Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Path of Seduction ❯ Chapter Fifteen ( Chapter 15 )

Path of Seduction

**************************

Chapter Fifteen

**************************

No place was ever as barren as it seemed. Even in the darkest depths, there was life. The force of seething, rushing, streaming life was too great to be manifest only on the Planet's surface. If man could not see it, he simply had not yet realized what to look for. The deep cavern that the swordsman walked through had no life that he could see yet, but there was a sure sign of it. There was water.

He heard the rippling echo as he stepped further into the endless gloom. His eyes quickly adjusted to the extent of the darkness, though if the surrounding stone was lit only by pinpoints of green light, the man did not care. He found the first trickle easily enough. It bubbled up at his feet, a tiny, rolling flower of a fountain that coursed down the slight slope of the rock like fluid crystal. He followed it down. There was not much else to do.

The water flowed steadily through the network of dark caverns as it sought the lowest point. It would pool in the hollows in the cave floor and make them dark mirrors of liquid obsidian, then brim and tremble and spill out to run farther into the dark. The tiny trickle became a stream that joined others or was joined by them. The stream swelled to an inky river, deep and wide, flowing swiftly through the caverns.

The rippling water seemed to sing through the caves. The echoes were like an old song that Sephiroth had heard once a long time ago and forgotten till now. He hummed weakly to the rhythm of his own feet but soon gave up. He had never trusted his singing voice and there were too many layers in that ancient melody for him to even begin to follow. He closed his eyes and walked with his hand trailing along the dampness of the near wall to guide him. He never stumbled.

The lines of melody floated down the tunnels and were lost in a larger echo. Sephiroth stopped, poised at the brink between silence and a roar like distant rain. He opened his eyes. The stream that he had followed now pooled in the blind end of the tunnel Sephiroth's ears had led him down. The surface of the small lake was very still, a sure sign to the swordsman that it was unimaginably deep.

"Do you have any idea where you are?" Mother's voice lacked its usual sharpness.

The man rolled his eyes. "Not really." He paused at the side of the water and unfastened the clasp of his coat.

"What are you doing?" The words bore only a hint of the natural indignation Sephiroth had become accustomed to. "You can't stop for a bath! You should be finding a way out of here!"

Sephiroth folded his coat neatly and began to work on his boots. "I'll find an exit later, Mother. The water must be going somewhere but I've been walking for hours and I really want to wash." He arranged his clothes with military precision, all neat heaps and straight lines, then slipped into the cool water. He let out a satisfied moan as he settled in up to his chest and let the current take the weight of his hair.

"You mean you don't want to go courting smelling of leather and sweat," Mother said dryly. Sephiroth did not answer. He appeared to be engrossed in sluicing water over his shoulders but he may just not have dared to face the truth in his mother's words. The silence stretched out and the man showed no intention of breaking it. "What are you going to do this time?" Mother asked.

Sephiroth smiled. "Whatever she wants me to do, as always."

The being in his mind, weak from recent efforts, gathered itself for a last hopeless attempt to sway the swordsman from his course. "What if what she wants this time still isn't what you want?"

Sephiroth slid further into the water. "What she wants, she gets. That's the entire trick to it, isn't it?" He felt Mother settle in her position.

"I hope you have more stories to tell then. It would seem the child's only interested in old tales." If Sephiroth did not know any better, he would have guessed that Mother was amused. "You could tell her that one about the girl and the monster, or the one with the maiden trapped in the tower. Then there's that delightful one about the girl who left a shoe on the palace steps. That would be perfect for your little barefoot damsel."

Sephiroth smirked and arched an eyebrow. "There are handsome princes in all those stories, aren't there?"

"They're supposed to be charming too!" Mother snapped. "Insufferably stubborn child."

Sephiroth laughed just a little. He gathered up the damp locks of his hair and set them upstream so he could feel the current pull them again. "The stories are only a distraction, Mother. She wants more. I know she does. I'll have her soon."

"If you say so. I still think you should have simply claimed her at the very start. You would have saved yourself all this time and effort."

The man closed his eyes and let the memory of that first sight drift past him. The girl had been so helpless where she lay. Mother was right. It would have been much simpler if he had taken Aeris then. He felt his entire body grow slack, nearly weak at the remembrance of slender limbs and soft curves, delicate features and the sweet, sad expression that spoke of a familiar pain and loneliness… He opened his eyes to force the image from his mind. "She will serve me much better if she binds herself to me of her own free will. I will bide my time and wait for her to do so."

"But if you ever do claim her, what will become of you afterwards?" There was a slow poison in Mother's tone. "How long will you keep up the charade? How long can you be the indulgent suitor?"

Sephiroth would have blushed if he had been a lesser man. He had no idea how long he could keep being kind and gentle to the girl. It just came to him so easily when he was near her. He bowed his head and trailed one hand idly through the water, ashamed to admit the fact to his Mother.

"You are still absolutely determined to follow through with this careless plan, aren't you? It will only bring trouble, but if you're so resolved to bed her, there's nothing to do but let you learn from your own mistakes. I will let this madness run its course." Mother's presence began to fade. "But remember, when you finally open your eyes to the web she has woven, you can always come to me…son…"

"Whatever you say, Mother." The swordsman ducked his head under the water and turned to face the current. Mother was gone by the time he came up for air.

He leaned back against the edge of the pool and cupped some cool water in his hands. He stared at the way it shone with the pale green light it reflected from his eyes. Its surface barely trembled in his steady, gentle hands. In a second, he tightened his grip. His hands clenched into hard, brutal fists. He felt the water slip through his fingers. He squeezed furiously, driving the very last drop of water from his grasp. When it was done, he relaxed. He let his hands unfurl and stared at them once more, smiling wryly all the while. Too bad Mother did not understand.

__________________________

Aeris stepped lightly in time to the music in her head, completing yet another circuit around the room. She studied the pattern on the floor and the row of glyphs carved in a line where wall became ceiling. Sometimes she picked up one of the books from the chest that still lay open at the foot of the bed. It did not matter anymore that she could not make sense of the letters. The more she moved, the more the song flew through her, the easier it was to pretend that there was something there. The spinning symbols almost seemed to make sense.

The dressing table hidden in the curtained alcove begged her to sit, so she did, to rest awhile. There was a small comb there with a simple, narrow pattern of leaves carved into it. Aeris ran her fingers over the fine teeth. The thing seemed almost alive. Everything she touched or saw there placed its own fine impression in her mind.

She picked the comb up gingerly, with the wary respect given to another's belongings. The more rational side of her instructed her to put it back at once, but she did not. She turned it over in her hands and traced the carving, then slowly began to run the thing through her hair.

'Yes, like that,' it seemed to say. 'I once combed hair very much like yours.' Aeris studied her reflection in the mirror. The image was dim and shadowed and Aeris had to stare for a while to truly see herself.

'I know your face,' the mirror sang. 'I've seen you before.'

This place was a haven. It became apparent the longer she stayed. Whoever had once owned it would have welcomed her. She felt it with a bone-deep surety. Every object, every thread and cord, everything, right down to the lines in the floor, asked her to stay awhile. Somehow, she belonged here.

The bed invited her to rest as surely as the great carven chest, still open at the foot of the bed, had first invited her to explore. Aeris set the comb down gently and did not notice how the click it made upon contact blended seamlessly into the Planet's song. She stood and walked over to the bed. At first appearance it was quite ordinary, with blue covers to match the night sky, but its mattress was somewhat thin, barely more than a well-stuffed pallet. Aeris could not help kneeling down to inspect it.

The wooden frame appeared at first to be bound together with strong rope, but it was not so. The entire thing was a seamless whole, or else crafted so skillfully that the eye could not detect the lines. There were no sharp edges to speak of, only smooth, flowing curves that followed the natural grain of the wood.

Aeris followed the ropes that coiled around the posts with a light hand. They led straight under the mattress. Aeris lifted the bed skirt and peered underneath. There were no bed springs at all. Instead, the ropes formed a net, irregular and drawn tight over the frame to support the weight of the bedding. Aeris wondered how it could hold the weight of a sleeper as well.

