Why can't you say it? Why can't you give him that proof? You care about her, don't you? Or are you too much of a monster to be capable of such a thing? Do you really care about anyone but yourself? Has anything you've ever done been for anyone but yourself?
Please, stop. I love her. Haven't I given myself for her time and time again? Didn't I go back to Hojo for her sake? Didn't I die because I tried too hard to defend her from Jenova's attacks?
But always, the same question stopped him from voicing any of this proof:
Then why did you kill her?
A gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder. "It's all right, love."
Sephiroth looked up in surprise. "A-aeris?" he exclaimed hoarsely.
He had been aware, dimly, of the turmoil that his breakdown had created, of the crowd's laughter, of Ifalna and Yuffie and Zack's futile efforts to quiet them. Now their silence registered just as faintly.
Aeris smiled softly. Unshed tears glistened in her green eyes, and her hair hung in disarray, strands twisting and falling haphazardly about her face. She wore the pale pink dress that he had not seen her in since he had called her back, and in it she looked so innocent, so vulnerable.
Sephiroth stood slowly and reached out, disbelieving, to take her into his arms. Finding her slender form soft and warm and real, he held her tighter. Her arms wound about his waist, and she buried her face in his chest. His doubt vanished into nothing, and he found himself murmuring over and over again, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Aeris pulled back, found his gaze, and then pulled his head down until her lips could touch his. The moment stretched.
"If that isn't love, Narsa," he heard Yuffie say, "I don't know what is."
Reminded of their audience, Sephiroth pulled back hastily, and Aeris laughed softly at his embarrassment.
"Planet," Narsa asked, "did you...?"
The Planet smiled. "Of course I brought her, dragged her here. Sephiroth needed her. I think, as she would say, that his heart is not fully healed, mended yet. He is quick, eager to doubt, to blame himself."
Aeris turned to survey the crowd before them, taking Sephiroth's hand. She did not seem to recognize most of those present, but one caught her gaze. "...Zack?"
Zack stepped forward hesitantly. "Hey, um... Planet, do you mind if...?"
It shook its head. "Go on. You will not have another chance, opportunity to say goodbye."
Nodding gratefully, Zack moved on past those seated, and Aeris let go Sephiroth's hand, stepping forward to meet him. "Hey, 'ris," Zack said awkwardly. "Long time no see, huh?"
She managed a nod and a smile. "Yeah."
"I'm sorry. You must've thought I dumped you or something."
"Maybe, but it wasn't your fault; you went to Nibelheim, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't Seph who killed me, just so you're clear on that. You remember those 'Sephiroth clones,' right? Me an' Cloud, we were supposed to be part of that, but Hojo never got around to numbering us, 'cause we escaped. Only Shinra found us..."
"And that's how you died?"
Zack nodded. "Yeah."
Aeris could not seem to say anything.
"I'm really sorry. I was... I was serious with you, Aeris."
She smiled and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. "I know. It meant a lot to me then, and it still does. I won't forget you; I can at least promise you that."
Zack grinned appreciatively and looked past her to Sephiroth. "Don't worry, Seph. I'm not stealing your girl here; being a dead man, I can't really compete."
"We are both dead at the moment, Zack," the swordsman reminded him.
"Maybe, but you won't be dead for much longer. Me, I'll be going back to the Lifestream after this, and that'll be that. So you take care of her, all right?"
Sephiroth nodded slowly. "I will."
With a nod and a grin, Zack turned to take his place with the crowd. By now, others of the host of the dead, following his example, had stepped out to speak with those few of the living here. Yuffie had that Wutain who must have been her mother in a tight embrace, Tifa stood taking a final few words of advice from her father, and Cloud stood silently by himself. He turned and caught Zack's attention as the boy passed by.
"Hey, Zack--" he began awkwardly. "I, uh... Well, thanks."
"Don't mention it," Zack told him. "We're friends, right? Anyway, I heard you went off and saved the world so I figure I did something good by saving your skin."
Cloud grinned sheepishly and scratched his head.
"Looks like you never got much taller," Zack remarked, shaking his head. "The Jenova must've stunted your growth or something. Kinda sucks, but..."--he looked past Cloud to Tifa, who did not notice his scrutiny--"it looks like you've got what you always wanted, so I guess it didn't turn out too badly."
