So sorry about the delay! College is keeping me real busy this semester! Luckily, i only have one class on friday so i can spend the evenings then typing the new chapters! Thanks for sticking with me and not losing interest. Ive been having difficulties lately trying to make this story more interesting. Anyways, thanks for all those who reviewed and read the last chapter. I love hearing from you! Ill get to work on this new chapter, hopefully there will be plenty of surprises in there for you all! -Annubis
The Decision Between Life or Death:
A Second Chance
Chapter 13
"See, Reno. It's very easy, even you can do it." Elena stirred the boiling noodles.
"It's not really that it's hard, it's more of the lack of motivation." the red head mumbled as he chopped the vegetables and scooped them into the large salad bowl.
"You've got to be the most lazy person I know." the woman giggled.
"I'm not lazy!" Reno pointed the knife at her. She raised her eyebrows at his gesture. The man quickly dropped the knife onto the counter and folded his arms.
"Sure..." she shrugged. "Whatever you say." she eyed the trash sitting on the floor by the trashcan, the pillows scattered about the couch area and the dirty dishes in the sink.
"I'm a man, what do you expect?" he returned to his vegetables.
"Rude's place is clean." the woman lifted her chin.
"Well...that's Rude. He's not like most...men." Reno shuddered at the thought of Rude being a member of one of Elena's cooking clubs.
"He does get a lot of girls because of it." the woman smiled. He raised an eyebrow.
"How?" he asked out loud.
"Women like a man who keeps his place clean, can cook a meal for them and is a gentleman." the blonde checked the meatballs next to her.
"Hey! Gentlemen? Who said I wasn't one of those?" Reno eyeballed the food. His stomach growled in protest.
"...Come on, you're not exactly...charming." Elena smirked, trying to get a rise out of the man was one of her favorite past times and most of the time it worked.
"Charming!?" he scoffed. "I could be charming." he whined.
"Proove it." the woman slapped the man in the chest with a giant, plastic spoon.He leaned in dangerously close to Elena's face, his eyes drawn into hers. With their noses almost touching, he whispered.
"You'll see...I'll prove to you that I can be prince charming." he winked.
"Hah!" she laughed at the ceiling. "Reno, if you could be half as charming as Rude, you wouldn't be living alone."
"He lives alone!" he exclaimed.
"You sure? I see quite a few ladies going in and out of his place daily." her voice raised in pitch.
"What!? No way! He'd tell me." the man shook the vegetables in the bowl.
"Maybe he doesn't want to tell you."
"Why wouldn't he want to tell me? I'm his best friend!"
"Maybe cause you'd get jealous. Or you'd show up at his doorstep every time a girl was over to try to...butt in."
"I'd never do sucha thing!" Reno couldn't hold a straight face. "Ok...maybe I would be curious."
"Don't tell him I said anything to you!" Elena pointed at the man.
"Why not?" he smirked. "Cause then it'd sound like you were spying on him?"
"No!" she stammered. "I, it's just not right to butt in on someone's personal life and you would only make it hard for him if you were asking him about it all the time. Rude's different than you. He doesn't go bragging to other men who he's been with. He's a true gentlemen."
"Gah...you're making me sick." the man rolled his eyes.
"Jealous?" she questioned.
"No!" he said quickly.
"Hmm..." she snorted and opened the oven. "You should have a meal that contains every one of the major food groups." she changed the subject.
"We're missin' some."
"Nope." she pointed to the food. "Noodles, bread. Meatballs, protein. Cheeses, milk. Salad, vegetables."
"What about fruit?" Reno put his nose in the air.
"Apple pie." she smiled as she motioned Reno to take a look inside the oven.
"Homemade apple pie!?" he sniffed the air.
"That's right! Not the most healthy way to eat fruit, but you gotta have dessert!" she beamed.
"Then you sit!" he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her toward the table.
"What? Why?" she asked, confused.
"I'll set the table. You just relax and enjoy the show!" the man turned quickly and entered the kitchen.
"...You're so romantic, Reno." the woman snickered.
"Where are we?" Aeris ran a hand over one of her arms. The chill of the tunnels was getting to her. She glanced at the dwindling fire on her torch.
"I think about four levels from the top." Cloud looked upward. "You cold?" he turned his attention back to the woman.
"Hm...a little." she nodded.
"..." he handed her the second torch and without hesitation ran his hands over her arms. The gesture gave Aeris chills. She was shocked by the boldness of Cloud's actions. "It's my job to make sure you get out of here safely, even if that means keeping you from catching a cold." his voice was low. His warm breath on her neck was comforting.
"Ok." she giggled nervously. "But even if I did catch cold, it wouldn't be your fault, you know that?"
"You know that I'd find a way to blame myself." the was a hint of laughter in his voice.
"You always do." she lowered her head. "But I don't want you to, Cloud. I don't want you to blame yourself."
"Aeris, you died because I failed to protect you. One of Zack's last dieing wishes was for me to protect you and I failed miserably. You're death was one of the worst things I ever had to witness. It reminded me of Nibelheim, my mother dieing. It all was a painful reminder that I will never be strong enough to keep the ones I love safe."
"Is that why you run away from Tifa?" she asked. His grip loosened on the woman.
"Tifa..." Cloud frowned.
"Cloud you keep running away. If you continue to run away from the ones you love, you will most certainly fail to be there for them when they need you most." she turned her head to face him.
"I'm so confused, Aeris." his blue eyes darted to the ground.
"About what?" she sighed.
"About love." there was silence.
"Love?" she questioned.
"There are different types of love, correct?"
"Yes." she nodded slowly.
"There's motherly love, friendly love, sibling love, and then actual love. When you love someone romantically." the man continued walking but without his arms around the woman.
"Yeah." she whispered, slightly afraid of where the conversation would lead to.
"You're only supposed to love one person, right?" his eyes strayed away from hers.
"You mean romantically?" the word was strange on her lips. He nodded. "It seems that way, but I don't think so."
"You don't?" he glanced at her.
"No. I think it's very possible to love many people. The problem is when it's romantically, there's jealousy, anger, and the need to belong to only one person, or have only one person belong to them. It's considered a bad thing to love more than one person in that way but it seems so difficult sometimes. For me, there's often uncertainty. What if he isn't the one? What if I made a bad choice? What if I would have been happier with someone else?" She rambled on, forgetting that she was thinking aloud.
