that had been bothering him for some time now. If the puppet and his friends failed, and Meteor came crashing down to kill them all it would mean he and Aeris would in fact be together until the very end.
But what if Jenova was stopped and Meteor banished...? Surely Aeris would return to her friends, and Sephiroth would be alone once more.
He wasn't sure why that thought bothered him as much as it did... but it was constantly lurking at the back of his mind.
She didn't have to return to the blonde man! She didn't need the puppet to play her hero! Dammit, Sephiroth could be that hero!
Aeris looked a little puzzled at his question, then smiled again. "I'm always going to be there for you, Sephiroth! Friends are for life!"
Sneering, the silver haired man turned his face away. His friend and the puppet's wife...?!
"Sephiroth...?" Aeris gently touched his arm, "what's wrong...?"
He was going to loose either way, wasn't he? Sephiroth swallowed hard, clenching his hands into tight fists. If they couldn't stop Jenova, they would die and Sephiroth would loose his freedom just as he was getting the taste of it. If Jenova was defeated, then Aeris would return to the blonde's side and Sephiroth would be alone again. A true loose-loose situation...
He turned and let a hand slide behind Aeris' neck, holding her slightly confused eyes with his own.
Then he kissed her.
Gently. Deeper. Intensely...
He was vaguely aware of her leaning against him, submitting willingly to his advance and even encouraged him by running her hands through his hair.
"More tea?" A voice cut through and Aeris started away from him.
Closing his eyes as he tried to calm his breathing again, Sephiroth counted to ten. He was going to KILL that old man!
"How's that wound doing in this cold?" The Sage asked in him as he reached out his cane and poked at Sephiroth's shoulder.
Exclaiming with pain, Sephiroth's face snapped over to glare murder at the tiny man, "go... AWAY!"
Aeris got up nervously, her face suspiciously flushed and she wouldn't look at him. "W-we should go inside..."
Sephiroth could only watch as she fled...
Aeris almost ran up the stairs, falling to her knees in front of the fire as she raised trembling fingers to her lips.
He'd kissed her! And she had basically thrown herself at him!
Ok, so he'd kissed her once before but that was because of that bet! This time... Sephiroth's eyes was burning with something, his kiss drawing her into a whirlwind of feelings she wasn't supposed to feel! Why did he kiss her?! It wasn't right!
Aeris drew a shivering breath, still feeling her skin tingling from his closeness, and mentally scolded herself for trying to convince herself that she hadn't enjoyed what had just happened. There was just something about Sephiroth that lured her closer like a moth towards a flame. Would she burn and fall?
And Cloud...
If Meteor was stopped, Cloud had to learn that she was alive and that they could be together after all! It was what she wanted, right?
Closing her eyes, Aeris wondered if Sephiroth had ever been at Wonder Square at the Golden Saucer and how he would manage the snowboard game Cloud was so skilled at. A smile tugged at the corner of Aeris' mouth as she knew the silver haired man would try a couple of times, most likely fall over in every curve, and throw a tantrum while hacking the machine to pieces with his beloved sword!
She wondered if Sephiroth would make fun of her or help as Cloud had when a living frog had appeared in her bed...
Aeris had to smile. She knew Tifa had won a frog at the Square earlier, and the guilty look on her face was enough to reveal the culprit, but Aeris also knew how deeply Tifa was in love with Cloud so she took the prank bravely.
Sephiroth would most likely conspire with Tifa in more frog-attacks even if he was the one who'd brought Aeris on a date...!
Now Aeris was giggling silently.
Sephiroth was a walking mass of contradictions!
He was ShinRa's greatest general. A warrior with no superior nor equal. He was a killer, an unrivaled weapon wielded by power-hungry hands of men hiding in their safe offices. The strongest man alive.
Still, kindness was a foreign word for him and simple games were a mystery to him. Sephiroth was as innocent to the world's light sides as he was ruling the dark ones.
Aeris touched her lips again, feeling her heart slowly beginning to calm down.
She shouldn't be thinking about Sephiroth's future! She should be thinking about being reunited with Cloud!
Aeris would bring him to the ice lands and they would dance under the Northern Lights too!
Sighing, Aeris wrapped her arms around herself. No... Cloud was not the type to do such impulsive things... Nor would he engage in childish acts such as snowball fights... She would miss Sephiroth's eagerness to try out anything freedom could offer him, even games and imaginative ball-rooms!
