Children of Prophecy
Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 or any of its characters.
Ch.9- Paradise Lost
Two weeks had passed and Aeris still was haunted by fragments of that confusing dream she had had. Two long weeks where she sat and stewed over the many conflicting emotions any thought related to the dream or her silver-haired companion brought up.
Matching her frazzled emotions and confused heart, was the sheer unpredictability of the rainy season weather. Sunny one minute, pouring rain the next, the weather was susceptible to change at a moment's notice, much to the annoyance of Sephiroth and even Aeris after a while.
While at first Aeris could fairly easily predict when the storms would come, as they approached the wettest weeks, it became and harder for her to be able to give warning to seek shelter before the skies opened up and let loose with torrents of water.
Sephiroth predictably enough was never pleased to be caught out in a sudden downpour that usually vanished minutes afterwards. His travels with Aeris had done much to mellow out his sharp temper, but as he found himself stalking back to the cave behind the waterfall soaking wet more often than dry, it returned with a vengeance. So short was his fuse the last few days, it took hardly anything to set him off. On several occasions he had barely held himself back from lashing out at Aeris for some innocent comment she had made. He was acting surly and snappish and he knew that he was behaving childishly, but the enforced inactivity of being stranded in the valley was eating away at his patience more now than ever.
It didn't help subdue his easily irritable temper due to the fact that every time he glanced over at Aeris, he suddenly felt strange and unwelcome emotions rise up. Every time that happened, he savagely squashed them down, but it was becoming increasingly harder and harder to ignore them. Her frank honesty about all things with him and how easily she expressed her feelings, good and bad, was what had initially drawn his attention, but now her unwavering belief in that there was something redeemable in every person combined with her rather overt actions to teach him how to find enjoyment in the simplest actions was gnawing away at his steadfast conviction to not get emotionally involved with Aeris.
Aeris to her credit was taking in his frequent foul moods without complaint and she never responded to his baiting so that he could have a chance to get into a fight with her. She was resolute in her decision to try to avoid conflict with Sephiroth for as long as she was with him and was holding true to it. Every time he came storming back to their mutual shelter under the waterfall in a black mood that matched the weather, she was somehow able to soothe his irate temper and get him to calm down. But as much as her presence seemed to be a balm to his raw nerves, the fact that the stormy weather outside hardly put a damper on her natural enthusiasm always annoyed him to a small degree. But then again, that natural enthusiasm was one of the things about her that was making him more attached to the cheerful herbalist.
He was pretty sure he knew what was going on, but he refused to even acknowledge its existence. He wasn't stupid, even someone as emotionally undereducated and stunted as himself could see what was going on in with these alien emotions that were swirling around in him. He wasn't totally ignorant of the workings of the human heart. He had picked up some trashy romance novel at one point of his life out of sheer boredom and a faint curiosity to find out why humans chased this sensation so much. At that time he had concluded that love was a complete waste of time and that humans were even stupider than he had previously thought of them for wanting to possess such a useless and contradictory thing.
He knew that there was no way on Earth that he could be subject to such illogical and stupid things that humans were to, like love. He was the son of Jenova after all and was above such petty human emotions. But now, he wasn't so sure about that earlier conclusion. What was puzzling him was why he was experiencing human emotions, since he technically was a member of his mother's race and most definitely not human. Wasn't he?
But I never knew my father Sephiroth though, do I even have one? Is it possible for me not to have one? I don't even know how one of my mother's species reproduces. If I am a full member of her species, why do I have an incredibly human like form? Am I some kind of twisted half-breed between my mother's species and some other like the Cetra? Surely Jenova would never condescend to mate with a human! But that doesn't answer the question of who my other parent was. What am I?
Totally unaware of the disturbing thoughts that were going through Sephiroth's head, Aeris was happily humming away while brushing a few stray tangles out of her hair. Eventually she did sense that something was amiss. Looking over at her contemplating companion she decided that his hair looked rather messy. Rather than trying to get his permission, Aeris happily plunked herself next to Sephiroth and without preamble started working on his tangled locks.
"What are you doing Aeris?" Sephiroth warily asked.
"Brushing your hair," she absentmindedly answered.
His eyebrow very slightly twitched.
"That is obvious Aeris, but why are you doing so?" he asked again.
"Because it is a mess," she chirped.
"What gave you the notion that I would allow you to comb my hair?" he questioned, surprised that he wasn't as annoyed by her actions as he thought he would be.
"You're allowing me to do it now."
"And why do you think that I will not make you stop?"
"Since you secretly enjoy it and you turn into a puddle of goo every time I do."
"I do not take pleasure out of grooming Aeris. And I most certainly do not melt every time you do."
"Oh? Then care to tell me why we're now sitting down with your back practically leaning into my face when we started standing up?"
Sephiroth blinked. He was sitting down and even worse his body seemed to be leaning into her every stroke. The same unwanted emotions that had been plaguing him for the last two weeks suddenly decided that now was the time to rear their ugly head again. Why was it that every time he got close to her his heart annoyingly speed up and seemed to be trying to lodge itself in his throat?
"Stop scowling Sephiroth, it will only make your face sore," Aeris told him.
"I wasn't scowling, merely thinking before you rudely interrupted," he responded, no longer scowling.
"Sure you weren't," Aeris stated, rolling her eyes, "now could you please lay down on your stomach so I can get to the hair that you are sitting on?"
He huffed, but did as he was asked.
"Such a nuisance," Sephiroth commented totally unprepared for Aeris's response.
"Don't you dare even think about cutting it off!" she defensively yelled.
"Wha?" was his intelligent reply.
"Don't you dare cut off your hair," she clarified.
"Why would I do that?" he asked puzzled.
"Because you though it was an annoyance…" Aeris sheepishly trailed off.
"Just because something doesn't serve a functional purpose doesn't mean that I get rid of it," Sephiroth explained.
"Oh" was her response.
Aeris suddenly remembered what she was doing with Sephiroth and why he was currently laying topless on his stomach beneath her. Aeris blushed and hurriedly resumed combing.
"Though my hair can be an annoyance at times it really doesn't make me want to cut it off. I rather like the effect it has on my enemies when they first see me," Sephiroth continued.
"Ha! I knew it!" Aeris exclaimed, "you really are a big show-off!"
"I'm no worse than you," Sephiroth lightly replied, "your hair is just as long as mine if not longer and you always take great care to keep it in top condition. Sounds like I'm not the only one who is vainly proud of their hair around here."
By now the comb was smoothly running through Sephiroth's silver hair without any snags. Aeris seeing that Sephiroth was slightly relaxed from her ministrations decided to take advantage of his current position and work on totally loosening him up. She was determined that by the time she was done with Sephiroth that he would not even be able to get up.
