Adult-FanFiction.org : Final Fantasy

Ashen Skies	By : Cynthia Category: Final Fantasy VII > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1380 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all characters are the property of Square Enix. I do not profit from this fanfiction, it’s for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter List
- 38
- 39
- 40
"Ashen Skies"
Chapter 39
~***********************************~

*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can’t get enough of this world and the characters.
~**************************************~

            Those who survived the battle without grievous injuries helped care for the critically wounded, doing their part to try and ensure more people made it home to their families alive. The healing materia was drained and the potion supplies were all but gone. Aerith, however, quietly moved amongst the injured and she secretly lent her healing powers to the most severe cases, giving a bit of herself to each of them so that they might survive the trip home. When she was satisfied that she had done what she could to help save those who weren't too far-gone, she collapsed in exhaustion. Zack lovingly carried her into one of the choppers and Reeve set up a private cubby for them to rest in.
            "After what you two did for humanity, you deserve it," Reeve insisted, patting Zack on the shoulder.
He parted the privacy curtain and Zack gratefully carried his wife in and laid her down over the seats. He cushioned her head with one of the pillows Reeve had provided and he covered her up with the blanket before kissing her slack mouth softly. He backed out of the cubby and shut the curtains with a sigh, turning to address Reeve.
"How long before we're ready to get moving?"
Reeve glanced behind him at the people still boarding the transport chopper, and then he checked his watch. "I'd estimate we'll be taking off in about ten minutes, now that we've got the injured seen to and secured for transport. So tell me, what was it like in there? Did you ever actually hear the Planet's voice?"
Zack shook his head and plopped down on one of the chairs near the private seating. "No, I never heard a peep, but I could feel something all around me. There was this...thickness...in the air, you know? Like a storm gathering. It gave me the chills." He glanced at the curtain concealing his wife, hoping her generosity hadn't caused her any permanent harm. "Aerith was the brave one. I have no idea what it took to do what she did. It had to be terrifying, but she powered through it and I hope to hell she hasn't hurt herself, trying to help all those injured people."
Reeve glanced at the curtain as well and he lowered his voice, casting a cautious glance around them to be sure nobody was in hearing distance. "So that's what she was doing. I thought I saw a glow around one of her hands when she was helping with one of the troopers, but I assumed it was my own exhaustion making me see things."
"It takes away her energy to do that," Zack whispered back. "Hopefully she's just sleeping it off. She wouldn't stop until she'd given a little to everyone that had a chance. I guess it's kind of like donating blood, and she came close to draining all of hers."
The older man nodded and an expression of concern crossed his refined features. "Then you'd better be sure she doesn't 'donate' any more. She's a young mother and she needs all the life force she can preserve for herself."
Zack chuckled. "No argument there. I can't wait to get home and see our daughter."
"I can imagine." Reeve checked his watch again and when he saw Vincent approaching down the isle, he excused himself. "You should get whatever rest you can as well, Zack. You've earned it. If you'll excuse me, I've got to help out with some final inspections of this aircraft before we take off."
Zack nodded and he watched the engineer meet up with Valentine. The two of them discussed something in a low voice and Reeve nodded as Vincent showed him some kind of data device. They left the cabin together and Zack got out of his seat with the intention of joining Aerith behind the curtain. He was just about to reach for the concealment to draw it aside when he saw a pair of welcome figures board the cabin. His grin was broad as Angeal guided Genesis' unsteady steps to the seats near the private area. Genesis' eyes were a bit sunken and glossy from his near death ordeal, but his pride was as great as ever.
"I can sit on my own," insisted the redhead as his bigger companion tried to help him ease into a seat. He pushed weakly at Angeal's hands when the other man refused to listen to him. "Stop being a big ninny. I said I can—"
"And I'm saying I'm going to get you settled in," interrupted Angeal sternly, affixing Genesis with an "alpha male" stare. "You escaped death by the skin of your teeth and you need to take it easy and get as much rest as possible. If you fight me on this, I'll strap you to this seat and nobody will dare to stop me. Is that clear?"
