Awakening from a dreamless sleep, Aeris opened her eyes and found herself in complete darkness. She sat up slowly, feeling about for her boots and pulling them back on. Then she went to the door, opened it a crack, and peered down the hall to see if there was any light peeking through the cracks in the entry door. She ducked back into the room with a smile. Good, she thought. It's still night.
The Cetra walked over to where her companion lay sleeping. "Elena," she said quietly. "Elena, wake up."
The Turk only mumbled softly and rolled over.
"Wake up," Aeris repeated, shaking her by the shoulders.
This produced more incoherent mutterings, but these sounded more like protests, and at length Elena managed, "I'm up, I'm up." She rolled onto her back and looked blearily up at Aeris. "What d'ya want?"
"I... I have a favor to ask of you," Aeris said, keeping her voice low.
Elena sat up, stifling a yawn and regarding her uncertainly. "Why're you being so formal all of a sudden?"
"Because it could be dangerous."
"No big deal," the Turk said dismissively. "So what is it?"
The Cetra hesitated. "I want to revive Lucrecia."
"Lucrecia," Elena repeated as though trying to place the name. "Hmm... Oh! Wasn't she one of the scientists who worked on the Jenova Project?"
"Yes, and she's also the woman Vincent was in love with, and still is."
"But I thought she was Hojo's wife," Elena said tiredly. "And Sephiroth was their son. I read about it in our files."
"It was a love triangle," Aeris explained. "And Lucrecia... didn't make the best of choices."
"So what do you want to bring her back for?"
"Vincent needs her. I've told him he needs to move on, but I'm not sure he can. If he was able, he would have done so years ago, after Meteor, but he didn't." She paused and added, "And I'm sure it would do Sephiroth some good to know his real mother."
"All right," Elena said, appearing more awake now. "So what does this have to do with me?"
"I want you to come with me."
"You couldn't ask Vincent or something?"
Aeris shook her head. "If I can't bring her back... I don't want to get his hopes up for nothing."
"What about, uh, Nanaki?"
"I doubt he'll be willing to leave the canyon with Sephiroth here. I don't think Nanaki trusts him yet."
"I can't blame him," Elena muttered. She got to her feet. "So, I'm your bodyguard by default, huh?"
"If you want to put it that way."
The Turk only shrugged. "No hard feelings. I know I'm not as strong as the others, but I'll do my best. Where're we headed?"
"You know the mountains just to the north of the river? There's a lake in the midst of them, and a waterfall cave. That's where Lucrecia's body is."
"That's not exactly close by," Elena remarked.
"I know, but it should only take a few hours if we go by chocobo."
"All right. I guess we should get going then."
The Cetra smiled. "Thank you." She waited while Elena readied herself, and then they stepped out of the inn together. The Candle outside was deserted, to Aeris's relief, and no one was nearby; the village was asleep.
They crept past the gatekeeper, trying not to wake him where he lay sleeping by the stairs. At the bottom of the steps was the chocobo that Sephiroth and Katrina must have used to get here. It noticed their approach and lifted its head expectantly.
"Have you been fed recently, hmm?" Aeris murmured, stroking its neck. She pulled out some Gyshal greens that she had bought in Costa del Sol and offered them to it. The bird warked softly, seeming to understand their need for silence, and ate the greens from her hand. Once it had finished, Aeris glanced back at Elena. "It looks like we can get a ride."
"Whose chocobo is this anyway?"
"I'm pretty sure it's one of Cloud's," Aeris answered as she climbed up onto the chocobo's back. "He certainly won't mind."
Elena hesitated, then climbed up behind her, and Aeris spurred the chocobo forward. They sped northward through the canyon, the bird finding the rough terrain no obstacle. Sure enough, within a few hours they were descending the rocky slopes of the mountains to the lake. Aeris reigned in the chocobo just outside it, and they dismounted. Giving the bird a quick scratch behind the ear, Aeris turned for the waterfall. Elena followed her, and they slipped behind the cascading water and into the cave.
