Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Path of Seduction ❯ Chapter Twenty One ( Chapter 21 )

Path of Seduction

Chapter Twenty One

 

“Morning, sleepy!”

 

Aeris opened her eyes just enough to make out the dark shape of Yuffie's head lit up from behind by painfully bright light. The flowergirl groaned and ducked back under the covers. Yuffie huffed and shook the girl's shoulder.

 

“Wake up! You've almost slept half the day away!”

 

Aeris peeked out from under the sheets. “I have?” The surprise slid from her face and she burrowed into the covers again. “Might as well sleep the rest of it away then.”

 

“You can't do that.” Yuffie sat on the side of the bed. “Cloud already went to see if there's some transport out of here. We're just here waiting for you to wake up. Now get up or I'll eat your breakfast.”

 

The bundle under the sheets sighed. Aeris emerged, rumpled and sluggish. “Breakfast?”

 

Yuffie brought a small covered tray over. “Tifa insisted we keep some for you. She figured you'd be hungry when you woke.”

 

Aeris stomach growled on cue. She gave a little nervous laugh and took the tray. The usual traveler's hearty fare was under the dish. Eggs, sausage, biscuits, a breakfast to keep a lumberjack happy. Ordinarily, Aeris would have been missing her fresh fruit and toast, but she was too starved to bother today. A plate full of grease was just what she needed. She picked up the fork and dug in.

 

Tifa came out of the bathroom, still tying her hair off. “Oh, you're finally up!”

 

“Mph, Yuffie woke me,” Aeris mumbled around a mouthful of eggs. Tifa frowned at the ninja.

 

“Yuffie, I told you to let her sleep!”

 

Yuffie shrugged. “I got tired of waiting. Watching people sleep is so boring. Besides, if I didn't wake her I was going to finish up the food. The smell was too good.”

 

“You had three plates already,” Tifa protested.

 

“Hey, I'm a growing girl,” Yuffie hollered. Then she glanced down at her narrow form. “Well, I hope I'm growing.”

 

Tifa rolled her eyes. “Take it from me, Yuff. A large bust is overrated.”

 

“It's better than no bust!” Yuffie swung a spare pillow at Tifa. The martial artist blocked it easily, caught it and sent it back at the ninja. Yuffie ducked and grabbed more ammunition from the empty beds. Aeris sipped her orange juice and smiled quietly at the morning's entertainment.

 

The others caught her look. “All right,” Tifa crossed her arms and tapped one foot in mock annoyance. “What are you laughing at?”

 

Aeris set her glass down. “I wasn't laughing. I was smiling.” It was hard to keep the smirk off her face.

 

“Uh huh.” Yuffie leveled a suspicious glare at the girl. “That's all you've been doing for a while. Walking around dazed and smiling. What's going on?”

 

Aeris blinked. “I've been doing it for a while?”

 

“Every now and then.” Tifa leaned in. “Yesterday you were positively sickening though. You had that look on your face nearly the whole day.”

 

“What look?”

 

“The look!” Tifa and Yuffie were giving her their undivided attention now.

 

“You stare off into nowhere and get that little smile on your face. It's like you're not seeing what's in front of you.” Tifa watched Aeris' face for any change.

 

“Yeah, like you're off in happyland,” Yuffie put in. “What's up with that?”

 

Aeris was too full and comfortable to feel guilty. It was true, she supposed. She had spent much of her time thinking about a certain someone lately and if she got that little satisfied smile on her face, it could hardly be helped. She was happy. The Planet was happy, humming softly in the background. Now, with her friends grilling her over a low flame for answers, she did the only thing she could. She narrowed her eyes at them slyly and smiled.

 

“Aww, Aeris, come on!” Yuffie spun off the bed and flopped onto an empty one. The flower girl buried her laughter. Tifa took the empty dishes away, shaking her head, but she was smiling too.

 

“All right, Aeris. Play it that way. Hurry up and get dressed. You've had a good night's rest.”

 

Aeris stretched and dragged herself out of bed. “I could use another.”

 

“Man, Aeris, you've been sleeping a lot lately too.” Yuffie rolled over on the bed and drooped her head off the side to stare up at Aeris. “What's up with that?”

 

Aeris smothered a yawn. “Nothing. Just not used to hiking so much.”

