At first she did not realize that any time had passed since she had fainted, but the ceiling did not look at all like that of Lucrecia's cave. Disoriented, Aeris pushed herself up on an elbow and realized that she was back in Cosmo Canyon's Shildra Inn. Someone must have carried her. In the next bed over, Lucrecia lay sleeping, and Vincent sat beside her, the ghost of a smile on his face.
"How is she?" Aeris asked.
Vincent seemed almost startled to hear her speak. Had he not noticed her wake? "She's fine," he answered, glancing at her only briefly. His attention remained fixed on Lucrecia.
"That's good to hear."
"...are you feeling all right?"
"I'm tired, but I guess that's to be expected. Although, Sephiroth gave me so much more energy than I gave Lucrecia, and he was fine after a night's sleep. How long have I been out?"
"All day," he replied. "I believe it's around ten in the evening."
Aeris nodded slightly. "So did you get what you wanted, Vincent?"
He looked back at her, really seeing her this time. "Yes, and I thank you for it. But... I told her that I would look after Sephiroth. So, until he is free..."
"...you'll still feel guilty?" Aeris finished.
He nodded silently.
"Why do you think Talya is still working for Hojo?" she wondered, frowning. "You knew her, didn't you?"
Vincent shook his head. "I didn't know her very well."
"But surely you knew her better than I did."
He regarded her with some confusion, but did not ask where she had met Talya. "I do know," he said quietly, "that she cared more about people than I ever did. I'm sure she cares about Sephiroth. What has trapped her into doing this, though, I don't know."
Aeris frowned, equally at a loss. "The Hojo I remember wouldn't have been strong enough to defend himself against a Turk," she pondered.
"He is no longer human," Vincent explained. "With the Jenova to aid him, perhaps he does have the strength."
"But Talya's not human anymore either, is she? It still doesn't make sense."
The ex-Turk shook his head, saying nothing more.
Aeris pushed back the sheets and found the floor with her feet. "Where's Elena?" she asked.
"I have not seen her since we returned."
"That's right, you've been watching over Lucrecia, haven't you?" The question did not require an answer. She put on her boots and headed for the door.
"You may want to find Nanaki," Vincent said as though the thought had just occurred to him. "I have not spoken with him, and I am sure he is curious."
"Right, I will." She glanced back at him with a smile before stepping out into the hall.
She made her way through the common room, intending to head outside, but she noticed Elena sitting in a corner, nursing a drink.
"Hi," the Cetra greeted, taking a seat across from her.
The blond looked up. "Oh, you're awake. How you feeling?"
"Fine, just a little tired is all."
"Same here. I mean, I hit the sack when we got back and slept through the afternoon, but I still don't feel rested." Elena shook her head. "I hope I can make it up tonight. When'll we be heading out?"
"To rescue Sephiroth?" Aeris asked. "Who knows? I have yet to ask Cloud for his help, and we don't even know where to go."
"Maybe we should've tried to follow them," the Turk reflected ruefully.
"No, they'd have noticed."
"I guess that's true. Hopefully when we've got everybody here, we'll be able to come up with something so we can go kick Hojo's ass and free Sephiroth."
"...and that girl," Aeris added after a moment. "We ought to free Minerva, too."
Elena looked puzzled. "You're not at all bothered that she put a knife to your throat?"
"Sephiroth killed me, if you'll remember, and I want to help him," the Cetra reminded her dryly.
"Oh, uh..."
She shook her head, her expression softening. "But that doesn't really explain anything. I just think... well, you remember what she did, right? She let me go, against orders. I doubt she wants to be working for Hojo."
"Like Talya, you mean?"
Aeris blinked. "So you think the same about her? I'm surprised; she nearly killed you."
"She didn't though. She just made sure I wouldn't get in the way. She could've just shot me, easily. It's not very... Turk-like that she didn't, you know?"
"I'd have to agree with you. Still, I don't know how Hojo can have the both of them under his thumb, especially in Minerva's case. She has to be far stronger than him, even if he has Jenova in him now."