Inside, the rush of water faded, and silence reigned, interrupted only by the muffled sound of their footsteps on the crystalline floor. They made their way down the hall, and the passageway opened up into a huge cavern whose farthest recesses could not even be made out. The smooth floor, however, only extended a little ways into this, and at its edge was the dimly glowing altar, and Lucrecia's supine figure.
Elena hung back, but Aeris walked to her slowly and knelt down beside her still form. Lucrecia's face might well have been made of porcelain for all the color it retained, but it was indeed as beautiful as it had been in Vincent's dreams.
Sighing, Aeris wondered how exactly to begin. What had Sephiroth done...? She hesitated, then took up one of Lucrecia's lifeless hands and held it in her own. She closed her eyes and searched.
Thousands, no, millions of souls roamed the Lifestream. The most difficult part of reviving Lucrecia could easily be finding her amidst this chaos. It helped, a little, that Aeris had roamed these paths herself; she recalled something of that formless existence. If only there was some easy way to distinguish Lucrecia's soul, some mark that would set her apart.
Jenova, she realized. Lucrecia would carry Jenova with her. She remembered how Sephiroth's soul had felt, and she searched for something akin to that. A few long minutes, and Aeris had found her.
Lucrecia, she called through the Lifestream. Come back to us...
But rather than eager, Lucrecia's soul seemed anxious. Wait, she said urgently. I know what you are trying to do, and I am grateful, but do not waste your energy just yet. I... sense something. Someone is here, besides the two of you.
Aeris gave a start and came back to herself. She rose to her feet and looked around uncertainly.
"What's wrong?" Elena asked.
"There's someone else here."
The Turk tensed and looked around also. Finding nothing, she headed for the exit, and Aeris followed uncertainly.
"Strange place for a couple of gals to be at midnight," a woman greeted as they stepped out from behind the waterfall.
Sephiroth made his way carefully down the spiral staircase into the basement, dreading his visit with the Professor but long past balking. When he reached the bottom, however, he came to a stop. That same girl sat huddled against the stone wall not far ahead of him, muffled sobs racking her tiny body. Every now and then a sniffle or a hiccup escaped her.
The boy faltered. Something, an instinct that until now had lain dormant, was telling him to comfort her, but he had not the slightest idea how. He had never spoken to one so young before.
Hesitantly, he walked over and knelt down in front of her. "Are you all right?" he asked softly so that the Professor would not hear him through the laboratory door.
The girl looked up, sniffling. "Who're you?"
"Sephiroth," he answered. "You... your name is Aeris, right?"
She nodded dumbly, wiping at her eyes with her small hands. "How"--hiccup--"d'you know?"
"Talya told me."
"You know 'er, too?"
He nodded, and then repeated, "Are you all right?"
Aeris glanced towards the laboratory door. "I'm okay, but my mommy..." She stopped, glancing back at Sephiroth uncertainly. There was something strange about her eyes, he noticed. They were just a little too green, or too bright, but it was far more subtle than a Mako glow.
"Go on," he said slowly.
"She's in that room," Aeris continued hesitantly. "And she's all..."--she fumbled for the word--"not happy when she comes out. I dunno what's wrong."
"She'll be all right," Sephiroth assured her, though he really had no idea whether the Professor would work with this girl's mother or not. "The Professor's probably just... studying her. She doesn't like it, but she'll be fine."
The girl nodded, mollified. "Why do you have grey hair?" she asked suddenly. "And why do your eyes change?"
She had noticed his eyes? He must have let his guard down. "I'm just a little different from most people," he answered carefully. "An experiment..."
"You dun sound diff'rent," Aeris said quickly, apparently feeling she had said something to offend him. "You're just diff'rent on th' outside."
He regarded her uncertainly. Could she be...? No, that was something only in fantasy books. Still, there was indeed something very mysterious about her. "Do you really think so?" he managed at last.
"Yeah," she confirmed, nodding emphatically. "You're really nice."
This was enough to make him smile. "Thank you."
Aeris glanced down the hall again, then looked back at him. "...why're we here, Seph?"
"Because we're different somehow," he said. "You... you're special. You're different in a good way."
"An' what about you?"