There were beads woven into the netting, large ones, some of intricately carved wood and some that seemed to be glass. A few almost seemed to glow in the darkness under the bed. Mindful of the dust, the girl tried to get a closer look, but as her arm brushed against the symbol on the floor she felt a strange heady warmth overtake her. It was a little like the rush she felt when Sephiroth…

"Oh my," she sighed and slid out from under the bed. "Maybe I've been up here long enough." The Planet's voice chimed in mild discord. "I should go," Aeris insisted. "The others might be looking for me."

She walked towards the doorway, reaching for the rope ladder, but before she left, Aeris took one last lingering look at the strange, beautiful room. Her heart sank a little as she turned away. It felt like she was leaving home.

__________________________

"I couldn't tell her."

"What!" Hargo stood out of his seat, alarmed. "What do you mean you couldn't tell her? What couldn't you tell her?"

Bugah kept his seat. "I thought you agreed she had to know, Bugenhagen? What made you change your mind?"

Bugenhagen spun away. His reason was foolish and he knew it. "I didn't know how to…" he trailed off.

"What was that?" Hargo asked. "You said you're a chicken?"

The Chief Elder whirled around. "NO, dammit!" His friends grinned at him. He shook his head. "What am I going to do with you two?"

"You could tell us why you didn't explain the situation to the girl, for starters," Bugah said.

Bugenhagen sighed. There was no way out of it. "She reminded me too much of her mother. I know it's ridiculous but every time I looked at her, I kept thinking for a second that it was Ifalna there and when I remembered who it really was...it was just too strange."

"What's so strange about it?" Hargo sat down again. "You tell her you knew her mother and explain the facts of Cetra life. That's all there is to it."

Bugenhagen grimaced and tugged his beard. "This is the kind of talk a girl is supposed to get from her mother, not her mother's arthritic …former associate."

Bugah nodded. "Yes, I suppose it would be hard admitting that Ifalna traded you in for a younger model."

"Several younger models," Hargo put in.

"You rotten old geezers!" Bugenhagen frowned and turned away again. His friends shared a guilty look behind his back.

"You know," Bugah dared, "you don't even have to tell her about Ifalna, if it's too much for you."

"That's right. All she really needs to know is how things work," said Hargo. "If she wants to know how you know all that stuff about the phereromo…phremono...pheno..."

"Pheromones," Bugah offered.

"Yeah, those things," Hargo continued. "We've got more info on the Cetra than anyone else on the Planet. Who's to say one of these books lying around isn't some kind of Ancient sex manual?"

"That's a rather disturbing thought," said Bugenhagen. He looked around the room and studied the shelves. It was a possibility.

"You've got to tell her something, Bugie-boy," Bugah insisted. "You must have seen how the young men are reacting to her already. Who knows how long she's been building up to this state?"

"I saw, I saw…I'm just wondering if maybe it's best to just let nature run its course. You know, let her find someone she loves and stay with him, no matter how things work out." The Chief Elder sighed, "She doesn't need all the worry about… conceiving and all that." The small room was quiet while its occupants considered the fate of one proud, hardened woman and the string of broken hearts she had left behind her.

"It won't work," Bugah broke the silence. "I don't think Aeris has a choice in the matter. It looks like the Planet's already sending every potential candidate for fatherhood her way."

Hargo pounded the table. "Did you see them, Bugenhagen? This morning, every young man in the library noticed when she came in and I swear, they've been falling all over themselves to be nice to her. Hell, even Lucius offered her a seat!"

Bugenhagen raised an eyebrow. "Lucius? But isn't he…"

"Gay? He was till she walked in!"

Bugah massaged his temples. "It's true. I've cancelled all meditation sessions till further notice. I don't want the women to get suspicious and I don't think the boys ought to try connecting with the Planet while Aeris is in town. It's just…"

"Making them horny and setting them on her trail!" Hargo finished for him. "That's what the damn Planet's doing!"

Bugenhagen took it all in. He shook his head. "It isn't fair. She's so young. She doesn't just look like she's in her twenties. She actually is in her twenties!" He bobbed slowly around the room, the closest he could get to pacing. "It was hard enough for Ifalna and she wasn't raised the only Cetra on the Planet."

Elder Bugah rose from the table. "It isn't fair, but Aeris can't help being what she was born, or what happened after." He stepped in his friend's path and caught the Chief Elder's eyes. "Tell her, Bugenhagen. The Cetra population is at its lowest point. She needs to be able to make informed decisions about choosing a mate before the timing gets critical."

"Damn straight!" Hargo pounded the desk again. "If she doesn't know what's going on, she'll just fall for whatever horny toad comes her way."

Bugenhagen nodded. "The last thing I want for Ifalna's daughter is for her to end up with someone who won't love her the morning after." His shoulders fell and he looked up at the low, smoke-stained ceiling. "And he'll need to be understanding, if she has to move on." There was a spark in his eye as he came to his decision.

Bugah smiled and thumped his friend's shoulder. "That's my boy! Get on out there and tell that girl what she needs to know!" He gave Bugenhagen a shove towards the doorway.

"Hey, wait a second! Let a man gather his nerve a minute!" The Chief Elder protested, not quite eager to face his task. "How exactly did I get nominated to do this? You all know the facts as well as I do!"

"Hmm," Bugah paused to think. "You knew her mother."

"So did you two!" Bugenhagen spluttered.

"Yeah, but you knew her mother!" Hargo winked and joined Bugah in shoving the Chief Elder towards the door.

"You also have experience giving the talk to another species," Bugah intoned with grave sincerity.

"That's right! You explained the birds and the bees to Nanaki, didn't you?" Hargo gave his friend one final push out the door. Bugenhagen gave up and bobbed down the tunnel without bothering to answer. "Didn't you?" Hargo yelled again, but all he heard was his own voice echoing back.

__________________________

Aeris wandered cautiously down the dim tunnel. She stayed close to the side and one hand brushed the rough stone as she passed. Since she had left the room there had been no sign of anyone else and she began to wonder if she had taken a wrong turn. It was lonely where she walked, with no echoing voices. The torches that flickered at distant intervals offered no open welcome and the song that she held in her heart was fading quickly.

She paused at one dark bend in the tunnel and looked back the way she had come. She could almost catch the Planet's lilting tune if she listened carefully enough. Aeris leaned heavily against the stone and closed her eyes to listen. Ahead was the cold shock of relative silence that would seem even emptier now. Behind her was that warm welcome and joy she had never heard from the Planet before, but it seemed that the music grew fainter even as she listened.

She tried to catch the fleeting strains and keep them but the grand complexity of it all was too much for her and the greater part of it was lost along the stone pathway. All Aeris could do was hum the single, slow line of melody that she had felt inside before. Her memory filled the spaces with what few layers of the song it had retained. It was not the same, but it was enough to pretend. Aeris took a breath, opened her eyes and moved forward.

Her voice trailed down the tunnel and was lost. The halls seemed almost emptier for the pitiful attempt to fill them. Aeris kept walking, determined not to give in to the isolation that had encroached upon her mind since she had left the room.

She gained confidence as she walked. Her voice grew stronger and bolder, bolstered by its own growing echo. Aeris smiled then, and kept humming, enraptured by the sound of the simple melody, looped and layered with itself and pealing down the tunnel, far and away. It was easy, now, to imagine that she still carried the whole of the Planet's glorious song with her. Her own voice seemed to become the whole, with interweaving lines and layers, intertwined and sinuously flowing. Aeris paused to take in the effect and almost swore that it had captured something of her melody's deeper counterpoint with it.

The echo of her voice faded a little, but the counterpoint did not. It came racing down the tunnel towards her, in a clear, vibrant voice, deeper than her own, and faded away in recognition of her silence. Aeris stepped forward again, eyes wide and skin tingling. When all was still once more, she dared to hum a cautious refrain.