Suddenly she didn't feel like smiling anymore. Life would be so different from before she got to knew the man who'd impaled her with his sword. Her killer and friend.
Her thoughts then got interrupted as the Sage came traipsing up the stairs, mumbling something about impolite whippersnappers and such an action with a sword would be physically impossible, thus making that a futile threat!
Two entire hours passed, and just as Aeris was about to and look for him did Sephiroth enter the house again.
He gazed cautiously at her, and she felt her face flush as she managed a shaky smile.
"You must be a Sephcicle by now," Aeris declared concerned, fighting the urge to hide her face behind her hands. "You should warm up by the fire. How's the bandages?"
The silver haired man paused, apparently considering something, then seemed to understand that she tried to avoid to talk about what had happened. "I'm fine." Sephiroth mumbled, walking over to hold his hands out towards the fire.
Aeris watched the lights dance over his handsome features, his eerie eyes glowing unnaturally in the semi-dark. Her heart began to thump again.
"Yeah, well, we should rest up while we can," Aeris stuttered, "we have a long way tomorrow!"
Sephiroth glanced over at her without turning his head, "we need a chocobo for that..."
Aeris began to fidget with the tip of her braid, "uhm, the Sage said one will show up at dawn."
"Oh, really?!" Sephiroth huffed, "then we shouldn't be surprised to find a Bandersnatch at the doorstep tomorrow with that old fossile's memory!"
Giggling again, Aeris hushed at him as she glanced over at the Sage, "he'll hear you!"
"Don't care if he does!" Sephiroth snapped, "if that wrinkly bat even speaks to me again, I'm going to rip off his arm and beat him to death with it!"
Aeris hushed him louder, motioning for him to sit down in front of the fire. "Be quiet! Now, let's see how those bandages are..."
There hadn't really been much talking that evening, and Sephiroth was secretly relived when they rolled out sleeping mats near the still burning fire as his body was firmly telling him how tired he really was!
Carefully resting on his side, Sephiroth had one hand under his head and the other resting by habit on the hilt of Masamune. His eyes dwelling on the sleeping girl a mere meter from him.
He had no idea what possessed him when he suddenly kissed her, but Sephiroth did certainly not regret it! He never would.
His eyes were now by her lips, and he unwillingly remembered the feeling of having them against his own. She hadn't objected, had she? Then again, Sephiroth hadn't exactly given her much of a warning or a chance to avoid the event...
The silver haired man sighed depressed, the sight of her asleep brought forth a longing to hold her close and feel every breath she'd take. He wanted to draw in the scent of flowers from her hair and never let her go.
Was it wrong?
Probably...
Aeris was a radiant angel, Sephiroth merely a fallen one if he'd ever been an angel at all.
She was light, as he was darkness. She was salvation and he'd sinned more than anyone else on the planet.
Still the longing in his heart would not go away. No matter how hard he tried and what he told himself, something inside him still reached out for her.
Sephiroth could feel Jenova stirring in his blood, telling him that the girl would return to the puppet and he could easily prevent it by letting Meteor end everything. If he couldn't have the girl, why should anybody?
Tensing, Sephiroth closed his eyes hard as he willed the thoughts away.
Jenova no longer controlled him, even if he could feel her in his very veins. She could infuse thoughts into his mind and poison his peace, but she could no longer make him do anything he didn't want to anymore!
Though the thought of Aeris returning to the blonde man sickened Sephiroth, he would make it happen if only it made her happy. That was all that really mattered, wasn't it? For all his evil deeds, Sephiroth didn't really deserve absolution.
And this last week had given his life more meaning than all the years predating it.
The former general sighed again, closing his eyes.
He'd heard of men being brought to their knees by the silly emotion called 'love', but he'd always considered himself above it and scoffed at their tragic destinies.
It had to be life's sense of irony that sent him down that very path, as Sephiroth had little doubt anymore... He was in love with her.
There was no other way to describe the feeling he got whenever he was around her, the way her smile made his heart jump and how her mere presence made his confusing thoughts silent.
Smiling wryly, Sephiroth opened his eyes to gaze upon Aeris' sleeping face again.
The puppet and his friends had set out to kill him, yet it was this frail, little girl that had defeated him utterly. No sword had been used, her weapon had been kindness and a smile. Her accomplices had been candy and snowballs.
The mortal stab, a dance under the Northern Lights to music only they could hear...
When Aeris woke up, she glance around to find herself alone in the house.
