Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Purgatory ❯ Across the Universe ( Chapter 2 )

We know what we are, but know not what we may be.

--William Shakespeare

The strains of a soft lullaby wound its way through the darkness. A bright and happy tune that she remembered from her childhood, that part that was nearly lost in the fog of time. Forgotten was her terrifying encounter in the plains of purgatory, all she felt was the warmth of the maternal lullaby sung so sweetly. Scattered remembrances of her real mother were lifted before her. Like giant puzzle pieces that once laid together made up a broken picture of stained glass. Eyes as bright and green as her own, loose flowing chestnut hair that draped over her shoulders in looping waves, the warmth of her arms, the scent of rose hips and lavender, the sweet timbre of her gentle voice and the tinkling bell-like sound of her laughter, these images fragmented and reformed over time. Certain things she'd never forget, others faded into the deepest recesses of her subconscious.

There were times in her youth when she was terrified of forgetting even the smallest thing about her real mother. Usually it affected her the most after the planet sent her one of its unpleasant visions. It rarely sent her anything but. Whether it was its own lonely screams or the graphic depiction of her death in the great city. It was then that she reached for the memory of her birth mother and would wake sobbing when she couldn't remember the woman's face. It wasn't that she didn't love her adoptive mother, but...her real mother would understand about the planet, its voice, and the terrible premonitions it sent its only confidant.

She would call desperately to the planet, with soft cries begging it to help her. If she was to give her life, did she not deserve some small comfort? The planet was at first reluctant, but it soon realized the burden it had placed on one so young. It relented, letting Ifalna cross over from time to time to speak with her daughter. The planet would do what it had to do to make its last shepherd stronger; to prepare the girl for what was to come.

It was not supposed to have been this way. Aeris was not the one who should have knelt at that altar. The powers that be, the collective consciousness of the cetra, had little faith in the flower girl. She was a half-breed and in the eyes of some of her ancestors, not fit to summon the last hope. Impure and without true power. It was an ugly way to look at it, but it was the way many cetra felt.

Fate had decreed that Ifalna was to give her life. She was of pure blood and with all the power befitting one of her kind. She was to summon holy and in summoning, sacrifice herself. Aeris was to stay behind, carry on the cetra's legacy and oversee the planet's healing. Fate had dictated that Aeris should live.

Plans, no matter how well laid, go awry. The future is not static and as a force it is as uncontrollable as the wind. Fate can dictate all it wants but the strings of the future are limitless. Fracturing off by the random chance and whims of human free will. Even the powers that be are helpless to foresee exactly what the future holds. All that can be seen is possibility. Life is and always will be unpredictable. That is the price of mortality.

Ifalna died on the steps in front of a train station in the Midgar slums, her body riddled with bullets, rather than at the hands of a mad man. With her dying breath she entrusted the care of her five-year-old daughter to a stranger. A woman she barely knew but Ifalna trusted her implicitly for reasons only she knew.

Aeris had guessed it was Elmyra's warm and generous nature, that somehow her mother could sense it. The stranger had been friendly with the dying woman. She had helped someone in need, a peculiar trait in one born and bred in Midgar. By instinct, her mother had known that the woman would take good care of her daughter. Or at least, that was her hope. Ifalna had closed her eyes with the comforting thought that her child was safe.

In dying, Ifalna's burden had been passed on to her daughter. There was no one else to take her place. All the other cetra were gone. Aeris knew she wasn't as skilled at magic as she should have been. Even if she managed to summon holy, it would not be enough to stop meteor. She hadn't the power to put behind the spell, like her mother would have.

Of course, Aeris didn't realize it wasn't supposed to be her. The planet had sent her the visions her mother was supposed to have received. It tried its best to prepare one who was woefully inadequate for such a job. In the end, Aeris had made the planet proud, there was joy mixed with sadness in its song on the day meteor was repelled. It rejoiced that Aeris had completed her duty and in death became more powerful than she'd ever been. It was unexpected and it silenced all those who had doubted the girl for being only half cetra. Though it was proud of her and wished her well, the planet regretted that its friend would never speak with it again, and it was left alone to heal in silent sorrow.