He looked away, not sure he wanted her to know. But then, would she really think any less of him if she knew what he was? And why did he care what she thought anyway? "I'm..."
"...the same as me," she finished for him, smiling with an understanding far beyond her four years.
He stared at her silently for a moment, then smiled back very slightly. Then he glanced down the hall and got to his feet. "I should go before the Professor sees us together. Normally, he calls for me around now, and I thought he'd forgotten, but, I guess..." He trailed off, realizing he didn't need to explain anything. "Well, goodbye."
"Bye, Seph," Aeris replied, sounding disappointed.
Offering an apologetic smile, Sephiroth turned to go back up the stairs. He glanced back at her over his shoulder. Maybe such things could exist outside of books, he thought. Maybe, she really could be an empath.
The voice belonged to a brown-haired woman in her thirties whom Elena did not recognize--well, she supposed she might have been a redhead, but after meeting Reno, Elena was hard-pressed to call anyone else a redhead.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman said, grinning at their astonishment. "Did I forget to tell you I was following you?"
"But how...?" Aeris wondered, seeming to recognize her.
"...did I get here so fast?" Talya finished. She shrugged and took a step closer, spreading her hands. "Can't really tell you, sorry."
"What do you want?" the Cetra demanded.
"I wish I could say I just wanted the company of you two ladies, but I'm afraid that's not the case." She put a hand on the gun at her waist. "However, I do prefer a fair fight." She nodded to Elena. "How 'bout it? Turk against Turk?"
The blond frowned at her, as though new scrutiny would make the woman at all familiar. "You were a Turk?"
"It was a long time ago, but still, I'm insulted you never bothered to look at my file. Then again, I guess my existence was sort of overshadowed by your pal Valentine, 'greatest Turk ever.'"
"You mean... you were around during Vincent's time?" Elena asked incredulously.
"Yeah, I was. So? Do you accept, or does the Ancient have to fight me instead?"
She glanced at Aeris, who, despite her weakness, still stood defiant, a hand on the Quicksilver tucked into her waistband. The Turk stepped in front of her, meeting this woman's gaze. "Go get help," she said over her shoulder. "I'll fight."
"Good," the woman grinned. "Now we'll see how well they taught you."
Elena glowered at her, deciding not to mention that she hadn't gotten the chance to complete her training.
"Are you sure about this?" Aeris asked anxiously from behind her.
"Just go. I've run from battles before, but this time I'm standing my ground."
"All right," the Cetra said, but she hesitated; the chocobo stood some paces behind their enemy.
The woman seemed to notice this, and she fetched the bird, urging it forward until Aeris could grasp its reigns. Soon she was astride it and heeling it to a run. Elena watched her disappear up the mountainside, then turned to look at her opponent.
"Might as well introduce ourselves before we get going," the woman said. "Never know when the information might come in handy, eh?"
Elena only blinked at her.
She shrugged. "I always like to know who it is I'm killing anyway." She made a mock bow. "The name's Talya Keagan. Became a Turk in '15, same as Valentine."
"...Elena. I got promoted in '47, about a month before Meteor hit."
"Ouch," Talya remarked. "Musta felt kinda odd to be the last Turk, huh? Got to watch the company crumble, didja?"
"Let's just get this over with."
"I wouldn't be so eager if I were you. At least you get to live a few minutes longer by chatting with me." When Elena did not respond, she shrugged. "Oh well. Suit yourself. Now, to tell you the truth, I've never liked gunfights. Hand-to-hand combat's a lot more satisfying, don't you agree?"
"Like you'd follow the rules," Elena snorted.
Talya shook her head. "I figured you'd say that. But, you know, I'm willing to go out on a limb here. You good guys always love to be fair, especially to poor, misguided bad guys like myself. So, if I throw my gun aside like so"--Talya hurled her gun into the lake and held her empty hands outstretched--"you'll do the same."
The blond found herself, amazingly, at a loss for words. With a moment's hesitation, she tossed her gun behind her into the cave.
"All right then," Talya said, putting up her fists. "Let's see what you've got."
Elena hesitated no longer and charged for her opponent. Fist-fighting wasn't really her strong point, but she guessed it was better than a gun fight; without a doubt, Talya had to be a better marksman than she was.
