1. The call of the Planet
The monster jumped through the air, aiming it's deadly attack towards it's opponent. It had survived many a fight and was the alpha male in it's pack because of it's superior strength compared to the others. The last challenger that had strayed into the monster's path had been one of it's own pack member aiming to challenge it for the leader position. The monster had mercilessly torn it to pieces. It would be no kinder to this foolish creature on two legs. The monster knew their soon to be victim was probably after the treasures it's pack had claimed from a couple of two-legged creatures like their opponent. That would be it's final mistake, as it now would had crossed paths with the most dangerous of the monster's kind! It was time for the kill!
Metal glinted as the monster's eyes widened. It was too late.
Sephiroth frowned absently as a couple drops of blood hit his cheek but didn't even bother to gaze over and watch as the Masamune cut the attacking bunny in half. His eyes were locked on his new obsession.
A comic book.
The annoying little monsters known as Jumpings were in reality nothing but thieving little bunnies, and hardly needed half of Sephiroth's attention to be destroyed. They were fast, but harmless against someone like the former general.
The pack of now five Jumpings were still surrounding him, despite several of their companions were in pieces on the ground and the magnificent sword Masamune was stained with their blood. It was also worth to mention that Jumpings weren't of the smarter breed of monsters.
Turning a page, Sephiroth lashed out the Masamune to his right and destroyed two more Jumpings that was leaping towards him while chuckling at the development in the comic. These comic-thingies were great!
They had been living in the ice town for a couple of weeks when Aeris had returned from the item shop while waving a magazine excitedly, telling him how her favorite childhood series had been started up again. Of course the great Sephiroth had scoffed at her for such childishness, but had found the magazine lying on a table later and tossed a curious glance into it. It was a whole new world. Throughout his childhood and teen years, Sephiroth had been handed books on military tactics and hand to hand fighting as well as economics and history, but never a comic. Now, they were his dark secret. Not even Aeris knew! ...He hoped. But knowing her, she probably did, and just humored him by playing ignorant. Sephiroth smiled, while automatically severing the head of another Jumping. Who knew life could be this good? Considering his past, Sephiroth hadn't known life could be good at all...
The silver haired man tried to think about his past as little as possible, and only at nights there was the occasional nightmare, but she made them go away. She made everything better, lit up the world by just being there. Her presence was enough to calm the wildest heart and soothe the most suffocating panic.
Sephiroth glanced at the page number and memorized it before he rolled up the comic and put it inside his coat, his free hand finishing up on the last Jumpings. All this thinking about Aeris made him miss her. He wanted to see her. Now.
Gazing down, he studied the scattered corpses and found what he was looking for.
A bag filled with vegetables.
The stupid monsters had raided the merchant arriving with supplies for the item shop and had ran off with all his vegetables, and Sephiroth hoisted the bad over his shoulder before whistling for the gold chocobo he would rather die than to admit he'd grown rather fond off. It had been a long and hard fight, in fact one of the worst battles in Sephiroth's entire existance, but finally he and Aeris agreed on a name for the huge bird. He REFUSED to call it Sweetie or Tulipia, as she wouldn't agree to leave it by referring to the chocobo as Bird-brain or Fast Food. They had settled on Trigger. The name came out of nowhere, and it was something they both could live with.
Trigger warked happily as she came running, and Sephiroth tossed a green towards her that she caught mid-air without halting before she was by his side.
"Time to go home," Sephiroth declared cheerfully, having a home for the first time in his life, and he easily jumped on the waiting chocobo. "Aeris awaits!"
The trip back took no more than 20 minutes, and soon Trigger was walking into the sleepy ice town. People was still milling about, children playing in the snow, and hardly anyone paid attention to the silver haired man. Here he was just one of many. One who they had turned to for help when the monsters got too close to the town, and a job he could easily accept. Sephiroth knew how to fight monsters.
Halting outside the item-shop, he gave Trigger a light pet and told her she was free to roam. The gold chocobo warked and trotted off as Sephiroth entered the small shop.
The man behind the counter lit up at the sight of him, "Mr Sephiroth! Did you catch them?"
Smirking, Sephiroth placed the bag on the counter, "of course. I told you I would, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did. And you've never failed a mission. Forgive my rudeness," the man bowed with an apologetic smile.
