It amazed him that Yuffie remained with him throughout the morning and into the afternoon. She left the deck only to get something for lunch, and she returned within minutes to eat it outside. Perhaps this was her usual haunt, but he would not expect her to stay here if it meant staying with him. He could not understand her; she had welcomed him when even Aeris had hesitated, invited him to come speak with her, and even apologized for assuming for an instant that he remained a murderer. Of all people, she should have been the most condemning, as he had led Shinra's attack against her beloved Wutai.
And yet she was not.
The morning passed in relative silence, Yuffie eventually giving up on conversation, but some hours after noon he heard the door to the deck open, and a group of people came out onto the deck. From their gaits, he counted five and discerned that Cloud led them. Likely they were setting out for the reactor. Minerva must have been with them; one set of footsteps was barely discernible and slightly uneven, and he guessed that she had not yet recovered but that she had insisted she was strong enough to guide them.
Sephiroth kept his back to them, but Yuffie turned and stepped towards them, out of his sight.
"You guys going back to the lab?" she asked.
"Yeah," Cloud replied.
"You don't have to come," Tifa added. "I don't think we need any more than the five of us." After an uneasy pause, she asked, "Has he said anything?"
"Oh, yeah," Yuffie answered casually, ignoring the almost palpable tension. "We talked a little bit. He seems all right. You want me to keep an eye on him anyway?"
"If you don't mind," Tifa answered hesitantly.
"And make sure no one messes with my ship," Cid put in.
"I'll try," Yuffie laughed. Her voice sobered. "Hey," she said, "looks like you were strong enough to fight it after all."
"Apparently," Minerva replied.
"Well, welcome to the group!" the ninja said cheerfully.
"Thank you..."
"Anyway," Cloud interrupted, somewhat impatient, "let's get going. The sooner we finish here, the sooner we get back, and the sooner we're rid of him."
No one seemed to have a response for that. They all knew who he meant.
"Well, goodbye then," Yuffie said awkwardly.
All but Minerva replied, and their footsteps sounded towards the ladder. Yuffie soon rejoined him at the railing, and they watched Cloud's group as they reached the ground and headed for the ruins of Midgar. Minerva, he saw, was limping slightly.
"Cloud doesn't know about your plans to fight Jenova, does he?" Yuffie asked him.
"No."
She looked up at him brightly. "Hey, do you mind if I lend a hand?"
He glanced at her. "Why should you want to? It isn't your fight."
"What, you thought I was going to just sit back and watch?" she demanded indignantly.
Sephiroth turned away. "But, you are only human."
"So what? That doesn't mean I'm weak. Don't you remember the ass-whooping I gave you?"
He scoffed softly and looked out at the city. If she meant the battle five years ago, those memories remained hazy. In his mind he had already died.
"I guess not," she said. "Vinny did say something about you losing your memory."
"No, I remember now."
She glanced at him again. "Then, you remember when Aeris...?"
He turned away from her.
"Sorry," she said. "I guess that's not something you'd wanna talk about. I've just... always wondered why."
"If I knew the answer," he replied softly, "then perhaps I would be able to forgive myself."
Yuffie's gaze lingered on him a moment longer, and then she returned it to Midgar. She did not press him further, and for that he was grateful.
The ruins beyond them no longer seemed like Midgar. Midgar, he remembered as a city of shining metal, where a green haze clouded the sky, and where the brilliant red of Shinra's logo dominated all. This place... this place was not Midgar. It had the metal, but the metal had long since rusted and lay buried in ash. Exhaust no longer hid the beauty of the sky, and the sharp red logos were faded, torn, gone. Gone, too, were the bustling people who had once packed the streets. The only people now were those tenacious few who had chosen to clear away the debris and rebuild their homes where Midgar had once stood.