The deep voice reappeared, its tones dancing around the echoes of her own melody. The girl did not know what to make of it. She walked faster, leaving the support of the walls behind. The echo broadened and disappeared as she approached an opening, a nexus in the tunnel network. Aeris stopped humming as she put one foot into the small torch-lit cavern.

The person who was already there did not. He turned, a tall figure in black, and finished the line. Aeris' breath caught in her throat and she froze under his gaze. She did not know him. He stepped towards her with a smile. "I thought no one else remembered that song," he said lightly as he brushed dark hair out of his face.

Aeris edged sideways and sought shelter from the wall. There was something in the strange man's gaze that left her feeling oddly naked. A tense moment passed before she realized that he was waiting for a reply. She swallowed. "It's…it was something my mother used to sing to me." It may have been true. Aeris could not remember.

Falsehood or not, the stranger seemed to believe it. "Is that so?" The man leaned in closer and put a slender hand against the wall, near Aeris' head, to brace himself. Her heart leapt within her as she noticed how close he was.

His smile brightened and a certain light came to his eyes. Aeris could not help noticing that they were green, though touched with too much smoky grey for her taste. A thousand things about him reminded her of what she wanted, but something was not quite right. His hair was too dark, too short, and the green-grey eyes did not bear the signature touch of mako.

Aeris held her breath as he leaned in towards her. There was no open malice that she could read in his features, but something about him struck her as odd. She looked him up and down hurriedly and swallowed again, disturbed that her throat was so dry. There was no reason that she could think of for such a reaction.

One dark eyebrow rose and the lips curled into a smirk. "Like what you see?" he asked slyly. Aeris looked away. The man stepped back, laughing. The sound echoed down the tunnel behind Aeris. Aeris laughed nervously and dared to look again. Laughter had brought a little color to his cheeks. The girl knew immediately that he could not be one of the Canyon's sun-bronzed natives.

"You're not from around here, are you?" she asked, bolder now that she knew what had set her on edge before.

He shook his head. "No, I'm just passing through with a group of traveling musicians."

Aeris smiled grew just a shade more genuine. That explained his slender fingers and his voice. "So you're a musician, then?"

"No." The reply came readily. "I'm Master Sagara's healer." Aeris' gaze grew distant at that. A healer…that was interesting. The man saw her look. "He's getting on in years, you see," he explained. "His patron hired me to care for him on the road." Aeris stepped closer before she could stop herself.

"Then you don't play music?" There was just a little disappointment in her voice. The young man smiled at her.

"Only the little I'm forced to pick up from being with the group," he answered. "Sorry." He laughed a little and Aeris felt herself drawn to the sound despite herself. She kept smiling, but inside, fought with a flood of alarm that she was being so bold. She could not tell why his presence was having such an effect on her.

The healer leaned towards her and stared straight into her eyes. "Do you like music? There's a special performance planned tonight to welcome the Chief Elder's grandson home. I could ask the Master to play something special for you." He gazed at her for a moment.

Aeris felt a bit lightheaded from the attention. She looked away again, embarrassed. A slender hand came towards her and before she realized what was happening, the man brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. Aeris swallowed and glanced sideways at him. He used the moment to cup her chin. Aeris could barely breathe as he turned her face towards him. The way he stared at her made her warm inside. She felt the heated flush of a deep blush reach her face. She gasped and turned away again, dizzy from it all. She had to lean against the stone again for support.

"Are you alright?" The smoky eyes radiated concern.

Aeris nodded. "Yes. I just got a little dizzy there."

The healer took her hand and led her across the little cave. "Maybe you've been choked up in these tunnels too long. You should go out and get some fresh air."

Aeris' skin tingled where he touched her. "I'll be fine." Her words were firm as she stepped quickly out of reach.

"Are you sure?"

The girl nodded with a nervous smile. Here was warmth and welcome, if she was willing to have it. It would be so easy to reach out. "I…I'll go now."

"Take care of yourself, then," he said as she turned away. He stared down the path she had gone long after she was out of sight and though he eventually turned to go his way, he found himself lingering in the place they had met. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back with a smile. "She's perfect," he declared.

__________________________

Sephiroth let the water fly off his body and reached for his clothes. He knew he should be finding a way out of the caverns, but there was a peace here he was not quite willing to abandon just yet. His lingering here seemed to annoy Mother as well. That was not an entirely bad thing, he supposed. She had not punished him for anything and he was beginning to suspect that here, she could not. What mystic power there was in the singing water, he wished he could tell. He kept his eyes on the deep pool as he picked up his coat.

Something fell out of the pocket, something round and pale. It rolled across the stone floor and into the lake before he could stop it. He dropped his coat and lunged for it, but the current pulled it swiftly out of reach. He stopped just short of the water and watched it float away. It was the large bud he had plucked from the tree on the rocky plains. He tilted his head to one side in surprise. He had forgotten about it completely.

It skimmed quickly across the surface of the water to the far side of the lake. There it began to dance a slow circle. It whirled faster and faster and its path grew tighter and tighter. Sephiroth leaned forward, intently focused on the pale dot on the dark water. He blinked. It vanished.

He straightened with a certain smugness on his face. He had known the water would be going somewhere. He put one foot in the water again and dove into the deepest part. Pale hair billowed up under the water, unfurling as if to reach the surface, but it was soon pulled down and swallowed beneath the inky dark.

__________________________

Cosmo Candle was hypnotic and soothing. Aeris lost track of time as she stared at the flickering dance of the flames. It was a blessed fire, this blaze. It protected the Canyon from harm, the locals said, and they sincerely believed it. Aeris was hardly one to doubt it. There was something in that warm, yellow glow that drew the eye and called to the weary and the lonely.

It was a small surprise at first, that the others around the fire were so silent, but Aeris understood the quiet the longer she stared. This flame was indeed something more than it appeared. She stared at it and let her mind roam. The bonfire's warmth did not bother her despite the heat of the day. It was a welcome change, in fact, from the cold, loneliness of the tunnels. If she did not think too hard, she could almost pretend that it covered the despair that had slipped over her when she left the Planetsong behind.

The crackling fire lent itself too well to remembrance. The events of the day drifted past. All she had learned, all she had known, rose to the surface of her mind. She sifted through the varied memories, the near-tears, the songs, the Planet's fierce insistence and always, the growing sensation of being absolutely alone in the world.

It was almost too much to bear. It was an old burden, one she was long-accustomed to, but today, with the sure knowledge of the glorious birthright she had been denied all her life, the wound was torn fresh again in her heart. She glanced up the faces of her friends, golden with the fire's glow. If any of them had looked at her in return, she would have breathed with relief and assurance, but they were all deep in thoughts of their own. She was alone, only one of her kind.

She jumped as a hand brushed her shoulder. She turned quickly to meet Cloud's concerned gaze. There was a question in his eyes, but he did not speak. She offered him a smile, aware that it was weak and tremulous. "I learned a lot today," she said. "The Elders taught me many things." She stared harder into the fire again. "About the Cetra…and the Promised Land." Cloud sat beside her and nodded encouragingly, giving her his full attention.

She looked up at him. His eyes were blue, beautiful, and there was a concern there that he tried to hide. Someone else had once looked at her that way. Recent grief tolled in her heart and the burden of being forever apart from everyone made itself felt once more. "I'm…alone…," she said. "I'm all alone now…"

"But I'm…we're here for you now, right?" Cloud reached out hesitantly and stopped.

"I know, I know, but…" Aeris pretended that she had not seen his gesture, though it warmed her. She almost wished that he had touched her, that he'd had the courage to hold her close. She needed someone to hold her, longed for someone, anyone to comfort her, but there was no one. "I am the only…Cetra."

"Does that mean we can't help?" Cloud's brow furrowed and the glow in his eyes softened in a way Aeris knew she had seen before. She struggled not to cry out, to keep herself from shivering. She could not bear to look at him anymore, though she remained acutely aware of his presence at her side. She could feel those blue eyes on her form. If she turned to look at him, she knew she would throw herself into his arms and weep. Instead she stared resolutely at her hands. Her fingers trembled slightly.

