Chapter IX

The Arrest

The group took three days to recuperate. They had barely gotten any rest, especially Gwandoya. During his rest, the newcomers explained what they were originally there for, what had happened so far, and the other two helped attack various government buildings, never killing a soul. Bergljot, Anselm and Gwandoya also found that Strifer and Ken'ichi weren't as strict, quiet or tough as they originally thought. Strifer and Ken'ichi always managed to find ways to make the others laugh, and were able to improvise or build off of what the other was doing.

"So the fighter and mage are deciding how to get out of the woods when a giant pops up in front of them," Strifer said during dinner on the third day. "The mage takes one look and bolts in the other direction. The fighter's all like 'Stand back mage! He shall sample my blade! No, dear friend, don't try to talk me out of it!' At this point, he finds that the mage has run off. 'Don't… you know, don't… try to use your magic to… instantly put an end to this battle or anything… please? Ah, nuts."

"And then he says, 'Okay, big, green and ugly! Prepare to face the wrath of my tiger-style sword technique!' And WHAM!" Ken'ichi continued, slamming a hand on the table for emphasis. "Down comes the giant's club on his head, knocking him halfway into the ground. 'Ack…Good…Preparation,' says the fighter. Meanwhile, the mage is running through the woods. After hearing the crash, he says, 'Hmm… I wonder what that thunderous earth-shaking noise was? Oh, well, I'm sure it wasn't very important.'"

"A little way ahead, a thief is hiding and whispers to himself, 'A lone, defenseless mage running through the woods like a scared little girl, eh? Time to go to work.' As the mage runs by, the thief steps out and trips the mage, knocking the wind out of him." Strifer explained. "The thief pulls out a sword and says, 'Your GP or your HP.' The mage replies, 'Man, that is so lame!'"

The group giggled. There was a comic that was in print before books were banned, called 8-Bit Theatre. They were about the adventures of a mage, knight and thief.

"Just after, the knight is out of the ground and is saying to the giant, 'I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no other choice… Gotta go!' and he runs off, leaving the giant in a state of confusion," Strifer continued.

"The mage is standing there, digging through his robes. 'Come on, cough up the gold, magic loser,' he threatens. 'Sure sure, just left me reach into my secretive mage-type robes and pull out… MY KNIFE!' cries the mage. The thief knocks it out of his hand, saying 'wrong move sparky.'" Ken'ichi smiled.

"'Ah, nuts.' The next thing you know, the fighter runs by and all you hear is 'RUN AWAY!' and the mage and fighter are both gone. A shadow falls over the-" Strifer stopped and sat perfectly still. Without moving any part of his body save his mouth, he explained why. "Somebody's upstairs."

Sure enough, as the group stilled and silenced, footsteps could be heard through the ceiling. A cracking noise was also heard as the trespassers chipped at the door.

"Shouldn't we hide?" whispered Leilani.

"Yeah. You guys go into the library. Yuffeth, you know where to go from there," Ken'ichi said. "Strifer and I will keep them busy."

"This way," Yuffeth signaled. The group slipped through the door and closed it as quietly as possible. As they did, they could hear the clashes of metal.

"Are you sure they'll be okay?" Bergljot asked, trembling.

"Yeah, they'll be fine. Ken'ichi's Buster sword and Strifer's Gunblade are nearly unstoppable, especially when put in the same battle," Leilani explained. "Yuffeth, where are we going?"

"Just stay quiet. There's a hidden door in the back. It's so well concealed that nobody can find it. There's another hidden door behind that room that leads to a tunnel. At the end of the tunnel is a ladder. We have to go up the ladder, lift the cover, and with luck water will rush in," Yuffeth explained quietly as she lead them through the library.

"What? How'll we get out then?" Anselm exclaimed.

"Shut up! The ladder can hold ten people at a time. We have to hold on tight. There's an air bubble behind the ladder, so if we all move there, we shouldn't drown. When the water rushes through, anyone tracking us will get caught up in it. Once the water settles, we can swim out. The exit is under the water near the field where I found you. We won't look too suspicious. People swim there all the time."

"Let's do it," Bergljot said as they opened the door.

"You two guys go first. You two are strong, so if anybody's guarding the tunnel, you can knock them around a bit. Strifer and Ken'ichi should take care of the ones behind us," Leilani whispered.

