"I am so sorry, Cloud!" Yuffie complained, as her face was dug into her hands, "I didn't expect her to—"
"It's okay, Yuffie. What's done is done. We can't change that." Cloud replied, leaning against one of the wrecked walls. He sighed in worry for little Denzel.
"We have to find that woman." Tifa started quietly, while she stood away from everybody beside one of the colorful windows, "She has got to be somewhere around Midgar."
Barret stood up, taking the ice off his forehead. He straightened his muscular forty-year-old body and sighed.
"I guess this was all my fault." He said sadly, "I shouldn't have opened the cage."
"It wasn't your fault, Barret." Cloud turned to him, "It was her time and we all knew that. I just can't seem to understand why she needs Denzel!"
He jerks his arms forth and stands up, walking around on the same spot.
"Maybe we should alert Vincent and the gang?" Tifa broke the short-term silence and looked at everyone. They all exchanged worried looks and at last, Yuffie said:
"I'll call Cid."
"And I'll go see Vincent. Maybe he has something to enlighten us." Cloud threw and headed toward an opening.
Aeorynn pulled over outside the town. There was a clutch on the ground beside the spot where she stopped. She parked Fenrir and tried to open the ground door, but they were too heavy.
She looked into the sky, seeing the sun still shining bright. She hated sun. It irritated her eyes so much that tears would show up in them. She stepped away from the clutch, putting her hands together and lowering her head, as she closed her eyes. She prepared to cast thunder, since that was the only element that suited her the most.
All of a sudden, she jerked her hands forward, feeling the electricity run through her arms and into her fingertips. Thin blue lightening-bolts jolted out and struck the ground door, blowing them into pieces.
She hid her bike behind a small hill just beside the opening to the sewer. And then she entered. It smelled like rotten meat and inhuman sweat combining with the smell of old rust. It was as if she had entered hell.
Half metal creatures turned to her, as she stood on the dim light that was coming from the opening above her, lightening the dust that had arisen and making her look like a true savior to the creatures.
Some of them coiled up and hid in the shadow, while the others stood up in a defensive pose, ready to fight the beautiful figure that stood before them. She crossed her look upon each of them, knowing what they felt because she also used to be in their shoes. Gigantic bodies started wiggling in front of her, their wounded eyes covered with dirty soil and gore that hurt them more. Some shaking with pain, the others unable to stand up and some… some so hungry that they have even started tearing pieces of flesh from their own bodies.
In her eyes they saw him, the one that brought them here. Her narrowed pupils accenting the light violet color of her eyes that were surrounded by beautiful long lashes… Her smell… the smell of fields of roses rising into the sky, opening themselves to the sun that they have never seen before. But, still… there was one detail that made all that beauty disperse – the evilness as the effect of the drop from the Ancient Lake. Even though it was a temporary effect, those beasts could smell the anger and malice coming from the beauty.
"Grmssl Grmssl…" The largest of them, which had enormous hands that were being dragged against the floor, stood up and murmured something. It appeared that none of them could speak, at least not those that used to be humans.
"Oh, you poor… poor kids." She says at last. Those that saw her as an intruder made surprised looks on their faces, as they started glancing at each other confusedly, "The big bad Shin-ra made you look so ugly. Tch Tch Tch…" She says and crosses her arms as she makes a couple of steps forward. The largest of them, the one that approached her first, found himself completely confused that a girl such as she was wasn't afraid of getting in contact with them.
Aeorynn put her hand on the big creature and then glanced at the others.
"Grrmm… Grmmm…" It started speaking again, "…What…do…here?" At last he mutters a couple of words. She looks at him, seeing his one eye completely sealed by the skin that had melted together, whilst the other one revealed pain and sadness.
"I'm here to save you." She whispers, seeing the allurement tingle in his eyes, "But, in order for you to be free, I need you to do something for me." She adds.
"Rml… Any… thin." The creature growls with that hoarse voice of his.
"Follow me into the war and I promise to heal all your pain." She says with a smile and her arms spread that made everyone think she was to embrace them.
"Yes…" The big creature says and looks at her, "… No…Pain…"
Kadaj was sitting on Sephiroth's throne-like chair, listening to Loz complain about Sephiroth turning against them.
"Oh, don't be such a crybaby, Loz!" Yazoo shouts from the other side of the room, observing Aeorynn in the sewer. She couldn't see them, since the window was just a cast spell from the other side, "She is beautiful." He adds to that and takes a deep breath, glancing at his eldest brother, "I think we have a problem, big brother."
