Katrina stared with wide eyes as she watched Sephiroth disappear beyond the gate. It was some time before she managed to uproot her feet and make her slow way over to the fallen gatekeeper. She stood beside the body, trembling, staring at the blood and the severed head that lay some feet away. Her stomach turned, and she shut her eyes tightly.
How could Sephiroth have done such a thing? The man hadn't even had time to scream. No warning, no chance for goodbyes, not even a moment of happiness to complete his life. Simply death, swift and merciless. Wasn't that how Sephiroth had always killed?
No. He couldn't kill so easily anymore. This murder had been deliberate, not as thoughtless as it had seemed. She couldn't understand it, but he had to have had some reason. He had to!
Shaking herself, Katrina turned away and opened her eyes. She had to find Aeris; Aeris would understand it. Hadn't she been staying up near the observatory? Taking a deep breath, she bolted up the steps and into the canyon. She had to hurry; villagers were already gathering, and as soon as Cloud found out...
"Hey! Where're you going in such a hurry?"
She stumbled to a halt and looked back. "Y-yuffie," she said breathlessly.
The ninja hopped up a few steps to join her. "What's up?"
"It's Sephiroth, he..." She faltered. "The gatekeeper... he killed him."
Yuffie's eyes widened. "He killed him? What for?"
Katrina shook her head helplessly. "I don't know. I was going to find Aeris to..."
"Right," the ninja interrupted. She turned aside. "Red, go find Cloud and make sure he doesn't jump to any conclusions."
The feline nodded silently and bounded off.
Yuffie turned back to the girl. "Can you go down to the gate and try to keep the crowd calm?"
Katrina nodded dumbly.
"Tell them Sephiroth did it if you have to, but tell them not to panic. He's gone, and we're trying to figure out why he did it."
She nodded again. "I-I will."
"I'll go find Aeris and see if she knows what's going on." With that, Yuffie turned and ran off.
The girl stared after her, marvelling at her grasp of the situation, and then shook herself. If she was going to calm down the villagers, she couldn't be so dazed herself. She closed her eyes a moment to gather her wits, and at last hurried back outside.
"Oh, gods," a woman was crying as she joined the crowd already gathering by the gate.
"What happened?" asked someone who managed to appear a bit more collected.
"I don't know," replied an older man kneeling by the corpse. "But, gods... Ira didn't deserve this..."
"Was it Sephiroth?" someone queried.
"Who else could have done this? Clean off..."
"I knew we shouldn't have let him into town. He's a murderer!"
"Someone should go tell Nanaki..."
"I think he already knows. I saw him run by a minute ago."
"Where was he going?"
"Wanted to know where that blond guy was. Cloud, is it?"
"I hope they go after the son of a bitch."
"Right. It's about time somebody..."
"...but what about..."
"After this? There's no way he's going to..."
Katrina pushed her way into the circle and faltered there a moment, not knowing what to say.
One of the villagers, Anne, turned to her. "Do you know what's going on, Katrina? No one seems to have seen it."
"I saw it," she stated quietly.
The crowd fell silent, and everyone turned to look at her. "What happened?" someone asked finally.
"Please don't panic, anyone," the girl began, trying her best to keep her voice even and steady. "Yes, it was Sephiroth, but until we find out why he did it, we shouldn't jump to conclusions."
"But what reason could he have? If he wanted to leave, he could have just gone. He didn't have to kill anyone!"
"Please," Katrina went on patiently, "there must have been some reason for it. I know him; he can't kill so easily anymore. Yuffie's looking for Aeris right now. She'll understand it."
"Having a reason doesn't change the fact that he killed Ira!"
"You were willing to accept him before, when he'd already killed thousands and never gave you any reason, never offered any excuses, never asked for your forgiveness, but you won't forgive him for one death, even if it turns out he has a perfectly logical excuse?" she cried. "What kind of people are you?"
The group stared at her mutely.
"What's happened here?" Elder Hargo asked, walking up.
