A scream threatened to escape her throat, but the little girl with the silver hair clamped her mouth shut tight and clenched her small fists until the racing pain left her and she fell with a thud to the floor. She sat there, staring at the door, breathing heavily.
Footsteps sounded outside, and someone wrenched open the door, sending it slamming into the other wall with a raw violence. She ignored the noise, and her eyes followed the feet before her upwards to find the murderous face of the Professor glaring down at her.
She was too stunned from the pain to look away. She did not move, yet it was not fear that paralyzed her; it was the heavy knowledge that she would never be able to leave this place. She would never know sunlight or see the night sky strung with stars, never feel the cool caress of a spring breeze or bask in the warmth of a lover's arms. Never.
"What do you think you're doing?" the Professor demanded. "I thought I told you not to leave this room unless I let you out."
"You did, sir."
"Then why did you try to disobey me?"
"Because I thought I could," she answered simply.
"Don't ever try it again. You will only end up damaging yourself."
She climbed to her feet, taking the moment to smooth all expression from her face. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
The Professor cursed. "Talya thought it would be better for you not to know."
She lied to me. "Tell her I hate her."
"You can tell her yourself."
Minerva gripped the doorknob tightly and pulled with all her strength, even putting magic into the force of her tugging. The resulting pain was immediate and sharp, racing all over her body, pins, needles, daggers gouging her from every angle all at once. No scream came to her now; no scream had so much as suggested itself to her since that first escape attempt in her childhood.
She could feel herself weakening, the energy draining from her, and only a determination to beat the pain kept her standing, pulling with all her dwindling might. The lock would come free. The door would open.
She channelled the pain into her strength, using it to her advantage. She could feel her strength returning. She could feel the lock giving. Only a little longer, only a little longer. Her pain-wracked body protested, rejecting that assurance, and only her will kept it standing. Every fiber of her body wanted to give up, to collapse to the ground, to escape the pain, and only the thought that there was an after, a beyond to the pain kept her going.
Black danced at the edge of her vision, closing in. Her body threatened to give way, to faint from the agony. She was dimly aware of Jenova screaming in the back of her mind--You fool! You fool! Let go!--dimly aware of Sephiroth's heightened attention. He was silent in her mind, yet perhaps he could sense her pain, sense what she was doing. If he could sense it, then could Jenova feel it?
Minerva smiled, though she could no longer see and the pain was everywhere and everything, growing more and more intense. Her head was going to explode. The lock was giving. Footsteps.
Only a little longer, just a little longer...
The darkness enveloped her, and her body welcomed it, yet her mind struggled desperately to stay conscious. No! No! She had to get out! Had to beat it, had to defy it, had to...
Idiot.
The passersby did frequent double-takes and gave the pair a wide berth as they walked by on the street. Nanaki knew their wariness was entirely because of him, and indeed he remembered the response from his days with Avalanche, but five years in Cosmo Canyon had stripped him of any familiarity with it. He kept wondering what they found so strange, and had to remind himself that his kind were hardly numerous.
So it startled him even more when he realized that the passersby were no longer staring at him, but at something behind him. He glanced backwards, then nudged Aeris's calf as a familiar kittenish voice called out a hello.
Cait Sith was the last... person? either had expected to meet in Junon. Aeris whirled around, let out a startled gasp, then smiled and bent down to swoop him up into her arms. "Hi, Cait," she greeted.
"Put me down," he said indignantly, and she complied with a laugh. "I don't see how you can be so cheery, but I guess that's just the way you are."
"Well, if you're functioning," she reasoned, "then Reeve must be all right, and the others probably are, too."
"Maybe," Cait conceded, "but we're in bad shape. Minerva defeated the lot of us."
"I thought something like that might have happened," Aeris said, her expression sobering as she nodded thoughtfully. "That's why we've come, and I'm glad we ran into you."
"Me, too. I don't wanna get you in any danger, but I think we'll need your help."
The Cetra seemed to catch something in his tone, and she tilted her head. "Oh?"
"You'll see when we get there," he said, waving a paw dismissively. "Now, shouldn't we oughta get goin'?"
She nodded agreement, and as they headed for the lift that would take them out of the city through Lower Junon, Nanaki was certain that it was their entire party that attracted stares. But whether this was a relief or an embarrassment, he wasn't sure.