 

“Really?” Tifa wore a little smirk of her own. “So it's nothing to do with your wild nightlife?”

 

Aeris froze. “What wild nightlife?”

 

“I saw you talking to that guy last night,” Tifa teased.

 

“That's hardly wild, Tifa,” Aeris said, rolling her eyes. “We were just talking.”

 

“And he bought you a drink too, I see.” Tifa grinned.

 

“Wow,” Yuffie rolled over again. “Aeris letting some strange man get her liquored up? I should have paid more attention.”

 

“It was just tea!” Now it was Aeris' turn to swing a pillow. Yuffie caught it full in the face. “And he's not a total stranger. I kind of know him from Cosmo Canyon.”

 

Yuffie tossed the pillow away and flipped off the bed. “Cosmo Canyon? When did you meet anybody there?”

 

“I just bumped into him while I was wandering around,” Aeris said quickly. “I better hit the shower before Cloud decides to leave us behind.” She sprang lightly towards the bathroom, leaving any more questions behind her.

 

--------------------------

 

Cloud met the women in the lobby just as they finished checking out. “I think I've found a way out of here. Everyone keeps saying that the Captain's the one to talk to.”

 

“Captain?” Tifa wondered.

 

Barret swung the door open for the rest. “Yeah, Captain. Seems he's like the mayor around here. He was supposed to be a rocket pilot before the space program got canned or something.”

 

Aeris joined Yuffie outside in craning up to get a look at the mammoth rocket. Even aged, it was impressive.

 

“Wow,” Yuffie stared up in awe. “Too bad it's tilted like that.”

 

Aeris made a small sound of agreement but she couldn't help but think that the thing was well-proportioned and set at just the right angle.

 

“You've got that naughty smile on your face again, Aeris,” Tifa said. “What's so funny this time.”

 

“Nothing!” Aeris straightened up and blushed.

 

“Mmhmm,” Tifa took in her friend's reddened cheeks. “I'll take your word for it.”

 

They found the Captain's house easily enough. Every Rocket Town native knew it. Aeris was surprised to find a neat, pretty little house with a well-tended yard. It was a lovely place and she might have admired it more if not for the aura of tension surrounding it.

 

None of that mattered now. They needed a way to get out of town, some faster transport than their own feet could provide. They filtered into the yard after Cloud. The blond knocked on the door but there was no answer.

 

“Maybe the Captain's out back,” Barret suggested. Cloud nodded and headed around the side of the house. There, he found exactly what he needed.

 

“Tiny Bronco, eh?” He scratched his head. “Not bad. Looks big enough.” Aeris came over to inspect the thing. Maybe she would finally get her plane ride.

 

“It's great!” She ran her hands along the paint.

 

The back door creaked open and a mousy little woman came out. “Um, may I help you with something?”

 

--------------------------

 

Aeris sipped her tea and set the cup down on the saucer. It had been a soothing blend and that was good. The entire day was turning into an exercise in futility. They had tracked down the Captain and he had absolutely refused, in very colorful terms, to let them have his plane.

 

He had been more than willing to talk though. Just about everyone in the town had a story of some sort to tell. Maybe that was why tea was so popular here. Tea was a leisurely thing, made slowly to be sipped over conversation. Pleasant conversation. Aeris forced herself to take another sip.

 

She felt a little guilty about taking advantage of Shera's forced hospitality. The poor woman felt she owed that gruff old Captain something even after saving his life. Aeris could understand indebtedness, but that kind of subservience, and to such a mannerless, ungrateful lout just didn't sit well with her. Now she knew what kept this pretty house from being a home. She glanced at the scruffy smoker across the table. All he cared about was himself, his tea and his plane. Aeris wondered how a plane could matter so much to a person. Highwind didn't deserve the kind of attention Shera gave him. He had not even thanked the woman for the tea before he sat down to wait for Shinra. Aeris stared into the bottom of her teacup. She wondered if a good fist to the face could fix him. It had worked well enough on better men.

 

She shook her head to get rid of that thought. She just was not thinking like herself lately. Everything seemed just a little bit different now. If Tifa and Yuffie could notice that she was behaving differently, she would have to keep a closer eye on herself.

 

The door swung open and everyone looked up. The fat man in the doorway waddled in. Aeris felt her skin crawl just looking at him. He waved one jiggly arm at them.