Ifalna hadn't been surprised by her daughter's strength. She had never given much credence to the stereotypes about humans. They seemed weak but in their weakness, they found strength. There was a fire in the human soul, a desire to carry on despite overwhelming odds of failure and that genius spark of ingenuity that had helped them survive thus far. Sure, Aeris didn't have the raw power to summon the spell at full strength, so she improvised. Using the lifestream to bolster holy, Aeris had accomplished the impossible. No cetra would have thought to do that. They would have counted on the spell to do all the work. And maybe it would have, but then again, maybe not. Ifalna had learned that fate could not be trusted. She had also learned that fate could also be cruel.

Looking down at her sleeping daughter, Ifalna felt bitterness and regret but most of all guilt. She had been the one to fail in her duty and Aeris had paid the price. Worse, it seemed that fate had more in store for the young cetra and it chose Ifalna as the bearer of bad news. Aeris stirred in her sleep and her eyes fluttered as she awoke. The older cetra did her best to mask the sorrowful expression she'd worn before. It was important to keep things positive. The powers that be didn't want Aeris knowing too much. For if she did, Ifalna knew her daughter would refuse outright. Who could blame her? If Ifalna herself held any power whatsoever, she'd have found a way to stop this...madness. But she didn't. The proud mother of the last shepherd and savior of the planet was nothing more than a low level cherubim and yet another pawn in heaven's game.

With a sigh, she regarded her daughter, "Good Morning, munkin. How are you feeling?"

Aeris smiled warmly at the use of her mother's nickname for her. It'd been too long since she last heard it, "I'm okay. Were you singing?"

Ifalna nodded slowly, trying her best to let the moment play out. She wanted so much to just stay here with her daughter. What a lady she'd grown into! How she'd wished she were the one who was responsible for this. Elmyra had done a marvelous job. There was a special seat in heaven for her and Ifalna looked forward to thanking the woman personally one day.

"Yes. I was."

"Don't stop."

Ifalna shook her head and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry Aeris. There isn't time." She'd been sent here with a mission. They had sent her to prepare the former flower girl as soon as possible. There was no time for her to explain all she need to and she could only hope what she could impart was enough to prepare her daughter for what was to come. The powers that be had denied her so much of her heritage that the girl knew little of her place in the world, as if they wanted her to remain ignorant, "Damn them." Ifalna cursed to herself.

Aeris didn't understand... it was obvious by the confused frown she wore. "But why? I've ascended finally..." the flower girl waited, looking at her mother's face and trying to read the expressions that flickered across it, "Haven't I?"

"No. You haven't. This is an illusion. You are in the highest plain of heaven. The seventh layer. As a wandering soul, your consciousness is ill equipped to grasp this reality. We had to create this place so that we could speak with you."

Aeris sat up and looked around, her mind was a muddle of confusion. She hated being kept in the dark. With a frown she pushed the bitterness from her thoughts to look at the room heaven had created for her. The powers that be had rather simple tastes and picked from her memory the least elaborate piece of scenery they could find. They had little time or use for more complex illusions because they had better things to do with their power. Aeris was still suitably impressed. It was an almost exact replica of a room she'd stayed in while in Wutai. Right down to the rice paper walls and tatami mats. Looking to her right, she was delighted to note that the porch doors were open and she was able to gaze at the garden beyond. It was slightly disappointing to think none of this was real but then again, nothing had be real for her for years.

Aeris chided herself for being so jaded and mirthless. Illusion or no, it was nice to see something that mirrored her former life so exactly. Elysium had no trouble creating natural wonders for her to explore but it'd been unable to recreate anything approaching human settlements. She'd learned that quickly when she'd first arrived in heaven. It had tried its hardest to replicate her church for her but in the end it failed miserably.