"I guess not," the blond agreed hesitantly.
Zack only nodded, glanced back at Aeris over his shoulder, and disappeared into the crowd. The others who had come out went with him, and everyone took their seats once again, Aeris persuading Sephiroth in a whisper to let her sit in his lap.
"So," she faltered, "how has the trial gone so far?"
"It's hard to say," Ifalna told her, glancing at Narsa with a frown.
"What happened before I arrived?" Aeris asked, seeming to catch the look.
"Narsa over here decided to contest whether or not Sephiroth loved you," Yuffie said, rolling her eyes. "This had better be good enough proof for him."
"It will do," Narsa conceded.
"Where did you get the thought that he didn't?" Aeris wondered, twisting to glance up at Sephiroth. "Isn't it obvious?"
A smile tugged at his lips, held in check only by the knowledge that this moment was temporary, that his death had separated them, that after this trial, she would not be by his side. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer, not wanting to let her go.
"Hmm," Hojo remarked thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should have waited and taken your child for study instead."
"Child?" Sephiroth repeated, blinking in startlement.
Yuffie laughed at his expression. "Planet, you've got to let him live again; he'll be so fun to torture."
"I thought so, too," it said in reply, hopefully to her general sentiment rather than her actual words. "But, I will respect the wishes, decisions of those present." A frown came to its face. "The three of you must go, return now," it said regretfully.
"Good luck then, Seph," the ninja said. "Oh, and you're welcome for the materia. Any time."
He bowed his head gratefully.
"Sephiroth, I hope you live," Tifa said simply, offering him a smile.
Cloud did not smile. "You know," he said finally, "maybe I could learn to like you, Sephiroth. You're all right."
"Thank you. All of you."
The Planet sighed, and the three faded away. The three from Shinra on its right vacated their seats to rejoin the crowd. When no one else came forward, the four Cetra moved to sit closer to the Planet.
"Then, Planet, what about... what he is?" Narsa asked. "Do we really want someone with that kind of power to live?"
Sephiroth shook his head. "I will not use it. Never."
"Even if you don't, what about your descendants?" Saerni asked.
Ifalna shook her head. "Already there is Minerva. What would you do about her? Perhaps she's not as powerful as Sephiroth, but she is stronger than Aeris."
"Perhaps if we--" Narsa began.
"Set restrictions on her?" Sephiroth interrupted. "What has she done to earn punishment?"
"And don't you trust us to raise our children properly?" Aeris asked. "With each generation, their abilities will weaken, so you'll have little to worry about once it's out of our hands."
Narsa frowned. "I still don't think we should allow the line of Jenova to continue."
"Then you would wish for the extinction of two races?" the nameless Cetra asked. "If we concede to your wishes, Aeris will be the last of the Cetra, and Minerva the last of Jenova's race. All that would remain are humans. There would be no one to heed the Planet's voice. We ourselves would be reduced to mere observers. Is that what you want?"
"Ishiri, those of Jenova's line, whether or not by their own fault, have proven too powerful for their own good and the good of the Planet. Minerva is not quite as strong as Sephiroth; it is excusable if she is left unrestrained. But Sephiroth... He is the man who nearly became a god! Even with Aeris to guide them, I would not trust any descendants of his to refrain from using that power."
"Even if it means the extinction of the Cetra?" Ishiri pressed.
"There is still the Lucrecia woman," Saerni said, sounding as though she disliked pointing this out. "Sephiroth's mother. She could continue the line of the Cetra."
"But her grandchildren would lose the ability to hear the Planet entirely," Aeris argued. "Do you want Cetra who can't hear the Planet? Do you want to leave it lonely?"
"It has us," Narsa said.
"And how often do you speak to it as a friend?" she demanded. "How often do you look to it for anything more than guidance? How often do you view it as anything but a god?"
He had no reply to that.
Aeris sighed, and Sephiroth tightened his embrace just the slightest bit. "I know even with us, the line of Cetra won't last much longer," she said quietly, "but you can't let it die with me and Lucrecia. You can't leave the Planet lonely."
"But neither can we endanger it by allowing mortals so much power," Narsa insisted.
The Planet held up a hand and spoke softly. "What if I could change him?" it asked. "If I could cleanse, purge the Jenova from his body, would that be agreeable, satisfactory, child? Minerva, then, will be the most powerful, and you said that you were content, grudgingly, to let her do as she pleases."
