The World That Never Will Be Chapter 22
by the infamous and notorious tocasia
6/23/2019
CHAPTER 22
There wasn't room for the ocean, Sephiroth thought.
Although, maybe Dark Depths would look better underwater; canyons filled up and flooded, like rivers or river deltas, dendritic, water to leach minerals from the fertile rock and birth new crystals...
But that was an exercise for another time. No matter how all-powerful he felt around Master Aqua, there were, unfortunately, limits. It would not be a tactically sound decision. The books would get wet.
He'd sent Cloud to the library, demanding a wide selection. Everyone at the desk had been very helpful. Sephiroth had not read the titles himself; he intended to share in her surprise.
Brave Master Aqua had gone adventuring again. Her energetic sightseeing pace exceeded yesterday's progress towards Radiant Garden. By the time she got back, his spell would be finished.
The books, with their multicolor spines, were roosting safely in a quasi-real modern white bookshelf, next to a spectral copy of the most comfortable chair he could remember owning. Perhaps he ought to have made it a loveseat...
...the skin she showed with her outfit was so smooth...
Sephiroth told himself he wasn't particularly curious if the white laces on her bodice were cosmetic or if they did actually come undone.
...and what Aqua wore underneath was her business.
...what kind of swimsuit would she pick out?
What kind of fragrance would the sea wash away... so then she'd smell, taste?, like... salt, and freedom, and the smell of sunshine.
Cloves, his mind supplied.
He could ruffle the curls at the nape of her neck. Not so near to a nuzzle, but tease with his breath. Blue hair to tickle the bridge of his nose. Would it dry soft, or would it stiffen from the sea salt?
How would she stand, to brush sand from the backs of her legs? What nimble pose, for the sculptor's muse?
The muscles in her arms, toned and fit. Every fiber of her being was lean and lithe, strength of a dancer, untouchable.
...did she have scars, despite that? Calluses on her hands?
She wore fingerless gloves. A mix then, soft and rough. A light touch, afraid to break him? Or would she be more forceful?
...he'd let her put sunscreen on his back even though he didn't need it. Because her warm hands... lying in the sun with her... she'd press just right on the spot behind his wing he couldn't reach.
...he'd let her braid his hair.
Some god of destruction he was!
...but, Sephiroth was sure... Aqua would be careful...
Later, he could fly her over the waves so she could dip her toes in. Did she paint her toenails? What color?
He could push her on a palm-tree swing, and when it was his turn, he'd have to be alert, because oh yes she would shove hard and he'd end up on his face in the shallows. Well, then he'd grab her and toss her in the water, too! He'd had far too few harmless playful giggling shrieks in his life.
Zack probably would've asked her out already.
Aqua returned from her expedition at a half-skip. She'd discovered a lonely plaza, host to a sunburst medallion mosaic of geometric green, spared from the rubble. Up a twisted path, the ruined gates of Radiant Garden had loomed, towering too near over this morning's courage. She tried not to disparage herself for temporarily deciding discretion was the better part of valor. She needed a plan.
Aqua opened the tent flap. "Sephiroth? Are you here?"
She didn't sense his darkness, and got no answer.
Something was... off.
She had the anomalous feeling that this space had become bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. A few blinks confirmed sneaking suspicion. At first she had to squint, like looking sideways at a hologram, but...
New truth shimmered into being, like flipbook animation or unfolding wings, in places pearlescent.
Instead of a cramped shelter housing two modestly-arranged sleeping bags, the tent had become more of a pavilion, with a high canopy, and walls spread far.
Warmly furnished. A black leather armchair, a scrolled-iron lamp, a leaded-glass table, and a white bookshelf. Over there, a hallway; this was not the only room.
Had Sephiroth done this? Could he?
He's showing off for you.
Aqua hoped it was him. The Realm of Light wasn't supposed to warp like this...
On the table, a splash of color. A ceramic bluestone vase, presenting an edible fruit bouquet with chunks of watermelon and cantaloupe carved as roses, skewered on wooden stems. The weight of the vase imprisoned a piece of paper, preventing it from blowing away from the humming oscillating fan that wasn't plugged in.
I made some changes. Don't be alarmed. Pick whichever room you like.
-Sephiroth
He had a flowing script, as befitting the noble prince she could not stop imagining him as. His signature was the stylized scrawl of a celebrity or doctor.
Aqua stowed the note in her pocket.
Two identical bedrooms, entered through wooden beaded curtains; the humble sleeping bags replaced by fine beds high off the floor with clean white sheets. A full bath with a ridiculously fancy shower; the chrome was a little overdone. Citrus-y soap by the sink. Towels that were not too soft; white with royal blue seashell embroidery.
...there was a window that looked out onto a beach. A beach that whispered of dinglehoppers and snarfblats, sugar sand and coconuts.
...even though they were nowhere near the beach. At least, she didn't think so...
It even had seagulls. There may or may not have been wind chimes.
She reached out...
Aqua's hand phased through and distorted the ocean's image. A very good mirage?
But everything felt real; lacking was the slight vibration of illusion suggesting there'd be anything to dispel. No darkness, either. Was that what godly power meant?
...should he really be doing this? He's healing too, right?
She hoped it hadn't cost him too much... no.
He thought it was worth it.
Sephiroth had made something special for her...