The silence grew heavy between them, too thick and uncomfortable for Cloud to bear. She sensed the way his weight shifted as he stood. "Aer…" he whispered as he stood. "If you ever need anything…." He turned and walked away. "I'm here."

Aeris looked up. He had not meant for her to hear that. She could feel the shyness in him. His heart was still with her, even though he was walking away. She looked at his back as he walked and a warm smile reached her face. Silent laughter reached her eyes. Cloud could be so sweet sometimes, beneath the tough front he put up. It seemed that all the SOLDIERS she had ever met were like that.

__________________________

Bugenhagen did not relish his task. Bugah and Hargo had a way of making it sound so simple, but they had not been tied up in the matter the way he had. They did not know how deep the potential for pain went. He bobbed slowly through the halls, not particularly eager to reach his destination. He tried to let the scene play out in his mind.

He would have to sit a grown young woman down, somewhere private, of course, and tell her about the pheromones she was not even aware she had. He would have to caution her against finding the wrong kind of man, remind her of her responsibility to her kind. That seemed easy enough, if a bit embarrassing for both of them, but Bugenhagen knew the reality of Aeris' situation.

He had seen it happen to her mother, how the Planet had driven her from partner to partner despite her feelings, until there was no heart left in her to give to any of them. What was supposed to be an expression of loving union became a perversion of itself, a necessity, a burden that tore out the soul of its bearer, all so the Planet would not be alone. Bugenhagen knew, perhaps better than anyone else alive, how much they all owed the Planet and what a blessing it was to the Cetra that their existence was bound up so tightly with it, but this, this final facet of the Great Mother's will, this was cruel.

Bugenhagen shook his head. Aeris was so young to bear the burden. He blinked a bit as he stepped into the sunlight, then took a look around. He spotted a flash of pink on the dais that bore the Cosmo Candle. Funny how the bonfire had a way of drawing newcomers to it. Most of her friends were there too, Nanaki along with them. The Chief Elder moved forward, though he wished he did not have to. He would be destroying a girl's innocent dreams of true love.

He stopped on the stairway when he saw her face. There was warmth and joy there, a simple happiness, all directed at the blond swordsman's back. Bugenhagen could not go further. Who was he to take that joy away from her? He kept watching and saw Aeris look into the fire again. He caught the brief glance that Cloud threw her way, read the tender concern in the line of the young man's pose. There was something there…

Bugenhagen stared hard, amazed, then smiled. It was better that she have this, no matter how brief it was, than nothing at all. Who was he to cut a young woman's happiness short? Let her enjoy her youth. There would be time enough for responsibility later.

__________________________

The pressure would have killed a lesser man. How deep the lake was, Sephiroth could not tell. He would have barely been able to tell which way was down at all if not for the steady current. He kept swimming down with no care for air or for the growing weight of water above him.

The stream pushed him, pulled him. There was nothing to see that far down. Briefly, he entertained thoughts of strange creatures in the deep, of large fish with furious jaws and ancient reptiles that still lurked without knowing that their time had passed. He brushed the thoughts aside and flowed with the current.

He could not tell where the stone was, or where the water ended. He spared no thought for even returning to the surface. The water was cool, immensely soothing. There was a sudden rush at his back, a powerful force. The current grew stronger and sent him hurtling headlong down the waterway. He relished every second of it.

Then, the fierce pressure was gone. Sephiroth knew then that the stream must have led him through some tunnel, some pathway to a lower point, where the water was free to roam and spill again. His feet brushed stone. He let himself settle to the bottom and felt the brush of his hair against his skin as it flowed with the water. He drifted there for a while, aware of nothing but the water on his body, its soft pounding in his ears. There was a rhythm there, one that almost matched his heart. Just above it, faint and far away, he swore he could hear music, but when he tried to listen, it slipped away.

He pushed off against the stone and shot to the surface. He surged out of the water with fierce grace. His hair traced a bright arc in the air as he flung his head back. He breathed deeply, without distress, as he took in his surroundings. The tunnel he stood now was fairly shallow, but the current was fast and strong. Here too, the water sang. Sephiroth followed the sound, drawn by its promise. It reminded him of her.

The ripple he had heard at the source was overwhelmed by crowding waters. The first musical echo dulled to a rush that breathed through the caves like an everlasting sigh. The river lapped against the rough stone walls and the sigh broadened into low moaning. The water flowed on and became a force strong enough to shape its own path. The tunnel floors deepened and the cave walls curved away. The river ran fiercely on and roared against the receding stone. The roar grew thunderous, as if the mad water sought to instill fear in its own echoes. The caves widened beyond sight and the roar became a crushing force. The water grew turbulent just a little further on, whitened and foamy, partly hidden by a dense mist.

Sephiroth walked into the damp cloud. The stone floor ended some feet away, though the cave's ceiling still curved high above. Sephiroth stood carefully at the water's foaming edge and peered over the ledge of stone. He could just barely see the feathery white plumes of water that splashed up from below. He looked back at the way he had come and forward again to the waterfall. There was not much choice. He walked onwards, one step, two, and threw himself to the void below.

If water could feel, no wonder it rushed so quickly towards the fall. Sephiroth rejoiced in the sensation, the sudden lurch, the lightness of the extremities, the way his hair floated above him. It was over too soon. The riverbed below rushed up to meet him. He let his body flow with the impact, his mind stilled to enjoy the moment before the rest of his body caught up with gravity again. He rose slowly, blanketed in the fine mist of the falls and kept moving forward.

He followed the wide river, exulting in the coolness of the damp air around him, heedless of his nudity. If the flower he had followed had come down this way, he saw no sign of it.

The river split into thin streams that snaked off into the darkness. Some flowed through cracks not wide enough for a man to fit through. A few fled into dark paths the man felt no inclination to explore.

A cool draught drew him along. The wind's low voice blended with the river's song. It drifted across his wet skin and toyed with his hair. There was an opening somewhere further down and if the quiet pledge the water made was to be believed, he would find what he sought there. He paused and took a deep breath. The air was fresh. The opening was close. He walked calmly into the wind.

The river had diminished to a weak stream by the time he saw the first glimmer of light. The hope of finding what he wanted rose to follow him like a ghost. He went cautiously up to the gap in the stone wall. The light was weak and tinted with the deepening hue of a sun low on the horizon. Sephiroth stepped boldly through the gap into the open air.

Water did indeed seek its lowest point. The swordsman found himself at the absolute bottom of a deep ravine, staring up at immeasurably high walls of stone. There was nothing but rock all around and above him. The thin line of water hurried away from him, almost apologetic for leading him on. If he had been anyone but himself, he would have been disheartened, but Sephiroth was firmly self-assured of his significance in the world. It would take more than towering rock and dashed hopes to make him bow his head.

He looked up at the deep purple sliver of sky above him. One side of the Canyon rose higher than the other. It was not unusual in this area. He frowned a little as he realized that he had no idea at all where he was. He did not know which way the twists and turns of the caves had led him. The light, fast-fading, was too weak to cast a reliable shadow and there was not enough visible sky above for him to judge his position by what stars were out.

He sighed. He would most likely find himself heading back the way he had come, swimming upstream all the while. That in itself was no problem. He worried more that the river's path might have taken him far from Cosmo Canyon, where Aeris was.

A dark shape flew overhead, most likely some desert bird, a mere speck against the glowing sky. Sephiroth tracked it idly as he plotted his next move. It flew right by the high wall and Sephiroth thought for a moment that he spotted something odd nestled high up in the stone. It could have been a trick of the light, but there seemed to be a deep, small and very regular shaped depression high above him.

The swordsman narrowed his gaze. It could very well be a window. If his long swim had taken him to the back of the desert settlement, a window was a way in. One night apart was far too much. He would find what he was after. He smiled.

