I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone, and though you're still with me I've been alone all along.
My Immortal - Evanescence-----
Far to the south, among tropical islands sparsely populated by man, there was a small village known as Mideel. Set within the midst of thick, exotic jungle, Mideel boasted a very small population. In the winter months, when in other places it was bitterly cold, Mideel became a famed tourist attraction for foreigners, drawn there by the warmth and scenery. Besides being a popular vacation destination, the small town was also known for one of its inhabitants. He was a doctor, one who was well practised in several types of medicine. People suffering from unusual, severe or mysterious maladies came from far and wide to attain both his aid and expert opinion.It was now the off season for tourists; in the humid midday heat the only people in the streets of the Mideel were the locals. Vendors of the shops had their wares outside, for it was much to pleasant to spend the day inside. In the midst of the street, not far from the shops, a group of village elders had gathered to discuss the weather and the rumors they had caught from the newspapers or televisions of major events in the rest of the world. Further up the street, situated on the outskirts of the town and surrounded by the jungle was the health clinic, were the doctor and his single nurse went about their work. It was quiet this day, the pleasant stillness broken only by the barks of a small puppy running to and fro and the frenzied muttering of a woman dashing from store to store, answered in turn by the tiny white chocobo following her. The doctor and the nurse were sitting in lounge chairs outside the clinic; they had no patients yet this day, and were taking advantage of the sunny weather. The doctor, an elderly yet healthy man, was leaning back in his chair, puffing contentedly on a long wooden pipe. The nurse was quite young and attractive, and as she occasionally answered a question the doctor threw her way she continued with knitting the dark socks which lay in her lap.
Both nurse and doctor were quite alarmed when suddenly before them appeared a spectacle; a tall man with remarkable snowy hair carrying in his arms an unconscious girl. It took only a moment for the both of them to realize that blood was dripping in steady rivulets from a wound in the girl's middle to the ground. The man raised his eyes, saw the universal sign for health clinic hanging from above the door, and took several quick steps towards the doctor and nurse."Please," he said, and his voice was choked, "You are a doctor ...?"
The doctor, already knowing the seriousness of the situation, was on his feet in an instant. He did not answer the question, but instead moved to the door and opened it. "Get her inside," he ordered, "and put her on one of the beds."The strange man did as he was told, moving with easy swiftness inside the building and laying the girl gently onto the nearest of the cots. He stepped to the side as the doctor approached, followed closely by the nurse. The nurse, catching sight of the gruesome wound in the girl's torso, caught her breath in dismay. After placing a hand on the side of the girls neck to feel for a pulse, he turned to the stranger and shook his head sadly.
"I'm sorry," he said with earnest honesty, "but with a wound like this ... there isn't much I can do. I'm surprised she's still alive-""You must do something," the stranger interrupted tersely. His eyes, a vibrant sort of green not found naturally amongst humans, were wide and anguished. "You must, please. She cannot die. She can't."
The doctor raised his hands helplessly, and turned back to the girl. Blood had soaked through most of her clothes and was already staining the ivory hospital sheets crimson. The nurse was kneeling on the other side of the bed with one hand tenderly stroking the girl's clammy brow. She met the doctor's gaze; both knew it was hopeless -"I-I beg of you," said the stranger, and for a moment his voice broke as if he were unaccustomed to asking for help, "please do something for her. Anything."
"I'll do what I can." The doctor replied heavily after a moment, and gestured to the door. "Perhaps it would be best if you stepped outside while we-""I'm staying." The other said. The doctor nodded his understanding, before turning to the nurse.
Quickly, efficiently, they began to work. They stripped the girl of her ragged clothing before washing the wound. It was a long, smooth gash, made undoubtedly by some type of large blade. Though tempted to ask the stranger how she had sustained such an injury, he didn't, knowing it was very unlikely he would get an answer. While the doctor set about further examination and then the stitching of the wound, the nurse busied herself with hooking up IV's and oxygen to the girl. Hours went by while they worked tirelessly, and the entire time the stranger stood in the corner by the head of the bed, expression intense and drawn. Finally, having done all they could have done, the doctor turned to the stranger while removing gloves wet with blood."We've done what we could," he said quietly, "but this wound is severe, and it's not likely she'll survive."
The stranger blanched, but said in a voice no more than a whisper, "Thank you."For a moment the doctor gazed again upon his unexpected patient. Small and pallid resting upon the bed with small tubes protruding from her skin everywhere and her face covered almost entirely by the oxygen mask - it was a sight that made the doctor, who had seen every type of life threatening injury, experience a sharp pang of sorrow. He turned then, and headed for his office in order to record the procedures they had just used. The nurse pulled a chair from the corner of the room and pushed it before the stranger. "Sit," she told him gently.