"How is it possible to love so many people?"
"It's kindness."
"You're too kind Aeris." Cloud mumbled.
"What?"
"You shouldn't love anyone else."
"What do you mean? Who should I love?" her voice quavered.
"You should love the one who can give you the most love, the one who without a doubt in your mind will always be there for you."
"Cloud..." she pulled him to a stop. A dark tunnel was to their side. He turned to her but had his head lowered. "Who do you love?"
"I love you, Aeris. I always have and I think I always will. I don't deserve you though. I wouldn't be able to protect you." he shook his head from side to side. His blue eyes sparkled in the firelight.
"Oh, Cloud..." Aeris bit her lip. "I have feelings for you. They are so great that it confuses me sometimes."
"But you love Zack..." he answered.
"Actually...We've been having a hard time lately. I'm not sure who I love anymore. Maybe I don't love anymore." she glared at the ground beneath her feet.
"What do you mean?" he looked up at her. He wasn't used to Aeris being so cold. There certainly was something bothering her.
"Cloud I'm not sure who I love more. I want to get away. Away from everything. To live the kind of life I want. To live peacefully, in a house with a garden. To be able to go on a vacation with my friends and have a fun time. To sleep away the day with the man of my dreams and eventually start a family. Would either you or Zack be able to ever settle down?" the woman wiped tears from her eyes. "Tifa wants the same thing and I think the more we both wait, the more we began to not care anymore."
"No care?" Cloud swallowed hard. "Would I be able to settle down? Tifa and I live together and I've only taken her for granted." his eyes met Aeris'.
"You have feelings for her, I know you do."
"...Tifa." Cloud sighed. His hand ran across his chest. "I wouldn't be able to function properly without her. I...should be better to Tifa."
"Tifa wants more, Cloud."
"I should tell her to go..." he turned his back to the woman.
"No! Cloud!" Aeris rubbed her forehead.
"She deserves so much more. She deserves a man who would love her as much as..."
"As she loves you." Aeris placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Who...would?" Cloud let out a breath. "I...would never be able to see her again. I wouldn't be able to handle seeing her with..."
"Jealousy...Cloud." Aeris smiled. "You don't want her to be with another man. I don't want to sound so horrible, but you should say something to her soon before it gets to the point where she leaves."
"Has she mentioned it?" Cloud turned to the Ancient. He cursed himself repeatedly for not taking the chance to tell Tifa how much he appreciated her.
"No. Not really. I think we both are just tired of things." Aeris whispered.
"But...It doesn't extinguish my feelings for you." the man covered his face.
"Cloud...we both are stuck in a bad situation, aren't we?" Aeris giggled.
"I'm sorry, I should not have even mentioned anything like this. We have more important things to worry about." Cloud began to walk towards the dark tunnel.
"No! Cloud you need to talk about these things. Let people know whats going on! I am glad you told me about the feelings you had for me. Maybe you should try the same thing with Tifa and see what happens." Aeris gave him a reassuring smile. She felt her heart sink. It seemed like she was trying to set him up with the other woman. She didn't know anymore who she was. She didn't know who Cloud was anymore as well, getting more bold by the minute with his feelings. She didn't feel like she knew Zack anymore either. He was so preoccupied with other things that it seemed as if he was another person. Then again, Sephiroth was putting her in a sour mood and had already ruined things between her and Zack.
"I'll talk to her, Aeris." Cloud nodded. "Thanks for listening to my...problems." He gave an embarrassed smirk.
"Everyone needs someone to listen every once and a while." Aeris grinned.
"I think that you'll find your place, Aeris. And whatever it is, tell me." he breathed a laugh. "I think I can learn to be there for you...or whoever."
Indeed the conversation was quite weird and awkwardly silent, but the two had reached an understanding. They both were in love, they just had to decide on who it was. Aeris giggled, how ridiculous life could be sometimes.
"Let's continue going up." Cloud cleared his throat. "We should reach the upper level real soon."
"I agree." Aeris nodded. "Well, I have the light. Shall I go in first?" She made a moaning, ghost sound.
"Actually, I think I should go first." Cloud placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and grabbed one of the torches from her. The blinding light temporarily blinded him as it passed by his face.
"Ah!" a yelp sounded from the woman in front of him.
"Aeris!?" Cloud blinked a few times, staring at the dark tunnel before him. Aeris was gone, swallowed up by the dark tunnel. "Aeris!" Cloud darted down the dark path.
"And, and he's so distant! Doesn't share his feelings or anything!" Tifa let out an exasperated sigh.
"Cloud's always been that way." Zack chuckled. "It's one of the first things I noticed about him. He isn't like everyone else."
"Vincent shares his feelings better than him!" the woman was animated with her hands, flailing them in all directions.
"A brick wall shares its feelings better than him..." the ex-SOLDIER muttered.
"I just don't get it sometimes, you know? I feel like I'm wasting so much time." her voice lowered.
"You're not." Zack shook his head.
"Huh?" she turned to him.
"You're not wasting time with him. Sure, he's difficult at times but that's the way he is. Cloud needs time, though it seems like too much time."
"He's had so many years, Zack. I'm beginning to think that it's hopeless. Maybe he should be alone. Maybe he needs someone else."
"He doesn't need anyone else. He needs you." Zack glanced at her out of the corner of his glowing blue eyes. Those eyes sent chills down Tifa's spine. They filled her with both fear and excitement. Zack noticed her stare. He cleared his throat ending the strange silence.
'What's she thinking about?' Zack nervously ran a hand through his hair. He was reminded of the kiss he and Tifa had shared so long ago.
"If he needed me he would have made that clear by now." The woman glanced towards the far away ceiling. They were now four floors from the top, the same level where Cloud and Aeris shared a similar conversation. She was happy with their progress.
"He's a man. Men aren't very clear about their feelings. Being in SOLDIER kinda tends to numb people."
"But you're not numb to your feelings." Tifa threw her arms in the air. "Zack, I don't understand how you an Aeris could be having problems. It's obvious you love her more than anything! Why do I have to be..." she searched for her words. Did she really love Cloud?
"In love with him?" Zack asked.
