Author Notes: ...don't expect the next one to be this long...gahh...braindead now... Also, italics equals dreams or flashbacks.
And, since Afficiando left me such a lovely review...dude/dudette, your words honor me. I hope you love this chapter too.
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She was back in Midgar, back in the slums where she always sold her flowers. People were walking by, striding right past her as if she wasn't even there. "Hello?" Aeris called out, wrapping her arms around herself. She felt so uneasy... And no matter what she tried, no seemed to see her. She even tried to block their paths, only to have the people walk right through her. It was as if she was a ghost...or maybe the people were the illusion.
A flash of silver caught her attention, and she turned in time to catch a glimpse of black leather disappearing around the corner. Aeris took off running, calling out, "Wait!" Coming around the corner, she saw another flash of silver hair further down the street. Feeling as if her heart would burst, whether from excitement or exertion, she didn't know, she called out again, "Sephiroth!! Wait, please!" She knew it had to be him; there wasn't another person anywhere who had hair like his. Dashing forward, Aeris ran as fast as she could, yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't catch up to the SOLDIER.
Unable to run another step, she stopped and bent over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Still winded, Aeris looked up and gasped in surprise. She'd been led straight to her church. The heavy doors made not a single sound as she pushed them open, and, when she looked up, she was greeted by a sight she'd longed to see for the past five years.
Sephiroth stood in the center of the church, smiling softly at her, his hand reaching for her. The worry and unease disappeared as Aeris stepped forward, placing her hand in his. Looking up at him, she smiled. "Seph...I've missed you so much." Stifling a sob as he pulled her into a tight embrace, she leaned her head against his chest, unable to stop the tears, even as she smiled.
"I miss you too, Aeris."
Something in his tone made her look up, wondering what was bothering him. Sephiroth was still smiling at her, but the smile didn't touch his eyes. She'd learned to read his mood by watching his eyes, and now, his mako green eyes were full of sorrow. "Seph...?"
"I'm so sorry, little one. So very sorry."
---
Upon waking, Aeris was miserable. She'd known it was a dream, but being in Sephiroth's arms, it felt so real. She'd given up on going back to sleep, knowing Cloud would want the group moving soon. So, Aeris had puttered around the room, careful not to wake Tifa, and had gotten ready for the day. Upon going downstairs, the innkeeper had greeted her cheerfully, offering her a cup of coffee. After adding enough sweetner to suit her tastes (Sephiroth had always teased her about how much she added) she sat down at a nearby table to wait for the others to get up.
She didn't have to wait long, for Tifa joined her at the table, clutching her own mug of coffee, still looking like she was half asleep. Nanaki came padding downstairs a few seconds later, and curled up at Aeris' feet, apparently going back to sleep. She reached down and patted the big cat's head briefly, then started sipping at her coffee.
"So...sleep well?" Tifa was playing with her coffee mug, watching Aeris out of the corner of one eye.
"Not really...This is the first time I've spent the night so far from home." Of course she wasn't going to tell Tifa about that dream. She didn't even quite understand it herself. It had been just like a normal dream, nothing life-like at all, until Sephiroth had shown up. Sephiroth had been so real...like he was really there. And it wasn't as if that was the first time it had happened, either. She'd had a dream like that before, right after hearing about Sephiroth's death. No, it was what he'd said in this dream. Sorry for what? ...And that incredibly sad tone of voice... He had never sounded that sad before, not even in that last dream, five years ago...When he'd told her goodbye.
"Aeris, you okay? You look like you're going to cry."
She shook her head, biting her lip to stop the tears from falling. "No, I'm fine. It's just...old memories." Old memories, and bad dreams, she added to herself.
"Oh...thinking about that guy, huh?" Tifa leaned forward, smiling at Aeris. "You know, talking about him might help. We've got some time before Cloud and Barret decide where we're heading next."
Aeris simply shook her head, and pushed the now empty mug away from her. "I don't want to talk now."
"Oh come on, it'll help, I know it will."
"Look, Tifa, maybe later. There's just too much to deal with right now." Like, why they were chasing after a dead man. Aeris sighed and put her head in her hands, resting against the table. Could they even be sure it was Sephiroth? They only had Palmer's word to go on, and Aeris had known not to trust Shin-Ra executives even before she had met Sephiroth.
Of course, they'd seen Sephiroth's massive katana buried in the old President Shin-Ra's back, but still...Aeris didn't want to believe to that it was Seph. Because believing it was Sephiroth opened up even more questions, such as where had he been? Why hadn't he come to see her?
No, Sephiroth was dead. She'd felt him return to the Lifestream, just like she'd felt it when her real mother returned to the Planet. Sighing, Aeris leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table and laying her head on them. She missed home.
