Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews! Its great hearing from you all. And don't worry, more romance coming up along with some action for a change! These following chapters should get a lot more interesting for you all, at least I hope! Thanks for sticking with me! Lets get some Zack and Aeris in here, shall we? NOTE: Oh and…I finally got the time to go back to the first chapter of the original story and edit that confusing bastard! Lol. Sorry about that, I didn't realize how horrible that one was. –Annubis
The Decision Between Life or Death:
A Second Chance
Chapter 26
Reno woke up to the sound of heavy pounding at his door. Another headache began to form just like it had that very morning. The redhead rolled over to stare at the clock. He sighed deeply not wanting to leave the warm confines of his bed. It was way too late, or early for that matter, for any visitors. As much as he hoped the urgent beating did not cease. Agitated, he rolled onto his back, growling.
"RENO!" a muffled cry sounded from outside.
The man froze, really not wanting to answer the door now. He knew that high pitched screech. It was Elena and boy did she not sound happy.
"Shit…" the man sat up. He shivered, taking note to turn on the heater as he passed it by in the hall.
"OPEN THE DOOR, RENO!" the woman's voice shrieked.
Reno rolled his eyes, moaning and mumbling to himself, wishing he never came back home for the night. Tifa's bar had coincidentally been closed for the day. Reno stood outside among the other angry alcoholics. He thought it strange that Tifa had a family emergency to attend, especially since she had no family. Defeated, he ventured to the liquor store, buying his own bottles to drink by his lonesome. He had stayed in his car all day and night, watching the sunset on the beach outside Edge. It was a place no one would think to look for him. Sadly, he woke up in a drunken stupor still on the beach, creatures crawling by his car looking for food. He decided it was best to make his way back home.
'Dumb idea.' The man thought bitterly as he opened the door.
"Yo." The man grumbled, leaving the door open for the woman to enter.
"Where the hell have you been!?" Elena slammed the door shut.
"The beach." He answered simply.
"The beach?" the woman folded her arms, not believing him. "You smell like alcohol, Reno."
"Yup, brought it with me. Tifa's bar was closed." He shrugged.
"I saw." The woman sighed, cooling off a bit. "I looked everywhere for you, Reno."
"Don't see why. Wouldn't Tseng get Jealous?" the man made his way to the counter, pouring the remaining liquor in his bottle into a glass.
"I can really kick your ass right now and not feel any regret over it, Reno." She growled through gritted teeth.
"I'm scared." He muttered dryly.
"What's wrong with you!?" she threw her arms down to her sides. Why was he being like this?
"You know, Elena, I'm really not all that sure." He made a face as he swallowed some of the brown liquid.
"Tseng and I aren't getting back together." She sputtered.
"…" the man tapped his fingers against the glass as he leaned against the countertop. Pale moonlight skipped across the white carpet and across his bare chest and grey, cloth, pants. "Oh?" he muttered stupidly.
"Yeah." Elena nodded. "He's going back to Wutai. He takes his work seriously."
"That's shitty." The man tilted his bottle upside down, looking for one more drop. Dissatisfied, he dropped it into the trash next to the refrigerator.
"Is that all?" Elena stared at him.
"Is it?" he asked back. He was trying to be witty, but everything he said just made him appear more of an ass.
"You know what, Reno? Maybe you were right." The woman headed for the door. "Maybe it is best I stay away from you."
"Lena…" the man sighed, his shoulders slumped.
"No! Reno, I care about you! A great deal! I'm not going to put up with this! You're the one who got yourself in this mess, not me! I decided a long time ago to let go of Tseng. I opened myself up to you! Does that mean nothing to you!?" she opened the door. "How bout this? We forget everything that's happened the last couple of weeks and move on with our lives. We'll just continue being friends, like old times."
"Elena-." he reached out to her as she opened the door and stepped out into the hall.
"Good night, Reno. See you at work in the morning." the woman hissed, her brows knitted. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Reno watched as she crashed the door behind her. He stood in his place, watching the door and listening as her heavy footsteps faded away.
"That didn't go well…" he huffed. The man turned toward his room, stumbling a bit. "Remind me not to drink so much the next time I get in a fight with a woman." He grumbled, collapsing onto his mattress.
Aeris shivered uncontrollably. There was so much snow outside, the most she had ever seen let alone imagined. How anyone could live here, she didn't know. Icicle Inn was a dreadfully cold place. She loved the white flakes and piles of ashen hills and mountains at first. The woman skipped cheerfully as soon as they entered the town, fully embarrassing the man beside her she was sure. She caught the flakes on her tongue and squealed in delight. Now, after standing out in the cold for a few minutes, she hated being here.
"What happened to the bubbly attitude from before?" Sephiroth glanced downward at the stiff woman curling her arms inward toward herself to keep warm.
"Cold…" she whimpered.
"You already have my jacket, you're not getting my pants as well." The man smirked. Was that a joke? Aeris twisted her lips.
"HA! Wouldn't want them anyways…Who knows how long it's been since they've been washed." Her teeth chattered.
"What?" the man glared at her.