Kadaj was very aware of this issue. Women have been the reasons why men died in the past, after all. Why would the present be much different.
"Sephiroth is fascinated by her." He said after a while, "He is drifting away from us each time her name is mentioned."
"Is he going to abandon us, Kadaj?" Loz said, making a sad, childish grimace on his face.
"Not if we can help it." Kadaj replies, standing up and walking over to Yazoo.
"I understand that you have a plan, big brother." Yazoo said without taking his eyes off the beauty that was gaining the confidence of those beasts.
"The line between love and hate is very thin, Yazoo." Kadaj says, looking at his brother with a smile, "It is very likely that they are one and the same."
He felt his heart beat faster just by the thought of her. The little girl from the past has developed into a genuine beauty. But it wasn't her beauty that made her attractive, it was her inside. She cared about everyone, loved everything and just wanted freedom. At least they had something in common – freedom. Who knew? Maybe she could forget his obsession with world destruction for a moment and see only that simple man that craves for some affection.
"What is wrong with me?" Sephiroth asks himself, digging his forehead into his right palm and trying to figure out where these feelings were coming from. Besides from having all the power in this world, he still lacked that tiny detail – Aeorynn. In a way, her smile made him want to be a better person.
Then he remembered her lips… the accented cheekbones and her full lips covered with shiny lip gloss that made them look sweeter. The thought of her tan skin glittering on the moonlight as she slept in that tower made him try to embrace all that beauty.
True, he was obsessed with her. Neither was it love, neither was it admiration. It was just the fact that she was the only one he couldn't have. And every time he would start thinking about her, he would end up picturing her sad eyes in front of him.
She led them out of the sewer, watching them admire the faint light of the sun that was, now, trying to break through the clouds, which were all ready gathering into one. They opened their arms and lifted their heads into the air, as though they have awoken after a thousand year long sleep. She completely understood them. However, there was something else urging her to fulfill Sephiroth's order. That potion he has given her made her want what he wanted… Death and destruction.
"Today you rest, tonight you fight." She said, turning to them, "There is an old ruin not too far from here. You'll be safe there. Wait for further orders." She threw to them and headed toward the place where she hid her motorbike.
"Aargh!"The biggest one of them stopped her, suddenly, "Name…" He asked her, with a mild look beaming out of his harsh eyes.
"Rynn." She told him with a smile, moving her lips just enough for the words to be understood.
"We knew this was going to happen eventually." Vincent said to Cloud and lifted his head, feelings the collar of his coat tickling his jaw, "Are Tifa and Barret all right?" He added, glancing at Cloud's worried blue eyes that were flickering on the soft moonlight and reflecting on the Ancient Lake.
"Yeah. So they say. I didn't think Sephiroth would show up again." Cloud replied and hanged his head, whilst resting his arm on his waist.
"Expect the unexpected. Especially now when the girl is on the loose." Vincent said, his metal hand making a chiming sound when he opened his fist, "Let's go."
The night was cold and full of memories. Vincent had his mind on figuring out Aeorynn, while Cloud couldn't stop thinking about his and Sephiroth's last meeting. He wondered when all of this was going to end because he was getting tired of living in fear from having someone mention Sephiroth's comeback.
"How old is she?" Vincent suddenly asked, but Cloud was too deep in his thoughts to hear him. He shook his head, knowing what his younger friend was thinking about, "About twenty?" Then he asked louder, snapping him out of his concentration.
"What? Oh… Yeah, something like that. Ask Tifa, she knows stuff like that." Cloud replied, still pale from the news that started spreading among them. He was worried for little Denzel, who was just an innocent child. Why would Sephiroth need him at all?
"Tifa was there when she broke loose, right? How come she didn't stop her? After all, Aeorynn has been locked in for many years and there is no way she can know how to fight. Where would she get the strength for that?" Vincent proceeded, still confused about that matter. However, Cloud didn't have anything to say about that.
"I don't know, Vincent. This is all too strange. There was a couple robbed by a girl that matches Aeorynn's description." Cloud put in to that, "I don't understand a thing." Then he added, completely confused by the whole situation.
"Doesn't matter. We'll get to the bottom of this." Vincent concluded their conversation.