Gazing out into the garden, Aeris wondered if she'd be able to walk in it, even if it were only for a moment. It looked so inviting. She could see little trails winding through meticulously maintained trees and shrubs. A man-made pond could be seen in the distance and if Aeris strained her hearing, she could almost hear the pleasant thunk of a deer scare that was no doubt placed by the river that fed the pond. A tiny bell that hung from the rafters of the porch rung in the breeze.

How she'd longed for familiarity like this. Something that was closer to what she remembered of life. Aeris had tried very hard to hold onto everything she recollected from her time as a mortal. It hit her then that there was quite a bit she'd forgotten and memories flooded her as she continued to gaze longingly into the garden. What would it be like to spend a night in this room? Would the futon be as soft and yielding as she remembered? What would it be like to snuggle deep into the down coverlet on a cold winter's night? Better yet, the feeling of kicking off that coverlet during the summer time. Strangely, even the feeling of being sweaty and uncomfortable seemed appealing. How long had it been since she'd thought about showering? Even the simple act of eating had been forgotten. Things so basic in life that she'd taken for granted and now that she was dead, how she longed for them. The very thought of running a brush through newly wetted hair was thrilling to her, instead of the annoyance it had been when she still breathed. Unconsciously, she grasped a wisp of hair with her fingers and twirled it.

If she'd been paying any attention, she'd have noticed Ifalna's smile at the reflex action. It had been a habit that Aeris had indulged in from the day she was born, when her tiny hands reached up into her mother's unbound curls for comfort.

Her hand slipped back into her lap and Aeris looked at it for a moment. What did they want from her now? There was nothing more they could take from her. Staring into the hand she'd injured in Elysium, Aeris wished with all her heart she were still alive. The skin of her palm was unmarred and featureless. Without a body to wound, any injury was hardly permanent. It took everything in her not to press her fingers into her flesh until it bled.

"Do you miss your mortal life that much?"

Aeris blushed but she could not lie to her mother. "Yes." she replied in an almost inaudible whisper.

Ifalna nodded sadly, "I thought as much. The planet is calling you home. You don't belong here, Aeris..."

Aeris had no reply for what her mother told her. She felt as if she'd been punched square in the chest. Hesitating, Aeris asked, "You mean, I'll be resurrected?"

Ifalna nodded and tried her best to look happy for the girl, knowing that what she was throwing her into was only more pain. Before Aeris could ask another question, the older woman gently placed two fingers directly in the center of her forehead. The girl's vision was filled with bright green as she was dragged from heaven into the ether. From faraway she could hear her mother's voice intermingled with the myriad voices of the planet.

Be in me...

Aeris sank into herself, spiraling into the twining colors of the lifestream. The misty tendrils knotted together as a new illusion was created. Aeris found herself in an orchard; cherry trees in full bloom surrounded her. The wind stirred, rocking the trees branches and causing a snowfall of petals to drift to earth. She stared blankly at the ethereal scene, her small form awash in a flurry of blossoms.

"Where am I? What's going on?" Aeris asked, aware that she hadn't moved her mouth to speak. Rather, she raised the question from within, as she needed no human speech to speak for her heart.

"This is the twilight of the dreamtime--and we are walking the path of the lifestream."

"Why?"

"To prepare you."

Aeris's hands flew up as a whirlwind of petals surrounded her and everything became a swirling blur of pink. Images appeared in the blur of blossoms, they spoke of her destiny and why she was chosen from all the souls in heaven to be resurrected. The imparted her purpose. The petals parted and she saw a mirror image of herself. From this backward vision, a pair of wings erupted from her twin's back. The doppelganger turned and smiled sweetly at Aeris before she was gone in an explosion of light. She was in a wash of confusion as she unconsciously moved her right hand to massage her back, half expecting to find wings there. As her arm traversed past her eyes, she noticed a flicker of light on her exposed skin. A series of symbols faintly glowed from within her flesh as she pulled the arm down to examine it. Holding her arm out, she ran her hand over the lettering. There was a calm acceptance in the gesture. Though this was strange, it oddly felt right. Like something that begged to be known, yet Aeris was frustrated. The words were there, but she couldn't understand the meaning.

