He had never fought Jenova before. He knew that he would tire out long before she did, and that their battle would tax the Planet's strength should Jenova choose to use her most powerful spells--and he had no doubt that she would. It did not encourage him that his power came from her cells; it was bound to be weaker. Only his Masamune and whatever part of him was Cetra could compensate.
It would be a difficult battle.
Sephiroth was fast, but Jenova was nearly as swift; the Masamune missed by a hair, and Jenova's tentacle by a hand. He brought the blade back towards her, but three more of her nameless appendages shot towards him, and he leapt back, clipping just one of them. A blast of pain assaulted his mind before he could get out of range, and he stumbled, nearly falling as the other two tentacles slammed into him.
One hand went to his head, and he clung to the Masamune as though it were his lifeline. Jenova was trying to seal off his magic, he realized. Without real knowledge of his Cetra magic, it would render him nearly helpless. Even the Masamune would not respond to him; letting go for an instant might mean losing that, too. Sephiroth struggled to avoid the tentacles' whips even as he fought against the heavy barrier pushing down on his mind. It was like trying to forge a blade from nothing to cut through an impenetrable shield.
As the spell pressed closer, revulsion and defiance welled up in him. He could not let her! To be crippled now, before he had so much as wounded her! No, no, no, no! Not again, no more of her control, her oppression, her mockery! Through sheer force of will, he shattered her attack, slashed through the tentacles that berated him, and sent a powerful bolt spell crashing down on her. She threw up a barrier spell in time, but withdrew her severed limbs.
Sephiroth straightened, quickly caught his breath, and struck her with another spell, this one a shard of untamed energy that tore apart her shield like paper and sent her to the ground. She retaliated even before she recovered, hitting him with a spell of twice its power. Sephiroth, however, tore it apart rather than trying to block it. He charged for her with the Masamune, its blade edged in flame.
Wanted to make the battle easier for yourself, did you? he growled as he slashed aside a tentacle to get closer to her actual body. Disable my magic and render me even weaker than Aeris?
Nonsense, she replied, using another limb which surely had not been there a moment ago to knock him sideways. If I had not thought you could have deflected it, I would not have tried.
He stumbled, rolled out of the way of another barrage of tentacles, and launched himself at her, giving her a glancing blow to the shoulder. Why bother wasting your energy with that?
You forget; it's the Planet's energy I'm wasting. Besides, can you even remember the last time you had such a challenge? It must be exhilarating.
Sephiroth scoffed, sliced through another of her expendable limbs, and leapt up to avoid another attack. I don't care what this battle is like so long as you end up dead.
One tentacle managed to wrap itself tightly about his leg and drag him closer to her. And you? You don't care if you die with me?
He broke free with a glare, drawing a gash up her side with the Masamune once he found his footing. I told Aeris I would return, and I mean to keep that promise.
How faithful of you. One of her hands shot out and raked across his left shoulder before he could draw back, but the wounds were superficial enough that he could ignore them.
Reflecting now on how much easier the Masamune had cut her with a fiery edge, Sephiroth called on his most powerful of fire spells and let it envelope the both of them. He was rewarded with a sharp screech in his mind and the barely perceptible pain that came as his only setback to walking through flame. He drew the spell out for as long as he could, but was forced at last to let the flames die and resort to less powerful spells until he recovered his breath.
The fire left Jenova in a crouch, her skin seared and many of her tentacles burned off so that only her humanoid form remained, with a few odd appendages and of course those plated wings folded awkwardly behind her.
Don't like fire much, do you? he asked with a smirk.
Getting to her feet, she cast him a sharp pink glare. Let's see what you're weak against, hmm? Lightning crackled around him, and he lacked the power to put up a strong enough shield. He kept his feet, leaning on the Masamune until the bolts subsided.
That is Minerva's weakness, not mine, he told her as he straightened.
Frustrated, she flung a volley of ice spears towards him, all of which failed to hit. Her tentacles shot towards him just after, and these were harder to avoid. Inevitably, one hit, and then another, and they twined about him. Sephiroth let the Masamune disappear as he fell and threw up a shield as she attacked him with a non-elemental type of magic, but he felt another form of pain coursing down her tentacles and into his body.
