Chapter 13. August εуλ0002

Sun, sand, waves, all the trappings of a romantic vacation. But it just wasn't the same without Aerith.

It left Zack feeling washed up, useless. After a few days, he realized he'd rather be back working. He thought he was pretty laid back, but as it turned out, endlessly killing time on the beach simply didn't suit.

He'd traded texts back and forth with Cloud, blatantly jealous of the stories of the other's boring army life. Kunsel had kept him appraised by email of the department goings-on. Nothing new to report, nothing to add to the upheaval SOLDIER had already suffered, Lazard missing and no successor to fill the role. It seemed Zack himself had some support for the job? But was he really qualified? Then again, it would give him some stability, something approximating a regular job and a regular life for his hopeful bride-to-be.

Cissnei's revelations about Aerith were… surprising, to say the least. The only Ancient in the World? No wonder Shinra was interested. Cissnei had given him only the most cursory of explanations, probably all vetted by Tseng, about Shinra's hopes that Aerith would lead them to the Promised Land, a land of infinite Mako. As if she was just some kind of tool for them to exploit. Oddly, he found he trusted Tseng to guard her; it was Shinra, more and more, that he doubted, he coming to suspect his own dedication to the company instead.

He harbored no illusions that Cissnei wasn't there to keep an eye on him, but at the same time, she was… a friend. It hurt to hear the truth about Aerith secondhand, but he supposed she was protecting herself, and him. He wanted to be the one to protect her, Shinra or no.

Maybe soon he could.

Cissnei's companionship at least took the edge off of some of the loneliness. He kept reaching for his PHS wanting to dial her number, hear the sound of her voice, but he stopped himself every time, realizing he'd hang up even more heartbroken than before, not knowing how long this holding pattern would continue, how long before they called him back and he could see her again, the memory of that last dynamite lovemaking session getting him through lonely nights.

Cissnei… Maybe he could ask for her advice. A woman's perspective. When should he do it. How should he ask. Did he need a ring, or did people in Midgar not do that like back as home? Speaking of… he'd have to take Aerith back to Gongaga and introduce her. He pictured himself, bursting with pride as he presented her to his mother and father, his mom welcoming her with open arms into the family. All he'd let his parents know was that one damn letter.

He wondered what Aerith was doing without him. If she was happy. If she was safe…

Tseng clapped the phone shut. It was all set up; Cissnei would be back soon enough. He wished Zack would be called back, and soon. Rufus was pushing, hard, for Shinra to pull Aerith in, the new vice President adamant about expanding their search for the Promised Land.

Tseng continued to argue against force, and so far he had been successful. But he wondered how long that would last.

It was hard to see her with Zack Fair sometimes, wistful glimpses of a life he had little hope of achieving, jealousy creeping down his spine. All the same, he was… satisfied, if nothing else, to see her happiness, however it came about, and for her sake, he hoped something would work out for the two of them. Not that he could raise his hopes very high. But anything was better than trying to marry her off to Sephiroth, or maybe Rufus, or worse yet hand her off to Hojo for whatever nefarious objectives the sicko had – someone who would just see her as breeding material to perpetuate the Cetra line.

He could have told him it was too late for that… but it wasn't information he was planning to pass on. Shinra's intelligence all filtered through him, and he knew he was abusing this power for the few months Aerith needed to be kept from their prying eyes. After these few months… well, he had no idea. All he could do for now was skirt that jagged edge, playing all sides, always vigilant to the chance of discovery. Shinra's clutches were hard to escape… but this one secret, he would do everything in his power to protect.

An idle thought occurred to him. Genesis had escaped. Angeal, too. Or had they? Even the vaunted SOLDIER Firsts, symbols of Shinra's elite. In the end, Angeal, cut down by his own request at Zack's hand, and Genesis… they still weren't sure. Copies, appearing at the most inopportune times, just when they thought that scourge was eliminated.

Perhaps he could keep Rufus focused in that direction a while longer…

Aerith tore out of the house, the cool of the night air hitting her skin. She wasn't thinking rationally, but panicked, all she could think was that she had to flee.

She'd left nothing but a note for her mother. A bullshit note. I want to see the world outside of Midgar. I'll come home soon, so don't worry, mom. Elmyra wouldn't believe that for a second. No matter, she'd send word when she could.

Zack had wanted to show her the sky… but she couldn't afford to wait for him anymore. She had another loyalty to him, now, one she couldn't afford to risk. How had the Turks found out so fast? She'd only known for sure herself this morning.

But already, she'd seen them watching. Where was Tseng? she wondered. She would have been grateful to see a familiar face, one she had gotten to know, build with a modicum of trust. She might have been a little more reassured, then.

She knew she'd gotten careless when she nearly ran into one.

This couldn't be whomever was assigned to her tonight, she realized. The small redhead was sorely drunk, in the way only an off-duty Turk could be.

Cissnei stared glassy-eyed, the sight of Aerith immediately sobering her up. The target was for tomorrow. She hadn't expected to run into the other woman tonight.

Careless.

And while her boyfriend was reluctantly sunning himself where she'd left him in Costa del Sol, this morning, here was Aerith, obviously frightened, fleeing.