Despite her obvious lack of skill, Elena managed to hold her own against the ex-Turk for a while--but only for a while. Eventually Talya got a solid punch to her jaw, and she couldn't recover fast enough. A sharp kick to her side made her stumble, and another punch sent her sprawling. It didn't even register that she had fallen until Talya shoved her onto her stomach and suddenly the ground was in her face. She started to push herself up, but a heavy boot slammed down into the small of her back. A sharp cry escaped her, and inwardly she cursed at her weakness.
"Is that all you've got?" Talya sneered.
Elena writhed beneath the woman's foot, trying to gain something, anything, but Talya only ground her heel further into her back.
"Wouldn't Tseng be proud, seeing you like this. Defeated in a mere minute by an old-age Turk. Surely there've been some improvements--or is this all you have to show?"
Growling in rage, Elena pushed and twisted with all her strength, ignoring the pain and finally managing to throw Talya off balance. She leapt to her feet and whirled around to kick her opponent hard in the face. Talya hit the ground hard, but she had only lost her balance, not her wits, and her leg swung around to trip Elena. For a moment they grappled on the ground, scrabbling for the upper hand.
Rolling atop Talya, Elena managed to get her hands around the woman's neck, but she hesitated. She had never killed anyone with her bare hands before; she hadn't been a Turk long enough to receive any of the more unsavory assignments. At the same time she realized that beneath her was a woman who had become a Turk thirty-seven years ago, certainly not a stranger to killing, and yet... Talya could have simply shot her when this all began and gotten her out of the way that easily, but she hadn't.
"Well?" Talya asked, noticing the hesitation but not using it to her advantage. "Aren'tcha gonna kill me? You do know it takes more pressure than that, don't you?"
Elena did not tighten her grip, but nor did she remove her hands. "You could have easily killed me before. Why didn't you?"
"What, you gotta have reasons? Maybe I just wanted a good sparring match. But you know, you can't have one of those without both of us being serious."
"I don't want to kill you," Elena said slowly, releasing her grip and carefully sitting up, "and I don't think you're that serious about this either."
Talya sat up, too, raising her eyebrows. "Oh, so we've got a Turk who doesn't want to kill people? What's the world coming to?"
"I think you're just stalling. You're not as bad as you think you are."
The ex-Turk shook her head. "Another common good-guy trait: always trying to find some good in the bad guys so they can 'turn them back to the good side.' Not gonna work, kid. You've got nothing to work with here; I just like to have fun while I'm being bad."
"I don't believe you," Elena said, folding her arms and meeting Talya's gaze steadily.
The woman shrugged. "Too bad for you then."
With that, she leapt to her feet and kicked Elena back in one fluid motion. The blond managed to roll out of the way before Talya could pin her down, and then she scrambled to her feet, putting up her arms in time to block a punch. She found that she could do little more than guard; Talya's fists were coming almost too fast for her to keep up with. She twisted quickly sideways and kicked the woman instead, but the blow did not faze Talya, and she grabbed Elena's foot, throwing her off balance.
She landed hard at the lake's edge, and a sharp kick-shove sent her into the water. She came up spluttering, her feet searching for the lake bed and finding none; she realized then that this lake was in a steep crater, and the water was impossibly deep. She grasped at the crater's edge to pull herself out, but Talya, crouching on the shore, took a fistful of her hair and shoved her under the water's surface.
Unprepared for the plunge, Elena let most of her air escape and swallowed a huge gulp of water. She thrashed her arms wildly, trying to make Talya release her or to get her head above water just for a moment or--something! She didn't want to die here!
Gods, if only Reno and Rude were here, they would kill Talya and save her pathetic ass, and--
No. She couldn't rely on them. Grabbing hold of Talya's restraining arm, Elena found the crater's wall with her feet and pushed backwards, bringing her opponent crashing into the water on top of her. The ex-Turk had not been expecting this, and she released her grip, letting Elena get her head into the air and gasp down precious oxygen. She found the shore and floated at its edge for a moment, coughing up water.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Talya pull herself up out of the lake, but her limbs did not respond to her mind's sudden urgency. She did not, however, find herself suddenly submerged again.
