------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: ---------------------------------------------

To the Reader and the Lawyers:

Final Fantasy VII, and all the characters, including Aeris and Sephiroth, are property of Square Enix Co, formerly Squaresoft LLC. Tell me if my disclaimer ain't good enough.

To other Fanfic Writers (This is more important!) Plagiarism Note:

There are a lot of Aeriseph fanfics around here. I've tried my best to stay as original as possible, but it's a bit hard to write this type of story without treading on someone's toes by accident along the line. Please, if you feel that I may have 'borrowed' some of your concepts or ideas by mistake, notify me immediately. Email a "cease and desist" message to me, point out where I have gone wrong, and I will act immediately to remove or modify the offending section(s). Thank you very, very much for your understanding and tolerance.

OK, enough of this @#*%&^ already, on with the story!

--------------------------------------- End of Disclaimer: ---------------------------------------

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME

Aeris lay down in the garden, basking in the warm sunlight that caressed her cheeks, enjoying the cool breeze that teased her braids playfully. Her day's work was complete. Dinner was sitting patiently in the fridge, waiting for her parents to return from their outing. The flowers had all been well watered and pruned. It was time for her to relax.

A slender romance novel lay at her side. Cloud had told her that only shallow and ditzy people were interested in those 'trashy' books, but he didn't know that everyone had a right to believe in fairytales. The plot of these novels were very similar – the girl and the guy would go through fire and water, to hell and back, just to see each other again (most of the time, at least). They would both suffer greatly, but they would soldier on, knowing that their significant other would be thinking of him or her even in their most hopeless hours. She could sympathise with them, having gone through the same, knowing that they would be confident enough eventually to try their best, and they would succeed in the end. However, it was there that the story of her life sped away from that tangent. In every book she had read, the girl had always gotten her Prince Charming in the end, and they would live happily ever after together. At least she could take comfort that someone else was able to enjoy the happiness she would never have. It didn't matter that those people weren't real at all, it just made her feel better. She would rather sleep with Don Corneo than admit it to anyone, but she secretly hoped that one day she could live out her fairytale, emerging triumphantly as one of the heroines in her books.

It was then that she saw the sad young lady walk up towards her. In the Promised Land there was no need for gates or fences or locks. Everyone trusted each other, and there was no need to covet each other's goods. But then, she thought, if Yuffie, by any chance, were to go to heaven, they would probably have to change the rules.

But now, the woman didn't appear so sad now. Her tearful face was now set in determination, and she saw her eyes glitter, as if she'd found a new purpose in life. She stopped, and her mouth opened slowly as she paused to draw breath, for it was the first time she had spoken since she'd died…

"M… Miss… G – Gast?" she stuttered.

"Please call me Aeris. How may I address you?" The Ancient spoke softly and slowly, trying her best not to intimidate the lady.

"My… my name? I'm… I'm… Lucrecia."

Lucrecia. So this lady was the scientist that Vincent had loved… the unfortunate woman who had been Sephiroth's mother. It was unforgivable that she was unable to recognise even her own father, let alone the people who had played such an important role in shaping their quest…

The young woman stared at the ground, unwilling to meet her gaze. Her hands had begun to tremble again.

Aeris quickly took her by the arm.

"Come inside," she offered, flashing a reassuring smile at her, "I'm sure you have a lot to tell me, and maybe a cup of tea will make you feel better."

Lucrecia whimpered softly, but she allowed herself to be led into the house.

Aeris ushered her to the kitchen table, and when she saw that the lady was comfortably seated, she put the kettle on the boil, placing the teabags into the cups, taking the milk jug and the sliced lemons out of the fridge. Throughout her preparations, Lucrecia did nothing but stare at the patterned beech wood of the small round table, unable to accept such hospitality from this girl…

The kettle whistled in a matter of minutes, and Lucrecia's vision suddenly became fogged as a steaming hot cup of tea was placed in front of her. The Cetra girl sat beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"What bothers you, Lucrecia? I'm willing to hear you," Aeris began. The young scientist looked at the flower merchant, and saw nothing but concern in those sea – green eyes. She swallowed again, and began to blurt out her life's story.

Aeris had heard the sad tale of Vincent and Lucrecia's love before, but she listened attentively, letting her fading memories be refreshed. But when the woman began to talk about Sephiroth, and what he had done, she could not help but wince inwardly, and her hand unconsciously reached for her abdomen, remembering what had happened to her then…

But she quickly berated herself for thinking about her own misfortunes when she should be providing a sympathetic ear to this poor lady beside her. Her life, too, had not been a fairytale, and it had come to a tragic and tearjerking ending. And when Lucrecia had finished speaking, her head was bowed again, and the wooden table was damp with round water stains.

Aeris took out a handkerchief, passing it to her. The scientist accepted it gratefully, and dabbed her eyes slowly. And when she laid the piece of cloth on the table, she found that the cup of tea had been pressed into her hands.