 

“Hey-hey, Cid! Long time no see! How ya been?”

 

Captain Cid Highwind bounced out of his seat. “Palmer, you fat ass! How long were you figurin' on keeping me waiting? When's my space program starting up again?”

 

Palmer hopped up and down a bit. “Hey-hey, I don't know. The President's outside so why don't you go ask him?”

 

Cid pounded the table. “Fuck! You good-for-nothing fat ass!” He ran outside and Cloud followed. Aeris listened to Palmer give his tea order to Shera and had to escape outside too. She almost stepped headlong into a full-blown argument between the Captain and the young Shinra President.

 

Rufus paid no attention to the people clustered in the doorway. He did not even seem to notice Cloud. Aeris shrank back against the door, keeping her eyes on the men. Rufus was slick, calm and confident. The youthful bravado in his tone did not sit well with her. His ego was clearly in need of instant deflation. And Highwind…

 

The Captain was throwing every dirty word in the book and quite a few new ones at the young President. The scandalized six-year old inside Aeris wanted to block her ears but some kind of morbid fascination kept her still. The man's inventive profanity was spectacular.

 

Something touched her shoulder. She stepped aside to let Shera edge through. Maybe the woman did not want Highwind making a scene in the front yard. Aeris was surprised when the woman made her way over to Cloud instead.

 

Whatever Shera said, Cloud turned around, looking determined. He marched back into the house. “Follow me, guys. We're getting us an airplane.”

 

They spilled out the backdoor to find Palmer nosing around the little red plane. Cloud planted his feet firmly in the ground. “We'll be taking that Tiny Bronco!”

 

Palmer jumped and turned around. “Hey, don't I know you from someplace?” His beady eyes glittered as recognition set in. “I know! When the President was killed!” He looked around wildly. “Security! Security!”

 

Aeris leapt forward and hit him with a violent fire spell. Cloud grinned back at her and drew his sword. Palmer was not going down easy. He pulled out a gun of some kind and began firing at random.

 

“Don't fan out!” Cloud ordered. “Don't surround him, just force him away!”

 

Palmer made a rude gesture. “I can hear you, stupid!” He fired. Yuffie rolled along the ground, narrowly avoiding the blast.

 

“Oh, it is on now, fatso!” She threw her shuriken out and just nicked the man.

 

Aeris geared up to run in and do her part. A firm hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned back. Vincent kept his eyes on Palmer as he spoke. “Using your staff is unwise here.” He let go of her to aim with his shotgun. His aim was good.

 

Aeris sank back. She would have loved nothing more than to jump forward and beat that piggy with her staff but Vincent was right. Getting in close was not smart when there were bullets flying. She knew where her real strength was. She felt her materia hum slightly each time she attuned them to her signal and drew the power out. The Planet song roared around her, willing to lend her strength. The pressure was intense. Aeris refused to give in. The Planet was offering too much, more than she felt she could handle. If she tapped that strength unfiltered by the materia, there was no telling how big a chunk of the backyard she could blow up.

 

She struggled to keep the surge of power under control. She released it in tiny bursts of blinding lightning and heat. Palmer stumbled back, wheezing. They were wearing him down. Cloud charged and Palmer ran into the street as fast as he could. Aeris heard the blast of a large vehicle coming down the road. The threads of inevitability revealed themselves and she turned away flinching.

 

“Oh, God!” Tifa shrieked. Aeris shut her eyes tighter, focusing only on a dull mechanical rumble.

 

“Forget that!” Cloud yelled. “Get in the plane! It's moving!” There was a race towards the little plane and not for the first time, Aeris regretted the fact that she had gotten caught up in things while wearing a dress.

 

The plane would not stop. Cloud leapt aboard and held his hand out for the rest. Red leapt aboard with ease and Yuffie sprang in close behind. Cloud pulled in anyone who reached for his hand. Aeris tried to catch up.

 

“Come on, Aeris,” Cloud yelled. “Take my hand.”

 

The plane was picking up speed, taking Cloud and the others further away. Aeris cried out. Then something cold and hard wrapped around her waist. Her feet left the ground and she flew threw the air, safely gripped by Vincent's metal arm. The tips of the claw dug sharply into her side, for a moment, but then she was through the hatch of the plane and Vincent was setting her down. There was no room for him inside so he latched onto a wing. Aeris hardly had time to get her bearings in the cramped cabin before a loud yell drew her attention.

