"What is it?"
She caught Reno's arm to steady herself. "He... They are both dead."
He blinked, his gaze on her growing more intense. "Sephiroth and...?"
"Jenova," Minerva finished. "Killed each other."
"Did Aeris not make it in time?"
"No, she did." Grief finally began to slip into her voice as she went on. "I suppose... she could not heal him. Or perhaps she lacked the energy. Or the Planet stopped her. Or..." She faltered and fell silent.
Reno gently pulled her into his arms. "Hey, it'll be okay. I mean, the guy's died twice before, hasn't he? Death doesn't exactly seem final for him."
"But how many lives do we have? Perhaps from this sort of death, there can be no recovery. Perhaps the Planet will not let him return. Perhaps..." Her voice dropped to a murmur. "Perhaps I have lost my only brother just when I have finally found him."
"Let's wait and see what Aeris says when she comes back before you work yourself into despair, all right? She is okay, isn't she?"
Minerva nodded. "I think so. Sephiroth shielded her." She paused. "I hope that she is strong enough to live through this without breaking."
"She's strong," Reno assured her.
She drew back from him. She had had her moment of weakness. She would not allow herself any longer. "I suppose we should tell the others," she sighed. "If Cloud looks even the slightest bit pleased, I will rip his head off."
Her declaration seemed to catch him off guard. "Vicious today, aren't we?"
The girl shot him a half-hearted glare. "My brother just died. How am I supposed to be feeling?"
"Depressed and snappish," he replied. "Sure. It's just that it's usually the brother who's the protective one."
"Protective?" she wondered softly, shaking her head. "I could not protect him from anything."
Reno opened his mouth to reply, but she turned away from him, striding towards the Candle where the others were waiting anxiously. She ignored all of them save Lucrecia and seated herself beside the woman. Everyone fell silent, some watching her worriedly, others only favoring her with a glance. They all knew that if there were news of the battle, she would be its messenger.
She spoke softly, her words obviously meant for Lucrecia alone, but still audible to the others. "Whatever good news I have will pale beside the bad. The battle is over, and Sephiroth... Sephiroth is dead. But so is Jenova."
Lucrecia stared at her, not wanting to believe. "What... what did you say?"
"Sephiroth and Jenova are dead," Minerva said more firmly.
Tears flickered in Lucrecia's eyes, but she only nodded. "I see..."
"Are Aeris, Nanaki, and Yuffie all right?" Tifa asked, as though dreading the answer.
The girl got to her feet. "I cannot say for certain. Aeris, at least, is alive."
The brunette sat back with a frown. Cloud glanced at her, then put an arm around her, and she smiled at him briefly, gratefully.
Minerva glanced around at those gathered to see their reactions. Most were somber-faced, keeping their eyes downcast and their thoughts to themselves. Lucrecia was crying silently, and Vincent was doing his best to comfort her.
Katrina's sorrow in particular caught her eye. The girl stared listlessly at the ground, hugging herself and rocking back and forth as a tear made its soft track down her face. Was that how a normal girl would have reacted? Minerva wondered. Should she have been crying, too? She probably could if she let herself, but what good would it do?
Cloud, she noticed, looked no more pleased with the news than his companions. His face showed none of the complacency that she had almost expected from him. Of course, the lives of three people he did care about remained in question. So when they returned safe and sound--as Minerva found herself assuming they would--perhaps then he would smile. Perhaps then most of them would be happy. If their friends made it back and the enemy was dead, who cared if they lost Sephiroth along the way?
Her heart full of bitterness, Minerva turned away, walking past where Reno stood waiting and sitting down in the corner beneath the stairs. The redhead sat down beside her, watching her in concern.
"Do not worry about me," she told him. "I have enough strength in me, and enough ice, to get over it."
"Well, I'll agree with part of that," Reno said, "but you're no more cold than Sephiroth was."
She scoffed. "You barely knew him."
"But I know you."
She looked away. "Please, I do not wish to talk about myself right now."
"Just admit that you're not cold-hearted, and I'll drop it."
"But how can I be? I have attacked my allies and friends, nearly killed them..."
"Min, do you think I'm nice?"
She glanced back at him. "Yes, of course."
"Do you know how many people I've killed for no reason whatsoever?"
"No..."
"A lot," he replied. "Not as many as Sephiroth, maybe, but still a lot."
The girl nodded. "You are saying that even someone with empathy can kill. Fine. You are right. But that does not prove your point."
"Well, it negated yours, and I guess that'll have to do for now. We can talk about it later."