"Nothing." She sang. "So…can't we go inside? I don't think I'll be able to last any longer out here. Aren't you cold?"
"Try not to think about how cold you are. It only makes it worse." The man said dryly. "The inn's up ahead. We'll be there in no time so stop complaining."
"Complaining!? It's negative fifty out here!" she hopped.
"Maybe if you behaved better when I visited, I would have let you have the time to grab more clothes." The man retorted.
"You picked me up and drug me to an entirely different continent!" the girl growled.
Now they were getting stares from everyone in the town. They probably weren't used to seeing a shirtless man and a woman in her nightgown wandering the streets so late at night.
"Be quiet. We don't need so much attention drawn to us." The silver haired man hissed. "You're going to cause a ruckus."
"Ruckus." The girl scoffed. "I'll show you ruckus…" her evil eyes fell to the snow.
Without hesitation she kneeled forward, packing a ball of snow in her hands. She stood up quickly, throwing the ball at the man's back. It went high, colliding with the back of his head. Sephiroth froze. The woman covered her mouth trying to hide her snickers. A loud snort sounded from her instead.
"Aeris…" the man said her name in the most horrifying tone the woman had ever heard. "Did you just snowball me?" he asked seriously. This question only sent another wave of giggles through the woman.
"No, I have no idea what you're talking about." The girl laughed. Her fingers covered her lips as she rested an elbow on her forearm.
Sephiroth spun around quickly. "Then why are you laughing!?" his voice was cold, his glare terrifying.
"I, I…" the woman was scared at first, but the scene played through her head over and over again. It was like slow motion, the ball of snow flying ever so gracefully through the air. It twisted and turned, tiny flakes drifting away from its round surface. There was a soft 'PLOP' as it collided with the backside of his head. The ball exploded into pieces, snow falling over his long hair and down his bare back. The way he looked, stiff and frozen while covered in snow, was priceless. She cackled loudly to his face, not caring if he got angry.
"…" Sephiroth was dumbfounded. This woman just laughed in his face. He was about to strangle her and leave her out in the cold for the night and all she could do was laugh at him. He couldn't remember the last time someone did that. Of all people in the world, this half breed of a human, a young, frail and helpless woman just laughed at him. "I was going to kill you, you know that, right?" he glared at her, bending down so his face was right in front of hers.
"I'm sure!" the woman laughed again. "What kind of jerk would get so upset over just a snowball?" the question struck the man. Why he would, of course.
"You're lucky." The man replied.
"I get to live another day?" she teased. Oh, if only she knew the truth.
"Only one more…but that doesn't mean you're off the hook."
"What…?" the girl looked at him curiously. Her eyes widened but it was too late. The man was too fast for her, there was no escape. A large pile of snow resting in the man's hands came flooding down upon the woman. "Sephiroth!" she screamed.
"You said my name!" the man cursed. He forgot to tell her never to mention his name in public.
"You jerk!" the girl gasped, feeling the icy cold soak through her nightgown. She leaned forward picking up more snow, packing it quickly. Sephiroth looked about him trying to catch any wandering eyes who
could've overheard the woman's shouts. 'PLOP, PLOP, PLOP!' one after another he was barraged by snowballs.
"That's it!" the man shouted, snow covering his face. He chased the girl toward a snowdrift. Aeris' screams echoed in the night air. Sephiroth packed a snowball between his fingers and tossed it at the woman. He got his revenge, the ball smacking her in the head. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips at the satisfaction it gave him to hear her squeal. He must've hit her too hard; she began to topple over toward the snowdrift. Sephiroth watched as the woman spun around, grabbed his hand and took him down with her into the large pile of snow.
'POOF!' the snow closed in around them, the pile being four feet tall itself, they were completely engulfed. Aeris laid still, the man over her, his hand pressed against the ground to keep him from falling on her.
'Oops.' The woman bit her lip, her cheeks turning pink as usual.
Sephiroth's eyes were large. He wasn't used to this much personal contact. He stared at her, his mouth gaping; Aeris never seen this expression on the man before.
"Um…" the woman's eyes darted back and forth. She felt very uncomfortable.
"Shall I get off you?" the man asked awkwardly.
"Maybe." Aeris looked to the side. Sephiroth pushed up to his feet very quickly. Aeris scampered upward, not needing his help. They stood next to each other, Sephiroth scratching his head.
"There's the inn." The man pointed to the door right next to them, interrupting the silence.
The bell to the inn sounded, waking the keeper at the front desk.
"Welcome to Icicle Inn! How may I…help you…?" the man drifted into silence. He gawked at the two before him. There was a very tall man with long silver hair and a thin woman with rosy cheeks beside him. Besides the couple looking awkward together themselves, the man was shirtless and the woman was in her nightgown. Both were covered in snow.
"We need a room." The man replied.
"Yes sir. Any room you prefer?" he looked over the two before speaking again. "We do have a discount running on our honeymoon suites."
"That won't be necessary." The man spoke quickly. The young woman's eyes lit up, her face turning all the more redder. "Whichever is cheapest." The silver haired man dropped a pile of coins onto the desk.