 

Yuffie pressed her face against the far window and looked back. “It's that old pilot dude.”

 

“Hey,” Highwind yelled and chased after his plane. “What the hell do you crazy motherfuckers think you're doing with my goddamned plane! You sonuvabitch! Bring my baby back here, you little shit!” His tirade was interrupted by gunfire. There was a loud noise and something hit the tail end of the plane just as it was leaving the ground The Tiny Bronco bucked in the air and everyone inside slammed together in a sweaty cramped heap. Cloud swung out into the open air, just barely keeping his grip on the door.

 

“Oh shit!” Cid's voice seemed much closer now. “The tail's been hit. Fucking Shinra!”

 

“Holy cow!” Yuffie stared back as far as she could see out of the window. “That looney's hanging off the plane!”

 

“So's Cloud!” Barret grabbed the blond's arm but the plane was going too fast by then for pulling someone it to be easy.

 

Cloud grinned up at the others in the cabin. “This is going to be an emergency landing.” The plane dipped perilously as if it had heard him.

 

Aeris joined Yuffie against the far window to get away from the open door. Cid was crawling over his plane like a monkey, trying to get away from the sparks. Aeris could only see a leg and a white knuckled hand from her position.

 

“Aw, shit! This is going to be one hell of a big splash!” The little plane continued its downward dive. Aeris instinctively curled herself up into a tight ball. She heard the pilot yell something about underwear.

 

The plane dipped. Aeris' stomach lurched. A lifetime passed as they fell out of the sky.

 

They did not explode on impact as Aeris had half expected. The sharp fall softened quickly and sent them tumbling all over one another. Tifa managed to grab hold of Barret's belt to keep him and Cloud from tumbling into the water.

 

The plane sputtered and drifted to a stop. Aeris took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. They were not about to sink and that was no small relief. That whole flight had been terrifying, but amazing. The lift, the soaring, the sensation of moving through nothing. Airplanes were amazing.

 

The girl straightened herself up, much to Yuffie's relief. Barret wanted to yank Cloud inside, but there was hardly any room. “Swing me onto the wing,” he said. “It's safe now.”

 

There was a metallic ringing across the ceiling. Cid was standing up. “You think it's safer? You gonna change your fucking mind when I'm through witcha, you fuckwad! Look what you let Shinra do to my plane!”

 

Aeris stuck her head outside and saw him pushing up his sleeves and flexing his fingers. The girl swallowed. “Uh oh.”

 

Cid geared up to confront Cloud. “I'm gonna fix your ass, boy!”

 

Cloud visibly braced himself. Cid was pulling his hand back for a punch when Vincent stopped things from getting out of control simply by pulling Cloud out of the way with his claw. The sight of the golden metal limb shocked the pilot still for just the crucial moment.

 

“What the fuck is that thing?”

 

Vincent stared quietly for a long time. The only movement was the plane bobbing on the water. Cloud took a deep breath.

 

“We can't stay on the water forever.”

 

The Captain nodded. Personal issues had to take a backseat to survival. He spun around and swung himself into the plane. “Get out of the way. I got to get my baby started again.”

 

Aeris sank back to the floor and tried to stay out of the way.

 

--------------------------

 

Cid lay flat on the Tiny Bronco's wing with his arms dangling over the side. He slid further to feel the blood rushing down to his head. A little more and he could fall over the side and drown.

 

It was all over. His repair attempts had failed. He could only do so much out in the middle of nowhere. Even if he had been back at his hangar, there was not much he could do. His plane would never fly again. He wished he could fully blame the blond boy next to him, but that Strife had not done the shooting. He had actually tried to keep that fat bastard, Palmer, from making off with the plane. Cid made a raspy sigh. It was over. He had no rocket. He had no airship and Shinra was even trying to take his beaten up little plane from him.

 

He turned his head and took in the sight of all these strange people sitting all over his plane. They were spread out over the wings for balance. Cid felt just a little bit of pride in the fact that the Bronco could still float with all the extra weight, even after all she had been through. It was her last great flight.

 

“She'll never fly again,” he moaned. All his hopes and dreams were dead, buried and damn well rotted now. Everything he had ever lived for was gone. There was no pretending that things would come around. He was just a rat, doomed to spend his days crawling over the earth with the rest of them. The girl in pink sighed along with him as if she understood something now.