"Sephiroth... Sephiroth killed him," Anne answered weakly.
The Elder frowned gravely. "I see..."
Miera trotted up at his heels, pushing through the crowd to get a look at the body. She turned away with a grimace and sat back, looking up at the gathered villagers. "Does anyone know why?"
"That's what Yuffie's trying to find out," Katrina explained.
The feline nodded. "Clear out, everyone," she said. "There's no point in standing here and being useless. Tell the others if you must, but don't panic until we know what's going on. We have no need of nasty rumors."
The crowd murmured, some in worry, some in anger, others merely in shock, but they dispersed.
Katrina sighed heavily. "Thank you, Miera," she said. "The things they were saying..."
Miera bumped her head against the girl's leg. "They are shocked and horrified at seeing such a dear friend dead. It is natural for them to be angry."
"I know, I know, but... Even I can't imagine how Sephiroth could do this, and I saw it happen! How can they be so quick to...?"
Elder Hargo laid a hand on her shoulder. "He is your friend, child. Of course you feel for him. But many of them do not know him, and despite what Nanaki may say, they still harbor a deep fear of him. They can easily believe he has become a murderer again."
"He has become a murderer again," Katrina amended bitterly. "But he hasn't snapped. He can't have snapped..."
"I am sure that Aeris, or perhaps that Minerva girl, can understand what has happened," Miera told her firmly.
Katrina nodded and abruptly sat down on the ground, doing her best not to cry.
Yuffie stumbled over her own feet and had to stop for a moment to collect herself again. Sephiroth had killed again? He had just walked up and slaughtered a man without reason? She couldn't understand it at all. He'd been doing really well, hadn't he?
But he hadn't lost his mind. Of this she was certain. He had too many people to support him and no reason to snap. And he'd seemed so sad when she had said goodbye, as though a heavy decision was weighing him down.
There had to be some logical reason for this. Aeris would know. She had to find Aeris soon to give the Cetra enough time to compose herself and understand it. Aeris had to explain it to Cloud before he acted on his instinct. She had to explain it to everyone before they just labeled Sephiroth 'evil' again.
Yuffie straightened and went on. She found Aeris sitting against the wall beside the ladder that led up to the observatory. Her knees were drawn up against her, her arms wrapped tightly about them, and her face hidden behind them.
The ninja slowed as she approached. "...Aeris?" she queried uncertainly.
The Cetra looked up. Her eyes were red from crying, but there were no tears on her face now, only a questioning vagueness, as though she thought she might have been having a nightmare and wondered if she had just woken up.
"Aeris, it's Sephiroth," Yuffie began falteringly.
"What did he do?" Aeris asked distantly.
"He... killed the gatekeeper on his way out."
The Cetra stared at her, then nodded slowly. "So that's what..." She took a deep breath and picked herself up off the floor. She seemed years older. "He said I would hate him for it..."
"Did he give you any hint as to why he'd go and kill someone?" Yuffie asked.
"He's gone to fight Jenova alone, that much I know. He said Minerva would understand... Do you know where she is?"
She shook her head. "No, but I can go look for her."
"I'll go with you." She paused. "Does Cloud know?"
"I'm not sure, but I sent Red to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
"Let's hurry then," Aeris said, and her face was expressionless. Yuffie had never seen her like this before.
With a nod, she headed for the ladder leading farther up, and the Cetra followed behind her. At the top of the canyon, they found Minerva sitting on the ledge. The girl noticed them immediately and got up to join them.
"Sephiroth killed a man..." Yuffie said falteringly.
Minerva nodded in simple acknowledgment. "I saw."
"Please, can you tell us why?" Aeris asked, some anxiety returning to her face.
"He needed to get Jenova to let him close. She's too fast. He could never have caught up with her, so he had to deceive her." She sighed. "Well, let me see the body, and I will see what I can do."
"You mean he..." Yuffie began incredulously.
"He pretended to join her so that she would let him close enough for him to kill her," Aeris finished. "And that's why he had to go alone."