"Thank you," she sighed, leaning her head against the wall and closing her eyes. "Life outside really is strange. It is not yet noon, and already today I have watched my brother kill an innocent man, accepted your proposal, and felt the simultaneous deaths of one I hated vehemently and one I loved dearly. So different from the lab's monotony..."
"At least it can only get better from here, right?" Reno reasoned.
"I suppose." Minerva fell silent and wondered what 'better' would be. Aeris could revive Sephiroth, or perhaps Minerva could do it herself. 'Better' would mean that Aeris would get to spend her life with the man she loved, that Minerva and Reno would get married and he would teach her how to live, and that no one else would have to die save from old age.
But that was childish thinking. It was probable that Sephiroth would remain dead--that was the natural way of things, wasn't it?--and Aeris would break. And of course there would be murderers and criminals, accidents and disease. Perhaps she would never kill, but others would. And Reno? She was certain that he, at least, would stay with her.
She stole a glance at him. He sat quietly against the wall beside her with his legs half-stretched out and his arms folded. His gaze was wandering, now looking out at the canyon, now gazing up at the sky, now glancing over at her. With a start, she averted her gaze.
What would Sephiroth think, she wondered, if he knew she was going to marry Reno? Would he smile and congratulate her? He had told her to stop pushing him away, after all. It would surprise him, though, to find that she had gone so far as that. Perhaps it would even hurt him a little because he would not think Aeris would accept if he asked her such a thing.
But what would happen to Aeris now that she had lost Sephiroth? Was she strong enough to move on without him, or would his death be the end of her, too? And had she told him she loved him before he died, or had she been too late, as she had been with Cloud? There would be an even deeper pain for her than for Minerva, no matter what the case. Minerva, at least, had Reno and his friends. Who did Aeris have, if not Sephiroth? Where would she go?
"Reno?" she queried.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think we should offer to stay with Aeris, or at least to let her come with us, if Sephiroth is indeed to remain dead?"
He paused, trying to figure out from what line of thought her question had arisen. "Yeah," he agreed. "She'll need someone to help her out."
"I hope we do not have to offer, though."
"Me, too. I wanted to get to know the guy."
"...and I wanted to see him finally find a place to belong."
"There they are," Vincent stated quietly.
Tifa looked up. No cheers announced their friends' arrival, no cries of 'welcome back,' no smiles, no excitement. Simply that flat, empty statement. 'There they are.'
Cloud got wearily to his feet, and she followed suit. They all remained motionless, poised anxiously, squinting in the midnight darkness as Cid came up first, followed by Yuffie, Nanaki at her heels, and finally, reluctantly, Aeris. The Cetra seemed barely able to keep her head up. Tifa recognized that look; she had seen it on Cloud's face after they had defeated Sephiroth and the weight of Aeris's death had become inescapable.
Shaking her head, she forced herself down the steps and went to greet them. "Aeris, Yuffie, Nanaki... welcome back," she said as Cid came to stand beside her.
"Hey, Tifa," Yuffie replied tiredly. The other two remained silent, barely meeting her gaze. Cloud, Katrina, and Miera came to join them. The feline walked up to Nanaki, and the two touched noses in greeting.
"I'm glad you're all okay," Tifa went on. "When we heard about Sephiroth, I..."
"You heard?" Aeris asked faintly.
She nodded. "Minerva told us. Aeris... I'm so sorry..."
The Cetra smiled sadly. "There's nothing you could have done, so don't apologize." She paused, looking past her. "You, too, Cloud. I know what you're about to say."
No one spoke. Minerva and Reno joined them in the silence, just as mute.
Aeris looked at each of them in turn, and Tifa found she could not hold that gaze. "The Planet has claimed him for now," the Cetra told them. "Everyone he's killed, everyone who's suffered because of him, and... I hope those that he helped--they're going to judge him. And if they decide as much, the Planet will let him return. So I can't loose faith yet."
"He may come back, you say?" Minerva asked hopefully. For once she sounded like the girl she was.
"That's what the Planet said, but I don't know any more than that. It's busy now, trying to accept Jenova's soul."
"Accept it?" Cloud repeated, sounding appalled at the idea.
The Cetra nodded. "That's the only way she can die for certain: if her soul enters the Lifestream. Otherwise, she'll continue on as she has, immortal."
Tifa laid a hand on her shoulder before anyone could ask another question of the poor woman. "Come on, Aeris. You look like you could fall asleep any minute. Let Nanaki or Yuffie tell us about the battle."