For the next three hours odd noises could be heard emerging from the cave behind the waterfall. The occasional "ooh" and "yeah right there" filtered past the noise generated from the waterfall interspersed with occasional grunts, groans, and one very loud and deep moan. There were even a few yelps and exclamations of "ouch" or "yeow" to give the symphony of noises some diversity. If one listened really hard, they might have heard one of the cave's occupants say "that's a real hard spot, I'll have to work it extra good".
Sephiroth woke up the next day feeling more relaxed and well rested than he had in the last two weeks. Last night's little exercise with a very exuberant and feisty Aeris had worked out all of the stiffness that his muscles had been developing from all the frustration caused by the bad weather and lack of grueling exercise. For all that she had done to him, Sephiroth had made sure that he returned the favor with even more vigor than he normally would have. Needless to say both Aeris and Sephiroth fell asleep last night thoroughly wiped out and loosened up.
Standing up and stretching out his arms and legs, Sephiroth felt more limber than he had been for months. It certainly was a good feeling to wake up to in the morning. We should really do this more often Sephiroth mentally noted. Poking his lightly slumbering companion with his foot, Sephiroth looked out past the waterfall and was pleased to find that there was no sign of rain, not that that meant much during this time of the year. Hopefully today he could actually do something productive rather than having to flee towards the nearest cover when it started raining.
"What's got you so eager today?" Aeris's sleepy voice drifted out of the cave.
"Other than last night's activities? Just a feeling that a welcome change is in the air," was Sephiroth's offhand reply.
"You must be getting better at feeling the natural flows of the planet and understanding what each shift means," Aeris commented.
"Stop being all elusive and mysterious Aeris, if you know something, just tell me. Don't keep dropping vague hints and expect me to know what they mean," Sephiroth admonished her lightly.
"Pfft, you cut me off before I got to explain what I meant Seph," Aeris rebuked him, giggling at the grimace that came to his face at the mention of his seldom used nick name.
"Well, I'm sure that what I'm about to tell you will bring a smile to your dour face," Aeris continued sticking her tongue out at him, "it should please you to know that the summer rainy season is almost over and the rains should stop within a few days. The season will go out in much the same manner in which it came in, with occasional hour-long showers in the afternoon."
While Sephiroth's face certainly didn't break out into a huge smile, Aeris could tell that the good news was well appreciated by him by how all the last of the tension that she hadn't worked out of him last night suddenly drained away. Well at least I worked him over really good last night, Aeris inwardly chuckled, although he was able to get up afterwards, albeit with very shaky arms and legs.
Sephiroth found that upon hearing her news that he was very much anticipating the lack of rain after the next few days. It was a novel experience for Sephiroth to actually be looking forward to something other than his life-long goal to obliterate humanity. Not that he was really spending much effort on trying to keep himself motivated towards that self-appointed task. Rainy season aside, he could easily find himself wanting to spend the rest of his life in this secluded valley deep in the vast Central Mountain Range of the southern continent. Whether it was stupid luck or the planet's guidance that had brought them to this place, Sephiroth didn't care, he just was glad that he was here.
A loud growl interrupted Sephiroth's thoughts. Apparently his stomach had decided that it was tired of waiting for Sephiroth to notice his hunger and had made its complaints very clear.
"Guess it's time for breakfast," Aeris cheekily remarked.
"Lovely, more fruits and berries for breakfast," Sephiroth sarcastically said.
"So where off to?" Aeris good naturedly enquired.
Instead of answering, Sephiroth simply strode out of the cave and into the early morning light spilling across the lakeshore. Aeris not perturbed by his actions in the slightest, went after him with a bounce in her step.
They wandered aimlessly around in the forest for a while before Sephiroth found a tree laden with Aeris's favorite fruit that could be found in the valley. With an ill-disguised shriek Aeris threw herself at the dark red pear-shaped fruits and started greedily devouring them. Sephiroth not really in the mood for fruit again, so he went off in search of other things for his breakfast. Aeris was contentedly chewing on a rather succulent morsel of fruit when Sephiroth came back with a good amount of hard-shelled nuts and edible mushrooms.
He used a sturdy rock he found nearby to crack open the shells of the nuts, exposing the slightly bitter flesh of the seed itself inside. Although it took him twice as long to complete his breakfast as Aeris did, after his pile of nuts and mushrooms had been consumed, he was quite satisfied.
"I want to see what is in that meadow at the eastern edge of the valley today, you know that one with the huge tree right in the middle of it surrounded by grass and flowers for quite a distance on every side," Aeris piped up once she saw Sephiroth brush off the remnants of his breakfast from his black pants.
"Did the thought that it will take almost the entire day to get there ever cross your mind?" Sephiroth asked.
"I don't care, I've wanted to go to that place ever since I climbed that tree and saw it from across the valley," Aeris peevishly responded.
"Oh you mean that time where I had to climb up to get you when your hair got thoroughly tangled in that tree's branches?" Sephiroth pointed out.
"Yes that time," Aeris growled, "but that doesn't change the fact that we're going there today."
"So you don't mind walking through the afternoon showers for several hours and possibly catch a cold just to satisfy your curiosity," Sephiroth drawled.
"Nope," Aeris quipped.
"Doesn't matter, we're not going," Sephiroth told her with an air of finality.
It was raining when Sephiroth found himself hours later trudging along the forest floor after the eagerly exploring Cetra. True to her prediction, right at the start of the afternoon Aeris spotted the storm clouds building up and thirty minutes later sure enough it was raining. Contrary to what Sephiroth was currently feeling at the moment, Aeris was thoroughly enjoying herself as she practically skipped ahead forcing Sephiroth to pick up his pace to keep up with her. He still couldn't believe that he had been roped into this childish expedition by Aeris. To be fair, Sephiroth was faintly curious about the place too and he couldn't come up with any better ideas with what to do during the daylight hours. It really didn't take all that much convincing to get him to go after all and plus he didn't want to let Aeris wander about alone.
It had been raining for almost an hour now and Sephiroth was growing rather agitated, the good mood of the morning long since dispelled. Even though the worst and most intense part of the rainy season was over, it seemed like the weather wanted him to experience the joys of walking around sopping wet for as long as it could. He really couldn't wait until the last clouds of the monsoon season disappeared entirely.
As Sephiroth stewed in his wet misery, Aeris while not particularly pleased that she was totally waterlogged she did find herself enjoying Sephiroth's slight discomfort even though it made her feel slightly guilty about it. He had certainly caused her enough discomfort and anxiety for the longest time that she felt that he deserved to be slightly miserable once in a while. For one it was good medicine for his over inflated ego, it kept him down to a reasonable level of being tolerably arrogant.