"Room 104." The innkeeper handed the man the key.
"Are we sharing a room?" the woman asked.
"Seeming as it's all I can afford right now, yes." The man muttered quietly.
"Oh…" the girl fidgeted.
Slowly the two ascended the stairs in silence. The innkeeper watched them from his peripheral.
"What a strange couple." he shook his head. The man had seen plenty of drunken couples and newlyweds in his lifetime but out of all of them this one was the most bizarre.
Aeris tossed and turned, she just could not get herself to sleep. She thought happy thoughts, trying her best to nod off but nothing worked. Sephiroth was gone. He left some time ago to find some food. The woman was left alone to sleep in a foreign place. Of course they would share a room, Sephiroth never slept. The woman rolled her eyes, sighing heavily.
'I wonder where everyone's at. I wonder if any of them are worried.' Aeris thought to herself. 'I've been gone for a couple days. You think they noticed? Did Zack tell them? Is he still looking for me?' the girl tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable.
'I miss Tifa. I want to go shopping with her again.' The girl smiled. 'She always picked out the strangest clothes for me. I just don't have the confidence in my body like she does.'
Aeris giggled out loud to herself, her thoughts drifting from one memory to another.
'She never gets embarrassed. I remember when we ran to the grocery store with Cloud she made him pay for her tampons while she ran to the bathroom.' The girl had a large smile on her face. 'Cloud's face was so red! I never saw him so embarrassed! At least…from what I remember but I bet even if I had all my memories that face would have still been priceless!'
The woman thought about it a moment longer and then felt her heart skip a beat. 'Speaking of…how long have I been back?' the girl closed her eyes. 'It's been well over a month, maybe even two. Oh dear!' Aeris' heart officially stopped. She sat up in bed quickly.
'I know I was dead…I…don't think I've slept with anyone since I've come back.' The girl gulped, staring at her belly.
"Oh goodness!" she gasped. "Is it even possible!?" the woman held a hand against her stomach. "It couldn't be!" she felt goose bumps rise on her skin. She shivered, felt her eyes watering.
'What if I had gotten…pregnant!? What if it was before I died!? Would it be possible to regenerate myself…and a baby?' she breathed heavily.
"Oh god!" she covered her face. "Who's is it!?" she shivered.
'Now, calm down. It's nothing…you're just…late, that's all.' The woman stared at the ceiling, trying her best to hold back her sobs, there's no way she'd let Sephiroth mosey in here and see her like this.
"Not possible! You can't be!" she squealed, covering her lips with her fingertips.
'Zack's? Or Sephiroth's? Sephiroth said Zack was the one in her room that night in Nibelheim, but Zack said it was Sephiroth. I don't know who to believe! I don't remember anything. If what Sephiroth said was true…and we were together, who knows what we could have done! But…Zack… if everything he says is true, then it's gotta be Sephiroth's.'
"Unless he and I did something too." She whimpered. "Oh…shit!" she cursed in a high pitched voice.
'Planet…talk to me! What should I do!?' the woman leaned forward, cupping her face in her hands.
Elena marched down the hallway. She fussed with the single bill in her hands, trying to straighten it out the best she could. She was running late and was dying for some chocolate. She rounded the hall, heading for the vending machine. The sight before her made her cringe. Reno was nearby, talking to Rude.
'No matter. I'll make this fast. Get the sugar and leave before he sees me.' The woman rushed to the machine. She inserted the bill into the slot of the machine. It sucked it in with a whir. She was ready to push the buttons when the machine spewed out the bill once again.
'Oh you son of a…' she gritted her teeth, pulling the money from the machine. Elena grabbed the thin piece of paper by both sides and rubbed it back and forth across the edge of the machine trying to smooth it out. She tried again, but to no avail. The blonde ritualistically pulled the bill from the slot and reinserted it.
'Slap!'
Elena froze. She was sure she was just smacked on the rear end.
"How's it goin' Elena?" Reno's slithering voice asked.
'How dare he?!' the woman was ready to smack him but decided two could play this game.
"Fine. How are you this morning, Reno? Sleep well?" she asked nonchalantly. Her bill finally slipped into the machine and stayed there. She punched the buttons on the machine.
"Ah, yes. But it would have been better if I was next to another body." He leaned against the machine. Elena hated how smug he was. He was trying to piss her off. Elena's breakfast dropped to the bottom of the machine.
"Hm." She shrugged. "Slept better than I have in weeks. Barely was able to get myself out of bed." Elena bent down, grabbing her pack of chocolate donuts from the machine. She opened the package quickly, shoving one of the small frosted covered dough rings into her mouth.
"Those look good." Reno chuckled at her growl of hunger.
"Want some?" the woman asked. She held out the package.
Reno pushed away from the vending machine. "Sure."
He grabbed the hand clutching the package and pushed it away. Slowly, he grabbed her waist and pulled her against him as he leaned forward to kiss her. Elena didn't push away. Instead, she kissed him back. Reno deepened the kiss, running a hand down the woman's back. She pressed herself up against him further.
"Taste's good." The man smirked in between breathes.