__________________________

"Oh gods, this is terrific," Tifa slid into the water and settled upon a smooth rock. Aeris smiled. The Canyon's bathing pools were a blessing. She had wondered how so many people managed to survive in the dry desert. She never would have guessed that so much water flowed beneath. Where it came from, no one really knew, but it was clear, pure water and that was enough. It flowed through the lower caverns and formed beautiful pools for all to use.

Aeris had to commend whoever had come up with the sensible rules for using them. The pools near the first bubbling crack in the stone were drinking water only. It was further down the twisting tunnels that the washing was done. And the bathing pools were the absolute highlight of it all. There was lava lower down, in deeper caves that were now locked off for the safety of the community, and the heat that rose upwards through the rock warmed the water just short of the perfect temperature.

"Come on in, Yuffie," Tifa waved the girl over. "What are you looking around for? We're all girls here."

"I know, I know," the ninja mumbled, though she still fidgeted with her towel at the water's edge. "Those guys better not try peeking."

Tifa laughed. "Don't worry. If they try anything, I'll sock 'em."

Yuffie seemed satisfied with that and entered the torch-lit pool. She ducked her head completely under the water for a second and came up significantly less dusty than she had been before. She pulled one short lock of hair forward and strained her eyes to inspect it. "Aw, man, still dirty. I'm gonna need a real scrubbing."

Tifa dog-paddled across the pool. "How'd you get so dusty?"

Yuffie blushed. "I was in the storage room for a while today."

"Doing what?" Aeris asked.

Yuffie looked down and mumbled. "Nothing, really. There's not a whole lot to do here." Tifa and Aeris shared a glance and came to a silent agreement not to pry any further into that.

Aeris cupped water in her hand and poured it over her shoulders. Then she took a breath and followed Yuffie's lead, ducking her head completely below the water. She came up smiling through the rivulets that streamed down her face. It took a while for her to blink the water away, but when her vision was clear, she saw Yuffie peering nervously down the hallway to the men's bathing area again.

"Yuffie, why are you so worried about the guys peeking all of a sudden?" Tifa asked, grinning. Yuffie twitched and sunk low in the water to hide her red cheeks.

Aeris could not recall ever having seen the girl this embarrassed before. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

Yuffie scrunched up her face before she answered. "There was a …boy…he kept looking at me today." She sank even lower in the water for a second.

"Oooh," Tifa grinned and did a lazy backstroke across the water.

Aeris smirked. "Someone has an admirer."

"I do not!" Yuffie protested. "He was creeping me out."

"Oh," Tifa mumbled. She thought for a while. "Was he doing anything other that just looking?"

"No." The reply was tired. Yuffie looked exhausted and confused.

"He probably didn't mean any harm, then," Aeris waded over to the young ninja. "I'm guessing you didn't go over and talk to him."

Yuffie shook her head and frowned. "What good would that have done?"

The flowergirl shrugged. "You could have asked him why he was staring. Maybe gotten to know him a little."

The short-haired girl sputtered and turned away. She crossed her arms on the edge of the pool and set her chin firmly on them, resolved not to look at either of the older women. They paddled over to her side of the pool to flank her. She did not budge.

"There's nothing wrong with going up and talking to someone, if you're interested." Tifa tried to encourage the girl.

Yuffie buried her face in her arms. "I'm not interested!"

The long-haired women shared another knowing glance. Tifa tilted her head, trying to catch a glimpse of Yuffie's face. "You know, we can understand if you're shy."

Yuffie splashed back and swam to the other side of the pool. "I'm not shy and I'm not interested! I just didn't want him looking at me!" She settled on the far side and turned her face away. "There's just no point to it."

Tifa caught Aeris' eyes again, but this time, neither of them knew what to make of the girl's comments. The quiet settled like a blanket. Tifa made herself busy scrubbing herself with the rough soap. Aeris settled back against the pool and studied the ninja girl. Yuffie was being unusually quiet. Aeris could not really blame her. She knew well enough how nervous male attention could make a girl, but Yuffie did not seem to have even a tiny smidgen of the pride that usually came with it. The look on the ninja's face was oddly like…resignation.

Aeris grew curious. "Was he cute?" Tifa sat up and grinned at the question. Yuffie rolled her eyes.

"He was…Wutan," the girl mumbled. That was a surprise.

"What's he doing here, then?" Tifa wondered.

Yuffie sighed. "He was following some old musician guy around. I think he's an apprentice or something."

"Oh," Tifa perked up. "He's with Sagara's group! My old master Zangan told me about him! I heard they're having some kind of welcoming party for Red or something like that. Wanna hurry up and go?" The ninja girl grumbled. "Come on," Tifa encouraged, "I promise I won't let anyone try anything funny." Yuffie did not move. "You can watch me try to teach Barret how to dance."

The girl did crack a smile at that thought. "What about Cloud?"

Tifa shook her head. "I don't know. He was pretty worn out when he got out of that cave Bugenhagen showed him."

Aeris nodded. "I don't think he'd care to move much, considering." The blond man had borne quite a few scratches and bruises when he emerged, though it was nothing serious. He had been quiet and thoughtful, but that was hardly new. He had at least seemed to be in better spirits than Red.

"I hope the celebration tonight cheers Red up," Tifa said as she passed Yuffie the soap. "I think he's looking a little blue."

"That's really something for a red cat," Yuffie quipped, then ducked under the water to wrangle the dirt out of her hair. The next time she caught somebody staring at her, she would not run to hide anywhere dusty.

"I don't know," Aeris murmured. "He seems more…at peace, somehow." No one answered. She shook her head to bring herself back to reality.

Yuffie bounced up out of the water and set the soap down on tray. "I'm out of here! See you later!" She sprang out, grabbed the one of the robes the locals had provided and hurried up the tunnel, dripping wet. Tifa shook her head at the girl's back.

"Doesn't she feel wet?" She waded over to sit by her friend. "How about you? Busy day?"

Aeris gave the woman a small but heartfelt smile as she nodded. She could not lie to someone who had come to know her. "Pretty much." She kicked out and listened to the ripple her feet made at the surface of the water.

"Too tired to go up and listen to some music tonight?"

Aeris considered. "I don't know. I don't think I'm too tired, really." The truth was she really did not feel like dealing with a crowd. That healer had offered to finagle something special out of his Master for her, though. It would be a shame to make him go through effort on her behalf if she was not there to appreciate it.

"You should come out, if you're up to it," Tifa encouraged her. "I'm sure if anyone can get Cloud to try dancing, it's you." The barmaid quashed the tightness inside her, that she likely could not do the same herself. She would be happy for Cloud, really, she would, and be happy for Aeris too.

"I'll see," Aeris murmured and took the soap. The lather was carried away by the current almost as fast as she could make it. "Tifa?" Aeris was almost surprised that she had taken that first step. "How far is too far?"

The question startled Tifa a bit. "What …what do you mean, exactly?"

Aeris continued without even looking at her. "If…you want to be with someone, just how far is too far?"

Tifa stared at the dim shape of her legs below the water. This was probably the last kind of question she had expected from someone like Aeris. Tifa knew what her mother would have said, but she could not bring herself to voice that answer, not given the look on the flower girl's face. "I can't answer that question for you, Aeris. It's really your decision." Aeris nodded mutely and Tifa could only guess at what was going on inside her friend's head.

The barmaid took a risk. "He's not…he's not pushing you or anything?" Just the thought of Cloud acting like that, insistent, perhaps a little demanding…Tifa did not know whether to be outraged or intrigued. The Cloud she knew had a shyness that was too much like apathy for him to be so bold. He avoided trouble for the most part until it got in his face, but he was so changed since joining SOLDIER.

Aeris shook her head. "No, not really." She nibbled her bottom lip lightly. "I mean, I know what he wants, but it's not like he's forcing me or anything." She turned away to hide a blush, hardly the first for the day.

