Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Path of Seduction ❯ Chapter Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

Path of Seduction

Chapter Eleven

The forms before her were barely more than swirling smoke, pale, indistinct impressions in the surrounding darkness. They seemed too indefinite for the harsh voices that rose from them.

"How could you?" They screamed. "You, our last daughter, you lie with the child of our enemy!"

Aeris stood her ground, calm in the face of it all. The darkness was firm enough beneath her feet. She regretted none of the decisions she had made. They could scream all they want. What did they know of what she faced? They did not have to live each day with the Planet's lonesome cries ringing in their ears.

Almost before the thought crossed her own mind, she heard it echo through the dark in a clear, familiar voice. The hazy shades of the angry ones rippled at the sound. Aeris turned, eager to see the one who could make these wise ones shake. Who held such power over them?

There was no one too see. Only Aeris herself had true form in the shade, but she felt the bold presence draw nearer. It hovered there, warm, protective, reassuring. It weighed heavily on Aeris' shoulder and the girl thought she felt the light brush of fingers against her skin. She knew the voice that rang out from that presence at her side. It was one that spoke often to her, though usually distant and weaker than the others.

"You know nothing," the quiet one raged, "nothing of what the last one must bear." The unseen fingers tightened on Aeris. "You don't know what it's like to live with that kind of isolation!"

The smoke almost solidified into true faces at the assault. Aeris felt the shift. She grew weak with the realization that there were greater forces at work here, that she was insignificant, a pawn. Her vision blurred and the dim shapes swirled as her dizziness grew. She felt herself fall away slowly and was grateful to escape the growing confrontation. The warmth of the defending presence tried to cradle her and though she slid right through it, she spared a moment for silent gratitude.

The floor she had once stood on softened beneath her now and she floated softly to the comfort she knew lay below. Angry voices still rang out above her, but she was beyond caring. They had no right to judge her. They knew nothing of the loneliness she had lived with her entire life. They did not have to bear being the Planet's last listening ear when it lived in such pain. Some things she knew with a certainty that flowed in her blood. They would never understand, with all their rules and warnings, the growing urge to reach out for any shred of companionship, affection, no matter where it came from.

She drifted to a quiet place. The angry voices could not reach her. There was nothing to do but enjoy the comfort that emanated from the warm body beside her and listen to the steady breathing till true rest claimed her.

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Morning's first sharp rays had not yet pierced the night's blue shell when Aeris woke, but the stars had already fled the approaching dawn. A heavy thigh rested across her legs and an arm was draped across her body, the hand gently cupping a shoulder. She turned her head to the side. Sephiroth was still asleep and his breath fluttered the pale strands that had settled across his face.

Aeris turned to face the sky again and snuggled herself closer to the man. She did not remember descending to earth. She must have fallen asleep in his arms, and how long he had held her aloft, slowly spinning, she could not tell. It must have tired him. She worked one hand free and patted the arm that kept her close to his side.

It could not be wrong, this innocent closeness. She was warm and safe and the Planet was at peace, humming gently in her mind. What its motive was in approving what no one else would, she did not know. She could guess, she was sure, but she did not dare link her suspicions together. She knew her duty as the last Ancient, to dedicate her life to meeting the Planet's needs by any means possible, no matter what hardship it meant to her. There was nothing to do but let it lead her where it would.

She stretched slightly and felt the dampness of the grass where her feet had slipped off the makeshift bed. It was too early for deep thoughts and she was too comfortable to take that road out of blissful ignorance. Later, she thought, later.

Later she would have to be with her friends, and it could not be too much later or they would know she had been gone. Questions would come, then answers that did not quite add up, answers that rang slightly untrue. Strange looks would follow, then more questions, probing holes in the first few answers until the truth was forced out. Then the accusations, the mistrust, the censuring eyes and even sharper vengeance for the man beside her. She could not let him bear the burden of guilt. She was not innocent in this. There would have to be no questions.

She nudged Sephiroth as best she could with her elbow. "Wake up, Sephiroth. The sun's rising."

All she got out of him was a groan.

"Wake up!" She poked him again.

"Hmph." He pulled her in closer to his side and buried his face against her shoulder. Aeris smiled even as she rolled her eyes at him.

"It's morning, lazy. You have to let me go." She prodded him a few more times on the arm. "Better make it sometime soon, too."

Sephiroth did not move. Aeris frowned and wondered if the man had always been this exasperating to wake. "Come on! You have to let go!"

"Mmm." Sephiroth raised his head and slowly opened one eye. "Don't want to." He flopped back comfortably and set about trying to go back to sleep.

Aeris sighed. "Don't be so stubborn, Sephiroth. If I don't get back to the inn soon the others will come looking for me."

