A Past Long Forgotten Chapter 5: New Developments
Sephiroth walked home slowly, with his hands shoved in his pockets. He couldn't seem to get Aeris and the strange reporter out of his mind. Not watching where he was going, he nearly tripped over something in the street. It was a book. Sephiroth recognized it as one of the stack Sandy had been carrying earlier. He picked it up and opened the cover, not surprised to see Sandy's name scribbled in it. He looked at the cover, "SOLDIER, a modern history of the military." Why would she have cared about the military? Sephiroth flipped through the pages, noticing more of Sandy's writing and page folds every so often. He resolved to look at it more carefully when he reached his house.
"Out on another dead people hunt, Sandy?" laughter escaped a group of her colleagues as she walked into the office. She simply smiled and ignored them, full of new resolve. Wait until they found out the story she had.
Sephiroth sat at the table, a dull light on. It was nearly midnight, and he'd been reading Sandy's notes and scrawls in the book; or at least he was trying to discern what they were. The woman had unreadable handwriting.
As he searched through the book, one word caught his eye. Sephiroth, his name. He read on. Commander...General?
No, it had to be a coincidence... then why did the book say he fought with the masamune? One of the few memories Sephiroth held was of his sword; and silver hair, this seemed to be too much. He sighed, pushing away his tired thoughts and reading further. The book was rather biased towards shinRA and the mysterious General Sephiroth.
He felt as if the book held who he was; but somehow he was afraid to find out. The book portrayed the General as a great man, but if he was so great... then why did he feel so odd around Aeris? He shut the book. Lying down on his bed, he resolved to visit Aeris tomorrow.
He didn't sleep well that night.
"Flowers for sale! Just one gil!" A sweet voice echoed the streets. It was mid-afternoon and Aeris had been wandering the streets all day. She was venturing towards Wall Market.
Sales were slow today, so Aeris sighed and continued walking. A little girl ran up to her, no more than 7, grabbing her by the hem of her pink dress.
"Excuse me mam. I'd really like a flower... it's my mama's birthday...but..." She sighed, slightly embarrassed. She suddenly felt very self conscious as she looked down at her own dress and it's tattered appearance. She was about to turn away when Aeris smiled brightly.
"Say no more," Aeris reached into her basket and pulled out several flowers. Then, setting her basket on the ground, pulled her pink ribbon out of her hair, carefully pocketing the small white materia she had recently discovered in the church, and tied the group of flowers into a small bouquet. Pulling her hair loose of its usual braid, she smiled and handed the girl the flowers. "There you are. Tell your mother I said happy birthday!"
The little girl smiled widely as she muttered a thank you. Hurrying away, the bright flowers and the small girl disapeared into a crowd. Aeris watched her go, a smile on her face. Those were the best kind of sales.
Sephiroth watched from a distance, smiling slightly after he'd watched the exchange. Aeris was so warm-hearted; he truly admired that trait and wished he had it, but he would never tell Aeris that, let alone start living that way. He approached her, checking to make sure he had the book with him.
"Aeris," He called gently from several feet away. She turned, and smiled widely upon seeing Sephiroth, then she frowned when she saw the dark circles under his eyes and the tired look of his features.
"Are you all right, Sephiroth? You look like you haven't slept all night." She looked concerned, and took one of Sephiroth's arms, locking it with her own.
He sighed, not thrilled about her concern but not minding it either; it felt nice to have someone care once in awhile. He didn't bother to wonder where that thought came from for he was far too concerned about what he had read. He just wanted comfort and another opinion.
"I would really like to talk to you." He began.
"Of course," She began, her concern still evident, "Let's walk back to my house, we can talk in the garden. after you left yesterday I really worked on it. It's got a path and everything again; no more weeds! I Can't wait to show you." She beamed, obviously trying to cheer him up.
He couldn't help but smile slightly. The two walked arm and arm back to Aeris' small house. They sat on a bench that had been hidden until Aeris had fixed up the garden. She truly had a green thumb, thousands of blooms of every color surrounded them, the little home seemed even more welcoming then before.
Sephiroth pulled out the book. "That reporter must've dropped this yesterday. I've been reading it and..." he sighed, "I'm concerned about it."
Aeris reached for the book and began flipping through it, "What's wrong?"
"Well. She clearly marked all over that book on certain pages; and they're about a General named Sephiroth." He didn't stop when he saw her incredulous look. "The resemblance is kind of uncanny. I just wanted to know your opinion."
Aeris sat for a few moments, reading several of the pages. She looked like she was in deep thought. Sephiroth moved closer to her on the bench, reading over her shoulder and pointing to certain things. They began chatting. Aeris seemed impressed; and seemed certain that the General and Sephiroth must indeed be the same person. When she looked up to talk to him, she blushed.
It was just then that they realized how close they were to one another. Cheeks turned slightly pink, Sephiroth moved away again, and Aeris cleared her throat nervously, still blushing crimson and trying desperately to regain her composure.
"It doesn't seem totally bad. this book's pretty old but... General Sephiroth seemed to be a good man, but then again what do books know?" She laughed nervously, and Sephiroth smiled.
Author's Notes: I really appreciate the reviews guys! You make me feel so special! Any ideas or anything at all- don't hesitate. Even if you hate it and think I should kill it! Keep reading guys, sorry it takes so long to update. Once this week is over and finals are done I'm home free! Speaking of finals. darn that Trigonometry ( Must go do that studying thing for awhile!