"Maybe..." Elena pondered, "maybe it's some technological thing. I mean, magic can't touch that very easily, right?"
The Cetra looked at her in surprise. The blond had never seemed terribly bright, but neither Aeris nor Vincent had considered that.
The Turk shifted uncomfortably, thinking that she had said something stupid. "Anyway, whatever's got them trapped, they're on Hojo's side, and we're gonna have to fight 'em."
"Right..." Aeris agreed reluctantly. "Well, I'd better give Cloud a call. Somehow I think we're going to need all the help we can get."
Elena nodded. "Good luck."
She smiled appreciatively and rose from her seat to go outside. It was indeed late, she learned. It was as dark as it had been when she had spoken with Sephiroth. There was one person sitting by the Candle, and that person seemed to notice her as she passed by on her way to the observatory.
"Hey," called Katrina.
Aeris turned to her. "Hello," she greeted hesitantly. They had met, but they hadn't really spoken before.
"Where's Sephiroth?" the girl asked, and for the first time Aeris noticed the anxiety on her face. "Did he leave after all?"
Aeris wasn't sure what to tell her. She didn't want to worry her any more, but she did not want to lie either. "He didn't want to, but yes. I expect he'll be back soon enough."
Katrina regarded her carefully, obviously not convinced, but she did not inquire any further. "You spent all day in your room," she observed. "Are you still that tired?"
"Well..." the Cetra faltered. She didn't need to lie about this, but she wasn't sure how to explain. "I'd mostly recovered, but... You see, I wanted to see if I could revive Lucrecia, so I..."
"You must've succeeded," the girl concluded. "So that's why you're exhausted, though I don't think Seph was all that tired."
"I'm not as strong as Sephiroth."
"I guess not." She paused. "Lucrecia is Sephiroth's mom, right?"
"That's right."
"Why would he leave if he had the chance to talk to her?"
"She hasn't woken up yet," Aeris answered, thinking quickly. "I didn't give her nearly as much energy as Sephiroth gave me. It'll be a while before she's regained her strength."
"Oh."
There was a pause and the Cetra took it as her cue to go. "Well," she said, "I want to catch Nanaki while he's still awake, so if you'll excuse me..."
"Go ahead," Katrina replied. "I'll see you around."
Aeris nodded and went on her way, heading up to the observatory level. Once there, though, she hesitated. It was so empty there, the perfect place of seclusion. She sat down at the cliff's edge, but not too close, and looked down on the village below. In the daylight, this spot must have offered a great view of the canyon, but now she could only see the Candle with any clarity, and other torches provided pinholes into the whole picture.
She closed her eyes tiredly, seeking not the blissful oblivion of sleep, but something within herself, that little piece of her soul that belonged to the Planet, that part of the Planet that belonged to her. She could feel that it was anxious about something. As she found the connection, it seemed to notice her, or at least shift more of its attention in her direction.
"What's wrong?" she asked in a whisper. "Are you worried about Hojo?"
The Crisis from the Sky is stirring.
"I thought Cloud killed it," Aeris said, frowning.
I do not think it can be killed, not by its own children alone.
Her lips tightened. "Cloud is no child of Jenova."
He is. He carries a part of it within him. You know it.
"I felt something," she admitted, "but I didn't think..." She trailed off and shook her head. "Never mind that. Who can kill it then?"
Not saying Cloud cannot. Only that he cannot do it without help. The Crisis from the Sky wields too much influence over him. Alone, he lacks the strength to defeat it.
"I think I see..." She wondered how Jenova fit into everything else that had happened. It had returned at the same time as so much else, it seemed.
"What of Sephiroth?" she asked, wondering what the Planet made of his second chance. Had it had any choice in the matter? Could it have held him in the Lifestream, or did it lack the strength?
He may travel down the same path as before, or he may forge a new one as yet untravelled. It is his decision alone.
"Are you afraid of what he might do?"