"Yes, I think that would be sufficient," he sighed.
Sephiroth shifted uncomfortably. "Won't that alter who I am as well?"
The Planet turned to him with a smile. "You should have learned from Aeris by now: what you are does not make, change who you are. Look. You do not even have a body now, and aren't you still yourself?"
Aeris twisted to smile at him, then looked back at the Planet. "Do you really think you could do it?"
"I am not certain," it admitted, "but if enough people decide, agree to grant him life again, then I will give it to him whether or not I can manage, discover how to rid him of the Jenova." It looked pointedly at Narsa.
"All right, Planet," he acceded. "Do as you will. With you on his side, he was bound to be granted life no matter how this went."
"Not necessarily," Saerni said with a frown. "It's still possible that they"--she indicated the crowd--"will decide against him. Not all of them are easily convinced. Some are likely just as stubborn as Cloud was."
The Planet nodded, then winced. "Aeris, friend, I am sorry. You cannot stay any longer..."
Sephiroth held her tighter, but she shifted, gently urging him to loosen his grip, and turned to face him, laying a hand against his cheek. "You had better keep your promise."
"Or what?" he asked, managing a smirk.
"You had to ask, didn't you?" she sighed. "You know I can't do anything to you."
He shook his head. "There are plenty of things you could do..."
"But I wouldn't dare, because I love you." Aeris kissed him briefly. "Come back soon, all right?"
Sephiroth nodded. "I... I will."
And then she vanished, leaving him alone again. He took a deep breath, let it out, and looked at those still gathered before him. "Well?"
"Is there anyone else who wishes to speak, whether or not it has to do with, concerns this trial?" the Planet inquired.
There was a faint murmur in the crowd, but only Tseng came forward, somewhat hesitant though his gaze was direct enough. "I only wanted to offer you my forgiveness," he said levelly. "As a Turk, I probably deserved that death anyway."
Sephiroth shook his head. "No; I know that Turks have little choice but to follow their orders. But I thank you."
The Turk shrugged. "After hearing everything that I have, forgiving you isn't hard. And..." Here his speech faltered, belying the emotion that he withheld from his voice. "Do you think you could tell Elena something?"
"If I am granted another life, I will bring you back so that you can tell her yourself. I told her I would try."
Tseng shook his head. "Just in case it doesn't work, tell her that I'm sorry for ignoring her. Tell her... that I wish I'd asked her out a lot sooner."
The swordsman smiled faintly. "All right. I'll remember that."
The Turk nodded curtly and stepped back.
Ifalna stood, sharing a glance with the Planet. "Come on, Sephiroth... I'll take you back to my house to wait for the verdict."
He knew that he could find the way back on his own, but perhaps there was something vaguely ceremonial in being brought in and led back out, as though he were a prisoner being escorted, so he only nodded and followed her back to what served as his prison. Once there, he took up the mirror and went to the window seat to watch Aeris with the mirror propped up against his knees.
"Yuffie-chan. Hey! Yuffie-chan! Are you okay?"
She sat up slowly, rubbing her temples. Gods, what a headache. She felt terrible, and she could have hit Shake for addressing her so informally had she not been so disoriented. "Yuffie-chan indeed," she muttered halfheartedly. "It's Yuffie-sama to you, Shake."
"Hey," he protested, "I was tryin' to be nice for once. Havva little compassion an' all."
She rolled her eyes and winced--not the smartest thing to do. "Whatever," she said, looking around to get her bearings straight. Right; she'd been meditating in the shrine when the Planet had called her. And since she'd told the villagers they could come here to pray whenever they wanted, that included Shake, and he must have felt like praying.
Or bothering her. Yeah, that seemed more like him.
"What're you doing in the shrine, Shake-chan?" she asked in annoyance.
"I heard you got back yesterday and decided I'd given you enough time to sleep. If you ever take after yer old man, it's when you get back from a trip."
She scowled. "So, what? You wanted to entertain me with your charming presence?"
"Something like that," he replied, cheerfully ignoring her sarcasm. "So now that I'm sure you're not dying, want to explain the whole fainting bit?"
"You wouldn't understand," she told him frankly.
"Try me."