Aeorynn stopped beside 7th Heaven, leaving Fenrir outside, so that everyone could see it. It was just like the one Cloud had, only this one looked as if it were bought recently. She pulled out her swords from the slots on the bike and then demounted its seat, heading toward the door of Tifa's bar. Her face was light, with a drop of a smile that made her look vicious. When she entered, everyone gazed at her, realizing she was new in town. How wrong were they. She smiled again, saying to everyone:
"I'm looking for Tifa. Tifa Lockheart." They all started gazing at each other in confusion, wondering why this newcomer was looking for beautiful Tifa. One of them stood up, scanning Aeorynn from head to toe and puckering his thirty-year-old face. His short blond hair was combed backwards, while on some parts it looked as if it were glued against his skull. The blue color of his eyes was so intense that Aeorynn could discern it even from the entrance. His blue T-shirt, wrinkled while he was sitting, started straightening up as he gazed upon the lethal newcomer. He was reaching for his gun, as he stared at Aeorynn's hand in which she was firmly holding her swords.
"Why do you need Tifa?" He said, carefully choosing his words and movements. Aeorynn smiled once again, lifting her head toward the light. Suddenly, the blond man noticed her gray eyes with thin pupils running horizontally across them. As if his heart jumped into his throat, making it unable to breathe, he felt as though he was choking. Similar eyes had Sephiroth and his three dogs they once called Silver Haired brothers.
"I have business with her." Aeorynn replied, knowing that the blond man wasn't going to let her talk to Tifa, nor even leave the bar. At least not without a fight.
"She is not here." He said carefully, taking a firm grip of his gun on the waist, "May I know who's asking?"
Aeorynn couldn't remember her full name. She wasn't even sure if Aeorynn was her name. So, deep in her thoughts and her feelings, she simply said:
"Fox." A smile crossed her tricky face, "Rynn Fox. I will return." Then she turned around and headed out, when suddenly, the blond man pulled out his gun and stopped her with a short scream:
"Stop right there, Aeorynn!" He said. She knew this was going to happen. Too bad this individual didn't know what he was getting into. She threw one short look over her left shoulder, without moving her swords at all.
"I'm not here to play, Mr.…" She started.
"Cid Highwind." He replied quickly, still holding the gun pointed into the back of Aeorynn's head.
"Mr. Highwind." She repeated and smiled again, "I'm here to give my thanks to miss Lockheart. However…" She turned around, looking at him from under her whitish brows, "…if you insist to put your life at stake… I think I can still stick around for a bit. I haven't killed for… an hour, now." She said, remembering that man and his girlfriend whose clothes she had taken. Cid wrinkled his forehead and squeezed the trigger just a little bit. Enough for him to start psychically preparing to shoot her and for the gun not to fire at first. After a short while of reconsidering Aeorynn's offer to die, he lowered his gun and took a deep breath of relief.
Aeorynn walked closer to him. Now, he could clearly make out the beautiful violet color of her whitish eyes. She thrust her sharp, somewhat evil look into his eyes and smiled, whilst crossing her swords just in front of his stomach.
"Mistake number one: You should have pulled the trigger." She whispered into his left ear and, without stepping away at all, she separated the blades on his stomach, slicing it like butter. Cid, covered with blood that had started pouring out of his abdomen, collapsed onto the ground, whilst two fellows that were sitting at his table stood up and pulled out their guns. One of them was a mulatto, bald, but pretty young for his age. He wore a suit and looked like a mafia boss. The other one had red, spiky hair that stood on his head in a way that it made it look like a wheat field.
"I will let you draw first." She said to them, feeling her long, straight fringes tickling her nose and her face, as they dangled in front of her eyes, "I suggest you to shoot before you end up like your friend, here." She said calmly, whipping the blood from the blades against Cid's pants. Reno and Rude, as they were called, glanced at each other and, uncertain if lowering their guns was a wise move, they held them in the air.
"Hmm…." Aeorynn replied, headed toward the door and, whilst passing by one of the men that had throwing knives on his waist, she grabbed them swiftly and dropped her swords, as she turned around and knelt, throwing those two knives toward them. It all happened in a blink of an eyes: Aeorynn throwing the knives that stuck into their stomachs and them crying in pain and falling onto the ground.
Aeorynn walked over to Rude, who seemed to have been the only one conscious, from both of them, and she pulled out one of her guns, pointing it into his head.
"Mistake number two: You shouldn't have let me turn my back at you." Then she pulled the trigger and announced Rude's death.
People around her, mostly men, started pulling their weapons out, surrounding her.
"This ought to be fun." She muttered and prepared to start shooting