Elena dropped the food, letting both hands go to the man's fiery red hair. He moved backwards bringing her with him, their kisses never ending. Her hands moved to the man's tie, she loosened it more than what it was to begin with. His hands went to her dress coat, pulling it down over her shoulders.
'Door.' Reno smiled as he fiddled with the knob behind him. Elena pressed further against him, the door flying open. The two stumbled into the unknown room.
"Reno." Elena gasped as he spun her around and pushed her against a wooden desk. She fell back onto it, pulling the man down with her by his tie. Random items such as pencils, paper, and a cup of coffee spilled to the ground.
Elena wrapped her leg around the man. He quickly pulled at the sleeves of his jacket. They breathed heavily between kisses. Soft moans escaping their lips.
"Ahem." That was a new sound. Elena and Reno froze. Slowly their heads turned to the side to find Rufus sitting at the very desk they were sprawled upon. Tseng stood beside the man, wide eyed.
"Sir!" Elena sputtered.
"Oh shit!" Reno pushed himself off the woman and stood at attention.
"Uh, I…we…um…" Elena tried to explain, but nothing sounded good enough.
'Yup, it's exactly as it looks, sir. We were about to have sex on your desk!' Elena felt as if she were going to die. Just then Rude entered the scene. He paused a moment looking at the disheveled couple.
"Did I miss something?" the bald man raised a brow.
"I have a mission for all of you." Rufus shook his head, not caring what Elena and Reno's excuses were.
"Sir!" Reno, Elena, and Rude sounded.
"Tseng…" Rufus looked back.
"There seems to have been numerous sightings of a man with long silver hair. He has been seen with a woman. She has not been identified yet." Tseng spoke expertly. He eyeballed Elena momentarily, a smile on his face. "Our mission is to investigate the areas where they've been spotted. The most recent reported location is Great Glacier. We'll head out at 0900 hours."
"Dismissed." Rufus muttered. He leaned forward with his forehead in his hand. The three quickly rushed out of the room, Rude questioning to Elena and Reno what the hell they were doing.
"…" Tseng and Rufus stood in awkward silence.
"What do you suppose we do with those two?" Rufus sighed.
"Give them a long vacation." Tseng suggested.
Elmyra Gainsborough dusted the TV set next to the front door of her small cottage. She jumped slightly at the sudden knock on her door.
'Wonder who that could be?' the woman pulled open the wooden door to her home. She rarely got visitors, no longer having any family and very few friends.
"Mrs. Gainsborough?" A man was standing on her front step. He had slicked back dark hair and a well groomed beard and mustache. He had a long jacket and a gentle smile.
"Yes?" the woman asked. She opened the door further, he looked kind enough.
"Hello, my name is Reeve." The man held out a hand.
"Afternoon, Reeve." The woman shook it carefully. "What can I do for you?"
"Mrs. Gainsborough." The man cleared his throat. "I have some information for you that I believe you may have an interest in. I only ask that you keep an open mind about it."
"Why, I have no idea what kind of information you'd have, but please come in. You must, now that you have me so curious." The woman beamed. "Let me get some tea."
"Much obliged, ma'am." Reeve nodded. He took a deep breath, trying to find the best approach to tell Mrs. Gainsborough the news.
'It may not be a good idea to beat around the bush. I may as well just get to the point, though that may make it even more shocking to her. She may even throw me out.' The man thought to himself, staring at the bare walls. There were no memories hanging on the walls, like he would have thought. He remembered that Elmyra had left everything back in the small pink house in Midgar. He scratched his beard; this certainly was going to be tough.
"You may sit, if you wish." Elmyra's voice sounded.
"Thank you." Reeve sat down next to the woman in a flower patterned chair. He leaned forward, taking his tea into his hands. He sipped it slowly in horrible silence. Elmyra pulled on her hands; he noticed this as a nervous habit that Aeris shared.
"Now." The man set down the porcelain cup. "I did not come here to jest you. What I have to say is truth and nothing more. I have some evidence, which now may seem very poor to you, but I ask you bear with me."
"What on earth's going on?" the woman asked, giving a small laugh.
"I'll just get to the point, shall I?" the man straightened up. "Mrs. Gainsborough, I have both some good news and bad news."
"Okay…" the woman said slowly.
"The good news is: You're daughter, Aeris, is alive and well." He did not hesitate. "The bad news is: Sephiroth has her. I currently have people looking for her."
He was not ready for Elmyra's response.
"Take me with you."
"Barret! Get off the phone!" Tifa hollered.
"Who are you talking to?" Yuffie hopped up and down.
"None yo business." Barret said quickly as he shoved his phone into his pocket.
"Aw come on. Tell us, Barret." Vincent stepped over a dead tree in his path.
"You mocking me?" Barret raised his chin.
"Why would I do something like that?" the red eyed gentleman replied.
"Barret's got a girlfriend!" Yuffie poked the large man's shoulder.
"Shut up or I'll make you shut up." The man pointed his robotic arm at the girl.
"How long have you known this woman?" Tifa asked.