His shield wavered, then finally broke, and pain swept through him. He kept tight control of his body to keep from writhing or crying out; he knew that that would only delight her. Amidst the agony, he concentrated on weaving a spell.
When the onslaught abated for an instant, he called up the flames around him. The fire consumed Jenova's tentacles, freeing him, and spread to her body, though she soon dispelled them.
He rolled out of her range, leaping to his feet and closing his fingers around the Masamune as it appeared in his hand. Sephiroth found himself breathing hard, and already he felt drained. The pain lingered in his body, screaming in sharp protest when he moved. Despite these myriad wounds, he stood ready.
You may have a good defense and control of the elements, Jenova considered, but you're already tired, and I am hardly dead.
No matter. I can hold out far longer than you think. I've already wounded you. It is only a matter of time.
She lashed her newly-grown tentacles experimentally. Time is on my side. The longer we fight, the weaker you become. Let us see how well you hold up now...
Searing pain bloomed in his mind. He staggered from the weight of it and leaned heavily on the Masamune. Again he felt the shield pressing down on him. No! He had to have the use of his spells. No. He could not fail here and now. No... If there was anything that could earn him forgiveness, it was winning this battle. Pain...
I promised her. I promised Aeris that I would return. They are all counting on me.
Clenching his teeth, he straightened, forcing the mindblock away. Jenova had come close, her tentacles twisting behind him. As soon as he shattered her spell, she struck out with the whip-like limbs, but there was nothing for them to strike. Sephiroth appeared in the air behind and above her and brought the Masamune downward, opening a gash along her spine.
She whirled, swiping him aside with her serpentine tail. He managed to land on his feet, skidding a little across the frozen grown, then quickly rolled aside to avoid a shower of ice spears.
You enjoy keeping me on my toes, don't you? he asked.
You realize, of course, that you could move more quickly if you let yourself transform.
Transform? he wondered. He recalled, vaguely, that she had used her power to warp his body when she had fought Cloud through him, but he refused to use a form given to him by Jenova. It was enough that he had to use her own power to fight her.
Fine, fine, have it your way. Keep your pitiful human form, she spat, launching another set of tentacles at him.
He felt one of her lesser, water-based spells, bubble and pulse around him. It was not one he could have deflected, but still it caused him not even the slightest pain. Leviathan, he remembered when it had abated. Thank you, Yuffie.
A blast of non-elemental energy hit him, and he grimaced. Unfortunately, those kinds of spells still hit hard. He struck back at Jenova with a maelstrom of fire and raw power, then charged for her with his Masamune as she struggled back to her feet.
Minerva turned from watching Cid as he left for the Highwind, letting her gaze fall upon the gatekeeper's body with a sigh. "We should move his corpse," she decided, stepping away from where she stood against one pole of the gate. "The villagers won't want their children to see it, I expect."
Miera nodded in agreement. "Let's move him up into the observatory for now. The children rarely go there, and never without permission."
The others exchanged glances, wondering who would be the one to carry such a burden, and Minerva was about to do it herself when Rude quietly knelt and picked up the body. She met his gaze, nodded, and bent to retrieve the head.
The tall Turk led the way to the top of the canyon, and when they reached the observatory, he laid the body down on the couch of its first floor.
Minerva set the head down near it and shook her head slightly. "Perhaps the Planet wants Sephiroth to revive him," she mused, though she doubted it could be so simple.
Rude nodded. "Perhaps."
She glanced at him. "What do you make of all this?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I expected none of this when I agreed to come. It's turned out to be... intriguing, if that's the word." He hesitated. "I hope it all turns out well. It's gone well for Reno, Elena, and Reeve anyway."
She tilted her head. "And you?"
Another shrug, this one uncomfortable. "If my friends are happy, it's good enough for me."
"I see. You are an observer."
He blinked. "I guess you could say that."
She offered him a rare smile. "Try living life; I've discovered that it's more fun."