Aeris nodded gratefully. "Right..."
The brunette led her past all the concerned gazes of their friends, past the questioning gaze of the innkeeper, and into the shelter of one of the rooms.
Sitting down on one bed, Aeris stared unseeing at the far wall. "Thanks, Tifa," she said. "One more minute of watching their faces, and... I know you all pity me, for losing him, even though most of you still can't bring yourselves to like him."
Tifa stood awkwardly near her. "Aeris..."
"You were right, you know."
She gave a start.
Aeris's gaze focused on her. "When you said it seemed like we were more than friends. I should have realized it. But, Tifa, I was afraid of falling in love and then losing him, like I lost Zack, like Cloud lost me. And now... I don't even think he heard me when I told him..."
"I'm sure he did," Tifa said. "And if he didn't, then someone will tell him, won't they?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes, someone will tell him. I wonder... if the Planet took him to the Promised Land. I wonder if he's watching me now."
"Why would he be taken to the Promised Land?" she asked in confusion.
"Oh, he does have some Cetra blood in him. Not much, but I think the Planet has forgiven him, so maybe..."
A thought occurred to her. "And maybe... Your mother, Ifalna--she talked to you from the Promised Land, didn't she? Maybe Sephiroth can talk to you, too."
Aeris's face brightened. "You think so...? He probably just hasn't realized it yet. Maybe he hasn't even woken up yet."
Tifa smiled gently and sat down beside her friend for a moment. "You look like you took a beating, too. Do you need--?"
"No, that's all right," the Cetra interrupted. "I don't think materia could heal these wounds anyway. I'll take care of them when I'm rested."
"All right," the brunette conceded, though she would rather have tried anyway. "Aeris... I hope they can all find it in their hearts to forgive him. So he comes back."
Aeris managed a smile, a real smile. "Thank you, Tifa. But I know he'll come back. He promised me he would."
Tifa nodded, admiring the faith her friend had in Sephiroth, and got to her feet. "I'll leave you be so you can rest," she said, leaving the room and closing the door softly behind her.
She found herself wishing she could do something to help Sephiroth. She had suffered by his hand, too, hadn't she? So why couldn't she be among those who decided his fate? Aeris needed him to live again. Tifa remembered that night when they had danced together, and how happy Aeris had looked. The two of them belonged together, and she felt ashamed now that she had ever thought or said otherwise.
She wondered if Cloud felt the same. After Aeris's story, surely he understood. Tifa cast a glance back towards the Cetra's room as she headed down the hall. Aeris... tell the Planet we want to help, too.
The other Cetra hung far back from him, but Ifalna strode boldly onward, stopping only a few feet away from him. Gods, her daughter had fallen for a beautiful man. He lay on his back with one knee up and his gloved hands folded loosely across his stomach. He wore all black in stark contrast to his fair skin and fine silver hair. His head lay tilted to one side, his black lashes lightly closed and his delicate features smooth. He looked so... innocent. This did not seem like a man capable of killing without a second thought. This was a lonely boy who had lost his way.
He frowned suddenly and shifted, struggling to consciousness. His eyes opened, and he sat up immediately, looking around to find his bearings, but what could he possibly recognize in this field of flowers? Confusion showed faintly on his face.
"This is the Promised Land," Ifalna explained gently.
Sephiroth looked up at her, his blue-green gaze intense though it lacked any harshness. "You are... Aeris's mother?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered. "Ifalna."
He nodded and climbed to his feet, eyes flicking past her to notice the other, much more reluctant Cetra. "Why am I here?" he wondered. "Is this where I am to be judged?"
She shook her head slightly. "I'm not certain, but this is where you are staying until the Planet finishes dealing with Jenova."
"What... do you mean?" he asked uncertainly.
"Did you think it would be easy for it to accept a foreign being into the Lifestream?" Ifalna sighed and shook her head. "If it weren't for the fact that your blood carries both Cetra and Jenova, then the Planet would have eagerly let you live."
Sephiroth's face gave away nothing as he nodded in comprehension. "I see. So it needs me to act as a bridge." He paused, looking around. "Strange, how one such as me should end up in the Promised Land. I had been expecting some kind of hell."
"The Planet had to draw you even closer to itself so that Jenova could follow as far as the Lifestream, I think."
"Would it have worked if I had not died?" Sephiroth asked.
Ifalna shook her head. "I don't know. This has never happened before."