"…" Barret looked about him. "Met her at the Golden Saucer. Had to reschedule one of our dates…"
"What!?" Tifa asked, amazed. "What's with you guys pickin' up chicks while babysitting the kids!?"
"Perhaps I should watch the kids more often." Vincent added.
"Hey!" Yuffie placed her hands on her hips.
"Vincent, I think you'd just scare all the girls away." Zack fastened the buttons on his pea coat. He watched the drop off near his feet. One slip and he'd find himself sliding the rest of his way to the Gaea Cliffs. Which seemed easier, but you'd be lucky to make it out of the trip alive.
"The girls dig my red eyes." The golden armed man stated.
"I bet that claws a hit with 'em too." Cid scoffed.
"Sure is." Vincent said monotonously. "These hands can do wonders."
"Ugh! Vincent!" Tifa rolled her eyes. "What's gotten into you?"
"Been hangin' 'round Yuffie too long." Barret smirked.
"I happen to think I'm a positive influence on the man." Yuffie nodded.
"I don't think I want to hear anything like that come from his mouth ever again." Cloud shivered. "Bad mental picture."
"Can I not act in sexual activities?" Vincent raised a brow.
"Ah! Enough!" Tifa covered her ears.
"What are we talking about?" Shelke asked.
"Grownup talk." Kadaj patted her head.
"I'm gonna cut that hand off if it doesn't remove itself." The girl hissed. Kadaj quickly placed his hand back down to his side.
"I think we have more important things to talk about." Red XIII shook his head, his mane brushing away the snowflakes on his ears.
"Like what?" Yuffie grinned.
"Like that monster up there." Zack pointed.
"Monster!?" the ninja girl spun around, looking up at the top of a nearby mountain.
Atop the snowy peak was a catlike beast. It had long whiskers and in between them were sparks of electricity forming a ball of energy most likely to be thrown at the group.
"Look out!" Shelke hollered and the ball came colliding with the snow at the base of the mountain.
"It missed…Missed real bad." Cait Sith stared at the hole in the snow a few hundred feet before them.
"No!" Cloud yelled. "It hit its target! Everybody, MOVE!" the blonde scampered to the side.
There was a loud crack and the snow exploded before them, creating an avalanche. The snow lifted like a giant wave, pushing toward them at incredible speeds. The ground shook violently beneath their feet.
"Crap!" Zack stumbled for his footing. The gap beside him was looking much friendlier than the hundred foot wave of snow.
"Zack!" Cloud shouted over the roar of the snowfall. It was too late; Zack was falling backward into the fissure beside him.
"Cloud!" Tifa shouted, hiding behind a large boulder. It was very little protection; but they had to take their chances. Cloud rushed toward the rock. He leapt, snow crashing into his legs. Tifa's hand wrapped around Cloud's tugging him toward her. The group huddled together trying to scrunch themselves up against the boulder as much as possible to avoid the spill. "Where's Zack!?" the woman hollered.
"Fell!" the man shouted back.
"Will he be okay?" She asked.
"Zack? He'll be fine." The blonde scoffed. 'That guy can live through anything.'
"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" Zack slid down the terrain, hitting what seemed like every tree and rock on the way down. His large sword provided a lot of protection for his back as he slammed into boulder after boulder.
He slid to his feet, snow pushing against his boots like tiny waves. The snow splashed outwards as he continued his way down the path. His hand went to his sword. He steadied himself as he drew it and dropped it to the ground before him.
"Yee-haw!" the man drawled, jumping onto his weapon, using it as a snowboard.
Sparks flew toward his face as he skated over the tiny rocks. The brisk air rushed past him ruffling up his hair. His face felt frozen. The Ex-SOLDIER leaned to the side, a gloved hand digging into the snow as he turned sharply toward the approaching cliffs. He'd certainly get to the Gaea Cliffs faster than the others going this route. He only hoped they were alright and healthy enough to continue the trek.
"Look out!" Zack waved his arms over his head, warning some creatures that stood in the way. Zolkaters and Headbombers dashed out of the way as Zack skidded between the animals. He hooted and cheered as he scraped past more of the dangerous animals, some trying to attack him as he went by.
"Ha! Missed!" the man jeered. "Take more than that to take me down!"
Famous last words.
"AH!" the man felt his 'snowboard' suddenly stop beneath his feet. Zack kept moving forward, however. He flew through the air approximately fifteen feet before meeting the ground with his face and sliding another ten.
"What…the…hell?" the man groaned. He quickly got to his feet, brushing himself off.
"What!? What was that!?" he screamed at the sky. "Real funny!" he growled, stomping toward his sword.
He stared at the tip of it, lodged into a sprouting tree root. It had been covered with ice and snow until Zack shoveled into it. The man got to his hands and knees, glaring at the tiny root.
"You…bastard!" the man growled, pointing a fingertip at the plant.
Frustrated, he got back to his feet, lifting his sword up with him. He sheathed it in his traditional style, spinning it a few times to remove the snow and grime.
"Make me look like an idiot…" he grumbled, stomping toward the cliff before him. He looked up and let out an exasperated sigh.
Sure he made it there quicker, but after that steep decline, he'd have to climb a lot more cliffs.