Aqua smiled, and backtracked to investigate the bookshelf so she could thank him properly.
'The Hundred Acre Wood'?
Er, that's okay... I think I'll try something else.
She had plenty of choices, some of them strange. A codex of regulations for suspension bridge construction. Sheet music for a sing-along. A video game guide advertising exclusive cheats for light cycle racing.
Beneath those on the shelf was 'Tarzan', and its adventurous sequels.
'Anastasia'? A princess she'd never heard of.
'Pirates of the Caribbean' had a cool ghost ship on the cover. Aqua was tempted.
...a biography? I've met Peter Pan, he seemed like a nice guy. He really believed in his friends; it made him a good leader. I learned a lot...
There hadn't been any books in the Realm of Darkness. Thankfully? She imagined erupting teeth, and squeezing tentacles, and drooling, suppurating words, tongues with eyeballs, and being sucked inside and trapped...
Enough.
Aqua selected an anthology of classics and began to read.
They were the darker versions.
The beast was not tamed by love, the hero's leap of faith did not thwart death. The desert princess married the evil vizier, her champion drowned in sand.
The overall theme continued, mourning, scornful:
Love does not redeem, it only complicates.
Aqua could just picture Sephiroth saying that, and wondered if he'd chosen the book on purpose for its harsh lessons.
...must I look everywhere for betrayal? That's something my time in darkness taught me to do. I don't like it.
But... maybe she needed to face facts. Not all endings were happy. That's what she was preparing for, wasn't it? The thing she was afraid of, that Terra was dead and Ven would never wake. But like the protagonists in the stories, she wasn't going to give up. That, by itself, had value, didn't it? She'd be heroic, even if... even if everything turned out wrong. Like it already had, hadn't it? Like in those tragic fairy tales...
Aqua preferred the true story of the mermaid she knew who'd won her prince.
Engrossed in fantasy, Master Aqua had not heard his entrance.
He'd been watching for a while. Sephiroth wanted to see her every reaction. It was not often that he wrought joy, and Master Aqua's had become special to him. She was completely enamored with him. So utterly, beautifully lost. He found it thrilling.
When you look at me, your thoughts stop.
In that nice way, yes?
that unfearful absent nirvana.
You want me to read you poetry,
and it won't matter how bad it is.
You might think my touch is electric
and imagine heavenly bliss,
purple on the page.
About the poetry...
I worry...
...we both won't care how bad it is.
Sephiroth withheld a frown. He'd given her the power to betray him.
It was... incredibly unlikely to happen. Master Aqua was very nearly the antithesis of betrayal.
She was never going to leave him. She would understand. She wouldn't fear... he wouldn't have to destroy her to keep her...
Ha! He'd had no idea until recently how much he still longed for acceptance.
Aqua was probably going to wonder soon, so Sephiroth tried to remember those formal dance steps.
"Do you like it, Master Aqua?" Sephiroth asked, startling her from silence.
He seemed satisfied to have caught her attention. Had he just arrived? How long had he been standing there?
Impossibly gorgeous. He might be even more enticing with the coat on! ...the V it made of his chest, the contrast with his pale skin... and the long cut of it, combined with those tall boots... that suggestion reminiscent of high military authority...
Aqua shook her head in a vain attempt to clear it.
She wished it wasn't rude to stare. She would stare at him all day.
She closed the book. "It's wonderful."
"Hmm. You looked so sad for a moment. Is something wrong? I thought you would be pleased."
Oh no, oh no, how was she supposed to navigate this? She wasn't ungrateful! She wasn't!
She had to get that across. The author's bitterness wasn't his fault.
...why was it so hard to find something cheerful to read? And it was doubly frustrating! Tragedy hadn't bothered her before! But now, she'd lived it, she knew better. Self-sacrifice wasn't as noble or romantic as depicted. She should be allowed to be a little jaded; tired of darkness. She should be allowed to not like things. Surely, Sephiroth would understand that?
Yes, honesty was important, but she shouldn't complain about a gift...
Friends trusted each other.
...lovers even more, advised her secret thoughts.
If she didn't tell Sephiroth why she was upset, who knows what he might think? She didn't want to give the wrong impression.
"It's no big deal. The stories were sadder than I expected."
Sephiroth frowned. Puzzlement, not anger. Aqua realized he was searching for a solution, a way to fix it. He was adorable.
He came to a conclusion. "Just rewrite the endings."
She was surprised at the simplicity of his answer. "It's not that easy..."
"But it can be done." His mischievous, teasing, promising grin. Reminding her. Of who and what he was.
"Stand up," he commanded, gesturing for her to rise.
"Okay..." Aqua did. Where was he going with this?
He grabbed her, and in a flash, spun; suddenly he was sitting in the chair and she was sitting on his lap. Totally stunned by the closeness, the touch of skin. Her exposed back met his bare chest. His arm low around her waist, resting there. His heartbeat behind her. He was everywhere, but she was not trapped. She had no intention of moving.
Sephiroth said, smile unseen, his voice sultry and deep, "Tell me what should change. In the stories."
Aqua wasn't thinking about that anymore. Her mouth was very dry.
Thoughts formed words, and on the whole, she considered herself lucky. "To start with... um... hyenas aren't evil."
Sephiroth laughed. Aqua leaned back and joined in. She wondered if he was ticklish.