 

“Can't we use it as a boat?”

 

Cid blinked. The blond was looking over at him expectantly. “Do whatever the hell you want.”

 

“What are you going to do now?”

 

Cid dangled his arms a bit more. “Dunno. After this stunt, I'm through with Shinra and I've given up on the town.”

 

Cloud scratched his head. “What about your wife? What about Shera?”

 

Cid sprang up at that. “Wife? Are you fucking nuts, kid? Shera ain't my damn wife! Even the thought of that makes me sick!” He did not notice the glare the women leveled at him. “What are you going to do?”

 

Cloud stretched. “We're going after a man named Sephiroth. We'll have to go after Shinra too at some point.”

 

Cid thought it over. He had no plane, no position, no family, nobody worth returning to. “What the hell. Sign me up!” Cloud blinked and glanced at the others. Tifa stood and straightened her shirt. They had gotten the man's pride and joy blown out of the sky, after all.

 

“Sure, no problem.”

 

Cid grinned. “Glad to be aboard, numbskulls!”

 

“Numbskulls?” Cloud frowned even though that had been the nicest thing Cid had called them all day.

 

“Yeah,” Cid continued, still grinning. “Anyone who goes up against Shinra nowadays has got to be a numbskull.” He pulled a pack of cigarettes out from the band of his goggles and lit one up. “I like it!” He took a deep drag on his cigarette. The girl in pink spluttered and coughed and tried to wave the smoke away. He ignored her. “So, where are we headed? Rufus said he was going after Sephiroth too. Something about the Temple of the Ancients.”

 

The girl perked up at that. Cloud seemed interested too. “Really? Where is that?”

 

Cid shrugged. “Dunno.”

 

Cloud looked out across the sea. “Okay then. Let's just get to some land. Then we can get information.”

 

The giant red cat leaned forward. “I think there's a mountain that way.”

 

The short-haired girl stuck her head out and looked. “Wutai.” She had a strange grin on her face.

 

Cid took a puff on his cigarette. “Wutai, huh? I always meant to go there. Never got the chance. Might as well.” He swung down to get the propeller going. His baby would never fly again, but he was still her pilot and he would steer her where she had to go.

 

--------------------------

 

Far away, a man in black stopped mid-flight. He hovered above the grass as the sun sank. Yet again, one element of his plan was not quite falling into place. He sighed.

 

“Would you believe it, Mother? Now he's going to Wutai.”

 

“The puppet being diverted again is no surprise at all,” Mother replied. “Neither is what you're about to do, by the way.”

 

Sephiroth arched one eyebrow. “And what am I about to do, Mother?”

 

“Be insufferably male, of course.”

 

Sephiroth smirked and stared in the direction of the land that had made him glorious. The item he was seeking was vital, but it could wait. It would do him no good without the puppet anyway. Somebody had to make sure the blond did not get himself into trouble.

 

And Wutai, for all its blood-soaked memories, was a good place to think when things were quiet. With the war over, things had been quiet for years. Wutai, with its many glistening rivers, was a lovely place for communing with nature. There was an energy there, something pristine. Wutai was far from Shinra's prying eyes. Something there had always freed Sephiroth from decorum and restraint. He liked Wutai even if it did not like him. It would be good to see it again, to sort out his head on the high peaks of Mt. DaChao or in the water gardens near the Imperial Palace. Maybe she would like to see them.

 

Sephiroth grinned wolfishly. If this was what Mother considered insufferably male, so be it. He shot through the air into the setting sun.

 

--------------------------

 

Cloud scoped out the terrain in the fading light. “Here's as good a place as any. Let's make camp.” A group gasp of relief went up as backpacks hit the ground.

 

“Got anything edible?” Cid inhaled his sweet, sweet nicotine. The Tiny Bronco always had supplies in case of emergencies. He had a small tent and a thermal blanket and some basic medical supplies, but in the corner of the pack where he had always meant to put some non-perishable goods, he had stashed a big carton of smokes instead.

 

“We have travel rations,” Tifa offered. “We usually hunt or forage if we need extras but we're okay for now.”

 

Vincent stood. His red eyes flashed in the dark. “If you are willing to wait a while,” he offered, shouldering his rifle. “The dark does not hinder me.”