Aeris felt herself swamped suddenly with those strange, foreign emotions that she had been experiencing for more than two weeks now. While she had been trying to analyze her own confusing and uncertain emotions, the ones she felt during moments such as these seemed not to be her own. Despite the fact that the same indescribable ache and longing were the same as hers, the feelings of scorn, indecisiveness, and warring interests undoubtedly were not. Looking over her shoulder Aeris found that, just as she had expected, Sephiroth had been staring at her again.
He had been doing that for awhile now and although at first she barely felt anything coming from him, as the days went by, the foreign emotions that she was hit with every time he started looking at her for more than thirty seconds became more intense each consecutive time. Aeris had no idea where these sensations were coming from, but if she didn't know any better she would have swore that they were coming from Sephiroth himself, as unlikely as that sounded.
She was really starting to get fed up with these strange emotions that bombarded her at unpredictable times and was in the mind to give the sender of said emotions a taste of their own medicine. The problem was that she had no idea how to do that. Finally Aeris decided to try bringing the similar emotions that were brewing within her to the surface and concentrate on making them as intense as possible before bundling them all up and thrusting them at the invisible sender of the foreign ones she was experiencing.
Sephiroth was silently brooding over the strong sensations that were coming from the depths of his subconscious, trying to decipher exactly what they were when he was unexpectedly flooded a whole new set of them that had a strangely familiar feel to them. His experience with talking with Jenova through the years made him instantly aware that these new added on emotions to his own came from an outside source. They were not his own, but where were they coming from? They certainly weren't coming from Jenova, they didn't feel at all like her emotions. Other than his mother, who else had the mental capacity to be able to initiate a mental link with him?
Who did he know that had such feelings of heartache and yearning that were so like his own but also had undertones of admiration, guilt, hesitation and even hope? What could make someone experience all these different and conflicting emotions all at once? Sephiroth had no idea. But one thing he did know was that this bundle of emotions was disturbingly similar to his own jumbled mess.
The time where that huge consciousness had invaded his mind back when he was carrying the recovering Aeris through the pitch black cavern in the heart of the mountain flashed into Sephiroth's mind. Did that overwhelming presence that had stopped him from acting thoughtlessly towards the weakened Cetra leave some kind of residue or after effects that could possibly link that incident to this present one? What effects did it have on Aeris and was she experiencing similar effects as he was currently was?
Startled by that last thought, Sephiroth's head whipped up and his gaze tore over to Aeris who was staring at him with open disbelief. Looking into each other's eyes and seeing the exact same shocked look mirrored in the other's gaze, the same thought flashed across each of their minds. As comprehension dawned on them of exactly what that thought meant, two sets of green eyes simultaneously widened.
"Oh no," Aeris moaned.
"Shit" was Sephiroth's contribution.
After several moments of staring at each other in silence, processing the implications of this new and unwelcome development, Sephiroth found himself more puzzled than anything about how this had happened. It surprised him that he wasn't furious about their new connection, he felt more like he was a detached observer in the drama that was currently unfolding. Aeris he noted was currently trembling like a leaf in the wind, but what emotion was causing such a reaction in her he couldn't decipher. The emotions he was feeling from her were too muddled and mixed up for him to identify any individual one.
Aeris felt severely shaken. To know that Sephiroth was experiencing similar emotions to her own was not a very comforting revelation. While other people might be overjoyed to know that the object of their attention returned their feelings, Aeris didn't. She had a suspicion of what these feelings were and that frightened her. But her fear didn't last long, a spark of anger was lit in her and it soon grew into a blazing fury.
"Sephiroth, what the hell did you do?" she screamed, surprising him not only in her ferocity but also in her uncharacteristic use of foul language.
Sephiroth was flabbergasted with this turn of events. What on earth could have lit her fuse like that? he thought.
After hearing no response to her question she went on, "how dare you mess with my feelings like that. Do you have no sense of personal privacy! By Gaia, you're such an idiot! What were you hoping to accomplish by invading my innermost thoughts! Insensitive prick! What good could possibly come out of this!"
After she finished her tirade, Aeris stormed off into a denser part of the forest. Sephiroth, predictably enough, had not been prepared for the intensity of her outburst. He stood there wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open slightly for several minutes before he realized that he ought to go after the enraged Cetra. Her trail was not hard to follow seeing as she had rushed off without any care of where she was going and hadn't paid any particular attention to her surroundings as she crashed through the underbrush.
Aeris's mad, stomping footfalls soon turned into a blind rush as her anger diminished as quickly as it grew and a sense of apprehension and anxiety replaced it. Oh planet, why is this happening to me? What are these unnatural things I am feeling for Sephiroth? Oh planet, I feel like I am betraying you with this attraction I am feeling towards the son of your nemesis, Aeris told the planet as she was desperately trying to sort her thoughts. :Let go of your doubts and follow your heart beloved child, all I want is for you to be happy: was Gaia's response.
"My happiness won't matter if I cause so many to suffer," Aeris muttered, not really paying attention to what she just said.
Somehow, despite her seemly easy to follow trail, Sephiroth had lost track of all physical traces of where she had run off to. They only thing that was keeping him from losing track of her altogether was the emotions that continued to filter through their newly discovered mental link. He was relieved when he felt the worst of her anger subside, but grew worried again when panic and self-revulsion replaced it. Their bond, he had discovered, only let strongly felt emotions through the link. He had no idea what she was thinking as her emotions kept on trickling through their connection.
The situation he was in now was akin to the blind leading the blind. Aeris was blindly rushing through the forest without heed to her destination and he was blindly following her based off the vague feeling of where turbulent storm of emotions was traveling.
As the sixth branch to whip him in the face hit him, Sephiroth unexpectedly faltered. A strange sense of dizziness suddenly assaulted him, affecting his mind but not his body. His thoughts, jumbled and disordered like a drunkard's, were making him lose contact with his physical self while his body kept on moving forward as if on autopilot. Unexpectedly, he was hit with a raving thirst, so great was it that it overrode all other functions and seized control of his mind.
The sound of running water became perceivable to his ears and with a fluidity that showed nothing of his inner turmoil, he moved in the direction of the now all-important sound. Within moments he was crouched beside a rather large and shallow placidly running brook. He immediately plunged his head down into the water and took great gulping mouthfuls, oblivious to how animalistic he looked right then.
As suddenly as it hit him, his ravenous thirst vanished, leaving him gasping with its withdrawal. But with the disappearance of his thirst, a new wave of emotions from Aeris, stronger than any of the previous ones he had experienced. In his head he heard a barely detectable melodious humming, one he realized he had unconsciously felt ever since he had arrived in this valley.