Rude chuckled softly. "Reno should consider himself lucky."
Minerva only shrugged, her smile fading as she turned for the door, Rude following in silence.
Many of those near the gate had left, gone to sit by the Candle. Rude's friends remained, as did Katrina, who stood speaking earnestly to Elder Margo. The blood was all but gone from the earth where Ira had fallen.
Minerva and Rude had just rejoined the group when a little girl came running up. "Ira!" she cried, grasping Margo's skirts. "What's happened to Ira?"
"Kari, dear, calm down," the Elder said gently. "Ira will be all right..."
The girl shook her head vehemently. "I heard Sephiroth hurt 'im. But Sephiroth wouldn't hurt anyone, would he? Would he?"
Those gathered shifted uncomfortably as they watched the scene. A woman joined Elder Margo, shaking her head. "Kari, please," she said desperately.
"Mommy, what happened?"
"Anne, did you try to tell her...?" Margo began.
"One of the older children started to tell her, and now she won't settle for any answer I give her..."
"Then tell her the truth," Minerva said quietly.
Anne and Margo both looked at her and then exchanged glances. "She's only five," Anne said.
Minerva sighed and strode to Kari, crouching down in front of her. "Can you listen to me for a moment without jumping to any conclusions?" she asked.
The girl nodded, releasing Margo's skirt to face this stranger who looked like Sephiroth.
"Sephiroth did hurt Ira," she said. "He killed Ira..." The little girl's tearful eyes widened, but she said nothing and Minerva went on. "But he did not want to. Someone named Jenova forced him to, and he has gone to fight her now. Do you understand?"
Kari nodded. "So... Ira's... dead?"
"Yes."
The girl mulled this over for a long moment. "Is he ever coming back?"
Minerva hesitated. "I am not sure. He might be."
"But... he might not?" Kari wondered, her voice faltering. She broke down into tears, clinging to the girl with the silver hair.
Blinking in surprise, Minerva put a tentative hand on the girl's shoulder and glanced up at Anne, silently entreating her to take the girl.
Anne bent down and gently pulled her daughter to her, and Kari cried into her shoulder instead. Rising to her feet, Minerva watched the pair uncertainly.
"I suppose she would have found out eventually," Margo said with a sigh. "Poor dear."
The silver-haired girl turned away and headed for the stairs. She heard footsteps behind her: Reno. She did not stop until she reached the ledge half-way up the canyon, where she sat down. He joined her a moment later.
"Didn't know you were good with kids," he remarked with a grin.
She shrugged. "I just didn't want them to lie to her."
"Maybe the Planet'll let Sephiroth revive him once Jenova's dead," Reno suggested.
"Maybe," she agreed. "Or maybe it is tired of the Lifestream's natural course being interrupted."
"It should understand, shouldn't it?"
Minerva shook her head. "How should I know? I cannot hear the Planet."
He shrugged. "So how's Sephiroth doing, do you know?"
"He is alive," she answered. "Aeris has just arrived, and Jenova is not pleased."
"You worried?"
"...a bit. Mainly because Aeris is."
He studied her for a moment, drawing her gaze. "They'll be okay," he said, leaning back. "Sephiroth's pretty powerful, isn't he? Aeris, too."
Minerva did not reply.
The redhead looked back at her. "You okay?"
"I am fine," she deadpanned. After a pause, she went on, "I just... I am worried. Even if Aeris asked him to come back, she did not tell him she loved him. He may get reckless, not knowing that."
"But she's there now. She'll tell him."
"I hope so," she said, though she doubted that during the chaos of battle, Aeris would remember those three little words.
Reno sat up and took her hand to get her attention. "Hey. He'll be okay."
She met his gaze with a troubled expression. "Reno..." And then she leaned against him like a sigh, letting go. Who cared if she looked weak? Who cared...?
He put an arm around her, pulling her closer and saying nothing.
"Thank you," she murmured softly.
"No problem," he replied. After a long moment, he remarked, "You never did answer my question."
"What question?"
A slight hesitation. "You know, when I asked if you'd marry me."