"Yeah...Why do I have to be in love with that man?" her eyes met with Zack's. He was the same as Cloud in every way, just with emotion. "I should have looked for a man who was like you."
"What?" Zack stumbled for his words. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"You're honest, you share your feelings and you aren't afraid of them. You can protect and be there for someone without a second thought and you're strong and brave. You can fight the cells in your body."
"...I...um." he fidgeted uncomfortably.
"It's not that Cloud's weak. Physically he's strong, it's his mind. He lets things get to him, he gets scared easily, worries too much. And then he breaks promises..." she lowered her head.
"He kept one promise." Zack spoke up. He placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "He wanted to join soldier because of you. Wanted to impress you. He came for you in Nibelheim, though he wasn't in SOLDIER, he still kept his promise to you."
"...He did." Tifa nodded. "He came for me when I was in a pinch."
"You should tell him how you feel, Tifa." he suggested.
"I'm not sure how I feel anymore, Zack." she shook her head slowly. Her dark hair swung over her face.
"Seems Aeris and you are having second thoughts." the man said in a sad voice. The woman bit her lower lip.
"I'm sorry, Zack. I don't know what's gotten into her lately. I think she's stressed out about something."
"She won't talk to me. Won't tell me what's going on." he's brilliant blue eyes drifted to the side. Tifa could see the sadness in his expression. It was heartbreaking to her, not seeing such a face on a man in years. Cloud rarely expressed emotion verbally or facially.
"They sound so similar." Tifa scoffed. "Maybe they are perfect for each other." She kicked a pebble on the path in front of her.
"What!?" Zack turned to her.
"I'm sorry Zack..." Tifa took in a ragged breath. "I...can't help thinking that he's always going to love her and I'll always be in second place."
"Do you think that she is in love with him and that's why she..." Zack clenched his fists. Everything was going in circles. The same thing had happened on their last journey before he and Aeris were killed. History really did repeat itself. He noticed Tifa staring at his eyes again. "Do I scare you?"
"Um. No!" Tifa waved a hand in front of her face. "It's just that your eyes are so..."
"I remind you of Sephiroth?" the man asked in a bitter tone.
"No. Well a little, but I wasn't thinking about that." Tifa laughed nervously.
"What were you thinking then?" Zack asked curiously. He leaned in close to her, raising an eyebrow. Did he just flirt with her?
"I...oh...I was thinking about how mesmerizing they were." She tried to tear her gaze away but was drawn into the soft glow.
"Mesmerizing?" Zack chuckled. "Like I could put a spell on you?" he laughed at his corniness.
"Ha! No...Well, maybe." Tifa flipped her hair behind her ear. Her brown eyes were golden in the flaming light. She played along with Zack's game.
'Uh oh...I should put an end to this before something happens...' Zack gulped as she drew in close.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Tifa giggled.
"No, why?" Zack asked. The truth was she was making him very uncomfortable. He was going to do something stupid and before he knew it, that something stupid was already in progress.
"Because, you're breathing hard..." Tifa whispered. He felt her breath on his lips.
'What are you doing, Tifa!?' her brain screamed in alarm.
"Hard?" Zack asked, repeating the only word that he had heard. He shoved back quickly, laughing out loud.
"..." Tifa covered her face. She wanted to die of embarrassment.
"We should move on. I think this darkness is playing games on us." the dark haired man scratched his head.
"Zack, I'm sorry..." Tifa kept her hand to the side of her face, so he couldn't see how red she was.
"It was my fault. I started it. We should be more careful." the man suggested.
"Good idea." the woman said before she tripped.
"Tifa!" Zack reached down to her and lifted her quickly to her feet. "You can't fall again. It'd be bad..." his hands wrapped around her wrists, holding her close to him.
"Zack..." Tifa whispered. They were acting like desperate, love-sick puppies.
"I'll lead the way..." he said quickly before dropping her hands. His light reflected against the approaching stone walls of the long tunnel. A dark shadow crossed his path and before he knew it, he was drug into the darkness, his torch falling from his hands.
"Zack!?" Tifa shrieked.
'What just happened? He disappeared! The darkness ate him! I'm all alone! Left alone...' Tifa's eyes stung at the thought of what had just taken her companion.
"Zack!" she screamed.
"Aeris!" Cloud shouted. He was now at the third floor of the cavern. He couldn't find the girl. He ran down one of the forking tunnels, not caring if he got lost. He needed to find Aeris.
"Cloud!?" a voice called out in front of him. It was eerie, but sounded very familiar. He was led into a brightly lit room. It was circular and quite different than any of the other places he had been so far. It seemed to have been a type of storage room. Small tunnels were burrowed into the walls and ceilings of the room.
"Aeris?" he called out.
"Cloud!" her voice responded. The man glanced towards a broken pillar in the center of the room. Aeris stumbled from around the side, fright covered her face.
"Aeris! Are you alright-?" he stopped as the woman dashed forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I was so scared!" She sobbed. "Cloud, I was alone! I was so alone and cold in the dark! I couldn't find you. I thought I was stuck here forever!"
"It's alright, Aeris! What happened, did something happen?" the man glanced at the woman's terrorized face.
"He's here! He's here, Cloud and he's going to kill me!" she clenched her fists, tugging on the man's navy shirt.
"He?" Cloud's tone lowered. "Sephiroth?"
"Yes! That horrible man is here and he's going to take me away from you again!" she nuzzled her head against his neck.
"..." Cloud's heart beat faster and faster. "I'll-"
"Protect me! Please save me, Cloud! Don't let me die!" she cried out. That was the straw that broke the camels back. Cloud wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. She shivered under his touch.
"Cloud, I love you." She whispered, her lips now against his neck. "I don't want to leave your side..."
"...Aeris." His eyes closed.
'What is she saying? We just talked about this...' Cloud fought with himself mentally as the woman began kissing trails to his jawline.
"You don't want me?" She whispered.
"No, its not that, I just thought...we talked about this." his voice quaked.
"Talk? Who cares about that. What happens now... this moment is all that matters." her voice was chilly and quite out of character.
"Aeris?" Cloud questioned. His mouth was covered by hers. The man's knees weakened. Thoughts of his mother's saying rang through his head.
