Final Fantasy VII : A Past Life ♥

♥ Chapter I

The ride to Nibelheim was quite long. Not that anyone minded. It was a simple task to be completed, something they normally went through. What is it you ask? To slay a monster that was attacking the Mako Reactor that was recently put up in the town of Nibelheim.

"With Sephiroth here, our job should be done in no time." A man in a SOLDIER uniform stated matter-of-factly. Sephiroth found it somewhat odd that he was looked so highly upon. Then again, everyone always looked at him like that ever since he was a child and lived in the Lab with that crazy man, Hojo. He wasn't very fond of this man though.

"Get out, people. We've reached the destination." The driver called out to them from over his seat. Sephiroth sat up with a soft groan. Another SOLDIER officer opened the latch, and slid the door open. They stepped out and walked into the small town known as Nibelheim.

"They have a place to let us stay for the time being." Said another member of SOLDIER. Sephiroth nodded without saying a word and followed him and the others to an inn. Inside they were assigned their own beds and took a quick nap. Sitting in a van for a few hours was tiring. After resting up, they were met outside by a crowd of people. They all had questions to ask. Like would they be able to kill the monster who was threatening their village? What would happen if this monster couldn't be killed?

It was all too many questions for Sephiroth at the moment. So he raised his voice a bit, "Who is the one who is responsible for this summoning?"

A middle-aged man quickly blurted out, "Amaria Shaivo!"

"Hush!" said a younger woman, covering the man's mouth.

Sephiroth walked up to the man who had answered the question. "Where does she live?"

"Over there." The man gestured to a small house that wasn't too far from the so-called Shinra mansion. He didn't say anything as even a thank you, but instead walked to the house. He held the hilt of his Masamune in the palm of his hand. You never know what you could go up against. The two members of SOLDIER followed.

When Sephiroth reached the house, he gave a light knock. He shouldn't be rude, should he? Off in the distance he could here that younger woman from earlier saying to retrieve someone. He paid no mind. If someone were to attempt to stop him…well, they would fail.

The door clicked with a lock, and the doorknob turned. Out peered an elderly woman who looked very young for her age. The only reason you could tell she had aged was her white hair and the few wrinkles on her face. You could also see the pain and suffering that she endured over the years in her sparkling blue eyes. "What do you want?" He voice came out rashly. She cleared her throat and repeated the question, "What is it that you want?"

"Were you the one responsible for the monster summoning?" one of the SOLDIERs pushed, as he leaned in closer. Sephiroth pushed him back.

"What's it to you?" Amaria asked with an attitude. Sephiroth tried not to pay any mind to it. He didn't need to hurting an old woman now. Plus, she may be useful with retrieving the creature.

"That thing has to be destroyed." The other SOLDIER jumped in. "If we don't kill--"

"What the hell are you doing to my mother?" came the elegant voice of what sounded like an angel. Even though her voice was raised, it sounded as if she was singing.

The three men turned to spot a young, slender woman with brown hair and blue eyes.

"Did they hurt you?" She asked, as she pushed through them, to stand beside her mother, as if to defend her. Sephiroth brushed off his shoulder where she had rubbed against him.

"No, Laralaine." Spoke Amaria. Her voice was very shrill, and she gave a cough.

Laralaine moved in on Sephiroth and the others. "What do you want?" She turned to her mother, "Go back inside. You might get sick again." Amaria obeyed, and closed the door behind her.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes, and placed his head in his hands. After looking up, he answered once more. "We are here to rid of that creature."

"Why?"

"Because it is attacking the Mako Reactor."

"That's too bad; you should have never put it up in the first place."

"Well, many things could happen if we don't take care of this issue."

"Oh well, not my problem." Laralaine turned around, and opened the door, as if to walk inside.

Sephiroth reached out his hand, and grabbed her by the shoulder. He spun her around. "I don't have patience for this. Tell us where we can find this thing." He looked deep into her eyes. It gave him an odd sensation. One that he had never felt before in his life. He tried to shake it off.

Laralaine tried to pry his hand off of her, but his grip was to powerful. It astonished her how powerful he was. Yes, she had heard some stories of this so called 'Sephiroth,' but she never expected it to be true. "Sephiroth was it?"

"Yes." He grinned. So she knew his name. He realized she was trying to release his grip, and pulled his hand away. The other two still stood beside him, but didn't say anything.

"I honestly don't know where the creature is. It returns every now and then but my mother can fend it off, and send it back to its destination."

"Let us in. We'll have to discuss this."

"Give me one good--"

"Because."

Laralaine sighed. Normally she wouldn't, but lord know what kind of havoc this man could wreak if she didn't listen. Her voice was soft, and looked to the ground. "Alright…But not them two." She gestured to the ones in SOLDIER uniforms. "They can stay at the inn or something. I don't care."

"You seem not to care about much." One of the men said. Sephiroth and Laralaine passed him a death glare. Then they headed to where they needed to go.

"What happened when you walked into her house?" Aeris asked, undoing the braid in her hair. It now flowed down her back.

"What do you mean?" Sephiroth asked. Again, he received that sensation that he would only get with Laralaine. He stared at Aeris, mesmerized by her beauty.

"I mean what happened? Did you fall in love with her right then?"

Sephiroth smiled. It was a rare thing to see him do. "No. It was later then that. I didn't realize how much I had loved her until the second time we met."

"Ooh!"

"While I was inside the house though, I was questioned by her mother, Amaria."

Aeris gave a surprised, yet puzzled look. "What for?"

"I didn't know at the time. She said that whatever happened when the time came, that she would entrust me with Laralaine's life. I didn't think much of it. I thought she was just being a crazy old hag. I still wonder why she told me that though. As if she knew of what was going to happen. As if she knew all about me."

"Maybe she was a holy woman?" Aeris suggested, "Or an Ancient!"

"I doubt that. But then again, you never know."

"Oh so, anyway! On with the story." Aeris placed her hands on the ground, and laid back, staring up into the white nothingness. It was easy to tell when it was morning or night. At night, it would all suddenly fade to black, and you couldn't see anything. In the morning it was all white, and you were practically blinded from it. But the two had gotten used to it.

"Alright. Well, after I was let into her house, I sat down at a round table with Laralaine and Amaria. She offered me food, and I took her up on it. She makes delicious cookies."

Aeris couldn't help but giggle. It was a funny picture to her, seeing Sephiroth eating cookies. When he stopped and gave her an odd look, she stopped her laughing, "Go on."

"Well, I continued to push, and to tell me anything and everything she could about this demon that was roaming about freely. Of course, I had a hard time getting it out of her and her stubborn daughter, but I managed."