"Reno, you were drunk..."
"I still meant it."
She shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not..."
"Don't you dare say I deserve better," he interrupted, catching her tone, "because I don't deserve a damn thing. I was a real bastard before I met you."
She found no words to reply.
"You do know what marriage is, don't you?"
"I do," she said. "It's just that... I have not even known you for a week..."
"Then give me a maybe or a no."
Minerva was silent for a long time. She knew what Aeris's 'maybe' had done to Sephiroth. She would not wish that on Reno, and she could not say no, but to commit herself like that...? Why did he have to ask her now? she wondered in torment.
What are you so uncertain about? she asked herself. Don't you love him? She started. Did she?
"...Min?" He sounded anxious, worried more by her lack of response than how she might reply.
She twisted to look at him, at his brilliant red hair, his twin scars, his aquamarine eyes. Did she love this man? This man with his straightforward compassion and intuitive comprehension of her needs? Did she love him?
"How about a yes?" she offered.
"R-really?" he stammered, surprised but grinning. "You mean it?"
"Yes," she replied. "But, not any time soon. I mean..."
Reno hugged her tightly, startling her. After a moment, Minerva found herself returning the embrace.
Aeris broke into a run when she caught sight of the battle, feeling more than seeing the powerful spells the two were throwing at each other. Minerva had managed to teleport the three to the edge of the crater, just beyond Gaea's Cliffs, and there was yet some distance between them and Sephiroth. Once she drew close enough to the two, Aeris struck Jenova with the strongest bolt spell she could muster.
The alien broke off whatever attack she had been bombarding Sephiroth with and turned a glare on her. Meddling Cetra bitch, she hissed, and Sephiroth flinched. What was only a low growl in Aeris's mind must have been a shout in his.
He turned to her as she came up to him, keeping one wary eye on Jenova. "Aeris, what are you doing here?"
"Keeping my word to you," she replied. She would have offered him a smile had she not noticed how worn he looked. "I told you I'd fight with you."
Enough of this, Jenova spat, and this time Sephiroth grimaced in real pain, plunging the Masamune into the ground and leaning heavily on it. An instant later, Aeris felt it, too, a searing pain in her mind that grew in intensity. Then suddenly it wavered and lessened, and she noticed the look of concentration and mingled agony on Sephiroth's face.
"What's going on?" asked Yuffie, who had just caught up.
"Jenova's... trying to hurt us through our minds," Aeris managed. "You remember... fighting Minerva. Didn't she do something similar?" Aeris winced as something broke, and the pain flooded into her mind. She found herself leaning against the ninja. Yes, it was akin to Minerva's spells, only much, much stronger.
Nanaki was bounding for Jenova now, intent on hurting her to stop the attack, but Yuffie stayed back to support Aeris, backing him up with spells instead.
The pain abated abruptly, though its memory lingered in her mind. Jenova gave her two victims but an instant's rest before she unleashed an attack upon all of them. It felt as though huge shards of energy were slicing and stabbing into her. Suddenly she was the one supporting Yuffie, who seemed even more affected by the spell than Aeris.
Noticing Yuffie's acute agony, Jenova moved towards the pair. She gathered the girl in her tentacles and yanked her back with Aeris powerless to do anything through her pain. Crying out for her friend, the Cetra tried to concentrate, but all she could manage was a weak fire spell. It was enough to make Jenova cease the attack, but not enough to make her let Yuffie go. She thrashed her tentacles about the girl, who slashed back at them with her Conformer.
Nanaki leapt in, biting and snapping at the offensive appendages to free her. She found her feet and kept up with him as he bounded out of Jenova's range. Aeris started to look around for Sephiroth, but he darted up behind the alien then, swinging the Masamune in an upward arc that drew blood, though she could not see how deep the wound went. It did not prevent Jenova from shooting a brilliant blue flame after Nanaki and Yuffie as they fled.