 

Tifa looked around at the group. The circle of tents was going up as usual. The ride in had been rough but the shore was nearby for washing and she was up to a little pluck-and-gut if the hunt did not take too long. “Well? Everybody?”

 

General shrugs and half-interested agreement sounded from all around. Tifa knew they would be more enthusiastic once the smell of a cookfire and a hot meal reached them. She turned to Vincent again. “Sounds like a `yes' to me.” The man nodded and walked away.

 

Red padded up alongside him. “If you don't mind,” he said, turning his one yellow eye up to the tall man, “I can hunt in the dark as well.” Vincent nodded slightly and they marched out of the camp together.

 

“Right then.” Tifa smoothed her skirt down. “We're going to need a fire.”

 

“I got it,” Cloud said. He dropped a bundle of twigs onto the ground and knelt down to get the fire going. “What the fuck?”

 

Everyone turned around. Tifa was about to chide Cloud for picking up a certain pilot's bad habits but the way he was examining his armor and weapon stopped her. He looked up, half-panicked. “My materia's gone.”

 

“You lost your fire materia?” Barret asked.

 

“No!” Cloud stood and looked around frantically. “I lost all of it!”

 

“Materia, eh?” Cid's cigarette glowed brighter in the dark. “Damn weird stuff. I never messed with it much myself.”

 

Barret waved his gun at the crowd. “That's just damned careless, Cloud! That stuff's not cheap!”

 

Tifa stepped forward. “Maybe they fell out when you were hanging from the plane. Don't worry. We can get more. You can borrow mine for the fire.” She reached for her armlet and froze. She had to look again to be certain. She swallowed. “Mine's gone too.”

 

“What the-.” Barret made a quick check. “Aw, hell no! When did this happen?”

 

Tifa looked around the camp. “Does anyone still have materia?”

 

The wave of panic spread through the camp. “None here,” Aeris breathed.

 

“Cait?” Tifa asked. “Yuffie?”

 

“I've got nothing,” Cait Sith peered down his megaphone. A silence came after him.

 

Aeris spun around. “Where's Yuffie?”

 

There was no trace of tent, shuriken or ninja. Cloud walked to the edge of the camp, laughing nervously. “We're in Wutai, aren't we? And Yuffie's from Wutai.” His laugh strayed slightly into the realm of hysterics.

 

“So you're saying she went home?” Aeris fingered her bare armlet.

 

Cloud laughed again. “With all our fucking stuff!” He laughed harder and harder. Aeris wondered if she should slap him out of it.

 

A gunshot sounded off in the distance. Cloud jumped and grew still. Aeris looked out the way Vincent and Red had gone. “Do you think we can find her?”

 

Cloud narrowed his eyes. “We'll have to.”

 

Tifa shivered. “We can't go now. Not into strange territory.” Cloud almost winced. They had grown so dependent on their magic. Now they were almost crippled without it.

 

He nodded. “You're right. Come morning, though, we're tracking her.”

 

“Hey,” Cid flicked his cigarette butt to the ground and ground it under his heel. “Shouldn't we try to get to her with a fresh trail or whatever?”

 

Cloud considered it. A loud roar sounded from the distance. “I'd rather follow a faint trail in daylight when we can see what's coming.” Tifa nodded. Cloud looked around. “Pull the tents in closer. Make the circle tighter. I'll take first watch tonight. Barret, you second.” The big man nodded.

 

Aeris spotted approaching shapes in the dark. She could tell from the movement that it was only Vincent and Red returning to camp. “We need to get that fire started.”

 

“Right. It'll keep predators away.” Cloud bent to the task. Aeris walked over to do the job. She did not need materia. She whispered silent thanks to her lover for teaching her.

 

Cid butt in first. “What're you gonna do, boy?” he asked. He lit yet another cigarette, oblivious to Cloud's stare. “You gonna rub two sticks together like they teach you in the army?”

 

Cloud propped himself up on one knee. “Actually, I was thinking of borrowing your cigarette lighter.”

 

“Good,” Cid said, taking a deep drag. Then he realized what Cloud had said. “Aw, shit. Look, don't waste the fluid, okay?”