Tifa could barely breathe. She had no idea that matters had progressed that far. She shook her head. That was none of her business. Aeris made no effort to say anymore and Tifa found the new quiet distinctly uncomfortable. She keenly felt that she should say something, but she could not think of anything appropriate. Even if she could, she was not sure if her voice would cooperate. She was glad there would be festivity tonight, a crowd she could lose herself in and music to make her forget.

"I think I'll get going. I don't want to miss a thing." She rose out of the water and reached for her towel. "Are you going to be okay down here by yourself?"

"I'll be fine." Aeris' voice seemed a little flat.

Tifa shot the girl a smile anyway as she tied her robe. She fiddled nervously with the sash. "Aeris," she said cautiously. "It's all about when you think you're ready." Even before the words left her lips they sounded ridiculous, practiced to her. She saw Aeris nod out of the corner of her eye. The flower girl was obviously not paying much attention to anything. "Don't stay too long," Tifa cautioned and took one of the torches from the entrance to light her way up.

"I won't," Aeris said quietly. She watched her friend leave and kept her eye on the tunnel long after the receding shadow had passed. Tifa's words stayed with her. It was her decision. Sephiroth had said it himself. He would wait until she was ready.

Aeris feared that she was.

She had felt it the last night she had spent in his arms. A night apart from him had been too much already, and now, with the weight of all she knew pressing against her…she did not want to be alone anymore.

She shook her head. As much as she wanted to find the man, she could not leave. There was only one way out and that would mean crossing the crowds at the celebration tonight. Aeris rethought her plans for the night. Perhaps it would not be so bad to go out a bit and celebrate with the inhabitants. There would be music and dancing and she could talk to all the people she had met that day. Maybe if Cloud felt up to it, she would dance with him. The poor boy always did look as if he needed more fun in his life. She could see it now, Cloud refusing her first request with a worried frown and a poor excuse, then grudging acceptance to mask the shyness. He would enjoy himself eventually.

Something bumped into Aeris' shoulder and startled her out of her reverie. She looked over, alarmed, to see something pale floating by her. She could not believe what it was at first and it almost slipped away. She sprang and caught it and was relieved to find that her eyes had not deceived her.

It was a flower, creamy and white. She cupped it in her hands and studied it. It was a simple thing with only a few petals and those, thick and shiny, made to hold water. The flicker of life within it was weak, as if it had fallen from its bough quite a while ago, and it bore translucent bruises from its journey. Aeris watched the way the water pooled in the center, cupped gently in the bowl the petals formed. It was beautiful. The girl lifted the blossom out of the water. There was still the ghost of a scent to it.

Aeris brushed the petals against her chin and remembered other flowers she had found on her path. The one she held in her hand was as pale as the one who had left those others for her to find. She could not stop her hand from shaking as she slid it into her hair. She looked around at the empty bathing cavern and felt the weight of the world pressing down on her again. She could not stay here.

She climbed out of the pool and worked quickly with the towel before grabbing her robe and a torch to light her way up. She did not know where she would go or what she would do with herself. She hurried up the path anyway. Her wet feet slapped against the stone as she ran.

The tunnel from the pools led upwards in a swirling path to a nexus which led to anywhere at all in Cosmo Canyon. Aeris had to stop for a moment there to decide which way to go. She had learned the place well enough today and knew where most of the paths led. This one led to the inn, where she would go if she was sensible, to get her clothes and perhaps some rest. That one led to the library, where she would be free to spend the night in solitary scholarship, if she so desired.

The one directly to her left eventually led outside where even now, the crowd would be gathering. Red would be playing with the children. Tifa would be sitting close to the dais, admiring the music. The Elders would be cheerful. The families would be happy. And the couples would dance.

Aeris could not suppress the longing that welled up in her at that thought. She brought one hand up to touch the flower woven through her hair. This was all she could have tonight. There would be no dancing for her.

Even as she stood debating her path, a soft rhythm reached her. There were drums outside and her heart leapt in time with their sound. The keening sound of stringed instruments pierced the air and set Aeris' blood rushing. There was something terribly familiar in that music.

The rhythm increased and seemed to rise from the very stone to pulse through the young Cetra's body. Melody and harmony wove their intricate dance upon her soul. There was temptation, the promise of freedom and release in that layered sound. It invited her to seek her happiness. Aeris longed for comfort and companionship. Out there, she could shed the weight of her solitude. She took one step towards the influx of cool night air.

The triumphant rush that accompanied her first step nearly brought her to her knees. Aeris stopped and put one hand to her chest as if she could beat her heart into submission. Her happiness could never be out there, in that mad throng. What joy she could take from such a place would transient and shameful. Aeris fled the hall.

The torch she carried with her flickered as she ran. It cast eerie shadows at her feet and did little to light her way. She sought to run as far away from that easy temptation as possible. There was only one person who could soothe the ache inside her and if she could not have him tonight, she would go where she was sure to be left alone.

The music followed her down the tunnels, though it faded fast. Aeris' feet hit the ground in perfect time to the fading rhythm. She nearly ran headlong into the wall at the end of the tunnel, where an old rope ladder still hung to the ground. She stopped, gasping heavily.

It took a few minutes for her heart to cease its merciless pounding, for her blood to slow its coursing, but the fiery longing that had tormented her before was gone now. The Planet's voice rose in seamless accompaniment to the remnants of the music from outside. The sharp strains were muted to a song of wordless encouragement. Aeris understood. The decision was hers, to seek her joy where she would. There would be no insidious outer influence, no outside force or pressure.

It took no more than a minute to send the torch up the rope. The shadows the flame cast grew smaller and fainter as the light moved up to the ceiling. The stone above Aeris' head glowed a deep gold color from the light, making the dim ground she stood on seem desolate in comparison. She grabbed hold of the rope ladder and began her ascent. Here, at least, she could be at peace. She swung herself forward and entered the room where the Planet sang.

It was dark inside. She could see only the shapes of the windows and the patches of dim light they left on the floor. If she listened, the song of the celebration still reached her, echoing through the thin desert air to find her. Aeris let it sink through her. It was a lovely sound. She kept listening as she drew the ladder up after her. The sound still made her body pulse with need for the fulfillment she had denied herself. Her skin still begged for the thrill of another's touch, but here, she would be at peace.

Aeris took the torch from its hold outside the room and turned to find the sconce just inside the doorway. She had to tiptoe to reach the bracket on the wall. She stretched upwards in an attempt to place the blazing torch in its bracket but she was still a few scant inches short. She stretched harder and gritted her teeth, eager to get the heat of the flame away from her, but she struggled with the task.

Something wrapped around her waist. She did not even have time to cry out before a strong arm lifted her off the floor. She set the torch in the sconce and held her breath as her hand fell to the arm around her. The body at her back was warm and familiar. She felt every single solid inch of it as she was lowered gently to the floor. Her knees almost failed to support her when she landed and she would have fallen if not for the person holding her up.

Aeris turned to meet Sephiroth's eyes. There was a warm fire in them. Aeris smiled and wrapped her arms tight about his waist. She buried her face against his bare chest and felt his own tightening embrace. She did not care how he had come to be there, only that he had. She held him tighter, as if to reassure herself that he was real. She felt his chin come to rest upon her head and she sighed with content. This was so much more than she had hoped for tonight.

She let him sway her gently, losing herself in the motion. She closed her eyes and let herself just feel. He was warm and real and she could hear his heart beating. She loved the way he held her, how he stroked her hair as he moved in time to the slow, distant rhythm. The touch of his hand along her body soothed her immensely. This was beautiful. It was a dream.

She idly ran her hands along his back in response. His skin was so smooth and the body within it firm and powerful. His hair brushed against the back of her hand like light silk. She felt him press a gentle kiss against the top of her head. She murmured contentedly and relaxed in his firm grip. Her hands slid lower along his body. When her fingers did not meet a belt her eyes flew open with realization.

The awareness that he was naked seeped quickly into her mind and became a sharp shock. How could she have ignored this? Even now she felt the maleness of his body pressed against her. She let go and stepped away, surprised.