The ninja stumbled, but quickly whirled and struck back at her with an ice spell. Annoyed, or perhaps to mock Yuffie's reliance on materia, Jenova countered this with a strong bolt spell that dropped the girl to her knees. Nanaki turned around to charge Jenova and give her three deep gashes from the blades in his headdress. She repelled him with a barrage of ice spears, a few of which embedded themselves in his flank, making him tumble head-over-paws and land some feet from Yuffie.
A strong water spell burst up around everyone, coming down heaviest on Nanaki and Yuffie, whose magic defenses were not nearly as strong as their companions.' Sephiroth seemed completely unharmed, though having fought for the longest, he showed a constant fatigue. Aeris wondered how much of his strength was now pretense, and how much was still real.
The swordsman flung out a hand, cutting Jenova's spell short as he blasted her with one of his own. The alien stumbled backwards from the force, then sank to her knees, one hand on the ground to support her. Aeris cast a glance to her left where Yuffie was helping Nanaki to pull the spears from his flanks, watching Jenova out of the corner of her eye.
The Cetra started over to heal their wounds when she felt something that made her look back at Sephiroth. He was leaning on the Masamune again, one hand covering his mouth. She pivoted and ran to him, laying a hand on his back and watching him anxiously. He did not seem to notice her; his eyes were shut tightly, and he was coughing violently. Aeris concentrated on a healing spell, though it seemed as though his body was one great wound. He lost his grip on the Masamune and fell to his knees.
"Sephiroth, hold on," she pleaded, though she doubted he heard her. She concentrated again, and the first warmth of healing had just left her hands when Jenova's attack shredded her thoughts and sent her mind whirling amidst pain. She leaned against Sephiroth even as she tried to shield him with her body, though what help that would have been, she did not know. He shifted and enveloped her in his arms, and she felt the pain lessen.
"Don't," she whispered.
"I'm all right," he forced out. "Don't worry, I'm all right..."
But Aeris could not ignore the trickle of blood at the side of his mouth. The spell subsided, and she formed her own as quickly as she could, letting a phoenix wind whip across the battlefield, flooding it with a healing warmth for all but Jenova, who staggered from the burning pain.
She drew back from Sephiroth. "Better?" she asked.
He nodded slightly and climbed to his feet. Was it her, or did he seem just the slightest bit unsteady? She frowned anxiously and started to get up, too, when something wrapped around her ankle and yanked sharply backwards. She fell hard to the frozen earth and felt herself dragged backwards as more tentacles wound their way about her. Sephiroth retrieved his Masamune and darted after her, severing the ensnaring limbs. He grasped her by the arm and pulled her to her feet, just a little too roughly. She stumbled against him, but he gave her a slight push away and charged for Jenova with his blade.
Aeris backed away, watching him dodge and slash at the tentacles to get at his foe. She cried out when one slammed into him from the side, but he turned, severed it, and leapt out of the way of the next that came towards him. Finally one caught his wrist and pulled it down. The Masamune disappeared, and the other tentacles lashed down upon him. Aeris could do nothing.
Yuffie, having finally recovered from these powerful spells, sprang towards Jenova, throwing her shuriken as she ran. Nanaki bounded at her side. The Conformer severed three of the tentacles attacking Sephiroth and tore through one of Jenova's wings as it returned to Yuffie's hand. She was close enough now to strike at the rest of the tentacles, severing most of them and offering a hand up to Sephiroth. He grasped it only for a moment, disoriented, letting go once he could find his feet on his own.
Nanaki, meanwhile, was attacking Jenova with all he had--claws, teeth, the blades in his mane--but he could not avoid the strong tentacle that swiped him aside. Hearing the crunch of bone, Aeris ran forward to help him out of Jenova's range. A quick blast of energy sent Yuffie flying backwards and Sephiroth stumbling half as far.
The swordsman straightened quickly and called out to Aeris. Nanaki gave her a curt nod, and she ran to join Sephiroth.
"Do you think you can figure something out with me?" he asked her. At her brusque nod, he went on, "Jenova is weak against fire; I want to try combining spells."