There was a brief flicker of gratitude in the man's eyes as he took the offered seat. He moved as close as he could to the bed, and with a hand that shook slightly he reached out and intertwined his fingers with that of the girl. Still watching, the nurse felt a heavy ache settle in her heart as, for a moment, she glimpsed in the stranger's eyes anguished concern. This girl meant everything to him, she realized then, and was suddenly fighting off tears because she knew how very small the chances were that girl would survive ...The doctor had reappeared, and caught the nurse's eye. He made a gesture with his head; the nurse nodded, and silently exited the clinic. The doctor paused for a moment, taking in the scene before him, and sighed inwardly. Feeling helpless and saddened, he said, "We'll return in the morning. If anything is needed, press the button by the bed. It will bring both of us here."
The stranger nodded. With another heavy sigh, the doctor left the clinic, closed the door firmly behind him, and headed for home.-----
News spread quickly throughout Mideel of the arrival of the two strangers. Though some of the more curious villagers requested constantly to have a glance at the "dying girl", the doctor and the nurse steadfastly refused. Surprising them all, the girl was still alive, albeit barely; she did not move, she did not wake, and was now in a comatose state. The gash in her middle, looked after meticulously by both doctor and nurse, seemed to be healing. It was a miracle, the doctor explained to the strange man, that the girl was still alive after all the blood she'd lost. By all rights, he said, she should be dead. The stranger accepted his words with a bleak expression before turning his eyes again to the girl.Days passed, crawling by. The stranger was almost constantly in the clinic, spending the nights in the chair steadfastly holding the girl's hand. At times, he would rise, and without a word to anyone would stride out of the clinic, out of the village, and enter the jungle. He was never gone for long, and always returned to resume his bedside vigil. Village children, awed by the powerful image he presented, began to hang around outside the clinic, hoping to see him exit. Some of the local women, touched by the dying girl and her lover, started every morning to place exotic flowers they gathered outside the door to the clinic. The nurse picked up the flowers each day and placed them around the inside, adding some of her own.
At times during the day, both the doctor and the nurse would attempt to speak with the man. He told them very little about how he and the girl had come to be here, but did reveal her name was Aerith. The nurse thought this was a lovely name; she was beginning to care more and more about the fate of these two obviously star crossed lovers. When the clinic was empty, and there was nothing for her to do, the nurse would draw up a chair on the other side of the girl's bed and sit in silence with the man, adding her prayers to his own. Sometimes he would offer her a small smile of gratitude, other times he was focused completely on the one who lay so motionless on the bed.Days became weeks. Though the doctor said nothing to the stranger, he knew that the longer the girl remained in a coma, the less chance there was that she would ever awaken. He almost couldn't bear the thought of it; like the nurse, he too was deeply touched by the situation. The days became a ritual; until it became normal to the villagers to see an impressive man striding through their midst and to place flowers every morning outside the clinic. Doctor and nurse lived in a state of apprehension; she had survived against all odds, yes, but how long could she last? No answer came, and she lived through each night, and time still dragged on.
Until one day, the girl opened her eyes.-----
The nurse was alone in the clinic; the stranger was absent, gone into the jungle for whatever reason he chose not to reveal. She was sitting in her chair, knitting what she planned to be a lovely scarf for the girl in her care, when a soft noise drew her attention to the bed.The girl's eyes were open, large and haunted over the oxygen mask. They had focused on the nurse, seemingly dazed, and her brow was furrowed. Dropping her knitting needles in shock, the nurse shot to her feet and hovered over the girl. Her mouth was moving behind mask, and with fumbling fingers the nurse slid it over her head. She was still talking, though no sound eminated, and the nurse bent until her ear was directly over the girl's mouth.
"...am I?" The girl asked in a whisper that was almost silent. Tears stinging her eyes, the nurse gave her a watery smile."You're in Mideel, darling." She said.
The girl frowned, breathing heavy as if even that movement needed great exhertion. She began to speak again, and the nurse paid attention closely as to hear the words."What ... happened?"
This question gave the nurse pause, as she wasn't entirely sure. She told the girl all she knew, about her arrival in Mideel carried by the stranger, and how they'd feared she wouldn't survive because of the severity of her wound. When the nurse had finished, the girl was crying, and the nurse absently realized that she was too."Where's ... Sephiroth?"