The afternoon stretched into evening, the sun sinking lower on the horizon, and suddenly an explosion drew his gaze to Sector 7. A bloom of fire enveloped the reactor, opening and billowing outwards. It was flames, he thought, flames at Nibelheim, and he could not tear his gaze away. The scent of smoke reached them on the breeze, and Yuffie slipped away inside, but he scarcely noticed. The smoking reactor held his attention entirely, save for one brief moment when he wondered if anyone had bothered to retrieve Talya's body to give her a proper burial. He doubted, though, that anyone else cared.
It was some time before Sephiroth noticed anything else, and then it was only because he sensed her on her way out. He stiffened when he realized it, not sure if he wanted her to come. If she stayed long...
The door opened, and feather-light footsteps sounded on the deck. She came to stand at his side, but he dared not turn to look. He stared fixedly at the smoke which now failed to capture his interest.
"I thought you'd be out here," she said softly, leaning on the railing beside him and following his gaze. When he did not respond, she remarked, "That much of it is over, I guess. You don't seem very happy about it, though."
"I am rarely happy," he replied flatly. "Why should I be now?"
Aeris turned to look at him. "You haven't gotten over what you did to Hojo, have you?"
He turned away so he would not see her concern out of the corner of his eye. "I am fine."
"Maybe that answer is enough for the others, but you're not fooling me with it. Talk to me. Tell me what you need so I can help you."
"I shouldn't need your help anymore," he stated. Aeris, what are you doing? he wondered. Don't you know what I am? Stay away from me. Go back inside.
"Do you still hate yourself?" she asked him.
"Yes," he admitted, reluctant because he knew that his answer would only make her stay.
"Well, then I'm not about to let you be," she said, and by her voice she was smiling. "I want you to see what I see when I look at you."
"And what do you see in me, Aeris? What could you possibly see?"
"Someone kind and gentle and--"
He snorted, interrupting her. "I am a killer, someone trained since birth to be cold and efficient. I am neither kind nor gentle, only weak and trying to hide it."
"You say that, but I remember when you were little, you--"
"I am not little anymore," he snapped.
She laid a hand on his arm. "Please, just listen."
Sephiroth glanced at her and found he could not look away. He frowned but nodded his assent.
"When you were little, you didn't hide your kindness as you do now. You cared about my mother and me, I know, for you to've risked helping us like you did, and to stay behind hoping to buy us some time. I can't imagine the punishment Hojo gave you for that...
"But now, you seem afraid to be kind, as though you'll fail somehow. Are you afraid you'll end up hurting someone? Even if you never lay a finger on them, are you afraid of getting close and not measuring up? You try to protect everyone by staying away, as if you were a flame, and everyone you touched got burned."
He scoffed and turned away, not wanting her to see that she was right.
Aeris laid a hand on his shoulder, and he stiffened. "...I'm no exception to that, am I?"
"No. It's harder with you, to..."
She withdrew the hand and leaned to peer into his face. "What?"
"Nothing..."
"I guess you can't tell me everything," she sighed ruefully.
He stared down at his gloved hands where they gripped the railing. Not far from his left hand, Aeris's slender fingers rested lightly on the rail. Her hands seemed so tiny in comparison, so fragile.
"Why are you out here with me?" he asked her. "Are you determined to ignore what I've done? That I killed you?"
Aeris shook her head. "No, it's just that... You weren't yourself when you did those things, so I can't blame you. It was a different Sephiroth who killed me, and I don't sense him in you anymore."
Part of him wanted to argue with her, to tell her that she was wrong, to list in detail what he had done and how that part of him remained just barely held in check. He wanted to yell, to shout it in her face and...
What if you hurt her?
So he only shook his head slightly and muttered, "You certainly have a unique way of thinking."
"I... guess the others don't understand that," she admitted. "They don't see that it wouldn't do them any good to hate you, because the you that they hate is gone." She looked thoughtfully at her hands. "Me, I couldn't carry that kind of empty anger, and I can't seem to be happy when someone near me is suffering. You're certainly no exception there."
"You feel it, don't you?" he asked, then grimaced faintly; he had not meant to say that.
Aeris blinked. "I suppose you could say that."
Sephiroth nodded, speaking more now to himself than to her. "So, of course, how could you be cruel when you can feel their hurt...?"