'You should date an older woman. One who can take care of you.' Cloud kissed her back, bringing a hand to her cheek. Aeris gave him that security. The feelings he needed to protect her, to be protected by her as well.
The two stood in silence, exchanging passionate kisses. Cloud never wanted the feeling to end, but there was something wrong with this situation. Aeris would never do anything like this. She would consider his feelings first and probably everyone else's before she ever even thought of doing something like this.
There was a scuffling sound in the upper corner of the room coming from one of the tunnels. A couple of pebbles dribbled to the floor.
"What was that?" Cloud pulled away from the kiss. He glanced at the tunnel where the noise emitted from.
"He's here!" Aeris shuddered. "Cloud you have to save me!" the man looked at her a moment. He noticed a strange glow from her materia. It was a soft yellow glow.
'Strange...' he thought for a second before investigating further.
The blonde approached the tunnel. He turned his back on the woman a second before glancing back at her. She was gone. Nowhere to be seen.
"Aeris?" Cloud ran around the room looking for the woman.
"Aeris!?"
"Damn it!" Zack cursed. He sat up quickly glancing at the darkness around him. "Where the hell am I?" the man glanced from side to side. He was in a small tunnel. At one end was an opening which flooded in an orange light. At the other end was endless darkness. Zack decided to take his chances and check out the lit area.
'I hope Tifa's alright. She should continue without me. It's important everyone gets out soon.' Zack's thoughts flooded his brain. 'Aeris, where is she? Are all the others alright? Why does she not love me? Maybe Tifa was right. Maybe her and Cloud have something going on behind everyone's backs.'
"You're being silly, Zack..." the man grumbled to himself.
He neared the opening of the tunnel. He could see flames lining the walls of a circular room. The man looked out to get a better view of the scenery. The round room had small tunnels like the one he was in lining the walls and ceiling. The room seemed to be a storage facility. The pillars in the room were badly damaged. He turned his head to the side and felt his heart explode into millions of pieces. By one of the broken pillars was both Aeris and Cloud. He was happy they were alive but at the same time dreaded to see them like this. They held onto each other tightly. Cloud's hand traced up the woman's arm to her cheek as her lips pressed against his. Zack let out a choke, seeing the two continue another minute. He couldn't believe it, Tifa was right. They were perfect for each other. Zack tumbled back into the dark tunnel. A couple of small pebbles dropped to the room below. The man covered his mouth, not wanting to think about what he had just seen. There was no mistaking it this time, Aeris had kissed Cloud.
"Aeris!?" Cloud's voice echoed in the tunnels. "Damn!"
Zack lifted his head from his knees, listening to Cloud's ranting voice. The dark haired man glanced back into the room, watching Cloud exit rather quickly, sword drawn.
'What just happened?' Zack dropped down into the room. Cloud and Aeris both were in here and when he looked back it was just Cloud. He had left in quite a hurry, calling out the woman's name. Had she run off?
"Aeris..." Zack closed his eyes. He felt like he was going to be sick.
"My, now that was some fun..." Sephiroth chuckled to himself. His boot kicked the woman's foot. He tossed a yellow confuse materia into the air and let it plop back into his dark glove.
"What'd you do?" Aeris glared. She rubbed her wrists together, trying to remove the tight rope that bound them together.
"Oh nothing. Just played a fun game with Cloud." the silver haired man laughed. He held a hand against his stomach. "It took a lot of guts! I can't believe I actually went through it myself, never done anything so disgusting in my entire life!" the man wiped his eyes.
"What...?" Aeris gawked.
"I just toyed with his emotions, thats all." the man squat next to the woman, his green eyes stared into hers. In a low tone he continued, "And I made sure Zack saw the whole thing."
"No. What have you done? You horrible monster!" Aeris kicked her legs that were tied together as well. Sephiroth reached for Aeris' hair and plucked the materia from it. He dropped it into his pocket.
"I'm not the monster here." Sephiroth grabbed the girl's collar. "It's actually waking as we speak. It sure is a long process. Lacking Jenova's cells makes things that used to be so easy, so much more difficult."
"Jenova?" Aeris asked.
"Not having mother here with us limits my strength. That's why I needed your help." he ran a finger across her collar bone.
"You needed me to weaken them so you could control them!" Aeris screamed.
"Of course! But you didn't do good enough. But every thing's set now. Cloud's confused as a teenage boy, Zack would rather be dead right now, and my monster is ready to wake up to destroy everyone. This couldn't be anymore perfect!"
"You're sick!" Aeris leaned forward, ramming her shoulder into the man's chest. Sephiroth didn't budge. He looked down at the woman leaning against him. He laughed as she struggled to straighten herself up.
"Vicious little thing." the man laughed.
Sephiroth's hand went behind the woman's back and clenched around her tied wrists. His other hand pressed against her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his.
"Maybe not quite so perfect." the man lifted the yellow orb. "If I can get a little bit more fun in before its time for me to leave, then it'd all be perfect."
"No..." Aeris tried to pull away, but felt herself frozen. The confuse materia glowed with such intensity the woman closed her eyes. He was going to have his way with her again. "You promised..."
"Since when had any man you known kept a promise?" he breathed against her neck. She squirmed under his grasp.
"I did what you asked, now let me go!"
"That wasn't the deal." the man shook his head. "I never said anything about you."
"What?"
"I said I'd keep the others safe; I never said anything about you." he smirked.
"I said you can't hurt anyone!"
"Then you said I couldn't do anything bad to any of them. You never stated yourself as well." his hand curled around the orb, letting the light flood into the woman's eyes. She pulled them shut.
"You're a cheater! You're a lier! You just do whatever you want!" she shrieked as her eyes flew open again.
"I want to hear you plead..." he whispered against her lips. "Let me hear you call out for your love, call out for Zack. Would you like for me to make it easier on you?"
"Stop it, Sephiroth." The woman glanced to the side.
"Look at me!" her head was pulled back towards the man. Aeris sobbed. She was in Zack's arms. He grinned at her, wide eyed and laughing. "What's wrong Aeris? You don't love me anymore?"
"I never loved you!" Aeris spat at the man. Sephiroth growled angrily, his form reappearing and taking over Zack's.
"I can make you!" He pulled out another orb.