No.
"Why not? Surely you remember Meteor."
Are you afraid of him, child?
Aeris blinked. "Well... not really. Not anymore."
Why not?
"...he has a good soul. If he can just stay free of Jenova's grasp..."
Then there is no reason to ask the same of me.
She smiled, glad to find that they felt the same way. "Then, Planet, do you know where Hojo might be keeping him?"
The Planet seemed to mull this over a moment. When Meteor came five years ago, six small wounds of mine ceased drawing blood, but one remains. You may find them there.
Aeris frowned thoughtfully. "You mean, one of the reactors? Do you know which?"
Child, I cannot tell you everything.
"I know," she sighed, shaking her head. "I just... don't want him to suffer there any longer than he has to. I want everything to turn out well, but it seems that every time I try to do something right, I make a mistake and end up hurting someone. I don't want that to happen this time, so please... if there's anything you can tell me..."
You should have more faith in yourself. Perhaps your mistakes are not so bad as you think.
"But because I didn't listen to him, Sephiroth is..."
Do what you think you must, the Planet hummed encouragingly. What will happen will happen.
"I guess you're right."
Now, don't you have work to do? There are others who can help you more than I.
She nodded and started to climb to her feet.
"Aeris?" said Nanaki from behind her.
She gave a start and twisted to look at him. "Oh, hello. Have you... been here long?"
Nanaki shook his head and padded over to sit beside her. "No, not long." He fixed his one eye on her in scrutiny. "What has happened? Where did you go last night? When Vincent brought you in this morning, you were unconscious, and there was a strange woman, too. I've not seen seen any of you since."
"I... did a stupid thing, and went off on my own--well, with Elena, I mean. I wanted to revive Lucrecia, for Vincent, but... I don't know if you knew about Talya, that she was here, but she followed us, and..." Aeris shook her head. "The short of the matter is that Hojo is still alive, and he has Sephiroth now. I'm worried about him."
The feline considered this matter carefully, looking down at the Candle below them. "I suppose that you'll want to rescue him," he said at length.
"You don't sound surprised," she remarked.
"You know as well as I what it is like to be Hojo's specimen. No one should have to go through that; it doesn't matter what they've done. Of course you would want to free him from that."
Aeris nodded, though a part of her wanted to explain to him that there was more to it than that.
Nanaki seemed to sense something of her feelings. "Although, he has certainly changed. It seems he has done a number of good deeds since returning, reviving you not the least of them. And... he seems to care about things now. He asked me about you, you know."
"He did?"
"Yes. He wanted to know what I thought of you. And, to my surprise, he asked if he had known you before the Nibelheim incident."
"I suppose you told him he hadn't," she reflected absently.
The feline watched her carefully. "Was I wrong?"
"You know, he spent much of his childhood under Hojo's care, just as I did. He was the one who..." She stopped and shook her head. "Never mind. Anyway, I guess the real question is whether or not Cloud and the others will be willing to help him. Five years ago, they were so set on killing him, and now, to ask them to save him...?"
"You are the proof that he has changed; if anyone can convince them, it's you. Some of them, I am sure, will consent to help." He paused and shook his head. "I doubt Yuffie will be among them."
Aeris smiled and turned to scratch him behind the ears. "The two of you really didn't get along, did you? But you know, it's been five years since we've seen her. Don't you think she's matured any?"
"Yuffie? Mature?" He snorted incredulously. "Those two words will never belong in the same sentence."
At this the Cetra laughed aloud. "I guess we'll see," she said. "Can I use your PHS?"
"Of course," Nanaki answered, getting up to lead her inside. His PHS lay on the living room table, and he nodded towards it. "I'm sure you want some privacy," he said when she had taken a seat on the couch. "I'll be outside."
She nodded and watched him pad out of the observatory before she took up the PHS, which was pocked with teeth marks, she noticed with some amusement. Her smile soon faded, though, when she recalled the task before her. She took a deep breath and dialed Cloud's number.
