Chapter 4

Aeris was in Junon two days later, now wearing a Shinra uniform. It didn't fit right; it was itchy, smelly, and very uncomfortable. She struggled with it as her, Red XIII, Tifa, and Barret snuck into the cargo hold of the ship Rufus was taking to Costa del Sol. They each found suitable spots among the crates. Aeris weaved through a sliver of space between large crates and plopped onto the floor for a rest once she reached the end of the path. No one could see her so she decided to unclasp her mask and take off the stupid helmet while she leaned up next to a crate. Her messy braid tumbled down when she finally got it off and she gasped harshly for fresh air. The helmet was the most unbearable part of the uniform for her and she felt sorry for anyone that had to wear it.

"Jeez, all those years, poor Cloud." Aeris mumbled as she thought how he had to wear them when he was with Shinra. She enjoyed her rest while it lasted, but it wasn't long.

"Yo! Aeris? You back there girl?" Aeris heard Barret whisper through the entrance between the crates from where she came.

"Yes, I'm coming." Aeris replied.

"Well, hurry. Everyone's going up deck in a few minutes. This ships about to sail." He told he before stomping off. Aeris replaced the helmet upon her head and came out of her hiding spot.

When Aeris finally came on the deck, she was mesmerized by the view. Immediately she ran to the railing of the ship to watch the shore grow smaller and smaller. She could smell the crisp scent of salt in the air from the see and saw seagulls sail upon the wind above the ship. It was beautiful. The waves splashed up more than once, spraying salt water into the air. The sun was bright and the ship rocked back and forth steadily. It brought a large amount of tranquility to her heart. Tifa stood on the look out deck above her. Cloud went around talking to everyone and finally visited Aeris.

"So how are you doing?" Cloud asked from behind his bulky mask, startling Aeris.

"Oh, hi Cloud. I'm fine. But this uniform is killing me. I feel sorry for you for having to wear these things when you were with Shinra." Aeris told him with a giggle while adjusting her mask.

"Heh, you got used to it after a while, but I think Red XIII is having more difficult in his than either of us. So, uh, this is your first time on a ship, right? I'm surprised you aren't seasick. Most are on their first time." Cloud struggled to keep the conversation alive. Though he could not see, Aeris smiled from beneath her mask.

"Yeah. It's pretty nice, actually." Aeris told him, turning her gaze back to the sea.

"Yeah……… Well, let me know if you need anything, okay?" Cloud told her.

"Okay." She sighed. She watched Cloud walked farther up the ship where Barret was. Aeris couldn't help but laugh at his disguise. He wore a blue sailor's outfit that didn't match his façade. Cloud and Barret disappeared to the front of the deck, going to spy on Rufus.

Half an hour later, Aeris almost jumped out of her skin when the alarm went off all over the ship. Confused and shaken, Aeris ran to Tifa's side. She, too, looked startled. Everyone but Avalanche aboard the ship ran to get their weapons and headed down beneath deck.

"Do you think they found us!" Aeris asked, frightened. Tifa looked at the haul door leading down.

"No. I think something else is going on." Tifa replied. Cloud, Barret, and Red XIII ran up to the girls.

"You two ok!" Cloud asked. They both nodded in reply.

"What's going on?" Tifa asked with a serious tone.

"Everyone's sayin' that psycho ass Sephiroth's on board! Damn! That's the last thing we need." Barret said in a furious manner.

"He's somewhere on this ship. If we don't get him now, he's coming after us." Cloud told them, raising his buster sword onto his shoulders.

"………Sephiroth?" Aeris mumbled to herself, thinking of how he kissed her softly just a night ago. His name brought emotions into her that she yearned for, yet also fear as well.

"Aeris! AERIS! Come on! Snap out of it! We have to get going!" Cloud shouted to the dreaming Aeris, shattering her thoughts.

"Oh! Coming!" Aeris followed obediently.

"Ha! Yes, boy, come to me! Oh! And don't forget my pretty Cetra, I want her to come as well! Mother? Do I look all right? Presentable? Deathly? Macabre? I want to watch their faces when my aura is presented. Oh, their blood will run cold! Yet my little flower will be so confused as to why. Hahahahah! They'll be here shortly, so do not trouble yourself with petty communication, Mother. I understand that you'll want to kill them now, and I won't stop you, just allow me to pluck my tender flower from these weeds before their death. Heh! My patients is thin from the wait, until now, for I can sense them approaching." Sephiroth spoke to Jenova's head with the other parts wiggling next to it in the bag he carried. Soldiers' bodies littered the floor of the engine room that he stood in the middle of. The corpse of an unfortunate engineer drifted in the air before him. He could hear the pounding footsteps of Avalanche approach quickly. His attention turned back to the floating carcass and with a swift motion, he lunged straight at it, vanishing into the body. It stood limp and motionless for several seconds until it shook vehemently. Sephiroth's essence slowly spread throughout the dead body, making it his temporary marionette. Once acquiring it fully, he tested his movements before sauntering over to the main valve on some steam engine in the farthest reaches of the room. He only stood, staring at it through the eyes of the dead man he was occupying, listening to the steps of the group running up behind him hastily.

"Sephiroth!" The boy who had foreseen coming in shouted to him. Aeris came up behind the boy and peered over his shoulder cautiously. Sephiroth laughed within the confines of the shell he occupied, though the façade of the corpse didn't change, and slowly he turned to face them. Everyone readied themselves, yet loosened up a bit when they did not recognize the body.