'Manipulate...' Aeris shuddered. 'Make me? Why does he want me to love him?'
"You'll never feel love, Sephiroth. You'll never be loved by anyone! You're nothing more than a failed experiment! Your father could care less, your mother is nothing more than an empty vessel and Jenova is only using you for her evil deeds!" the woman hissed.
"..." for the first time, Sephiroth was speechless. The back of his hand met with the woman's face. She cried out in pain. His silver hair fell over his shoulders as he lifted the woman. In one hand he held onto two glowing materia. He concentrated the rest of his energy into the orbs. He was going to get what he wanted and he was going to do it now.
"Stop it!" Aeris screamed as she felt her body going numb, her eyes getting sleepy.
Jenova's cells and energy were working hard trying to wake up the massive monster that slept in the lowest levels of the cavern, to try and control or confuse Cloud and Zack, and now to work against Aeris and manipulate her.
"You'll be mine!" Sephiroth growled. A burst of light exploded into the room. Aeris shrieked and dropped to the floor. She glanced upwards at the man before her.
Sephiroth stood in the middle of the small room. His hands shook, dropping the materia to the floor. A low hum sounded, deactivating the magic. Small gasps and chokes sounded from the man as he dropped to the floor, his mouth gaping.
'What happened?' Aeris scurried away from the man.
"Agh!" he groaned as he held onto the sides of his head. Aeris had seen Cloud do this many times. "Mother!" Sephiroth screamed as he shook and trembled. Aeris watched in horror as the man fought with himself and screamed in pain.
"...Sephiroth?" Aeris tried to stand, to get away.
"Sephiroth?" the man answered. "Me?" he looked up at the woman. His eyes widened as he stared into her glowing green irises. He scrambled backwards, scooting towards the wall behind him. His eyes surveyed his surroundings.
"You're..." Aeris gasped. "Are you alright?" she asked.
"Who are you?" Sephiroth asked, his voice trembled in fear. He reminded her of Kadaj.
"Aeris...You were going to..." She looked away.
"What have I done!?" the man stood quickly, holding onto her shoulders. He shook her gently.
"I, You've done lots of things." Aeris whispered.
'This is Sephiroth. He is so scared...He has no idea what he has been doing all this time.' she was full of sadness for the man. He was just being manipulated as well.
"I killed them! I killed them all!" the man backed away, holding his head. "Why is this happening! What have I done!?"
"Let me loose!" Aeris said quickly.
"What?" He glanced up at her once again.
"You were going to do terrible things to me, and now you're trying to wake up a horrible monster and kill my friends. You'll probably try to destroy the world again." she rattled off the sentences quickly.
"I...there's so much I need to know, tell me!" Sephiroth's hands worked quickly at the knot tied around her wrists. In a second the rope dropped to the floor.
"I'm afraid we don't have time right now. Sephiroth! You have to trust me. You have to let me loose and try to keep Jenova from taking over." Aeris explained. He dropped to the ground, untying her ankles.
"Jenova?" Sephiroth asked. His hands slowly stopped working. His eyes began to glaze over. "M, mother?"
"No!" Aeris screamed. She kicked her feet, knocking the man over and loosening the rope.
"Wait!" Sephiroth muttered. He got to his feet quickly and grabbed the woman. She shrieked as he pulled her towards him. His green eyes met hers. "I am so sorry for whatever grief I have put you through..." he lowered his head and took in a ragged breath. "And for whatever future trouble I cause you. Get out of here." He shoved her away.
"Sephiroth?" she made her way for the dark tunnel beside her.
"Go! Leave!" the man was breathing hard. He dropped to his knees once again. "Jenova...Jenova...Jen..."
Aeris ran for the hole in the wall. She stopped momentarily as something caught her eye. Sephiroth's Masamune glinted in the light beside her. She grabbed the massive weapon and darted through the hole, leaving the psychologically distressed man behind.
"Mother!" Sephiroth dropped to the ground, kicking up the dust. His features relaxed, as if sleeping. The silver haired man remained silent and unmoving for the next few minutes before his eyes popped open again. His eyes glazed over as an angry moan erupted from his lips.
"Hurry up! Get that rope, Nanaki!" Cid puffed on his cigarette. "Barret place some of that dynamite in the corner over there. We're gonna blow this place to pieces!"
Cid gave orders to the two as he prepared his plan for rescuing the others. Red, Barret, and Cid had returned to the ship to see about getting help from Reeve. To their horror, they found Shelke unconscious in her chair and Kadaj in the corner of the room holding a broken Cait Sith. Kadaj was muttering about Sephiroth and a big monster. He refused to let go of the now destroyed cat. In a hurry, Cid and the other two had gathered all supplies for the rescue mission.
"We've gotta hurry! Who knows how much longer before we meet up with that monster Kadaj was blabbing about!" Cid cursed, throwing his smoking stick to the ground.
"We're goin'. Keep yo' shorts on." Barret groaned.
"Don'cha tell me to keep my shorts on!" the pilot sat on the ground, tinkering with a small device in his hands.
"We're going to die." Yuffie groaned as her and Vincent once again came to a dead end. "I say we go back."
"We can't go back, Yuffie. There's no way through that wall." Vincent replied coolly.
"And there isn't any way out this way either, Vincent!" the young woman dropped to the ground.
"Yuffie, get up." Vincent tugged on her arm.
"No!" She screamed disobediently.
"You're acting like Marlene."
"I don't care." Yuffie pouted. "Gah! Vincent! What are we going to do!?"
"Princess, I suggest we get out of here soon. I don't know how much more I can handle this."
"Handle what?" the woman stood up, sticking her face up to the man's. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to meet the height difference. Vincent then did something she didn't expect. He too stood on his toes.
"You're childish behavior." he looked down at her.
"What!?" She raised a fist.
"You know, you're going to become queen soon. Shouldn't you be a little more responsible and less childish. I won't be here forever to babysit you." He grabbed her headband and raised it over his head. Vincent's red eyes showed a hint of amusement as Yuffie hopped up and down, trying to retrieve the item.
"Look who's talking! You're playing keep away with me!" Yuffie grunted with each jump.
"And you don't like games?" Vincent asked. "Most children do."
"I'm not a child!" Yuffie yelled. Vincent frowned. He apparently went too far and made her angry. She huffed and walked away from the man, leaving him in the darkness.
