"The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague.
Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?"

—Edgar Allan Poe, 'The Premature Burial'

Chapter 8
'Lethe Waters'

Present Day – Kalm
Crossroads Inn, lounge

"Yuffie, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Yuffie blinked. She'd been spacing out again, and hadn't realized she'd been staring blankly at her formerly deceased friend for some time now. Aerith giggled upon seeing her confused reaction as she snapped out of her trance. It wasn't the first time she had caught the young ninja looking at her in such an odd way. "Okay, bad choice of words," she said. "But, you look like there's something on your mind."

"Oh... no," Yuffie replied, waving her concerns away. "I guess I'm still just getting used to it. You being back, I mean."

"That makes two of us," Aerith said, casting a glance about the inn. "So much has changed these past few years."

"Yeah, no kidding," Yuffie replied.

For some reason, the young ninja remained ever so slightly wary in Aerith's presence, though she wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was simply the residual effect of her nightmares. It seemed as though some part of her was still expecting her friend to morph into the vengeful wraith that had haunted her dreams. It was ridiculous, she knew, but she still couldn't shake that lingering feeling of unease.

A few days had passed since Avalanche's visit to the lost city. Yuffie recalled the panic as they rushed to get Aerith, still too weak to walk on her own, back to the Highwind's infirmary. At her friends' insistence, she had remained confined to bed for the greater part of the journey back home, with everyone taking turns keeping an eye on her, treating her like a patient in critical care, as though they were afraid of losing her again should they take their eyes off her for too long.

It was only after they had determined through various tests that she was indeed in perfect health and that there was nothing untoward about her condition, along with repeated assurances on Aerith's part that she was fine, that they agreed to leave her by herself for a moment. Even so, they still insisted on looking in on her from time to time as she recovered and began to walk about on her own once more. Cloud, in particular, was to be seen spending a fair bit of time with the resurrected flower girl, as might have been expected. Yuffie remembered spotting him sitting by Aerith's bedside that first night on the Highwind. She'd watched the pair through the half-open door to the infirmary, wondering what they might be talking about. She decided not to intrude on their time together, however. No doubt the two of them had much to discuss, and a whole lot of catching up to do.

They others had, at various intervals, asked Aerith if she remembered anything about her time in the Lifestream, to which she replied that her memory was still unclear. Four years had lapsed between her death and the present day, and she recalled very little of the intervening period. What puzzled them the most was how it came to be that she was able to return to the world of the living at all. But, question her as they might, she had no good answers for them. Ultimately, they decided that there would be time to figure all of that out later. Right now, it was time for a celebration.

Back at the Crossroads inn, they decided to throw a feast in honour of Aerith's return, with Tifa and her staff serving up a sumptuous feast for everyone to enjoy. Much like their first night at the inn, they partied all through the night, spending the following day recuperating from their revelries. Afterwards, they had spent most of their time relaxing and reminiscing just as they had before their reunion had been interrupted by their excursion to the north.

The inherent strangeness of the situation wore off sooner than Yuffie had expected. It was surprising how quickly they had all gotten used to their dead friend being back with them, walking, talking, and behaving exactly the way they remembered. The last surviving Cetra was still the same, kind soul that she had known before, which made her own apprehension towards her seem even more absurd than she knew it to be.

Part of her discomfort stemmed from the way she still recalled the shock of seeing Aerith die right in front of her face. It had been a staggering blow, emotionally, for the impressionable sixteen year-old, who had come to regard her and Tifa as her older sisters, to watch, helpless, as her friend fell to the ground, blood flowing from her lifeless form. Not knowing how to react, she'd broken down, burying her face in Cloud's chest, crying her eyes out as he did his best to comfort her. Now, Aerith was back among the living, as if nothing ever happened. Surely, such a violation of nature's one absolute law could not be without consequences.

Still, she had to remind herself, this was not Avalanche's first time witnessing such a breach of the barrier separating the living from the dead. There was, of course, Sephiroth's 'resurrection' two years ago, though whether that counted as a genuine case of the dead coming back to life, or whether that had simply been a facsimile of the real Sephiroth, she didn't know. But they'd had other encounters with the dead, such as their battle with the vengeful spirits of the Gi tribe back in Cosmo Canyon, who, shackled as they were to the earthly realm by their unbridled hatred for their old enemies, remained trapped in a baleful half-existence between life and death. The old Shinra manor, too, had held its share of apparitions caught in limbo, unable to pass on into the afterlife. Then there was that time that Marlene had come rushing back to the old Seventh Heaven, swearing up and down that she had seen ghosts in the old slum church in sector 5. All of these things added up to her having to rethink her outlook on the finality of death, something that she found rather unpleasant to contemplate. Vincent had offered up one of his helpful aphorism to ease Yuffie's vexation regarding the matter. "'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy'". She'd retorted that he needed to stop thinking in quotations. The former Turk merely shrugged and wandered off to wherever it was that he spent his time when he was away from the rest of the group.