Blinking confused, she got up unsteadily and stretched to her full length before forcefully pushing away a nervous feeling. It didn't have to mean there was something wrong...
As she walked down the stairs a cheerful wark greeted her, and Aeris glanced over to see a green chocobo standing inside what had to be a small stable.
"Hey there," Aeris greeted and walked over to pet the bright-eyed bird. It warked softly and leaned it's head against her hand, and Aeris laughed softly. "Aren't you the cutie? Listen, I'm looking for my friend. Have you seen him? Tall, silver haired man with this long sword."
The chocobo warked and lifted it's head to gaze at the door.
Glancing back, Aeris then faced the chocobo again. "Outside? Thanks." She picked up a green from a bucket on the ground and fed it to the huge bird, petting it a final time before wandering off to find Sephiroth.
Outside it was freezing cold as usual, and Aeris felt her stomach tighten at the sight of Meteor even closer. A couple of days, maximum, before it would strike the planet... Shaking off the bad feeling, Aeris then became aware of voices and she instantly recognized one of them as Sephiroth's.
Trotting to the back of the house, she came to a scudding halt at the sight that met her.
Sephiroth had his arms grumpily crossed, staring up at Meteor as the Sage was telling him the recipe for Sylkis Green-pie, and behind them again was a chocobo.
A chocobo unlike anyone she'd ever seen before.
It's feathers were shining like gold, and it's beak and claws appeared to be golden as well. It's was beautiful.
"Aeris?" Sephiroth's voice brought her back from her staring and she gave him a sheepish smile.
The Sage waved his cane in greeting, receiving a narrow look from the silver haired man. "I was just asking your husband here if you two were in the need of a chocobo!" He turned back to Sephiroth, "where are you going, by the way...?"
Aeris blinked wide-eyed, feeling her face turning crimson. Her husband?!
"Aeris, time to leave!" Sephiroth snapped, his patience with the old man just about gone.
Hurrying over, Aeris petted the chocobo that warked curiously, "hey there, beautiful."
She thanked the Sage as Sephiroth struggled to put a bridle on the bird, the animal keeping still benignly despite the hissed curses. "I can't thank you enough, Mr Sage. You really saved us, and maybe the lives of many people!"
The old man scratched his temple with the top of his cane, "Sage? That was a familiar name indeed... I think I might know him as well!"
Aeris had to smile, giving him a quick hug, "be sure to give my thanks to him then."
"I will be sure to do just that," the Sage promised, petting her arm before she released him, "and you could do worse, mind you!"
Blinking puzzled, Aeris stared at the cane he was waving lecturing in her face, "do worse...?"
It was hard to tell, but the tiny man might have smiled inside all that beard, "he's quite willing to die for you, and not many men have that honour these days! Maybe you shouldn't toss such a commitment away...? But it's hard to say who needs the other the most though..."
But before Aeris could say anything, the Sage wandered over to Sephiroth, and she was left to gaze absently after him.
"Would you like some tea before you leave?" The old man asked the flustered Sephiroth, peering up at him under his huge hat.
"NO!" Sephiroth exclaimed, frustrated and eager to leave.
The Sage studied him for a little while, then reached out and poked his cane at Sephiroth's shoulder, "should you traveling with such a wound?"
This time Sephiroth screamed. In pain, rage and resentment. "Dammit, old man! Stop poking me with that thing!" His hand landed on the Masamune just as Aeris' hands locked around his wrist.
Gazing puzzled over at her, Sephiroth sighed resigned as she shook her head. "Come on, Aeris... Can't I even kill him a little?"
The firm look she sent him was answer enough, and Sephiroth forced himself calm.
"Alright, come on then..." He was about to jump up on the chocobo, when it kneeled down beside him almost as if it knew he was injured. Blinking surprised, he hesitatingly got on the huge animal and held out a hand to Aeris.
She turned to give the Sage a final hug, thanking him again, before taking Sephiroth's hand and get up behind him.
It took hardly a touch with his heels before the chocobo set off in a light trot and they heard the Sage's final words follow them;
"Good luck, Sephiroth and Aeris!"
And with that, the little man wandered inside his little house to pause by his stairs. "Nice couple. An angel, that girl. And that boy her knight. Like in the old days. Yupp. Hope they make it."
The Sage walked up the stairs and sat by the fire, sighing. "It's been a while since there's been anyone but me here... Haven't seen anyone here for years... Can't remember the last person I saw here... Nope, can't remember for the life of me..."