Zack fought a snicker as Genesis ogled his companion openly, stunned speechless. When the redhead looked to him as if seeking support, Zack shrugged and spread his hands. "Sorry Gen, the big guy out-ranks me and I've never seen him look at you like that. Better just go along with it."
Genesis looked up at Angeal as he settled into his seat. "He normally saves that 'look' for the bedroom," he grumbled peevishly. "Methinks someone may have forgotten he isn't the only one with a cock in this relationship."
"I haven't forgotten," murmured Angeal, his mouth briefly twitching to betray the amusement he was trying to keep hidden, "and genitals aren't the arbitrator of who dominates a relationship, to begin with. Lay back." He eased the seat into a reclining position and he secured Genesis' safety belt, ignoring his complaints.
"No shit," Zack agreed. "Just look at Tseng and Yuffie. I'm lucky Aerith lets me get away with pretending I'm in charge sometimes."
            "Speaking of your stubborn little goddess," sighed Genesis as Angeal got a small pillow and blanket from the overhead cabinet, "how is she?"
            "Sleeping," answered Zack with a nod at the curtain. "I'm going to go in there with her and try to get some shut-eye too, when they've finished boarding this chopper. Where are Seph and Cloud at?"
            "They're taking Tseng's chopper," answered Angeal. He finished tucking Genesis in and he smirked a little at the indignant, aqua glare he was getting from the redhead. "Sephiroth thought it was best that we don't keep all the officers and leaders grouped in the same vehicles, just to be safe. Lazard and Shalua are taking another chopper altogether."
            Zack could have told them that all these precautions weren't necessary, but he understood that they couldn't put trust in Aerith's word above the safety of the colony. The struggle for survival had gone on for too long for anyone to relax their guard.
            "Any idea what's going to happen when we make it back?" Zack inquired as Angeal took his seat beside Genesis.
            "We'll have rites for the dead first," answered the commander, "after that, your guess is as good as mine. You and Aerith can expect a debriefing when we arrive, before anything else happens. The Director and the rest of the remaining council are going to want the details of what happened in that crater—including Shelke's account."
            Zack heaved a sigh and nodded. "Figured as much. Aerith wants to talk to them too...something about a deal she made with the Planet. I hope they'll have the sense to listen to the terms and go with it."
            "They'd be fools not to," Genesis murmured tiredly. "Refusal would only bring Minerva's wrath and start this cycle all over again." He yawned and cursed softly, drowsy from the pain medication they had given him.
            "Go to sleep, Gen," advised Zack with a grin as the stubborn man tried to keep his eyes open. "You won't have the energy to snark anyone, if you don't get some rest."
            "We can't have that," yawned the redhead, mellowing further as the drugs did their job. "Can we?"
            Angeal waited until Gen's eyes drifted shut and his breathing evened out before reaching out to stroke his auburn bangs aside. He looked at Zack and he got to his feet when he noticed the other man was turning to go behind the curtain.
            "Zack, good job."
            Zack paused and turned to face the big man. He smiled with pleasure, still as happy to get praise from him as he was as a fresh recruit. "Yeah? Thanks. You too, Ange."
            Zack felt a lump form in his throat. Now that the excitement was wearing off, he was beginning to count their losses in his head. The victory had cost many lives, and he knew how lucky he was that his nearest and dearest weren't among those losses—though one of them came awfully close to making it on the list of statistics.
            "Zack," grunted Angeal as the one-eyed Soldier suddenly hugged him, hard and tight, "this isn't the time for—"
            "I love you, man!"
            Angeal patted Zack's back uncertainly, huffing a low chuckle even as he struggled to disengage from his embrace. People were boarding now and some of them paused to watch the spectacle.
            "Okay, Zack. You...uh...that's fine. Get it out of your system."
            Zack sniffed and backed off after a moment, clearing his throat and wiping his eye. "Sorry bud. It just hit me...how close I came to losing you guys." He looked at Genesis, who was apparently just awake enough to crack an eye open and read the expression on his face.