"(Hello?)" came his query over the line. There was a fading din in the background, as though he were leaving a crowded room. A bar, perhaps?
"Hi, Cloud," she greeted.
"(...hey, Aeris.)" His voice still held some amazement, and she wondered if a part of him had believed her visit to have been a dream.
"I'm sorry to be bothering you so soon," she said. "It's only been, what? A day and a half? Gods, it feels like it's been longer..."
"(Aeris?)" he asked in concern. "(What's wrong? Are you all right?)"
"I'm fine, but..." She faltered. "Hojo's still alive."
"(What?)"
"Vincent tells me he had Jenova in him. That must be why. And what's worse: he's taken Sephiroth captive."
"(How the hell did he manage that?)" Cloud wondered. Unsurprisingly, he did not sound at all worried about the swordsman.
She frowned. "I was careless, and two women who work for Hojo--they caught me. They said they wanted Sephiroth, though I think Hojo wants us both, and so he traded himself in to save me."
"(He did what?)"
"You heard me. He's not the same man you killed five years ago, Cloud. I think maybe he's reverted to the way he used to be, before Nibelheim. And you can't forget that he brought me back."
"(But you wouldn't have been dead if it weren't for him.)"
"Cloud..."
He sighed. "(So you want me to kill Hojo and... rescue Sephiroth?)"
"Well, essentially... yes."
"(Do you know where they are?)"
"The Planet gave me some hints, so I have an idea. The details, though, we'll have to work out." Aeris hesitated. "You know you don't have to help..."
"(No, I will. I may hate Sephiroth, but I don't like Hojo either. Besides, he's dangerous.)"
"And you don't mind throwing yourself into danger again?"
"(Isn't that supposed to be my line?)"
She laughed. "You're right. Well, I probably won't be going; I haven't the strength."
"(Good,)" he said. "(So, where are you calling from?)"
"Cosmo Canyon," she replied. "Do you think we could meet here?"
"(That'd work. I'll give Barret and Cid a call, you ask the others.)"
"Okay. See you soon."
"(Right. Bye.)"
"Bye..."
Aeris ended the call and leaned back for a moment. Even if all the others refused, Cloud would help, and where he went, Tifa would follow. With Vincent and Elena, that made four of them, and maybe Nanaki would be willing to lend a hand. She wished she, too, could go, but Vincent was right. She was in no condition to fight anyone. If only she were as strong as Sephiroth...
Shaking her head, she straightened and dialed Yuffie's number.
"(Uh, hello?)" The ninja sounded almost baffled, as though she didn't get many calls on this line. Had the Avalanche crew not kept up with her well?
"Hi, Yuffie," the Cetra greeted. "It's Aeris."
"(Yeah, right,)" Yuffie said skeptically, though she seemed to recognize the voice. Behind the doubt, there was a fraction of hope.
"I'm serious. I know it's hard to believe, but--"
"(You're dead,)" the ninja interrupted. "(This's gotta be a joke.)"
"It's not. Sephiroth's back, you see, and he revived me."
There was a long pause. "(...you're not kidding, are you?)"
"No, it's really me."
"(Holy...! That's just--When do I get to see you?)" Before Aeris could reply, she realized something and went on. "(Wait a minute, Sephiroth's back? Didn't we sorta kill him?)"
"The Jenova in him revived him. But, it's all right."
"(How is that all right?)" Yuffie wondered quizzically. "(Won't he, you know, kill everyone?)"
"He's sane now. He brought me back, remember?"
"(Oh, yeah... Well... Still, he's...)"
"Just trust me on this. We have bigger problems..."
"(Oh,)" the ninja said seriously, "(so that's why you're calling. You need my help?)"
"Yes," Aeris confirmed. "You remember Hojo, right?"
"(Unfortunately.)"
"He's alive again."
"(Him, too?)" Yuffie exclaimed incredulously. "(Gawd! This is just getting too weird. Anybody else come back to life that I should know about?)"
