Author Notes: Next chapter should be up by the end of next week.

Also no flashback this time. Got something better here. Enjoy.

Aeris sat on the rocks by the beach, still watching the spot where Cloud had jumped from Mr. Dolphin's back to the maze of pipes that would hopefully get him into Upper Junon. Said dolphin was racing around the little beach, squeeing and clicking in delight, with Priscilla standing on shore, cheering the dolphin to ever higher jumps. Despite the sense of foreboding that had nagged at her since they had arrived at Junon, Aeris smiled at the scene. At least Priscilla seemed none the worse for her near-drowning.

Finally rising from her spot, she wandered over to the group, giving Nanaki's ears a good scratch as she passed. They seemed to be arguing over how to get everyone else into Upper Junon.

"We can't all ride the fucking dolphin! We gotta find another way!"

She smiled as she slipped around Barrett, then yelped as Tifa caught her by the arm and pulled her away from the group. "See that elevator over there? While Barrett and Yuffie argue, we're going to convince the guard to give us the grand tour. C'mon." She followed along, not quite sure what Tifa was up to.

"Stop right there. Civilians aren't allowed any further." The Cetra peeked over her friend's shoulder, not really surprised to see how the guard was paying more attention to Tifa's chest than Tifa herself. ...Oh.

"But...we just wanted a tour, sir. Please?" That tone confirmed her suspicions.

"I, uh, guess I can arrange that."

She wasn't at all surprised when Tifa knocked the poor guy out, and ushered the rest of them into the elevator. She was surprised that they managed to get to the ship without getting caught, though. The guards must have been paying more attention to the parade.

And now, she and Tifa were hidden on one side of the cargo bay, the others scattered throughout, hiding amongst the crates down here. The older woman had been trying since they'd gotten there, to get Aeris to talk. "C'mon Aeris. Talking about him won't hurt you, and it might even help some."

She knew, she couldn't ever tell Tifa that Sephiroth was the one. Tifa hated him. So did Cloud. Barrett hated all of Shinra, and even took offense to Cloud sometimes. Yuffie...the pint-sized ninja would explode, she was sure of it. "Alright, alright." It wasn't like she hadn't been keeping this a secret the whole time, though. No one she could have told would have ever believed it unless they saw them together. A slum girl, dating Shinra's prized General? Impossible. Even Elmyra hadn't believed her until Sephiroth had walked her home one day. "He...he was part of Shinra. A SOLDIER, First Class. I...he was pretty high ranking."

"Go on. What was he like?" Tifa had perched herself on one of the crates, and despite being in a Shinra ship, half way across the ocean, it felt very much like she was back in Midgar, just chatting with a friend.

"Quiet. He was kind of shy at first. He saved me from the Turks one day, and I kissed him after that. I...think it started everything, that silly little kiss." She glanced up, and found herself smiling as Tifa giggled. "Really handsome. His eyes were just so intense, such a lovely green, and I don't think it was just from the Mako."

"Nothing like a knight in shining armor, right?" The brunette's giggles started up again.

"More like knight in black leather." She'd always thought that coat looked so good on him. She chuckled then, along with Tifa, feeling more relaxed.

"So, who was he?"

The Cetra just smiled, and shook her head. "I'll tell you later. After all this is over with."

"I'll hold you to that. And see, it is helping." She smiled back as Tifa wandered up onto the deck. Perhaps she'd follow later, for now, she just wanted to sit here and think.

--

In retrospect, perhaps standing up on deck wasn't such a good idea. Not that Aeris was seasick, no, Yuffie had that covered, but a general sense of unease had her quite unnerved. It was the kind of feeling that made you want to hide in a dark corner. Clinging to the railing, Aeris peered down at the water and shuddered. She felt so exposed, out in broad daylight on a Shinra ship, with only a smelly, sweaty, trooper's uniform for a disguise. She may not have had Tifa's particular problems, but she wasn't flat chested either, and she knew for a fact that women weren't allowed in Shinra's armed forces.

She shuddered, and headed back down to the cargo hold, patting Yuffie's shoulder as she passed. Below deck, the cargo hold was silent...there were no troopers chattering as they patrolled, nor were the sounds of their footsteps audible. In fact, if it weren't for the ship creaking, it would have been completely silent...and that was making Aeris want to run screaming. Yet at the same time, something was calling her, luring her, and without thinking, she pulled the helmet off, dropped it to the floor, and wandered towards the far wall, to the door that had been guarded a while ago. The dead troopers she passed went unnoticed, so focused was she on the feeling that was leading her forward. Turning the corner of a stack of crates, Aeris found what the feeling was leading her towards.

Sephiroth stood before her, his back to her... "S-Sephiroth!" The sound of her voice, thick with emotion, snapped her out of her trance, and Aeris remembered, this wasn't, this couldn't be Sephiroth. He turned around, and the sight of his face reinforced this reality. Hatred radiated from him, madness shining in his eyes. Fear became a voice, screaming for her to run, but... She reached out to touch him, not bothering to fight her tears. "Seph...what happened to you?"

A warm glow permeated the air, but Aeris saw only the flicker in Sephiroth's eyes. He looked away, and the aura of malice faded away suddenly. "Aeris?" He was looking at Aeris as if he wasn't quite sure who she was, and that lost look in his eyes was too much for her. She threw herself into his arms, hugging him as tightly as she could. Sephiroth slowly put his arms around her, and then his lips found hers, and it was just like Aeris remembered, feeling so safe in his arms.

"Oh my god!! Cloud, Sephiroth's down here!" The shrill scream broke the moment, and as Aeris pulled away from Sephiroth's embrace, the warmth faded.

Tifa stood only a few feet away, a look of utmost horror on her face.

Enjoy the cliffhanger. And remember, reviews do truly inspire me to write. You all can thank Lady FFVII for making me want to write again.