            "Don't even try that with me, Fair," mumbled Genesis. "I know that look."
            Zack chuckled unsteadily and shrugged. "You're too breakable right now, but as soon as you get better, you're getting a hug whether you like it or not."
            Genesis grumbled something impolite.
~**************************************~

            Returning to the colony was a bittersweet endeavor. Late in the morning after their return, Tifa walked the streets of the city with Cloud, watching people in passing as they either welcomed loved ones home or received the devastating news that they'd never see them again. She stopped when they reached the path outside the Highwind home and she saw Barret trying to console Shera outside the open doorway. He'd obviously told her about Cid's sacrifice and he held her as she openly wept for her loss. Aerith came outside with Zack and she handed the baby over to him so that she could hug Shera.
            "I didn't really like him," Cloud confessed softly upon stopping with Tifa to witness the scene as well. "Thought he was too loud and obnoxious. I guess I shouldn't have judged."
            "He was loud and obnoxious," argued Tifa with a sad little smile, "but he was a good man, all the same. He'll go down in history as a hero of the people."
            "I don't think that matters to her," observed Cloud with a frowning, unhappy look at the grieving widow. "Or any of the other people that lost someone in this war."
            Tifa took his hand in hers and twined their fingers together. "I know. None of it means anything to any of them, right now. Grief before pride." She looked at him, her brown eyes soft and melancholy. "I know how they feel. I'm thankful you made it out alive, Cloud."
            He gave her a tiny smile and a nod, returning the pressure of her hand. "Me too. I mean, that you made it safe, too. I didn't mean me." He flushed predictably over the verbal stumble and awkwardness of putting his feelings into words.
            Tifa chuckled. "Same old Cloud. It's okay, I know what you meant."
            He relaxed a bit and they kept walking, both of them pointedly trying not to pay too much attention to the grief surrounding them. Never much of a talker, he kept his eyes downcast and his personal thoughts to himself—except for when Tifa specifically asked him questions.
            "What do you think you're going to do now?" Tifa queried. "We can finally set foot out of this place and live anywhere in the world we want to."
            Cloud shrugged, unconvinced. "Maybe."
            "What do you mean, 'maybe'?" asked Tifa. "The WEAPONS are leaving and we're finally at peace. Haven't you thought of how you want to live out your life?"
            "Ja, but it doesn't do much good." Cloud kicked a rock away from the path. "How long will this last? What does the planet want in return for calling off its guardians? I'm not getting my hopes up until I know the answers."
            Tifa lowered her eyes in thought, troubled by his words. They were having a council meeting at noon to discuss the terms of peace and what it would mean for the remaining population. She knew Aerith had succeeded in her mission, but it evidently came with conditions that the Cetra still needed to discuss with the leaders of the colony.
            "Worrying about it won't help us," she decided after a moment's thought. "You're with the General and I'm with the second in command of the Turks. I'm sure one of them will tell us what's going on when they know something."
            "If they're allowed to," agreed Cloud grimly.
~************************************~

            Later, after having lunch, Aerith and Zack left their daughter in Tifa's care and joined the governing council members in the very building where the Cetra council once debated how to deal with the disaster that had befallen their world. Aerith found it strangely fitting that she stood to address the humans at the table in almost the same spot Jenova herself once stood. She explained everything she knew as best she could, careful to include every detail. Now was not the time to keep her race's history veiled in mystery. If humans were to ever have true peace with Gaia, they needed full disclosure and understanding. Aside from herself, Zack, Shelke and Shalua, only the highest-ranking officials were present in the meeting chamber.
Her eyes kept straying to Sephiroth as she recounted her experience and explained what it all meant. Jenova wasn't his biological mother, but she could have been, given how closely he resembled her.
"So you see," Aerith said in closing, "Jenova actually was an Ancient. She absorbed the whole of the corruption, to try and prevent it from killing off her people and spreading to the human population."
"So Professor Hojo's original assumption concerning her origins was correct," reasoned Sephiroth softly.
Aerith nodded. "And Professor Gast Faramis...my father."
