Author's Notes:
1. If you're reading this, you're a Final Fantasy fan, so if you don't already know about The Black Mages – go to be amazed. Nobuo Uematsu is a god.
Chapter 5: Distance.
Shortly after his decision to find those who had slain him, Sephiroth finally took a moment to analyze his situation in further detail. First he looked at himself, in some ways, he was much as he had been, in others he was vastly different. On the surface, he was the same, he stood at exactly six feet in height, his complexion pale, to match his hair, which flowed straight down his back, with the exception of bangs, framing his face at the front. His eyes till glowed an emerald green, a sign of what he was, a reminder of what he had been. He was clad in his usual black trousers and boots, though he no longer had his coat or armour – and he had a wing.
Taking a closer look, however, anyone could tell he had changed. His eyes were… haunted. One arm was covered in cuts and scars of various gravity. His hair was a mess. In short, he looked ragged, weary, and it occurred to him, humble as he was, he would not, confront those he had harmed in his current state, could not show them his weakness. He still had his pride.
Looking around himself, he inspected his surroundings. Vines and creepers as thick as his arms had claimed this land from what had ruled before, shattering glass, snapping metal. Yet, much as this land now had a disturbing amount of life within it, Sephiroth could tell that it had been utterly lifeless before, constructed completely of metal, stone and glass, and there was only one place that had ever been like that. Midgar.
Well, at least he knew where he was. Unless the world had changed drastically since he had died, the nearest town was Kalm, so that would be the first destination in his search. However, there were things that must be attended to first. For one, he was in no state to be seen by anyone who knew him, for another, there was still the matter of his wing, being a warrior, he tried to know all his strengths and weaknesses, and having a new limb, even if he couldn't use it, would have changed them.
So Sephiroth set about learning how useful this new addition to his body was. First, he simply flexed all the muscles in his torso, to see if the wing would move, managing nothing more or less than a simple twitch. Then, he continued to use different sets of muscles, trying to locate the muscles that controlled the wing, and learn how to use them.
This was going to take a while.
Meanwhile, Aerith had arrived in Costa Del Sol, with a smile on her face. People were nicer than she had remembered, and with the aid of people heading in the same direction as she, she had arrived at her first destination surprisingly quickly. Strange, how such a crisis had brought the Planet's people together. Luckily, Costa Del Sol was a very popular place to be – it hadn't been difficult at all to find people heading there. And now that she was here, life seemed almost perfect. Everyone was smiling, the sun shining, the air filled with the sounds of people laughing, birds singing, waves gently breaking against the nearby beach.
It was a shame she couldn't stay long. The voice of the planet was now guiding her towards the sea, and as there was only one other port town on the Planet, it was clear where her next destination was. Junon Harbour. Now there was only the question of how to get there, she somehow doubted the newfound hospitality of the Planet's people would extend to free passage to the East Continent. Well, she had no choice but to try, anyway.
Aerith made her way down to the port, and began asking around, to see if anyone knew to whom she had to talk to see about getting across to the East Continent. It wasn't long before she had been pointed in the direction of a man named Al, and had rapidly made her way over to his vessel.
As she approached the ship, Aerith could tell it wasn't going to be cheap. The vessel would best be described as a pleasure cruiser, it was gigantic, bright white, as if it had been newly painted, and the deck was home to a large swimming pool, lined with deck chairs. Slightly disheartened by the sight of the vessel, it took her a moment to avert her attention to the captain, only succeeding in doing so when she heard a polite cough.
"Heya, there, the name's Al. How can I help ye, ma'am?" The voice came from a rugged, kind looking, older man, probably in his mid thirties by Aerith's judgement. He reminded her slightly of Cid.
"Umm… if you don't mind. How much would it cost me to ride your ship to Junon Harbour?"
"That'd cost ye 6'000 Gil, ma'am."
"Ah… I don't suppose you know of a way I could earn 6'000 Gil before your ship leaves, do you?" she asked, sighing quietly, unless things went well, it could be months before she found the others.
"Nope, can't say that I do. But there's plenty of work around here, and the next ship over to Junon should be round in a few weeks, I reckon ye could have the money by then…," he was finished talking, until he noticed Aerith sigh, dejectedly, "But I reckon ye can't wait till then, eh? Hmm, well this is a fix. Ye seem like an honest gal, howabout ye earn yer fare on the journey over? Ye'd have to work all day, eat the crew's food, and share one of the hostess' rooms, mind. Nothing so fancy as the customers get, but I reckon ye'd manage… What dye think?"
"Oh, thank you! That would be lovely, thank you so much!" She jumped, just a little bit, for joy, before asking, "So when are we casting off?"
"We leave in two hours, ye'd best get on board now and get to know the crew. Tell 'em I sent ye, and they'll show you around."
"Okay, again, thanks so much, you're too kind," she was calming down a little, now.
"Don't mention it. I'll see ye in an hour or so, once I've got everyone on board. Before ye go… I didn't catch yer name."
"Aerith, Aerith Gainsborough, nice to meet you." She offered her hand, and he shook it lightly.
"Pleasure's all mine. Now, ye'd best be going, Aerith, I'll see ye soon."
"Yes, sir. Thanks again, bye!"
With that, Aerith set off onto the boat, glad again for the generosity the human race seemed to have developed while she had been gone.
And so two people, both considered lost to the Planet, though one was hardly noticed, and the other was not mourned, had found their way, at least for now, and, in their own ways, were working their way closer to their destination, slowly overcoming their fears of what they would find at their journey's end.
-End Chapter 5-
