This was the weirdest chappie ever and LadyKadaj... you did a lovely job on correcting this:) Thanks so much! Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing!

Chapter 12

"So, what do you think?" Aeris asked in her usual chirpy voice, while prancing around like a nervous schoolgirl.

"Not bad, quite a place you have here." Nefilim replied truthfully, as he gazed around. "Although why are the building structures so similar to those in the City of Ancients?"

Aeris shrugged. "I'm not quite sure either," she said, then quickly changed the topic. "So ummm… Nefilim?"

"Ummm…?" Nefilim was more apparently more interested in the surroundings than in making small talk.

"Do you want to, say, take a look at my place or something?"

"What alternatives do I have?"

"Well, you could choose to look at the accommodations they have prepared for you."

From Aeris's tone, he could tell whatever it was,it wasn't going to be pleasant. Nefilim shrugged. He had little choice. Fine then.

"I guess your place then."

"My place?" Aeris smiled. "My, my. Being a perfect gentleman, aren't you?"

I am? He thought to himself, feeling totally confused. Outwardly, he gave what he hoped wasn't an overeager smile and said. "Uh… sure…"

That single smile totally did it! Aeris sighed in true girlish fashion. Her platinum haired companion was so handsome, and yet seemed to be unaware of his charms. He was often shy and awkward especially in situations where he had to deal with others, as Aeris herself had just recently discovered. Indeed, the man standing before her right now was nothing, nothing at all like the cold-blooded crazed murderer he once was. Was it possible there was another side to the man? A softer, gentler side to his nature waiting to surface? Well, if this was it, Aeris definitely had no complaints.

"Well, come on then!" She grinned and skipped away happily, leaving a confused Nefilim staring after her.

He followed uncertainly after the girl and into the city, and watched as Aeris skipped down the road, greeting every person she passed. It seemed that wherever she went, she brought a smile to everyone's face.

But as he came along, he saw each of their expressions change from happiness into suspicion, anger, confusion, and hate, the smiles sliding off their faces like slime.

He lowered his head, disgraced. He felt guilty recognizing some of the people he had murdered. Sadness ached in his heart and he felt tears burn in his eyes. He hardened his gaze and the tears went away.

Don't cry, you'll look like an idiot! His mind shouted at his eyes. What the hell! You have no feelings! NO FEELINGS!

Another passing person gave him the finger and yelled. "Not so tough without your damn sword now are you!"

His head sunk even lower and he wouldn't look up. Another man screamed. "F--- you, killer!"

A woman swung her purse at him, which he narrowly dodged and screamed with both hate and fear. "Keep away from me! Don't touch me!"

Aeris looked back and saw what each of the people were doing to Nefilim. She watched as his head sunk even further as his face turned into a complete mask of sadness.

People began to gather and form a ring around him. Nefilim wanted to break through, but the people held him back. They began to circle him, going slowly at first, then dizzyingly fast. "MURDERER, MURDERER, MURDERER!"

"NO!" she screamed, but her voice was lost in the chanting crowd.

She watched helplessly as people threw things at the silver-haired man. All he did was bow his head and accept each blow they gave. "NEFILIM RUN!" she screamed, but he didn't seem to hear her.

Nefilim merely watched as they chanted. He watched as the ring moved quickly around him, as blurs of people's faces passed him. Things from all over hit him. Finally, a purse hit him in the head so hard that he fell to the ground.

He heard a child scream with fear. "MOMMY! IT'S HIM! AWAHHHH!" And the wails were included along with the chants.

The ring tightened around him. Nefilim looked around, watching as they screamed words of hate. His ears began to hurt as the people roared. He covered his ears and writhed on the floor, their words echoing through his mind.

… MURDERER, MURDERER, MURDERER…

…Keep away from me! Don't touch me!…

…F--- you, killer!…

…MOMMY! IT'S HIM! AWAHHHH!…

…MURDERERMURDERERMURDERERkeepawayfrommedon'ttouchmef---youkillerMOMMYIT'SHIMAWAHHHHnotsotoughwithoutyourswordareyou!…

He wanted to scream, the words hurting his mind. Then came only one image, the image of Aeris, and she was smiling at him.

My place?My, my. Being a perfect gentleman aren't you?…

"NEFILIM RUN!" A voice called.

Aeris… He thought.

…The burning heat of flame, as it came around him. He pierced his sword through the brunette haired man, who stood in front of his daughter, screaming.

He laughed as he his sword cut deep into the man. The man fell forward, his blood gushing forth.