Yuffie looked at him flatly. "Okay. The Planet called me to bear witness in a trial for Sephiroth that's being held in the Promised Land."
Shake stared at her, then cracked up. When he finally managed to control his laughter, he wiped the tears from his eyes and shook his head. "Jeez, that's a good one. Always knew you were a brat, but now you're raving mad to boot."
She sighed. "Told you you wouldn't understand."
"Whatever. You're crazy. Sephiroth's been dead for years."
"No, days," she corrected. "And it's not like the Promised Land is a real physical place."
"Yep. Absolutely nuts."
"Oh, you're hopeless," Yuffie cried, hopping to her feet. She headed for the door.
Shake got up to follow. "Where are you going now?"
She walked into her room, shutting the door in his face. "I have to call someone."
"Who?" he persisted, shoving the door open.
Damn the fact that he was taller than her! She glared up at him, hands on her hips. "It's none of your business."
He raised his eyebrows. "All right, so where did a brat like you get a boyfriend?"
"Of all the...! Shake, he's not even the same species as me!"
"Ew! Forget I asked!"
Muttering in annoyance, Yuffie shut the door again, hoping he would leave her be this time. For once, she thought, it would be nice to have Eastern-style doors with locks. At least she could see when he finally left. With a sigh, she flopped down on her futon and grabbed her PHS.
"(Hello?)" came Nanaki's gruff voice after a few rings.
"Hi, Red!" she answered.
"(Ah. Hello, Yuffie. Has something happened? You've already called today.)"
"Well..." she said, wondering where to start. "You know how I told Aeris I wanted to help Sephiroth out if I could, right?"
"(Right...)"
"So the Planet brought me to the Promised Land to participate in his trial. I pretty much just got back."
"(You went to the Promised Land?)" Nanaki exclaimed.
"Yeah," Yuffie replied, "though I couldn't stay that long, I guess 'cause I'm not dead. Cloud and Tifa were there, too, surprisingly enough--and not to bear witness against him either. That's encouraging, isn't it? That Cloud, possibly the guy who hates Sephiroth the most, aside from Sephiroth himself, would try to defend him."
"(It is,)" Nanaki agreed. "(I take it you do not yet know the outcome of the trial?)"
"No, not yet. I had to leave before it was over. But... Well, for a while it was looking pretty bad for Seph. This guy, Narsa, was really going at him, accusing him of deceiving all of us. He even said that Sephiroth didn't actually love Aeris. And you know how Seph is; he'll readily believe that he's some kind of monster, not capable of emotions and all that crap."
"(So what happened?)"
"He broke down. Actually cried, I think, and the Planet called Aeris in to help him out. I really like the Planet--as a person, I mean. I know that sounds weird, but it has a personality. Makes me wish I was a Cetra, too, so I could get to know it better."
"(What is the Planet like, exactly?)"
Yuffie thought for a moment. "Well... It's almost like some combination of a mother and a child. Infinitely wise but at the same time still childishly innocent."
"(Because it is young in the eyes of the universe, but so much older than any mortal, I suppose,)" Nanaki reasoned. "(So, what did everyone make of Sephiroth... crying?)"
She frowned. "Most of them were just shocked, but a lot of people grinned. Some even laughed. Me an' Ifalna and--what's his name?--Zack, we tried to shut them up, but it really wasn't any good. They shut up when Aeris came, though. And after seeing those two together, I'd be surprised if more than two people could still rule against him."
"(They do make quite a couple,)" he agreed.
"So what's going on where you are?" Yuffie asked, lying back on her futon.
"(Not much,)" Nanaki replied. "(Things have returned to normal since everyone left; it seems very empty without you, but I suppose the excitement could not last forever.)"
"No, I guess not," she agreed sadly. "Say, I was thinking of visiting Aeris sometime. What do you think?"
"(So soon? It has scarcely been two days since we saw her last.)"
"I wasn't thinking like tomorrow or the day after," Yuffie amended. "I mean, maybe in a week or so. See how they've settled in. And... get a chance to see each other, too."
"(It sounds like a good idea. I will check with Aeris tomorrow to see if it is all right, and perhaps to find out what's to become of Sephiroth.)"
She grinned. "Who knows? Maybe we'll be seeing him, too."
"(Don't get your hopes up too high,)" Nanaki warned. "(Some humans can be very stubborn.)"
