Chapter Sixty-One:
Sephiroth walked cautiously down the hall. He could hear voices. Aeva's soft apologies, Barret insisting there must be something they could do, Tifa gently telling him there was nothing—her voice cracking as she spoke. Sephiroth took a deep breath— Please don't let me be too late—and stepped into the room.
Elio's tank was in the back corner, the dilution timer slowly ticking down the minutes. They'd positioned Caia's bed so she was within arm's reach of him, but it hadn't done any good. Caia was unconscious, the tiny hospital bed too small for her wing which drooped to the floor. She was pale, so pale, and drops of blood flecked her clothes, her skin, her golden curls. He hoped that meant she'd gotten Niro before collapsing.
Barret was by the door, his shoulders knotted and demanding there must be something Aeva could do. Cloud knelt by Caia's bed. He'd positioned himself by Elio, so Caia would have been able to see both of them when she'd been conscious. Smart man. Tifa stood behind him, her auburn eyes shining as she stroked her husband with absent movements.
Aeva hovered nearby, talking in a calming voice despite Barret's escalating frustration. She was the first to see him, hands flying to her mouth in a gasp that had everyone in the room looking his way.
"The hell?" Barret yelled, jerking up his weapon.
"Don't!" Aeva yelled the same time Tifa said, "Wait!"
Barret didn't lower his weapon, but he didn't fire either, which was something. "What the fuck is going on?"
Sephiroth kept him in his peripheral, but focused on Cloud. That's who he needed to convince. A clenched jaw was the only sign he'd surprised Caia's brother, who rose slowly to his feet, Caia's hand still clasped in his. Sephiroth held up his hands to show he was unarmed.
"I just want to help Caia," he said.
"Like hell!" Barret exclaimed.
"Barret." Tifa said softly, but Sephiroth recognized that tone of voice.
"What? Y'all act like you aren't surprised. What's going on?"
"We're surprised." Tifa said.
"Not surprised enough!"
"Sephiroth was the other soul that's been with Caia this whole time." Cloud said softly. "Can you? Help her?" He went on, ignoring Barret's shocked exclamation.
"Maybe."
Aeva finally dropped her hands. "Maybe is better than I have!"
"Barret." Cloud said.
"Ahh!" But he lowered his weapon and Sephiroth didn't waste time crossing to Caia. Tifa moved to stand by Barret and Cloud stood back to let him by. Each breath rattled in her chest and when he touched her cheek it was like ice. She didn't have long.
"What do you need?" Aeva was all business. He could hug her later, and appreciate that he could finally see Caia with his own eyes later too. For now he turned to his daughter.
"A vial of her blood. I already have the other ingredient." He held up the elixir he'd pocketed earlier. Aeva had gloved up and started searching for Caia's vein before he'd even finished speaking. When she had the blood, he added it to the elixir, and turned the bottle to mix them.
"What are you doing?" Cloud asked.
"A Cetra binding spell. It will bind her soul to her body for a few days, giving her a chance to heal on her own."
"You really think that'll work?" Barret demanded.
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "You have a better idea?"
"Of course he doesn't." Aeva snapped. She addressed the room. "Positive energy only or leave." She turned back to him, all business. "Is the spell symbol based or an incantation?"
He didn't bother to hide his surprise. "Symbols."
"And where on her body do the symbols need to be?" She asked, turning towards Caia.
"Above her heart."
Aeva immediately began to peel down Caia's halter so he could write on the curve of her breast, but kept the rest of her covered. Sephiroth fought the protective urge to order everyone from the room. Caia would hate so many people seeing her so vulnerable.
"What materia do you need?" Aeva asked next, proving she knew far more about Cetra spells than he had twenty minutes ago. He was already removing one of Caia's gauntlets.
"I have it here," he said as he fastened it onto his arm, the pulse of power causing his fingers to tingle for a moment. Heal, Barrier and a few elemental materia. Now to remember the symbols. He sat on the edge of Caia's bed, leaning over her. His wildcat could have been sleeping if it weren't for the husky, rattling breath and her pale, pale skin.