"Just my luck…" the man grumped as he grabbed hold of one icy ledge and hoisted himself up.
This was going to take a while. He decided to make the most out of his freezing journey, and started to sing a little ditty. It was something his mom always played on the piano during the holidays. After a few hundred yards of climbing the man decided to make his own lyrics to the song, lyrics about his journey and how much he hated snow, ice, and tree roots. A few ledges further and he'd add cliffs to the list.
'It's cold…' Aeris whimpered. 'It's cold, I'm wet, I'm hungry, and tired.' She struggled to keep up with the man strolling a few meters before her.
'I can leave. I can run away, go back to Icicle Inn.' The woman wanted to collapse. She stared at the man's back as he pushed on further, leaving her behind. 'I can leave now. I could run as fast as I can.'
She stared at her red hands, defeated. 'There's no way I'd make it back before dark. I'd surely freeze to death if I was even capable of getting away. Sephiroth would find me for sure. He'd probably be very angry with me.'
She watched her boots, not aware that she had slowed down greatly and was now alone. There was a fork in one of the tunnels, Sephiroth going to the left and Aeris the right. The woman had no clue she was lost and separated from the man. She felt herself leaning forward.
'Am I going downhill?' she looked up. Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh!" she gasped, looking back and forth. How long had she traveled unaware that he was gone? She saw a pale light before her. "Maybe that's the crater." She whispered to herself.
Aeris walked into the opening, leaving the tunnel. There was a cutoff next to her, dropping hundreds of feet. The sight of it gave her chills. She saw that there was a dead end up ahead, but it looked like it may tunnel and branch off to the right again a further ways down. Across the dark cavern was a way out.
'Perhaps I need to get over there.' She edged closer to the drop off, her boots kicking down tiny pebbles and dust. She swallowed. It was way too far of a jump for her. She wouldn't even make it halfway across. She stared at the darkness beneath her.
"Aeris?" a familiar voice called.
Aeris looked up. Across the gap near the exit was Zack. His black hair looked like ash, covered in snow. His blue eyes glowed brightly in the darkness of the cave. His sword was sheathed on his back. His mouth was slightly open, fog pouring out of it with every breath.
"My god! Aeris!" the man shouted. "What…what are you doing here?" he asked her.
Aeris shied away, backing into the branching tunnel she had not investigated yet.
"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" the man asked. He made his way to the ledge and stuck out a hand.
"W, why would he hurt me?" the girl asked.
"What?" Zack dropped his hand. He looked at her incredulously. "It's Sephiroth! He took you…" he looked back and forth for the silver haired man. "Right?"
"Shouldn't you already know that?" the woman held her hands against her chest protectively.
'Why is he acting like this? He knows I'm with Sephiroth. He tried to attack me.' The woman was severely confused.
"Aeris, what are you talking about?" the man watched her carefully. She was acting strangely. "What's wrong? Why are you scared of me?"
"You lied to me! You betrayed me, attacked me!" the woman took another step away.
"What!?" Zack couldn't believe it. He worked so hard to gain her trust and now she was more scared of him than the day she first met him after she got amnesia.
"In, in the sleeping forest. You attacked me…" the woman's voice cracked. She was scared; she didn't know what to do with herself. She stumbled over something behind her.
"I…attacked you?" the man thought a moment. He watched her, that's when he noticed something behind her. Large yellow eyes glared out of the darkness. Zack felt every muscle in his body tense.
'Oh shit!' the man licked his lips, reaching out to her again.
"Aeris! It wasn't me! It had to have been Sephiroth! He's always playing mind games with us! You've got to believe me!" the man tried to convince her. Aeris stared at his worried face.
"Why do you look so scared?" she whispered, now doubly frightened.
"Aeris, babe…you've got to believe me on this one." He said in a shaky voice.
"How can I trust a man who says one thing and Sephiroth says the opposite? I remember one thing and the next day it's completely turned around." The girl ranted.
"Aeris, we'll talk about it later. Just get over here!" the man was almost crouching on the ground, he looked so nervous. He rolled up his sleeves. He wasn't looking at her, but behind her.
"What…?" the woman was about to question him when she noticed some golden bracelets on his wrist. They were hers. He had given them to her as a gift. If that wasn't true then why would he be wearing them? "You're wearing them…" she began walking forward.
"Huh?" he met her eyes.
"My bracelets." The girl pointed at his arm.
"Oh, yeah." The man smirked. "Don't move!" his face suddenly very grave.
"What?" the woman stopped walking forward, she felt her boot nudge something.
A low growl sounded from behind her. She saw Zack cringe at the sound. Suddenly, something wrapped around her leg.
"Aeris! Run!" the man stood. "Get over here!"
"What is that!?" the woman hopped forward, almost throwing herself over the edge of the cliff. She turned to see a large beast with long, curved horns stand from its place on the ground. "B, Behemoth!" the girl gasped.
"Get over here!" the man hopped up and down, waving his hands. "Jump!"
"I can't!"
"You can! Just do it!"
"No!" she stumbled away from the creature, frightened.
