They were both perfectly silent, Aeris in concentration, and Sephiroth because he did not want to break that concentration, so the sound on the other side of the door made both of them start.
Aeris caught his gaze. "What was that?" she whispered anxiously.
"I don't know..."
A few other deft clicks followed, and the door swung open.
"Yuffie? Vincent?" Aeris asked in astonishment.
"Yepper!" Yuffie confirmed, bounding to her feet. Vincent was already standing behind her, and the only greeting he offered was a slight nod.
Sephiroth and Aeris got to their feet, the Cetra stepping out of the cell immediately and looking up and down the hall. "Which way's out?" she asked.
Yuffie shrugged. "Dunno, really. Are you okay?"
"Hmm?"
"You've got blood on your face..."
Aeris lifted a hand to her cheek. "Oh, this? It's nothing; Sephiroth healed me."
"Sephiroth healed you?" Vincent asked softly, his eyes meeting the swordsman's. "I thought Minerva sealed his powers."
"We don't know how he did it either, but I guess that's not important right now."
He had lingered just inside the cell, as though not certain he ought to leave it, but now Sephiroth stepped out into the hallway, trying to ignore Yuffie's wary gaze. He pointed down the hall to the right. "The exit is that way."
Aeris glanced up at him. "That's right; they brought you here conscious... Well, lead on."
Nodding silently, he strode past them down the corridor. He heard the others following, and he kept his ears tuned for any approaching footsteps, but none came.
They reached the lab's exit without incident, and he stepped out into the reactor, hesitating here only a moment. He had paid little attention when Minerva had led him through this place, but now he called on that dim memory to guide him. He could not let Aeris down; he would get her out of this place, away from Hojo.
And then, perhaps armed with some weapon inferior to the Masamune, he would return to kill Hojo. He had been tempted to turn towards the lab and kill him as soon as they had gotten out of the cell, but he did not have his powers, and he did not want to involve the others.
"I can't see a thing," he heard Yuffie whisper as they entered the reactor's more narrow passageways.
"Here, take my hand then," Aeris whispered back, and after a moment, he felt her tentative hand on his back. Probably she could see no better than Yuffie.
Turning the corner, he nearly ran into Minerva. Aeris bumped into him from behind, and Yuffie stumbled into her.
Minerva stared at him for a long moment. "I have no orders to take you back if you make it this far," she said slowly.
"What about my powers?"
She looked away, frowning thoughtfully. "...nor do I have any orders to recast the spell if I should be rendered unconscious and lose it." She nodded to herself and looked back at him. "When I return to my cell, I believe I shall try sleeping as you suggested earlier." That said, she carefully slipped past them to go back to the lab.
"Can't you come with us?" Aeris called after her.
"No."
Sephiroth watched Minerva leave, then glanced at Aeris and started forward again.
"Why doesn't she sleep?" Yuffie asked.
"She does not need to," the swordsman replied, though the question did not seem directed towards him.
"Oh. Why'd you suggest it then?"
"Sleep brings dreams. Even nightmares would be better than what she has had to live with."
Aeris gave his shoulder a little squeeze, for some reason feeling the need to comfort him, but she said nothing. None of them spoke until they reached the wall at the end, where Aeris once again ran into him. She did not step back this time, but instead let go Yuffie's hand and reached around him to touch the wall.
"We're at the exit, aren't we?"
"Yes," he replied, tense and wishing she would draw back but not daring to ask it of her. He watched her face over his shoulder, seeing on it that same look of concentration. He sensed a change in Minerva's spell, he knew not how, and noticed one corner of the wall was bending inward, creating a little hole near the floor. Once it was wide enough to squeeze through, the four of them crawled through, and Aeris released her hold on the wall.
Vincent moved to stand at the edge of the abyss and glanced back at the Cetra. "I suppose you can do something about that as well." Something about his voice seemed distasteful, and Sephiroth recalled the winged creature he had used before.
Aeris nodded. She had not moved from Sephiroth's side, and now she felt for his hand and grasped it before she walked out to join Vincent. From there she led them across to the other side, and they stepped out of the reactor into the starlight. Aeris did not let go his hand, and for a long time she merely stood there, staring up at the night sky.
At length she sighed, flashed him a brief smile, and turned to her friends. "Well. I guess we should find the others."
