Wow long loooong time no update. I hope there are still readers interested in this story.

Sephiroth was walking fast. He had to find Nanaki before Aeris could talk to him and learn the truth. Yes he had lied to the Cetra, but it was a good lie, was it not? Sephiroth did remember the expression a white lie, but he had never really understood its meaning until now. Nanaki would have to lie as well, but he might be a little harder to convince. However Sephiroth was assured that his superior logic would prevail in the end because it was for the greater good.

Eventually he found the red beast in his room at the inn. Sephiroth stopped and leaned on the doorway as he listened to Nanaki's angry mutterings. In between his mumblings, Nanaki was putting stuff from his shelves and into Aeris's backpack. He saw him putting several medical supplies and materia into it, something they would probably need, he concluded. Finally Nanaki turned around, bringing with him a package Sephiroth hadn't noticed.

"Here," he dropped it at Sephiroth's feet. "This is all the medicine you will need, and more." Nanaki abruptly turned his back on Sephiroth and went back to packing with renewed and unnecessary vigor.

"You are angry." Sephiroth's simple statement seemed to be the last straw for the red animal.

"She has a right to know what she is getting into!" Nanaki said loudly still not bothering to look at the General. "You are both going towards danger and you don't seem to care what will happen in the end!"

"I can handle it," came the composed reply. Sephiroth didn't understand Red's uneasiness. He was the ultimate soldier, made stronger and better than anyone else. It wasn't arrogance, it was just fact. This toxin would not have the better of him, he wouldn't allow it. As long as he was above it and in control, there was nothing to worry about.

"You might be able to handle it, but for how long?" Nanaki asked softly, his one good eye glowing in the semi-darkness as he observed the impassive Sephiroth. "Aeris deserves to know. You owe her that minimal favor."

Red didn't wait for an answer, instead he flipped close the backpack, grabbed it with his jaws and made his way past the tall man without another word.

Now that Sephiroth didn't have a witness, he allowed himself a rare moment of weakness and rolled his eyes. He knew very well that Nanaki was trying to prey on his conscience, what little there was anyways. He continued to watch the spot the red beast had occupied only seconds before, lost deep in thought. He knew very well that she deserved to know… but did she need to know? It was a fine line. Rubbing his chin, Sephiroth exited Red's room and walked aimlessly around the cave complex the citizens of Cosmo Canyon called home.

Several people stopped and stared at the imposing man, some mesmerized by his long silver hair, others moving out of his way fearing the amazingly long sword strapped to his hip. If only they knew how often it had been used in the course of its life. But Sephiroth didn't pay much attention to the people around him, he just wanted to get to a place where he could be alone.

Whether it was his subconscious directing him or just sheer coincidence, Sephiroth found himself in the observatory. It didn't take long for him to realize he wasn't alone. Aeris was there, sitting at the large table seeming to be reading something. She hadn't noticed his presence yet so he could easily slip away without her knowing. So why wasn't his body already on its way out and trying to find another place of solitude? Instead he seemed to be using this unexpected moment to watch her.

Aeris's braid hung over the chair she was occupying, the tips curling up of their own accord. His pristine eyes took in the slight curve of her neck as her head was bent at a slight angle over the book. What was she reading that was so interesting? He was about to inquire but then his eyes locked onto the familiar big bag sitting idly by her feet. So Nanaki had beat him to it.

He waited to see if she would notice his presence lurking behind her. As seconds turned into minutes and she hadn't made any other move than flip a page over, he concluded that she wouldn't. He resisted the urge to lean in the doorway and wait.

"Aeris."

The unexpectedness of hearing her name caused the small woman to jump up from her seat in fright, a shriek escaping her lips. Thankfully she didn't fall to the floor instead she rapidly twirled in her chair to better face Sephiroth who had not budged from his place in the doorway. And he continued to stand there, his arms crossed over his broad chest as he watched her impassively.

"We leave soon."

Aeris just nodded her head returning silently to the book she was so engrossed in. Sephiroth couldn't help but feel dismissed by such a pacific gesture. Didn't he just give her a direct order? But she kept on reading, rather ferociously now. Before Sephiroth could stop himself, his mouth betrayed him. "What are you reading?"

He could kick himself.