The silver-haired girl only nodded and brushed past the two to head down the ladder. The ninja started and followed after her. The Cetra went last.
The wind was cold and sharp, whipping at his hair and slicing past his clothing, through his skin, to his bones. It reminded him of when he had awoken here amidst a snowstorm with the cold and the ice battering him, reminded him of how lost he had been, not knowing who he was.
Sephiroth knew now exactly who he was. And so he waited.
Ah, my son, it is good to see you again. She still spoke in his mind. If she had a voice, he had never heard it.
The swordsman turned around. "Hello, Jenova," he replied coolly.
Her pink eyes bore into him accusingly. So you've come to kill me after all?
He scoffed. "You think I'd really join you?"
A sigh. I knew it was too good to be true. But you put on such a wonderful act. I couldn't even sense any thoughts to give it away. And the way you killed that gatekeeper...
Sephiroth frowned. He remembered how Ira had gone to ask Nanaki's advice upon his arrival rather than simply refusing him entry. He should have turned me away. "Why were you so willing to let me come, if you knew it had to be an act?"
Oh, all I ever wanted, if I am to die, was to face you alone. And I knew that if I kept at it, you would eventually forsake the help of your 'friends' and figure something out on your own. I never thought it would be something so pleasing as that marvelous display you put on!
"You deceived me again..."
What, you expected me to tell you that if you came alone, I would let you? I couldn't do that, and I'm glad I didn't, considering your most pleasing solution.
"And you say that you want me to be happy," he muttered.
I know, I know, I'm a selfish bitch. But then, everyone always wants you to do something. You're the most powerful being on this planet, so of course everyone wants you for their own gains.
"Not everyone," he said. "Mother didn't. Aeris never even thought about it..."
Oh, certainly they wanted you for something, be it friendship or proof of accomplishment. Perhaps not as much as Professor Hojo wanted you, to bring him prestige and even godhood--surely if he could create someone powerful enough to be a god, he was one himself. As for that Lucrecia woman, you do realize she only wanted you so she could be a mother to you, don't you?
"Isn't that why any good mother brings a child into the world? Of course, you could never understand that, could you?"
And you can? You've left Minerva to fend for herself, after all.
"It will be better for her if she no longer has to listen to your voice in her head."
You don't realize how much she relies on you, do you? She turns to you when she needs help, not anyone else. Another person who wants you, I suppose.
"And what would you say of Aeris?" Sephiroth inquired, raising an eyebrow, daring her to say one cruel word.
She just wanted someone to love her. You think that Cloud creature could really care about her? Of course not. But she knew that you had the capacity for it, so she stayed near you, seeking your friendship. And now, she wishes you hadn't fallen in love with her? She only wants to be free from guilt for making it happen and not having the grace to love you back.
"I don't care about that," he lied. "So long as I have her friendship."
But you do care. You cried when you learned she didn't love you, remember? And yet you feel you have to give me up for her. But I suppose she is the perfect, selfless one, and I'm just the evil alien. Ah, but I am selfish, and I'm not about to let you go without a fight.
"You intend to keep me by killing me?"
I think of it more as taking you down with me.
"You are selfish," he muttered. "And you're no friend of mine."
'If you really were my friend, you'd let me go back to Aeris, she mocked. Sorry, but jealousy is such a strong emotion. I'm not about to hand you over to the little bitch and then roll over and die. Go ahead and think me weak for it. I don't care!
"Enough," he clipped, the cold look returning to his eyes. "We came here to fight, not to talk. I am sick of your voice in my head."
Then silence me, she said, that knowing half-smile on her face.
"I shall," he declared, the Masamune appearing in his hand as he charged for her.
When they stepped outside, Aeris immediately spotted the gathering near the gate. Katrina sat on the ground with Miera curled at her side. Elder Hargo and Elder Margo were both there, and Lucrecia stood nearby leaning against Vincent. The three strode to join them.
Aeris knelt down beside the body, biting her lip and shaking her head. "Oh, Sephiroth," she murmured.