"Combined?" she asked, eyes widening. She took a deep breath. "All right. We'll try it." Grasping his hand, she focused completely on the spell, letting her weaving intertwine with Sephiroth's, which she found surprisingly clear to her. At an unspoken cue, they let loose the flames, watching as they enveloped Jenova in a brilliant bloom of fire. Aeris was forced to turn away from its brightness and look instead at Sephiroth.
She blinked in surprise at what she saw; the flamelight played on his face and his body and outlined one feathered wing in light, behind his right shoulder and spreading backwards. She blinked rapidly, and, finding it still there, she simply stared. With the dying of the fire, though, so did the wing fade from view.
"What is it?" Sephiroth asked her.
"A... a wing," she murmured, then shook her head at his raised eyebrow. They both looked back at Jenova, only to be greeted with a painful assault on their minds. Aeris felt the agony race through her blood as shards of flame and ice. Her mind was full of knives and hammers and painful heavy things. She found herself clinging again to Sephiroth for support, but he could not hold them both up, and they dropped to the ground simultaneously.
Stop, stop, stop, stop! her mind screamed over and over as she shut her eyes tightly. Somewhere in her soul, she felt the Planet scream.
Damned Cetra bitch! she heard through the pain. I will not let you have him! Never! You do not deserve him! He is mine! Weak, am I? Who is helpless and screaming and sobbing? Damn you! Damn you for stealing him from me!
Please, stop, she begged. He belongs to no one but himself!
The pain lessened a little, and Aeris forced open her eyes to look at Sephiroth. He lay curled up beside her, taken by a fit of coughing so severe she feared it would tear up his lungs, one hand pressed to his mouth in an attempt to hold back the blood that nevertheless escaped between his gloved fingers. His other hand clasped hers tightly, and probing a little, she could sense the feeble shield that he had placed over her mind. The pain could not reach her directly, she realized. It had first to flow through Sephiroth.
"Stop it, you're killing him!" she cried aloud, throwing herself across his body. "Please," she whispered to him. "Just hold on..."
The agony cut off abruptly, and she managed to lift her head to see Ifrit's great flame envelope Jenova. Resisting the temptation to lie down, Aeris drew back from him, keeping one hand on his shoulder. "Sephiroth," she said urgently, "are you all right?"
He grunted in response and struggled to get up. He fell back at first, but with a second push, he forced himself up into a crouch. Wiping the back of his hand across his face and leaving behind a few crimson streaks, he answered hoarsely, "Yes."
Swallowing her sobs, Aeris turned her attention to Jenova, seeing her pounce upon Nanaki and slice at him with clawed hands--she seemed to lack the strength to grow new limbs. Yuffie rushed to her friend's aid, cutting a deep gash in the muscles of Jenova's arm. The alien threw both back with a blast of magic that kept hitting them even as they lay helpless.
Resolutely, the Cetra climbed to her feet, bringing the strongest fire spell she could muster crashing down on Jenova. The alien staggered and whirled upon her, running forward and spinning to knock Aeris to the ground with her serpentine tail. She fell upon the Cetra, breathing raggedly, gouging at her with her one good hand, using her bleeding, near-useless arm to hold herself up.
Sephiroth kicked Jenova off of her and sent her tumbling back with a blast of magic. He dropped down beside Aeris as she pulled herself up. "One more spell," he whispered, looking at her pointedly.
Nodding, she took his hand and focused. She could not see his spell so clearly this time. It was visible to her only as a vague impression, and she carefully wove her threads of fire around it, strengthening this foreign material. One of Jenova's spells slammed down upon them, but Aeris squeezed Sephiroth's hand, and neither submitted to the pain, nor did they let it shred their spell.
Finally it was ready, and it burst from them, striking their foe with a force born of flame and fury and determination. Jenova's attack wavered, then hammered down with an even greater force that lasted one long, unbearable moment before it finally faltered and began to die. Aeris sensed Sephiroth's part of their spell begin to weaken, and he slumped against her.
At last Jenova's spell died out, and a moment later, so did Sephiroth's, leaving only the tail end of Aeris's flame to carry out its instructions. The Planet's screaming died down, and then it, too, fell silent.