She pushed herself up off the floor and remained poised on her hands and knees for a long moment, staring at the tiles, her silver hair sliding forward to dangle in front of her face. Failure. I failed. Idiot. Minerva closed her eyes, sat back, and absently pushed her hair out of her face as she checked her hold on Sephiroth, finding that she had not been out long enough for it to start coming apart.
"You don't take long to recover, do you?"
She looked up at Talya, who sat on the bed, then blinked and scanned the room. "Why did you move me?"
"You pulled the door off your room, remember?"
Minerva shook her head. "I did?"
"Yeah. Clear off its hinges."
She lowered her gaze, laughing softly in self-derision. Opened a way out only to pass out from the pain. What a fool.
Indeed, Jenova remarked irritably. What were you thinking?
I wanted to get out so badly, so that I could help them. I want to help them. Her laughter faded, and she stared blankly at her hands. Maybe, if I can hold out that long when Aeris comes... maybe I won't have to fight her.
Stupid girl. You can't do it if you have nothing to channel the pain towards.
Minerva's eyes narrowed to green slits. What if I attempted to kill myself? Is that sufficient?
You cannot die.
I could try to.
That's foolish. You can't.
"Min, are you okay?" Talya asked, actually sounding concerned. She had gotten up to move closer to her daughter and stood nearby, half-stooping, not sure what to do.
The girl climbed to her feet and turned away. "Fine. I just... needed a moment to collect my senses."
She could feel Talya's searching eyes on her back. "Why'd you try it anyway? That's the second time this month..."
"You did not understand it before. Why should you be any closer to comprehending it now?"
"That's why I'm asking you to explain it to me," she replied, sounding exasperated.
Minerva did not reply.
"All right, all right, I'll leave you alone." She left the room quietly, and the girl turned to stare after her.
"...how do you know that's what I wanted?" Minerva murmured. She sat down abruptly on the floor, as though her legs could no longer support her.
Sephiroth? Are you listening? Are you still sane?
Silence answered her.
She closed her eyes against it, against everything. I will not cry. I will not. I have never cried, and I am not about to start...
They came to Midgar by the quickest route, straight through the mountains, and, keeping as quick a pace as they were able, they reached the city just after nightfall. Cait Sith had since informed them that Hojo had set up his lab in the Sector 7 reactor. That sector, Aeris decided, seemed to have the worst luck of all.
She took the lead as they made their way into the rubble, though with everything that had happened to it, surely she knew the place no better now than either of her companions. When at last they reached the Number 7 Reactor, she did not hesitate, but went straight in, stopping only upon finding that the path came to an end. She was not familiar with reactors at all--actually this was her first time inside of one--and so she turned to Cait Sith questioningly.
"Now what?"
"There used to be a bridge leading across," he explained, "but someone took it down. I was sorta hoping you'd be able to get us across."
Aeris hesitated. "I don't know, but I'll try. Where's the other side?"
The cat gestured vaguely. "Off thataway," he replied, sounding apologetic.
She nodded, studied the darkness for a while as though she could see their destination, and closed her eyes to concentrate. She prodded the air with her mind, questioning it, wondering what magic she could weave into it to support them or carry them across. Finally she called on her part of the Planet--not an easy thing in Midgar even now--to manipulate the air so that it would be firm enough to walk on.
She held the command with her mind and her heart and took a tentative step onto nothing. The air seemed to wobble a little, or perhaps to sink under her foot, but it held.
Turning to the others triumphantly, she said, "Let's head for the other side." The two kept close to her as she led the way across. If they were fearful of falling, she couldn't blame them; she felt that way herself. All three relaxed when they reached the metal landing across the abyss.
Cait Sith then moved to the wall on the left, laying a paw against it. "Minerva tried to help us first," he said reflectively. "I think she led us almost to the lab before she gave in and fought us. Kinda sad, but useful now." He tapped the wall. "She opened up some sort of passage here. If you can get it open, I think I can remember the way."