"You must have some tea, Lucrecia. It'll make you feel better." Still there was no hatred or regret in those eyes, only compassion and empathy. Perhaps she was indeed the fair maiden the Planet had pointed out to her in her vision…

She accepted the delicate china cup and sipped it slowly, feeling the warm liquid fill up her soul, giving her the strength to accomplish what she had come here for. She set it down, fixing her gaze on those soft, forgiving green eyes, getting ready to cut to the chase… and probably ruin whatever little civility that existed between the two of them.

"Aeris… I… I… must ask one… favour… of you…"

The flower girl's eyes widened in surprise, but she raised her hand, beckoning her to continue.

"Of course… please, what is it you need?"

"I… spoke to the Planet… she… told me that… there was a way to save him. That… he would have to be reborn… made to atone for his sins… that someone… someone special must… go back with him into the mortal world… to be his… guardian angel."

Aeris could see it coming, but she hoped that Lucrecia would not reveal the fate in store for her. The soft green eyes turned into two pieces of jade, and her face was now white and made of marble. The smile faded from her face.

"Aeris… will you… will you… go… with him?"

Aeris sat stunned, galled and appalled by the nature of the task Lucrecia was asking her to carry out, and she wished for once that she hadn't been so quick to let her speak. Perhaps it was a mistake trying to ask the mysterious lady to open up, for she'd taken the chance to unhinge Pandora's box in her face. She was asking her to take care of that devil! She knew full well that it was the silver haired villain that had killed her, and yet that scientist still had the audacity to ask her to be at that monster's side! No! She could never forgive him! She could never forget what he'd done to her!

Her life had been so promising, so sweet, so rosy, but he had ended it all with one flick of his blade. She and Cloud loved each other, she could see the passion in his Mako eyes when he met her at the water altar, but that bastard absolutely, positively had to separate them, steal Sir Alfred from her! And now what had happened? Cloud was now married to Tifa, and she could do nothing but watch helplessly as she lost her lover just as Vincent and Lucrecia were helpless to see their love fall apart. Sephiroth deserved to die a thousand deaths! He deserved to rot in hell forever, for he'd ruined her life too, stripped it of the happy – ever – after ending it was supposed to have! If that was not bad enough, Lucrecia was adding insult to her injuries by wanting her to go back to this failed fantasy, to go back to this world to endure this never - ending disgrace. How could she ever bear to see Cloud again, especially in the arms of another woman? How could she face the world again, now that everyone knew that she was but an airheaded, ditzy bimbo who was an absolute failure when it came to love, having lost two of her boyfriends already! She wouldn't hear of it, no, never! She didn't want to help that horrible murderer! She didn't want to be alive again! That woman would never be able to understand her pain, her sadness!

"Can I say no?" She snapped, more vehemently than she'd wanted to, and instantly she bit her lip, the little angel in her head telling her that she'd made a terrible mistake.

Lucrecia merely nodded, accepting her decision without comment. She knew that it had been a long shot, but it had to be tried. Aeris had been the one person whom her son had done the most wrong to, and one of the conditions that the Planet had placed upon Sephiroth's redemption was that this very same person must consent to go with him, and it would be his sacred duty to protect her and make up to her personally for the suffering he'd brought upon her. If even this gentle, innocent girl was unwilling to aid him, there was no hope for him at all. Every last iota of self – control she had fell apart as the light in her eyes flickered out.

And even before Aeris could pull her flustered thoughts together and find some conciliatory words to repair the damage, she found the woman kneeling before her, gripping her bare feet, looking one last time at her. She saw, in those tearful, pleading eyes, nothing but sadness, desperation… and hopelessness.

"Aeris… I know that he has committed many sins… that he deserves to be imprisoned forever… but I know, I know in my heart that… he is a good man… if only someone could show him the light… I would go myself… but I am weak and sinful… I am not pure enough to be his guide. Please, my dear… I beseech you, please reconsider. No one, no matter what he has done, deserves to suffer like this… he did not what he was doing. He needs your help, and you are the only one who can save him now. Please… take a chance on him."

Lucrecia got up and hurried out through the door, not wanting the younger girl to see the tears that were streaming down her cheeks, not wanting to make her feel sorry for what she had done.

Aeris rested her head on the table, pushing her bangs into her face, trying to conceal the tears of regret that were rushing in to fill the void left by her momentary fit of anger. She forced herself to drink her now cooling tea, trying to think the matter over slowly. The beverage, sweetened with milk and lemon, calmed her down, giving her pause to decide what to do next.