The ex-Turk crouched down in front of her, sodden wet. "Well," she said with a half-grin, "I guess you put up a pretty decent fight considering you were only a Turk for a month or so. But even so, you're not really worth the effort." She kicked Elena away from the shore and turned away.
"Wait!" Elena spluttered, having a hard time making her limbs move to keep herself afloat. "I'm not--!"
"See if you can find my gun while you're down there," Talya said over her shoulder. Soon she was out of sight, and Elena had to concentrate on getting back to shore and out of the water. She hoped at the very least that she had bought Aeris some time.
Aeris spurred the chocobo faster, speeding south to Cosmo Canyon. She had to get help before Elena--she didn't even want to finish the thought. Talya would be able to beat her, she knew; it was how far the ex-Turk would take that victory that worried her. She had to hurry.
Why hadn't she taken Sephiroth's words more to heart? Elena was a stronger fighter than she, but she was hardly an adequate protector when faced with someone like Talya. She should have taken Sephiroth, never mind his possible disappointment. If she had failed, then he could have tried. She shouldn't have tried to do this in secret.
But no one had told her about Talya! Or had no one else known either? No, they must have known; that must have been why Sephiroth had warned her to be careful. That was why he had been waiting for them--for Vincent, really--to make some sense of her presence. Aeris didn't understand it herself. Why had she come to attack them? Hojo was dead, wasn't he?
Well, it doesn't matter now, she told herself angrily. You've made yet another stupid mistake, and this time it might not be you who dies.
"WARK!" her chocobo cried suddenly as it slammed into--what? It staggered wildly, trying to regain its balance and throwing Aeris in the process.
Groaning half from pain and half from a frustrated anxiety, Aeris picked herself up and stepped forward, squinting into the darkness. There was nothing there. She reached out a hand and found that the air had hardened into a Wall spell. She stiffened and--
Was jerked backwards, cold steel to her throat. She didn't even have time to scream. A strong yet slender arm around her waist pinned her arms to her sides and her body against her captor's. She tried to twist her head to see who held her, but the blade did not allow for much movement.
"It wouldn't be wise to struggle," murmured a woman's voice. Her captor pulled the gun from her waistband. "I don't want to have to hurt you, but that will not stop me from doing so."
"Who--?" Aeris whispered.
"You don't need to know," the woman replied icily. "Now, come." She withdrew the knife and roughly grasped the Cetra's arm, pulling her back to the chocobo, which had by now regained its senses and stood at a wary distance.
At the sight of her captor, Aeris's breath caught in her throat. The woman seemed very young, actually, maybe not even twenty, and faint starlight glinted off her silver hair. She stood nearly a head taller than Aeris, slender in figure but walking with the same deadly grace as Sephiroth.
Still holding the knife in her grasp, the girl stroked the chocobo's neck with the back of her hand, calming it. That done, she turned back to Aeris, her eyes glinting a cold blue-green. "Up," she ordered, jerking her towards the chocobo and then letting go her arm.
Aeris did as she was bidden, not once taking her eyes off this silver-haired girl.
"What?" her captor asked coolly, tucking the Quicksilver into her waistband.
"You look like--"
"I know," she cut in. "That surprises you?"
"Yes," Aeris said uneasily. "At least tell me your name?"
There was a pause. "...Minerva. You... your name is Aeris, is it not?"
The Cetra nodded.
Minerva hesitated. "Well. An awkward beginning, but a beginning all the same." That said, she pulled herself up behind Aeris and spurred the chocobo to a trot, heading back towards Lucrecia's cave.
Aeris!
Sephiroth's eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed, gaze darting about the room. Katrina was sleeping soundly. The door was closed. There was no one else in the room. Why, then, did he feel so uneasy?
He dressed swiftly and stepped out into the hall, closing the door softly behind him. Hesitantly, he went to the room where Aeris and Elena were staying and opened the door a crack to peer inside. It was empty, the beds only slightly unkempt. He frowned. Where had they gone?