Minerva crouched down beside her, taking the man's head and placing it back at the neck. "I do not know how to do the healing this requires," she admitted.
"Then let me do it," the Cetra said, but the girl caught her hand.
"No, just show me how. Save your energy; you may need it."
Aeris stared at her, then nodded. She laid a hand against the man's face and closed her eyes, delving into the Lifestream with her consciousness. She wondered if Minerva could follow. After a moment, she withdrew and glanced at the girl.
"...I will do what I can," she said.
The Cetra got to her feet and turned to Lucrecia. "Could I... talk to you for a second?"
Sephiroth's mother managed a smile. "Of course."
The two went half-way up the steps and sat down, trying not to look at those gathered around the corpse. Aeris fidgeted. "There's something that's been bothering me," she began uncertainly.
"Go on," Lucrecia said encouragingly.
"Well... I know it's something that Sephiroth said to me, but whenever I think about that night, I..." She faltered and shook her head. "It must have been... the night after we fought Hojo, but..."
"What were you talking about?"
Aeris closed her eyes. She remembered him leaning over the Highwind's railing with his head down and his silver hair falling forward to hide his face. "I was... trying to show him how wonderful he is, and then he..."
"He turned the subject away from himself, didn't he?"
"Yes... That's right. I said I couldn't be happy if someone near me was hurting, and he asked if I felt it, and..."
"What did he mean, exactly?"
She nodded suddenly, remembering. "He said he used to think I was an empath when he was little. He looked so embarrassed, but I had nothing to disprove it, and I still don't."
"I think I can guess what's bothering you," Lucrecia said. "If you are an empath, how do you know which emotions are yours, and which belong to someone else?"
Aeris blinked. "I... I don't know. I've felt things in the past that, now that I think about it, may not have been my emotions, and I've always rationalized them to myself."
"I don't want to hurt you," Sephiroth's mother went on gently, "but there is something I must ask you."
The Cetra nodded. "Go on."
"Do you love my son, or are you merely feeling his love for you?"
Stricken to silence, Aeris stared at her while the minutes stretched and passed. That was it. That was the question, the worry that plagued her mind and her heart. "It would be cruel if I were only reflecting his feelings," she said slowly, "but... I'm not sure. I never was. And now..."
"Spend some time away from everyone," Lucrecia suggested. "Perhaps then you'll feel only your own emotions and be able to sort them out and give him an answer when he returns."
Aeris nodded slowly. "Yes, I think you're right..." She got to her feet. "I'm going up to the observatory. If anyone asks where I am, please ask them to wait for me to come back down, all right?"
Sephiroth's mother nodded. "I will."
The Cetra bowed her head in thanks and darted up the rest of the stairs and on up to the top of the canyon. Rather than sitting down on the ledge where she could see the scene below, she went into the observatory, up to the machine which heard the cries of the Planet, and sat down on the floor beside it.
She closed her eyes and thought of Sephiroth. The first image she called to mind was the memory of the smile he had given her when she had brought him back from the brink of madness. He looked so beautiful when he smiled, so innocent at times that it seemed a harsh word could still harm him. But he could steel himself in an instant and rebuild all his old barriers. The kindness would disappear from his eyes, any smile gone from his face save for one of derision.
Part of her hated that transformation, and part of her admired his ability to pull it off. Part of her felt very special indeed, if he let down all those walls for her and showed her those rare, tentative smiles.
She wondered when it was that he had come up with this plan. Had it been in his mind for all of yesterday? Had he talked with her, joked with her, held her in his arms, knowing all the while that he would have to do this horrible thing and yet hardly showing any sign of it?
He had grown so very strong, if he had found the confidence to break away from her and do this on his own without her sanction. He felt sure enough of himself that he could find the right path without her. But she could not be satisfied with his choice. Anxiety gnawed at her, and she dreaded... dreaded hearing that he was dead. Why couldn't she have faith in him?
But she would rather they face it all together. That way, she could feel more sure of their victory. She was stronger when he was with her.