Looking down into the area of water he had cast his shadow over he noticed something hauntingly familiar. Barely visible in the darkness his shadow provided on the water, there were very faint wisps of a green liquid flowing with the water. Lifestream. What does this mean? Sephiroth thought, alarmed. In the cavern that they had emerged from into the valley, the subterranean stream that he had been following had the exact same type of lifestream-filled water as this one did. How had the fact slipped his mind that the entire water system of the valley was almost saturated with the very essence of life itself? Both he and Aeris had been drinking this water for weeks, could this be the explanation for the many unexplainable things that had happened to the pair ever since they had come here?
First he had lost his powers of flight and teleportation, and then there was the almost unnatural pervading atmosphere of the valley that dampened his anger and made his heart and soul so content. Ever since the cave-in almost a month ago, he had not even detected the smallest hint of Jenova's presence, her words had been absent from his thoughts for even longer. To top it off was this seemingly impossible mental link that had mysteriously developed between him and Aeris. Add in the odd dreams he and Aeris had been having (neither had told the other that they were having these dreams, but both knew that the other was experiencing them) and this sudden attack he had moments ago, it became apparent that some outside force had been meddling with them for quite some time. It was rather apparent who or what had been doing this to them to Sephiroth in light of his discovery.
It was rather urgent now that he find Aeris and explain all this to her before the situation got worse and the misunderstanding between them grew bigger. It suddenly dawned on him, much to his dismay, that he was not only receiving Aeris's emotions better but he could almost visualize the bond between them as a band of faintly glowing, translucent light and thoughts. That meant only one thing; his abrupt consumption of all that lifestream-saturated water had strengthened the connection between them that it had been when originally established.
He had no trouble now in following the route she had taken through the forest. But instead of footprints or disrupted vegetation, he followed the path Aeris's emotions were traveling to him over the link. But why did I even have that attack in the first place? What triggered it? Sephiroth thought as he ran through the forest. While his discovery about the nature of the water in the valley explained much, it did nothing to help him understand what the attack was or why it had happened. He didn't even have a faint suspicion to work off of about the meaning of the event.
Sephiroth came to an abrupt halt when the cool shade of the forest suddenly vanished and the liquid warmth of the late afternoon sunlight spilling over the open meadow hit his skin. There in the middle of the large meadow was a huge two thousand foot tree that towered over all the other trees in the entire valley. Sitting at its base, was the slumbering figure of an emotionally exhausted Aeris. The bright, vibrant green of the grasses and vivacious colors of the numerous wildflowers contrasted starkly with the darker green shade cast on the forest floor by the tree canopy. While the air was just as fresh under the trees as it was in the meadow, it was much sweeter due to the abundance of blooming wildflowers.
By the planet, every place in this valley calls to my soul. I really don't ever want to leave this paradise seemingly made for beings such as me and Aeris, Sephiroth bemusedly thought as he took in the entirety of the scene in front of him.
Sephiroth silently waded his way across the knee-deep grass of the meadow, unconsciously avoiding trampling any of the blooming wildflowers as he quickly closed the distance between him and the giant tree Aeris was dozing under. Despite the slight puffiness around her closed eyes, a testimony to her earlier tears, she looked so content lying nestled between the roots of the mammoth. Everything she did here seemed so natural, so carefree. She belongs here Sephiroth realized, but do I?
He sighed, as much as he wanted to clear things up between them, he couldn't bring himself to wake Aeris. She surely deserved the rest after all the confusion she had gone through. It really didn't matter at the precise moment to explain everything to her, he was content with being right here next to her. Sephiroth quietly settled himself down a few feet away from Aeris. Before he let the pervading peace of the valley lull him to sleep, he whispered to Aeris, "this all your fault you know" and then was silent.
Aeris cracked her eyes open slightly and with a small smile, responded, "no, it's ours." The sun soon sunk below the horizon not long after, staining the sky with brilliant reds, oranges, pinks and purples before it faded to black.
Moonlight blanketed the meadow, throwing the formerly bright and colorful landscape into shades of silver, grey and black. The buzz of insects traveling from flower to flower was replaced with the soft chirping of crickets and the odd lonely hoot of an owl in the forest. The previously calm and serene scene had been transformed by the fall of darkness and the full moon's silvery light into a place of silent magic and mysteries. Shadows skittered furtively just outside of one's field of vision while a slight wind gently stirred the grass, whispering of things unseen. The air was full of untold possibilities and the stars twinkled with wisdom of ages past. The branches high above shifted restlessly, the almost inaudible groans they produced drifted down to the two sleeping individuals cloaked by shadows underneath the mighty, ancient giant.
The gentle murmurings of the planet roused the two slumbering people, the great visible contrast between the two hiding the similarities deep within. Two pairs of green eyes, one a deep emerald, the other sea green, opened simultaneously. An odd, enigmatic light danced in each of the orbs, reflecting the almost mystical atmosphere of the moonlight drenched meadow. In perfect synchronization they rose to their feet, the stars reflecting in their eyes. The tall, silver-haired man took the hand of the smaller, petite brunette and in a courtly bow kissed it gently.
Normally the entranced herbalist would have blushed madly at such an action, but tonight her suitor's action provoked none, the full moon putting each in a surreal and dreamlike mood. She in return gracefully sunk into a deep curtsey, the frayed edges of her thin dress seeming like silken trim of a splendid gown. Both rose up to a full standing position, the moonlight washing out all of their features except for their different, yet alike green-toned eyes. The elegant warrior extended his hand to the healer and she placed her own in his.
His hand closed about hers and he led her out into the moonlight, the unearthly beauty gracefully following his lead. He drew her close and placed one hand on her shoulder, the other on her waist. She in turn put her arms on his, her hands gently grasping his elbows. Slowly they started rotating in a loose circle and soon they were twirling across the still meadow, their feet lightly moving from one position to another in a pattern that they only knew.
They danced under the full moon, listening to the music of the stars and heavens that they could only hear. Green tendrils glowed faintly in their wake as they moved. Graceful movements and intricate patterns emerged as they fluidly danced around the wide expanse of the field, sometimes moving so fast that all one could see was a blur of silver and black, other times so slowly that one would think that they weren't moving at all.
They continued their magical waltz without halting, the entire time gazing only into each others' eyes and noting else. The hours trickled by, and the moon rose to its zenith and started its downward track towards the eastern horizon. As the moon started disappearing below the horizon, the young couple drifted back towards the base of the behemoth tree that grew in the center of the field. By the time its silvery light had disappeared from the night sky, the nocturnal dancers had settled back down at the base of the giant and had fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep. The planet joyously hummed, the ritual binding the two was finally complete.