"Those symbols are a holy word. It is the mark of Hesed-- L'étoile de vie." Her mother's voice once again mixed with the planet's, speaking to her in a soft, lilting tone, "The embodiment of heavenly mercy and compassion. The planet has marked you with Hesed and claimed you as its tenyo. You are the earthbound angel; you have been called and must answer. Light the watchtowers."

Light exploded once more and she was rocketed back into the orchard. Her mother was nowhere to be found, hidden by a torrent of pink and white. Aeris noted how the trees fairly wept with fallen blossoms.

"What are the watchtowers?"

She saw a brief flash of saffron and crimson, disappearing behind the curtain of petals. Aeris turned to see her mother peering at her from behind the tangled branches of the trees. Ifalna stood out against the barrage of blossoms. A gossamer figure draped in a brilliant gold kimono, embellished with deep red. Her dark green eyes were like a distant ocean, endless and deep. The emotion within was all too readable, yet at the same time Aeris was unable to reach it--to touch upon the mystery that was her mother.

Without a voice, Ifalna spoke again, "Sacred places. They are the pillars of the planet's power."

"I thought mako was the planet's power...it and the lifestream."

Ifalna laughed lightly as she moved between the trees, circling her daughter as she disappeared and reappeared. It was disconcerting to the young woman and she wondered why it seemed her mother hid from her. It was like a game she didn't realize she'd been playing and she didn't know the rules. Hiding like an errant child, giving her pieces of a puzzle without a word as to how to put everything together. Frustration built and Aeris felt in her heart that her mother was afraid to face her but she could not understand why. Why won't you come closer? Why are we always at arms length?

"I cannot come closer because I am unworthy of your light. There is guilt and shame in this request..."

"No, mama...don't say that. You have nothing to feel guilty for..."

Ifalna shook her head sadly, "What you are asked to do now, should have been your only duty."

"I don't understand."

"How could you? The powers that be kept it from you."

With a wave of her hand, she showed Aeris her secret shame that she had vaulted in her heart in preparation of this day. The hidden remembrances buffeted her daughter and the disconsolate look on her young face was heartbreaking. Finally the last steward knew that things should have been different. The lies she'd been told since the day she took on her duty were exposed. She had been made to go to the ancient city for a promise that wasn't her own. Her destiny had been skewered, replaced by her mother's, which at the time was more important. Aeris couldn't blame her mother or the planet, yet there was a sense of betrayal that her most trusted confidants had lied to her.

Worse than that was it showed what her destiny should have been. She was supposed to live. Her fate had been bound to Cloud by the stars themselves. They had been pinpointed as a bridge between the celestial and the earthly. Between human and cetra. It would allow future generations to hear the planet's cries, so that it would never be alone. This melding of blood would allow the planet to finally heal and would give humanity a purpose beyond taking and never giving back. With heartbreaking detail she was shown her former destiny. The images of home and family spinning past her empty eyes. Visions of blond haired, green-eyed children. The gentle smile of her former bodyguard turned husband. The large wandering garden surrounding a home she'd always dreamt of having and the planet humming contentedly underneath. The images disappeared abruptly, shifting away like so much dust in the wind. Ifalna could sense the girl's hope, that whatever had caused fate to go awry could be fixed. That by some miracle, the visions of love and happiness could be claimed as hers. "That road is closed to you now..."

"Then why did you show it to me?"

Her mother flitted between the trees, "Because, you deserved to know the truth. I will not lie for the powers that be any longer. If you are to choose, then you must choose wisely...and wisdom only comes with knowledge." Her mother went quiet and when she spoke again, she could plainly her the tears in her voice, "He would have been good for you. I'm sorry, munkin. I'm sorry that I failed and now you suffer."