He nodded absently, and she sensed that his questions were only a faint curiosity, a distraction. Finally, he let some emotion show and asked, "How is Aeris?"
She looked away. "Grief-stricken, but determined as always."
"That sounds like her." He paused, and by now sorrow had set itself in his face, his voice, and his mannerisms, however hard he tried to hide it. "She said before... that she was watching us. Could I...?"
"Yes, you can watch her, and I think it would lighten her burden just a little to know it."
Turning, she motioned for him to follow, but one of the Cetra stood in her way.
"Let us pass, Narsa," she said sternly.
"You're just going to let Sephiroth go where he pleases?" he demanded. "Here, in our Promised Land?"
"Yes," Ifalna replied levelly. "Why, do you have some objection to that?"
"Of course I do! And I'm sure I'm not the only one, just the first with the nerve to say it. They treat you with so much respect because you're Aeris's mother, but what of it? You're about to lead Sephiroth, the man who nearly destroyed everything we hold dear, into our last refuge."
"Haven't you be watching?" she demanded, noting how Sephiroth refrained from offering a single word in his own defense. "He's just died again to save everything we hold dear: the lives of those on the Planet and the life of our beloved Planet itself. Is it too much to ask that he be allowed to watch his beloved? He's saved ours, but we deny him even the right to watch her?"
"But, Ifalna," Narsa went on even more vehemently, "what good he's done certainly doesn't amount to enough to redeem him of the devastation he caused! He was the one who freed Jenova to begin with, he was the one who called Meteor and put the Planet that much closer to death, and let us not forget that he was the one who killed his 'beloved.'"
"It isn't your place to decide whether his good deeds redeem his sins."
"Then whose is it? Yours?"
"No, not only mine. You know that all those whose lives he has touched are to argue and decide. And I note, Narsa, that you are not one of them."
"I find it incredibly foolish and unfair that you should ignore the opinions of the rest of us. Do you think you don't need an observer unswayed by emotion?"
"And what a fine, unbiased specimen you are, Narsa," another Cetra said as she joined the two debaters and their silent charge.
"Saerni, surely you can't think we should allow this monster into our home..."
She did not speak to either of the two Cetra, but instead turned to Sephiroth. "Let them say what they will; I'd much rather hear your opinion. Tell me: what do you have to say for yourself?"
The swordsman bowed his head respectfully. "If this concerned only me, I would agree with Narsa, but if it would lighten Aeris's burden, even a little, to know that I am watching her, that should be reason enough."
"But what good could it do the poor girl to know that he was watching her?" asked another woman as she joined them. "I should think she would find it unnerving."
"Have either of you ever been in love before?" Ifalna asked quietly.
Narsa and the other woman exchanged glances, Saerni watched her placidly, and she felt Sephiroth's steady gaze on her back.
"I suppose not. So you can't claim to understand it, or to know what a comfort it is to have your love's protection. Even the knowledge that they are watching you is enough to bring a smile. What I wouldn't give to have that feeling once again..."
Saerni laid a hand on her shoulder. "Ifalna, my friend..."
She shook her head slightly and was about to say something to dispel her concern when Sephiroth spoke softly.
"What do you mean?"
Ifalna turned to look at him. "Aeris loves you, or didn't you know?"
The swordsman blinked once, and incredulity and hope battled for dominance in his eyes. "But she never said..."
"She did. She tried to tell you, as you were dying, but... you must have been too far gone to hear it."
An expression of agony came to his face. "Gods, and I've left her alone. Once already she has been separated like this, and now..." He shook his head, at a loss for words. "The Planet will let me return to her, won't it? It must let me go back."
Ifalna felt compelled to lay a hand on his shoulder and hold his gaze steadily. "It is not ultimately up to the Planet whether you live again. I will do what I can for you and my daughter both."
Sephiroth nodded, swiftly trying to compose himself. "I am deeply grateful to you."
"Well, come on. Let's go see how she's doing now."
Sleep began to slip away from her, and in her fading drowsiness, she thought, It was just a dream, a terrible nightmare like all the others. Please, let it be a dream. But she shifted slightly as she opened her eyes and became painfully aware of the injuries she had sustained.
Aeris closed her eyes again, wishing away this shock of reality and calling after sleep's retreating form. In vain. With a noise somewhere between a sigh and a whimper, she forced herself to concentrate on the complex healing spells needed to mend her wounds. Shortly afterwards, she felt considerably better, but ready to go back to sleep. Despite her body's fatigue and the inviting lure of sleep's oblivion, however, she doubted she could manage it.