Sephiroth waved off his words, then turned to leave.
"Wait," the man called out, and the silver haired man halted before turning to gaze quizzically at him. Now what?
Smiling sheepishly, the man held out a colourful bag, "it's not much, but please accept this. I know you wont let us pay you, but take it as a token of my gratitude."
Normally Sephiroth wouldn't accept, but curiosity made him walk over and peer into the small bag.
Candy.
Raising an eyebrow, Sephiroth considered it.
Aeris had banned candy to saturdays and the occasional celebration since Sephiroth had eaten himself into a weeks of nauseousness whenever he got his hands on it. He never seemed to learn. It wasn't that he meant to do it, it just tasted so damn good!
Grinning, he snatched the bag. "If you insist!" Sephiroth gleefully shoved the bag into his pocket and turned to leave, only to freeze in the doorway to glance back at the man, "just... uhm..."
The man smiled knowingly, "it's our secret."
The former general nodded with a grin, "thanks." And he sauntered out of the shop, aiming to return to the house where he and Aeris lived.
Gazing up at the blue sky, Sephiroth couldn't help but to remember how it looked like when Meteor had been hovering above them all. A death threat hanging just above their heads. The ultimate weapon of complete destruction, and he had summoned it. It didn't matter how many times Aeris would assure him that it was because of Jenova's manipulations, the stab of guilt would never go away. If it hadn't been for Aeris...
Even when he broke free of Jenova's strings, the planet was still set on making him suffer for what he had done. But Aeris had come for him. She had entered the Lifestream and pulled him back. Her actions had cost her a lot, her very connection to her ancestors and the voice of the planet. And Sephiroth had been returned with a reason. The voices Aeris had lost where now haunting him, and gave him missions for him to repent what he had done.
Whatever punishment they threw his way, it would always be worth it as long as she stayed by his side. Life was good as long as he was with Aeris, come hell or high water! And Aeris had stayed with him for over a year now...
"Mr Sephiroth!" A voice called out, and he halted to glance over as a woman came trotting towards him while carrying a screamingly pink blanket. Now what?
The woman held out the blanket for him to take, "my son got caught out in the blizzard yesterday and Miss Aeris was so nice as to borrow him this. Could you return it to her with my deepest thanks? I would do it myself, but dinner is on the stove and..."
Sephiroth cut a face, reluctant to touch the garish blanket, much less be seen with it. "She, uhm, probably doesn't need it right away..."
The woman smiled sweetly, shoving the blanket into his arms, "but I'm bound to forget about it if you don't take it right away. Thank you, Mr Sephiroth! Tell Aeris I'll be over with a casserole later to pay her back!"
Before he had the chance to object, she was gone and Sephiroth was left behind with the radiating pink blanket.
"Great," he muttered, glaring over at a couple of children passing him with their snow boards. If they made one snide comment... but the warning look in his eyes was obviously enough, and they hurried on. For this, he deserved that candy!
Aeris lit up as she saw Sephiroth enter the door, and broke out a giggle at the sour look on his face with her blanket in his arms. "You know... that colour really suits you!"
"Har har," Sephiroth grumbled good natured, tossing the blanket at her. "And that woman even threatened to bring a casserole later..."
Aeris neatly folded the blanket and placed on the table before she walked over to slide his coat off him, "she's just showing her gratitude. Be nice."
Sephiorth placed the Masamune in it's usual place on the wall before walking over to stand behind her as Aeris hung his coat up, and slid his arms around her waist while nuzzling his face to her neck. "You're the only one I want to be nice to..."
Blushing, Aeris stroke a light hand over his, "you smooth-talker..." She turned in his arms, letting her own arms go around his strong neck and played with his hair. "How did your trip go?"
Sephiroth shrugged, "hardly challenging. I got the bag back though." He hugged her closer, closing his eyes as he inhaled the scent of flowers from her hair. She always smelled like flowers.
Being this close to him was reducing Aeris into a numb state of bliss, and she reached up to place a light kiss on his lips. "I'm glad you're ok."
Shivering, Sephiroth took a gentle hold of her chin and stole several warm kisses, reveling in the feeling and that he was allowed to take such liberties. It was like she could always sense when his uncertainty needed her strength or when the feelings inside him grew so strong he thought they would suffocate him. She knew him better than he knew himself.