She remembered his fearful, accusing eyes in the lab.
He was stronger when she was with him, too.
Aeris wanted nothing more than to go to him now and join him in his battle, but she could not go until she had an answer to give him. Did she love him or not?
She drew back within herself, as though she were seeking the Planet's voice, but she wanted only to hear her deepest emotions. Fear, dread, and worry she found first, at the surface, and she pushed past them and all these tangled knots of uneasy friendships pocked with misunderstanding to find love, strong and buried deep but her own. It was real, she realized with a kind of belated joy, it was her own, not some shallow reflection.
She loved him, loved him for that strength and beauty and gentleness of his soul. She loved him for his understanding, his confidence, his intelligence.
So why hadn't she let herself see it? Why had she been so afraid of falling in love? Had she feared a repetition of the past? She had loved her mother, and Ifalna had died. She had loved Zack, and he had died. She had loved Cloud, and... she had been the one to die. And this time, it was Sephiroth who was in danger. Had she known from the start that, because of his strong desire to protect her, she might lose him?
Aeris climbed to her feet, pushing her hair out of her face and smoothing her expression. She would go to him, but she had things to attend to here first. She had to convince these people who had never truly known him that they had nothing to fear from him. Somehow she had to make them understand why he had killed, not just this time, but all the times before. Taking a deep breath, she made her way back down to the gate.
The crowd had grown bigger, and considerably louder. Cloud was there, arguing with Katrina, with Lucrecia, with Vincent. Tifa held his arm, as if to restrain him, but it looked more like she was agreeing with him more than trying to calm him down. Yuffie, Nanaki, Miera, and the two Elders were trying to quiet the five, with little success. Minerva still crouched beside the gatekeeper's broken body, a hand laid against his neck, and Reno sat perched next to her, watching the others uneasily. His friends stood slightly apart from the group, watching mutely.
Aeris descended the steps slowly, a frown coming to her face.
"You expect me to trust some girl who looks exactly like him?" Cloud was demanding, flinging a hand in Minerva's direction. She did not spare him even a glance.
"You're calling her a liar because of her looks?" Katrina demanded incredulously.
"Maybe she's lying to defend him, did you think about that?" Tifa asked archly.
"But she doesn't have to lie," Lucrecia insisted. "Sephiroth wouldn't kill so senselessly!"
"What about Nibelheim? What about Meteor? Don't tell me that wasn't senseless!"
"He was misguided then!"
"Misguided? You mean insane, and maybe he's insane now!"
"Nothing's happened to make him snap!"
"How do you know that? Maybe Jenova's been convincing him all along!"
"He would not submit to her again, especially not with Aeris around."
"What if it was all just an illusion? An elaborate pretense so we'd trust him? Maybe he planned this from the start!"
"That's enough!"
Everyone turned to stare at Aeris in shocked silence. Few of them had ever heard her raise her voice. Finally Nanaki padded over to her and rubbed his face against her leg. Her expression softened briefly, and she pushed past the others to check on the gatekeeper's corpse; Minerva was making little progress, if any, but the Cetra did not want to disturb her. She could not recall how long it had taken her; she had had no sense of time.
Straightening, she turned back to the group and looked at each in turn before she spoke. Strangely, few of them held her gaze. At length she sighed. "Cloud, Tifa... Surely you two are not so blind that you missed Sephiroth's transformation. Surely you're not so stubborn that you ignored it. You know very well that he's not insane."
"Then how do you explain this?" Cloud demanded. Tifa, who had looked ashamed from the moment Aeris stepped in, cast him a sharp look.
The Cetra's voice remained calm and steady. "Minerva told you, didn't she? He used the only way he could think of to get to Jenova. He'll kill her, and isn't that some redemption?"
"If he really is doing it, it's only for revenge, isn't it?" The anger was leaving him, and only a worried frown continued to mar his face.
"Not only for revenge. He knows what it means to the Planet, and he thinks that by doing it on his own, he's protecting the rest of us..."