"I know, I know," she said. "Well, anyway, I've got stuff to do today."
"(All right. I will call you tomorrow once I've spoken with Aeris.)"
"Okay. Bye." Setting her PHS aside, Yuffie got to her feet and strode down the hall to her father's room, halting just outside with her hand lifted to open the door. She had seen her mother in the Promised Land, spoken a few brief words with her, and she felt that she ought to say something to Godo about it--but what could she say? He wouldn't believe her any more than Shake had. She didn't even think he believed in Leviathan and the five mighty gods anymore.
Letting her hand fall to her side, Yuffie turned on her heel and left the house. She had more important things to do today than bother with her dad.
Aeris sat on a plate of ice high above a river, a dying flower in her hands. She plucked a crimson petal and let it fall to the rushing water below. "He's coming back."
The ice was freezing cold, its frigid tendrils creeping up her spine and down her legs, seeping into her skin.
"He's not coming back." Another petal dropped into the river, carried away into oblivion.
The ice at the water's edge crept across the violent surface.
"He is..." Another petal lost, a tendril of cold reaching for her heart.
"He isn't..." Anther petal gone, ice stretching across the rush of water.
"He--"
A wind rose, blowing what was left of the flower from her hands.
"A-ah!" she cried, reaching after it and slipping from her icy perch. She grasped desperately at its edge, but fell, fell, crashed through the ice and into the frigid water.
No, no, she'd been here before, been here before. She didn't want to go if he wasn't there, couldn't come with her.
She flailed wildly, trying frantically to get back to shore, but the ice closed in again, closed in around her, pushing her down below the surface of the water. She gasped and spluttered, trying to find air enough to scream.
Oh, someone, please, help me!
She took the black-gloved hand offered her and--
Woke up.
She stared at her outstretched hand lying on the wooden floor, blinking in disorientation. The floorboards felt so very cold beneath her.
"Aeris?" she heard Reno ask sleepily.
She blinked again and pulled herself up to peer over the edge of the bed. The blankets lay in disarray, half cast off to the other side of the bed, and beyond them Reno sat poised to get up if she needed him.
"I'm all right," she said slowly, standing and beginning to untangle the covers. "Just had a nightmare, that's all..."
"Oh." A slight pause. "You wanna talk about it?"
"N-no, not really." She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath, then looked at him with a reassuring smile. "Go back to sleep, Reno."
He frowned, not convinced. "But if you ever need to talk..."
Aeris nodded. "You'll listen; I know. But I'm fine. Really. Go back to sleep."
"All right," he said, offering her a faint grin, "but no more nightmares now. Sweet dreams only."
"All right," she laughed.
His grin broadened, and he lay back, shutting his eyes.
Aeris's smile faded. She finished straightening the blankets and sat down to wait until she was certain he had fallen asleep. When he had, she stood and padded over to Sephiroth's body, sitting down beside him as though any moment now, he might come alive again. Her hand reached, trembling and involuntary, to run through his hair.
A single downy feather fluttered to the floor, freed by her fingers. She bent to retrieve it and held it wonderingly between two fingers; it was a tiny little fluff, silvery, as soft as his hair. She wondered where it had come from, but immediately she recalled the wing she had seen briefly when they had fought Jenova. Had it been real then? Not just her mind playing tricks on her?
She shook her head, laughing silently. How absurd. Sephiroth did not have wings. It must have gotten caught in his hair during their travels, a bit of down shed by some white-feathered bird.
Aeris?
"Sephiroth?" she whispered, startled to hear his voice.
What are you doing? he asked.
"Nothing," she replied, closing her hand around the tiny feather. "Just being foolish."
I've never known you to act foolishly.
Aeris sighed and looked down at her closed hand. Slowly, she opened it to show him the bit of fluff. "It was caught in your hair, that's all. I... It reminds me of the wing I saw. But it really is foolish, isn't it? To think that you have a wing?"
I have had wings before, Sephiroth told her, in the transformations Jenova forced upon me. So it is far from idiocy to think that.
The Cetra closed her eyes to imagine it. "Wings... would suit you perfectly after all."
What do you mean?
"Well, haven't you been my guardian angel these past few weeks?"
Guardian angel? he echoed incredulously. I suppose... that one angel deserves another, but I think it a bit much to call myself one.