"Likely they have returned to the Highwind," Vincent said.
"How did they get out, ya think?" Yuffie wondered.
Aeris shook her head. "They did it somehow, or they'd still be stuck at the wall. Maybe Minerva disobeyed her orders again."
"She only finds loopholes where she can," Sephiroth said. "She follows her actual orders to the letter."
"I suppose that's the best she can do." Aeris nodded to Vincent. "Can you lead the way to the Highwind?"
Vincent nodded, starting down away from the reactor and out of the rubble. Yuffie fell into step behind him with an uncertain glance at Sephiroth and Aeris. That pair trailed behind, Sephiroth looking down at their joined hands with a frown. What was she doing? Trying to comfort him with her touch? He nearly told himself that he did not need it, but he knew he did.
They reached the Highwind roughly an hour later and found that the rope ladder had not been pulled up.
"Looks like somebody was expecting us," Yuffie commented. She climbed up first, followed by Vincent. Aeris motioned for Sephiroth to go ahead of her and came up just behind. Yuffie and Vincent had already gone inside the ship, but Sephiroth lingered on the deck.
Aeris started for the door, assuming he had been waiting for her, but when he did not join her, she turned back in confusion. "Aren't you coming?"
He shook his head. "I... What will the rest of your friends think?"
"If you come in with me? They'll be suspicious, of course, but they'll have to accept it. Anyway, Cloud and Tifa are the only ones who really hate you."
"And the others don't? Why did they fight me?"
"Because they love the Planet," Aeris answered, smiling. "Now come on. I won't let them bite."
He nodded in reluctant agreement and followed her inside, remaining just inside the door. Cloud was already bounding up the steps to meet them, Yuffie trailing after.
Cloud embraced Aeris as he reached her, holding her close for a long moment before stepping back and scratching his head in embarrassment. He glanced behind him, down at a sleepy-looking Tifa who had just emerged from their sleeping quarters, then turned back to the Cetra.
"Are you all right?" he asked, eyeing her bloodied face.
She nodded. "I'm fine."
"How did you...?"
"They put me in the same cell as Sephiroth. Vincent and Yuffie found us and got the lock open."
Cloud blinked and looked past her at Sephiroth, noticing him for the first time. His eyes narrowed. "Why did you bring him on board?"
"Where else is he supposed to go, Cloud?" Aeris asked quietly.
"Just leave him somewhere. We don't need him here, and he doesn't need our help anymore."
"Cloud..." she entreated.
He sighed, finally breaking Sephiroth's gaze and looking back at her. "Fine, he can stay, but I don't want to see any more of him than I have to."
Aeris let out a breath of relief and smiled hesitantly. "Thanks."
Cloud looked her over again. "Are you tired?" he asked. "I think we've got one more bed..."
She shook her head. "Give it to Yuffie. She looks more tired than I feel."
Farther down on the steps, Yuffie smiled gratefully, and Tifa led her away to her quarters.
"So where are you going to sleep?" Cloud wondered.
Aeris shrugged dismissively. "I'll figure something out."
"And... what about him?" he asked with a sharp nod at the swordsman.
"What do you mean?" the Cetra queried; he couldn't be asking about sleeping accommodations this time.
"What are we going to do with him?"
She shook her head. "If you're worried about him hurting anyone, you shouldn't be. He's done nothing wrong in this life."
"That's not very reassuring," Cloud deadpanned.
Aeris sighed. "I'll watch him for you if you like."
"Aeris, I can't leave you alone with him," he said sharply. "He killed you! Or have you forgotten that?"
"But you don't know what else he's done," she said softly. "He's helped me in so many ways... He brought me back. He traded himself for me. Doesn't that count for anything?"
"I can't ignore that it's his fault you died."
"Cloud, I'll be fine. I held out against Minerva for quite some time, and Sephiroth doesn't even have access to his powers." She neglected to mention that he might soon have them back. "You've got no reason to be worried."
"But what if--"
"Cloud," she interrupted more firmly. "I can take care of myself."
He met her gaze and finally nodded.
"Now, you go back to sleep. I'm sure you need the rest."
Cloud hesitated, and then, casting Sephiroth one last glance, turned to return to his room.
Aeris turned back to Sephiroth, shaking her head helplessly. "Sorry about that."