"All right," Aeris agreed. "I'll see what I can do." She walked over and touched the wall with a tentative hand. It struck her immediately that this was not real at all. Certainly it felt real, but it was made of... something else. A foreign magic, like that of Sephiroth, and so, of Minerva. She frowned. How, then, could she break the spell, if she could not understand it?"
"Well?" Cait prompted.
"Give me another minute," she said. "I'm still new at this." She probed it with her mind, searching for some weakness, but its very structure eluded her. She called out to the Planet for help, but only an indistinct murmur reached her. Well, she considered, if she could not dispel it, perhaps she could bend it. She pushed tentatively at a lower corner of the wall, watching to see if she made any progress. To her satisfaction, she could make out a tiny hole. She pushed harder, stretching it as far as she could.
"That's the best I can do," she said, her voice strained. "You two go ahead."
She waited while Cait abandoned his huge moogle and scampered through on all fours, followed by Nanaki, slinking low to the ground. Aeris crawled through after them and released the spell.
"All right," she said to Cait. "Lead on."
The started down the passage with the little cat in the lead, Nanaki just behind him for the light of his tail. It struck Aeris as odd, to be following two such felines. What strange friends she had! But she was glad for their oddities. She wouldn't have them any other way.
Nanaki stopped suddenly, ears perking up.
Aeris managed not to trip over him, and Cait Sith paused, glancing back. "What is it?"
"Heard footsteps." He must have intended to whisper, but it came out as a low growl.
The three waited uncertainly, listening as the faint footsteps grew closer. Did someone know they were here? Or--?
Reno came into sight, and he gave a start when he saw them. For a moment, no one could speak.
"Aeris?" he managed at last.
"Reno!" she exclaimed. "What are you--? How did you escape?"
"Minerva helped me out," he answered, shrugging dismissively. "Guess I must've found the way out."
Aeris nodded hesitantly. "Do you want to head out, or come with us? It's a straight enough route back to the exit from here."
"Hey, no way am I just leaving while you go try to rescue everybody."
She put her hands on her hips indignantly. "And why not? You think I can't handle this myself?"
"I know you can't," he replied. He stepped deftly past Cait and Nanaki to take her by the shoulders. "You should go back. Let the rest of us take care of it."
Aeris shook her head stubbornly. "You'll need my help. You may not think so, but you will. Besides, I won't be safe anywhere until Hojo is dead and gone."
"Minerva seemed to think otherwise," he insisted. "She has orders to take care of intruders, I'm sure, but Hojo hasn't asked her to go after you yet. You go in there now, and you're just making things easier for Hojo."
"And what are you going to do if you run into her?" the Cetra demanded archly. "If she defeated the lot of you, how do you expect to deal with her alone?"
"What, you think you'd have a better shot?" he asked, snorting.
"Yes," she replied, "I do."
Reno only frowned, not knowing quite how to counter such a simple statement.
"Look, Reno. I've made up my mind, and you're not going to change it. Come with us if you're worried. We could probably use your help getting them out of their cells anyway."
He sighed in defeat, and the group continued onward with its new member taking up the rear, keeping close behind Aeris.
At length they came to a large empty room. In the far wall was a door, and beside it a keypad. Reno brushed past her to inspect it, and after a moment's inspection, he ripped off the cover panel and began fiddling with the wires behind it.
Cait Sith scampered over to Aeris, and she bent down to pick him up, straightening to watch Reno work. Nanaki padded over to the Turk, hoping to give him better light, and the redhead muttered what must have been a 'thanks.'
Abruptly the door slid open to reveal a lighted hallway, and the group was momentarily blinded. Nanaki recovered first and padded out into the corridor, looking around. The hall was featureless, and they moved on, their eyes flitting about and their steps cautious.
After some exploring they happened across a side hall with closed metal doors on either side, each fitted with an electronic lock.
"Do you think this is where their cells are?" Aeris whispered.
"Dunno," Reno replied. One of the doors was open, and he strode to it swiftly and silently. Peering inside, he said, "This is the kind of lock we had anyway."
"Why is this one open?" Nanaki wondered.
"The lock's been deactivated. Could've been by someone on the inside, but I'll be damned if I know how they did it."
Aeris glanced around. "Well, assuming they are in these cells... Do you think you can get them out, Reno?"