"This way! I hear voices!" came an unfamiliar voice from the library entrance.

"Oh, no…" Yuffeth gasped. She hissed in a voice that wasn't even a whisper, "Get in! Quick! Go the way I told you!"

No sooner did Gwandoya and Anselm slip through than the guard's shadows were thrown on the wall. Bergljot snapped the door shut, only to be trapped with the searchers.

"The three of you are under arrest for the bombing of various government facilities over the past five years. Lord Angra Mainyu has sentenced you to be put in front of a firing squad at oh-seven-hundred hours. If any of you attempt to escape, you will be shot on sight," the chief soldier said. He ordered his cronies to handcuff the 'criminals' and take them outside. "The books will be confiscated and burned as you are shot."

The prisoners were silent as they were led outside. Fortunately, nobody noticed the door being closed nor did they hear the discussion about it. Anselm and Gwandoya watched silently under the door as their strongest allies were taken away.

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"I guess we had it coming to us," Strifer whispered.

"Hiding books, defacing government property…" said Ken'ichi. "I'd say they have enough to shoot us."

The group had been in prison for about an hour. The men were in a cell next to the women's. Bergljot merely sat with her head in her hands.

"I'm so sorry Sora. I tried. I'll be joining you two soon," she sobbed. Yuffeth knelt next to her.

"Don't give up now," she whispered. "Your husband and brother escaped. They'll come help. I know they will."

"No. It's too late. Ten more hours and we're dead."

"Don't accept your death," Leilani whispered from the cell door. Bergljot stared at her as she turned.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Every planet has a Lifestream. When a person dies, the soul is released to the Lifestream. The soul then returns to a place called the Ifa Tree. The Ifa Tree filters the souls. Those who have accepted death or have been sent are allowed to pass on to the Farplane. If the soul never did one of those, it's either reborn into the body of an unborn child in a random world, or, if the will is strong enough, the soul recreates the body it was in before. At least, a version of the body. Some who have been sent, yet possessed a will strong enough not to accept death are left inside the Ifa Tree, sort of an eternal limbo until the soul is sent, accepts death, called back or grows strong enough to break free. It's a never-ending process. If you keep your will strong enough, you can never truly die."

"How do you know that?" Ken'ichi asked.

"Because… just over one-thousand years ago, I possessed a strong enough will not to die."

An awkward silence followed this even more awkward statement. Leilani stood against the wall exhaustedly.

"So, you died more than one-thousand years ago. Interesting," Strifer whispered. "How did you die?"

"I was praying for a way to defeat a demigod. I was traveling with a group that wished to destroy an evil that had the power to annihilate our world with a small, black stone and an impossibly large sword that only he could lift. He jumped down from above and stabbed me with that sword. The last thing I saw and heard before I took my last breath was the sword sticking through my stomach and him chuckling behind me. My name was Aeris then. Cloud Strife took my body to a pool of water to release my soul. My will was strong enough to continue living. When I returned, my name was Aerith, and Cloud had been so attached to my first self that he fell for her as he had for Aeris, as they were so alike. He never knew that we were truly the same person. After his death, I allowed myself to be killed. Each time I came back as a different person, yet the same. I returned as an abandoned baby, save the first time, and met with the descendants of my original friends at some point in my life. Cloud's descendants also felt a connection with me. I have allowed myself to be killed after I reach the age when I was originally put to death. The last time I returned was eighteen years ago. The memories from each life have been preserved in my mind for all of eternity."

"Cloud Strife?" Ken'ichi gasped. "He was my very great-grandfather."

"Yes," Leilani confirmed.

"So you mean, I was falling for a woman that my ancestors had the hots for? Gross," Ken'ichi gagged.

"I want to find the man who killed me. I want to see him once more before I die. I want to have a chance to defend myself against him. I want a fair fight. Once I challenge him, I can rest in peace," she whispered. "There are two marks that have never gone away, no matter what form I take."

"What are they?" Bergljot and Yuffeth asked together.

"These are one mark," Leilani said as she lowered the top half of her pink dress from her back. Two white wings were growing from her back. "The other one is this."