She could hear the muffled sounds of her mother's sobs and the flower girl felt the sorrow as if it were her own. In a way, it was. Bitterness at what she lost was faded into the back of her mind. What could she do but pine in useless rage? Pointless, stupid and selfish. That is what she was. Waiting here, doing nothing, when she had a destiny to fulfill. A proverb Elmyra had often recited came to her, you can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes you get what you need. She could continue to rail and rant, howling at the wind the unfairness of it all. There was a part of her that wanted to do just that. To scream at her mother, at the planet and deny them both the peace they sought through her. But she'd also be denying herself and the need she felt deep inside to live again. This simulacrum of existence would never be enough. A chance to start over and though Cloud was beyond her reach, the idea that at least she'd be on the same plane of existence as him was comforting. Perhaps she'd bump into him, accidentally or otherwise.

As if reading her mind, her mother replied, "This task has been appointed to you and you alone must complete it. Your friends cannot help you. They are human, you are not."

"WHY NOT?! They were good enough to defeat both Jenova AND Sephiroth. Without them, holy wouldn't even have worked. It's not fair..."

Ifalna cut the girl off, "Humans have already meddled too much in celestial affairs and it has brought ruin to their planet. Humans built mako reactors. Humans released Jenova...as much as I love mortals, they must be allowed to busy themselves with their own affairs and leave those things of cosmic importance to those with the power and wisdom to handle things properly. They must be allowed to move on, it is their way."

"I don't believe I'm hearing this...it's not fair and you know it."

"Is what you were planning any more fair? You're dead to him, Aeris. To come back now would bring chaos to a life that's barely in control as it is. He's trying to move on. Like all of them are. You must let them get busy living, instead of dying. To do otherwise would not only be cruel, but selfish." Her daughter gave her a pained glare, as if hating her for telling the truth, "He's happy now and ever so slowly, he's building a new life for himself. He misses you....but he has to move on. So do you. Can't you see that? Isn't it enough to know that he's happy?" Ifalna approached her daughter now, walking out from behind the trees, "I understand how you feel. Your father is lost to me, reincarnated to pay for the sins of his past. I miss him...I miss him so much, Aeris. But I know he's happy. I can feel it and that's enough because it's all I'll ever have."

"So, I can't even see him..."

"No. Contact with those you knew in life is strictly forbidden."

"What if I do accidentally bump into him? What then?"

Ifalna extended her hand, palm upwards. A ball of light gathered in her outstretched hand, smaller motes of light twisting in and out of the effulgent orb. Quickly overturning her palm, she sent the light spiraling forward. The ball separated into individual trails of incandescent light that twisted around Aeris's left wrist and with a brilliant burst, they dimmed to form a sparkling beaded bracelet of ruby red jade.

"That charm is enchanted with a glamour that will disguise your appearance, amongst other things. The magic used is rather delicate. We're only used to using it on inanimate things. This is the first time we've used it on a live target, if you will."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, you must take special care. The glamour is only effective on human mortals. You will appear to them as a stranger as long as you do not speak. To do so breaks the illusion."

"Why?"

"The glamour does not extend to disguising your voice. That kind of magic takes much more power than I'm able to muster I'm afraid."

"Why are you doing this? Isn't this some kind of heavenly mission? Shouldn't the powers that be help?"

"The powers that be aren't that fond of illusory magicks. They consider such things unworthy, beneath them...they prefer to take things head on..."

Aeris nodded, staring down at the tiny beaded bracelet, noting that it wasn't really a bracelet at all but a long strand of beads that looped around her wrist. Upon closer examination, she noticed that each bead was intricately carved into the shape of a rose. She fingered a single bead, regarding it with wonder that something so beautiful was created just for her. Holding the entire strand together was a much larger bead and from it hung a small icon made of alabaster in the shape of an ascending angel. Her tiny wings were outstretched, making Aeris wonder what it was like to feel so free...or maybe this angel was her, flapping her wings trying desperately to reach her heaven. "Can't always get what you want...." she whispered to the angel, though she wondered what it was she really needed. If it wasn't Cloud, then what was it? When had her happiness hinged on one person? Life had been offered to her. With Cloud or without, didn't that mean anything? Her mother said he was happy and Aeris howled inwardly that it wasn't enough but the more practical side to realized in a way, it was. Life was better than wandering a field of perfection aimlessly.