Rolling herself out of the bed, she half-slid, half-tumbled to the floor and sat there staring blankly at the pair of worn brown boots that lay haphazardly before her. Recognizing them suddenly as her own, Aeris snatched them and roughly pulled them on, making a mental note to buy new ones that was soon forgotten.
She then started for the door, intent on finding out what they had done with Sephiroth's body, but she stopped upon catching sight of herself in a small framed mirror. She stared at this, too; this unrecognizable visage caked with dried blood and dirt, shadowed by tangled and matted hair.
Probably she ought to take a bath, she thought, but she lacked the desire to bother. Instead she hurriedly washed herself with a combination of water and air spells. The magic left her feeling cold and more drained than before, but clean enough. Her hair remained a mess, but she could deal with that later.
Leaving the room, Aeris strode down the hall as quickly as her tired limbs would manage. It was just barely dawn, she noted on emerging into the sunlight. The sky in the east seemed clear and pale, but the western sky still clung to darkness. Storm clouds perhaps would have been better, but this emptiness would do well enough.
She found Vincent sitting alone at the Candle and sat down wearily beside him. He did not glance at her, but she knew he had noticed her.
"Vincent..." Aeris began, trying to keep her voice cold. She did not want to let her grief show, but she could not manage warmth right now. "How are Yuffie and Nanaki doing?" she asked first.
"Fast asleep last I heard," he replied, and she was grateful that he did not try to offer her any comfort. One kind word from anyone, and she felt she might break down again.
"That's good."
Vincent cast her a glance. "You should be resting, too."
"I know," she sighed, "but I woke up, and I really don't think I could get back to sleep."
He nodded in understanding and looked back at the fire.
"What... what did they do with Sephiroth's body?"
The slightest of hesitations. "Minerva carried him up to the observatory. That is where they put the gatekeeper's body."
"Oh..." Aeris fumbled through her numbed mind, searching for something to say. Sephiroth had often told her that she always knew exactly what to say. She wished that were true. "How is everyone else reacting?"
"Lucrecia was devastated at first," he said quietly, "but your words gave her hope. She believes that his victims will find it in themselves to forgive him. Katrina is much the same, though she lacks the support she needs. Minerva, I think, is the worst off now; she is not so optimistic. But she will be all right, so long as her coldness does not succeed in pushing Reno away."
Vincent paused. "The others remain quiet and sober, though whether out of sorrow or respect for you, I cannot say. Cloud and Tifa seem surprisingly sympathetic to Sephiroth's situation."
She managed at last to put some life into her words. "Well, that's better than I could have wanted. I half-expected Cloud to be happy that Sephiroth died..."
"You know he is not that stubborn."
"I know. It's just hard to think right now."
After a moment, Vincent said gently, "Just so you know, Cid is staying here until you decide on a destination. He had planned to leave this morning, but he does not want to leave you here now if you don't wish to stay."
Aeris nodded and closed her eyes. "I understand. I think I've already made up my mind."
She felt his gaze on her, but he did not pursue an answer.
"What about you and Lucrecia?" she asked, looking over at him and hoping she had found a more cheerful topic.
"We are headed for Nibelheim. Lucrecia wants to get married there, once we've settled in."
She smiled faintly. "Will I be invited?"
"Of course," Vincent replied.
"Hopefully I'll be feeling better by then so I won't make everyone gloomy with my presence."
"Aeris..."
The Cetra shook her head before he could go on. "Never mind that. Are you going to buy a house there?"
"No; the old Shinra mansion will do well enough."
"You'll have a lot of work to do," Aeris said doubtfully. "The place is a mess, and infested with monsters, isn't it?"
Vincent shrugged. "I don't mind the work. It used to be quite beautiful before Hojo let it fall into disrepair. Besides, we've no wish to bother the villagers with a request to help us build a home."
"If they're kind people, they'll want to help you no matter what you decide on."
"Most of them moved to Nibelheim as Shinra's employees. I am not counting on their hospitality."
Aeris frowned. "I've known a lot of people who once worked for Shinra, Vincent. Only a handful were truly bad, and none without some reason. You, Reno, Zack, Cloud, and... and Sephiroth, all wonderful people. The villagers of Nibelheim may surprise you."
He nodded. "You are right. But even so, I find myself hoping they leave us be."
"Tsk, tsk," she chided. "Make some new friends, Vincent. Isolation isn't healthy, even if it is with your love."
"I hope you remember that as well, Aeris," he told her, fixing her with his penetrating crimson gaze for a brief moment.