"Hey! That there ain't Sephiroth!" a black man bellowed to the boy. Sephiroth's essence gingerly slid out of the corpse and into the floor. The group watched the body collapse to the floor on its face and gave a short sigh of relief.

"I guess not." The boy stated in agreement. Yet, Sephiroth slowly rose from the floor and took form as he stood. Shocked, everyone pulled their weapons up once more in preparation to a fight. Aeris stood behind the boy, staring at Sephiroth in disbelief. "Sephiroth!"

"Yes! I am Sephiroth!" He told them, laughing at his foolishness. Sephiroth decided to play with the young mans mind a little. The boy was nothing more than a failure, after all, and believed he was something more though. "But who are you?"

"You don't remember me? My name's, Cloud." He replied confused.

"Cloud…………? Cloud? I don't ever remember that name." Sephiroth uttered to him. Cloud was now entirely confused, and his group members weren't far behind. Sephiroth's body lifted a few inches from the ground, scarcely hanging above it. Cloud sensed his shifting mood and stepped forward. Sephiroth leaped a foot higher, yet still hovered.

"Hey! Wait!" Cloud shouted. Sephiroth, however, did not wait. He launched into the air above their heads, laughing ominously and snaked through the air. He made sure to drop a tentacle remnant of Jenova before them as he dispersed to the upper level and disappeared.

Aeris watched in astonishment as Sephiroth flew through the ceiling as if he was a ghost. A object descended swiftly to the ground before Cloud and the others, mutating into a larger form as it recoiled from the fall. She did not care about the battle that followed soon after, and ran to follow Sephiroth. Her other group members didn't seem to notice or care had they did as she ran through the Cargo hull and up the stairs to the ship's upper deck. As soon as she made it into the sunlight that blinded her dilated eyes, she took notice of a dark form near the railing of the ship before covering her eyes. Once her eyes focused, she double checked immediately and confirmed her sighting. It was Sephiroth, gazing out at the sea with several sailors' bodies near him. Aeris was unsure of what she was to do. She reconsidered approaching him bluntly and remembered her friends fighting down below. Aeris thought that she might be able to rejoin them without confronting Sephiroth. However, just as she was about to creep down the stairs, Sephiroth had shifted.

"Aeris, please, come and join me." Sephiroth said softly, the wind carrying his words to her ears. Aeris' breath stilled for what seemed like forever until she gathered her courage and took in a breath of air. Slowly, she stepped over to where the dark general stood, unable to speak. Sephiroth was content with having the first word though. "So! How are you?"

"Uh, I'm okay." Aeris spoke softly, not daring to look up at him and staring only at the sea with him.

"That is good to know. So you're going to Costa del Sol as well, I suppose?" Sephiroth asked simply. Aeris was still a bit shocked and the ordinary-like conversation they were now having was disturbing her. She nodded, not looking at him at all. He turned to her with a kind smile upon his face. "Your friends are still down below?"

"Only fighting the creature you dropped on them, I feel a bit guilty for leaving them to it without me." She scornfully replied without raising her voice from the level it was on before. Her eyes glided upwards, meeting his. He smiled, lacking any real emotion in it to look genuine.

"It is for the best, I am quite sure." He told her as he step towards her while she was scowling at his remark with disgust. Before she could ward off his touch, he had grabbed her by the shoulders and brought his lips to hers hastily. She was wide eyed in shock and anger during the brief kiss. Once Sephiroth let her go, and she immediately went to slap him. He easily caught her wrist with one hand and waggled a finger at her with the other. "Tsk, tsk, my little flower. Where did you learn such rude behavior."

"You are a killer, a sick murderer! And you just expect me to submissive to your desires and give you what you want! I am not blind! I don't think you are capable of love!" Aeris scoffed at him, pulling her wrist from his hand.

"I'll just have to find a way to prove to you that I can love, won't I?" Sephiroth informed her. She turned away and stuck up her nose as if to will him away. He gazed at her back and stepped over to her again. Softly and slowly, Sephiroth leaned down and brushed his lips to her ears and whispered to her. "Goodbye, Aeris. Until next time, my flower."

Aeris' cheeks flared with so many emotions as he said those words. Anger, affection, hatred, nervousness……… they only penetrated the surface of her feelings. Aeris turned to look up at him once again. However, he had already vanished and no longer on the deck next to her. Aeris ran to the railing and looked down at the waves splashing into the vessel, assuming he had leapt in before realizing he could also fly from what she witnessed in the engine room. She let out a brief shout of anger and kicked the wall, turning to make for the stairs again. Cloud and the group, however, came up before she could even round the corner. Cloud didn't seem to notice her absence as much as some others, which relieved her, yet it also made her feel valueless.

"Aeris! Why did you leave! Sephiroth could have killed you!" Tifa whispered to her as Cloud discussed plans with Barret.

"…………" Aeris didn't answer and only stared at the ground. Tifa grew very worried over her but said nothing.

Several hours later after kept low from Shinra, they arrived at Costa del Sol's harbor. Once they decided their plans and made fun of Barret's sailor outfit, they headed to the nearest inn. The streets were packed with tourists, surfers, and chicks in bikinis. Avalanche found the inn and got rooms as they rested until their next move.

OMFG! I updated! Wow, when was my last update? Can't remember. Hope you enjoy it, though it prolly sux. Oh well.