Feeling Tifa pat her on the shoulder, she sighed and tried to tune out Cloud and Barret's voices as they came downstairs and headed out. She focused on the decorative border carved into the table, trying to draw her mind away from Seph, but after a few minutes, she gave up. She blew out a sigh and stood and made her way outside.
Cloud waved her over to the group. "Hey, we were about to send Tifa back after you. You ready to go?"
She half turned back to the inn, then smiled gratefully at Tifa when the older woman handed her pack to her. "C'mon Aer! It's a nice day, the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, and we're far from Midgar! Cheer up some, eh?"
As the group set off, Barret muttered, "Ain't no picnic, this is a mission."
Tifa rolled her eyes at Barrett, dropping to the rear of the group with Aeris. "Cloud said he spoke to someone yesterday, who said he'd seen a guy in a black coat heading in the direction of the Mythril Mines."
The group walked in silence for a while, spotting, and fighting with, the occasional monster, and Nanaki pointed out a flock of chocobos once, but for the most part the walk was quiet. It wasn't until the gang ran into a huge family group of Neurosuferoths that trouble started. Most of them were wiped out by Cloud's Lightning materia, and the survivors split into two groups. The larger group stayed to harass the fighters, and the rest fled, disturbing a nearby Levikron nest.
At the start of the little melee, Aeris had kept her distance from the group, helping out with a well-placed Cure spell, whenever necessary. "Guys! Heads up, more of them are coming!"
Tifa spun and pointed behind Aeris, "Behind you, Aer!"
The flowergirl spun and knocked the first bird to the side with her staff, but the second leaped over her, the bird's heavy wing hitting her head, and knocking the Cetra to the ground as she passed out.
---
It still felt odd, even a week after breaking things off with Zack. It was for the best really, they both knew they were going nowhere fast. Of course, they were still friends and Zack still came to see her every chance he got and, as usual, he would drag General Sephiroth along.
She'd gotten used to the General's presence easily enough. Sephiroth was quiet and reserved; she wondered often how the quiet man put up with Zack's usual hyperactive antics. Aeris had lost track of how many times she'd seen the General rolling his eyes at Zack, and there had been more than one occasion when he'd told Zack to stop acting up in such a low, calm tone. Zack had once told her that everyone referred to that tone as the "Do it or Die" tone. As for herself and the General...well, they got on well enough. He was quite interested in her garden, and had even brought her flower seeds shortly after they were introduced. So it wasn't like she was lonely or anything.
Blowing out a sigh, Aeris checked the flowers in her basket, making sure they were all still perfect, then stepped back out to the edge of the sidewalk, straightening the basket on her arm. "Fresh flowers for sale! Only one gil!" Stepping closer to young man in a suit, she smiled sweetly. "Buy a fresh flower for your sweetheart?"
"Aeris Gainsborough. We've been looking for you. Now, if you'll just come quietly." The young man smirked up at her, and Aeris glared at him. Come quietly? She'd do no such thing. She screamed as loudly as she could, threw the basket at him, and took off, running for her life. Why now? She hadn't been through this part of the sector before, all her hiding places were too far away... Maybe he'd give up. She'd made enough of a scene, and Turks preferred to work quietly. Already tired, she slowed down, stopping and leaning over, putting her hands on her knees. She couldn't let them take her back to the lab!
Hearing something behind her, Aeris looked over her shoulder, and screamed again, terrified as she realized the Turk was right behind her. Dodging left into an alley, she sobbed as her thighs burned. She was going to be caught this time... Sobbing harder at the realization she pushed herself to run faster. Reaching a dead-end sent her into a fit of hysteria, cut short when she spotted the door. Flinging it open, she staggered in and pushed the door shut behind her. She managed a few more steps before she fell, terror and exhaustion taking their toll, and forcing her to the ground. Outside, she could hear the Turk getting closer.
"Alright Cetra, it's the end for ya." The Turk laughed, adding, "And a nice promotion for me!"
She could hear rapid footsteps, and then a frightened cry. Aeris smothered a sob, knowing the Turk would dispose of whoever had come to help. She yelped as a gun went off, shuddering at the sound of a body hitting the wall.
The door opened and heavy footsteps echoed through the empty little building, and Aeris curled into a little ball, shutting her eyes. The footsteps stopped in front of her, and someone was pulling her upright, shaking her lightly. "Aeris? Aeris, are you all right? Come on, you're safe now." Sephiroth stood in front of her, holding her up, peering at her in a concerned manner. Going limp with relief, she collasped against his chest, shaking as she clung to him. Keeping one hand on her shoulder, he placed the other hand under her chin, tilting her head back to get a better look at her. "You're the one, aren't you? The Ancient that Hojo's been after for so long."
