Chapter Four
She shuddered, wishing someone were there. Suddenly, she heard something moving outside and looked up. She saw a shadow cross by the glass. Aeris shuddered. The glass door opened and someone walked in. Aeris shivered and huddled herself closer in a ball, wishing someone were there to save her. Suddenly, she heard metal on metal that was someone sheathing or unsheathing their sword.
Someone was going to kill her.
Aeris whimpered softly and someone leaned down and grabbed her shoulder."Aeris, don't be afraid anymore. I am here." he said.
The deep voice that Aeris longed for rang softly in her ears. "Sephiroth!" she whispered, grabbed him and hugging him tightly. She buried her head in his shoulder and began crying. "Aeris, are you ok?" Sephiroth asked. Aeris nodded. "Just stay with me." she said. Sephiroth hugged her tighter and then let her go. She felt his hands on both of her cheeks.
"Aeris, I have cleared the way of escape. I will lead you to where your friends are and leave you there. Stay with them." he said. Aeris shook her head.
"Sephiroth, I want to stay with you! I don't want you to leave." Aeris whispered.
Sephiroth sighed and hugged her again. Aeris' heart was beating so loud she hoped Sephiroth couldn't hear it. She knew if he left she would eventually be alone again. When he tried to pull away, Aeris refused.
"Aeris, we need to hurry if you are to escape this place." he said. Aeris moaned softly in protest, but Sephiroth wasn't giving up.
"I can't protect you in here. Hojo can do all the tests he wants and I cannot reveal myself. Do not stay here." he said softly.
Aeris whined, then nodded.
Sephiroth took her hand in his and guided her away from her glass prison. It was pitch black, and she still could not see the face she longed to see, but the warmth of his hand was enough her her to know he was there, ready to protect her. As she walked, she stepped on something wet, a water puddle of some kind and fell. She landed on her stomach in the water puddle and gasped. Sephiroth quickly pulled her up.
"Are you ok?" he asked. She nodded, and knowing Sephiroth wouldn't be able to see her and softly whispered a yes. He pulled her quickly forward, and Aeris stepped on something soft. She gasped and jumped backwards.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Nothing." Sephiroth said hurriedly. He regained her hand and they continued on.
"Sephiroth, what is going on! Why are you in such a hurry?" she asked. She was hurt that he was moving so quickly, as if he were trying to get rid of her.
Finally, she stopped and yanked her hand out of his. She heard his footsteps stop and closed her eyes. She would listen hear for sounds to know where to move. Quietly, she removed her shoes.
"Why are you trying to hard to rid yourself of me?" she asked. She heard him sigh and step closer. She silently sidestepped.
"Aeris, I told you. We need to hurry." he said. She moved again, knowing he was searching for her.
"Why?" she asked, then moved quickly so he could not find her by her voice. She heard him walk to her voice, and stop.
"Aeris. Where are you?" he asked. Aeris held her breath, knowing he was straining his ears to find the slightest sound. After a minute, Sephiroth sighed.
"Why are we in such a hurry?" she asked, breaking the silence.
Sephiroth knew she would move immediately after speaking and jumped forward, but his hands grasped thin air. She had stood still, anticipating his fast thinking. Again, Aeris held her breath in an effort to locate him. Suddenly, she realized he was moving towards her. She ran quietly a ways. Sephiroth reached out quickly to grab her, but only his fingertips touched the soft tip of her hair.
He sighed. "Aeris, this is silly. Why are you avoiding me?" he asked.
He jumped when her voice whispered millimeters from his ear, her breath blowing on him softly.
"What are you hiding from me?" she asked.
He turned lightning quick and grabbed her, and she made no effort to escape. He had a hold of both of her arms, staring into where her eyes would be if the lights were on.
"Aeris, you will find out, but right now is not the time. Please, just come with me." he asked. Aeris thought, then sighed.
"Sephiroth, I don't want you to leave." she said, not pleading, not ordering, but merely staing how she felt. Sephiroth sighed and he let go of one arm and slid his other hand down to meet hers. she interlaced her fingers with his and he began walking, her following beside him.
"Aeris, once you and the others escape, I will find ways to see you. I promise. But you can never let anyone know of where I am. Including your friends. If they knew where I was, or that you were seeing me, it would not end up good. Ok?" he asked. Aeris sighed and whispered yes.
Finally, Sephiroth stopped. "Remember, you never saw me." he said. Aeris nodded.
