A/N: I didn't plan on having her in this fic at all, but she somehow made her way into it. I also didn't intend for this to be as religious or belief intense as it is, but this is the Lifestream we're talking about which is to some extent, a part of a religion that they have, so I suppose it was bound to happen. :-\

--------------------------------------------------------

Rufus tried his best to hear the voices of the doctors, but wasn't having much luck. The only thing he had been able to make out was "surgery", which didn't appease him.

'What's going on? Surgery on what?'

'I believe he meant surgery on you.'

Rufus turned his head to try to find the person talking to him but found no one.

'Who's there?'

A gentle laughter filled his ears and he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. Not being used to people touching him, he jerked away from the hand.

'You're quite a jumpy person now aren't you? Don't worry, nothing here can really hurt you.'

He turned around and came face to face with a young woman carrying flowers.

'Alright.' He sighed. 'I get it. I'm dead. I died during whatever surgery he was talking about and you're here to show me around.'

'I'm afraid that's not it at all.' She sighed, 'You're not dead. At least not yet.'

Rufus shook his head. 'What do you mean not yet? I heard that I was in a coma, not that I was dying. Did this surgery make me worse? What did I miss?'

Aeris laughed at him again. 'Nothing really. You're on the operating table right at this moment with a 25 percent chance of survival. If it goes well, then in the end you'll be fine and hopefully away from here.'

'You have to forgive me but I still fail to understand why you're here with me right now if I'm not dead. Where is here anyway?'

'You're in the Lifestream. There really is no other way for you to see me otherwise.'

'So...I'm not dead, but I'm still in the Lifestream. How exactly does that work?'

'Well, you're not fully in the Lifestream yet, Rufus.' Aeris confessed. 'More like at the entrance to it. If you keep fighting to get better, then you won't be here long. But you're very injured and honestly, no one here is sure that you'll make it.'

Rufus shook his head at the flower girl. 'You're here because you don't want me in the Lifestream. You want to see me live through this because you don't want me in there. Fair enough. I understand why you wouldn't want me in the Lifestream. It's not like I respected it or anything.'

Aeris simply shook her head. 'No, if you died, I'd welcome you with open arms.'

'Alright,' Rufus looked at her, confused. 'Then you're here with me because...?'

'It's not your time to die and enter the Lifestream. You have things to do back there.'

'Like what?'

Aeris simply smiled. 'I know that you're a very smart guy so I'm sure you'll figure it out in time. You'll probably be here for a while so you'll have a lot of time to think it through.'

Rufus nodded his head, not quite sure that he fully understood what she was telling him. I'll figure out what I have to do? Alright, if she says so.

'You still didn't answer my question.'

'You're harder to trick then Cloud.' Aeris laughed. 'He wouldn't have noticed that.'

'Yes, well, we both may be blond, but I'm definitely not Mr. Strife. You skipped around the question. Now, why are you here with me? Your place is in the Lifestream, not outside it with me.'

'I happened to be out here when you came by.'

'Ms. Gainsborough, you're avoiding the question again.'

'Alright, forgive me for not answering you the first time. I'm here with you to stop you from looking around.'

Rufus couldn't help but smirk. 'What? Scared that I'll be looking for something to use to make a profit?'

'Not at all.' She replied with a smile. 'You want to go up close to that river over there don't you?'

'Is there a reason why I shouldn't?' He asked her, wondering why she would be stopping him from looking at water.

'Yes there is.' Seeing his confusion, she explained. 'It's not a river, it's the Lifestream. If you go up to it and touch it, with how injured you are, you'll be absorbed into it. When that happens, naturally, your body will die and this part of you will be taken to the Promised Land.'

Rufus did a double take. 'The Promised Land? I searched for it, even my old man searched for it and we didn't find it. I don't believe it exists.'

Aeris laughed at the President. 'Of course it exists, silly. You can only reach it when you die.'

'So there's no overabundance of mako there? What we believed it to be was completely wrong? You mean to tell me that it's only where you go after you die?'

'Yes, that would be what it is. Considering mako comes from the Lifestream, technically there is mako, but no living person can see it. It's only visible to those that have passed on.'

'What's it like?'

'It's different for everyone.' Aeris smiled. 'But there's one part that's the same for everyone; you can be reunited with those that you love that have passed on.'

A thought occurred to Rufus that he hadn't previously thought of. 'Is he here? And is he still wearing that blinding purple suit?'

'Yes, he's here too but don't worry, he's nowhere close to where we are. There is someone else nearby though that I'm sure you'd be happy to see.'

Rufus thought about it for a moment before realizing who she meant. 'You think she'd recognize me? I haven't seen her in years.'

'She's your mother; of course she'll recognize you. Besides, just because you haven't seen her in years doesn't mean that she hasn't seen you.'

Her tone turned serious for a moment. 'Just remember that you'll see things here that will try to trick you into thinking that staying here is what you really want. Deep down, we both know you want to go back. Don't go where she asks you to go; if you do, you'll die. Stay here and don't go closer to that river. You may not make it out a second time around.'

'Second time around?'

'When your heart stopped it was because you went too close to the Lifestream and it was starting to suck you in.' Aeris smiled sadly, 'I managed to pull you out before anything really happened but it won't be that easy the next time around. Please, stay away from it.'

Rufus absently nodded, in slight shock that Aeris was the one that saved his life. 'Very well. I'll stay here. Thank you for saving me.'

'You're welcome!' Aeris smiled brightly. 'Like I said, I don't think that it's your time to go. You take care alright?'

'I will, at least as much as I can in this place.'

Aeris handed him a flower. 'When you get bored or lonely, just look at the flower and it will cheer you up alright?'

Rufus nodded and took the flower. 'So what am I going to be doing here? Just waiting to wake up?'

'I'm sorry, but I can't tell you everything that's going to happen. It won't be that bad,' she said, gently touching his shoulder, 'I promise.'

'You'll come back before this is over to see me, won't you?'

Aeris grinned and let go of his arm. 'Of course I will! I would like to say goodbye to you before you go. Just remember, don't wander too close to that river or anything else glowing in green. You won't be able to leave alright?'

With a smile and small wave, Aeris left the President alone again at the entrance to the Lifestream.

-----------------------

Hopefully it's not too out there and that it didn't scare anyone away!