"Red's journal," she replied a little impishly trying to contain the smile from her voice. Of course she had gotten Red's permission when he came up here only minutes before, but Sephiroth didn't need to know that.

The mention of such a private book got his attention even if it wasn't welcomed. Slowly he approached Aeris until he stood directly behind her, his tall height allowing him to read over her sitting form. His sharp eyes confirmed what she had told him. The book was indeed in Red's writing: angular and a bit messy. It was hard to write with a pen in one's mouth.

"It says here that you arrived in Cosmo Canyon 70 years after Meteor," Aeris said, her eyes never leaving the paper. She was trying to be subtle about it but she really wanted to know what happened when she hadn't been around.

A pause ensued, one in which Aeris tensely waited for him to respond. She tried peeking out of the corner of her eye to see his face but all she glimpsed were cascades of silver hair. Either he seemed to be really intent on reading or he was just ignoring her as always. A few more minutes passed by in which the Cetra waited hopefully. But eventually it was replaced bu frustration. Just as Aeris was about to shut the book and leave, Sephiroth's voice broke the silence.

"That is correct."

Aeris didn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at his meager response.

"But why?"

"I was told to."

Immediately he straightened and began walking towards the exit not wanting to discuss it any further. But a small hand stopped him. He looked down at the feminine digits as they gripped his upper arm tightly. Sephiroth felt the all too common feeling of irritation rise within his chest whenever Aeris was about to ask a question, that's why he had sensed it was time to leave.

"I don't feel Her anymore. Not even a little bit," she began explaining, her downcast eyes hiding the sadness behind them. It was scary from going to feeling the Planet whenever she wanted to, to not feeling Her at all. Sure it all happened within a century, but to the last Cetra, it only felt like days.

"I just want to know what happened," Aeris ended feebly, almost like she had given up on getting answers. Her hand went limp and lost its hold on Sephiroth as it went back to its owner. He could only think of one way to help her and that was to give her what she seeked.

Without bothering to face her, he began calmly, his low voice divulging his inner turmoil, "After everything that happened, I wasn't allowed to die. Everyone thought I was destroyed, but I was directed to go into hiding until the time came. Needless to say, I wasn't very satisfied with such an order but I was forced into it. After 70 years the Planet finally contacted me again and told me to go see Nanaki."

"What did you do during 70 years?" asked Aeris aghast. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to be alone for 70 years with no one to talk to.

"I was fine," Sephiroth said truthfully as he turned and faced Aeris. He wasn't prepared to see her looking at him with such sympathy and kindness. Sephiroth quickly turned away, walking around her and towards the library to pretend to be interested by some of the books. Comforting and human feelings always made him feel a little out of place and awkward.

"During those decades, I learned valuable information. As time went by, I noticed a pattern coming out of Midgar."

Aeris stayed silent for a while and finally uttered, "Abaddon."

"Exactly," Sephiroth said as his mako eyes locked onto Aeris' earthly ones. "Very perceptive of you."

"Stories first started about people going to Midgar and never coming back. It wasn't anything shocking back then, just stories everyone assumed. Eventually corpses started littering Midgar. And just a few years ago, the missing started appearing in different parts of Gaia, seeking people to join them, be it voluntary or involuntary."

"Join them?" Aeris echoed. "You mean as in recruiting?"

Sephiroth paused a moment to wipe some dust off of an old looking book before continuing.

"Yes, Abaddon has an urgent need of human hosts as she keeps getting them killed in her quest for world domination. And now that people from all over avoid Midgar, she has to come for them."

Unconsciously, Aeris shivered at his last words. Just thinking of being snatched by those soulless victims made her skin crawl.

"We have to stop her," she exclaimed. "We can't just let her go on taking innocent lives!"

"The humans are the least of our problems," Sephiroth said darkly, utterly unperturbed by such an idea.

Aeris's green eyes widened momentarily, still quite unused to the man's disregard for humanity. "People are not expendable," she replied loudly, her cheeks already getting crimson as she balled her hands into fists. "Everyone deserves to live and you do not get to decide! How can you still be so cold towards your own kind? You are human! You should have some sympathy towards them!"

Even as she was talking, Aeris knew she was getting deeper and deeper into forbidden territory. However she didn't want to be silent any longer and let him treat people as if they were nothing but ants to be squished by anyone's whims.