Aeris decided that mentioning Lucrecia would make this more complicated than it needed to be. "Not that I know of," she answered.
"(Okay, so you wanna know if I'll help kill Hojo? Why don't you just have Sephiroth do it, if he's sane?)"
"Well, that's part of the problem; Hojo's taken him captive."
"(Maybe the Jenova made Hojo a mutant freak, but he still couldn't be strong enough to manage that.)"
"He had help. I'll explain further once everyone's here. Assuming you're coming, that is."
"(Of course I'm coming.)"
Aeris could not help feeling surprised. "Really? You know it's going to be dangerous, don't you?"
"(Jeez, you're starting to sound like Cloud. I'm a seasoned ninja, you know. Besides, you'd be goners without me.)"
The Cetra shook her head at the girl's confidence, but she had to admit that Yuffie was a strong ally to have. "Then I'll see you soon. We're meeting in Cosmo Canyon."
"(Okay then. See ya.)"
Yuffie hung up, and Aeris sat for a moment in refection. She really hadn't expected the ninja to agree to help. After all, this had nothing to do with Wutai. But it seemed that she had been proven wrong. She wondered if Yuffie just wanted to see everyone again.
"Well, two down, one to go," she said to herself. She was reluctant to make the final call, however. She didn't know Reeve that well. In fact, she hadn't even met him, only his Cait Sith toy, and the cat must have had a completely different personality. Sighing, she punched in his number and prepared herself to convince a near stranger to help Sephiroth.
"(Um... hi?)" came a surprisingly familiar voice over the line.
She blinked rapidly, trying to place it. "Reno?"
"(Uh... yeah,)" he confirmed, apparently not recognizing her voice. Or, if he did, he wasn't trusting his ears. "(Reeve got a girlfriend I don't know about?)"
Aeris couldn't help laughing. "I'm insulted, really, that you don't remember me, even after all that time you spent chasing me."
"(Aeris? But you're--)"
"Dead. I know. I mean, I used to be."
"(You mean Elena was right to believe that rumor?)" he asked, disbelief still strong in his tone.
"Yes, she was. Sephiroth brought me back. Now, can I please talk to Reeve?"
"(Nope, sorry. He's not here right now.)"
Aeris frowned suspiciously. "Reno... is he really gone, or are you just teasing me?"
"(He's out. Really. Now, what were you saying about Sephiroth?)"
She hesitated. She supposed there wasn't any real harm in telling him; Reno could certainly keep a secret. Unless, maybe, he got drunk... "If I tell you, you can't tell anyone else, except Reeve. Can you do that?"
"(What about Rude?)" he asked.
"Um..." She hadn't known Rude, but he had seemed a very quiet and serious man, and Reno had obviously trusted him with anything. "I guess that's okay," she decided.
"(Then yeah, I can do that.)"
"Okay. Well, you see, both Sephiroth and Hojo came back to life because of the Jenova."
"(Shit. That can't be good.)"
"Hold on," she interjected before he could speculate. "Sephiroth's sane again, so that's all right, except that Hojo caught him."
"(So he's gonna experiment on him again?)"
The Cetra frowned. "Well, yes..."
"(Why's that such a bad thing? He deserves it.)"
"No, he doesn't," Aeris stated sharply. "No one deserves that. But listen, it's dangerous for Hojo to have free reign. Maybe he's not as brilliant as Professor Gast, but he's certainly a lot sicker. He's got a girl who looks like Sephiroth working for him, and I think she's bound Sephiroth so that he can't do anything. If Hojo's managed that, can you imagine what he'll come up with next?"
"(Shit...)"
"Exactly."
"(So you wanna kill them? And you wanted Reeve to help?)"
"Well, yes, but we only want to kill Hojo."
"(What about that girl?)" Reno wondered. "(Is she, uh, sane?)"
"Yes. I don't think she wants to be working for Hojo, but it seems he has some sort of control over her."
There was a pause. "(...is she cute?)"