There were some murmurs of surprise, but Sephiroth's gaze remained steady on her. His marble features were relaxed into an expression of dawning comprehension as the rest of the council talked softly amongst themselves.
"Your mother was his research subject," guessed the General.
Aerith bit her lip uncertainly. "Not exactly. He didn't treat her as a specimen, the way Professor Hojo did. He wanted to learn from her, so she told him about the Cetra and he documented it. They fell in love and had me, but then some people came and tried to take Mama and I away. Papa...that is...Professor Gast...tried to stop them. He held them off so Mama could take me and get away. I think they were Hojo's people. He said I reminded him of my mother, when he had me in that basement. He said he recognized my face and that was how he guessed what I really was."
Zack growled low in his throat, apparently remembering the incident that nearly cost him his wife and unborn child all too well. Aerith approached him and shushed him gently, stroking his face to calm him. "It's over and he's dead now, Zack. Don't get all worked up."
"I still say he died too fast," groused the warrior, resting his hands over hers.
"While that's a fond memory some of us aren't likely to forget," Reeve said, "I'm sure this information is supposed to go somewhere. Please go on, Aerith."
The Cetra nodded and stepped back from her husband, remonstrating herself inwardly for getting off-track. "Jenova gave her life to trap the malevolence. It backfired on her but in the end, she contained it. Your people found her preserved remains two-thousand years later, in the crater where she fell. You know the rest."
"Our scientists developed a way to harvest her cells and inject them into top-ranking SOLDIER operatives undergoing the enhancement process," sighed Lazard, rubbing his eyes. "All this time, we've been infecting our own people with a virus, believing it was either Cetra or alien DNA."
"You haven't exactly been wrong about that," reasoned Shalua. "The cells your department has been injecting your high-rank Soldiers with are both alien and Cetra in origin, if I'm understanding Mrs. Fair's account correctly."
"That's right," agreed Aerith. She looked at Lazard sympathetically, knowing the man had grieving of his own to do and the weight of a civilization on his shoulders. "Where is Jenova now?"
Lazard gave her a guarded look. "That information is classified."
Aerith sighed, but before she could speak again, Sephiroth beat her to it. "Answer her, Director."
"I don't take kindly to being given orders from my subordinates," countered Lazard coolly. He was possibly the only person on Gaia who could challenge Sephiroth and look him in the eye after being issued a direct order. "You know how the chain of authority and protocol works, General. I can't just offer up that information without question—especially knowing what I do now. Only select few people know the location of the specimen and I'd rather not blurt it out in a room full of mixed company. No offense intended to any of you."
            "I think the time for such secrets is past," Tseng reasoned calmly. "This is no longer purely a SOLDIER department matter, Director Lazard."
            "You got that right," Barret agreed with a scowl. "Fancy suits don't make any of you better than the rest of us. Highwind died protecting this colony and I ain't gonna stand back and watch you play politics!"
            They began to argue, but Reeve quickly stepped up to call everyone to reason. "Everyone stop arguing for a moment and listen to what the Cetra has to say, please. I'm sure Aerith has a good reason for asking about Jenova's location and I suggest we hear it."
            When the assembly settled down, Reeve gestured politely at Aerith. "Please, go on. What does Jenova's remains have to do with our situation, Aerith?"
            "Everything," answered the young woman. She looked at Shelke, who sat beside her older sister at the table. "What happened to her is a result of humans meddling with something they couldn't control." She looked at Sephiroth and her expression softened into one of faint wonder. "The General and the other winged Soldiers are also products of that, but they aren't the same. Whatever they did to the Deepground people when they experimented on them, it was different."
            "I'm not sure I understand," admitted Lazard. "The documentation we found when Deepground was uncovered indicated that the same fundamental process was used in the enhancement process."
            "It was," Shalua said with a thoughtful glance between her sister and Aerith, "only magnified ten-fold and accelerated. I've been comparing the notes left behind by Hojo, Hollander and Gast with the documentation you provided me for Deepground. The Deepground operatives were given a more concentrated infusion of Jenova cells...super-charged, almost. They used an energizing process on the cells before injecting them into subjects. This means the foreign DNA was dangerously enhanced itself before application."