"Now! Or you're food!" the dark haired man stuck his sword into the side of the rocky ledge. He walked onto it like a plank, his arm reaching out to her.
"Zack!" Aeris yelled in a pleading voice. "Help me!" she turned to him.
"Jump! I'll catch you!" the man watched as the behemoth crawled closer and closer to her. "I promise!"
"I'll fall!" she sobbed.
"YOU WON'T! Damn it, Aeris! Just do it!" the man stomped his foot, begging to her.
Aeris saw the worried look in his sapphire eyes. She looked at the monster, could see it opening its mouth to eat her and then looked back at Zack. Her feet moved without her awareness. She was running, faster than she ever ran in her life. She reached the ledge and jumped.
"Zack!" the woman screamed.
As stupid as the beast was, it jumped after her. Zack lunged forward, grabbing her hands. In midair he pulled her against him, one arm snaking around her waist. The other lifted to grab the hilt of his sword. The monster fell slowly, mouth open. Strands of drool flowed from its fangs as it bit for the woman. Zack twisted, swinging Aeris and himself upward. He wrapped his legs around his sword. The cutting edge dug into his calf, drawing blood. He paid no attention to the pain. The beast's mouth was only inches away from his back, Aeris being sandwiched between him and the sword now. Zack pulled, swinging himself up to his feet onto the enormous blade. He carried Aeris the entire time. She was clutching his shirt for dear life. The man regained his balance, watching the creature fall into the dark abyss. He stepped backward, returning to the solid rocky surface. Aeris whimpered, holding onto him.
"Are you alright?" the man asked in a low voice. His breath was warm across her ear. She nodded quickly releasing her grip. She stepped away from him, not meeting his eyes. "Aeris…what all has Sephiroth told you?"
"He…told me about the night in Nibelheim." She sniffled. There was a long silence.
"What about it?" Zack felt his blood begin to boil.
"Said it was you who did it." she looked up at him with teary eyes. "He said you used confuse materia on me to make me believe it was Sephiroth who had done it! Is that true!?" She looked dreadfully worn out. Zack hadn't seen her so distraught in years.
"No!" Zack yelled loudly. His jaw was clenched and his eyes narrow. He gripped his hair in frustration. "Why the hell would I do that!?" the man punched the wall next to him, sending a crack down the surface. "He's just messing with your head. Now that he knows you have amnesia he'll stop at nothing to get you on his side."
"…I don't know who to believe." The woman bit her lip.
"You really don't know who to believe?" the man asked, sighing in defeat.
"I know who I want to believe." Aeris looked up at him. "You. I want to believe you. I want you to be right; I just don't know how to prove that to myself."
"Well…" the man rubbed the back of his head. "Is there something Ancients can do? I mean…don't they have some sort of special connection?" He was fishing in the dark, but he may as well ask.
"Connection?" Aeris looked up at him, hope in her eyes. "Actually, now that you mention it, there was something my mother used to do with me. It's funny. I never thought anything of it, till now."
"What was it?" Zack asked eagerly.
"She would tell me to do things, like clean my room, and whenever I forgot, instead of yelling or asking me again, she would put our hands together. All she'd do was stand there, her eyes closed." The woman stared at her palm. "Never thought it was strange. It was something we did all the time. Whenever she did that I would suddenly remember what it was I was supposed to do. If mom lost something she always said I could help her remember where it was. She said it was our game. That no one else in the world could play it."
"…" Zack grabbed the woman's hand, scaring her. He pressed his palm against hers, his mouth open. His blue eyes stared into hers. "I'm going to make you remember me, Aeris. I made a promise that I could make you remember everything. I don't know if this will work or not, but I'll try my best to make you remember that night in Nibelheim the way it really happened. If I can't I ask that you trust me in the meantime. I'd never hurt you. You know that, right? Deep down?" he stared at her, his eyes shining with hope.
Aeris nodded slowly.
"Ok." The man took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, concentrating. Him being an Ancient now, he should be able to play this game, whatever it was, with Aeris. He wouldn't be able to make her remember the night exactly because he wasn't there with her when it happened, but he could make her remember the conversation they had the next day. He hoped she could pick up the rest of the pieces on her own.
Aeris closed her eyes, trying to open her mind to him. She saw an image of the hotel, her and her friends laughing and having a conversation with each other. She remembered tiny bits and pieces of the night, some her own memories. She was talking to Cloud out by the well in the center of town. She came in to find Zack and Tifa sharing a kiss. She fought with him and marched up to her room. The next few memories were a blur. She remembered Zack coming in her room and kissing her. Then it was morning. She awoke to find a black leather glove next to her head, a reminder. It sent her to tears and screams. She had only allowed Tifa in the room to talk to her. There she proceeded to remember every bit of the conversation, telling Tifa that Sephiroth had come into her room in the middle of the night and had done something terrible. She remembered how angry Zack was when she finally told him the story. She felt horrible, not being able to control herself as Sephiroth held the yellow materia up to her face. Aeris felt tears fall at the resurfacing memories. Bits and pieces began to scramble into her: Zack dying before her in the northern crater, the two of them in her church, their first kiss, the pink ribbon in her hair, the bracelets, their letters, the pain she felt when she heard his voice call out to her from the Lifestream for the first time, and the last night they shared together in her bed before they were both slain by Sephiroth's sword.