Leaving the inn, he went next to the Candle. It was the middle of the night, but perhaps they had had trouble sleeping... the both of them? He found Vincent there by himself, and the ex-Turk glanced up questioningly at his approach.
"Have you seen Aeris?" Sephiroth asked, his eyes scanning the village.
"No," Vincent answered with some confusion. "Why do you ask?"
The swordsman's frown deepened; he did not like this at all. "It feels like something is wrong, and she is not in her room. Where is Talya?"
"...I don't know," the ex-Turk replied, slowly climbing to his feet. Even he looked worried. "I haven't seen either of them since evening."
"This is... troublesome," Sephiroth murmured, trying not to show how anxious he truly felt. "If Aeris went off on her own, even with Elena to protect her, that would not be enough to keep her safe from Talya."
"But where would they have gone in the dead of night?"
He shook his head. "And without telling anyone..." He started for the gate, hoping to find some sign there. At the bottom of the steps, he found the chocobo gone, and fresh tracks led away northward. "What is north of here, besides Nibelheim?" he asked of Vincent, his gaze on the northern horizon.
The ex-Turk was slow to answer. "Nothing, really. There is Lucrecia's cave, but..."
"My mother's...?"
"Her resting place."
"You don't think... that Aeris would try to bring her back, do you?"
"She might," came the hesitant reply. "And I suppose that would explain why she did not want us to know."
Sephiroth looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"
"If she told us, and failed..."
"I see," the swordsman said, looking away. "Well, come on then. If Talya has found them, then they are in trouble." Without waiting for a response, he started northward as fast as his legs would carry him. He heard Vincent following some paces behind, matching his speed.
It was strange; despite the speed at which they travelled, time seemed to stretch out on a blade. All he knew was that Aeris was in danger, and yet just beyond that one fear, a thousand other thoughts came into his mind and left without being recorded in memory.
He wondered several times if he had ever cared about anyone before. Here was this strong anxiety, and for a person whom he hardly knew. What did she matter to him? Only, she had forgiven him. Hells, she had even thanked him for bringing her back to life. He did not understand her, could not understand why she risked her life for strangers or what compelled her to show such kindness to her murderer.
Was that strange compassion what had compelled her to leave this night? If she was trying to revive Lucrecia, was she doing it for Vincent? Because he was her friend, or simply because he needed that kind of help?
Something inside of Sephiroth hoped that she had thought of him, too, when making the decision, if only briefly. Lucrecia was his mother, and perhaps the only person who had ever loved him. It shamed him to admit it, but he wanted to meet his mother, to know what it felt like to be loved.
By the time they reached the mountains surrounding Lucrecia's cave, dawn had lightened the eastern sky, though the sun had not yet climbed high enough to peer over the peaks opposite them. Sephiroth slowed as he started down the slope to the lake, searching for signs of life. He spotted Elena lying motionless by the shore, and wondered for an instant if she was dead.
His pace quickened, though he did not realize it at first. When he did, he could not understand why he cared. He did not know this woman. She had merely approached him with fear in her eyes and a request to revive Tseng. As soon as she had gotten her answer, she had fled from his presence. What did he care what happened to her?
Or was Aeris right?
Upon reaching the bottom, he crouched down beside Elena and noticed with some relief that she was still breathing. She looked beaten up and bruised, but nothing was broken so far as he could tell. He shook her cautiously, trying to rouse her.
With a groan, she moved a little and struggled to open her eyes. Meeting his gaze, she gave a start and sat up quickly, wincing as she did so. "What...?" she began, her voice sounding raw as from coughing.
"You tell us," Sephiroth said. "What happened here? And where is Aeris?"
"Aeris?" Elena wondered blearily. "She went back to get you..."
Sephiroth exchanged glances with Vincent, then looked back at her. "What happened?" he repeated more urgently.
"That woman... Talya? She followed us. I took her on to buy Aeris some time, but..." She trailed off, frowning worriedly as her mind cleared. She started to get to her feet, but grimaced and sat back. "Hey, um, can you... heal me?"
"...I think so," he said. He laid a tentative hand on her arm and willed her injuries to heal. Mostly they were only harsh bruises, but she had collected a few sprains.