This time he opened both eyes, but they held only calm indifference. "Let them come." He stretched himself out and rolled onto his side next to the girl, propping himself up on one elbow to look at her.

"They don't have to find you," he said quietly. "You could come with me." He brushed her hair away from her face and drew his fingers lightly down her cheek. He began to lean closer, but she turned away. "What's wrong?" He nuzzled her hair. "You don't like the idea?"

"You know it would only make things more difficult. For both of us."

Sephiroth stared at her for a while, then rolled onto his back. Aeris heard the soft rush of his breath escaping. When he spoke his voice seemed to rise out from deep inside him. "You're right, of course. It's a shame." He turned over again to hold her gently. "Next to you is the only place I can actually get a good night's sleep."

"What?" Aeris' face twisted with mock anger. "I'm a sleep aid?"

"Oh yes, absolutely, the best around." The man smirked at her with a hint of mischief in his eyes. "You give me beautiful dreams."

"Really," Aeris laughed at the thought. "What were you dreaming about so hard that you didn't want to wake up?" The silver brows seemed to travel such a long way in turning into a thoughtful frown.

"I was …," the man began. "I was dreaming . . . of being asleep."

Aeris burst into a fit of giggles. "Asleep? You were dreaming of being asleep?" She laughed even harder and Sephiroth had to struggle to hold her still till she calmed down. It was a good thing, he supposed, given how tearful she had been the night before. After a while he began to worry. Every time he thought she was winding down, she would burst out laughing again. Holding her wriggling body against his own was only making things harder.

Eventually she managed to get down to one stifled giggle every few seconds. "So in your dream," she said, still grinning, "was I there to help you sleep?"

He answered cautiously in the affirmative and judiciously decided against telling her about exactly how her dream form had helped his to fall asleep. Instead he rested at her side in silence, soaking in the brightening sky until there was no more shadow to hide the need to move.

The little glade had changed its silvery nightdress for a translucent sheath of gold by the time they finally did rise. Aeris stood patiently on the bare earth beneath a tree while Sephiroth strapped on his armor. Despite her earlier insistence, she was reluctant to leave his side. So many zips and straps and buckles . . . she wondered how he could keep track of them all.

She tiptoed lightly across the soft dampness to reach for Sephiroth's hand just as he finished the last buckle. When her fingers were within reach of his own he twisted his hand deftly to catch her wrist instead. She looked up at him in surprise. His somber expression fluttered her heart and she wondered if he had decided to spirit her away after all.

He shook his head slightly, as if he had heard her thought. "I can't take you with me." Her eyes widened at that and he smiled. "You're barefoot. You'd slow me down." With that he scooped her into his arms and carried her towards the village. "I can't carry you all the time, you know."

"Hey, are you calling me fat?"

His light laughter echoed out of the glade.

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Red twitched awake to the sound of the running shower just in time to swing his tail out of the way of Yuffie's feet. The girl yawned and stretched on the little bed.

"Who's in there, Red? Oh, never mind. It's Aeris. Her bed is empty." Yuffie flipped out of the bed for a quick morning bounce around the room. Red slumped back to the floor, half asleep. How the human girl kept it up he had no clue, but she was better than any alarm clock. Within minutes she had poked Tifa to life, kicked Cait Sith and stepped on Cloud, who had spent the night in his sleeping bag in a corner of the room. His croaky howl was enough to wake Barret.

Yuffie sprang over to the bathroom to knock on the door. "Aeris?"

"Mmhmm?" A near-musical hum came through the door.

"Better wrap it up quick in there. The line's going to form any minute."

"I'll be right out," was the reply and true to her word, Aeris emerged just seconds after, dressed, smelling strongly of soap and with both hands busy weaving her hair into its customary twist. Yuffie pretended to scowl.

"How'd you get the bathroom before I did?" She did not wait for an answer.

Aeris walked over to her bed to finish her hair, silent and smiling, locked in a little dream world of her own. Red nuzzled her knees just as she finished the last twist. "Could you let me out, please?" She nodded her assent.

Barret watched the beast slip out the door. "Must be nice to be able to just do your business anywhere," he muttered under his breath. Tifa offered him her spot in the line but he refused.

Cloud sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "There's got to be a better way to get up in the morning."

Aeris returned to her seat, smiling at the scene. She reached under the bed for her boots, growing thoughtful as her fingers closed around the worn, creased leather. She wondered if she could ever tell them what she felt and how well they would take it. Her mind could never rest, it seemed.

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"What's next, Sephiroth?" The voice ringing in his head almost made him wince. "A picnic? Dancing? A sparkling ring?" Sephiroth scowled. For once, he actually resented his mother's return. There was more pleasant company to be had.

"What does it matter to you, Mother?" He answered testily.