"Don't apologize. It is my fault that he hates me, not yours, and really, it is enough that he keeps that hatred in check."
"I guess so, but I'd rather he forgave you."
"He is hardly like you, Aeris, and I've done him many more wrongs than I have you."
She sighed. "Well, never mind all that. Why don't we go out to the deck? Is that all right with you?"
Sephiroth nodded. Indeed he would prefer that more isolated spot.
A smile at last returned to her face. "I'm glad. The stars are gorgeous tonight. Come on." She brushed past him and out to the deck, moving to stand at the railing.
Sephiroth followed slowly, keeping his distance from her and watching her almost warily. She really did look beautiful in the starlight, he thought, though whether the blood on her face detracted from or added to that beauty, he wasn't sure.
She seemed to notice his attention and put a hand to her cheek. "I should probably wash this blood off. Everyone seems worried when they see it."
Unable to reply, he forced himself to look up at the sky.
"What are you thinking about tonight?" she had to ask. "Will you tell me this time?"
He shook his head slightly. "There is nothing to tell; you already know."
"I do?" she asked, sounding amused.
He only nodded significantly in her direction, barely glancing at her.
"What? Me?"
"Why does that surprise you?" he wondered, looking back at her now. "You look beautiful in this light."
"I didn't think you noticed things like that," she said quietly.
"It's different with you."
Aeris met his gaze. "I know what you mean."
Sephiroth looked away, just a little too quickly. "What about you?" he asked. "What are you thinking about?"
"Well," she mused, touching her bloodied cheek again, "I'm trying to figure out why you were able to use magic when your powers should have been sealed."
"Have you come up with any answers?"
She folded her arms across the railing, looking out at the sky. "I've been wondering recently... Well, it was you who taught me to heal, wasn't it? And I learned the spell to revive Lucrecia from watching you."
"So?"
Aeris shook her head slowly. "Mom says that it doesn't make any difference where we get the energy for our spells, but I'm not so sure... I've never understood your other spells. I haven't even been able to see the weaves. But when you healed me, when I first woke, that... that was like my magic."
Sephiroth regarded her guardedly. "What are you getting at?"
"If we can use the same kind of magic, then maybe... maybe we're both..."
He saw what she was thinking, and he had to laugh. "I am no Cetra, Aeris."
She turned to him, her gaze piercing. "Do you have anything to prove you're not?"
Really he had no solid proof, but he shook his head. "I am nothing like you."
"Humans are the same species, and they vary greatly. Why should the Cetra be so different?"
He made no reply.
Turning from the railing, she faced him directly and took a step towards him. "You said Minerva doesn't know how to block the powers of a Cetra. Maybe you used that power when you healed me, rather than that of Jenova."
"Aeris... I can't be..."
"Why not? Give me one good reason."
He looked away, both hands firmly on the railing. "Do you have any idea how absurd that is? The Cetra died because of Jenova's cells. I may have died twice now, but that was not because of the Jenova."
She took another step forward, forcing him to look at her by her proximity. "The Cetra were driven mad by Jenova, and they transformed into monsters. Does this sound familiar?"
Sephiroth released the railing and moved back, staring at her incredulously. "I... I'm..."
"...the same as me," she finished, and at that moment she looked more beautiful than ever.
He dropped his gaze. "Then why can I not hear the voice of the Planet and those in the Lifestream? And where did this Cetra blood come from?"
"With so many parasites on it, the Planet's voice has grown weak. It's hard to hear it unless someone teaches you." She shook her head sadly. "And, as for your heritage... Maybe your mother had it in her. I felt something strangely familiar in her aura, but I dismissed it as the Jenova. I think now I was wrong."
Sephiroth looked back at her searchingly, unable to believe. They couldn't be the same. She was so... so divine, compared to him. "If you could sense it in my mother, why could you not sense it in me?"
"The Jenova in you must've hidden it. Her cells are much stronger in you."
"You truly believe that I am part Cetra," he said dubiously.
"Yes. I'm almost certain of it."
He sighed in defeat and turned back to the railing. "And what of Minerva?"
"I don't know. I couldn't sense anything beyond the Jenova, and I don't know who her parents are." She moved to stand beside him, her arms on the railing. "Did she say anything to you?"