"A fallen angel then," she decided, "because you only have one wing. But I told you I'd mend the other, didn't I?" When he did not reply, she sighed and asked, "What news of the trial?"
I am still awaiting the verdict, Sephiroth said.
Aeris faltered. "If... they decide against you, will they let you remain in the Promised Land? Will I be able to see you again some day?"
I don't know. Narsa would have me leave. He would have me die as any human does. But I suppose it depends on how harshly they rule.
"They couldn't decide so harshly," she said with conviction, shaking her head. "Though... I'll admit I'm not sure if we convinced enough of them to..." She faltered and looked down at his still body lying near her. "At least, if you're in the Promised Land, I can still talk to you." Even if I can't embrace you...
If that is how they decide... Please, Aeris, don't make that your whole life. If I am to remain here, end your isolation. Don't waste your life away there in the City, alone and useless.
She frowned faintly. "What would you have me do, Sephiroth?"
A startled pause. Aeris, you can't stay there to the end of your days.
Aeris's gaze drifted to her left, towards the center of the City where she had died.
His tone grew more desperate, as though he sensed where her thoughts were headed. And don't you dare think of killing yourself.
Aeris started, but could not reply, ashamed that, even for an instant, she had considered it.
If you did that, I...
"...you'd never forgive yourself," she finished, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I'm being stupid. You're right."
Then you'll try to live, even if I don't return? Sephiroth asked her, sounding relieved.
"Yes. I'll try. I guess... I could always go back to Midgar. Certainly they need every bit of help they can get."
Wutai, too, he reminded her.
"Yuffie would like that, wouldn't she?" she mused with a faint smile. "Is that where you want to go, if we can?"
Yes, I think so. I suppose we can always leave if it is too hard.
Friend... the Planet murmured before she could reply. It sounded as though it had bad news.
"What is it, Planet?" Aeris asked, using its name for Sephiroth's sake; she could sense him in her mind, silent and anxious. "Did they...?"
No, no, they did not rule against him. They ruled in his favor.
Only the Planet's tone kept her from crying out in delight. "...but?"
Only barely. So I must find a way to remove the Jenova from him, and I do not know how. I do not know how...
"You managed to accept Jenova, didn't you?" Aeris asked, trying to keep her misgivings out of her voice and even her thoughts. She needed to reassure it, not worry it. "And you figured out how to bring non-Cetra, and even the living, into the Promised Land. So surely you'll be able to solve this puzzle, too."
Hope you are right. But, even if I can discover how, it will take a long time. His cells will resist and work against me. Will be hard, and I will need to bring his spirit into the Lifestream. It hesitated, and its voice held both the tone of a parent wanting to comfort her and that of a child unable to understand why she might be upset. You may have to wait several years without even his presence watching over you. And I... may not even succeed.
"You'll succeed," she said, firmly so that maybe she would believe her own false confidence. "And I can wait. I was prepared to wait years if I had to."
Another hesitation. Even I may not be able to speak to you while I alter him.
"I have living friends, Planet. I have the other Cetra. It'll be all right."
Turmoil came to her mind as twisting green and black, but at last it settled into an image of the Midgar ruins, an endless expanse of debris save for a little yellow bud struggling to reach the sun. Wish me luck?
Aeris smiled. "Good luck, Planet."
It returned the smile in its own way, letting the yellow bud bloom and spread its petals in her mind. And then it was gone.
She sighed, her smile fading.
What is it? Sephiroth asked uncertainly.
"They decided in your favor, but not strongly enough to let you live as you are. The Planet says it may take years for it to remove the Jenova from your body, if it can do it at all."
Years? he wondered with some incredulity.
"It can't focus on you alone, you know. It has its own wounds to take care of."
Right. But... what about you? I know you told that you'd be all right, but--
"I will. Don't worry about it. Actually," she considered, "you'll be taken to the Lifestream while it works, so I suppose you won't be aware enough to worry..."
I will still think about you. It's impossible for me not to.
"I know what you mean."
You need to find distractions, Sephiroth told her, not as easily convinced as the Planet. In the Lifestream, I know I won't be able to tell how much time is passing. It will not matter how long I wait. But for you--you need something to focus on so you won't think of me constantly. So you won't be lonely.