"It sounds like you've thought about this before," she remarked curiously.
"I used to wonder as a child, because I read about it in books... But they were mere fiction, certainly."
"Wonder about what?" she prompted.
He avoided her gaze, lowering his head so that his hair fell forward to hide his face. "I... used to think that you were an empath. Foolish, I know. Laugh if you wish."
"...I hadn't thought of that," she said, not a trace of laughter in her voice.
He glanced at her uncertainly. "You mean to say you think it possible, rather than laughable?"
She smiled gently. "You said it seriously, so I took it seriously. Maybe it is possible." Her smile faded. "Would it make you think of me any differently if I was?"
Sephiroth shook his head. "I know that is not what motivates you."
Her smile returned. "Thank you." She straightened, eyeing the horizon where the sun had just disappeared. "Cloud will be back soon, I should think."
"Are you going back inside?" he asked, noting her movement. She hesitated, and he cursed himself for asking. You are supposed to drive her away, not keep her with you.
Aeris shook her head. "No, I think not. If I stay out here, I can welcome them when they get back. You don't mind, do you?"
He sighed. "No, not at all."
"I'm not afraid of you," she said, leaning back against the railing, "even if you are."
"You should be."
"Why?" she wondered. "You haven't hurt me, only protected me."
"I killed you," he said forcefully, meeting her gaze. "I killed you. Why aren't you afraid of me?"
"Because I know you would never do it again."
"How can you be so sure, when I am not?"
"Because I believe in you, as does the Planet."
Sephiroth blinked. "The Planet?"
Aeris smiled and nodded. "Yes. I asked it about you some days ago, and it said it wasn't afraid either."
"It wishes me to rid it of Jenova, doesn't it?" he asked, sure that there had to be a reason for the Planet's faith. He had nearly killed it, after all.
"The path is yours for the choosing," she told him. "It wants you to, yes, and I know you want to, but no one will force you."
He nodded and turned to look at Midgar, but Cloud's returning party caught his eye, and he watched them as they reached the ladder and started up it.
Aeris noticed also and smiled. "It looks like they're back," she said, but she did not step away to meet Cloud as he reached the deck. She only turned towards him, one hand sliding from the railing. "Welcome back!" she greeted.
He nodded, but his eyes slid past her, and he frowned. "Aeris, why do you insist on hanging around him?"
"Many reasons, Cloud," she replied, something harsh in her voice. "If you ever bothered to speak with him, maybe you'd understand."
"What could I possibly have to say to him?" Cloud wondered, glaring at Sephiroth, who met the gaze coolly.
"More than you think you do," Aeris answered. "And I suggest you try talking at least."
Both Cloud and Sephiroth turned to look at her quizzically. "What for?" Cloud demanded.
"It's not healthy to hate someone so much," she said quietly. "And it might ease your fears."
Cloud did not look convinced. "You think that talking to him is going to make up for what he did? Aeris, there is no way that I am ever going to forgive him!"
"But you do fear him," Minerva stated calmly, causing the others to turn to her in surprise. "If you continue to avoid him, that fear will remain in your mind as long as he lives." She gave Cloud a piercing look and then headed for the door.
"You know she's right," Aeris said into the silence that followed.
The blond muttered something under his breath.
"Shit, Cloud," said Cid, "it ain't that hard."
Cloud shot him a glare, but he sighed in defeat. "All right, all right," he agreed finally.
Sephiroth turned away with a frown. He doubted their conversing would accomplish anything, but if Aeris thought it would, perhaps he would try. The others left them alone on the deck, but Cloud did not move any closer, and the swordsman did not expect him to.
"You sure have her convinced you're all right," Cloud said, and Sephiroth could feel his suspicious gaze on his back. "What've you been telling her?"
"Nothing favorable, and no lies, I assure you."
"Then what does she see in you?"
"I honestly don't know."
With a noise of exasperation, Cloud strode over to get a look at his face. "You may not look insane," he said, "but you're even colder than you were before. What the hell is she doing, talking to you?"