Aeris didn't object as the kisses turned deeper and more intense, nor when Sephiroth's arms tightened around her to hold her firmly against him. Why should she? In every touch and every kiss, she could feel and taste his love for her. The look in his eyes and the affection in his voice, she never doubted he loved her as much as she was hopelessly in love with him. Instead she leaned against him as well, relishing the sound he made deep in his throat.
Life was good, Aeris thought, fighting for her knees not to give in as Sephiroth's lips moved down her neck. Life was good!
They both started when someone knocked on the door.
Aeris made sign to answer the door, but found herself unable to break out of Sephiroth's iron grip. She glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow.
Sephiroth whined, "don't answer!"
Aeris kept gazing at him.
Sighing heavily, he finally released her and hung his head dramatically. "Fine..."
Aeris smiled and stroke his cheek apologetically before trotting over to open the door.
Sephiroth rolled his shoulders, exhaling, then wandered over to sink down on the sofa. Talk about timing! He hoped whoever it was at the door was a the receiving end of an angry chocobo in the near future! He heard Aeris chatting cheerfully with whoever it was, and pulled his hands through his silver hair while leaning back.
Maybe this nice-guy acting had it's downside? Sephiroth was pretty sure if he put on his most menacing side when he was outside the house, then people wouldn't dare to come knocking and interfere where they aren't wanted!
But, then again, he liked it when they treated him like one of their own kind. Like a human.
Closing his eyes, Sephiroth decided he would just have to live with it. Maybe whine a little extra, and hope Aeris would kiss him better? A sinful smirk spread over his handsome features and the silver haired man felt more relaxed already.
That was when the voices and the images rammed into his head, and Sephiroth clutched his head while his back arched as he tensed rigid. The ancients. A new mission. Danger. A new crisis. Not from the sky, but bred on the very planet they had saved. Save them.
"Sephiroth?" Aeris exclaimed as she was entering the room again and saw what was happening. Running over, she sat down beside him and reached out to calm him, "it's okay. I'm here. Don't fight them. They only hurt you when you fight against them." She remembered the ancients not being patient with their human mediums at all.
Sephiroth shivered violently once more, then seemed to relax and a few seconds later he sank down to open his eyes wearily.
Aeris cringed with empathy, stroking away a silver bang from his face with a loving hand, "are you ok...?"
She always asked him that after the ancients had ravaged his brain. Not what they had said, but if he was alright.
Giving a weak nod, Sephiroth closed his eyes again, letting her move him to rest his head on her shoulder. He felt like he'd fought Jenova all over again. Sephiroth didn't mean to fight against the ancients, but it's kind of hard not to reel when someone enters directly into your mind and starts ramming images into you while hissing orders. He just couldn't get used to that...
The gentle hands stroking him comfortingly quickly made the uneasiness fade, and soon he raised his face to look at her. "It's a big one, this time."
Aeris frowned nervously, "how big...?"
Sephiroth leaned his head on her shoulder again, "saving-the-planet big..."
Hours later, Sephiroth was fastening the Masamune by his waist and absently gazed around in the semi dark house. He had a strange feeling...
They were leaving for Rocket Town. He wasn't sure, but the person in the images sent by the ancients were a tall, blonde man working on a plane. The man known as Cid Highwind was in danger. Sephiroth sighed as he pulled on his coat, hearing Aeris approaching with Trigger outside. There was no time to loose, she had said. He had to agree. The ancient had made it pretty clear they were short on time, and Mr Highwind was to be kept safe. Sephiroth wondered why a single human was so important to the ancient, but knew better than to question them.
Still, Sephiroth's gaze lingered longingly at the interior of the house he'd grown to call his home. Usually their trips only took from a couple of days to max a week. This time it wouldn't be that easy...
And something told Sephiroth that if he left... he wasn't coming back.
"Are you finished?" Aeris' voice called out for him, and Sephiroth memorized the house a final time, then turned to leave.
"Yeah, I coming," he replied, closing the door behind him. It didn't matter. As long as she was there, nothing else mattered.