The whole group looked away. She had turned to show her front. Across her abdomen and still hidden lower back was a large gash. It was still scabbing over, blood spilling a little every once in a while. The injury had never truly gone. Leilani replaced her dress at her friend's obvious discomfort.

"We should sleep. Death is less painful if you're fully alert and awake. You're body becomes tense when you expect the injury to come."

The group lied on the beds provided and fell into uneasy slumbers. Bergljot remained awake for what felt like hours.

At least the beds are comfortable, she thought. She began to cry silently. I hope they come for us. If what I think has happened to my body truly has, I want to stay alive not just for my sake… but… for… the sake… of… Bergljot fell asleep before the thought finished.

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"Well?"

"What?"

"Was your birthday happy?" Anselm is asking Bergljot.

"Yeah. Thanks."

They are lying in bed on the morning after Bergljot's fourteenth birthday.

"But if I got pregnant, you're paying for my abortion."

"Of course."

Anselm kisses Bergljot's cheek softly. They hear the door open downstairs.

"Hey! Where are you two? It's nine a.m.!"

"Gwandoya. Get dressed and pretend you're in here waking me up. If he asks, I was up late and over slept. Toss me those sweats," Anselm whispers.

Bergljot dresses and sits next to Anselm just as Gwandoya enters.

"What's this?"

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"Get your ass up!"

"Lord Angra Mainyu wishes to speak with you."

The two pushy guards dragged Bergljot out of bed and roughly stood her up straight. Looking at them, they wore hooded, black cloaks and no facial features were visible under the hood save shadow. The others were already awake and standing against the wall. Strifer and Ken'ichi had been moved to this cell, so Bergljot walked over to talk with them.

"Lord Angra Mainyu?"

"The leader of Itziar. This doesn't make sense. The Lord never shows his face to anyone," Strifer whispered. "What do you think Ken'ichi?"

"He must want to know who has been destroying his property," Ken'ichi replied simply as he leaned against the wall. "Why the hell did they have to take my sword?"

"They aren't that stupid," Yuffeth hissed.

"Silence, all of you!" called one of the guards. He glared at Bergljot evilly. "The lord will be arriving shortly. Don't try anything funny."

Bergljot watched him carefully. He seemed so familiar. It hit her like a mallet. On the night she had become engaged and looked at the picture, she had seen flashes of men in black cloaks. This was one of those men. He was a servant of Ansem's family.

"Presenting Lord Angra Mainyu!" called a guard from outside.

"Kneel before your master!" growled the guard inside the cell. He came up behind Bergljot and forced her down. Four other guards entered and did the same to the others.

"You may leave," came a voice from the hall.

"Stay kneeled," hissed the guards before they left. As soon as the guards were gone, another man entered.

"So this is the infamous SOUL VAGABOND, the scum that has been trying to overthrow me for years," laughed the man. The lord seemed to be in his forties or fifties. He had short silver hair and red eyes. He wore a cloak as the guards did, except his was red and more elegant, almost as a robe. "It was so easy to find you. You didn't expect my guards to be watching for you, did you?"

"You bastard," Strifer whispered. Angra Mainyu glared at him.

"Care to say that again, Strifer? Yes, I know all of your names. Your father was fool enough to steal birth certificates from the hospital, leaving his fingerprints all over the place, and then register you with the government. He was a brave man, and even easier to catch than you. I remember seeing your shocked face in the crowd as his head was placed on a stake on the edge of the village after he was beheaded. I did not expect you to follow his footsteps, especially after what I did to him. I believe you were present at the beheading, too," he looked at Bergljot. "But I do not know you."

Angra Mainyu came up close to Bergljot. She tucked her head to avoid gazing into those eyes, but he grabbed her chin roughly and jerked her head up. Bergljot squealed in pain.

"Hurts, does it not?" He stopped when he saw her eyes. "I know those eyes. You are the spawn of Sora, killer of the noblest of the family, Ansem."

"Ansem caused many to lose their homes. He was in no way noble. He was a son of a bitch, just as I understand you to be. Sora did a grand thing, killing him," she whispered angrily as she twisted her head out of his grasp.

"Humph. You are like Sora," he smiled. He laughed evilly and turned away. "Get up."