"Yuffie. You forgot something." Vincent said in a monotone voice.
"I don't care!" she called back over her shoulder.
"I do."
"What?" she stopped.
"I don't want you running off by yourself. Come back here and get your headband." Vincent grabbed her arm and spun her around.
"Why are you always so mean to me!?" Yuffie growled. She remembered the talk they had when she was sixteen. Vincent had hugged her, making her feel a little better. Even after that he still insisted on making her feel like an idiot. "Will I never be strong enough for you!?" she snagged the headband from his hands.
"I don't mean to make you angry, Yuffie." Vincent replied softly.
"Then why do you?" She stomped her foot, turning away from him again.
"Because..." he began. "It's fun."
"Fun!?" she twitched in anger.
'Uh oh...' Vincent smirked.
"You want to see what it's like?" Yuffie growled and reached forward. She reached towards the man's waist. He stiffened a moment not sure what she was going to do.
'I wonder if he's ticklish?' Yuffie thought for a second. She changed her mind and went for the thing Vincent loves most, his weapon.
"Ha!" Yuffie jumped backwards, drawing Vincent's Cerberus from it's holster.
"Yuffie!" the man said in an urgent, serious tone. She laughed in response. He reached out with his metallic arm.
"Nope! You have to come and get it!" Yuffie ran into the dark tunnels.
"This is no time for games!" Vincent hurried after the young woman. "Don't play with guns, Yuffie!"
"You shouldn't play with me!" Yuffie corrected the man. "Then you lose one of your toys!"
Vincent skidded to a halt. There was a fork. He debated on which tunnel to take. He thought a moment. Yuffie had wanted to go back to where they had started. Vincent smirked as he chose the tunnel that would lead him to the way they had come from.
'He'll never win!' Yuffie giggled to herself. She approached the covered exit they had started at. The only problem was, where could she hide? A sound echoed in the tunnel, flowing towards her. Yuffie froze. It was Vincent. He sounded like he was in pain.
"Damn!" Yuffie turned quickly. She stared at her hands. She held Vincent's weapon. If he was attacked he wouldn't have enough time to defend himself. "Oh no!" she ran back down the tunnel to where Vincent would be.
"Vincent!" Yuffie screamed as she ran into the open. The tunnels on both sides forked. She had no idea where Vincent would be. "Vincent!!" she screamed loudly.
She felt something wrap around her waist. Claws dug into one of her sides, poking her flesh. She gasped in fear.
"I knew you would fall for it." Vincent's voice whispered in the young woman's ear.
"Oh! Vincent!" She growled, spinning around quickly in his arms. He did not let go. "You...jerk." she retorted softly, realizing the position she was in.
"You were scared." Vincent said. He looked down at the girl pressed against his chest.
"I wasn't..." She tried to avert her gaze from his but couldn't find the strength to.
"Really? You sounded very worried to me."
"You're picking on me again." Yuffie said in a warning tone. One hand was pressed against the man's chest. The other held his heavy gun down by her side.
"Because it's fun." He replied.
The two stood in silence a moment. They stared at each other a moment. Both seemed to have stopped breathing. Vincent hadn't realized he was holding her against him.
"Fun?" Yuffie whispered. Her eyes dropped to watch Vincent's lips.
"Very fun." He whispered, closing the gap between the two. He was centimeters away from her.
'Oh my god!' Yuffie's thoughts exploded as did something else very close by.
"Ah!" She shrieked and toppled to the ground. She felt something heavy land on top of her. The tunnels and platforms shook. "What was that!?" she hollered.
Vincent lay on top of the girl, his arms and hands protected her from falling debris.
"Vincent?" Yuffie called out the man's name. His face was to the side of hers. They were even closer than before.
"You alright?" He asked her. The man turned his face, not expecting her to be so close.
"..." She nodded quickly. Vincent repositioned himself so he was directly on top of her. He looked down at her.
"Sounded like an explosion." he state the obvious.
'Why won't he get off?' Yuffie wondered.
"Yup..." hers eyes darted to the side and back again.
They stared again. The tunnels were silent. Vincent was about an inch away from the girl's face. He watched her carefully. She could feel his heart pounding. What was wrong with this man? He kept eye contact as he softly brushed his lips against hers. Yuffie had barely even noticed. He raised his head quickly, leapt upwards, grabbed his weapon and ran down the tunnel.
'What the hell was that!?' Yuffie got to her feet. She was dizzy. 'Did he...Vincent Valentine...just kiss me?' she let out a giggle as she followed down the same path as Vincent.
"Hey!! You two around here!?" Cid's voice echoed down the tunnel.
"It's Cid!" Yuffie exclaimed.
"Damn right it's Cid!" the pilot replied. "Get yer asses' out of there! We've got other people to rescue!"
The smoke cleared rather quickly. Yuffie could see light at the end of the tunnel, surrounding the pilot's silhouette.
"Cid! You rock!" Yuffie sprinted past Vincent and ran into the pilot, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You saved us! You actually came back to save us!"
"Of course I did! Now get offa me!" the pilot pried her arms off. Yuffie's next target was the other man.
"Vincent! We're saved!" She leapt into him as well.
"Red and Barret?" Vincent asked. He didn't pay any attention to the young woman hugging him.
"They went down the other tunnels to find the others. We have dynamite and lotsa rope! We're goin' to get everyone outta here." Cid stared at him and Yuffie. "Erm...you seem to have a leach on you."
"Yeah...seems that way." Vincent looked down at the woman. "Yuffie. We have to save the others. I'm sorry but you'll have to let go for a while."
'For a while? That doesn't mean let go forever!' The girl grinned, releasing the man.
"Oh...and we've got some bad news about Shelke and Cait Sith." Cid remembered.
"Shelke!?" Vincent stepped forward. "What happened?"
"Zack!!" Aeris screamed as she ascended the levels, darkness surrounded her.
"ZACK!!" she sobbed, not wanting to know what Sephiroth had shown the man.
"Where are you! Help! Zack!" she trotted up a stairway and turned the corner to run down the next path. She yelped as she ran into something.
"..." She stared at the man before her. Zack stood solid, his arms crossed. His blue eyes glowed brighter than she had ever seen before. He was angry, she could tell.