Cid Highwind was at the moment on his back underneath the Tiny Bronco, tinkering and cursing. He still had some silly emotional connection to the small plane, and refused to give up on it even when he could afford whatever plane he wanted. He liked his dread-coloured old girl! Besides, like his airship, the Tiny Bronco wouldn't take orders from just anyone, and he couldn't sell his baby to someone she wouldn't like. And like Cid Highwind, the Tiny Bronco didn't like many people. To suggest scrapping her would be like cursing in church in the middle of christmas mass.
Life was infinitely better since the fight against Sephiroth and Jenova, and Cid was even a married man now! Yupp, he'd asked Shera, and she had agreed. Well, after the dead embarrassing situation of having to ask Cloud for advice on how to propose, the least she could do was to accept!
Things turned a little strange when Rufus ShinRa offered to start up a flight program, and wanted Cid to run it. Suspicious, the pilot had hesitated, reading the contract up and down, forward and backwards until he finally agreed. He had yet to see the ShinRa pull any tricks on him, but it had only been a year so the pilot hadn't begun to relax yet. However, with the lovely Tifa on his side, Cid doubted ShinRa dared to try and trick him. Tifa would slap the living daylights out of her current boyfriend, Cid thought with a smirk. And the fiery haired ShinRa would have deserved it!
"Cid?" Shera's voice sounded as she had entered the backyard as well.
"What?" The pilot grumbled, fumbling for a wrench.
"That girl who traveled with you when you were fighting against Sephiroth..." Shera sounded odd, Cid realised.
Feeling a twinge of sadness at the memory of the flower girl, Cid adjusted the wrench slightly. "Aeris? What about her?"
"I think she's here," was Shera's puzzled reply.
A loud clang was heard as Cid bumped with head against the Tiny Bronco.
Cursing violently, Cid inched his way out from under the plane, rubbing his forhead. "Dammit, woman! Are you trying to kill me?! Why are you saying such weird things? Have you finally lost your marbles?"
And the blonde man fell silent, his eyes widening in disbelief.
There, in the doorway from his house to the backyard, was a girl. A girl he knew. But it couldn't be her, could it?! She died! But... those eyes... Cid would never forget those eyes!
Slowly getting up, Cid absently brushed grass of himself and cast a quick glance at Shera, who stood by the small plane with an equal look of surprise. What the &/¤#£$ was going on?!
He blinked. No, she was still there. Still smiling carefully to him.
"Aeris?" Cid had to ask, even if he knew the answer.
"Hi again, Cid," Aeris greeted gently, taking a step into the backyard. "Surprised, huh?"
The pilot snorted, rubbing his neck sheepishly, "no use trying to disguise that... What...? How...? When...?"
Aeris wrapped her arms around herself uncertainly, unable to meet Cid's radiant blue eyes. "The ancients sent me back that night. My mission was to find Sephiroth and stop him, while you guys dealt with Jenova."
Shaking his head, Cid fumbled out a cigarette and absently lit it up. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"You don't question the ancients," Aeris sighed, clearly nervous. "They told me it would only make things worse if you knew. I had to go alone, and that wouldn't have happened if you'd known."
"Damn right!" Cid interrupted, "after what he did, you were the last person to go near that homicidal fruit cake!"
Aeris flinched, "it wasn't his fault."
Suddenly a thought struck the pilot and he inhaled slowly from his cigarette, "does Cloud know...?"
The name caused a shot of pain to run though Aeris, and she swallowed hard while staring at the ground. "I don't think so."
That was when Cid became aware of a figure behind Aeris. Someone in a black coat with the hood pulled up and concealing their face was leaning against the wall just inside the doorway.
"Who's your friend...?" Cid nodded towards the figure. The person was tall, even taller than Cid, so he figured it had to be a man. Or a really scary woman.
Aeris drew a shivering breath, "I need to explain something..."
The person straightened and walked out into the sunlight, and Cid suddenly felt uneasy. There was something familiar with that gait. The way the person carried himself, the air of authority.
Pulling the hood back, Sephiroth gave a slight smirk at the pilot. "Cid Highwind, I presume?"
The pilot fought back the initial instinct to yelp, throw his wrench at the apparition and grab Shera while running like hell. Instead, he raised a rather accusatory finger and his eyes narrowed, "I'm pretty sure I remember us killing you."