He opened the elixir, and dabbed a little onto his finger, the blue elixir stained a pale purple from Caia's blood. Three swirling, elegant symbols and he had to get every curve just right for it to be effective. One symbol anchored the mind, one the heart, and one the soul.
"The body?" He'd asked Aerith when she'd shown him the symbols, and had him trace them until he'd memorized them.
"Heal the spirit, and the body will follow."
He thought perhaps the advice applied to more than just this spell…
Now he murmured, "I need to focus," to his daughter when the room began to get loud with voices he was doing his best to ignore. Aeva shut all conversation down, and he lost himself in the movement of his finger…and Caia's slowing breaths.
She died, when he was halfway through the second symbol, her body shuddering with one final breath. He lifted his finger and paused. Aerith said she could return her a few more times. Please, please let her come back.
Cloud grabbed his shoulder. "Get away from her."
"Wait." Sephiroth said, not taking his eyes off her. Cloud's grip dug into his skin, but he didn't shrug him off. He had a right to be pissed.
A second passed. Two. Five. They felt like years. Then Caia's chest moved, eyelashes fluttering, her weak heartbeat loud to his heightened hearing. Cloud gave a heaving breath and dropped his hand.
Aeva quieted the room again when they snarled at him, but Sephiroth continued the spell. When he finished the last symbol, a shiver ran under Caia's skin and power pulsed off of her. He gave a sigh of relief. He brushed knuckles along her cheek, but it was still like ice. He sat up and began to weave a thin barrier spell in the air. He'd lay it above the symbols to protect them from being rubbed off.
Caia had never been so cold. She wouldn't be surprised to find herself in a block of ice. She kept drifting in and out. She heard voices, but couldn't understand what they were saying. They sounded…sad. Then there was confusion and anger. Now there was only silence. And the cold. For a moment all sensation ceased, and she was warm again. Then she perceived a hand pushing her gently, and the violent cold returned.
Now her chest began to tingle with warmth and…power. It tasted like her general, so she focused on the sensation, following the thread of power until she could open her eyes.
She closed them again. She was hallucinating. Sephiroth was sitting on the edge of her bed. She opened her eyes again. The edges of the room were blurred, but Sephiroth was clear, sitting straight and focusing on his long fingers. She smiled. He was weaving a fine-tuned barrier spell. So focused, her general. Even a hallucination of him was a welcome sight.
Of course, she frowned, she knew he couldn't actually be here, but he could be communicating with her from the Lifestream. His knowledge and power was vast and their connection ran deep.
She needed to touch him. Hear his voice. Even if it was just in her head again. It was too quiet in her head.
She wanted to touch his cheek, but after a few moments realized her hand would not move that far. It took all her willpower, but she finally rested her hand on his thigh. He was so focused on his spell, he didn't notice she'd moved until she touched him.
There was a gasp from somewhere, and the apparition jerked at the contact. His green eyes clashed with hers as he grasped her hand and pulled it to his chest. With a wave of his hand he sent the spell he'd been working on floating down and it settled over her heart. Why? She wanted to ask him, but when she went to open her mouth she stopped.
He now cupped her hand in both of his, and ran his hands in long strokes along her arms. It was like fire scalding her frozen skin. The heat on her chest pulsed, trying to meet the warmth created by his hands.
"Caia." He murmured and met her eyes. Had they always been that green? They'd been less in their dreams, but were making up for it now with a color unlike anything she'd ever seen before. He gave her a look of longing and relief. He was beautiful, vulnerable, shaken. He moved her hand to his cheek and held her there, closing his eyes at the contact.
She felt guilty for putting such a look on his face and didn't know why. When he opened his eyes again, the look was gone and he lowered their hands, continuing his warming strokes up her arm.
She had so much she wanted to tell him: how thankful she was that they found Elio, that Niro was dead. How much she missed him, a hollow ache in her chest.
That she loved him.
But none of that came out when she finally managed to speak. It was barely a whisper, but she knew he heard:
"Is it always so cold?" Dying. She meant to say it, but couldn't. He would understand. He always did.
"Every time." And the world faded to black again.