Aeris sighed. "Reno, is that all you ever think about?"
"(It ranks pretty high on my list, yeah. Which reminds me--did you hook up with Cloud? Is Tifa still single?)"
"No. They're married now..."
"(Oh, sorry,)" he said, though he sounded suspiciously glad. "(But, I guess you're in the market for a new boyfriend now, huh?)"
"Reno," she said with a sigh, "I know what you're going to say, and I'm not interested."
"(Damn. Well, it was worth a try. Anyway, you want me to tell Reeve all this crap?)"
"Please."
"(Okay. And, uh... is Elena still with you?)"
"Yes."
"(She coming home any time soon?)"
"It really depends on how quickly we take care of Hojo."
"(You mean she's helping you?)"
"That's right."
"(She's crazy! She'll kill herself!)"
Aeris frowned. "I'd say she's a pretty good fighter."
"(Yeah, right,)" he said, and she could imagine him rolling his eyes.
She decided pushing her point would get her nowhere. "The rest of us will take care of her," she told him. "Just tell Reeve for me, all right? Everyone's meeting in Cosmo Canyon. Goodbye."
"(Wait! Hold on!)"
"What is it?"
"(Do you mind if me an' Rude join the cause?)"
She blinked in surprise. "Well, I guess that's fine. But, why do you want to help?"
"(Hey, I never liked the guy either. Besides, we've gotta look after Elena to make sure she doesn't shoot herself in the foot or anything.)"
Aeris shook her head. "All right then. I guess I'll see you."
"(Yeah, see ya.)"
"Bye."
Turning off the PHS, Aeris set it back down on the table. She wondered if she had made a mistake. She knew Cloud would have a hard time getting along with the Turks. Although, she considered, he hadn't had a problem with Elena, had he? She supposed she'd find out soon enough.
She got to her feet and went outside to where Nanaki lay watching the village below. He looked up at her as she approached.
"How did you do?"
"A lot better than I thought I would," she answered, sitting down beside him and reaching out a hand to stroke his mane. "Cloud agreed, and that means Tifa's coming, too. Yuffie's said she'd help--"
"Yuffie's coming?" he asked in surprise.
"She didn't sound quite the same as she used to be," Aeris told him. "Maybe she'll surprise us."
Nanaki tossed his head to express his doubt.
"Anyway, well, Reno answered instead of Reeve, and he insisted I tell him what was going on. So it turns out that he and Rude are coming to lend a hand."
"So we have all the Turks with us now? I'm sure Cloud will appreciate that."
The Cetra shook her head. "I figure we need all the help we can get. He'll just have to deal with it."
"Well, now that that's done with," Nanaki continued, turning to study her face, "you ought to get some rest. You look tired."
"I am," she admitted.
"You can sleep here tonight if you like. It seems the inn is about full."
"Thank you," Aeris said gratefully, and he led her back inside the observatory.
Darkness surrounded her, so thick that she could barely see her feet. An eerie breeze seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, and she shivered violently.
"Are you cold?" asked a low voice.
She whirled around in surprise, having thought she was alone, and found Sephiroth standing there, head tilted in concern.
"N-no," she stammered. "It's nothing." Her gaze no longer on her feet, she felt forced to examine her surroundings--but she could see nothing beyond the black. "Where are we?"
"Where she wants us to be," he answered.
Aeris frowned at him in confusion and worry. "Who?"
"There is no time for answers, Aeris. Look." Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gently guided her to turn around.
She found herself staring into a full length mirror. She could see Sephiroth standing tall behind her, his hand still on her shoulder, and the image comforted her. Her smile faded, though, when the reflection changed bit by bit until it was Minerva who stood behind her, her eyes an icy and indifferent blue-green. Aeris's eyes followed the girl's other arm down to where she gripped the hilt of the Masamune.
The Cetra took a step backwards in fear. The hand retracted from her shoulder, and Minerva lowered her hand.