He turned away, keeping his gaze lowered. "Trying to help me, as is her nature."
The blond snorted. "Help you? What do you need help with?"
"Many things," he replied levelly. "I hate myself as much as you do, and you know what she thinks of that."
"You mean you actually condemn what you did before?"
"Of course I do," Sephiroth snapped, turning now to meet Cloud's eyes. "I should have been stronger. I should have known not to believe Hojo's lies, but I did, and thousands are dead because of it. You think I condone that?"
"You seemed to think you were right before," Cloud retorted, but he could not hold Sephiroth's gaze for long and looked away to Midgar.
"I did then, but I do not now."
"You think I'm going to trust your word?"
"No. I do not trust myself, so why should you?"
Cloud blinked at this. "Then you... think you might go mad again?"
Sephiroth looked out towards the smoking reactor, where Jenova had almost turned him. "Perhaps."
"What the hell does Aeris think she's doing? If you're that unstable, we should kill you!"
"Try if you wish, but not yet. I have things to attend to before I die."
"Things?" Cloud demanded. "What things?"
"Jenova still lives," Sephiroth answered. "I must find her, and kill her."
The blond was skeptical. "First you follow her, now you're gonna kill her," he said flatly.
"I hate her for what she made me do. And, though I know nothing will ever compensate for what I have done, still I must do what I can."
"Are you gonna do it on your own?" Cloud asked, some of his suspicion fading, replaced by curiosity and perhaps a mild anxiety.
Sephiroth shook his head. "I had wanted to, but Aeris and Yuffie have both volunteered their help."
"Aeris?" Cloud frowned worriedly and leaned against the railing. "She always puts herself in so much danger..." He sighed, shaking his head. "If she goes, then I will, too."
"To protect her?" the swordsman queried, raising an eyebrow. "She is stronger than you, I think, though not as strong as she believes."
Cloud fixed him with a wary gaze. "If you ever hurt her, I'll kill you."
He met the glance coolly. "And I would thank you for it."
"Don't tell me she means something to you," the blond said incredulously.
Sephiroth turned away. "More than you would believe."
Cloud eyed him uncertainly, then looked away, scoffing. "You're right; I wouldn't believe it, not of a killer like you."
"I assume then, that our conversing has done you little good."
He hesitated. "Well, some. At the very least you do seem sane. But I don't have the faith that Aeris does, and I'm not about to trust you." He sighed heavily. "But, as much as I hate to see her with you... I guess it's safe enough."
"Aeris can protect herself better than you can anyway," Sephiroth pointed out. "However, if it makes you uneasy, Minerva would be the best guard for me."
"She seems a lot like you," Cloud said doubtfully.
"She has never killed anyone, and there is no evil in her that would bring her to aid me should insanity take me again."
"I guess I'll keep that in mind."
Sephiroth glanced at him. "I believe everyone is anxious to leave," he prompted.
Cloud nodded, frowning as though annoyed to find himself agreeing, and then disappeared inside.
Once he had gone, Sephiroth sighed in relief and looked out at Midgar, half-hoping that Aeris would leave him be, but half-hoping that she would return.
Vincent lay on the bed in his quarters, awake, though he kept his eyes closed. He had slept little, both because he did not need to and because he had too many things on his mind. Perhaps, too, there had been the surprise of a dreamless sleep, free from the nightmares he had grown accustomed to. Was it because Aeris had brought her back?
Lucrecia... He felt the airship shift into motion, and he opened his eyes to stare anxiously at the ceiling. He would be returning soon, going back to her. Going back to her with news that he had killed Hojo, a man whom she had once loved. How would she react to that? They had scarcely spoken of Hojo. Surely, though, she would agree that he had become a different man, that killing him had been necessary. Wouldn't she?
He frowned and forced his thoughts down a different path. However she would react the the news of Hojo, he knew she would be glad to see her son. After thirty-five years, Vincent would finally fulfill his promise to her. It was certainly a reunion he wanted to see. How would Sephiroth react, he wondered, to finally meeting his mother, a woman who always had and always would love him unconditionally?