Aeris yelped as Sephiroth turned to glare back at the tiny man,nearly loosing balance.
"That man does know who I am!" Sephiroth declared, "he said my name again! Even yours!"
Huffing, Aeris slid her arms around his waist, "what does it matter?"
The former general turned to face forward again, mumbling, "he could betray us. Who would want to help me?"
"I do," Aeris smiled, and she could feel him smile as well.
"That's different," Sephiroth stated, "I bet he gave us this chocobo because it's evil or allergic to water or something..."
Giggling, Aeris shook her head, "you're impossible!"
"Yeah, yeah, blame me," Sephiroth grumbled good-natured, strangely calmed by her words and presence. His tantrum was already forgotten, and if Aeris trusted that silly man then Sephiroth would too. He trusted her instinct.
Now it was all a matter of seeing if this chocobo could indeed cross the ocean or if they would drown trying...
Heh, now there was actually a third option to his crappy future; Die along the way!
"What's so funny?" Aeris asked suddenly, and he shook his head.
"Nothing," Sephiroth replied, "just thinking."
Aeris felt wonderfully warm against him, and he realised this chocobo trip wasn't completely horrible after all...
"Thinking about what?" Aeris let her head gently rest against his back, careful not to be near his injury.
Sephiroth hesitated, then glanced up at Meteor, "the future... and the past... Sometimes I think I think too much!"
Laughing silently, Aeris let one hand move up to play with a lock of silver hair dancing in the wind. "Never pictured you as the philosopher..."
Sephiroth smiled again, "so I'm still capable of surprising you? Good! I was afraid I was loosing my touch when you claimed I didn't scare you."
"Don't worry," Aeris said as she let the strands of silver hair slide between her fingers, "no one has ever surprised me as much as you have."
Falling silent for a little while, Sephiroth glanced up at Meteor, "in a good way or a bad way...?"
"Good," Aeris admitted, "you've actually proven yourself to be quite human, Sephiroth! Something I wasn't too sure about when I saw you at the Temple..."
Cutting a face, Sephiroth didn't like to think too much about the time when he was under Jenova's control. Not to mention the fact that he had driven the Masamune through the very girl who was praising him. "Not too sure that there is many who would agree with you.."
"I don't care about them!" Aeris declared hotly, and he was a little surprised at the firmness in her voice. "What do they know about what you've been through?"
The former general shifted uneasily, "listen... I don't need you to feel sorry for me, or anything..."
Aeris shrugged, "somebody has to." She then smiled and petted his shoulder feather-lightly, "but don't worry. I still think you're big and macho!"
Breaking out into a baffled laugh, Sephiroth let his hand rest over the arm she had around his waist, "and you will never cease to surprise me, Aeris!"
"Good!" Aeris smirked, "as the Sage sent with us food and a thermos with his special tea. He said he'd made it just for you!"
"WHAT?!" Sephiroth exclaimed, "get that thing away from me! Throw it away!"
Laughing, Aeris scolded him half-hearted as he began to squirm to get his hands on her bag, "eyes on the road, Sephiroth! Watch where we're going!"
"Bird-brain knows where we're going! Where is that liquid poison?!" Sephiroth then just about squeaked as Aeris had to place a hand to his side to keep her balance and he closed his eyes as she peered curiously at him.
She'd found out...
"You're... ticklish?" Aeris asked with the look of a child set free in a candy store, "y-you're actually ticklish?!"
Sephiroth sat rigid, staring straight ahed. "No...?" He said silently, knowing it was futile.
A startled yelp echoed through the mountains, followed by laughter and chuckled threats.
"If we fall off, I'm taking you with me!" Sephiroth laughed, squirming to get away from her hands barely touching his sides. "A-and I'm injured, you know! You're taking advantage of a weakened man! Have you no mercy? No pity?!"
Aeris giggled, "I thought you didn't want my pity?"
"I changed my mind!" Sephiroth whined between laughs, yet his grin only grew wider as Aeris let her hands slide around his waist instead and gave him a careful hug.
Yet Aeris stored that vital piece of information as Sephiroth wouldn't be injured forever!
"You're safe for now," Aeris relented, resting her cheek gently to his back again. "Until we stop to eat, that is. Then it's tea-time!"
AN
And another chapter finished!
I would never have gotten this far if it hadn't been for all you wonderful reviewers!
Your words means the world to me, and I treasure every single one! Thanks a million, y'all!
Should have next chapter done in not too long, just let me know what you think by leaving one of those precious reviews!