A fat drop of rain hit Aeris square on the tip of her nose, causing her to fly to her feet. Dark, heavy clouds above loomed low to the ground, about to release their cumbersome burden to the earth. Aeris not wanting to get wet just after she woke up poked her male companion in the side to rouse him. She didn't want to have to deal with a grumpy and unpleasant Sephiroth again. A faint look of annoyance crossed his face before his green-blue eyes snapped open, his whole body tense and alert to any danger. Another large, fat raindrop hit Aeris on her head, then another and another. Soon it was pouring and Aeris's hope to stay dry vanished like food in front of a starving person.
"Well this is just lovely," Aeris muttered.
"You were the one who wanted to come out here in the first place," Sephiroth told her, "we could be all nice and dry, snuggled up in the cave back at the lake, but instead, we're sitting here under this huge tree that isn't doing much to keep us dry."
"Gah! What a mess everything is!" Aeris complained.
"We can sort out what happened yesterday later Aeris. Right now we need to find some shelter from the rain and get warmed up," Sephiroth rationalized.
"Fate must really hate me. Why else must I be stuck with such an unexciting grump, when it's pouring no less?" Aeris griped.
"I think that you got the better end of the deal, at least you're not stuck with an uncooperative, flighty Cetra that is hell-bent on making me miserable," Sephiroth retorted.
Aeris gave him an amused smile, "I knew that you weren't all ice and rock. That passionate heart that I've worked so hard to bring out is finally showing."
"You're delusional Aeris," Sephiroth grumbled.
"And you lack a sense of humor," Aeris replied.
"Are we going to stand here exchanging pleasantries under the rain or can we go look for shelter?" Sephiroth asked, exasperated.
Aeris blew him a raspberry.
Sephiroth groaned and shot an arm out to grab Aeris to drag her back to the forest. Anticipating his movements, Aeris jerked sideways evading his grasp, but her foot slipped in the mud and leaves and she fell back against the ancient trunk of the giant tree. A loud crack! came from the wood and the part that Aeris had fallen onto broke, sending her tumbling backwards into the newly opened hollow behind it.
Sephiroth buried his face in his hand. Only Aeris…he thought.
"Hey Sephiroth! Come check this out!" Aeris called to him excitedly.
Not really wanting to have to put up with any more of Aeris's antics, Sephiroth begrudgingly followed the sound of her voice, the jolt of excitement he felt from her rapidly fading. He was not expecting to find what he saw inside the hollow in the tree. A small and cozy dirt-lined area was protected from the elements by a slight inclined passage that lead to the space where Aeris was standing in. The hollow was warm and provided enough room that both of them could stretch out their full lengths side-by-side.
Aeris seeing him just standing in the entranceway of the hollow, grabbed one of his hands that were loosely hanging at his sides and yanked him into the larger and more round part of the opening. Unfortunately while the room was wide enough for him to lie down, it wasn't tall enough for him to stand up fully, as he bumped his head on the roof the moment he entered the spot. Slightly cursing and rubbing his head he quickly sat down next to Aeris who had no problem standing in the wood-lined room.
A slightly admonished look crossed her face before she gently moved his hand away from the spot where he had hit his head. She placed her hand gently on the sore spot and the glowing green light that always came when she was using her healing powers outlined her hand. A familiar soothing and energizing feeling spread through him, but just as he was starting to enjoy it, it stopped. Aeris seeing the faint forlorn look on his face after she retracted her healing energy took pity on Sephiroth and decided to do something for him to make up for the lost sensation her healing provided.
Cracking her knuckles, she prepared herself for another strenuous bout of massaging to relax the withdrawn swordsman. Judging by the blank look on his face, Aeris figured that he had no idea about what she was planning to do. Her instructions were short and curt.
"Lay down. Be silent. Relax and enjoy."
The rain had finally stopped about an hour ago, but Aeris and Sephiroth were still lounging in the hollow inside the trunk of ancient tree. Neither of them really felt like moving, they were content to just sit there and enjoy the pleasant feeling of fatigue that came from a hard day's work that left one's muscles feeling like jelly. Several times one of them had tried to strike up a conversation, but each attempt failed seeing as they were feeling too lethargic to even participate in that low key activity. It also didn't help that neither of them had even come up with an intriguing enough topic to make it worth the effort to discuss.
There was one topic that was constantly circulating through their heads that neither were willing to talk about though; how they were going to do deal with yesterday's events. Sephiroth didn't want to talk about it because he was afraid that any such conversation would reveal things that he didn't want to be brought to light. Aeris wanted to keep silent about the entire thing because the whole ordeal had left a sour taste in her mind. Sooner or later though, it had to come out. And the way that it did was in such a round-about way that neither of them had seen it coming.
"Last night sure was weird, but fun wasn't it?" Aeris blurted out of nowhere.
"There was something about the full moon that does strange things to people," he offhandedly commented.
"Never knew that you could dance so well," Aeris innocently remarked.
"I didn't know that either," Sephiroth returned, "who knew that a country girl like yourself could move with such poise and grace in a moonlit meadow?"
"Well, I don't know about you, but last night was so magical and you were such a gentleman. It was really sweet of you. I never pegged you to be a closet romantic," Aeris spoke wistfully.
"Last night was not normal by any means. I have no idea where either of us got the idea to spend almost the entire night dancing away under the moon and stars," Sephiroth thought out loud, "a foolish notion for sure."
"What's wrong with some harmless, if foolish, fun once in a while?" Aeris asked.
"I never had time for such flippancy before, nor did I ever wish to engage in such activities until recently," he responded.
"But now you don't mind doing such "foolish" things?" Aeris perceptively inquired.
"No I don't," Sephiroth admitted.
"But I am positive that outside forces were at work last night," he added.
"Yeah, I know. I felt the planet's presence all around us the entire time, but it was being very discrete about it," Aeris reflected.
Her statement struck a sour note with Sephiroth. It reluctantly reminded him about the necessary discussion that was bound to take place sooner or later. But now that Aeris had brought up the crux of the matter, however inadvertently, he figured it was now or never.
"Your planet has been doing much more than showing its presence to us last night," Sephiroth bitterly remarked.
Aeris instantly noticed the sudden change in the conversation.
"I know," she softly murmured, "it has been guiding our fates ever since we first met over five years ago. I realized that when I had calmed down after my flight from you to the meadow."
"Correction, it has been guiding and protecting you, not me. I don't think it cared what happened to me, after all it held me within the lifestream for five years after we both fell in while it released you only days afterwards," Sephiroth spitefully informed her.