"That's asking a bit much," Aeris said ruefully. "I'm not even sure I want to be distracted..."
It won't be like before, he persisted. It won't be like your years in the Promised Land. You cannot simply lose yourself in watching someone else. You have your own life to look after.
She nodded. "I know. I'll figure something out, Seph."
Good. I do not want to leave you lonely.
"You'll be coming back to me. If I have to wait years, it won't matter, so long as you come back."
I... He hesitated. Ifalna says that I have to go now.
Aeris stared at her hands and the silvery feather. "Then... I'll see you soon, Sephiroth."
Right, Sephiroth managed with less conviction. I'll see you soon, Aeris. I love you.
"I love you, too," she answered, raising her voice above a whisper for the first time in their conversation.
Goodbye...
And then he was gone. She closed her hands around the feather, frowning faintly.
Reno stirred, and she glanced sharply in his direction, relaxing when he only rolled over and did not wake.
Another sound on a different level of hearing caught her attention, and she glanced south towards the Forest. This she had to attend to.
The Cetra got to her feet, retrieved her boots and her coat, and headed outside. The sky was just beginning to look lighter in the east, but the sun had not yet climbed over the ridge. Minerva leaned just outside the doorway, her arms folded and her attention on the City.
"Where are you going so early in the morning?" the girl asked without looking at her. Aeris noticed that she had taken one of her shirts; certainly not for the cold, she thought, but to hide the sharp black tattoo on her shoulder.
"I think someone's trying to make their way through the Forest," Aeris answered. "A human. And the Forest doesn't usually like humans..."
"Strange that someone should be trying to find their way through," Minerva remarked.
The Cetra nodded in agreement. "Whoever it is, I'm going to go guide them."
"Shall I go with?"
"I... No. I'll go alone."
The girl finally glanced at her. "They have decided then?"
Aeris started. "Y-yeah..." She looked up with a slight smile. "As long as the Planet can find a way to rid him of the Jenova in his body, he's coming back."
Minerva nodded and looked away again. "I see."
Aeris touched her arm lightly and smiled more genuinely before turning up the path. "I should be going before they lose the way entirely."
The silver-haired girl gave no reply; she had expected none.
This day, the air was still, and the cold seeped slowly into her flesh rather than lancing straight through to her bone with the wind. It reminded her of her nightmare, and she shivered. So this is where I am perched, she thought distantly, but when will I fall?
She shook her head quickly to clear it of such morbid thoughts. It was far too soon after his departure for her to start despairing. Tugging her coat more tightly about her, she glanced back at the City. Maybe she could rebuild this place, as others were rebuilding their homes.
Certainly she alone could not revive a city dead for two thousand years, but if she was to wait here for Sephiroth, what else could she do? It would be a distraction, wouldn't it? And maybe she could restore at least some of the city's former glory, though it was folly to imagine that it could ever be anything but the gravestone for a race long passed from this world.
Aeris entered the Forest, and just as its branches began to close in around her, the trees seemed to waken, and the scant light filtering down through their canopy became a flood of golden shafts that drove away the sleepy mist. The path was clear and open beneath her feet.
Smiling gratefully, she quickened her pace. More than halfway through to the other side of the Forest, she saw the girl who had been foolhardy enough to venture into these woods. Her steps were deliberate, her eyes alert, and she caught sight of Aeris almost the instant the Cetra did her.
The girl stopped, as did Aeris, and regarded her uncertainly, her gaze taking in every detail.
"It isn't safe to wander through this forest," Aeris told her.
"So I've heard, but I wanted to see the City of the Ancients."
"Is it really worth risking your life just to see such ruins?"
"You tell me," the girl replied. "You've been there, haven't you? And the Sleeping Forest woke up for you."
"The City is beautiful in a haunting sort of way," Aeris admitted, "but you shouldn't have come. You're lucky I sensed you coming, otherwise you'd have gotten lost. The Forest isn't fond of humans. Your race must have done something to it long ago, and it hasn't forgotten."
The girl eyed her with a curious frown. "What exactly are you?"
The Cetra shrugged, doubting the girl would believe her. "Does it matter?"
"If you hadn't come to help me out of here, I'd be a little scared. But, considering... I guess it's only curiosity."
"Well... I'm Aeris anyway. What's your name?"