She shifted uncomfortably and looked down. "I just feel like... I have to get away from everyone. I love you all dearly, but..."
"You would rather not have the burden of our problems, or worse, be a burden to us. I understand. But do not alienate yourself from us entirely."
"I won't," she assured him.
"Hey, guys," Reno said as he joined them, sitting down beside Aeris with his legs sprawling.
They greeted him in turn, and Aeris glanced around, noting Minerva was not with him.
He grinned, noticing. "Yeah, I got kicked off."
"Off where?"
"The ledge," he replied, jerking a thumb over his shoulder, towards the canyon's wall. "Gotta give 'er some time alone, don't I?"
"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Aeris asked, remembering what Vincent had told her.
Reno nodded. "Oh, yeah, she'll be fine. Besides, I rather like having my head attached to my body."
She couldn't help but be amused.
"Aha! A smile!" he exclaimed triumphantly. "Didn't think I'd see one of those on your face for a while yet."
"It's hard to keep a straight face around you, Reno," she told him.
He shrugged. "Minerva, Elena, and Rude do a pretty good job staying somber around me, and even better staying angry, especially in Elena's case."
"You do tend to invite anger," Aeris admitted, "but we love you anyway."
"Gee, thanks, Aeris," he replied, putting an arm around her. "You're the greatest, you know that?"
With a frown of discomfort, she removed his arm from her shoulders. "Minerva might be watching, you know. You wouldn't want her getting jealous, now would you?"
"Aw, but Min knows I love her. I'm not allowed to comfort a girl in mourning?"
She stiffened, all trace of amusement leaving her eyes. "Reno... Don't."
"Sorry," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
Vincent got to his feet and started for the steps, pausing near the redhead. "Try to be a gentleman and avoid joking about tender subjects." He turned to Aeris. "I am going back to Lucrecia's room. She should be waking soon."
The Cetra nodded. "Go ahead. I'll see you later."
"Later," he agreed, turning down the short stairs and striding towards the inn.
"...gentleman?" Reno wondered.
"It's just what it sounds like, Reno," Aeris sighed.
He shot her a look. "I know what it means." He settled himself back down. "Anyway, uh... Wherever you're going from here, me and Min wanna come with."
She blinked. "What?"
"We want to come with you."
"But, Reno, what about--?"
"Rude, Elena, and Reeve?" he finished. "We can pay 'em visits or vice versa. Doesn't matter. We're not about to leave you alone."
She looked down at her hands. She had wanted to go alone, but she needed someone to talk to and to cheer her up, or she'd go crazy. Still... "I suppose there's nothing I can say to dissuade you?"
"Nope. Notta thing."
"I hope you know you'll be following me into exile," she tried. "The City of the Ancients is no vacation spot."
"City of the Ancients?" he wondered, then shrugged. "Well, we figured it might be something like that."
Aeris sighed and then smiled tremulously. "Thanks, Reno. It... It'll be nice to have some company."
Author's Notes
Since they ended up coming back on the Highwind, we've lost a travel-by-chocobo scene. I don't think it's that big of a loss, but Yuffie and the chocobo did have some interesting dialogue going on. P
Not too many changes here otherwise. A depressed Aeris is surprisingly easy to write. >> I would like to say though, that I've honestly never been a fan of the concept of the Promised Land as an actual place. There's something Aeris says: "Someday I'll get out of Midgar, speak with the Planet, and find my Promised Land." I've always liked to think that that meant the Promised Land is more of an individual thing. I mean, everyone has their own definition of happiness, so maybe to the Cetra, the Promised Land was nothing more than finding that happiness, that place to belong. I dunno, I've just always liked that idea. But the concept of the Promised Land as a place frequently makes a better plot device, which is why I tend to use it more often.
Fun fact: All the Cetra's names are made up of letters found in Aeris and Ifalna's names. I figured that way I could keep them all of a piece.
Oh, and a couple things I'd like to address:
1. Since this story is a rewrite, it's already finished. It just needs some minor proofreading as I go along. So there's no need to ask me to continue; the story will conclude early in September, no qualifications.
2. Fallen is not actually longer than LFA. I've just divided it up into more chapters in a bid to even things out. In the original, chapter lengths ranged from two pages to 23, with the average being around 12-14. O.o In Fallen, the chapters are of a more uniform length, most being about 8 pages long. So, when you do the math, Fallen is roughly 60 pages shorter than LFA. That's a lot of angst I cut out!