At the first sign of Aeris' distress, Sephiroth opened his arms and let her go, but he could not bring himself to step back and give her space. He had come too far tonight for this. He did not mean to frighten her, but by the Planet, he would not drive her away this time. He stood before her, still within arm's reach, and waited. Let the next move be hers.

She had her face turned up to meet his, but her gaze seemed very far away. The way she breathed through parted lips drew him in. He tilted his head to the side as he recalled their softness and envisioned claiming them with his own. His slight movement brought her back to herself. He saw the exact moment when her eyes focused and how she resolutely kept her eyes from straying any lower than his chest. He made no move to approach her. All he could do was study the lines of her face and the curves of her robe-clad body.

He almost lost his control then. He recalled the feel of her back beneath the fabric, the smooth, unbroken line his hands had traveled. Though the robe was of a dull dun color and covered more of her than her dress did, there was something in that simple garment that made her positively alluring. Perhaps it was the deep plunge down her chest where the folds of it overlapped each other, or the fact that the thing was secured with only a simple, tempting tie. It may have been the sure knowledge that beneath the thin cloth, her body was completely, absolutely bare. Sephiroth forced himself to stay where he was, though his fingers itched to reach for the knot of the sash.

She looked straight into his eyes then, as if sensing his discomfort. The light from the torch lit her honey-brown hair with a golden halo. Sephiroth was not sure how much longer he could bear just looking. He watched the way her chest moved as she took a step towards him, closing the gap between them. He almost forgot to breathe. She looked up at him with such wide green eyes. There was a hint of nervousness there, but also trust and a deep, deep longing.

He reached up to touch her and was surprised to see his hands trembling. He cupped her face gently with both hands, almost afraid that he would crush her with his strength. She was so fragile. He bent his head low and tenderly kissed her forehead. Her damp hair bore a familiar scent and his fingers touched the smooth petals of a pale blossom as he trailed light kisses over her face. She surprised him by surging forward to catch his lips with an eager cry. He could not resist.

He pulled her in close to his body and nearly devoured her with his desire. Her arms tightened around his neck and he welcomed the sensation. His hands had a will of their own, roaming up and down her slender form, learning each curve, caressing and claiming every inch of her that they could reach.

She did not protest when his hands slipped forward to work at the knot that held her robe closed. She did not even seem to notice. His skilled fingers made quick work of it and he kept his mouth pressed against hers all the while. Gods, but she was sweet and tonight he wished to taste her to his hearts content, if she would let him. He tugged firmly on the strip of cloth and felt it yield. He began to guide the soft cloth off the girl's shoulders.

Aeris broke the kiss and stepped back, gasping for breath. Her hands came up to hold the robe closed across her chest. The cool night breeze that rushed in through the window slid across her bared shoulders. She looked away from the tall man, though he made no move to restrain her. She needed time to slow her pulse, to catch her breath, to think things through.

She almost laughed in her confusion. Her body ached from the loss of his touch and the air was cold against her. How many times would she reconsider at the last minute and give up her chance at happiness? She looked down at herself. The robe risked slipping open for any move she made. She felt glowing eyes upon her form and grew acutely aware of how bare she was beneath the cloth.

She glanced quickly up at the silver-haired man. His chest was heaving and his skin was tinted a pale, warm gold from the fire's light. His lips were reddened from kissing and the glow in his eyes was almost hungry. What good was it tormenting him with this indecisive dance? What good was it to her? He looked at her with such warmth and so much compassion.

The decision was hers, she understood, when she would accept the comfort and release he offered and gift him with hers in return. It touched her then, to see this powerful man standing before her, servant to her wishes. She loved him for waiting. She would not make him wait anymore.

She let her arms fall to her side and felt the rustle of soft cloth as the robe slid down her body to pool at her feet. She heard his sharp intake of breath at the sight of her body. Her eyes slid closed as she stepped forward again, reaching out blindly for him. He did not pull her against his body as she thought he would. She felt his hands on her shoulders, large and strong. She became aware of how tiny she was in his grasp, how weak. He could crush her so easily if he wished and yet he held her as if she were something delicate and precious.

His hands slid down her back and came to rest on her hips. His touch was feather-light and she shivered from the feeling. He bent his head low and she relished the sensation of his hair brushing against her cheeks, of his warm breath on her throat. She barely moved, unsure of what to do beyond that first step. Sephiroth did not seem to notice, content enough to explore her body with hands and lips.

He kissed her ear and tasted her skin. She gave a small cry when he nipped her earlobe. His response was to pull her closer and hold her still. Skin against skin, curves pressed flat against his body, she reveled in the sensation. Her hands came up to the hollow of his back again and this time, when they slid lower she did not pull away. She felt his tongue, warm and wet, moving in a slow line down her neck. His teeth sank into the tender skin, wringing a cry of surprise from her. He marked her well before moving to plant moist kisses on her shoulder. Aeris whimpered in his arms, but her tightening grip on his flesh was sign enough that she enjoyed it.

She leaned back in his grasp as he worked his way down past her collarbone and lower still. As he had so long ago, beneath the trees of Gongaga, he lifted her off the ground to taste her body. She looked down at him, at the silvery head buried in her chest, and almost cried from what he did to her. It was too much. She could not bear it. She fought to get enough air in her lungs to ask him to stop. Before she could utter a sound he turned his head and kissed her nipple.

Any words she had were lost. Her voice was a shrill cry in the night. If she had thought his touch was too intense before, it was nothing to what he was doing to her now with teeth and tongue. She writhed and mewled in his arms, vainly trying to escape his touch, sure that a person was not meant to withstand such pleasure and go on living afterwards.

His kisses grew softer as his hold on her tightened. She felt her heart thudding inside her. She breathed deeply, grateful for the rest, but the man was a demon and any respite he offered was only teasing. He smirked at her expression before sliding his tongue under her other breast to make her scream again.

He had true mercy on her eventually and set her down, though he wisely did not let go. She was too weak and dazed to stand on her own. She fell heavily against him, breathing hard. She could hear nothing but her gasps and his pounding heart. There was a warm flush running through her body. Every part of her that he had touched seemed to bear the ghostly imprint of it still.

She wanted more. She turned to look up him again and caught the fire that burned inside him as it shone out from his eyes. So much desire, lust, all for her…she trembled in his arms. He sensed her need before she could voice it. Aeris could only hold on weakly as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.

He tossed the heavy covers aside before he set her down. She felt the softness of the mattress as she sat at the edge. Her hands sought the bed's wooden frame. Her fingers traced the coiled rope along the side. Sephiroth's hand took her chin and he raised her head. Aeris became aware of the scent of him, of his warm skin and his musky arousal. He was silent, but his eyes begged her not to be afraid. She finally shed the last of that shyness and glanced at the full length of his form.

He was glorious in every respect. He towered above her, all pale skin and lean muscle. He was graceful and strong and for her, so tender. That part of him that she had feared to see stood proudly throbbing with need for her. She made a small sound in the back of her throat, unable to comprehend how she had done such a thing to someone so powerful. Before she could think anymore, Sephiroth came closer and sank to his knees beside the bed.

His eyes were level with hers and his stare was so intense. He touched her shoulders and let his hands glide down her arms to where her little hands rested. He took them in his grasp and brought them to his face to enjoy the scent of her. Aeris sat perfectly still. Her breath hitched when he began to kiss her fingers, taking them into his mouth one by one, but she did not cry out. Any urge to beg him to stop had vanished. They were beyond the need for words now.

Sephiroth kissed the girl's small hands and set them to rest on his chest, where his heart was wildly racing. It was a constant struggle not to throw himself atop her. Her every move and sound was reward for his patience. There was so much shining trust in her eyes and willingness written in her every curve. He held her hands tighter and resisted the urge to crush her against his body, though he grew more pained and desperate with each passing second.