"Thanks," she said when he had finished.
He withdrew his hand and looked away on the pretense of inspecting the area. "What were you two doing here?"
"Aeris wanted to revive... whatshername... Lucrecia."
Vincent shifted, appearing almost hopeful in spite of his visible worry. "Did she succeed?"
Elena shook her head and opened her mouth to explain further.
"Nope," came Talya's voice from the direction of the waterfall. "Sorry, Valentine, but your girlfriend's still pretty dead."
All three heads snapped to look at her. Sephiroth stood smoothly, his eyes narrowing, and Elena climbed to her feet, glaring at the ex-Turk from behind him.
"Where is Aeris?" Sephiroth demanded coldly.
"No need to worry about the Ancient," Talya replied, unfazed. "We've got her safe and sound in the cave."
"We...?" he asked warily.
She nodded. "Did you want to meet number 23?"
The swordsman stiffened. "Whatever Hojo might think, people have names, Talya. Use them."
"Whatever. Do you want to meet her?"
He hesitated, then gave the briefest of nods.
From behind the waterfall, out stepped a silver-haired girl whose eyes mirrored his own. For an instant, his composure abandoned him, and he stared openly. Who was she? Where had she come from? Why did she look so much like him?
The girl broke his gaze to pull another out into the open.
Aeris stumbled slightly, her hands bound by some invisible force. Her green eyes went over the group, showing some relief upon seeing Elena, but when she met Sephiroth's gaze, she could not hold it, and she dropped her head to stare at her feet.
The silver-haired girl bent down to murmur something in her ear, and the Cetra glanced up again briefly. "I'm sorry," she nearly whispered. "I only wanted to..." Trailing off, she shook her head helplessly and looked to Talya.
"Don't encourage her, Min," the ex-Turk said sharply to the silver-haired girl.
"You let her go, Talya," Sephiroth ordered, Masamune coming to his hand with a mere thought.
She looked back at him and held up her hands with a grin. "I'm not holding her, Seph."
"You know what I mean," he growled, eyes flashing a dangerous emerald. "Now let her go before my blade finds your throat."
The silver-haired girl pulled a knife from her sleeve, jerked Aeris backwards, and put the blade to her neck. "Not a wise idea, Sephiroth," she said levelly, voice no louder than it had to be. "Now what do you say?"
The swordsman fell silent, words failing him as anger ruled his mind.
Vincent took a step forward, drawing his attention. "What do you want from us?" he asked of Talya.
"Sephiroth," she answered simply.
"What?"
"I'm willing to make a trade," Talya continued amicably. "Unless, of course, you'd rather leave Aeris with us. But I've got a feeling you'd much prefer having her back."
"If Sephiroth goes with you, you will let Aeris go free?" Vincent asked dubiously.
"That's right."
He shook his head, frowning. "I don't trust you."
"I figured as much; Turks aren't trustworthy, right?" Talya surveyed the scene thoughtfully. "Well... If you don't agree to it, I guess we can just kill the girl. Don't really have much use for her anyway."
The silver-haired girl glanced at her uncertainly, but she nodded minutely and pressed the blade closer against Aeris's throat.
"I'll go," Sephiroth said quickly. "But let her go first."
Talya shook her head. "You think I'm going to fall for that? Sure, you sound sincere, but I'm not believin' it. You come first, then we'll let her go."
"And I'm supposed to trust you after all the times you've lied to me?"
"Looks like this friendship of ours needs a little work," she remarked. "Ah, well. I guess we've got a stalemate. I don't really have much patience for those, so... if this lasts much longer, we'll just have to kill her."
"You wouldn't," Sephiroth said urgently.
"You're right," Talya agreed. "I wouldn't. But I'm sure Minerva wouldn't have any qualms about it. After all, she doesn't know either of you."
The swordsman looked to the girl, trying to read her but having no success. He hovered for a moment on the brink of indecision, then took a step forward.
"Sephiroth..." Vincent began meaningfully.
He shook his head. "I have to. Look at the girl; she'd kill."
Vincent followed his gaze and then sighed. "I suppose you are right."