 

--------------------------

 

Aeris slid out of her tent with her empty canteen in one hand and her staff in the other. She was getting far too good at this sneaking business. Cloud was dozing lightly, propped up against his sword near the remains of the fire. He had discarded the remains of the meal some distance from the camp to avoid attracting scavengers. The small animal had just been enough to go around and add some variety to a dry travel ration diet, but it had left Aeris terribly thirsty. The closest water was the ocean, good for washing up but not for much else.

 

The Planet answered her need. A faint ripple ran through its song. There was fresh water nearby, but out of sight. She edged past the tight ring of tents. She could hear snores within. Her foot caught on one of the supports but she steadied herself in time. The slight canvas rustle was enough to rouse Cloud. He jerked awake.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Aeris felt her stomach sink. She calmed herself and looked back. “I have to go.”

 

Cloud stared blankly at her. “Why?”

 

“I have to go, Cloud,” she repeated with a pointed glance for emphasis.

 

Even in the faint orange firelight, she saw him flush. “Ah, okay then. Don't…go too far. I'll come looking for you if you take too long.”

 

“Don't walk in on me, please!” Aeris tiptoed along, alarmed. She felt Cloud's eyes on her back until she turned past a large rocky outcropping. The rippling melody was closer now. She did not have far to go at all.

 

What she found was a thin sliver of a stream in the darkness. It was just deep enough to fill a canteen. Aeris uncapped hers and bent to rinse it out properly. She gasped when her hand touched the stream. Mountain water was always so cold.

 

Something flapped in the darkness ahead of her. Aeris almost lost her grip on the canteen. Her other hand tightened on her staff and she sat up straight, looking ahead.

 

Sephiroth emerged from the shadow of a rock. Aeris sighed in relief. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

 

He knelt down on the opposite bank of the stream. “I could ask you the same thing.”

 

“Our plane crashed.” Aeris shook her canteen out and refilled it.

 

“So I heard.”

 

Aeris looked up at the man and smiled as she took the drink she was craving. “It's funny…”

 

“Crashing?” Sephiroth tilted his head at her.

 

“No, silly,” She filled her canteen to the brim again and covered it. “I meant meeting you here like this. It's how we first met.”

 

Sephiroth smiled slightly. “It is, isn't it? Opposite banks of the water.” He seated himself comfortably on the ground. This stream was so narrow that all they could just reach across the water to touch each other.

 

“Yes.” Aeris smiled dreamily up at the sky. “Opposite sides…I prefer what you were wearing back then though.”

 

“But I wasn't wearing any…oh.” Sephiroth shook his head at the girl. Aeris watched his silver hair ripple like a waterfall in the weak light. He was beautiful. He turned his eyes on her and she felt the breath leave her body. He chided her playfully. “You have quite a naughty streak, young lady.”

 

“Who's fault is that?”

 

Sephiroth did not answer. He stared at her for a while, then stood and crossed the stream in two steps. He took care not to splash too much water near her. Aeris began to rise to meet him. He caught her shoulders and pulled her towards him. He pulled her off the ground as he claimed her mouth. Aeris arched into his body, eager to feel as much of him as possible.

 

Sephiroth sank to his knees, taking Aeris down with him. He lowered her to the ground a bit roughly and stared down at her. She was breathless and had that beautiful smile. He smiled back at her as he stroked her hair, then leaned in for another taste.

 

Aeris rolled out from under him, evading his lips. “No, Seph.”

 

“What? Why not?” The man sputtered. “Are you still tired from the last time?”

 

Aeris shook her head. “I can't stay out here too long. Cloud's up and he might come looking for me if I don't go back in time.” Aeris sat up and hugged her knees. “He thinks I'm…taking care of business.”

 

Sephiroth sat up, frowning. “Why isn't he asleep?”

 

“Somebody has to keep watch.” Aeris stuck her hand in the water to feel it flow between her fingers. “Yuffie,” her voice hardened as she said the name, “Yuffie stole our materia. We're without instant defense.”

 

“Kisaragi Yuffie?” Sephiroth was surprised.

 

“You know her?” Aeris asked.

 

Sephiroth's lip curled in distaste. “I …am acquainted with her family.”

 

“Oh.” Aeris edged closer to the man and pressed against his side. He got the hint and wrapped an arm around her. She leaned in heavily against him. He could smell her hair. It was pleasant. More than that, it was wonderful, holding her like this again. Confused as he was about his reaction to her, he had to admit, it was very, very nice. “I guess you know a lot about Wutai,” she was saying. Sephiroth was so busy enjoying her warmth and her scent that he almost missed it.