"The lights will be restored within the next ten minutes. Just, follow the path I have laid out. It will not be hard to miss. Take this key. And remember, I did this for you." he said softly. She felt him place a keycard in her hand. Aeris' heart raced in her chest. "Don't leave me." she said. Her eyes searched the darkness, but brought no signs of him.
Suddenly, she felt his hand touch her cheek softly, then move down to her neck. She felt his lips softly touch to her own, and she kissed back just as softly. Her heart longed to continue, but he pulled away almost as swiftly as he kissed her. She felt him pull away from her, and all contect with him ceased.
"Wait!" she called out loudly. Beside her, on the other side of the wall she heard something rustling.
Aeris cringed and backed away. Someone had found her!
Sephiroth!
She called out in her mind for him, knowing he wouldn't come. "Aeris?" a voice called out.
Tifa!
"Tifa?" Aeris asked.
"Aeris is that you!"
"Tifa! Where are you?"
"I'm in some kind of cell! Open the door!" Tifa yelled.
Aeris reached out and felt for a door handle. "It takes some kind of key!" she called.
Suddenly she remembered the keycard Sephiroth had given her. She silently thanked him and slid the key through the door. The door clicked opened and Tifa's footsteps stepped out into the hall.
"Cloud and Barret are in the cells next door." Tifa said.
Aeris opened the first one and Barret clunked out. "What happened?" he asked. Aeris explained that she had found her door opened and a keycard on the ground and stumbled here. She then slid the keycard into the third door and immediately the lights came on. Cloud stared at her through the open door.
"Aeris! What happened? Are you ok?" he asked, running to her.
Aeris nodded. "Yeah, why?" she asked.
She noticed how Cloud was staring at her stomach. She turned to Tifa and Barret and Tifa screamed.
"Aeris what happened!" she asked.
Aeris looked down and gasped. Blood covered her whole stomach. She suddenly remembered slipping in the water puddle and Sephiroth's sudden want to move quickly after stepping on something soft...
Realization set in.
The only way they would get out alive was if everyone was dead. Sephiroth had killed everyone there! She fell in a pool of blood and stepped on a dead body! Sephiroth, what have you done! 'Remember, I did this for you.' Sephiroth's voice rang in her ears and she remembered his words.
"I fell down on the way here, but I thought it was water. Oh my god." she said softly.
Tifa ran to hug her. "Are you ok? What did they do to you?" she asked.
Aeris shook her head. "Nothing. They didn't get a chance. You came so fast. Thank you." she said, looking at Barret and Cloud too.
"I thought you didn't want us to save you." Cloud said sarcastically.
Aeris shrugged. "Well, I forgive you then." she replied.
Cloud laughed and Barret walked up to Aeris. "I uh...wanted to thank you...for saving Marlene." he said.
Aeris nodded. "Anytime." she said.
Suddenly an alarm went off.
"We need to get out of here." Cloud said.
Aeris almost told them to look for a path, but stopped herself just in time. "This way!" she said. They went around the corner and Aeris froze in horror.
Bodies lay severed and cut up everywhere. Pools of blood were just as scattered as the bodies. Cloud stepped forward. "Only one sword, only one man could do this. Sephiroth. Sephiroth must be here. Aeris, let me take the lead. I can protect you from that menace." he said.
Aeris bit back her words and shook her head. "No. I know a shortcut. Don't ask me how, I just do." she said.
"Is it your Ancient powers that told you?" Tifa couldn't help but ask.
Aeris turned to her quickly, her eyes widened. "How did you know that?" she demanded.
Tifa looked at her, surprised by the sudden intensity of her voice. "Your mother told us all." she said.
Cloud and Barret nodded. Aeris sighed. Cloud wondered why she was so defensive of her heritage, but refrained from speaking. Aeris just nodded and continued, suddenly, she realized what 'path' Sephiroth had laid out for her. He had dragged some bleeding soul along the floor, leaving bloody smears as her path. She gulped, wondering how she had fallen for someone so destructive. She moved along the bloody path.
They moved quickly, down stairs and along hallways, finding more and more dead bodies. Finally, the path led them to a large room, one Cloud recognized as the room they had all stood handcuffed before President ShinRa. Now, President ShinRa sat in his chair, just like before, with a sword protruding from his stomach. Aeris stared at it in disbelief.
Sephiroth..., she thought solemnly, What have you done?