Snorting, the former general actually looked offended, "if it had been me fighting you, none of you would have survived."
Suddenly the loss of Nanaki and the fact that Yuffie was still in a coma because of the man in front of him surged through Cid and he clenched his fists, "oh yeah? I'm know I can take you on right here!"
Sephiroth's hand moved over the hilt of Masamune.
Aeris stepped in between them, "enough!" She gazed sternly from one man to the other, and both finally eased up. Focusing on Cid, Aeris reached out and gathered his hands between hers, "please, Cid, I need you to listen... I need you to understand..."
The pilot finally managed to tear his eyes off Sephiroth meet Aeris's gaze, "explain, and I'll try."
Taking a deep breath, Aeris gathered her courage, "the ancients told me to go to the lost city, and they said for me not to be afraid. I didn't understand what they meant at the time, but realised they needed me. I was told to go alone. Tell no one."
"Why?" Cid exclaimed, waving a frustrated hand, "makes no sense! If we've all gone, then we could've protected you!"
Sephiroth was staring at the ground.
"With Jenova controlling him, there was no way you could have defeated Sephiroth," Aeris continued, feeling the discomfort radiating from the silver haired man, "the only way to stop him was without violence. It was to make him understand that everyone can be forgiven. I was the only one who could go up against Sephiroth with an open heart."
The pilot shook his head, crossing his arms, "not everyone can be forgiven."
"Yes, they can..." Shera's voice suddenly said, and she swallowed nervously as everyone's attention were aimed at her. "I-if they're really sorry, that is..."
Huffing, Cid pointed at Sephiroth, "what the hell does it help if he's sorry or not? All those people he killed... that wont bring them back. No, he deserves to be buried in the crater with his precious mother!"
Forcing the violent anger down, Sephiroth met Cid's eyes. "I know it's a pathetic excuse to hide behind Jenova, and some part of me was aware of what I was doing all along. Yes, I killed those people. Yes, I might deserve to suffer for it. So the question is, Mr Highwind, does me being dead bring back my victims?"
Cid shifted uneasily, "no... no, I guess not... Still, it just don't seem right..."
"If it's something I know, it's the fact that life isn't fair," Sephiroth declared silently, "but at least I can try to make some good of the second chance given to me. Then maybe all those people didn't die in vain."
Whoa... Cid frowned, that actually did make sense!
Sighing, the pilot poked his boot at the ground, "so why are you two here? Why show up now after all this time? And where the hell have you been hiding?"
Finally daring to hope, Aeris tried a smile, "we haven't been hiding. We've been living up in the ice town all along. As for why we're here..." She glanced over at Sephiroth, "that's more difficult to answer..."
Sephiroth turned his face away, "as long as I'm here, the ancients wants me to help out the weaker ones..."
A slow grin spread on Cid's face, "you mean that the ancients are ordering you, the big bad, around? Go ancients!"
Sephiroth's eyes narrowed, and he shot towards the pilot faster than anyone could react. Even Cid had barely time to feel a stab of fear, before he hit the ground hard, face first and exhaled sharply as he barely managed to brake a little of the fall with his hands and avoided eating grass by inches. So this was how Cid Highwind would end his life. Bright blue eyes opened. No way! He wasn't going to get himself killed by a psycho and leave Shera at his mercy. Not going to happen! The pilot gathered himself to get up, but a hand landed on his back and he was forced flat again.
"Stay down," Sephiroth ordered silently, and Cid wondered weakly at the lack of anger in it. What was going on?! So the pilot did what he always did when he was confused; Cid started cursing. Cursing and squirming to get up.
The hand on his back pushed him firmer to the ground.
"Stay down, I said!" Sephiroth snapped, a couple of the curses a little too colourful for even him to ignore without a slight colour creeping over his cheekbones. Did Cid really speak to his parents with that mouth?! "Do you want to die?!"
Cid huffed frustrated, turning his head to glare at the silver haired man kneeling by his side. "NO! Which is why I'm trying to get the hell away from you!" Blue eyes narrowed. "But you seem a little too fascinated with my backside to let me!"