Although, he realized, he wouldn't have been able to fulfill that promise without Aeris's help. He had not properly thanked her, had he? For returning Lucrecia to him, and for giving him a second chance with her. That was a debt which he would never be able to repay, but surely there was something he could do for her. He finally recalled a promise he had made to her, to tell her what he knew of her father. He had nearly forgotten that, he thought with a frown.
Sitting up, Vincent looked around for some paper and something to write with, but found nothing at hand. He sighed, wondering who might have some, and how exactly to go about asking for it. He would have waited, but he was not certain how long Aeris would remain in Cosmo Canyon now that they had freed Sephiroth.
So, trying to put aside his reluctance, he slipped out of his quarters and went to Yuffie's door, knocking lightly.
"Uh, come in."
Vincent opened the door, but hesitated to enter.
Yuffie sat cross-legged in the middle of her bed, a book in her lap, place marked with a pen. She blinked in surprise when she saw him. "Vinny!" she exclaimed. "Almost the last person I was expecting." She hopped up, setting the book aside. "Well, come on in, don't just stand there in the doorway."
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, but remained awkwardly near it.
"So," she went on, "what did you need? Or did you, for some incomprehensible reason, actually want the pleasure of my company?"
"I was actually wondering if you had any paper," he confessed, almost sorry that he had not come just to talk with her; she seemed disappointed.
"Oh, sure thing," she said. "What do you need it for?"
He hesitated. "I told Aeris I would write something down for her, and only just remembered it."
She nodded. "Okay," she said, retrieving the book she had had before and ripping a few pages out of the back. "This enough?" she asked, holding them out to him.
He nodded, taking the pages, but eyed the book curiously.
"My journal," she explained, frowning at his expression. "Say it's girly and I'll kill you," she warned.
Vincent looked back at her with mild amusement. "No, I was not thinking that. I am only a little surprised to find that you keep one."
Yuffie shrugged. "When you're trying to run a country and save the world, life can get pretty hectic. Sometimes I need to write stuff down so I know what's going on."
He nodded in understanding and took her pen as she offered it. "Thank you."
"Need anything else?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"Nothing you need to get off your chest?" she persisted, head tilted.
Again he hesitated. "Lucrecia is waiting for me in Cosmo Canyon," he said.
"Oh. So, I guess whatever you need to talk about, you'll talk about with her."
Vincent shifted slightly, feeling an inexplicable need to apologize. He said nothing.
"That's okay," Yuffie assured him with a grin. "Go on and write whatever you need to."
He nodded gratefully and slipped out the door without a goodbye.
Nanaki paced the bedroom, every now and then casting an annoyed look at the doorknob which he found himself unable to open. He had opted to share the room with Minerva, but she had left some time before he awakened, and now he was stuck here until she returned.
For the umpteenth time, he considered scratching at the door to try to attract someone's attention, but that would be too demeaning, so he sighed and sat back on his haunches, tail swishing back and forth.
At last, the door opened and Minerva entered, glancing down at him uncertainly. She closed the door slowly behind her, and then comprehension and mild amusement crossed her face. "You cannot open doors, can you?"
"No," he clipped.
The amusement faded. "I apologize. I should have considered it."
Nanaki shook his head, his vexation rapidly disappearing now that she was back. "It's all right. You are tired."
His response did not seem to please her. "Do you wish to leave now?" she asked.
He hesitated, studying her with his one eye. "...not just yet," he decided.
Minerva shrugged and moved to sit down on the edge of the bed.
Padding over to her, he hopped up and settled down beside her. "Are you all right? You do well at hiding it, but I am sure Talya meant something to you."
She glanced at him sharply. "She may have been my mother, but I cared nothing for her."
Nanaki regarded her doubtfully. "Oh?"
"She only ever lied to me, and..." Her words came out angrily, and she stopped herself. "Her death is merely the end of something painful."