            Aerith didn't understand much about science, but she did understand life currents and she spoke to Sephiroth to address what Shalua had said. "Most of the Deepground people couldn't fight off the alien influence. The cells are mostly dormant now, but the people involved in the Deepground project did something to wake them up. Not only that, but they made them stronger. You and the other Soldiers adapted to the virus. You subjugated it and made it a part of yourselves. Shelke was able to do that too, but the struggle altered her and most other Deepground members couldn't fight it off like she could."
            "So you're basically saying the Deepground operatives got a full-strength dose of the virus that wiped out the Cetra," Reeve said, "but our Soldiers only got a little dose...like a vaccine?"
            "Something like that," agreed Aerith after some thought. "Cloud got sick while he was having his treatments. His life current was fighting an intruder, like it would with any other disease."
            "Some candidates have even died from the treatments in the past," mused Reeve, "though we haven't had an incident like that since before the Deepground uprising. It makes sense and it brings to mind the old adage: 'whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger'. Only the strongest Soldiers are chosen for the final J-cell infusions and once they get over the initial sickness caused by it, they end up super-human. It's a shame common flu vaccines can't provide the same results."
            Reeve's little pun failed to amuse the council, under the circumstances. Sephiroth was watching Aerith as he spoke. "I don't think the planet would be concerned over what human beings do with a flu vaccination. This isn't about preventing illness...it's about breeding monsters."
            "Hey, that's kind of harsh Seph," objected Zack. "You guys aren't monsters and neither are the rest of us Soldiers. Stop listening to Genesis."
            "But he's right," Aerith said. She looked around at the council. "An abuse of power nearly destroyed humanity and all life on this world. Deepground tried to obliterate everything and it's because they were influenced by the same evil that infected the Cetra and drove Jenova to kill her own people."
            "Of course," Vincent murmured, finally speaking up. He seemed to materialize out of the shadows behind Reeve and the director jumped in his seat a little, startled. "They committed mass genocide to gain Omega's attention, in the hopes that it would gather the Lifestream and leave this planet a barren waste."
            Sephiroth added his input. "And had they succeeded, Jenova would have had this planet as her vessel...just as she always wanted. Their suicidal desperation served Jenova well."
            "Not Jenova," corrected Aerith. Realizing how vehemently she said it when Sephiroth raised an elegant brow, she calmed down and softened her tone. "Jenova was a carrier...a victim like all the rest. Her spirit is with Gaia, now. Her body is just a container for the sickness, now."
            Something occurred to her then, as she gazed into Sephiroth's slit-pupiled eyes. She frowned at him. She hadn't repeated the words Jenova said to her dying brethren while under the influence of the parasite inside of her. She never told the council exactly what she heard from Jenova's lips in that part of the vision, yet Sephiroth somehow knew. Aerith nearly demanded that he tell her how he knew what the virus wanted, but her common sense won out and she restrained herself. Knowing what she did of Sephiroth's past and his uncanny resemblance to Jenova, she had her suspicions—but she thought it best to address those separately, in private.
            "What did the Cetra call it, Aerith?" Reeve asked, again breaking the sudden tension in the room. "The virus, that is. Did they have a name for it?"
            She struggled to recall. "Most of the time, they just called it evil or 'the illness', but the name 'Devourer' keeps nagging at the edge of my mind."
            "Sounds about right," grunted Barret. "It sho ain't a rainbow."
            "A fitting term for it," agreed Lazard. "What exactly does the planet want you to do with the Jenova specimen, if I were to give you the location?"
            "Nothing," answered Aerith. "That's the point. Jenova's body is a vessel for corruption and the planet doesn't want humanity using it anymore."
            "So we're meant to destroy it?" guessed Lazard.
            "We could cremate it," suggested Yuffie.
            "No," Vincent said before anyone else could answer. "You can't destroy Jenova's body."