The only thing holding her back was fear. As touchy as she was about her own physical weakness, she had to admit that she was no fighter and the idea of traveling the world by herself was daunting. No, it was terrifying. When she had traveled the world with Avalanche chasing Sephiroth from continent to continent it had been frightening. Every battle was a war within herself, a struggle to keep mind numbing fear at bay. If it hadn't been for her friend's support, she didn't think that she'd have even made it half as far as she had. As brave and as strong as she was, Aeris was an untrained flower girl who was a pacifist at heart.

The powers that be were going to send her back to the planet with all its troubles and dangers--alone. Her magic was strong but it would only get her so far. She'd leaned on her friends, depended on them to protect her. Yes, she was being selfish in thinking she could go back to them but she was afraid not to. Terrified that without powerful comrades such as Avalanche she'd fail outright. There were enemies she'd have to face who would stand in the face of her magic and laugh. She'd have to fight and she'd have to be strong and if that was the case, the most honest part of Aeris knew there was little chance for her. Gods, she hated being so weak, having to try so hard to convince herself that she was otherwise.

Her stubborn will awoke and it was not prepared to slink away in defeat. If she didn't wish to be coddled then it was time for her to actually stand on her own. Her friends had found the courage and strength to move on and if they could, she could too. If she was called to fight and if it killed her -- so be it. She'd been dead before and knew there was nothing to fear. Lighting the watchtowers couldn't be more difficult that summoning holy and she'd done that all on her own. Her face set with grim determination as she lifted her face to regard her mother.

"What do I have to do?"

"So brave..." her mother replied, the look on her face almost mournful, "You will answer the call then?"

Aeris nodded, eager to get on with her mission, "You said I had to light the watchtowers. So, how do I do it?"

"You will know when the time comes."

Irritation entered her voice then, "Very cryptic...but if I'm going to risk my life, I'd like to know what I'm being asked to do."

"Truth be told, I don't even know myself. The last time the towers were lit was over ten thousand years ago. I'm afraid you'll have to trust the planet and your instincts to guide you."

Petals drifted softly between the two women. For the first time since the dreamtime began, Aeris could see her mother clearly. Her mother approached her. She seemed unafraid, all traces of that mysterious aura that pervaded her mother's being was gone. Ifalna stood before as her mother and nothing more than that, slipping the role of the planet's avatar. One graceful hand planted itself on her cheek and Aeris looked deeply into her mother's eyes. Pride showed clearly in their vivid green depths, as did an echo of sadness. In death she'd be denied both the pleasure of her husband's company and her daughter's. It was strange; she should feel embittered and angry. Yet all she could feel was limitless, undying love for her only child.

"I love you, Aeris." Ifalna said, her voice softly choked with emotion.

"I love you too, Mama."

For the first time since she was five years old, her mother held her in her arms. It was the most wonderful feeling in the entire world to be surrounded by such love. The embrace was long overdue and the planet waited, for there was no need to hurry such seldom witnessed miracles. The trees shifted, spilling forth a gentle rain of blossoms that tenderly fell on mother and daughter. They stood there holding each other for longer than human time was able to measure and even then it seemed too short a moment when they finally pulled apart. Aeris wept then, for a destiny denied and for the time she'd never have with those she loved. Whether it was her mother or Cloud, it only added to the aching loneliness in her heart.

Her mother wiped a tear away with her thumb, her smile, still brilliant as the stars, shining through her tears. She tilted her head as she looked at her daughter, forest green eyes slowly fixating on something that seemed to be just behind her shoulder. Ifalna caught her gaze and wordlessly nodded in the direction she'd been looking. Aeris frowned and furrowed her eyebrows as she turned to see what was of such great interest behind her. She jumped, her hand going to her heart as she saw a shrouded figure standing not five feet away. The figure was tall, covered head to toe in a light gray cloak. She guessed from the height and the way the figure held itself that it was a man, though she couldn't be sure. Aeris wished she could see his face or an arm or anything that would betray his identity or at the very least gender.

"Who is that?"