"I still don't get it, Aeris. How could he do this, even if it is for a cause? Couldn't he think of any other way? He's supposed to be brilliant, isn't he? So why did he have to kill again?"
Aeris sighed. "Cloud, come here," she said softly, beckoning with one hand.
He blinked in confusion, exchanged glances with Tifa, and then walked the few steps towards her once Tifa had let go his arm.
"Sit down?" Aeris entreated with a gentle smile.
He hesitated, but sat as she did.
She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she reopened them, her face had only the ghost of a smile, and her gaze went past what any of them saw.
"Cloud, imagine for a moment, that you are a child, naïve and full of hope as all children are. But you are different; your hope and naïveté are dwindling, because you are a specimen in a lab, and they allow you no freedom. You can only dream, and your dreams seem more and more impossible by the day."
The others watched in complete silence, and as she went on, they began to situate themselves in a circle around her. Aeris's voice remained steady, and she met the gazes of her friends with a knowing smile.
"You are only an experiment, they tell you," she went on. "You are not fit to be with normal, human children. They treat you harshly, they experiment relentlessly, beat you without reason, and you think that perhaps this is how you should be treated, for you have known nothing else. But deep down, a resentment for it kindles, and as you grow older, you become aware that this cruelty is not commonplace. No, it is deeply wrong. But what can you do?
"One day, you see a little girl crying in the hallway as you are heading for the laboratory. For reasons unknown to you, you risk punishment to sit down beside her and ask her if she is all right. But she surprises you; certainly you manage to comfort her, but she notices your pain as well, despite how well you thought you had kept it hidden. And she tells you that you are the same as she--innocent, gifted, kind. It is years before you make a decision--to help her escape this horrible prison. You send her far away from this place, but stay behind yourself in hopes that you are enough to satisfy the curiosity of the Professor.
"The years pass with little difference from one to the next. You grow a little taller, you learn a little more about what you are, you gain a little more confidence, you have a little more to hide. And then, you begin to forget. Your perfect memory is broken and blotched until hardly anything remains."
Aeris paused. Her audience remained silent, watching her. Even Minerva had turned from her daunting task to watch with an openness that Aeris had never seen before.
"...imagine for a moment, that you do not remember much of your past, and that what you do remember is vague and painful. You have never had any friends to speak of, not even friendly acquaintances. Something about you has always set you apart from the others. They laugh at you, sneer, scoff, snicker, condescend, and you become steeled to their words so that no matter what they say, you can bear it without expression or comment.
"Then, finally, imagine that you get your chance to show them all, to prove that you are better than they. But when you finally climb your way to the top, they only look at you in awe for your actions, thinking nothing of you as a person. Disappointed, disillusioned, jaded, you continue on, this nagging doubt in your mind that maybe, maybe they were right.
"And for a while, you lose yourself to your duties, try not to think about the fact that you are completely and utterly alone, that no one even dares to touch you, to speak to you, unless they have to.
"Then one day, you discover that all you have ever been told about your past is a lie. All those little scraps of memories mean nothing at all. Your entire life is a blank, a lie. Suddenly, your identity falls apart. All you ever thought you were is called into question. And that nagging voice in your mind that keeps doubting has grown stronger. Could it be that you are something... less than human?
"No, no, that can't be! You're above them, you have to be! With a ferocity born of years of repressed anger and hurt, you search for something, some piece of information that will prove that you are indeed superior. And look! You have found it! Sad story though it is, you are superior to them in every way, and you would be justified in telling them so, in treating them with a cruelty worse than theirs, in exacting your revenge.
"In killing them.
"...killing them?
"Why not? You've killed before, in wars and battles and numerous missions. Countless people. Why should it be any different now? Just because they are defenseless...? But no, they have wronged you. For your entire existence, for the entire existence of your people, they have always wronged you. And you are the only one who can demand recompense.