"NO! No, let me go, please!" Whether it was pure adrenaline, or the Planet itself helping her, Aeris didn't care. She pulled away, shrieking in fear as the General caught her by the wrist, pulling her back. "LET GO!! I can't go back, let GO!!" She fought wildly, trying every trick Zack had ever taught her.
Sephiroth pulled Aeris back against him, wrapping his arms around her and pinning her arms to her sides. "Now..." He paused, adjusting his grip on her so it wasn't as tight, "I wouldn't condemn my worst enemy to Hojo's lab, so why would I sentence a friend to that fate?" He sighed in relief as Aeris stilled, then twisted around to look at him.
"You're not...?"
Sephiroth shook his head and patted her back reassuringly. "No. Like I said, I would never subject a friend to that kind of fate." They remained like that for awhile, Aeris clinging to Sephiroth, trying to calm her nerves, while Sephiroth tried to get used to Aeris clinging to him.
"I need to get home... Mom's probably worried about me." Aeris muttered, still clinging to Sephiroth. She yelped in surprise when Sephiroth picked her up, bridal style, and started walking for the door. "I can walk, Sephiroth, put me down."
Nudging the door open with his foot, Sephiroth smiled at her. "I want to make sure you don't run into anymore Turks." Stepping out of the doorway, he held Aeris close. "Don't look over there, you don't want to see it." Despite the warning, Aeris pulled herself up and looked over Sephiroth's shoulder, and gagged. Sighing, he shook his head, "I told you not to look."
The Turk who chased her lay in a crumbled heap against the wall, his neck obviously broken. "Sephiroth, you didn't have to kill him! Someone's going to notice he's gone, you'll be in so much trouble!"
"I tried to pull him away from the door, and he tried to shoot me. I acted in self-defense." He looked straight at Aeris. "Turks go missing all the time. Hazards of their job. That was a rookie, nobody will really miss him."
She shuddered, and Sephiroth gave her a light squeeze. "How'd you get here so quickly?"
"I was in the neighborhood."
---
It had been a few weeks since the incident with the Turk, and Sephiroth and Zack were coming to see her a bit more often. They'd both been a lot more protective since her last brush with the Turks. Sephiroth had even come down by himself, and spent the afternoon helping her tend her flower patch.
Right now however, Zack and Sephiroth were both there, Zack up to his usual antics, telling the tale of an unfortunate cadet whose prank had gone horribly wrong, and Sephiroth was sitting on a pew nearby, chuckling quietly as Zack related the tale. Aeris' mind wasn't really on Zack, and Sephiroth, noticing this, walked over and sat next to her.
"Something's bothering you... What is it?"
About to say that it was nothing, Aeris stopped when she realized both her friends were watching her intently, sighed, and started over. "I haven't seen a single Turk in three weeks. It's kinda worrying...are they still after me, are they biding their time, or what? I know I should be happy that they're leaving me alone, but I can't help but feel worried."
Sephiroth had a rather odd gleam in his eyes, and he chuckled quietly. "The Turks are actually under my command. They have new orders now, so if they bother you, let me know. They've got better things to do than harrass you."
Aeris threw her arms around Sephiroth's shoulders and hugged him, thanking him profusely, then grinned as he hugged her back, just a brief squeeze, but a hug all the same. Aeris smiled and looked up at him, then on an impulse that she'd never be able to explain, she kissed him. Realizing what she was doing, Aeris tried to pull back, and realized that Sephiroth had put a hand on the back of her neck, and was kissing her back. They parted for air, Aeris blushing madly, while Sephiroth's blush was barely noticeable.
"That was unexpected...and very nice. If...if you want to, we could..." Sephiroth's voice was unusually soft, and Aeris smiled and kissed him again.
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Aeris woke slowly, to see Tifa hovering above her. "Where am I? What happened?"
The older girl sighed in relief. "One of those Levikrons must have got a good hit on you, cause you passed out. Cloud carried you here, to the Chocobo Ranch. He and Barret and Nanaki are out trying to catch enough chocobos for us to ride on across the swamp."
Aeris nodded. "Shouldn't we go help?"
"You are supposed to stay put for now, and I'm supposed to be watching you, so we are staying here. Let the boys catch the birds, you need to rest Aeris."
The flowergirl settled back on the bed, and drifted back to sleep after a while.
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Shameless Shout-Outs: Since Tishannia helped beta this one, I figured I oughta mention her fic. Lost in the Shadows, and it's wonderful. She's far better than I am at focusing in on other characters, too. And as always, Kitahoshi, teh Queen of Bleach-fic, helped out with it too. Yay for betas and writers!