I can't stand my laughter as they cry. My soul brings tears to angelic eyes. And miles away my mother cries. Omnipotence, nurturing malevolence.
God Called In Sick Today - AFI-----
This way, Child.Aerith, driven by fear, ran headlong into the City of the Ancients. She could still hear Sephiroth's words ringing in her mind; she knew that he was fighting Jenova, knew that Jenova had ordered him to kill her. There were other voices in her mind, ancient and wise, directing her, guiding her through this beautiful and alien city.
Closer, Child.Were these the Ancients she heard, rising from distant memories to haunt her now? She was unsure, but adhered to their words anyway. Had circumstances been different, she would have stopped to marvel at the unearthly structures around her; now she could only race onwards, driven by the unseen force which spoke to her in sounds so familiar. She came to a staggering halt as the path she was on forked in three directions. Quietly, but with a strange sense of urgency the voices told her which way to go, and without hesitation she began running again down the middle trail.
She slowed only when she seemingly had reached a dead end; rising before her on the edge of a remarkably crystalline pool, was an enormous shell, spiralled with an ethereal sheen. Breathing hard, she took a few more steps towards the shell, peering inside the opening, and noticed immediately that there was some sort of staircase leading ... underground?Come down, Child.
Aerith paused at the top of an steep, delicate staircase made of shimmering crystal. Below, far below, was a building of the likes of which she had never seen. It was similar to a cathedral carved of gleaming stone, reaching towards her with elegant twists and intricate arcs. She caught her breath then, and tears she had stopped crying stung her eyes again at the impossible beauty of the place.Come, Child.
Unable to resist the call had she even wanted to, she began to descend.-----
-SON, WHY DO YOU NOT OBEY?-Sephiroth had no answer, and instead gasped as Jenova's disapproval thundered through him, rending his mind. He was moving at a faltering run, driven by Mother's desire to see the Cetra bleed and his own desire to keep her safe and well. He had not an inkling of where he was going, knew only that he had to keep moving. Each step was torture; it seemed that Mother, sensing his refusal to carry out her bidding, was determined to punish her wayward child.
-YOU BETRAY ME-"No ..." he said weakly, but he knew she could discern the lie.
-WHY?-He had no answer, at least not one he could voice coherently. Instead he continued on, staggering, paying no mind whatsoever to his surroundings. Time passed marked only by the rise and ebb of Jenova's anger.
Until abruptly, it stopped.So sudden it left him breathless, Mother's voice had receded. Shaking in the aftermath of her fury, he steadied himself before looking around, trying to get a bearing. He stood at a fork in the road; there were three paths branching to the left, to the right, and to the center. Desperately he wondered where Aerith had gone, and why Jenova had left. What caused his heart to race in apprehension, however, was the strength of Mother's presence in his mind. For it to be this powerful, this clear, it had to mean that a piece of her self was somewhere close by.
"Aerith!" He shouted, his voice echoing eerily. There was no reply. He cursed, and having no idea which direction to take set foot on the center path.-THERE IS ANOTHER-
Sephiroth fell heavily to one knee, both hands clutching his head. What did she mean?-THE CETRA- Jenova raged, her voice a painful tidal wave, -WILL DIE.-
Struggling against her overwhelming words, he struggled again to his feet. In a voice barely more than a hoarse gasp, he asked, "How?"Jenova did not answer; and as the agony in his head faded he knew she'd gone again, turning her attention elsewhere. It did not matter; suddenly a piece fell into place within the shadowed recesses in his mind and he knew the answer. The blood drained from his face, and then he was running, hurtling heedlessly down the center path, screaming Aerith's name.
-----This was where she belonged.
There was nothing here, nothing but a sense of fulfilment, completion, and the utmost belonging. The clear harmonic cadence of voices Aerith had heard since setting foot in the Ancient Forest had been leading her here, knowing what she would find. This was absolution, this was what she had needed all of her life. Beneath the City of the Ancients, within a cathedral both older and more mysterious than time, she had found what she had unknowingly been searching for all this time.She had found what it meant to be Cetra.
She was kneeling now, in a place of holy sanctuary. Her eyes were wide and wet; tears of wonder and gratification were pouring in glittering trails down her face. Light, reflected from the water surrounding this small alcove, was caught in the crystal structures surrounding her. The result was a myriad of colors playing over her, playing around her. There was an inexplicable sense of serenity here, as if nothing tragic, nothing violent could ever occur within this sacrosanct place. The voices of the Ancients had changed the further she had descended; she could hear them clearly now, could understand what they were saying to her.They were welcoming her home.
So easy it was to forget everything, to forget who she had been, to forget who she had known. Closing her eyes, she lost herself within the singing of the spirits that haunted this place, within the chiming clarity of the Planet. Her materia, set now on the gleaming white floor before her, was pulsing in rhythm to everything she could hear. It was the song of Life, the song of Existance, and never before had she heard something so lovely.Time passed; it was impossible to mark how long. When finally she was brought to awareness once again, it was to the harsh, unpleasant sound of something other than the Ancients or the Planets. What roused her were human voices.