Perhaps the most telling and frightening thought of all was knowing that Aerith herself was able to hear the voices of the dead speaking to her whenever she was alone. Or so Yuffie remembered hearing her say at some point. She wasn't sure if she wanted to believe it. Whether it was true or not, the flower girl from the slums remained remarkably well-balanced, considering everything that she had been through, keeping calm and collected no matter the circumstances. Yuffie had always wondered how she was able to bear her burdens with such grace, a far cry from her own way of dealing with the world. She was fairly certain that if she could hear the voices of the dead whispering to her in the middle of the night, she would long since have been driven insane.

"Anyway," Aerith said, interrupting her thoughts, "Tifa and I were thinking of heading down to the market plaza to find some new clothes. You want to come?"

"Uh, sure.." Yuffie replied, still a little distracted.

Having returned to the world of the living without a single possession to her name, Aerith had borrowed some of Tifa's clothes for the first few days since her return. She still hadn't had the time to piece together a new wardrobe of her own, the past few days having gone by in such a rush. Yuffie wasn't sure whether to accept her invitation or not. After the events of the past few weeks, to say nothing of the months and years that had gone by, the thought of doing something as everyday, as ordinary as going on a shopping trip with her friends, let alone with someone who, up until a few days ago, she'd thought of as being gone from her life forever, was enough to give her a mental whiplash.

She regarded Aerith with curiosity. It almost seemed as if time had stood still for her these past four years. For one, she didn't appear to have aged at all. Yuffie supposed that meant they were closer in terms of age than before, which was another strange thing to contemplate. Her friend, however, did not seem the slightest bit perturbed by any of this, preferring to turn her attention to more earthly matters.

"We should get you something, too," Aerith suggested. "Maybe a nice dress?" she added as she ushered the young ninja out into the lobby where Tifa was waiting for them.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. Her friends were well aware of her aversion to 'girly' clothing. She'd always hated the way it encumbered her and reined in her range of movement. Growing up in the boiling hot climate of Wutai didn't help matters much, either. But that didn't stop Tifa and Aerith from trying to convince her to change her ways. She'd found herself having to turn them down time and again, the same way she resisted the kimonos and regal garb that her father tried to impose upon her in an attempt to get her to wear something more 'lady-like'.

"Aerith, you know I don't do dresses."

"Oh, come on," Aerith said, grinning and prodding her in the side. "It'd be fun to try something different, right?"

"She's right," Tifa chimed in, coming down the stairs. "I'll bet you'd look stunning in a slip dress. How about trying something on with us?"

"We promise it won't hurt," Aerith said.

It was funny, Yuffie thought, how quickly people slipped back into their old ways. Aerith and Tifa had been reunited for less than a week, and they were already tag-teaming her on matters of disagreement, just like old times. She wasn't about to cave in from peer pressure quite so easily, however. "Thanks, but no thanks," she replied. "I wouldn't mind browsing the weapons store, though."

Tifa shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"By the way, Tifa," Aerith said as the three of them walked out the door, "thanks for letting me borrow these."

"It's the least I could do," Tifa replied. "Are you sure you're up for a walk?"

Aerith nodded. "Don't worry, I feel fine. But thanks for asking."

She paused for a moment as they passed through the front garden of the Crossroads Inn, taking in the full view of their new home in the early afternoon light. "It's quite the place you've got here."

"Yeah, it's a lot nicer than the Seventh Heaven, that's for sure," Yuffie said.

"Are you planning on staying here in Kalm?" Aerith asked.

Tifa nodded. "It feels more like home than Midgar did. To tell you the truth, I've thought about opening up a dojo somewhere nearby, maybe try to pass on my skills. But running the inn keeps me pretty busy."

"I'll bet," Aerith said. "If there's anything I can do to repay you.."

"Don't be silly, Aerith," Tifa said. "I'd never charge my friends for staying here. But... now that you mention it, I could use some help around the inn. I've been meaning to tend to the garden here, and, well.."

"I'd love to," Aerith replied, beaming.

"Great," Tifa replied, smiling. "It's settled, then."

They walked on for a while, with Aerith taking in the sights of the small town, as if seeing them for the first time, exploring the world around her with an almost child-like curiosity. After a while, she turned to Yuffie, who she noticed had been unusually quiet as of late. "By the way... I couldn't help but notice that you and Cloud were acting awfully friendly this morning," she said. "Something I should know?" she added, nudging Yuffie's shoulder and flashing her a sly wink.

"Oh, we're... together," Yuffie said.

"Together?" Aerith asked.

"As in, a couple," Tifa explained.

"...I see," Aerith replied, her mirth subsiding. "I didn't realize."

For a moment, she seemed almost pensive, though Yuffie couldn't quite read the expression on her face. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"No, I'm... just a little surprised, that's all," Aerith said. "You two didn't exactly seem to get along the last time I saw you."

True enough, she and Cloud were always locking horns, or had been, the whole time Aerith had known them. It wasn't until after her death that the two of them had started to grow closer. All of that now seemed to her like an eternity ago, but to Aerith, she realized, might as well have been yesterday. "Like you said," she replied, shrugging, "a lot has changed."

"No doubt," Aerith said, smiling and linking arms with her as they entered the market square. "Tell me all about it."