"Well back then the thought of sparing me never crossed your mind," Aeris told him, defending the planet's actions, "it was only after I had fully matured that the planet started acting on your behalf."
"Since when has it ever helped me?" Sephiroth shot back.
"Well for one, after I rashly jumped overboard off the Storm Rider after you and had dragged you to the surface, the planet guided both of us safely to the shores of the Ancient Isle after I passed out form lack of oxygen. It could have let you sink to the bottom of the ocean and only carried me to safety, but the planet didn't" Aeris retorted, "plus once in the Temple of the Ancients, it practically led me by the nose to where the keystone was. It also never did anything that could permanently separate us. I figure the only way that you arrived right when I needed you the most after I ran off was thanks to the planet. It must have been sublimely guiding you even back then."
"Oh I see, the planet only helped me to protect you," Sephiroth accused her.
Aeris was getting tired of his constant attacks on the planet's character. She saw that mere words wouldn't convince him that it truly cared about his wellbeing and cherished him as much as it did her for being one of its precious children. She had felt such sentiments from the planet before, but had refused to believe them until a few weeks ago. That little revelation had not helped her jumbled and confused soul at all, it had only added to her heart's burden. It hadn't escaped her notice that her unexplainable connection with Sephiroth had gotten stronger yesterday. Because of that increase in strength, many new ideas had come to Aeris. She intended to test out one of them now.
Slowly she fully lowered her mental shields to the planet's voice and let its song fill her mind. Then she flung open the partly opened gates of their mental link and let the planet's music flow through it to Sephiroth. His whole body rocked when the planet's voice filled his mind, channeled through Aeris. He had no choice to accept Aeris's words for truth when faced with the undeceiving messages of the planet carried by the lifestream.
For the second time in his life, Sephiroth felt complete rapture. The first being when his mother's presence filled his mind for the first time. But it was different with the planet. There were so many different voices that combined into an unending melody that was an undercurrent to the pervasive song of the planet and nature itself. Filled with childlike wonder and awe, caressed by the flows of the planet's energies, Sephiroth felt like a babe safe and calm in its mother's womb. The soft feeling of being loved and cherished in a way he had never felt before blanketed his soul and dispelled any lingering doubts he had about his decision to abandon his lifelong goal of revenge and destruction.
He was cleansed of the hatred Jenova had fed his heart for all his life. Then the planet…, No Gaia he corrected himself, revealed to him a most shocking thing, the true story of his origin.
It was a cold, miserable winter night in the secluded town of Ruteford. Snow was piled in four foot drifts around the village's only tavern, The Red Torch. Boisterous sounds were coming from within the building, disturbing the people who had rented a room in the Inn above the barroom who were trying to get to sleep. There had been a big wedding that day between the blacksmith's daughter and the constable's son. Every inhabitant of the village had come to give their good wishes to the young, happy couple. They had all come since the wedding was a welcome respite from the long, cold winter snows that had prevailed for the last three months.
Outback behind the tavern a door opened spilling light from the empty kitchen onto the snow covering the frozen mud of the area in front of the stables. A relatively tall and sturdy man with brown hair sprinkled with a little grey stumbled out the open doorway that was letting the cold from outside invade the hot kitchen. Someone inside yelled at him to shut the door, it wouldn't do to have them all freeze to death right after a big celebration. Yelling good-naturedly back at him the smashed drunk slammed the door shut before staggering off towards his cottage that was located in the dark forest behind the Red Torch.
The man's name was Samuel Woodcutter and he provided the village with most of the lumber and fire wood it needed to survive the winter since coal was too expensive to afford. A rock caught his foot unexpectedly and arms flailing, he fell hard to the ground. The rock shot out from under his foot and caught him on the back of his left hand, leaving nasty gash. Blood poured from the minor wound sluggishly and soon altogether stopped. But it left a small red stain in the snow. Cursing at disobedient rocks in general, the soused woodcutter got back up and continued bumbling his way back home.
A thin blue tendril scooped up the stain from the freshly fallen snow and brought it to the mouth of a creature that many would call a daemon or angel depending on the observer. The creature licked the small bit of blood-stained snow and absorbed the information contained within it. Scattered images from the man's past flashed in the creature's mind and a wicked smile curled at the corners of its mouth. –How surprising that a pitiful human like this would possess such superior and extraordinary genes! This man's DNA has the strongest and most useful traits for my purpose that I have seen yet! Such a shame to let an opportunity like this to slip by, -the alien female gleefully thought.
Gliding a few inches over the snow that it so detested, Jenova followed the stumbling drunk back to his cottage, full of malicious intent. This night she would collect the necessary genetic material she needed to create a son that was capable of carrying out her plans. In her mind, she was granting this lowlife a huge honor. Being the father of the entity that would bring ruin to this backwater planet wasn't something any random male could brag about, not that he would survive to tell the tale. Besides she was doing him a favor, -I'm doing him a service by allowing him to spend one last night with his deceased wife- she cruelly chortled as her leathery wings shrunk into her back along with the tentacles that grew out of it.
Her limbs shortened and plumped out and her sickly blue skin turned into a healthy peachy pink. Her eyes grew wider and chocolate irises replaced grey ones. Curley shoulder length orange hair grew out of her head as her skull shifted into a human one. Freckles broke out over her dimpled cheeks and thin, almost non-existent lips grew plump and firm. The spitting image of Irya Mandaes, dead wife of Samuel Woodcutter set her long-fingered hand on the door latch and entered into the drunken embrace of the man who thought that his soul mate had returned to him. The door shut behind the deeply kissing couple, shutting out the world outside…
Aeris was staring at him with tears in her eyes and a look of horror on her face. Before he could react, she had enfolded him into a warm and supporting embrace, forestalling any movements to back away from her. Sephiroth was touched, but confused. Why wouldn't she be repulsed by learning how I was conceived in violence and deception? How can she look past that and let her compassion comfort me? Sephiroth thought.
"Oh Sephiroth. How could your mother, no Jenova, do this to you?" Aeris sobbed onto his trench coat.
He was thinking the same thing. Why had she withheld the truth from him for all of his life? True, he had hardly ever actually seen Jenova during his wanderings as a child, she was always off preparing for the completion of his task, but he had actually loved her, as much as an emotionally stunted child like him could. She had led him to believe that he was the same as his mother and that he was above the humans. But to find out that she had been lying to him, misleading him, using him for his entire life made all his preconceived notions and beliefs about himself and the world shatter. He had been running around all these years fulfilling Jenova's orders while he was a disgusting Halfling, a being even lower than his human father.