He nodded, reasoning, "It's probably easy enough to open 'em from the outside. They're only made to keep the prisoners inside from getting out, after all." He moved to inspect one nearby, stood a moment in contemplation, and then made a few deft motions. The door slid open, and he flashed Aeris a grin over his shoulder. "Piece of cake!"
"Reno?" came Elena's voice from inside. She rushed to meet him in the doorway. "You got out!" She blinked as she noticed the others. "Did they help you?"
Aeris shook her head. "We met him on our way in."
Cid appeared behind Elena. "Aeris? The hell are you doing here?"
"Rescuing you," she replied with a smile.
The pilot shook his head helplessly. "You just love getting yourself into trouble, don't you?"
"I guess I do," she admitted. "Reno, can you get the other locks?"
"Sure thing."
Within a short time, all the cells stood open; some were empty, but many contained their friends and comrades. Everyone gathered in the main hall, but they soon noticed that two were missing.
"Where is Vincent?" Aeris wondered. "And Yuffie?"
The others looked around, frowning, but came up with no answers.
"Maybe they already got out," Reno suggested.
She glanced at the cell that had already been open when they'd arrived. Maybe they had, she considered. She certainly hoped so.
"Where are our weapons?" Cloud asked of no one in particular.
"Dunno," Reno replied, and his hand made a slight move towards his waist, almost unconsciously.
"Most likely it would take entirely too long to find them," Nanaki reasoned. "It would be best to regroup elsewhere."
Aeris turned to him. "What about Sephiroth?"
"Leave him," Cloud said with a frown. "We can't do anything for him in this shape. We're short two people, and he's obviously not in the same prison block."
"Cloud's right," Tifa agreed. "We should just get back before someone finds out we've escaped..." She trailed off, an anxious expression coming to her face.
"Great," Cid commented. "You just had to say it."
Aeris turned to see what had attracted their stares. Minerva stood at the end of the hall. She strode toward them, a deadly grace in her slow steps, and stopped a few meters away.
The others shifted uncertainly when she did not say anything.
"Someone is going to have to fight her," Nanaki said finally, breaking the silence.
"Exactly," Minerva confirmed. "I will wait while you choose one among you. If the rest reach the exit before the battle is over, I will let you go."
Only a moment passed before Aeris handed Cait to Elena and stepped forward. "I'll fight."
"But, Aeris," Reno began, "there's no way--"
"I'm going to fight," she repeated firmly.
"If you fight her you're going to lose!" he protested.
The Cetra shook her head. "That doesn't matter, Reno. I'm the only one who can keep her busy long enough for the rest of you to get away."
Cloud strode over to her, grasping her shoulder. "Aeris, you can't," he urged. "Let me fight her instead. You need to get away from here."
Aeris held his gaze steadily. "Cloud, you've nothing to fight with, and even if you did, you don't know how to defeat her. This is my battle. I can win it, but you can't."
"What do you mean you can win it?" he demanded. "Don't you know how powerful she is?"
She smiled gently. "I don't think you understand. Maybe you'll figure it out later."
"But--"
"She is not a child, Cloud," Nanaki stated before the argument could continue. "Nor is she as powerless as you seem to think. Let her make her own choices; you cannot protect her from everything."
Reluctantly, Cloud released her shoulder and turned to go. Most of the others followed him, equally hesitant and casting anxious glances back over their shoulders.
Reno stayed behind, and the other Turks stood waiting for him.
"Minerva?" he asked, his earnest tone earning him a questioning glance from Aeris. "Isn't there anything you can do?"
"No."
"Is there anything I can do?"
The silver-haired girl hesitated. "Give Aeris your nightstick."
He blinked. "What?"
"Your nightstick. It is a much more effective weapon."
"I don't want it," Aeris said quickly.
"But, Aeris, if--"
"I said I don't want it," she repeated forcefully. "Are you going to go or what? Hanging around isn't going to accomplish anything."
Reno opened his mouth to say more, but decided against it. He nodded in compliance, motioned for his friends to follow, and ran to catch up with Cloud's group.
"It does not seem like you to be so commanding," Minerva commented once they had gone.
Aeris turned back to her. "You hardly know me. My mother always told me I was too stubborn."
"Hmph."
"Well?" she prompted, her staff held ready at her side. "Aren't you going to attack me?"