"Zack." She whispered. There was a lump in her throat.
"..." he glared at her.
"It wasn't me." She shook her head.
"It's never you." his voice was cold and barely audible.
"I...I'm sorry. I have a lot to tell you, but I'll have to tell you later."
"You'll tell me right now." the man snagged the woman's wrist. He squeezed it. Aeris winced in pain. She felt chills run down her spine. Was this Zack?
"I, I can't!" She sobbed. "We've got to go right now! Sephiroth's coming!"
Zack's eyes widened at the mention of Sephiroth's name. He glanced at Aeris' hair. The materia wasn't there. He had watched her place it in her hair earlier.
'She's not Aeris.' He glanced at the sword in her hands. 'It's Sephiroth! He's playing the same trick on me!' Zack stumbled backwards. He turned and ran down the path. He had to warn the others, to get away to an open area in order to fight the man.
"Zack!" Aeris called out.
"Stay away! You bastard!" Zack called out.
'I have to get to a safe location. I need space to fight him.' Zack thought as he made his way up the stairs to the top level.
"ZACK!?" Aeris followed after him, dragging the sword behind her.
'What is wrong with him?' the woman growled in frustration as she ascended the second staircase to the top level. She felt something rush past her.
"Going somewhere!?" Sephiroth's voice called out to her.
"No!" Aeris watched as the silver haired man darted around her and up the stairs after Zack.
"I'll throw him to his death!" the man's voice echoed behind him as he vanished from view.
'I've got to hurry!' Aeris followed in pursuit.
"Zack!" Tifa's voice called out.
"Run!" Zack called out. "Sephiroth's coming! He's going to kill us all!"
"What!?" all of the group was waiting for Zack on the other side of the broken platform. Zack stared at them all.
'Yuffie, Vincent, Cloud, Tifa, Red, Barret, and Cid.'
"Where's Aeris!?" Zack called out.
"We can't find her!" Cloud called back.
"You lost her!?" Zack growled.
"What?" Cloud asked. He felt his chest tighten.
"You know what I mean, you bastard! I saw you two together!" Zack cursed.
"I..." Cloud frowned. Tifa stared at the man.
"What's he talking about?" She put her hands on her hips.
"Who cares!? Get yer ass over here!" Cid pointed to the rope tied across the broken pathway. Cid had used one of his tiny helicopter robots to fly the rope to the other end. Zack stared at the rope a moment and leapt down, sliding across to the other side.
"There she is!" Yuffie pointed.
"Shit!" Zack raised his eyes to see Aeris dart out of the tunnel.
"Zack! Wait!" She screamed. He noticed the materia in her hair and the fact that she wasn't holding Sephiroth's sword.
"Aeris! Climb across! Hurry!" Zack called out as he climbed up onto the platform on the other side, joining the others.
"O, okay!" Aeris nodded quickly.
"What?" Tifa exclaimed. Everyone stared as a second Aeris came into view behind the other. Quickly the second woman raised the sword into the air and drove it through the back of the other woman.
"Aeris!!" Zack and the others called out.
'It's my fault...I couldn't find her!' Cloud fell to his knees.
"Aeris!" Zack watched in horror as history seemed to repeat itself yet again. The sword glimmered as crimson blood dripped down the blade.
"You asshole!" the second Aeris screamed as she drove the sword in deeper.
"I will...kill you all!" the first Aeris dropped to the floor. Her body twitched and convulsed.
"What's going on?" Zack asked as the stabbed Aeris transformed into something else.
"That's not Aeris!" Red XIII exclaimed.
"Sephiroth!" Zack stood quickly. Then he realized. He had run away from the real Aeris in the tunnels. He slapped his head, feeling like a complete idiot.
"Aeris! Get over here! Quickly!" Zack waved for her to come across.
A loud wailing sound erupted from down below.
"What the #& was that?" Cid looked over the edge.
"It's a monster!" Aeris hollered. She stepped over Sephiroth's body and reached for the rope.
"Monster!?"
"It's WEAPON!" Aeris screamed.
The group watched a giant, winged monster fly out of the dark depths below.
"Meet your doom!" Sephiroth screamed in fury.
"Aeris!!" Zack reached out, knowing he was too far away to save her. Sephiroth grabbed the woman's leg and pulled. She fell over the side of the platform, Sephiroth holding onto her ankle.
"AHH!!" She screamed. "Zack!" her arms flailed.
"No!" Zack began to crawl onto the rope but was pulled back by Vincent.
The giant beast growled in fury and flew down at light speed towards Sephiroth and Aeris. Its drool covered fangs were about the size of Zack's sword. Sephiroth's head turned upward. His eyes widened in fear as the beast's enormous mouth devoured him and the platform he was on. His hand had released Aeris' ankle and she flew downwards, once again, into the darkness. Her scream echoed endlessly within the cavern.
"Aeris!" the group called out.
The giant beast fell, hitting every platform on its way down. Aeris flew down by it's side.
"The bigger they are..." Cid muttered as he watched the monster disappear. He looked up at the ceiling cursing himself for not being able to save Aeris.
"Aeris!" Zack continued to reach. His mouth gaped open in disbelief. He had the chance to save her but had run instead, thinking she was Sephiroth. "I'm an idiot!" he punched the rock beside him.
He sat on his knees, curled in a ball and hitting the ground before him.
"It's my fault! I could have saved her!" Zack growled.
"It's not your fault, Zack. No one could have saved her. No one knew where she was." Tifa held back the tears in her eyes. "I'm sure she'll be alright."
If only they knew that Zack did have a chance to keep her safe.
'I thought she was Sephiroth...I thought she was him!' the man held back a sob. 'I'm an idiot!'
"Hurry! Before that thing comes back! We've gotta find her!" Cid grabbed his rope and threw it over the edge. "Move it!"
Aeris' body was limp and cold. About every bone in her body seemed broken. Zack lifted her carefully from the ground. She bounced with each step he took, no air escaped her lips. Her golden bracelets were crooked, twisted, and broken. They clanged together in a different pitch than usual. The sound was haunting to the man. He held onto her body tightly as he ascended the rope. He said nothing, his face held no emotion, his mind was blank. The group helped Zack into the plane with the woman. No one wanted to be the first to speak. He placed her body onto the soft white mattress of his bedroom as Cid placed in the coordinates to the hospital in Mideel.