"Don't worry," said Sephiroth from behind her. "It isn't you that she's come for."
Aeris's reflection turned to Minerva and touched her arm lightly, lips moving in an inaudible request. The silver-haired girl stepped forward and out of the mirror.
"Cloud," Aeris began anxiously, a part of her wishing that he were here instead.
"Don't worry," Sephiroth repeated, brushing past her to meet Minerva.
"Sephiroth," said the girl, "it is time. You can deny her no longer."
He nodded. "I know." His head turned slightly, and he murmured to Aeris, "I've failed you."
She watched in a helpless horror as Minerva drove the Masamune through him. She could remember how that blade had felt lancing through her. He sank to his knees, and she shut her eyes tightly, turning away. Please, this can't be real...
"What is real?"
She whirled around, searching for the owner of the voice, only to find herself alone in the darkness once more.
"Thank you, Aeris," came her mother's voice from behind her.
This time she turned slowly, and all of the Cetra were there gathered before her. The sky shone a brilliant blue, and a gentle breeze stirred the flowers at her feet. She could not recall when the scenery around her had changed, and she still felt cold. Only the memory of Sephiroth's hand remained to warm her.
"What...?" she wondered in confusion.
"You've killed Sephiroth," Ifalna told her, smiling.
Aeris started and took a step back, violently shaking her head. "No! I didn't!"
"Of course you did. What's wrong?"
She remembered her reflection in the mirror, but continued to shake her head. "I didn't! It was Jenova! It must have been!"
Her mother bowed her head in apparent disappointment. "My dear Aeris, you said the same when he killed you. Do you really believe that she has so much power over both of you?"
"But--"
"Well, never mind that. He deserved to die by your hand, and we thank you for it. He and his kin will never bother us again."
"Please--"
But the Cetra would not listen. They gathered Aeris up onto their shoulders, her struggling no hindrance to them, and they carried her across the field towards the lake.
"No!" she screamed. "I didn't! I didn't kill him! Don't take me there! Please!"
But her cries were lost amidst the joyous clamor of the Cetra. Struggling wildly, Aeris at last managed to break free of their hands and tumbled to the ground. She clawed her way to her feet and frantically pushed at the crowd, searching desperately for a way out. But the people would not move, and they reached for her again, praising her, telling what good she had done in ridding the world of Sephiroth.
"NO!" She could not hear her own voice, only the voices of her mother and the Cetra ringing in her ears.
"Thank you, Aeris. You've killed Sephiroth. Thank you."
With a cry of desperation, she broke through the group and ran for all she was worth. Leaving them behind, her feet lost the ground and suddenly she was falling through pitch black.
"Sephiroth!" she called, this time wanting only his aid. She thought she heard him answer her, but she wasn't certain. A feather, and she landed softly on the smooth obsidian floor and folded her wings across her back. A cluster of angels had gathered around Sephiroth, some mournful, others finally content. Minerva, clothed all in black and the bloodied Masamune in her grasp, stood slightly apart from them.
Aeris padded over and knelt down beside Sephiroth. His one remaining wing was draped awkwardly across his wound, and blood seeped through the pure white feathers, staining them a brilliant red.
"Please," Aeris whispered, laying a hand over his heart. "Please..."
Author's Notes
And Yuffie's back! Well, sort of. In an over-the-phone kind of way. P In the original, I did treat her a lot better in this scene, but I didn't try to show that she'd matured much. I hadn't yet realized then how much fun she could be to write.
And then there's the first of Aeris's dreams. Well, nightmare, really. She has two more of this kind, but this is the most involved of the three. When I was writing LFA, I didn't have a clear idea of where I would end up, which really isn't a good way to go about writing anything, but strangely, it did come in handy when writing Aeris's dreams. Each time, I had a vague idea of where I wanted the story to be going, and so I took those ideas and tried to express them in as dreamlike a way as possible. I honestly don't recall what exactly I had in mind for the story at this point, but I can see the beginnings of a few ideas that did end up being used.