"I thought I would allow you the first move."
"I don't plan on attacking you."
"Then how do you expect to win?"
"Some battles aren't won on the actual battlefield."
Minerva studied her guardedly. "You have no wish to hurt me, do you? Even though I injured and imprisoned your friends?"
"They're all right now," she replied, "and I know you didn't want to do that. Why should I wish harm on you?"
"Is this why Sephiroth thinks so highly of you?"
She blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"He seems to think you divine. Or, at least, he thought so when last I spoke with him. I think she is breaking him."
"'She'?"
Minerva shook her head. "You will see for yourself soon enough. Are you certain you do not want the first move in this fight?"
"I'm sure."
The girl nodded and, not wasting another moment, sprang towards Aeris, drawing a pair of knives from nowhere and slashing at her. Aeris was prepared, however, and the knives only clashed with her shield, sparking.
Minerva smiled appreciatively. "You've learned a thing or two."
"I am a Cetra," she replied.
"But it seems you have only just found out. I thought you would have known yourself better." She punctuated this reproach with a downwards swipe of one knife, its edge enhanced with a crackling energy.
The shield wavered, but Aeris reinforced it, and it held.
"Stop hiding in there," Minerva spat. A swipe of her hand sent a blast of energy that shattered Aeris's wall, and both of the knives followed immediately after.
The Cetra knocked one aside with her staff, but the other flashed along the side of her head, cutting her cheek and clipping a few locks of hair. She did not have time to put up another shield before Minerva threw her next three knives. Aeris dropped to the floor, heard them fly past over her head, then rolled to one side as she got to her feet.
Minerva's hand was outstretched, eyes focused on something behind her. The Cetra whirled around, only to duck again as the five blades flew back to their owner.
"Sometime you will have to do something besides defend yourself, Cetra."
Aeris straightened. "I don't want to."
The girl took her time in replacing all but one of her knives. "Oh, but I want you to. If you managed to kill me, I would be out of your way. Talya, too, considering Sephiroth can take care of himself if he has his powers. So why hold back if you have a chance at wiping me out?"
"I've never killed anyone, and I'm certainly not about to start with someone so blameless as you."
"Blameless?" Minerva echoed, as though she had never heard anything so ridiculous. "Perhaps I am not so bloody as Sephiroth, but you do not know me either."
"I still don't want to kill you."
"It won't be permanent, you know," the girl went on. "Such is our curse, mine and Sephiroth's."
Aeris shook her head firmly. "I can't."
"Hm."
"If you don't want to fight me, then don't," she urged, sensing that that was the reason for these delays.
"It is not that simple." She raised her hand in warning, Aeris raised her defenses, and then the hand lowered sharply. A blast of energy shattered anything the Cetra had managed to throw up and slammed her against the far wall.
"Fight back. I am not playing anymore."
Reno nearly bumped into Cid, who brought up the rear of Cloud's group, when he caught up to them. He slowed to match their pace, but Elena shoved past him and made her way to the front to give Cait Sith back to Reeve. Cid cursed as she pushed past him again to rejoin Reno and Rude.
"Does Reeve know the way out?" she whispered to him.
"Well, obviously he knew the way in," he said, rolling his eyes.
"How should I know he was the one who led you guys in?" she retorted fiercely. Cid glanced at them over his shoulder, and they fell silent for a time.
"I hope Aeris is all right," Reno said at length.
"Me, too."
Cid snorted. "I'll bet that's the first time you two've ever agreed on something."
Elena seemed to take it as an insult, but Reno laughed, "I'm not taking that bet."
Eventually, their hurried pace came to a halt.
"What is it?" Elena asked.
"We probably got to Minerva's wall," Reno figured.
"Great. How are we supposed to dispel it without any magic?"
"I dunno," he said. Minerva, if you can hear me, help us out here.
Someone near the front let out a startled yelp and stumbled forward. Reno blinked and looked around uncertainly.
"Don't look at me," Elena told him.
Reno shrugged in response and followed the others out of the passage and onto what remained of the bridge. Cait Sith struggled back onto his moogle, and they all turned to Cloud as he spoke.