He sank closer to the floor with the agony of unfulfilled passion. He leaned forward and set his head on Aeris' lap. His breath ghosted over her skin. He felt her pull her hand free to lightly stroke his hair. He envisioned the elegant fingers threading their way through silvery strands. A hand brushed over his skin and pulled insistently at his chin. He looked up.

Aeris was flushed and panting and he could read the readiness in her eyes. He did not have to wait anymore. He rose from the floor and gave the girl a gentle push towards the pillow. She yielded with shy, beautiful smile. The swordsman knelt for a while at the edge of the bed while he ran his hands up and down the length of her. Again, he felt her tremble under his touch. He leaned over her as he coaxed her legs apart. She glanced away. Sephiroth kissed her face tenderly to ease her shyness. He relished the moment it slipped from her, replaced by wonder at what his hand did between her thighs.

She moaned softly when he climbed into the bed. She nibbled her lip as he settled himself atop her to probe the wetness of her body. The image of her nude beneath him, her hair fanned out across the pillow took his breath away. She reached up to pull his head down and he granted her the deep kiss she craved. Having her so ready, pliant and willing was intoxicating. He could not bear waiting anymore.

He took hold of her hips and thrust powerfully into her. Aeris surged upwards with a penetrating scream. The pleasure was blinding. Sephiroth supposed he had enjoyed that shrill cry too much, though he felt a fierce pride at being the one to wrest it from her. She was his now, entirely his. He followed her quaking descent back to the soft mattress, not daring to make another move. Her warmth enveloped him.

He felt her shake in his arms again. He looked down to see her breathing shallowly with her face constricted in pain. Her dark lashes were damp with tears and even as he stared, tears gathered in her eyes. He felt it like a blow to his chest, that he had hurt her that much. He should have been more careful. He tried to speak her name but the sounds he made were incoherent mumblings against the faint strains that reached him through the window now that she was silent.

The tension left her body as he watched and her eyes fluttered open. There was still pain there and the tears that had gathered spilled down her face. He reached up to touch her face, still unable to voice a sound. She turned her head at his touch and gave him a look that was flooded with acceptance and understanding. He smiled at her through the pain her own had caused in him and bent to kiss her again. He tasted the salt of her tears and the sweetness of her parted lips.

Aeris responded the best she could as the searing pain faded. She had known there would be pain. Truly she had not expected so much, but it was mercifully brief. There was only the strangeness of having something within her now. She felt Sephiroth's apologetic kisses and the hushed sounds of comfort he whispered to her. She wanted more. This was not all to be had. Her blood still sang for fulfillment.

She reached out blindly. Her hands found smooth skin and silken hair. Her fingers worked their way through the beautiful tresses. She opened her eyes to stare directly at Sephiroth. There was so much worry on his face. She smiled a little at him through the watery image. She reached up and stroked his cheek, letting him know that she was alright. She put her arms around him and brought her thighs up to circle his hips. It was not finished.

Sephiroth's expression lightened at her action. He accepted her permission and acknowledged her desire for more. He began to move within her, with slow, deep strokes that matched the rhythm of her steady breathing. The joy he found in her body was unlike any before. For the first time in his life, he felt a true, unselfish desire to please his lover. Aeris deserved it, but it had been so long for him he could only hope that he was up to the task. The heat and tightness of her body, the feel of her hands in his hair, on his back, all threatened to overwhelm him.

He reached for her hips again and adjusted her position, amazed and grateful for her pliant acceptance of what he did to her. She gasped as he schooled her hips in the most pleasing ways to meet his own. Sephiroth grinned in satisfaction at the soft cries she made at the back of her throat. He himself could not help moaning with each deep stroke. He felt her hands tremble as she caressed his body and became aware that it was almost too much for her. He murmured quiet sounds to soothe her. He would see to all her needs.

Aeris' hands slid weakly from Sephiroth's hair. It was all new to her and she could not keep up with him. All she could do was respond to the onslaught of sensation. She writhed beneath him, barely able to withstand the feel of him. She shuddered and gasped and mewled and all the while a delicious tension grew within her. Her body only ached for release.

She stared up at Sephiroth with a silent plea on her face. His hair fell around her face like a shimmering curtain and blocked nearly all light but the green fire of his eyes. The passion there burned her but she could not look away. She would have begged him to stop tormenting her if she could have formed the words. She would have pleaded for release, promised him anything at all for deliverance from sweet agony. She could do nothing but fist her hands in the sheets and scream.

Some remnant of the Planet's song grew inside her, wild and exultant at the pleasure she felt and the release it knew would come. Aeris held on to what strains she could and let the fierce rhythm take hold of her, anything to help her bear the sensations that ran rampant in her veins. She tightened her hold around the man's hips to ground herself in physical reality.

Sephiroth felt the insistent press of slender legs around him and clenched his teeth as he obeyed. Aeris would get whatever she wanted as long as he was able. There was an unusual warmth emanating from her body. He struggled to open his eyes and look down at her.

She was glowing. Beneath the flush of her skin, the light of life that flowed within her was rushing with a force he could not begin to understand. The power within her flowed in bright rivulets over her skin. It cascaded down the curves of her body and pooled in the hollows. Every gasp and moan she made set her body aflame. Sephiroth grew aware of the arcane influences that pervaded the room. There was light everywhere, flowing from the ceiling into the etchings on the floor and up through the very bedposts to envelope the tiny woman who was finally his lover. He slid his hands along her body and saw the dark shadow he cast against her shining.

He could still feel her though. The surging glow inside her did not shy away from his touch. Far from it, it grew more brilliant with each caress, with each pounding stroke of his body. He let out a strangled scream and pressed on eagerly. He heard her hoarse yell and felt her tighten around him. He plunged forward and embraced the light that had fled him before. It was his now. She was his. He would never let her go. His final wild cry rent the air and his vision exploded in sparks around him.

He returned slowly to a body he could barely feel. The night air was cold against his sweat-slicked skin and he could hardly get air into his lungs fast enough. He looked down at the woman beneath him, his slender, beautiful lover. Her flushed skin bore the sheen of exertion. Her hair was darkened by the dampness of her brow. The emerald eyes were shut. The soft lips were parted. The only move she made was the rise and fall of her chest. Her heavy breathing was her only sound.

Sephiroth had known claiming her would be special. He was no unschooled boy. He knew the warm rush of pleasure to be had from a woman's body, had expected the heavy-lidded satiety that now washed over him. He had not expected the trembling or the sudden weakness that made him collapse beside her on the bed. He did not realize for a long time that he was calling her name with every breath.

His cries were hoarse and faint. He felt the pillow sink beneath his head. He felt her body yield beneath his. He brushed the damp hair from her face. She did not move, did not even open her eyes. He kept calling her name, driven beyond the ability to think. She was all he wanted and she was his now. If she would only look at him…

Aeris felt the heat of the man's breath on her neck. The sound he made seemed at first to be another of the meaningless things he had whispered and moaned to her through the night. It took a while for her to perceive her name out of his exhausted panting. She had to force her eyes to open and for a while she could see nothing at all.

Mortal sight returned to her slowly and the awareness of her physical senses came with it. The room no longer pulsed with shining life. The air did not throb with a vibrant song. All was still and calm. Her lover wrapped an arm weakly around her waist, murmuring her name in halves now. She would have answered if she could, but her lips would not cooperate. Her tongue could not form even the first syllable of his name.

With effort, she managed to uncurl her hands from the sheets. Her fingers felt stiff and the tips were numb from gripping so hard. She moved slowly to place her hands on Sephiroth's shaking shoulders. She turned her head to meet his gaze. There was a question there. She answered it with a heartfelt smile and saw him understand. Her eyes shut themselves of their own accord then and she drifted into dream.

Her pale lover shivered with the assurance she had given him in that one brief glance, that she had indeed gone willingly with him to this end and had treasured the experience. He pulled her closer and buried his face against her throat. Her name left his lips like a prayer one last time before he followed her into sleep.

**************************

A/N: Written to 'Flames', by Vast.