"Your guardian."

She looked back at her mother quizzically, "But I thought..."

"Silly girl! Did you actually think we'd send you back into the world with no protection?" Ifalna queried in a most motherly way, shaking her head with well-intentioned jest, "You have not ascended but your power is beyond that of mortal man. This is why Cloud can no longer be your guardian. You are stronger than he is now. So a guardian of equal strength has been chosen from among the dead to accompany you."

Aeris glanced over at the cloaked figure and whispered, as if afraid he'd hear, "Why doesn't he take his hood off?" It disturbed her that she couldn't see his face and the lingering sense of familiarity the figure nettled her. Something about the way he stood, the way he held himself was so familiar and Aeris wanted nothing more than to pinpoint the feeling and hold it down for examination. "Who is he?"

"It is tradition that you are unaware of the identity of your guardian."

"Stupid traditions...Did I mention how unfair that is?" Aeris grumbled, mostly to herself.

Ifalna laughed brightly, "Are they now? You didn't know what Cloud looked like before you met him, nor did you know his name. So how did you know he was meant for you?"

Aeris lost herself in thought, rolling back the walls of memory to try and find a concrete reason for her absolute certainty. How had she known that Cloud was meant for her and she for him? She just did, it felt right, those were the only answers and it bothered her. There were no dreams, no premonitions she could remember that gave her a clear picture of why she knew. She'd often dreamed of Cloud but in those dreams she'd never seen his face. Nothing but vague impressions and fragments of thought that tied her to his essence. Like a stamp that was out of ink, no images came, only the hazy remnants of emotions. Confusion was the strongest impression she'd gotten of him. The war between two halves of an incomplete whole. The brash attitude and the boyish charm hidden beneath the layers of near stoic calm, which was nothing more than a mirage to hide deep insecurity. Not a clue to who he was or what he looked like. She had known nothing but she recognized him the very first time they met, from the moment his hand touched hers.

Without realizing it, Aeris moved towards the figure and away from her mother. Her left hand slowly extended as she closed the gap between them. From the folds of the cloak, the man in gray held out his right hand cautiously, as if afraid to touch her. She took it without reservation, fingers intertwining with his. He flinched, his body tensing as if discomfited by the contact. It confused her, she couldn't help but wonder why something as simple as holding another's hand would cause such a reaction. This close to him, Aeris peered up at his hidden face to look for answers. The hood still covered his features in shadow but she could barely make out his lips and nose from the darkness. Did he find this meeting as strange and frightening as she did? He gave away nothing and she dearly wished she could look into his eyes. Dreamily, she squeezed his hand and wondered what was going on. She didn't want this; she didn't want him...whoever he was. She wanted...what did she want? What was going on?

"You are initiating your bond with him. Without this first step a true link between the two of you will not last," came her mother's whispering answer, "This one is not as compatible as Cloud was."

It was the truth. Cloud's emotions had always come in strong and as clear as the ringing of a bell. This other was not so easy to interpret, even with a semi-physical connection. Whether the connection was muddled by the fact that this new guardian was not a perfect fit, as Cloud had been, or her own reluctance to accept him, Aeris could not guess. Something about this other troubled her and she tried to grasp it with her mind. She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying hard to find where her feelings came from. Nothing came to her and soon she was drawn more deeply into the powers that connected her with her guardian. The heavens binding her to the stranger in gray.

Little showed through as she held his hand. What sense she could make of his personality was so subtle as not to be named, there were no words in any language to sufficiently describe him or what he felt. The only standouts were a soul crushing sense of loneliness and the deepest well of sorrow she'd ever felt. Those standouts were unbelievably strong and they overwhelmed Aeris, who was far too free with her own emotions for one so empathetic. Nearly drowning in the empty waves of his anguish, she had to pull herself back a little to regain composure. Whoever this was, they were a soul tormented.