"She calls Talya her mother, but I must say I doubt there is any biological relation."
Aeris nodded slightly. "She does seem too much like you and not at all like Talya."
"She is much stronger than I am," Sephiroth said, shaking his head. "And don't say that I have been through more than she because it is not true."
"I won't, but I do think that you're stronger than you give yourself credit for. It must be hard to live in a world where so many people hate you, even yourself... and with reason. I won't deny that."
"As long as you are here to keep me sane, Aeris, I think I can manage."
"Don't worry," she replied. "I'm not going to leave you alone again."
"Again?"
She smiled ruefully. "I should have insisted that you come with us then. Things would have been so very different..."
"What is this?" he asked in mock surprise. "You blame yourself, when you tell others not to?"
Aeris laughed. "I don't kill myself over it, Sephiroth. Life's too precious for that."
"Oh?"
Her smile faded, and she looked down. "That's why... I want you to really experience it, now that you have the freedom to, without cursing yourself or hiding or letting duty carry you away. Right now, I know you could use the support, but you can't depend on me forever."
"I understand," Sephiroth replied, though a part of him felt disappointed. Did she mean that she did not want to be with him much longer? She would never say it, but how could she want to stay around him any longer than she had to?
"I'm glad," she said, looking up at him with a bright smile before turning her gaze back to the stars. He wondered how she managed to seem so convincing.
He looked away, looking not to the stars but down at the ruins of Midgar. "Are you tired?" he asked her dispassionately. "You should get some rest; your companions are not the type to wait."
"You're right," she agreed, not catching his tone. She stepped back from the railing and glanced towards the door with a frown. "Where, though?"
"The floor seems to be your only option," he observed.
"I suppose." Aeris turned to him, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Can I use you for a pillow?"
The proposal caught him off guard, and at first he felt he ought to refuse, but his mouth disobeyed him. "If you wish."
She bowed her head gratefully. "Thanks. I know you're not used to this sort of thing..."
He did not reply, but moved instead to sit down against the wall, a few feet from the door. Why had he agreed to this? he wondered, but he knew the answer. Despite his usual aversion to physical contact, there was something about hers that made him long for more, even though he could not manage to relax. His muscles would not soon forget what he had suffered.
She joined him, carefully settling herself close beside him and leaning into him. She did not seem to mind his tenseness. "Don't you ever take your gloves off?" she asked absently, almost sleepily.
"Not really."
"Hmm," was all she said. Soon she was fast asleep.
Sephiroth watched her for a long time, scarcely daring to breathe lest he disturb her. He nearly started, though, when he felt something return to him, a faint presence just around the corner. Minerva must be asleep, he realized, his eyes returning to Aeris. She is certainly trusting, he thought. I only hope she is not wrong about me.
She lay on a circular obsidian platform in a vast nowhere. Around her the sky was the color of blood, and angry black storm clouds approached from the distance, driven by the fierce wind that nearly pushed her off the pillar as she climbed to her feet. Looking down, nothing more than a black void greeted her eyes.
"What do you think you're doing?" There were no walls, but the voice echoed, bounced off of nothing, boomed around her like the rushing wind. It was unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time; millions of voices comprised it--her own voice, the voices of her friends, the voices of people she had met briefly and never seen again--and yet she perceived it as the single voice of a complete stranger.
"Who are you?" she cried, and the wind threw her voice back into her face.
Who are you?
"Foolish little Cetra, you think you can win against me? You think you can steal him from me?"
She turned about on the pillar, searching for the speaker. "What are you talking about?"
"You know quite well what I mean. Don't bother feigning innocence; it may work with him, but I do not believe it."
"You mean... Sephiroth?" Aeris asked. Her eyes widened. "Jenova--"
"Oh, yes," the voice laughed. "Yes, yes, ignorant Cetra, traitor. But you will not win this time."
A strong gust and a shriek sent her flying backwards off the platform. She caught hold of the edge as she passed it and hung there with her heart pounding, struggling to pull herself back up. Somewhere in the wind were the cries of the Planet, cries that echoed in the caverns of her heart.