Blood covered his hands… the sweet smell of blood… so sweet…

YOU ARE A MURDERER! His mind yelled.

He gave an anguished cry and shoved through the chanting crowd. And fled down the street, tears of anger and sadness streaking his cheeks.

Aeris watched sadly, tears streaming down her face as the crowd gave chase. She caught a mere glimpse of him and saw his tears. "Oh Nefilim…" she began to cry. "I'm sorry!" she turned and dashed after the crowd.

Nefilim watched as the group of people dashed ahead of him and blocked his path. Two large, burly men leaped on top of him and began to punch him with their large hairy fists. He could have easily lifted them off and throw them into the crowd, but that would have definitely provoked more people and started a large scale fight.

Calm yourself. Take the blows, do not let Aeris down. He thought.

"You damn bastard! You ain't so tough are you!" One of his attackers yelled, leg kicking at Nefilim's face.

He felt his nose smash then the blood came. It flowed down from his nostrils and into his nostrils. So much blood… the smell of blood sickened him and he wanted to vomit…

Such sweet smell of blood…

He watched as the others joined in the fray. Smashing their hands and feet into him, doing large amounts of damage. And crushing him under their weight…

He felt a few ribs of his ribs crack as waves of agony tore through his nervous system. His brain screamed at him to retaliate; to fight back. But his will, conscience, and the memory of Aeris held him back.

People began to tear at him. His shirt became shredded until it was nothing but a mere piece of rag that hung off of him.

"Sonuvabitch!" Another man shouted, stomping him in the chest. "Enduring aren't you! Taste this!"

Nefilim watched as the man's fist come at him. Other blows became dull thuds. The fist connected with his face and everything went black.

I'm sorry Aeris…Was his last thought.

"NEFILIM!" Aeris looked down at where Nefilim laid, unconscious.

People still beat at the unconscious body and cursed at him. Even the people who had been so nice to her, were killing the poor man.

"STOP!" a voice screamed.

Everyone had stopped, each of them in mid-punch or kick. They all stared at her. Her hand had reached for her mouth. Was it her that screamed? She couldn't believe it… But she cleared her throat and looked over at each and everyone of the people. "Please," she begged. "Stop. I know you all may hate Sephiroth…"

People hissed angrily at the name and some exchanged dark looks. Aeris took a deep breath and began again. "I know you may all hate him, but he's changed!" Many snorts followed what she had just said. "Didn't you see? That when you beat him down, did he even fight back? Nope, not even once!" Whispers and gasps followed her statement.

"Aeris, we know you see the best in people, but HIM!" a man yelled. "Him! Of all people? A murderer? Our murderer! Your murderer! How can you judge your own murderer this way?"

"But you all once admired him! You all admired the Great ShinRa General Sephiroth…" Aeris was again cut off by boos and yelling. "SHUT UP!" she screamed; everyone was silent again. "You did admire him! Until he burned down Nibelheim. But do you really believe that the real General Sephiroth would do something like that?"

A woman snorted haughtily. Aeris looked around, the people's bellicose expressions told her that they still weren't convinced.

"Are you implying that an exact copy of Sephiroth did those deeds?" the woman who had snorted asked. People snickered and some even hooted with laughter.

Aeris shook her head in desperation. Would these people not listen? "NO!" she shouted, causing many people's eyes to widen in surprise. "Won't any one of you listen! Jenova manipulated him so that he would go around murdering! He was lied to his entire life! Sephiroth didn't even know who his real mother was then! Back then; he honestly believed his mother was Jenova! She made him do all that and summon Meteor!"

A child wailed at the volume of her voice. The cry was quickly silenced by the mother. A bold man stepped up, looking around. "Well yeah?" he sneered. "Just because he was manipulated still doesn't change the fact that he murdered us… and the rest of us! Do you think that blood would not be by his hands? It was him that did the deeds, so it is him that pays for them!"

Aeris sighed in frustration, wiping away tears of frustration that burned her cheeks. "Then… none of you are any better than him! As killing him would make you all murderers! You would be lowered to his level! It makes you ALL MURDERERS!" Aeris shrieked. "GO! MURDERERS! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE HERE!"

The girl was mortified at the words that came out of her mouth. Whatever happened to the gentle, demure Aeris who had never raised her voice?

One by one, people emptied the streets, walking away with their heads down as if they were children that had just been lectured by their parents.

When the street was finally clear, she ran over to Sephiroth and knelt down next to him. Looking at the damages that the mob had inflicted upon him. She gently touched his bruised and bloody face. "Nefilim…" she whispered, cradling his unconscious body and began to cry.