Flipping the pilot over on his back with a little too harsh grip on his shoulder than neccessary, Sephiroth let Cid see the sharp object jammed into the Tiny Bronco. "Do not flatter yourself, Highwind!" When this was over, Sephiroth was going to wash Cid Highwind's mouth and mind with soap!
Instantly forgetting about his anger directed at the former general, Cid was staring at the spear-like object. He'd been standing there a few seconds ago... That thing would have impaled and killed him if Sephiroth hadn't pushed him to the ground...
Getting up, Sephiroth pulled out the Masamune. "You going to stay down now?"
Cid made no sign to move or getting up, "or what? You gonna kill me yourself?"
The silver haired man closed his eyes briefly before glaring at the blonde man on the ground, "don't tempt me, Highwind!"
Aeris and Shera had both started violently when Sephiroth had shot towards the pilot, but the two of them had seen the reason and was now crouched in hiding behind the Tiny Bronco. It took everything Aeris had to keep Shera back from darting over to Cid's side. "Let Sephiroth handle it!"
The pilot had finally gone silent, and Sephiroth walked over to the fence as he could see what the others couldn't. "Show yourself."
For several seconds nothing happened, and Cid mumbled something about him not being too sure Sephiroth wasn't bonkers after all, when suddenly something flickered a little distance from where Sephiroth was standing. Like a huge figure, and it's cloaking was failing.
Smirking, the former general got into a fighting stance as the flickering got more visible, and soon reveal the huge form of a monster they'd never seen before. It's very flesh seemed to hold together by habit, a reeking stench of decay radiating from it. The monster was as huge as the dragons inside the Northern crater, but any resemblance ended there. It was deformed, spikes sticking out from it's grey skin and it's fangs seemed to big for it's mouth. It looked like something out of a bad horror movie, drawn by from a child's nightmare.
"Whoa! Ugly!" Cid exclaimed, scrambling to his knees.
The movement caught the monster's attention, and a second spike was shot towards the pilot.
Sephiroth lashed out the Masamune and sent the attacking spike careening to come to a shuddering halt in the wall to Cid's house. "Dammit, Highwind, didn't I tell you to keep down?!"
Swallowing down shock and fear, Cid glared at the man who'd saved his life twice by now. "I'm no frigging damsel in distress, Sephiroth! I can damn well fight my own battles!"
"Not this one," Sephiroth declared calmly, side stepping as the monster had now focused it's attention on the one between it and it's prey. "This one is all mine..."
And the pilot could only watch as the silver haired man attack, and a sinking feeling came over Cid. He saw the impossibly fast attacks, the feline grace and unnatural power that all resided within Sephiroth, and Cid had the most awful feeling that the former general had been right.
Had it been Sephiroth down there in the Northern crater... there was no way AVALANCHE could have defeated him...
The sun was shining brightly over Wutai but the person standing in the field was still dressed in a red cloak that surrounded him completely.
Gazing up at the sky, Vincent frowned. For these last few days his inner demons had grown increasingly restless. Chaos taunted and teased Vincent with hints and riddles. Something was going to happen. Something bad. It was in the air.
The sky was blue, not a cloud in sight, and everything seemed almost tranquil. But Vincent knew.
He still remembered the sight of Meteor burning in that very sky, but that danger had been struck back. No, this was different... The danger was not in the sky this time...
Vincent kneeled and let his human hand touch the ground.
Frowning again, he took a handful of dirt and let it run though his fingers to watch the gentle breeze carry off the tiny particles. It was so dry...
Vincent's frown turned deeper.
When was the last time it rained? He wasn't sure. Three or four weeks ago?
The danger was on the planet this time, Vincent could feel it. The threat was no smaller then the one Jenova had been, and he could only hope it wasn't too late to do anything about it...
He turned and walked back to the town, feeling the planet calling him to battle once again and Vincent would answer.
AN
First of all, let me start off by thanking everyone who 'voted' and asked for the sequel! I didn't dare to think there would be such a response! You guys are the best!
When I was finishing up on the World is not Enough, I started thinking about how things would be afterwards, and that was when the idea of a sequel came to mind. But I wasn't sure if it was wanted or not, so I let you decide.
And here it is!
This will also the be sequel to my other fics as well, as this time they're all going to need to combine forces.
I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter, and stay tuned as the second will be up in not too long! Reviews are appreciated and cherished!