She gazed lazily at her guardian completely masked within the confines of the self-wrought spell. Her eyes trailing down his arm to his wrist and the string of prayer beads that poked out from his sleeve. They were much like her own, only his were made of pale green jade and of a more simple design. The individual beads were smooth and without decoration, held together by a single obsidian bead with a long tassel attached made of black silk. It didn't take a genius to discern that his beads must serve the same purpose as hers, leaving Aeris to wonder why he'd need them. She supposed that her guardian might have relatives still living, but the way her mother had talked she'd assumed otherwise.

The thought was banished in a wave of pure emotion and nothing mattered as they became as one, souls intertwining in a dance within broken light. They were dancers in the dark now, feeling and knowing nothing but each other. Tumbling blindly as the stars wrapped their luminescence around them, binding the intermingling spirits as they were called across the universe. It was warm and dark, and for an instant neither felt the loneliness that plagued them in life. A sense of oneness enveloped them and neither could tell where one began and the other ended. How could her mother think that this one wasn't suitable for her? Thoughts meandered and time stood still as the planet's steward and her knight sunk deeper and deeper into the restful dark, their souls twirling giddily through the stars.

Ifalna watched detachedly as a wind whipped around the fading form of her daughter and the man who'd been bonded to protect her. The sky darkened and the trees shuddered as a violent wind ripped blossom and leaf from their boughs. Petals whirled around tenyo and guardian and the beads that bound them lit with an eerie luminescence. The girl's consciousness was slipping but she was aware of what was happening to her mother's gift. The flower girl's eyes opened slightly, their gaze languidly distant. There was alarm in them as the beads broke apart and exploded into a million orbs of dancing light. She looked up, astonished to find the same thing had happened to her guardian's beads. The balls of light pivoted and with a loud whistle the beads exchanged owners. From far away she questioned her mother through a tenuous mental link. "What's happening? Why..."

Ifalna whispered back to her, "Listen. There isn't much time. They hope to sow enmity where there should be trust. Your souls are the same but in life you were at odds...Those beads are a test of faith...he who brings them to you is your intended and you must accept him without reservation."

Her daughter's face betrayed complete and utter confusion before it went slack as she gave into the spell weaved about her. The wind picked up speed, sending a hurricane of petals around the couple. No longer were they just holding hands. Without their thinking minds to hold them back, they surrendered to pure instinct and they held each other in a tight embrace as white light enveloped them.

The older cetra watched with seeming passivity, masking the storm in her heart. She longed to tear her daughter away and keep her here but there were more important things in the world than motherly duty. The needs of the one mean little. It was a proverb all cetra knew well.

Ifalna stood calmly, the long sleeves of her kimono whipping in the wind. The light was now so bright she couldn't even make out the form of her own daughter. The winding ribbons of the lifestream curled slowly upwards until it became a single stream of flowing power erupting from the ground. The world shook and Ifalna had to shut her eyes against a blinding white gold light. The stream of light brightened for an instant and soundlessly imploded, leaving in its wake a starburst of illumination that faded quickly. When Ifalna was finally able to open her eyes, her daughter and her guardian were gone. Merged with the lifestream as they journeyed from death to life.

She clasped her hands in front of her, pensively staring out into space. The trees rustled and Ifalna closed her eyes, aware of another presence just behind her. There was a light cough and Ifalna almost chuckled that the person behind it felt the need to make herself known.

"This is quite a gamble, Ifalna...and I'm not so sure it'll work." said a soft voice nervously, waiting for the older woman to acknowledge her.

The cetra smiled, looking back at her human companion with compassion. She was a mousy young woman with long dark brown hair and pale alabaster skin. It was an earthy beauty, her form attractive not for the mystery it held but for the simple honesty of her features. The woman looked up at Ifalna through her glasses with worry in her eyes, it was obvious that the young scientist didn't trust her. This one was too used to the easy rules and facts of an educated mind trained to disbelieve the immeasurable. It saddened the cetra that humans were so disconnected and unable to trust in the planet as she did. Though she understood her worry all to well. It was a mother's concern for her child.

After a long moment of silence, Ifalna turned around to look at the clearing where her daughter once stood, "In all the things we do there is an element of chance. We must have faith..."