It reminded Cissnei of the reason she'd been called back to watch her. If Zack only knew… he'd be back here himself in an instant, she thought, not without a trace of bitterness. But for Zack's sake, she could do this. Do her job.

"Where are you going this late at night?" she asked Aerith, struggling to keep a slight slur from out of her voice.

Aerith jutted out her chin stubbornly. "On a journey," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

Cissnei laughed. "At night? You won't even make it safely to the gates." She motioned forward. "Look. If you're really serious, I'll escort you. Tseng would rip me apart if anything happened to you." She'd call it in to Tseng as soon as she could.

"I'm Aerith," she introduced herself.

"Cissnei," was the other woman's reply.

Aerith had never met this Turk before, but she had no doubt that all the Turks had memorized her name, her description, possibly her measurements. Even when she didn't see them, she knew they were there, somewhere, in the shadows. Why, then, was this young lady helping her? She had no doubt Cissnei was capable; her grip on that giant shuriken of hers spoke of practiced use. But was Shinra willing to let her go so easily? Was Tseng somehow behind all this?

Or did they have something else in mind? Nevertheless, she was somewhat forced to trust the Turk, whatever her motivation. Aerith regretted now she had never learned to fight; surely she could have asked Zack to teach her the rudiments of some kind of weapon. He couldn't be there for her all the time; now, more than ever, she needed to be able to protect herself. She made a mental note to ask him when she saw him next. In the meantime… she'd take whatever help Cissnei was offering to get out of the city.

They'd stopped at the church, gathering a few belongings Aerith kept there. She followed Cissnei through the warren of haphazard slum streets until…

"My Materia!" She reached up to her bow, just now realizing what she was feeling missing. "We have to go back for it." She tried to think back to when that soothing sensation had disappeared.

Cissnei stopped, puzzled. "It's just a stupid materia. They're everywhere. If you want a materia, I'll give you one of mine." She reached for the slots of Rekka. "Which kind do you want? Steal – no, you probably wouldn't want that. Cure? Ice? We have tons of extras of those at headquarters."

"No, no – you don't understand." The church. That was it. "I must have dropped it when we stopped at the church. It's special – it was, um, my mother's. We have to go back!"

Cissnei sighed. Even as she regretted the delay… Something of Ifalna's. Huh. I wonder if Tseng knows about it. I wonder if Hojo does, too. "Alright, we'll retrace our steps," she told Aerith. "But let's hurry. The night is growing short."

They backtracked, and Aerith drove like a beacon to the flowers. She watched Aerith rummage among the blooms. the flowers. Ethereal. Tender. So this was what made Zack Fair fall in love. SO unlike her, a killer raised and trained inside Shinra. How could she compete?

Aerith grasped something with a cry of delight. "Here it is!" she announced, triumphant, lifting up a small orb, no color of Materia Cissnei had ever seen before.

Cissnei exhaled a sigh of relief. "Alright, then, let's get going." She had only the rudiments of a plan in her head. Aerith was determined to make it outside of the city; she'd help her get that far. Then she'd glue herself to the girl's side for as far as she could, until she could reach Tseng for directions. But before they could depart, well-trained ears detected the vaguest hint of disturbance at the church doors, and Cissnei was already wondering if they should run out the back.

A creak, the unwelcome visitors not even bothering to hide their entry. Cissnei tensed, gripping her beloved Rekka, already positioned for a throw. In her pocket, she flicked the panic button on her phone.

The three who entered were not who she expected, but on reflection, it really wasn't a surprise. She certainly recognized them. AVALANCHE. Not just that, but their ringleaders. Fuhito. Sears.

Elfe.

The two men flanked the one woman, giving her the position of prominence. She felt Aerith's nervous tension, the other woman hiding behind Cissnei for whatever protection she could provide.

Elfe, Cissnei knew, was the unquestioned leader, but she had never seen her in the flesh before. The woman was all haughty demeanor, eyes traveling over Cissnei to dismiss her out of hand, practically scornful of her as a possible threat. A prideful part of Cissnei was miffed. If you only knew, woman, what I've done for Shinra in the past… Instead, she addressed her words to the quivering girl behind her.

"Aerith." Her voice low, throaty. Confident. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Cissnei turned. Aerith's wide green eyes were doubtful, wary. "What do you want from me?"

"You may have heard of us. We're called AVALANCHE." Aerith shifted uncomfortably. So she DOES know who these people are. Zack must have told her. Shinra secrecy or no, at the moment, Cissnei was grateful for that.

"We want to protect you… from Shinra." Elfe's eyes flickered towards Cissnei, condescending.

"So you can use me instead?' Aerith was incredulous.

"Will Shinra really protect you?" Elfe challenged. "You know they are trying to use you to find the Promised Land, right?"

"Stand back," Cissnei warned.

"Are you going to fight me yourself, little girl?" Elfe seemed amused.

"I've already called it in. Reinforcements will be her any moment." She hoped upon hope that was indeed the case.

"You're in pain," Aerith suddenly burst out. "I can hear a presence crying out from within you."