Nothing made any sense anymore. Why did she need a half-breed to fulfill her desires? Why not a full member of her race? Why couldn't she do her own dirty work instead of brining him into this miserable world? What meaning did his existence have now that his only propose in life was shattered? There was no point in continuing the charade that he called his life any longer. His future was now no longer a certainty and he had no idea what he should do with himself. He didn't even know who he was anymore.
"Spawn is truly an appropriate term to describe me," Sephiroth muttered, "better yet monster. How else should one describe a freak of nature such as myself?"
Aeris watched him sink further and further into his misery and self-loathing. The darkness of Jenova's lies and betrayal were pressing down on him, slowly suffocating his soul and erasing the spark of individuality and free-will that she had worked so hard to bring out. The misery he was experiencing now and as he had growing up was all Jenova's fault. She had to save him before he drowned beneath his despair and soul-suffering.
She panicked when she heard the ugly words he used to further degrade his worth. How fast was he sinking? She had to do something! Aeris wouldn't let him leave her after all had happened between them. She wasn't willing to let any hope for his happiness wither away without doing her best to help him.
"What point is in their in my continued existence? There is no future for me or my ilk," Sephiroth agonized.
Aeris reacted without thinking upon hearing those words. She slapped him, hard.
Sephiroth blinked as if coming out from under a spell. He shakily raised his right hand and placed his fingers upon his stinging cheek, a look of disbelief on his face. He never would have expected sweet and compassionate Aeris to strike him like that. Even she is disgusted by my mere presence, he sorrowfully thought, her actions only prove it.
"Sephiroth you idiot!" Aeris yelled, sobbing, "how could you think so badly of yourself? Why must you continue to torment yourself with ugly lies about your self-worth? Don't you know that I care for you! I can't…, WON'T let you drown yourself in your sorrow. You can't leave me after all this time!"
"After all we've been through together" she whispered, feeling her heart die just a bit.
Faced with Aeris's sudden admission and vehement statements, Sephiroth was finally forced to admit what he had been denying for so much time. He had seen the looks on her face when she snuck a glance at him when she thought that he wasn't looking. He knew what they meant and yet he denied the truth about them, further deluding himself about what was developing between them. He had felt the weak, ghostly emotions from her weeks before they had discovered where the foreign emotions they felt were coming from. How similar their feelings were to each other's, each set tinged by the emotions and energies that were uniquely their own.
There was no use in denying it anymore. Their relationship had gone far past that of simple companionship, past intimate friendship, far deeper than any other kind of bond between two people could be. Sephiroth was afraid of what would happen if he ever disclosed his feelings to Aeris, what would her reaction be? Would she distance herself from him, come to hate him for forcing something on her that she didn't want? Or would she welcome his feelings with open arms and a warm smile? Would she return his sentiments if he told her his own? Fate surely was vindictive by placing former enemies into such an awkward position.
Aeris felt the swirling mass of emotions coming from Sephiroth as she noticed the withdrawn look in his eyes. It could mean only one thing: that he had finally sorted out the feelings in his heart. Her own heart dropped at knowing what this meant. Her attempt to save him from himself had backfired horribly. Why couldn't they have continued on going about their daily lives without this coming out into the open? They could have been so happy spending time together in ignorance and bliss of how they felt about each other. What was worse, was that she reciprocated Sephiroth's sentiments.
Oh heavens, no please no! I can't let myself feel this way about him. It would mean the end to everything if this ever comes out! Why, oh, why couldn't he have kept on hating me? Why does my treacherous heart yearn for him so? I don't know what the planet was thinking when it placed us in a position that this could happen. Doesn't it care about its own wellbeing? Aeris panicked thought. If only things had been different. If only they had been born as different people than they were. Oh how Aeris wished that the circumstances surrounding their fates were different.
Sephiroth felt his heart plummet when he saw the forlorn and hopeless look on Aeris's face. Such expressions didn't belong on the visage of such a pure-hearted person like Aeris. Emotions like that were hurtful and made her miserable. He couldn't stand to see such a look on the sweet angel's face that he had come to care for. Knowing of nothing else he could do to help her, he wrapped his arms around her shaking frame and enclosed her in a strong, comforting embrace.
Aeris stiffened as she felt Sephiroth hug her, but soon all the energy to resist him evaporated and she melted into his embrace. Crying weakly, she clung to him like a drowning sailor would to a piece of driftwood. Eventually the shudders caused by her tears dwindled to nothing and she looked up at him with a tear-stained face. Sephiroth tentatively tried to smile down at her, but he only managed a ghost of a smile. That was more than enough to lift Aeris's spirits and she gave him a weak, watery smile in return.
"We'll get through this somehow," he whispered to her, "I promise that I will never leave your side, even under duress."
"Lady Fate can shove her be-dammed prophecy," Aeris hissed violently, after she had recovered her equilibrium"for once in my life, I'm going to do what I want and not let some half-baked prediction drag me down. I'm tired of running, of lying to myself."
"Jenova can go to hell with lies and plans of genocide," Sephiroth vehemently declared, "I don't owe that demon anything, especially my loyalty after she used and lied to me so much."
To hell with it flashed across the mental link from both sides as their lips crashed together and sealed in a searing and passionate kiss. The planet roared in joyous approval in both of their minds.
Sephiroth and Aeris lay sprawled across the dirt floor of the hollow in the ancient tree that they had yet to venture from, exhausted by their feverish bout of lovemaking. Sephiroth tingled from head to toe and Aeris's body spasmed periodically as echoes of her numerous and violent orgasms rocked her. Both Aeris and Sephiroth felt pleasantly sore after all that had happened in the last few hours, sleep now tugging at their minds.
Aeris tiredly reached over to her discarded dress and ruefully examined it. While mostly still intact, it was in a sorry state. Every edge of the worn and thin previously thick winter dress, was tattered and ragged. Stains that would never come out were splattered all across it in varying shades of green, brown, and other colors Aeris didn't want to think about.
"It's a miracle that this thing is still intact and useable after all it has been through," Aeris ruefully commented, "it will be very difficult and time-consuming to make a replacement."
"Why even bother?" Sephiroth lazily asked.
"You went to the trouble of making that crude comb, I never heard you complain about it. Why shouldn't I be able to collect the materials in need to weave a crude cloth to use for a makeshift dress?" Aeris asked slightly annoyed.
"Because the comb was practical and useful, neither of us wanted to walk around with those rat's nests we called our hair for any longer. In this place, such a garment is next to useless and isn't practical at all. Nor is it desired," Sephiroth replied with a smirk.
"So I'm supposed to walk around naked when this dress finally gives up the ghost!" Aeris almost shrieked.