"Delphine," the girl answered. "Are you one of Minerva's friends?"
"Yes, I am," Aeris answered in startlement. Then she nodded in understanding. "She must have met you when she went into town... yesterday, was it?"
Delphine nodded. "Right. Yesterday."
"You came for her, then, not just to see the City."
"Yeah."
Aeris smiled. "Then I'm glad she's picked up a friend who's willing to risk this much just to see her."
"I'm not sure you could call us friends," the girl said hesitantly.
"You will be soon enough, I'm sure." The Cetra turned, motioning for Delphine to follow. "Come on, I'll take you to her. Maybe introduce you to Reno if he's awake yet."
"Who's Reno?" Delphine asked, moving to walk along beside her.
"Minerva's fiancé."
The girl's eyes widened in surprise. "She's getting married?"
Aeris's expression fell. "As soon as her brother gets back to see it, yes."
"Back from where?"
She waved a hand in some vague gesture, shrugged, and said nothing. How was she supposed to tell this stranger that Minerva's brother was Sephiroth, and that they were waiting for him to come back from the dead?
"Eh. Sounds complicated."
Aeris nodded, and the girl remained thankfully silent as the Cetra led her along the forest path and into the City. Even her awe remained unspoken.
When they approached the shell house, Aeris lifted an arm to wave. "Look, Minerva; I've brought you a guest."
The silver-haired girl blinked as her gaze shifted to Delphine.
"Hi, Minerva," Aeris's companion greeted.
"Hello, Delphine," Minerva replied tentatively.
The Cetra managed a cheerful smile. "Why don't you two come inside? I don't think your friend likes the cold as much as you do, Minerva."
"But... what about...?" Sephiroth.
"Oh. Right." Aeris hesitated, then stepped just inside and looked down the short hall. "Well, I'm guessing there's another room through that door if you can just move the crates aside. You should be able to talk in there, and I'll send Reno down when he wakes up."
"All right."
Nodding a goodbye to the two girls, Aeris headed up the ladder. Reno, as she had expected, was still fast asleep, though she doubted he was a very heavy sleeper. She would have to call her friends to let them know of Sephiroth's fate later.
Instead she sat down on her bed, picking up her bag and taking out her old diary. Her neat handwriting filled a little more than half the pages, and the rest were blank. She flipped to the last entry, a wistful smile crossing her face.
I told Cloud I would take him to Sector 7, the last paragraph read. There's something about him that reminds me of Zack, I guess. I know Mom will ask him to go without me, but I have a feeling this could be my chance to get out of Midgar and find my own Promised Land, like my real Mom once said.
Reaching into her bag again, Aeris dug around until she produced a pen.
September 17th, 2052, she wrote.
It's been a very long time indeed. I think to describe all that's happened would take hundreds of pages. As of late, I've had no need of entrusting anything to paper. I've had a friend with a mind and a heart capable of hearing whatever I had to say. But now he's gone away, and I'm left once again with pen and paper. I don't know when he'll be back.
This moment is one of those where I feel so tangled inside that the only thing I want to do is cry, but instead of there being no one to offer me a shoulder to cry into, I cannot accept that comfort. I have to be strong, now that I'm alone again. I won't shed a tear until he's back, because I don't want any comfort but his.
Author's Notes
And the rest of the trial. I added the parts with Zack there because I realized that both Aeris and Cloud would have things they wanted to say to him, and vice versa. Seemed silly for them not to use this opportunity.
I ended up taking out more from this part than I put in, though. Originally there was a brief scene which had Aeris waking up after she returned from the Promised Land, but it really wasn't very interesting and didn't serve much of a purpose, so I cut it out. I did, however, leave in the scene where Yuffie wakes up, which gave me a chance to show how she interacts with Shake, and also to further her relationship with Nanaki a bit. I also like the bit I added about Godo at the very end.
I also did write a scene for Minerva and Delphine, but frankly it was mostly recapping all that had happened so far, and I think Aeris's diary provides a better ending to the chapter. I ended up taking whatever bits were actually important and working them into the earlier scene with Delphine.
(Again, sorry for missing an update. Seems like just after I assure you guys that I'll be finishing this thing on a set schedule, I start being late. X3 But I was at Otakon, so can you really blame me? Keep an eye on my website if you're interested in Otakon photos and fun with plushies.)