Frowning, Sephiroth remained silent expecting Aeris to continue in her, what was in his mind, a rant.

Sephiroth's eyes had narrowed considerably and as he came closer, Aeris could see his eyes glowing brighter and brighter. Suddenly, she didn't want to be in the same room as this dangerous man because all her previous courage was making an abrupt exit. Mere inches separated the two once he finally stood in front of her.

"I have no sympathy towards them," he spat the word out as if it tasted acrid in his mouth. "And make no mistake about my intentions, the only reason I am doing this is so I can finally die!"

Aeris couldn't help it as she felt her natural compassion flowing towards him again. Just hearing him say how badly he wanted to stop living made her even sadder. How could someone wish for death so intensely as the man standing in front of her? How miserable and alone one must feel in life in order to wish for its end. Did he really not have anything to live for? Instinctively Aeris small hands rose up and wound around his torso, all doubts and fears at present gone.

Sephiroth immediately became tense and alert, not being familiar with this sort of situation and it left him feeling exposed. He watched in painful silence the small woman pressed to him, her features hidden from his view but he refused to touch her back so he kept his arms raised. The tall man had an inkling that he probably looked ridiculous at that moment. However, much more quickly than he had assumed he was capable, Sephiroth began feeling slightly comfortable like this, her warm body heat seeping into his own.

All of a sudden a small whisper broke the silence, one in which he heard Aeris say, "I am so sorry living is unbearable for you," before finally, slowly letting go of him.

Aeris couldn't quite work up the nerve to look up to his face for fear of seeing utter disgust marred on his beautiful features while Sephiroth couldn't seem to look away from her angelic ones. He couldn't help but find her unpredictability fascinating. One minute she feared him, like she had just a few minutes ago and the next, she was hugging him. Not for the first time he wondered if she had control over some of her actions.

Aeris meanwhile felt suddenly very uncomfortable after what she had just done and was furtively looking for a way out. She found her solace in the shape of her backpack so she quickly bent down to pick it up.

"Well, um… I'm packed and ready to go, so I'll just wait for you at the exit," she said while she pretended to be too absorbed with her task to look up at her companion.

Quickly the young woman made her way around the imposing man and practically ran out the door.

Well at least she wasn't the only one feeling awkward now, Sephiroth thought smugly.

Stupid, stupid, stupid Aeris yelled at herself mentally as she paced back and forth outside of the caves, red dust clouds rising up after each step. How could she do that? Sometimes her emotions had a way of overruling her mind and making her immediately act on them. Well it was already done with so she couldn't change anything about it now.

Aeris kicked a stray rock in frustration as hard as she could in an attempt to let off some steam. She watched passively as it bounced away and landed near a large, black boot. The young woman didn't even have to look up to know who the owner of said boot was.

"Good," Sephiroth's deep voice boomed making the surrounding people jump a little in fright. "We can leave now."

Repressing a sigh, she saw Nanaki walk up behind Sephiroth and sit near the entrance where the tall man stood. From where Aeris was, she couldn't hear what words were exchanged between each other but it was brief and from what she could make out, it was also tense. The General merely made the slightest nod in agreement, she supposed, and walked away, his crunchy footsteps getting louder the closer he got. Aeris tore her eyes away from Sephiroth's form and glanced at Nanaki who was smiling and greatly waving his paw goodbye at her. Seeing such cheerfulness in her friend, the young woman couldn't help but wave rigorously in return.

So the beginning of the end had arrived, the Cetra thought morbidly to herself as she turned her back on Cosmo Canyon and walked towards what was possibly now the most dangerous city on the planet with the most dangerous man on it. Well in mathematics, two negatives made a positive right? That probably didn't apply to her situation though.

Sephiroth barely spared her or Nanaki a second glance as he took the lead. If Aeris didn't know any better, she'd say he was preoccupied with something. However she knew even if she asked she wouldn't get an answer.

Following Sephiroth out of Cosmo Canyon brought back the feelings of apprehension and fear that had subsided while she had resided at the spiritual village. With every step she took, the more reality settled once again on her. She couldn't help twisting her neck to catch small and final glimpses of the canyon, secretly wanting to be back there. But it depressed her even further when her eyes could no longer see Nanaki's fire tail in the distance.