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes. For a moment the person leaping from pedestal to pedestal to reach the alcove in which she knelt was unfamiliar; alien. When he landed lightly a few feet opposite her position, recognition flooded through her, and with a voice soft and wonderous she said, "Cloud.""Aerith," the other breathed. Her gaze moved momentarily beyond him, past the pedestal steps, to where others stood, watching them both anxiously. She knew these people, cared for these people. Sudden movement drew her attention back to the blonde man who watched her through blue eyes so very earnest.
"Are you ... are you alright?" He asked her, voice husky with concern.She laughed then, a melodious, ringing sound that echoed all around them. Of course she was alright; she had never been better! She was home.
"I'm fine," she told him, smiling still."And ... Sephiroth?"
Her smile faded. She had forgotten Sephiroth for this brief time, so caught up in the emotions she'd discovered waiting for her here. The mention of his name brought longing, swift and sharp, to her heart, and she bowed her head suddenly."I don't know where he is," she whispered.
She shook her head then against the remembered terror she'd felt when Sephiroth had shouted at her to run, run from him. She was safe here, she was loved here, and that was all that mattered ... why, then, could she not help the few tears that slipped from beneath her closed eyes?Before her, unnoticed, Cloud unsheathed his sword.
-----From far above, Sephiroth could see her, kneeling at an altar made of shining white stone and crystal. His eyesight, enhanced years past by a combination of Jenova cells and Mako energy, captured in perfect clarity the heart wrenching beauty she presented. Never before had he seen her look so at ease, so content; even with her eyes closed it was plain to see. Instead of rushing to her he watched her for long minutes as she knelt there, looking to be in prayer. An ache had started within his chest, edged and bitter, as he stared.
She was the very essence of beautiful.He was startled, suitably, when from seemingly out of nowhere another person appeared, jumping from step to step to reach Aerith's alcove. He couldn't contain the furious gasp that escaped him when he realized who it was.
Strife.He wanted to leap down there, hurtle through the air and land by her side. He wanted to release this protective rage upon Cloud Strife, tear the flesh from his bones and make him regret ever laying eyes upon Aerith. Instead, with great restraint, he watched as they exchanged words, and as she smiled at Cloud something snapped inside.
Was it possible she still had feelings for that mortal, that piece of spineless flesh? He couldn't deny how happy she looked, how serene; was this how it was to be, then? Perhaps she would be better off with Cloud; it was clear the boy would never harm her, and that he cared very deeply for her.And, though it was hard, very hard, for him to accept, he realized that it may be better for her to be with someone else besides himself.
As he thought this, he watched as Aerith closed her eyes and bowed her head. Was she praying now? Movement caught his eye, and what he saw next made him leap from the stair he had stood upon.Falling, air rushing all around him, Sephiroth watched numbly as below him Strife unsheathed his sword. He shouted a warning, but the wind caught it and carried it away. As the floor of the alcove rushed up to meet him and as he was drawing his own sword free, he was confronted by the images from a nightmare.
It was as if time had slowed. Strife raised his blade over his head; his arms trembled violently as though he was being forced to do the action against his will. Sephiroth knew he was, knew that Strife, much like himself, carried Jenova's taint. Suddenly there was ground, solid, beneath Sephiroth's feet, and an instant after landing he lunged with all the speed he had for the other man. As swift as he was, it wasn't enough; with a harsh yell Cloud let the sword fall.Silence. It was broken then by a soft, anguished sound, and then Aerith was falling, falling limply to lie motionless on her side. Blood, so much of it, was pooling beneath her, standing out vividly against the pristine whiteness of the alcove floor. Roiling, violent emotion broke over Sephiroth, and with an incoherent cry he flung himself to the floor to gather her into his arms. Her eyes were open, full of disbelief, and as they settled upon him something else flooded into their emerald depths.
"S-Sephiroth," she gasped. From the corner of her mouth came a thin crimson trickle."Aerith." He said thickly, cradling her. It felt as if he were suffocating, as if he'd never breath again ...
"I -" She whispered, and then stiffened in his arms as more blood streamed from her mouth."You - will - not - leave - me!" He said desperately. She shook her head; in her eyes now there was sorrowed acceptance; she knew her fate. Ignoring the inevitable, ignoring the bitter truth before him, he gathered her close and stood. Across from them, Cloud had dropped his sword, stained as it was by her blood. He was crying in eerie silence, staring at his hands as if horrified. Sephiroth spared him no glance; he gathered his strength with iron will -
Seconds later Cloud raised his eyes, expecting to see Aerith, bleeding, being held by his arch nemesis. All that met his eyes, however, was the pool of her blood on the floor.-----
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please be advised, this is NOT the last chapter.