"Problem number two. Anyone got any ideas?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Reno asked. When the others looked at him as though he were crazy, he gestured to where the wall had been moments ago. "Why do you think it just opened up for us?"
Cloud shook his head incredulously. "What? You think we can just walk across?"
"Well, yeah."
"Okay," he said, folding his arms, "but I'm sure as hell not going first."
There were scattered murmurs of agreement, and the redhead glared around at everyone before walking to the edge.
"Reno, you are insane," Elena hissed.
He flashed her a winning grin and lifted a foot. Gods, I'd better not be wrong about this. Here goes... He stepped down onto... well, nothing. Blinking in surprise--he hadn't really believed himself in the first place--he took another step to make sure, and then he really was standing on nothing. His face split into a wide grin as he turned around. "See?"
Elena was the first to break the shocked silence and walk over to him. "I hate it when you're right," she muttered.
He sent her stumbling ahead of him with a slap on the butt, and when she turned to glare at him, he only grinned amicably. If they'd been on less precarious footing, she probably would've decked him, but as it was, even she wouldn't want to send him falling to his death.
Rude joined him soon after, and then Nanaki, and the four of them started across the abyss, feeling their way across with halting steps. One by one, the others fell into step behind them, and they crossed the nothingness together.
They all breathed a sigh of relief when they set foot on solid ground again. Cloud took the lead and headed out of the reactor, the others following. Reno started after them, but paused to peer back into the blackness.
...thanks.
A thin crescent hung in the black expanse of sky, surrounded by a veil of glittering stars. Any other night, he would have called it beautiful, but tonight, with Aeris and Minerva left behind in the lab, he felt reluctant to call anything beautiful.
They made their way back out of Midgar and headed for the Highwind. Once on board, they assembled on the bridge, and, as always, everyone looked to Cloud for leadership. Reno frowned.
"Things don't look so good," Cloud sighed. "We've lost two people, and all our weapons and materia. By now, Aeris's been captured, and for all that, we haven't accomplished anything."
"In other words, we blew it," Reno summed up.
"Yeah," Cloud agreed grudgingly.
"Cloud," Tifa said, catching some look in his eye, "you can't go back for her now."
The blond looked at her with a protest on his tongue.
"Tifa's right," Reno said before he could get a word out. "One, most of us've got nothing to fight with, and we'd lose to Minerva that much quicker. Two, we could all use some rest. And three, there's a chance, however slim, that Aeris beat Minerva and is on her way back out."
Cloud seemed reluctant to agree. "Right," he sighed. "I guess we rest up tonight and figure out what to do tomorrow."
The others nodded, and most of them left to claim sleeping quarters.
Reeve waited until Cloud had gone before walking over to Reno. "I hate to say it, but I think you'd make a better leader than Cloud."
"Gee, thanks."
"No, I mean it. With Aeris involved, he can't think straight. He's too emotionally involved."
The Turk looked at him sharply. "And I'm not?"
"Reno, Cloud's in love with Aeris. You're just her friend, I hope. There's a difference."
He nodded grudgingly and looked out the front window at the night sky. "I sure hope she knows what she's doing."
Hesitantly, Nanaki bumped his head against Reno's leg. "Aeris has the Planet to guide her. I am sure she will be fine."
"You'd better be right," he muttered, turning to follow the rest of the group out.
He found an empty room, albeit tiny, and flopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. After a moment, he pulled his nightstick out of his waistband and fingered it speculatively. Why had she left this with him? Why had she told him to give it to Aeris? Was there some secret here to helping her?
Reno wasn't sure what to make of the special treatment. She'd put him in that cell and told him how to escape. She'd apologized to him, not the others, and it had been his silent plea to which she'd responded during their escape. And then, she'd left him his nightstick. Was she trusting him to do something? Or, he wondered, grinning a little in spite of himself, did it mean that she liked him?
With that thought, he drifted off into sleep and dreamt pleasantly of a girl with silver hair.
Author's Notes
In the original, Aeris stopped by her church on the way to the reactor and had a short conversation with Marlene, who was taking care of her flowers. Considering how worried she is about Sephiroth, though, it doesn't make sense for her to stop by there. Therefore, I cut the scene and moved some of the description to a much later chapter where she shows Sephiroth her church.