Sephiroth appeared on the top of the pillar, only she saw at once that it was not Sephiroth at all. He spoke with Jenova's voice, saw with Jenova's single pink eye, and looked upon her with Jenova's malevolent grin. "And now, dear Cetra, you will die." Crouching down, Sephiroth grasped Aeris's hands, held them for a moment, as if to help her up, and then let go, flinging Aeris far out into nothing.
She screamed as she saw what light there was slipping away from her and found herself falling into darkness. "Sephiroth, please!"
"Aeris!" he cried out in horror, all traces of Jenova vanishing from his face. He leapt from the pillar, somehow falling faster than she, as though the black were pulling him down. He reached for her hand as he fell, and she held it fast. Together they fell into the abyss.
She landed hard on another pillar much farther down, but Sephiroth missed it, and the blackness wrapped itself around him and tugged down hard. The force pulled Aeris to the edge with him, but here she pushed back against the stone, resisting the darkness' dragging and holding Sephiroth's hand as tightly as she could.
"Don't let go," she whispered.
Somehow he heard her over the roaring winds and the taunting shadows and the keening screams of the Planet, and he shook his head. "She is waiting for me there. I have to."
"If you go, you may never come back," she said urgently.
Sephiroth smiled, his eyes a pale blue. "Then lend me your strength, Aeris, that I may come back to you."
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words would not come. She stared down at him helplessly, watching his hand sliding out of hers as the darkness took him. The blue slipped from his eyes as his hand slipped from hers, and soon he was lost to the abyss.
The wind died down, the sky cleared, and the sun shone through, turning it a beautiful blue, blue like Sephiroth's eyes. The cries of the Planet died away, and instead a lone mockingbird sang sweetly.
Aeris sat on the roof of her church, a field of flowers stretching out before her into a white horizon.
"Aeris!" Cloud called from the ground. "It's time."
She looked over the edge and smiled at him. "I'm sorry, Cloud. I've decided to stay."
"You're staying?"
"Yes. I don't belong in your world; there's nothing for me there."
"But what is there here?"
"Memories."
"Memories aren't life," he said sharply.
Aeris sighed, breaking his gaze. "Yes, I know. But someday, I will find my own Promised Land. And I'm sad to say that it's not with you..."
"I guess this's goodbye then."
"Yes. Goodbye, Cloud. I'll miss you."
He left her alone, and she turned her face to the breeze, imploring it to tell her tales of a man with silver hair and how he died in battle.
"Aeris!"
She lifted her head eagerly at the sound of a familiar voice calling her name.
"Aeris..."
"Aeris. Aeris, wake up."
She opened her eyes sleepily and twisted to look at Sephiroth, who averted his gaze as soon as her eyes found his.
"I think some of your comrades are awake," he said. "I doubt they would appreciate seeing you in this position."
"You're right," she murmured, and with some reluctance she pulled away from his warmth, looking away and fussing with her hair. Once she had woken herself up a bit, she looked back at him. "Good morning."
"Did you sleep well?"
She hesitated. "Decently. And you?"
Sephiroth shrugged, standing swiftly and turning to the railing. "I did not sleep much."
Eyeing him curiously, Aeris climbed to her feet. "I guess you don't need to."
The door opened, and Aeris turned to see Cid standing there in indecision, his eyes flicking back and forth between her and Sephiroth. At last he grinned. "Guess we got somethin' done after all, huh?"
She smiled and nodded. "I guess we did."
Cid's grin faded, and he nodded to Sephiroth. "Is he...?"
"What, sane? Yes, of course."
"Heard you came back last night with 'im, and, uh... I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I'm fine."
He scratched his head. "Well, what're you waitin' out here for? Come on down to the bridge!"
Aeris hesitated, glancing at Sephiroth, but he still had his back turned to them. "All right," she said. "We're coming."
Cid seemed startled by her answer, but he turned to lead them both to the bridge without protest. Aeris hung back, waiting, and Sephiroth reluctantly came away from the railing to go with them. When they reached the bridge, he remained in the doorway, not wanting to be noticed.
Everyone else was already there, and smiles, hellos, and even a few hugs were in order. It wasn't until after everyone had confirmed that Aeris really was back safely that they noticed Sephiroth, and a heavy silence fell. Aeris followed their gazes and made a small, inviting gesture with her hand.
The swordsman took a few steps forward and stopped, surveying her friends' suspicious looks and glares with a small frown.