Sephiroth ... that must be the man's name. For a moment the sound of it jogged something in the far recesses of her memory, but just as quickly as it had come it was lost. She spoke again, telling the girl of how Sephiroth seldom left her side, of how he spent every night in the chair by her bed, of how he sometimes left but always returned. As the nurse was telling her this, an expression began to grow on the girl's drawn face; it was one of astonishment and dawning comprehension. She looked around when the nurse fell silent at the assortment of exotic flowers in every nook and cranny of the room and asked where they had come from. Chuckling, the nurse told her, and was rewarded with a tremulous, yet brilliant smile.Very soon the doctor arrived, and he to was overjoyed by the girl's awakening. Almost beside himself, he insisted on checking her temperature, her pulse, and taking a look at the wound which had in fact healed quite nicely. Beaming, he announced that aside from her muscles being atrophied due to the long bedrest, she would heal just fine. Promising they would be back very soon, the doctor and nurse left the clinic together to spread the news to the rest of the villagers, who, like them, would be ecstatic by her recovery.
Feeling very tired, but very nervous, the girl settled back amongst her pillows to await the one she loved.-----
The jungle offered Sephiroth an escape from the dismal reality he was faced with when inside the clinic. Every day, he was forced to watch as before his eyes Aerith wasted away. It infuriated him that he was so helpless when it came to her well being, but beyond that he was weighed down by a heavy, inescapable grief like nothing he'd ever known. He'd brought Aerith to Mideel directly from the City of the Ancients, using all his power to grant him impossible speed, because he'd heard of the famed doctor that dwelt here. Though he knew she was dying, though he knew nothing could be done, he'd asked all the same, because the thought of her dying was driving him insane.Driven by these brooding thoughts, he strode out of the jungle on his way back to the clinic. The villagers, who had long ago become accustomed to his presence, no longer hovered around the area hoping to see him pass by. All was silent around the clinic, which was bordered along the front by heaping bouquets of flowers; get well gifts from the local women. Steeling himself against what awaited him, he pushed the door open and with eyes downcast entered the room in which Aerith lay.
"Sephiroth."The voice, nothing more than a raw whisper, stopped him dead in his tracks. For a moment his heart stopped beating, and as he slowly raised his gaze he was unable to breathe. Aerith was sitting up, she was awake, and with a hand that shook violently from weeks of no use she reached out to him. He was by her side in an instant, perching on the edge of the bed and taking her hand in his own. Was this real? Could he be dreaming? She smiled at him then, and air rushed back in to fill his lungs at the realization that this was real, that she was here before him, alive ...
"I-" he said, and then stopped. There were no words to express what he felt, what he wanted to tell her. Instead he stared at her, trying desperately to find a way to say what was so chaotically roiling within him."Thank you," she said softly, "for what you've done."
"I did nothing." He said harshly, for it was the truth. All he'd done was bring her here; beyond that had he not proved entirely useless?"You did." Aerith insisted, and to his astonishment he saw that she was smiling. Very slowly she drew him close with a trembling hand around his neck, and very softly she place the merest of kisses on his mouth. He enfolded her in his embrace then, lightly as not to hurt her. Moments passed, and with his eyes tightly closed he offered thanks to whatever force it was that had brought her back to him. He noticed how frail and how thin she was against him, but that would change. She was awake, she was alive ...
After a moment he drew away, tipping her chin up with one finger as to gaze directly into her eyes. What he saw then filled him with exultation, with jubilation, because he could clearly see she felt what he felt, and that was all that could ever matter. Unwilling to ruin this moment, but needing to tell her, he said, "Aerith ... In the City of the Ancients -"She stopped him then with a finger on his lips. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I remember. Down there, in that place ... I was a part of something. I can't ask you to understand that. When Cloud appeared, I was happy ..." Here she trailed off, and Sephiroth made an angry noise. She stopped him with a glance, and continued. "I was happy, but it wasn't Cloud I wanted to see ..."
She didn't need to finish the sentence; Sephiroth knew the rest. She leaned close and rested her head against his chest, and he pulled her close again. Both were silent, knowing that eventually they would have to speak of the past, that eventually they would have to face their respective demons. That would all come in due time, but for now they would enjoy this idyllic moment and all the meaning it carried. Each had reached a new understanding; this ordeal had awakened within them each a bond that could not ever be broken. It was unspoken, it was unexplainable, and yet it was there all the same. Barriers had been shattered, resolve had been forgotten, and all that remained between them both was this affection, this concern, this passion ...Standing just outside the open entrance, tears streaming unheeded down her cheeks, the nurse turned with a smile and silently closed the door.
-----Author's Note: Of the two endings I wrote, this was my favourite. Heart felt thanks go out to each and every person who reviewed this story and gave me the inspiration to keep going; without you this wouldn't have made it past the first few chapters. To those of you who have become my interesting, supportive, and entertaining friends: I love you all. Know that I have the utmost appreciation for each and every one of you.
Now to finish the rest of my fics ...