"It seems to me that you are in denial," he said softly, a slight growl in his voice no matter what he did. "For a long time I hated my father because I thought he was a coward, that he had run off and left us. I found out later that it wasn't true what I had thought, but even if it had been... I know that I still loved him beneath the anger. It did me no good to hate him."
"But before he left you, your father showed you kindness, did he not?"
"Yes."
"Then there is no similitude," she scoffed, "for Talya was always a coward."
"I spoke briefly with her when she came to Cosmo Canyon," Nanaki said. "Perhaps she was a coward, but I am sure she felt something for you."
"That does not mean I returned whatever feelings she had," the girl replied curtly.
"I do not think you that cold."
"You do not know me," Minerva stated.
He hopped off the bed. "True, but still, I recognize your emotions. I can understand them."
She frowned minutely. "I have no emotions."
"But you do," he insisted with a slight grin. "I have a very good sense of smell, you know; you cannot hide them from me." He padded to the door and waited while she stood to open it for him. Before stepping out, he turned to look up at her. "There may be things about her that you do not know, and in learning them, you may find it in you to forgive her. Do not be so close-minded."
Minerva averted her gaze. "I will speak to Sephiroth about her. You may be wise, but you do not know of what you speak."
Nanaki laughed. "Wise? Me? I am far too young for wisdom."
"Why must wisdom come only with age?" she asked.
He let out a thoughtful growl, and, nodding, turned to go. She closed the door behind him and he paused outside it. She was certainly a strange girl, but he knew the denial she felt all too well. She was ashamed of Talya, just as he had been ashamed of his father.
Shaking his head, he started down the hall for the bridge, but a door opened and Yuffie stepped out. She started upon noticing him. "Hey, Red."
"Hello, Yuffie," he greeted, bowing his head. Though he knew she had matured, he could not help feeling a bit wary around her.
She bent down to scratch him behind the ear. "Hey, relax. I'm not going to try and tie bows in your mane or anything."
He grunted softly and tilted his head so she could reach better.
"Say," she said, "do you think we could talk for a bit?"
"Certainly," he replied. "But... in the hallway?"
The ninja laughed and hopped to her feet, ushering him into her room. "You're right, as always. Come on in."
He padded in, settling himself on her bed, and she came to sit cross-legged beside him.
"I've been wanting to apologize for the longest time," she said. "You know, for how I acted back then. I was so immature; it must've been annoying as hell."
"That was five years ago," Nanaki replied, eyeing her with some surprise. "It no longer matters."
"But, I still feel bad," she insisted. "I resented how mature you were, and how that made me look like a child. I should've tried to learn something from you instead of picking on you all the time."
"It's quite all right, Yuffie," he assured her. "I've long since forgiven it. And... I did not mind as much as I pretended."
Her face brightened. "Really?"
"Really."
She smiled broadly. "Thanks..." She looked back down at her hands, expression thoughtful. "I've been meaning to ask you, about that other, um... the other one like you. Where did she come from? I thought you said you were the last of your kind."
Nanaki nodded. "That is what both of us thought. As it turns out, her family left the canyon long before either of us was born, but they were unable to return because of the Shinra. Miera lost her parents, but she came back after Meteor."
"So, are you two...?" She trailed off hesitantly.
He chuckled softly. "We are both too young for that. We are merely children, pretending to be older than we are. But I suppose she will be my mate in the future. I doubt there are any others of our kind left, though I won't now rule it out."
Yuffie nodded. "Must be kinda... weird, that way."
He shook his head slightly. "Not really. We view things differently from humans."
"I guess."
He looked up at her questioningly. "Is something wrong?"
The ninja flopped back and stared up at the ceiling. "I dunno. It just seems like everybody has at least the beginnings of a relationship, and I've barely even stopped to think about it until now."
"And that bothers you?" Nanaki wondered. Human relationships baffled him. Friendship, he understood. Love, however, always managed to surprise him whenever he thought he had it figured out. Too, he could not understand why humans put so much importance in it.
"Well, yeah," she stated. "At this rate I'll be the only one still single out of all of us, and then I'll grow up to be an old maid or something."