Mother spoke with an obviously feigned disinterest. "Nothing at all. I'm only interested in seeing what your next move is. You've done everything but serenade the girl."

"You know I can't sing," Sephiroth replied quietly, missing the edge in the last comment.

"You're a fool," Mother seethed. "How can you call yourself a man? Instead of taking what you want when it's within your reach you let your course be dictated by the whims of that . . .that child!"

Sephiroth sighed heavily. "When I get what I'm after, I want it to be perfect for her. I don't want her scared and uncomfortable."

"When did you ever bother to show such concern for a lover's well-being?"

The man smirked as he walked. "I intend to keep her, Mother. I want her coming back for more."

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A suspicious rattling from under the buggy's hood brought Avalanche to an unscheduled halt at the edge of a green forest. The doors swung open and the occupants stumbled out into the midday heat. Some of them sought the shade at the forest's edge. Then men had something else to do.

Cloud raised the hood and stared down at the engine beneath. "Just great." Barret came around to join him in staring the engine down.

"Just what we needed," he grumbled.

Cloud frowned. "I'm usually good with things like this, but with all these computers they put in nowadays . . ." He shook his head.

"Heh, tell me about it."

Yuffie came up, tool kit in hand. "You old guys are hopeless. Move over!" She leaned in and began tinkering over Barret's loud protests.

Tifa grinned and leaned back against a tree. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Aeris seek out a seat as far away from the noise of the group as she could get.

The girl walked slowly and her step wavered as if she were not really paying attention. She really did seem a little out of touch lately, as if she had something heavy on her mind. She settled under a tree, sliding with a near boneless grace to the earth. Tifa envied Aeris' easy elegance for a while. Her own stride was the result of years of training. It was bold and firm and . . .intimidating. Aeris was the perfect picture of delicate womanhood.

No wonder Cloud couldn't keep his eyes off the flower girl. Tifa let her head thud against the back of the tree and blinked up at the sun. She took a deep breath and held it, then exhaled, letting the little twinge of loss flow out as well. She would not stand in the way, if it made them happy.

The only thing was, Aeris did not seem quite at ease with the whole thing. Tifa could not understand why. Aeris had seemed very interested in Cloud at first. Tifa saw the way she looked at the blond when he was not looking, playing the little game of glances but not moving forward at all. Before she even realized what she was doing, Tifa found herself walking over to the girl.

"Hey," she said.

Aeris jumped a little, startled. "Hi, Tifa."

"Mind if I sit?"

"No, go right ahead." The words spilled out in a nervous rush, all the confirmation Tifa needed that something was up. Tifa did not like dealing with anything potentially uncomfortable, especially when it was none of her business. She did not know if it was better or worse when it did matter to her in some way. Skirting around Cloud's story of Nibelheim had been distressing enough. She did not have Aeris' knack for adequately dealing with other people's sensitive issues, but she had to try. No one could do for Aeris exactly what she did for everyone else. Tifa took another deep breath, steeling herself for the attempt.

"Mind if I say something?" She studied the curiosity that rose on the flower girl's face as she shook her head. "You seem a little . . .distracted lately," she continued. "Is anything going on?" Aeris' eyes widened so quickly that there was no hiding the answer.

The girl made a small sound and began to play with the edge of her dress. Her fingers twisted the fabric around as she turned a response over in her mind. Her breathing became uncomfortably audible. "Tifa . . .if I told you that I . . .like someone . . .would you be mad at me?"

Tifa felt all the hope fall out of her. One instant and it was gone, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in her heart. Everything she had suspected was true. She swallowed before answering. "Does this someone like you?"

Aeris turned to stare at her feet. "I think so." Tifa forced a smile, though she could feel that it did not touch her eyes.

"Why should I be mad at you then?"

Aeris gave her a weak smile. "I . . .I was just worried, you know. I don't want to . . .hurt anyone else by liking this person."

Tifa shook her head. "If you like each other and you make each other happy, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. No one should get in the way of your happiness, no matter what the reason."

Aeris' smile grew a little wider even as her eyes grew pained. "Thanks, Tifa."

"No problem!" Tifa chirped and stood.

"Oh, please, just . . .don't tell anyone else about this, okay?" Aeris' voice trembled.

Tifa smiled. "Not a word." She looked over at the buggy.

Yuffie seemed to have patched up the problem. The strange rattling was still there, but not as loud as before. She could not tell what had Barret and Cloud more upset - the fact that their fancy toy was broken or that Yuffie, of all people, had put it back together.

Even with that frown, that glare, Cloud was still so handsome. His messy spikes looked so impossibly golden in the bright light. She would never get the chance to ruffle those spikes now. She walked quietly to the buggy and struggled to keep tears at bay.

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AN: IT'S ALIVE! Thank you all so much for waiting, even for this rather short chapter.