2 years prior
Edge – High-rise building, penthouse suite

Sadat's mind reeled as he struck the glass, shattering the aquarium as he went clean through it, before crashing down to the other side of the room in a shower of broken glass and grimy water. He coughed up more blood, a burning sensation pulsating in his veins as he crawled across the floor, brushing aside the wet grains and suffocating goldfish. Shaking off his disorientation, he turned his head to the exit, where his bodyguards, two of Junon's elite private security forces, lay dead, struck down before anyone knew what had happened.

He forced himself back to his feet, aiming to run for cover, but his aggressor was already on him. He had taken less than one step when the thin blade sliced across his lower leg, slitting the tendon above his right heel, forcing him down to the ground again. He fumbled for his sidearm, dropped on the floor in a moment of sheer panic, but he was too slow. The muzzle flash lit the dim apartment for a split-second as a bullet tore through the back of his hand, rendering it useless. Sadat yelped in pain, rolling over on his back as he clutched his injured hand to his chest.

His assailant approached slowly, broken glass crunching under heavy boots as he towered over the scientist. "Going somewhere, 'Mr. Director'?"

Sadat turned away, shielding his face. "Who are you?"

"Take a good look," Atlas replied, stepping out of the shadows.

Sadat lowered his trembling hands, hazarding a look at the man standing over him. In his terror and confusion, he had only caught a glimpse of the man's face as he and his cohorts forced their way into his apartment. Looking closer, he recognized him as one of the soldiers that he and his assistant had discharged from his lab two years ago. His sharp features were more prominent, now that he had reined in his shock of grey hair with a simple tail. His face was marred with age lines and scars, a particularly nasty one cutting vertically across his right eye, covered by a medical eye patch. His outfit, worn underneath a grey trench coat, suggested a military origin, though it lacked any distinctive markings. He held a thin, curved blade in his left hand and a large-calibre revolver in his right, covering both long and short range with traditional weaponry, in addition to whatever materia he might be carrying. The combination allowed him the fullest control of his surroundings at a variety of ranges, something Sadat recognized as the modus operandi of SOLDIER. In addition, he was flanked by a small group of soldiers clad in similar garb, old Shinra uniforms repurposed and stripped of any insignia. They, too, shared his pallor of complexion, but, haggard though they all looked, they were a far cry from the pitiable wretches he had left for dead in the slums of Midgar.

"You... But you were.."

"Dead?" Atlas replied. "Almost. I'm afraid nature did not oblige."

"How did you find me?" Sadat asked.

"I had a little conversation with your assistant," Atlas said, putting his weapons away. "He was most helpful."

"Miles?" Sadat replied. "What did you do to him?"

Atlas regarded the scientist with a cold smile. He knelt down next to Sadat, leaning in close. "What do you think?"

Sadat flinched in fear at his callous reply. Atlas ignored his reaction, producing an empty cylinder from his trench coat, holding it up for him to examine. "Look familiar, doctor?"

Sadat didn't respond right away, but the look in his eyes told Atlas that he did. "The preservatives you stole," he said. "I know you remember."

"The preservatives? W-what about them?"

"I need more of these," Atlas said. "And you're going to tell me where to find them."

"I... I turned most of them over to Shinra," Sadat stammered. "They didn't give me any choice. I didn't even get paid for those."

"And the rest?" Atlas replied, pocketing the cylinder once more. "I presume you kept a few for yourself."

Sadat swallowed hard. "I sold them. On the black market."

Atlas leaned in closer still. "To whom?"

"I... I can't tell you that," Sadat said, turning away again. "They'll kill me."

Growing impatient, Atlas caught the man's jaw in an iron grip, forcing him to look him in the eye. "You'll be thanking them," he said, "if you keep me waiting."

"Please... don't.."

Atlas sighed, backing off, regarding the pathetic figure before him with derision. "Your assistant, Miles... the kid had spirit, I'll give him that. He didn't break easily."

He reached down, picking up a shard of broken glass from the floor. "But," he continued, "everyone has their limit."

He held the shard up to the light for a moment, before pressing it up against Sadat's face.

"Shall we find out where yours lies?"

Author's notes

The last time around, I posted two chapters in tandem, the reason being that I'd written two rather different sections of the story, and there was no other way to split them cleanly. Unfortunately, it appears that this has caused some readers to overlook the first of the two chapters, and skip right to the last one. So, if you're utterly confounded by what's going on in this chapter, that would likely be the reason why.

In other words, as of this update, there are now three new chapters, including this one:

Chapter 16 (Chapter 6 - 'A Promise Kept')

Chapter 17 (Chapter 7 - 'Where Sleeping Dogs Lie')

Chapter 18 (Chapter 8 - 'Lethe Waters')

Speaking of chapter numbers, I've been thinking about consolidating some of the earlier, more fragmentary 'chapters', piecing them together into whole units, which means reorganizing and deleting said fragments. I'm not sure what effect that's going to have on the story's overall organization, but I thought I'd mention it, just in case something goes haywire as a result. So, don't be alarmed if, upon the next update, you find that the number of chapters has been drastically reduced.

Thanks for reading.