The duo had been walking in silence for nearly two hours. It wasn't a comfortable one nor was it completely awkward. It was just that both individuals were painfully aware of the other's presence. Any time Sephiroth looked like he was about to turn his silver head, Aeris perked up waiting for him to say anything. The same was happening with Sephiroth. Each time he heard Aeris take a deep breath, he immediately assumed she was going to ask something and he found himself preparing to answer her.

One more hour passed with no one managing to dispel the oppressive air. They were finally saved by the setting of the sun. Both noticed the slow, descending darkness and with a minimum of words passing between, they made camp. The fire was easily started thanks to the packed fire materia. Aeris and Sephiroth settled on opposite sides of the roaring fire, choosing to look into it rather than above it.

Silence seemed to be the third companion of the group. In the end, it was the young Cetra who decided to make the first move by asking if he had packed the sword he had gotten her.

Lifting his head slightly up to look at her, Sephiroth quietly replied, "There was no point. We'll be in Midgar in a few days so there is no time for me to teach you even the most mundane of moves."

With that, Sephiroth's eyes refocused on the blaze in front of him therefore ending the chat. Aeris however was a little relieved that in the end she wouldn't have to use a sword, it would have felt wrong in her hands. But now that she had attempted to at least try a civil conversation with her companion, Aeris could sleep more soundly thinking she had done her duty. Without another word, the young woman turned away and lied down on her side to be more comfortable on the firm ground while she slept. She had been unaware of just how tired she had become due to their journey. But the minute her head hit the ground, her weary eyelids fluttered to a close and her breathing slowed as sleep overcame her.

Once her breathing had deepened and evened out, Sephiroth dared to look at her knowing she wouldn't feel his eyes on her. Even though her face was turned away from him and all he had to look at was her back and large braid which now laid on the grass beside her, it sufficed for him. He couldn't really explain it, not in any words he knew but it made him… happy? No, maybe that wasn't the word he thought. Happiness wasn't a state he was overly familiar with so he wasn't sure if this feeling was it. Was he just content around her? Or maybe actually pleased by her presence? Whatever reason, he felt better now being around her. Could a hug really hold such power?

Sephiroth still got annoyed at her at times but he also found himself appreciating her smile. And just today when she had hugged him, her body so closely pressed to his… he hadn't just felt awkwardness though. Sephiroth would have eventually put his arms around her but he didn't know if Aeris would have welcomed that.

His mako eyes shifted towards the fire once more because its light was getting weaker. Sephiroth poked the burning wood with a long stick causing hundreds of tiny, furious embers to fly upwards. The orange glow of the flames was reflected beautifully in his eyes, but Sephiroth wasn't aware of that. Suddenly however, sheer pain filled them as the powerful man hunched over as it flowed through every vein in his body. It took all of his willpower from crying out from the impact.

He looked up once to see if Aeris had woken up but she remained still in her sleep. As quickly as his aching muscles would allow him, Sephiroth got up, took his bag and limped, more than walked, further away from Aeris to take the medicine Red had packed for him. Once he was satisfied that he wasn't within hearing distance of the young Cetra, he fell to his knees trying to relax his constricted chest and take in a much needed deep breath. Sephiroth could barely inhale.

His hands trembled as he roughly undid the clasp of the bag. He was trying to be delicate with the glass vials that held his only salvation to this torture. Finally he managed to hold onto one and to remove the cap. His body was practically drenched in sweat from the effort it required to stay conscious. With as much precision he could muster, he drank deeply of the remedy and let himself fall forward onto his chest almost out of strength.

The liquid was so effective that within seconds the pain had dulled and was on its way out of his system.

Sephiroth's eyes were closed as he tried to stay awake so he could get up and go back to camp. He couldn't leave Aeris all alone and unguarded. But even with his superhuman strength he didn't know if he could do it. The longer he stayed on the ground, the harder it was for him to fight the urge to sleep. The pain was gone but it had completely drained him.

It was only the first night and already he felt like he could barely hold the pain at bay. Maybe Nanaki had been right, maybe he wouldn't be able to stop the toxin from getting to him. He already could feel his control slipping, slowly being replaced by Abaddon' own power.

OMG!! A new chapter done!! Please review!! I have such a twist in mind for this story!