Jenova lay motionless in a steaming heap of blue and violet flesh.
Aeris paid her no more attention and turned to the man in her arms. "Sephiroth. Oh, gods, Sephiroth..." She moved one hand to caress his face. He was alive. Barely.
His eyes fluttered open and focused on her. "Aeris?" he queried, as though he could not believe that she was still there.
"Yes, it's me. I'm here with you."
"I... tried to shield you," he said regretfully.
"I know, I know... And I'm all right, but you..."
"Why did you come?" he interrupted.
"I... I was worried about you, and now..." She bit her lip. "Oh, please, you can't die..."
He closed his eyes and spoke quite calmly, if carefully. "It does seem as though I am going to. Doesn't it? I am sorry that I lied to you. I don't think I will be coming back."
"I'll heal you," Aeris said suddenly, though she did not know if she could heal such wounds. "You'll recover."
"Don't waste your energy on me."
"Why not? What else do I need it for?"
Sephiroth opened his eyes briefly, then closed them again. "You were right... about Jenova. She was afraid of dying. But this time... she was willing to go, as long as she could take me with her."
"But you don't have to go," she insisted.
"I think, if I stay, she may find some reason to return... before the Planet can decide what to do with her."
"Then I'll bring you back once we're certain Jenova is dead."
"What for? Certainly the world is better off without me. They will probably rejoice more at my death than hers."
"I don't care what they think," Aeris declared. "I want you back." Closing her eyes, she concentrated on healing his wounds. Gods, there were so many of them, so many that she could not even comprehend, much less heal. Any normal man would have died ten times over at least.
Stop, child.
She started, opening her eyes. "Planet?"
Let him go.
"But why? Is he right?"
Sephiroth opened his eyes, watching her in hazy confusion, but said nothing.
Don't know, but you not one to decide if he lives or dies.
"Then who is?"
His victims.
"But I'm one of them, and I say he lives!"
Are others, not agree. All must be heard. The Planet's half-formed thoughts surprised her, but she realized that it must have been busy dealing with Jenova. Even so, she pressed on urgently.
"Please. Hasn't he redeemed himself?"
Will be decided.
"And if they decide in his favor, you'll bring him back to me?"
Yes.
"When?"
Don't know.
"Please," she whispered.
Will inform when conclusion reached. Until then, you will not take from me any that has suffered and died by his hand. Understand?
"Yes..." She sighed as the Planet's awareness left her and looked down at Sephiroth, blinking back tears.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"The Planet is taking you to be judged," she told him. "It doesn't know if or when you're coming back."
"Who is judging me?"
"Your victims," she answered, biting her lip. "I wish I could be there to defend you..."
"What will happen will happen." He lifted one gloved hand up to her, and she noticed a red materia orb in his palm. "Tell Yuffie 'thank you,'" he said.
She clasped his hand firmly. "I will."
Sephiroth grasped weakly at her hand. "Now... they are truly bloody, aren't they?"
"It doesn't matter," she said, shaking her head.
"To you."
She only held his hand closer to her heart. "I'll wait for you."
"Don't," he told her. "I don't want you... wasting your life just for me."
"But I want to spend it with you, not anyone else."
He started to sigh, but winced and inhaled sharply. "What... do you want me for?" he wondered. "Surely... there are other men, more worthy of you... and it would not be hard to find one capable of loving you."
"But I don't love any other man."
"What do you mean?"
"I need you, not Cloud, not Reno, not anyone else."
Sephiroth stared at her silently, and she could not read his gaze. "What if... I don't come back?" he asked finally.
She shook her head stubbornly. "I don't want to consider it. I won't consider it. You're coming back to me, just like you promised."
"But, for now... The Planet wants me. Goodbye, Aeris. If I can, I will come back to you."
"Goodbye, Sephiroth," she whispered, bending down close to his face. "I love you."
But his eyes were sightless, and already it seemed the warmth was going from his hand. Closing her fingers about the materia, she laid his hand down across his chest and closed his eyes. For a long moment she sat there in silence, staring at his lifeless body and trying to hold back the sob in her throat. At length she blinked and shook her head, clumsily dragging herself to her feet.