            "It isn't invincible," Tseng reasoned, "with enough heat, we could—"
            "You can't," Sephiroth interrupted, guessing Vincent's reasons for objecting. "The ash would drift and scatter, polluting the air, the soil and any water it comes into contact with."
            "Burying wouldn't work either then, huh?" Zack guessed.
            "No," Aerith sighed. "The corruption would just spread...maybe into the Lifestream. We don't want that."
            The implication was ominous enough to give everyone pause. Reeve twiddled a pen between his fingers in thought; occasionally tapping the tip against the table absently. After a moment, he looked up and frowned.
Vincent observed the change and he ventured a guess. "I presume the look on your face means you've come up with a solution."
            "Cryogenics," answered Reeve. He scanned the rest of the council with confident eyes, nodding. "We freeze the remains and we seal them up tightly...somewhere away from civilization, where settlements aren't likely to spring up."
            Lazard propped his elbows on the table and threaded his fingers together. "Then half of our work is already done."
            Sephiroth narrowed his eyes on the Director. "You never moved Jenova's remains from the broken Mako reactor in Mt. Nibel."
            "It was contained there," explained Lazard. "The facility was secure, deep in the mountains. Civilians that did happen to come upon the reactor couldn't have had the means to get into the specimen chambers. You know that, General."
            "What I know is that the arbitrator of all this was left behind in a broken down facility outside a town where Hojo and his people were known to conduct secret experiments," Sephiroth answered in a low, dangerous voice. His eyes went to Vincent—his biological father. "Some of which directly affected my family, myself and any civilians unlucky enough to get caught up in it."
            Lazard got to his feet and he kept his voice calm. "The decision to leave the whole of Jenova's remains within the sealed chamber was made by my father, not me. By the time I learned of it, he was dead and everything had already gone to hell. Given the state of the world by then and our situation, I made a choice between science and civilian protection. You already know which one I picked, Sephiroth. The answer was easy."
            One couldn't accuse Sephiroth of losing his temper, but his chill stance relaxed somewhat as he looked into Lazard's eyes and he nodded. "Understood. Can you confirm that the remains are still in place?"
            Lazard sighed and spread his hands. "Unless they got up and walked out on their own or the WEAPONS located them and moved them, yes. Nobody had access to that chamber and the company made sure of that, after certain...events."
            Aerith could guess by the sudden freezing of Sephiroth's expression that Lazard was referring to the time when he and Genesis both nearly went on a mad rampage. Something else the Director said caught her attention, as well. "You said 'the whole' of Jenova's remains. I know Professor Hojo had to have...um...samples...when he experimented on Cloud behind everyone's back. Do you have some of the remains here in the colony, Director?"
            "Of course," answered Lazard. "Enough to conduct First Class treatment on hundreds of Soldiers—if we had hundreds of viable candidates."
            "It actually takes very little," Shalua explained. "Excluding cases such as our winged Soldiers and Deepground. The alien cells are potent enough that it only requires a small amount to trigger the changes necessary to achieve SOLDIER'S First Class alteration requirements. What they did to the Deepground operatives was much more excessive, with more intense Mako treatments included as well."
            "So how much are we talking here?" Zack asked with a grimace of distaste. "A fingernail? A toe? An eyeball?" He covered a burp and looked away. "Never mind...don't tell me. I might puke."
            "It doesn't matter," Reeve said firmly. "Whatever samples we have here will be frozen and locked away with the rest of it. Right?" His gaze settled on Lazard.
            The Director nodded. "Absolutely. I think we've had enough of experimentation with Jenova cells and if these are the terms required to ensure the safety of our species, so be it."
            Everyone fell silent for a moment after he made his final statement. They were looking around, each of them feeling like something was missing...some viewpoint that hadn't yet been expressed. Aerith looked back at Lazard as a faint whisper from the Lifestream enlightened her. She felt pity for the blond man as the realization seemed to sink in for him as well, and Tseng's solemn Wutaian gesture of prayer confirmed he was thinking of it as well.
            Everyone was expecting Lazard's half-brother to object to the plan and offer some alternate option. Though Rufus had rubbed many people the wrong way, his objectivity brought a balance to the council table that nobody had truly been aware of—until now.