Now, matters were worse. If she did not help Lucrecia, there would be surely no place left for her to go. She had always wanted to help anyone in need, no matter how much it cost her, but now, because of what she had done, because she had refused the last plaintive request of a sad, helpless woman, Lucrecia would be cursed forever to roam this wonderful place, never able to find peace in this existence. How could she step outside confidently with each brand new day, how could she walk around the streets happily, how could she go to the lake and share in the enjoyment of her friends' lives when this poor lady was walking around as a restless spirit, dejected and saddened… because of her?

Even as Lucrecia was doomed to wander the Promised Land for all eternity, tormented forever by the loss of her son, she too would become a ghost like her, unable to be content with paradise because she had been selfish at the one moment when someone needed her most. She knew that she could not live with that either. She had to do something to help her, or she herself would not be able to rest in peace either.

Despite the fact that Sephiroth indeed needed to be punished for his sins, yet she did not doubt for a moment the veracity of his mother's claims. He had been at heart a man who had a deprived childhood. Where love should have been sown, Hojo and Shinra had placed stones within his heart, and he had become a fertile ground for anger and resentment to flourish. Sephiroth had no mother to take care of her, no friends to look after his welfare. Even in captivity, Ifalna had been at her side, reassuring her every moment, keeping her happy and giving her hope to continue with her life. And when she had died, Elmyra had stepped willingly into her shoes, and though she was not rich, and she was firm and strict, she had kept her stepdaughter on the straight and narrow. Who knows what she would have become had she not been loved during her early years?

Indeed, Sephiroth had become a heartless monster, hate and vengeance filling in the void where there should have been charity and compassion. If someone could set this right, if someone was able to open the door to him, he would surely be able to redeem what little was left behind for him, and he would surely become… a fine man, like his mother. And even though she didn't want to do it, she knew in her gut that Lucrecia was right; she was the only one who could possibly make the attempt. Yes, even that murderer deserved another chance. It would be a horrific and degrading experience to have that monster chained to her, but… there was no other way. Just as there had been no other way out for her at that time except to journey to the City of the Ancients alone to pray for Holy. She might die again, but at least she would die in peace, knowing that she'd done what she could.

If she chose to go, she would be suffering every moment in the mortal world. Cloud would be very close to her, but so, so far away now that he was someone else's husband. She did not know how Sephiroth would behave towards her, but he would definitely be very hostile, especially after everything that had happened. But she would live only for less than fifty or sixty years perhaps, and she would return to the Promised Land. But for Lucrecia, she was already dead… and there was no escape for her… her sufferings would last forever. And forever was too long and too painful in comparison to the brief period of pinpricks she would be asked to endure. This decision would surely break her heart, but she had no choice but to go quietly, especially when another person's happiness lay in her hands.

Aeris sighed.

Why do I have this sick feeling I'm going to regret this?

She knew that her life would go along so much more smoothly if she could just stop thinking about everyone else for a moment, but she knew that it was impossible. To her, she would be happy only if she was able to keep everyone else happy. Asking her to be more self – centred would be akin to asking a sheep to eat meat – it would be anathema to her. She wouldn't be able to do it. It was simply in her nature to care for others, and to hell with what would happen to herself.

A/N: I hope my description of the (typical) romance novel is accurate, but I get the impression that a lot of those books use that particular formula I've described above. To be frank, I've never read them, but I like writing sappy mushy scenes. I was wondering why people read romance books anyway, and here I set out one possible explanation. I would believe that Aeris had a bit of a deprived childhood (being an Ancient with strange powers and the ability to hear dead people doesn't make you exactly popular, and she spent much of her early life as a lab rat) and she seeks escapism in reading romances. Like any other young girl, she deserves to have a dream, and like a lot of young girls her age, she too dreams of meeting her Prince Charming, a handsome, honourable and gallant man. Let's face it, Aeris isn't perfect, and of course she would be a little reluctant to go with her former enemy (erm, he killed her, after all) and meet her ex, but she's still nice enough to help Lucrecia out. So please don't think so badly of her; but feel free to flame me if you think I've made her look too cheap in this chapter, I don't really care, to quote Cloud =)

Oh, and sorry if the plot is progressing so slowly. For those who crave a little action and / or fight scenes - please wait a little longer! You will be gratified soon. I guess that is just my style.

To my Reviewers: THANK YOU!

To GuardianAlexio and Crow T R0bot: Thanks for the continued support! Yes, I hope I can keep it up!

To Starling94: Keep the reviews coming, and of course you'll be recognised! Keep thy sword at bay, alright? Gyahahaha!

To Firefly99: Whoa man, I didn't know you could make my writing such an experience! The only midi I listened to while writing this fic was Aeris' theme, it's so sweet, yet so tragic, yet so majestic. It's full of sadness… yet it's got a bit of joy in it. Thanks for the high praise - I'm getting as arrogant as Sephy - kins already.

I myself am still ironing out some details as to exactly how Aeris and Sephy will get together - it has to be plausible, and it has to be done at its own pace. It's damned difficult, but I'll try my best.