"What...what's wrong with mother?" Kadaj's voice broke the dead silence.
That was all he needed to hear. Zack broke down, on the floor, in front of the entire group.
AVALANCHE waited for hours before the doctor had left the emergency room. He remembered Cloud from before and the deeds done by the group to save not only Mideel but the entire world from WEAPON and meteor. He worked all night before releasing any information to them. Zack and the others waited for him in the waiting room of the now large hospital.
"She's alive." the doctor stated. Everyone sighed with relief except Zack. The doctor only said alive, what about alright?
"I'm afraid, however that the young woman is in a very bad coma. We were not sure if she would come out of it alive or not." the doctor explained. "We wanted to wait until she seemed stable enough before we came out to tell you the news."
"Will she be alright?" Zack asked in a low voice.
"Depends on what you mean by alright. She has suffered a lot of head trauma. As for her bones and internal injuries, everything should heal just fine." the doctor yawned. "I will talk to you more about it tomorrow. I suggest you get some rest. We all need it."
"Can I see her?" Zack asked impatiently.
"I'm afraid not, young man. She's far too critical to have any visitors right now. We'll see how she is tomorrow."
A day had gone by and the doctor was ecstatic about Aeris' progress. All of her wounds were healing rather quickly thanks to her abilities from being a Cetra. However, because of her constant regeneration abilities, her mind wasn't getting enough rest. The doctors began to worry. Zack waited all day long, everyday, for a week for her to wake up. The doctors were beginning to get skeptical.
"Her wounds are almost healed...it's just her mind is overworked. We think she may never come out." The doctor placed a hand on Zack's shoulder. "We don't want to get your hopes up, but we don't want you to be devastated either."
"What's going to happen to Aeris?" Zack asked. His eyes were red and bloodshot, from lack of sleep and the tears he shed.
"We're afraid...the chances of her coming out of the coma are very slim...she may die any day now."
"Aeris..." Zack placed his head into his hands.
"I'm sorry, son. If you would like, you can go see her." the doctor left the room.
Zack stood from his seat in the waiting room. He entered the tiny white room Aeris was in. She was camouflaged in the room, her skin being pale and her body covered by a white gown and sheets. The only thing that stood out was her brown hair.
"Aeris." Zack sat in the chair next to the bed. He gripped the woman's hand. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I had trusted you, had listened to you, you wouldn't be here right now. We would be eating dinner somewhere, celebrating." his voice was hoarse and raspy.
"You got him. You were able to kill him, Aeris. Sephiroth was wounded. He couldn't get out of the way. WEAPON swallowed him whole and fell to its death at the bottom of the cavern. We saw it ourselves."
Tears stung the man's eyes.
"You were strong. You were able to make it out of there alive. You've been healing yourself, Aeris." He took sharp breaths between his words, more quiet sobs came out as he talked to her. "They say you may not come out of this alive. You may die." he kissed her hand.
"But I don't want you to die. I'm not ready for anything like that. You can't leave me. I wouldn't be able to move on." Zack brushed the tears from his face. He sighed irritably, not wanting to seem so weak. "Tifa said she's going to take you shopping when you come out of this. Cid will fly you to anywhere you want to go. Yuffie will take you to her Wutain ceremony. Barret will buy you flowers. Red will give you a book he's made about the Ancients. Vincent will play you a song on the piano..." Zack let out a soft laugh at the thought. "And Cloud and I will take you out on a date to the Golden Saucer, Cait Sith...well the new Cait Sith, will tell your fortune and Kadaj said something about a gift he found for you."
The man rambled on about all the things Aeris will have to do when she wakes up.
"There's so much that you'll never be bored. You'll always have someone with you. And I...I'll never leave your side. My hands will be stuck to you..." Zack leaned across the bed, his arms laid across hers. "My lips will never leave yours..."
The man prayed the rest of the night, trying his best to heal Aeris, to get her to wake up. He can understand the Ancients, is now considered to be one. He would pray like Aeris does, to make sure she wakes up.
"It's a miracle!" The doctor's voice called out into the waiting room. The entire group stirred from their drowsy state. "She's awake!"
"What!?" Cloud sat up, nudging Zack. The dark haired man sputtered and jumped from his chair.
"Aeris! The young woman is alive and well!" the doctor exclaimed.
"Aeris..." Zack ran into the room.
"W, wait!" The doctor stammered. "There's something very important I shall tell you first!" the rest of the group ran in after Zack, ignoring the medic.
"Aeris!" Zack burst through the door. He froze.
Aeris was sitting up in bed. She was holding an iris, smiling. Her long dark hair swirled around her. The window was open and bright sunlight flooded into the room. Her eyes shown brilliantly, they had an ethereal glow. She was an angel. Zack gawked at her beauty another moment and lunged forward.
"Aeris!" He laughed in disbelief. "You're alright!" He kissed her cheek. His hands ran all over her feeling her warm body. "I can't believe you're alright! We were so worried!"
Aeris grinned at the man as he gawked over her. She smiled at the large group crowded in her room.
"Hello." Aeris giggled.
"They all have waited for a long time." the doctor entered the room. "Aeris I believe you're going to have to hear lots of stories today."
"Stories?" Cloud asked.
"Where's mom?" Aeris asked.
"Mom?" Zack lunged back. "I'm sorry Aeris, I didn't even think to get a hold of your mom."
"We didn't know where she was." Tifa lowered her head.
"Oh..." Aeris gave a confused look.
"I need to tell you all something-" the doctor began.
"You feeling okay?" Zack grabbed her hand. Aeris smiled awkwardly at the man, as if she was uncomfortable around him.
"I think so..." She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, but...who are you?" the woman asked.
"..." Zack pulled his hand away. His heart froze. "Wh...what?"
'Who am I?'
"Do I know you?" Aeris squint her eyes, scrutinizing the man. Everyone in the room either gasped or stared in disbelief.
"I tried to tell you." The doctor spoke up. "She has suffered from a severe case of amnesia."
Okay! I have to end it here! This chapter is a bit longer than the others, to make up for it being late. What do you think? Thanks for reading and reviewing. -Annubis