"I don't understand why finding someone should be so important."
She sat up and looked at him with a frown. "Love is supposed to be wonderful, isn't it? Even Sephiroth seems like he's falling for someone, and I still don't know how it feels." She sighed in frustration. "It doesn't help that the boys in Wutai are all losers. Not like you or Cloud or Vinny."
He bumped his head against her arm. "You are only twenty-one, Yuffie. You still have plenty of time. And if you dislike those in Wutai, perhaps you should look elsewhere."
"Maybe," she said, stroking his mane. After a moment she shook her head and smiled. "You're right, Red. I don't know what I'm so worried about. It's just a little hard, I guess, being with people who are older than you. You want to do the things they do, but you're still too young."
Nanaki nodded in agreement. "That, I can understand."
"I mean, you're young, but you're not human... And Minerva's actually younger than I am, but she's... I dunno. I don't know her, and she's different somehow."
He shook his head. "No, not so different. I think she just grew up too quickly, and in the wrong kind of environment."
Yuffie frowned thoughtfully. "What's that like, you think, growing up in a lab?"
"It does strange things to the mind, that is for certain, and it does not allow one to relate to anyone very easily." Nanaki laid his head on his paws, feeling vulnerable as he recalled what time he had spent in Hojo's lab. "You have to build walls around yourself, so it does not hurt as much."
"So what doesn't hurt as much?"
"Hojo's cruelty, the loneliness, the knowledge that you are indeed different..."
She stroked his cheek gently. "That's right; you went through it, too, didn't you?"
"Yes," he replied, lifting his head. "But it's effects on me were not nearly as severe as on Minerva and Sephiroth. I had already matured quite a bit, and I did not stay for nearly as long."
"It doesn't seem like it changed Aeris at all, though," Yuffie commented.
"If you say that, you aren't looking close enough," he told her.
"What do you mean?" she wondered. "I mean, Sephiroth and Minerva are both really cold and reserved, but Aeris is so nice to everyone. How did that happen?"
"She did not go through it entirely alone, so she reacted differently. Instead of keeping her emotions bottled up and keeping her distance, she sympathizes with people, because she knows what suffering is. Even so, I think she hides her emotions, too."
Yuffie blinked. "But she's always so cheerful."
"And that is what she would have us think, so we don't worry about her."
"...I guess you know her better than I do," the ninja conceded. "She really is nice, though, if she does that just so we don't have to worry."
Nanaki shook his head slightly. "It seems to be her nature."
She nodded thoughtfully. "Hey," she said suddenly, "have you heard that Sephiroth's going to fight Jenova?"
His ears perked up. "Is he now? Well, I suppose that would be his battle."
"I said I'd help. Are you going to?"
He shook his head. "No. It is Sephiroth's fight, not mine."
"What do you mean?"
He tossed his head, mane swishing. "Some battles are very personal, and I see fit to leave them to whoever has the highest score to settle. If they can handle it on their own, that is, and I believe Sephiroth can."
Yuffie frowned minutely and looked down. "Do you think I shouldn't help then?"
"If he does not mind, and you want to, go ahead and fight. Simply because my views prevent me from joining it, does not mean that you have to sit it out as well."
She nodded. "All right." She lay back to stare at the ceiling. "I guess that means I should get some rest. Sephiroth doesn't seem like the type to wait very long."
"It is late," Nanaki agreed, getting up. "Would you like me to leave you?"
"Nah," she said, waving a hand. "You can stay and keep me company if you like."
"I would like to, but I feel I need to stretch my legs," he said. "I have been cooped up too long."
Yuffie grinned, though she seemed disappointed, and got up to open the door for him. "Then I guess I'll see you later."
Author's Notes
Not too many changes to these scenes, I guess, just the order of them. And I tried to shorten them as best I could. Heh. There are some unlikely conversations here, with Sephiroth and Yuffie, and also Minerva and Nanaki. I also think this is the first time Yuffie and Nanaki really spend any time together.