"I wouldn't mind," Sephiroth chuckled.
The Cetra's face lit up with offended anger. A furious look flashed across her face before she threw herself at him with a scream, intent of causing him major bodily harm.
Sephiroth easily caught her wrists as she attempted to use her nails on him and watched impassively (at least on the outside) as she struggled to escape his grip. He placed a quick peck on her nose which only increased her frenzied movements. Her writhing got wilder as her fury increased and her desire to get back at him grew. But no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free of his grip on her wrists.
Aeris snarled at him one last time before finally giving up, collapsing onto his bare chest. He cast an amused smirk down at the defeated herbalist who was still mumbling about how she would like to remove certain parts of his anatomy.
"Its not fair," Aeris pouted, "how am I ever supposed to get the upper hand when you're so strong?"
The look on her face as she sulked against him was too much for Sephiroth as he broke out into genuine, hearty laughter. For one second Aeris got mad at him for laughing at her before she realized that he was actually laughing. Her heart stopped for a moment as her dream came back to her. Sephiroth's laugh was exactly the same as it had been in her dream. Her heart starting racing, she felt like it was so loud that the entire world could hear it.
She practically melted as his laughter was absorbed into her bones. So rich and full of life, Aeris thought that it couldn't be any other way. This was the part of Sephiroth she had been trying so hard to bring out and show off to the world. But now that she had accomplished her self-proclaimed mission, she was at a loss about what to do.
The words slipped out before she could stop herself, "I love you."
Sephiroth's laughter instantly stopped. A stressed look came onto his face for an instant before it was replaced with defeated acknowledgement. They both knew what Aeris's confession meant, and yet neither really cared all that much. Aeris could tell by the look in Sephiroth eyes that he felt the same way, no words were needed to express the emotion shown there, nor the feelings that were flowing back and forth between their connection.
Sephiroth knew what Aeris read from his gaze, but he felt the need to vocalize his emotions as well. It was only fair since she had told him hers.
"Aeris, I don't know how it happened, but as we traveled together looking for the perfect place to summon Meteor from, I found myself getting closer and closer to you. When I was rushing through the cave to find an exit so I could treat your fever, I realized just how strong of a spirit you had, how special you were. No ordinary human could have survived so long sick without food, water or warmth, but by your sheer willpower alone, you kept yourself alive until I reached that underground spring with the healing traces of lifestream in it. Before I knew it I had fallen deeply in love with you as we explored the wonders of this valley. Now that I know it, I wouldn't change anything about our relationship. I never want to hurt you ever, you've become too precious to me. Aeris, I love you with all my heart and soul," Sephiroth confessed to her.
"How ironic that my one-time would-be killer is now my beloved soul mate," Aeris wondered.
"Fate is a mean and spiteful bitch, but I have no intentions of ever letting it separate us," Sephiroth promised.
"It better not, or else it is in for a world of hurt," Aeris joked.
"You are so lovely when you are happy Aeris," Sephiroth told her.
Aeris blushed, but pulled him down into a breathless and demanding kiss. They had just sealed the fate of humanity and very possibly the doom of the planet, but at the moment, neither of them cared.
The planet's sudden wail of terror ripped through Sephiroth's and Aeris's light slumber. A feeling of dread and impending doom filled the valley. Aeris quickly got dressed while Sephiroth strapped Masamune in place (yes, he carries it with him everywhere). Both of them quickly rushed outside ready to confront whatever came, emerging from their place in the tree for almost two days.
A black dot was traveling over the southern mountains at an alarmingly rate. As its outline gradually came into focus Sephiroth growled and Aeris bit off a scream. The figure of their worst nightmares was coming towards them and there was nothing the planet could do to stop its approach. An unnatural silence fell over the valley as the figure landed about a hundred feet away from the giant tree, the grass around its feet withering.
-Congratulations for getting what you needed from the Cetra to be able to complete our plans my son- Jenova's voice boomed in minds painfully.
"You have no right to call me that demon," Sephiroth snarled at the alien, "I have no mother."
-Oh? So the planet decided to tell you about your true heritage did it? How nice of it- Jenova spoke maliciously amused –well I hope you enjoyed yourselves in this green little valley, but it is time for us to depart with the Cetra so we can travel to the place where you two will summon Meteor and fulfill our lifelong dream of godhood.-
"Sephiroth has nothing to do with you or your plans of genocide!" Aeris yelled, "not after how you lied and abused his trust his whole life!"
-Remarkable how easily Sephiroth was able to make you fall in love with him. I never suspected he was such a lady charmer- Jenova gleefully drawled, her mind gouging painful tracts in Aeris's mind.
Aeris shrieked with the mental pain Jenova inflicted on her mind.
Sephiroth quickly moved to defend her from Jenova's attacks, placing himself in between Aeris and the Crisis from the Skies.
"Aeris you don't need to defend me to the likes of that monster," Sephiroth consoled her, "I have no intentions of playing her sick game any longer. We're not going anywhere. I won't allow her to take us from this place where you taught me the truth about the planet and myself. It deserves none of my loyalty and has no power over me anymore"
"That is where you are wrong my son," Jenova actually spoke for the first time, "while the planet was able to remove many of the abilities I granted you and significantly weakened my connection with you, there is nothing it can do to prevent me from re-establishing it fully. Now because of that mental link you share with the Cetra, I have access to her mind and powers as well. Such a foolish son you turned out to be. I knew that your human heart would probably make you betray me eventually, but I have long prepared for such an occurrence. Welcome to your destiny Sephiroth, it is inescapable."
Upon hearing Jenova's pronouncement, Sephiroth hastily threw up a mental shield around his and Aeris's minds, but it was in vain. Jenova's mind smashed his mind's barriers into dust and crashed into his and Aeris's minds. Her wicked laughter filled their thoughts before they blacked out.
Could the second to last chapter end with anything other than a big, evil cliffy? Muwhahahaha. If you want to find out how this all ends you are going to have to wait until the final update next month most likely (Although ten reviews might give me some incentive to finish it a bit earlier).
It was a long chapter wasn't it? Took me quite a while to complete, it was the longest yet.
I've been dying to know what you readers think about my fic. What was your favorite/least favorite part? Did any thing about this fic particularly stick out to you? How well do you think I portrayed the characters? What do you think about the plot and how original do you think it is? Did you ever laugh when reading Children of Prophecy, if so what was your favorite humorous scene or bit? What other reactions did this fic elict from you? Anything you can tell me about this fic that made you think plus any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. Let me know, I want to know what you think about everything having to do with Children of Prophecy!
Reviews, like tips, are greatly appreciated but not mandatory. But without them, both writers and waiters find life a lot harder to survive in.