Aeris was just about to speak when Yuffie called out, "Hey, Sephiroth! Get your butt over here."
He stood stunned for a moment, but then amusement softened his face and he came to join them, still keeping back a few good paces. Tifa took a step back, Cloud's frown deepened, and the others watched him warily, but no one voiced any suspicions or aggressions.
"So, what now?" Yuffie asked. "We still need to take out Hojo, but..."
"We've lost our weapons and materia," Tifa finished, frowning.
"I can take care of Hojo," Sephiroth said quietly, but everyone looked at him uncertainly.
Yuffie shifted anxiously, as though not sure what to make of this. "You mean, you've got your powers back now?"
"Yes."
"Couldn't Minerva just block them again?" Elena asked.
The swordsman glanced at her. "I think I know how to prevent that now."
"Are you stronger than her?" Aeris asked.
"...I do not know," he admitted.
"Then I'm going with you."
"Aeris, you can't--" three voices began at once, and they stopped to look at each other in startlement. Cloud, Reno, Sephiroth.
Aeris smiled reassuringly. "All of you, I'll be fine. I'm not the weak little flower girl I used to be."
"Well," Reno began, grinning in concession, "maybe I can't keep you from going, but I can sure as hell go with."
Elena eyed him skeptically. "What're you gonna do, whack him with a stick or something?"
"Yeah, a nightstick," he corrected, flourishing the weapon. "Minerva left it with me." He turned to Rude, adding confidingly, "I think she likes me."
His friend only shook his head.
"I will accompany you as well," Nanaki decided, padding over to sit at Aeris's feet.
"Is anyone else coming?" the Cetra asked, throwing Cloud an apologetic glance as he opened his mouth and then shut it in frustration. She knew he wanted to come with to protect her, but he no longer had anything to fight with.
"I shall come," Vincent said into the silence.
"And what do you expect to fight with?" Elena asked him.
He merely looked at her and lifted his metal claw.
"Er, I guess that's pretty sharp," she reasoned nervously.
"I guess it's settled then," Aeris announced.
"Do you have a plan for this?" Cloud asked.
She shook her head. "Not really."
"I can take us directly to Hojo's lab," Sephiroth said. "Unless Minerva or Talya are there with him, we will not have to fight them."
"How exactly are you going to do that?" Cloud queried suspiciously.
"He's done it before," Aeris said. "That's how my mother and I escaped from the lab all those years ago."
The blond raised an eyebrow. "If he could do that, why didn't he get himself out?"
The Cetra glanced at Sephiroth uncertainly. "...personal reasons," was all she said.
Cloud snorted. "'Personal reasons'? Sephiroth has 'personal reasons'?"
"Cloud," Tifa said gently, putting a hand on his arm. "He's a person, too, no matter what he's done."
"This isn't about who I am or what I have done," Sephiroth stated flatly. "It is about killing Hojo."
"But how do we know we can trust you?"
"He hates Hojo far more than the rest of us," Aeris answered for him. "For him, this is revenge."
Cloud hesitated and then nodded grudgingly.
"I believe it is revenge for all of us, save Reno," Nanaki added quietly.
"Even Aeris?" Yuffie wondered incredulously.
The Cetra lowered her head. "Yes, even me. I spent the first seven years of my life in that lab, Yuffie, and my parents lost their lives to Hojo. You didn't know?" She shook her head and looked up. "But, before we kill anyone, I want answers." She glanced at Vincent, and he nodded in understanding.
"Well, is everyone ready?" Nanaki asked.
The other four who were going nodded or voiced their assent.
"Then let's get going," Aeris said, turning to Sephiroth. "Do we need to do anything? I don't remember."
"No," he replied.
"Good luck!" Yuffie exclaimed.
"And be careful," Cloud added.
Aeris smiled and then nodded to Sephiroth. The bridge of the Highwind fell away, leaving the five of them standing in nothing for a fragment of eternity. The Cetra thought she sensed something familiar here, but as soon as she turned to look aver her shoulder, the lab had surrounded them.
"I thought you'd be coming back presently."
Author's Notes
Ah, the second of Aeris's nightmares. This one is much closer to how the story plays out; I think by this point I actually sort of knew where I was going with it. Sort of. :P There's a scene later, in chapter 32, that very closely mirrors part of the dream.