She did as she was told. Before anyone could react, he let out a strangled cry and scratched Bergljot in the face and punched her in the stomach.

"AH!" she screamed and fell to the floor. The others stayed frozen, as they knew they would be killed immediately if they moved. Blood dripped from Bergljot's face as she held a hand across her stomach. The lord grabbed her hair on the back of her head and pulled her head back so he could look at it.

"Such a pretty face, deformed by my hand. How unfortunate," he grinned evilly as she cringed in a mixture of pain and fear. He brought his face close to hers and kissed her on the lips. Unbeknownst to him, her hands were curling into fists. Although they didn't say it, the same thought passed through the group's heads: Punch him… Punch him…

As the lord began to get more physical, Bergljot lashed out and punched him as hard as she could. He let go of her and glared at her. Putting a hand up to his face, blood came away. Bergljot's engagement ring had slipped to her knuckle and slashed open his face. He punched her again, this time in the face.

"You," he hissed as she lay on the floor with her friends around her. He turned to leave. "Are the first to die."

"Sir!" called a guard from outside. "The books are gone."

"Good," called the lord from the cell.

"No, I mean they were gone when we got there."

"Find those books! Look in their belongings if you have to! Get rid of any book you find outside the castle. Search all the houses! Go! As for you, enjoy your last ten minutes alive," Angra Mainyu screamed. The tyrant glared at the prisoners and slammed the door as he left.

"Are you alright?" Leilani asked.

"I'll be okay," Bergljot whispered. She cringed as a few tears stung her cuts. "They're not coming. They would have been here by now."

"Bergljot," whispered Ken'ichi, giving her a hug. The group stayed locked in a hug for the next ten minutes, until a guard came to take them away.

=============

"Don't be so pushy," Bergljot hissed as the guard shoved her on to a platform in the field where they were to be shot. The others were lined up next to her.

Lord Angra Mainyu entered the field and stood in front of a throne off to the side of the field, followed by ten hooded men holding rifles. The group held their heads high as the men took their positions in front of them and Angra Mainyu began to speak. Villagers stood across the field from him and watched fearfully. A young boy and girl stood closest to Bergljot and stared up at her. Tears were in their eyes. Bergljot smiled softly at them. They seemed to be twins, and had black hair like hers and blue eyes with swirls of brown through them. A realization hit her. She wished to reach out and touch them, tell them that everything would be okay, but her hands were tied behind her back. She gazed at them with a loving look that she hadn't thought she would use for a while. She finally blinked, and they were gone. The dictator began speaking.

"Citizens of Itziar, welcome to the first deaths we have had in over ten years. These men and women are traitors to the government. They are sentenced to death for holding books, the attempted overthrowing of the government, thievery, and the bombings of government facilities. You have been forced to come here to discourage anyone from carrying on what they have started," he yelled as he sat. He turned to the captain of the guard. "You may take command."

"Firing Squad! Load your guns!"

The group loaded the guns as the prisoners stood still and prepared for the hits.

"Ready positions!"

Bergljot tensed and closed her eyes as tears fell down her face.

"Aim! FIRE!"

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WHEE! Chapter 9! Okay, I have a few disclaimers to make:

1- thanks to www.behindthename.com the site where I have found nearly all the names in this story.

2- I do not own Aeris, the way she died, the Lifestream, the Ifa Tree, or the Farplane.

3- The 8-Bit theatre referred to in the beginning of this chapter can be found at newgrounds.com; Final Fantasy fans should definitely check it out! Warning: the site is not appropriate for children under 13 (banners advertising internet/anime porn). I pre-apologize to anyone who goes to the site after reading this and gets in trouble.

4- Thanks to my very good friend and author Soul Vagabond for letting me use the name for the group.

So, what do ya'll think? Does anyone think that they will not make it? Raise your hands! random person raises hand Behold, my Mallet o' Understanding! whacks RP over the head and grins evilly (Those of you who haven't been reading Pearls Before Swine this week in the paper, you won't get it) Thank you for reading. Oh, and any guesses as to who those kids were? They actually weren't supposed to show up, but the idea popped in and I thought it was good. How about the Aeris/Leilani thing? Again random, but I thought it was good. I wanted to put a fight between SPOILER and either Leilani or Ken'ichi, and the idea generated.