Aeris looked around, spotted Nanaki and Yuffie, and tried to walk over to them, but her feet refused to move. Everything looked blurry through her tears, and she blinked to clear her vision. "Mother, help me," she mouthed.
Be strong, Aeris, came Ifalna's voice in a soothing whisper. Everything will turn out all right.
"I want to see him again. I have to..."
You will. Don't worry.
"But, what if they... what if they decide against him?"
They won't. They couldn't possibly...
"But, maybe they will..."
I will defend him in your place.
She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "Thank you."
Ifalna sent the impression of a smile. You know I'd do anything for you. Now, it looks like I have work to do. Go help your friends.
Aeris nodded and drew herself up with a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she strode towards her companions, ignoring the tears staining her cheeks. Yuffie lay on the ground with Nanaki hunched beside her, nuzzling her gently. He looked up at the Cetra as she approached, golden eye questioning.
"He... he's dead," she said, failing to maintain any semblance of calm when uttering those few words. Nanaki regarded her with a deep empathy, but she shook her head dismissively and knelt down beside Yuffie. "Is she all right?"
Yuffie opened her eyes ever-so-slightly. "Hey, Aeris," she forced out. "I'm alive. Just... would appreciate... a little help."
"These wounds are beyond me," Nanaki told her mournfully.
The Cetra laid one hand lightly on Yuffie's cheek and took several moments to heal the worst of her wounds. The ninja struggled to a sitting position as Aeris pulled her fingers away. Noticing the bloody handprint she had left, Aeris murmured an apology, showing Yuffie her red-stained palm.
"That's okay."
She turned then to Nanaki. "Here, let me heal you, too. You took a pretty harsh beating." Her magic knitted his flesh back together, and she sat back. "Thanks, you two. If you hadn't come with me..."
Nanaki nuzzled her shoulder. "I am sorry, Aeris..."
"It's not your fault. The Planet is going to let his victims judge him. If... if they decide as much, he'll come back to me."
"I hope he killed some very understanding people," Yuffie said. "Otherwise..." She trailed off at Aeris's frown.
The three sat in silence for a time.
"I guess," Yuffie faltered, "all we can do now is wait for Cid to get here with the Highwind."
Nanaki nodded in agreement. "In the meantime, perhaps we should try to find some shelter," he suggested.
Aeris, meanwhile, had made her slow way back to Sephiroth's body and knelt down beside it. She smoothed his hair with the backs of her fingers. A faded expression of pain remained in his features, but there was no trace of life, no smile, no blue eyes with their faint shimmer. Biting her lip, she fought back another wave of tears, and a strong hand on her shoulder made her look up.
"Are you okay?" asked Yuffie, having followed her here.
The Cetra nodded. "I'll be all right..." She pulled herself to her feet, disoriented. Things were beginning to seem hazy around the edges, like she was dreaming this and had no control over her actions. Finally really noticing Yuffie, she handed her the materia she still held. "Sephiroth said thank you," she managed, swallowing another sob.
The ninja took the orb with a nod, clasping it tightly. "I'll be waiting to hear that straight from his mouth soon enough. I expect better of him than this messenger stuff."
Aeris could only manage a wavering smile as she turned with Yuffie to find some shelter from the wind. She wished that the Planet had let her heal him. She wished that she had been able to tell him before the battle. She wished, selfish desire that it was, that she had died in his stead.
But most of all, she just wanted to hear his voice telling her that everything was all right.
Author's Notes
And thus begins the angst. Oh ho...
Honestly I don't particularly like this chapter, except for the end. Mostly this is because I still haven't figured out how to do good battle scenes. I remember when I first wrote this, I actually determined how much damage (hit-point-wise) each spell would do to each of the characters, etc, etc. Pretty sad, huh? But at least I'm not embarrassed by these scenes.
Also, Reno asking Min to marry him (again) came to me completely out of the blue. I was just writing the scene with the two of them, and for some reason he just had to ask that right at that moment. >> But hey, I kinda like it.