"Oh, glorious thing! You are the hero of your race! And you shall exact your vengeance, and be rewarded. And what's more, you find another of your kind, your mother. Your mother, who surely must love and understand you as no one has ever done. She agrees with you, even wants you to kill. Well, then you are doubly justified, are you not?
"So you kill them.
"Time passes, and slowly a new 'truth' reaches your ears. A truth that says you are not what you thought you were, you are not superior, you are not justified.
"What now? Surely that cannot be true. But... what if it is? There is another who claims to be one of your kind, and yet she is against you. Why? This truth says that you are not the same; you are opposites. She is the light and you the darkness.
"No, no, no! You are superior, you are justified. Aren't you? What if these people you have killed... were innocent? Then you are a murderer. Oh, please, gods, you do not want to be a murderer...
"Your mother wishes you to kill this girl who opposes you. She says it must be done, and surely if you go on with your plan, she is right. So you agree, reluctantly, to kill the girl, this girl who says she is that which you are not. For the first time in taking a life, you feel real remorse, and your heart falters. What is it that you have done? What are you doing? Oh, stop, stop, please stop.
"But you must continue on. You are superior, you are justified. Your mother wishes you to take this revenge. So you go on. But you cannot suppress your doubt. Perhaps... you should not be doing this. Perhaps they were right all along. There are many who wish to kill you, and you meet them in a final battle. You no longer have the will to fight them, not after hearing their words. Their words ring true in your ears, and you know you were wrong.
"You are a murderer.
"Let them kill you, then. Let them exact their revenge upon you, for theirs is justified, whereas yours was not. You killed without reason. You are a murderer.
"No one will ever forgive you for this."
Aeris paused to collect herself before she went on.
"Imagine for a moment, that you have been given a new life. Everyone still hates and fears you, but you have a new life. What are you to do with it? What can you do? How can you possibly make amends for your past mistakes? You cannot undo them.
"They tell you, though, that you are powerful. Powerful enough to bring back the dead? Perhaps. So you bring back that girl who is what you were not and can never be. You bring her back, but she hates and fears you, too, doesn't she? Then you shall wander alone for all your remaining years...
"But the source of your oldest, deepest fear resurfaces, and in the midst of your confusion, she comes to you. She says that you are no different than she, even though you are certain you are. What does she mean? Why is she showing you, her murderer, such kindness, when no one else has ever bothered?
"Soon enough, she is in the hands of your enemies, and you cannot allow that. You cannot allow her to be hurt again. So of course you will trade your life for hers. Yours is worthless. Let them do what they want with you; you deserve it.
"But in that awful place, your 'mother' speaks anew in your mind, urging you to join her once again, twisting reality and muddling the line between truth and falsehood until you no longer know what is right and what is wrong. Won't someone free you from this madness and clear your mind of these lies? But you know no one will come.
"But she does. That girl who is everything compared to your nothing, who is pure to your tainted, good to your evil. And she says she cares about you. She says she wants to help you, and she does. Why does she bother? And what is this strange feeling in your heart?
"Your enemies are soon defeated, yet this mystery of the girl remains. You killed her. Why is she not afraid of you? You killed her. Why is she not repulsed by you? You killed her. Why does she care? You killed her. Why do you allow her to remain at your side? Surely you are still dangerous, surely it is better for her to flee from you. Let her go away; you do not want her to die again.
"And yet, you do not want her to go. You want to be with her, always. You want to protect her, though you are not her guardian. She understands you in a way that no one ever has, not even yourself. She cares about you, too. And you... you love her.
"The problem of your 'mother' remains. You have to get rid of her, get her out of your mind, remove her threat from the Planet. But how, if she can see your every thought, are you to find her and kill her? Surely she will only flee. So you must pull off your most incredible deception ever. You must trick even yourself into thinking that you shall side with her. You must deceive her into allowing you near her, that you may stab her in the back. But also, you must prove yourself to her.
"You must kill again.
"You know the girl will never approve. You know her friends will hate you forever. You know everyone will curse your name. But it must be done, because it is the only way.