 

“I do.” He knew his enemy well.

 

Aeris put one hand on his lap. “Does it bother you? Coming back here, I mean. With the war and all.”

 

The swordsman shook his head. “It does not bother me. Wutai is a lovely country. Stubborn, spirited, proud, but lovely all the same.” He sounded almost wistful.

 

Aeris tried to gauge his mood by his expression, but he was staring off into the distance. “You like Wutai?” He nodded. “That's the first I ever heard from anyone who was in the war.” She shuddered, remembering stories from Zack and assorted rumors and grapevine tales. The Meaningless War as a dark stain in the past. “People lost so much during that time. Land, peace, family.”

 

Sephiroth was pensive. “I was lucky,” he said. “All I lost was a finger.”

 

Aeris looked down at the two perfect hands linked across her stomach, then stared up at Sephiroth, wide-eyed. He glanced down at her and his fingers twitched just a little. “It grew back.”

 

Aeris kept staring. “How'd you lose it?”

 

Sephiroth sighed. She had asked, and like a fool, he would answer. “At the end of the war, the Military leaders were asked to oversee the signing of the relevant treaties by the Noble Houses of Wutai. I was ensuring that one Lord did as he was supposed to when his young daughter pounced on me with a large kitchen knife.” He caught the rising laughter in Aeris' eyes. He knew what was coming.

 

Aeris could not hold back anymore. “A girl caught you off guard and came at you with a kitchen knife? And you couldn't defend against that?”

 

“Well, I couldn't very well risk injuring her just as we were forging peace with her father!” Sephiroth scowled. “She was just a child. She couldn't have been more than ten and she was wearing this little pink kimono. How threatening do you suppose she was?”

 

“Threatening enough if she got your finger!” Aeris fell backwards laughing. “I hope you learned your lesson.”

 

“Oh, I did.” Sephiroth leaned over his lover. “Never underestimate girls in pink.” He bent down to nibble her throat and she happily let him.

 

A scuffing on the ground in the distance made him stop. He stared out in the direction of the sound like a hunting cat with on the alert.

 

A voice came around the rock. “Aeris? Are you there?” Aeris sat up, breathless and pale with shock.

 

“I- I'm okay, Cloud,” she called back.

 

“You sure?” The voice was coming closer. “I thought maybe you lost your way. Stay there, I'll come take you back to camp.” The green-eyed lovers shared a panicked glance. Aeris sprang to her feet.

 

“Don't you take one step closer, Cloud! I'm not done!”

 

“Oh.” Cloud was blushing. Aeris was sure of it. “I'll…I'll just wait for you here then.”

 

“Um,” Aeris said. “This might take a while. You should go back to camp.”

 

“Uh, you sure you can find your way back?”

 

“Yes, I'm sure. Now do you mind?” Aeris was exasperated. She had to get rid of him somehow “You better not be peeking!”

 

“Oh, heck no! I'm not…into that kind of thing.” Cloud's voice seemed a bit fainter. “See you at camp.”

 

Sephiroth and Aeris stood listening for the longest minute of their lives. Finally, the tension left Sephiroth's body. “He's gone.” He took Aeris' hands and kissed her fingers.

 

Aeris pulled away reluctantly. “I can't stay tonight. If I don't return to the camp soon he'll just come looking again.”

 

Sephiroth made a disappointed sound. “I wish you didn't have to go. I can't get any sex, I mean sleep, without you!” He stepped back, shocked at his slip.

 

Aeris gave him a sly look. “You see that it stays that way, mister!”

 

“Yes, ma'am.” Sephiroth nodded. “Are you sure you can go back on your own?”

 

The woman secured her staff and canteen. “I came out here alone, didn't I? It's not far.” She got up on tiptoe to give the man a sweet parting kiss. It was a gentle one, but full of promise. It ended only when Aeris' quivering knees threatened to give way beneath her. “I'll be all right,” she promised as she drew away.

 

“I know you will be, girl in pink.” Sephiroth brushed stray hair from her face. “I'll see you soon.”

 

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A.N: This fanfic has recently been featured on Mediaminer. Thanks to Chibichibikawaii / Sicklilselphie for nominating it. :D