Sephiroth took another step forward, and Aeris looked up in alarm.
"Sephiroth, wait," she said, and his step faltered. "Don't do this."
"But she will kill you if I don't."
Minerva lowered the knife slightly to allow Aeris more freedom to speak. Talya shot her a look, but she ignored it.
"Listen," the Cetra continued, "you saw her hesitate; I don't think she would kill me. I can feel it."
The swordsman frowned and took another step forward. "I won't risk you dying because of a mere feeling."
"I'm not finished. Think for a minute: I'm the last of the Cetra. Do you really think Hojo would want me killed? Talya's bluffing."
"I cannot let them take you to Hojo either," Sephiroth persisted stubbornly. He could not let her die again because of him, nor could he subject her to the torture that he remembered from his childhood. In many ways, he thought, being in the Professor's charge was worse than death.
"Then come free me now. This girl won't kill me; they have nothing to bargain with."
He faltered, still finding nothing in Minerva's eyes to assure him. She had it in her to kill, certainly, but whether or not she could kill Aeris was a different thing.
Of course, he had somehow found it in himself to kill her.
He shook his head and continued forward, the Masamune disappearing from his grasp.
"Sephiroth," Aeris begged, "please..."
"No. I can't risk losing you."
Desperate, she turned to the others. "Vincent--surely you understand?"
Sephiroth glanced back at him, but the ex-Turk could only shake his head slowly. Although his face was expressionless, his eyes revealed his ambivalence. Lucrecia had asked him to look after her son, and yet, Aeris was something precious indeed. It seemed that even Vincent felt affected by her selflessness.
"Touching, I'm sure," Talya remarked, sounding more than a little impatient. "Well? Are you going to trade yourself in for the Ancient? Her argument obviously isn't accomplishing anything."
"If you are lying to me..." Sephiroth began in warning.
"I'm not," she interrupted brusquely. "So get on with it. We'll let her go once Min's got you under control."
"'Under control'?" he echoed.
Talya shook her head, and something about her expression softened. "Please, Sephiroth," she said, sounding oddly regretful. "It's the most painless way."
"Painless, my ass," Elena muttered. The others all turned to stare at her; it was the first thing she had said since Talya's arrival. Embarrassed, she ducked behind Vincent.
Sephiroth shook his head and crossed the remaining distance to join Talya. He looked to Minerva questioningly, and suddenly he felt barriers closing in about him--not bonds, like Aeris's, but restrictive walls, cutting him off from... from what? He could no longer feel the Masamune, but he had lost something else, too, a power that he had not noticed until it was sealed off from him.
"Come on," Talya said, turning to walk away. A flat neutrality had replaced her usual derisive tone.
The swordsman glanced back and forth between her and Minerva. "What about--?"
"Come on," she repeated more forcefully. "Before Minerva has to make you."
He nodded in defeat and followed her, eyes on the ground, berating himself for making such a mistake as to trust Talya.
"But..." came Minerva's voice from behind them. Both turned to look at her; she stood uncertainly, the knife half-lowered, her grip on Aeris loose. "It was a trade."
Talya sighed in exasperation. "Min, of all the times to go on one of your 'fair' arguments, now is not one of them."
The girl shook her head slowly, faltering between passive obedience and a right that she knew would be punished. At last she withdrew the knife and released Aeris, giving her a slight shove.
The Cetra turned to study her former captor for a moment. She bowed her head in gratitude. "I thank you." Her gaze went apologetically to Sephiroth, and then she walked back to Vincent and Elena, looking down in shame.
"That's gonna cost you, Min," Talya chided, shaking her head as she turned to walk on.
Sephiroth followed silently, and the girl trailed after them.
"I know, Mother," she said softly, "but I had to..."
Author's Notes
I really like this chapter. It was one of my favorites in the original, and it's much improved since. The battle between Talya and Elena, for one thing, is a lot better. It could probably still use some work, but at the very least I no longer cringe when reading it.
Also, more Minerva here. I'm not sure if anyone's ever noticed, but she practically repeats one of Sephiroth's lines verbatum. Ah, details, how I love them.