"You say goodbye to the girl. You tell her you must go, and that she cannot come with you, and that she will hate what you are doing.
"But then, she says something strange.
"'I want you to come back.'
"Surely she cannot mean this. Surely she would never wish to see you again--but there are tears in her eyes and a catch in her throat, and you tell her that of course you will return. You love her. You turn and walk away."
Aeris's voice faltered for the first time, dropping to a whisper. "What you don't know is that she loves you back."
No one spoke when she had finished. Her audience sat mute and somber, all sent deep into thought and none able to meet her gaze. Tears had touched a few faces, and Cloud's wore that troubled expression that Aeris had seen so many times.
"Aeris..." he began, gently intruding upon the silence, but intruding all the same.
She blinked, giving a slight start upon hearing her name, and turned her gaze on him with a hollow expectation.
"I'm sorry," Cloud went on with more certainty. "I've been so mistrustful and hateful toward him, and you..."
"It's all right, Cloud," she told him. "I just hope I've managed to change that."
He nodded sincerely. "I... none of us... can think of him the same way anymore. There's no way."
Aeris smiled faintly, laid a hand on his shoulder, and then turned to Minerva.
The girl dropped her gaze, glancing back at the dead man. "I cannot. It is as though something is stopping me."
"Planet?" the Cetra queried in a murmur.
Wait, child, wait.
"But... why?"
You will understand in time. Do not worry.
Aeris sighed. "The Planet is interfering," she explained, "though I don't know why."
"You mean you can't...?" Yuffie faltered.
She shook her head. "No. Not yet anyway." She glanced up at the gate by which Sephiroth had left. "I'm going to him."
"Aeris..." Cloud began.
She only smiled faintly and got to her feet.
Minerva stood also, catching her gaze. "Aeris, it is his fight. He left you out of it for a reason."
"I know. I have to go anyway. Tell me, where is he?"
The girl hesitated, then passed through the gate to get away from the others gathered there. Her eyes were on the northern horizon. "They are at the Northern Crater."
The Cetra bowed her head. "Thank you." She brushed past the girl on her way out and started down the steps. Behind her, she could hear her friends starting to talk, but she ignored their voices and kept walking.
"You will never make it in time," came Minerva's voice when she had nearly reached the bottom.
Aeris turned to look up at the girl, who stood just a few steps above her.
"Not unless..."
"Not unless what?" Aeris prompted.
"I watched Sephiroth when he left. I may be able to send you there, but I think a part of it is Cetra magic. I will need your help."
The Cetra nodded, but before she could ask for instructions, she noticed Yuffie descending the stairs two at a time, Nanaki keeping pace at her side. The two of them reached her, glancing at Minerva, and Yuffie flashed her a grin.
"We're coming with you," she said.
Aeris blinked in startlement, then shook her head, a smile coming to her face. "I just can't go anywhere by myself, can I?"
"Perhaps it isn't our fight," Nanaki admitted, "but both of us are quite worried about Sephiroth, and you as well. We want to see you succeed."
"Plus, you know, we sorta wanna kick Jenova's ass," Yuffie put in.
Aeris laughed. "Well, I'm glad to have such good friends along."
"So how're we getting there? I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in walking all the way."
"Me neither," Aeris agreed. "Minerva and I were just discussing that. She thinks she might be able to mimic Sephiroth's spell."
"With your help," the girl added.
"Are you coming with us?" the Cetra asked her.
Minerva shook her head. "I don't think that I can. This spell is for children of this Planet, not alien beings such as myself."
"You aren't--"
"No, I am. Not like Sephiroth. Now, did you want to go to his side or not?"
"Right. Just show me what to do."
Author's Notes
No huge changes here, I just cut the chapter off a little earlier than before. I must say, it's weird writing something so lengthy in second person, and without using any names. .x
Originally they went off to join Seph by chocobo, but I realized that "Dude, he'd be dead by the time they got there," so I decided a little magic was necessary. It also provides a reason why Sephiroth can teleport but Minerva can't, which was something I never really explained in LFA.