The man in the glasses – Fuhito – cleared his throat. "So it IS true, Elfe. She can hear the Planet."

Elfe looked, oddly, at her forearm; Cissnei wondered. "How… can you tell such a thing?"

"I just… know," Aerith replied. "I can tell. It's… not a part of you. It's the Planet fighting back. From inside of you. It's going to destroy you from the inside out."

Elfe just stared, meeting Aerith's eyes for the longest moment. "I know," she said, subdued.

A phone's ringing echoed in the spacious church, and Sears reached into his pocket, stepping away to take the call. "You see, Aerith," Fuhito started reasonably, "that's why we need you to come with us. You are the only one who can help us out."

"I'm tired of people just trying to use me," Aerith replied, her voice now angry. "I'm not going anywhere with you, or the Turks, or anyone else." Except Zack, she mentally amended. Only him…

Sears stepped back, interrupting. "Elfe," he told her. "It's true. Our forces report that reinforcements are indeed on the way." Cissnei gave a silent thanks to Tseng.

Elfe nodded, a gesture of command, and the two men shifted, poised to leave. "Think on it," she addressed Aerith, but there was a warning in her words. "We'll be back." With that, the three left, a poised grace bearing no trace or urgency in their departure, assured that they would achieve their goal yet.

In the emptied church, Aerith looked at Cissnei, questioning, perturbed. "They say they will protect me, but they're just out to get me too. At least I know who you guys are."

"Aerith." Cissnei didn't know where the burst of sympathy came from. Affinity with the other woman, or misplaced feelings for Zack? Either way, did it matter? "Travel if you want to. Run to a place no one will find you. Zack will join you there, we can arrange it. If you stay here, Shinra, AVALANCHE, someone will find you…"

Aerith contemplated. Her-half baked plan now seemed silly, a rush of panic that she hadn't bothered to think all the way through. She couldn't afford that kind of mistake. She'd thought to go find the Promised Land like her mother once told her… but… did she really need to do that when it was inside her, now? "I can't run away," she told Cissnei. "It would be... like letting them win. Besides, I don't know if there is anywhere safe I could run to."

Cissnei supposed that was probably true.

When they exited, Tseng was waiting for them at the entrance to the church. He'd let AVALNCHE leave; that was a problem for another day. The girl in his charge was his primary concern. "Aerith. Pleased to see you're safe."

"Tseng. It's been a while." Cissnei couldn't help but notice Aerith's surprising warm response.

"You can make it home alone from here?" Tseng asked.

Aerith laughed then, friendly, familiar. "You know I can. I've done it a hundred times. Guess I won't be going as far as I thought tonight." Her gaze passed between the two Turks; she waited for Tseng to give a polite nod of dismissal. "Cissnei. It was nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Aerith. Be safe." Aerith trudged away, leaving the two Turks standing together, hints of secondhand sunlight signaling the breaking of dawn.

Tseng turned to his subordinate. "Cissnei. On it already."

"Accident." Cissnei realized that she was now stone cold sober, and wondered if Tseng would give her leave to fix that problem. "She's… not what I expected. Tougher than I might have thought. Tseng, what are you planning to do with her?"

Tseng sighed, burdensome commitments comingling in his conscience, something always seeming to be warring with another. " Rufus wants to bring her in. At least the President is keeping him on a leash for now. He can think whatever he wants." Tseng paused. "I'll wait as long as I have to for her to change her mind."

And, he silently prayed, perhaps I can figure out a way to get her out of this.

Aerith snuck back into the house, Elmyra still asleep, none the wiser. What had she been thinking? That she was just going to run out of Midgar, somehow make it all on her own?

She'd leave one of these days, but she didn't want to leave alone.

He note was still on the table where she had left it, scribbled handwriting betraying her hurry. Picking it up, she stared at it for a long time, before tearing it up into small angry bits, leaving the pieces nonchalantly scattered across the table as she traveled up the stairs back to bed.

The excitement of the night battled with sheer exhaustion, and Aerith found herself staring at the ceiling as the day broke above. Her volatile emotions surged into anger, frustrating her with lack of a discernible outlet. She wanted to take it out on someone, anyone, but in the recesses of her head, only the Planet would listen. Why did you tell me to do it, she silently berated it; the Planet gave no response. Why, if you weren't planning to protect me?

It wouldn't be much longer she could hide it from her mother; a month, two at the most. If Elmyra's maternal instincts weren't telling her something already. She knew she would have to tell her soon enough; her mother was one she could be certain she could trust. Nevertheless, part of her wanted to keep it secret just a little bit longer ,until she could share it with the other half.

Zack, please come back…

Author's Note: I've been getting asked about my update schedule, so here it is. I don't really have a schedule, as much as a system. I try to make sure that I give writing at least a couple hours a day (right now it's usually more because of COVID-19 quarantine), and then… when the chapter is done, it's done. I find the characters usually let me know on their own when things are ready.

In the meantime, I try to keep several chapters ahead moderately fleshed out so I don't lose track of the narrative. But I DO have things written all the way to the end. Some chapters are basically done (even waaaaay down the line), others are more skeletal. It just all depends.

So now you know.