'Zack was right. I remember these things. I remember them all!' the girl opened her eyes. Zack was still concentrating, both hands placed on hers. He wasn't holding any materia. 'We…slept together.'
"That's tiring." The man panted, tearing the woman out of her thoughts.
"Zack!" Aeris wrapped her arms around the man's neck. "I missed you so much!"
"It worked?" he asked, his voice high in anticipation.
"Yeah! A little…" the woman giggled. She didn't care anymore. Her heart was screaming at her to hang onto to him and that's what she did. "I knew you couldn't have been the one in the forest. It just couldn't be true! You're so gentle, nice, and caring. You…" she stopped talking.
Aeris stared at the man. She admired the black spikes of his hair, the ethereal glow of his eyes, and the charming look of his parted lips, the small scar lining his chiseled jaw, and the look all together joining the warmth of his navy pea coat. A small breath of fog escaped the man's lips. His gaze was on her, watching her. It was a look she had always dreamed of, one of love and care.
"I was afraid I'd lost you forever." His voice was barely audible.
Aeris cupped the man's face, smiling. She kissed him, pressing her lips against his, craving the sense of security and safety. Zack's arms wrapped around her eagerly pulling her into him. He was so warm. She let her arms wrap around his chest. Zack deepened the kiss, a thumb rubbing against her lower lip and chin. His other hand remained at the small of her back never planning to leave that spot. He looked down at her, seeing the tears falling from her closed eyes. His thumb went to the corner of her eyelids, brushing away the tears.
"Everything will be fine." He whispered to her, holding onto her.
"I missed you. I missed you so much!" the woman gasped for air. "I…I was afraid Sephiroth was right. I couldn't live with the thought. I knew I shouldn't have believed him…I-."
"I understand." Zack kissed her forehead softly. "But we need to go. I got separated from the others. I'm sure they are around here somewhere." He looked from side to side.
"The other's are here?" the woman asked gleefully.
"Yeah." His smile faded into a frown, suddenly looking severe. "Where's Sephiroth?"
"…I don't know. I got…sep…" Aeris' gaze fell to the background. Her face held a look of fear. Zack knew what that meant.
"Right here." A chilling voice sounded beside Zack's ear.
There was no time to react. Zack was pulled away from Aeris. A long, sharp blade was pressed against his throat, drawing blood. Aeris screamed.
"Aeris? What are you doing with this man? I thought I told you he was trouble?" Sephiroth asked, never looking at the woman. Instead he stared at the crimson blood dripping down the length of his sword.
Zack grit his teeth, hands around Sephiroth's arm. He stumbled as Sephiroth pulled the man back toward the exit. There was so much hate in the man's face. Aeris could not believe it was the same man who had been with her the past couple days.
"Now…let's see. What to do with you?" the silver haired man whispered, lips against Zack's ear.
Zack grunted, trying to free himself, but with each attempt he was met with the blade cutting him deeper. He gasped for air. Sephiroth smiled at the suffering sounds that came from the other man's lips. It soothed the ache of jealousy that raged within the ex-general's soul after seeing Zack with Aeris once again.
"Zack!" Aeris screamed. "Sephiroth, let him go!"
"Let him go?" the man mused. "What an idea!"
"Aeris! Get…back!" Zack struggled to speak. The woman did as she was told, running around the corner watching them from afar.
"What an idea, indeed!" with that said, he removed the sword from Zack's throat and his hold on the man.
Zack fell forward, gasping for air. Sephiroth lunged onward, grabbing Zack's collar. He pulled the man, running. In one swift movement he shoved Zack over the face of the cliff into the darkness where the behemoth had fallen earlier before.
"ZACK!" Aeris screamed.
There was a quick shout from the black haired man, echoing, as he was shoved over the opening. He was in midair his arms and legs peddling. The rest of the fall was in dead silence. Time seemed to freeze. Aeris could not believe her eyes. She watched in horror as Sephiroth clapped his hands together, chuckling. He looked over at the woman.
"What?" he simply asked. "What's that look for?"
"You…" she shuddered. "You…killed Zack."
"He had it coming." The man shrugged.
"Zack! ZACK!" Aeris scrambled to the side of the cliff, screaming at the darkness.
"On your feet." Sephiroth muttered, lifting the screaming woman off the ground. He leapt with her over the gap and dragged her slowly across the rock ground into the tunnel where the behemoth previously slept.
Aeris' screams echoed throughout the cave.
Well this chapter was a lot longer than I had planned (Holy crap! Second longest in this story. 20 pages!), but I had to get some Zack and Aeris in there and I just couldn't stop it before this scene. I'm horrible, I know. Why do I torture the man so much? Oh Zack, I love you, I really do. And I just couldn't stop laughing during the Reno/Elena work scene! That scenes dedicated to the great El Brento. Had to change a few parts to make it fit in better. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Lots more action and romance coming up! -Annubis