            Lazard lowered his gaze for a moment with a frown. He took a slow breath and beside him, Shalua shifted in her seat and watched him with open concern. He looked up from the table after gathering his thoughts and his blue-gray eyes looked around the assembly calmly.
            "Let's have a vote."
~***************************************~

            As they left the council building, Aerith's gaze fixated on Sephiroth's back and she made a decision. She squeezed Zack's hand and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You go on to get Kirsten from Tifa. I'll meet you at home, okay?"
            He looked a little surprised. "Everything all right?"
            Aerith smiled reassuringly at him and nodded. "Everything is fine. I've almost recovered all of my strength and I should be good as new by tomorrow. I just want to ask General Sephiroth a couple of things."
            He seemed curious, but he didn't press her for information and he was too eager to have some real family time with their daughter. "Okay. Don't make us wait too long, beautiful."
            "I won't. Promise." She made a scout sign with her first two fingers and patted him on the arm as they broke away from each other. Her gaze went back to Sephiroth and she called out to him. "General, can I speak with you for a minute?"
            Sephiroth stopped and turned, regarding her with an opaque, brooding expression. "What is it, Mrs. Fair?"
            She glanced around to be sure nobody was nearby and she joined him, urging him to keep walking off the main path with her. "When we were in the council chamber, you said something that bothered me a little."
            "Such as?" His emerald gaze studied the crystalline trees lining the path, seemingly bored.
            "You said that Jenova would have gotten her wish to use this planet as her vessel, if Deepground had succeeded."
            He nodded. "I did, and she would have."
            Aerith stopped. "I never told you she said that. I didn't tell anyone the specifics of what I heard Jenova say in my vision. How did you know?"
            He stopped as well and he regarded her silently for a moment, before speaking. "It was a guess."
            "That's a pretty good guess," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest. "You look exactly like her, you know. Jenova, I mean."
            "So I noticed." His eyes were void of expression, concealing his inner thoughts.
            Of course, he'd seen Jenova before, when he found her in the reactor. The resemblance between the preserved Ancient and himself couldn't have been lost on him, and it probably helped spur his madness on. Operating on her instincts, Aerith ventured a guess of her own. "You can hear the voice of the planet, can't you?"
            He shook his head. "No."
            "Then how did you know what the virus wanted to do with our world?"
            Sephiroth sighed and he lowered his gaze, frowning softly. "I can...hear her, sometimes. Moth...I mean, Jenova. Her voice has been whispering to me since childhood, urging me to...do things."
            "Like what?" she prompted with interest—against her better judgment. Sephiroth wasn't the kind of person one should be pushing for information, but she had to know.
            He looked at her and the mirror of his gaze cracked, revealing an inner struggle the man must have kept hidden for most of his life. "Avenge the Cetra. Destroy the humans that fled while the Ancients shed their blood for this world."
            A chill raced up her spine at those words and Aerith shivered. "Sephiroth, you have to know that isn't really Jenova, asking you to do those things. She willingly sacrificed herself to save the humans because she cared for them. It's the virus that wants you to punish Gaia's creations."
            He gave her a slow nod. "I know, and that's why I no longer listen to that voice. I shut it out."
            "But it's always with you?" She felt compassion for him, trying to imagine what a burden it must be to carry around that blackness inside of him, never to be rid of it. Jenova cells could alter the looks of other life forms and since Sephiroth resembled the original host so strongly, it stood to reason that it wasn't mere coincidence. The corruption inside of him must have shaped his features as he grew, in an attempt to re-create the host it had accomplished so much with in the past.
            "Yes, it's always with me," answered the General softly. "Your pity can't change that."
            She winced, realizing her feelings must have been showing on her face too openly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."
            "I've learned to live with this," he answered. "Don't feel too sorry for me, Cetra."
            "Maybe I could cleanser its influence from you," offered Aerith. "You may not have to live like this."
            He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment before finally shaking his head and sighing. "Even if what you say is possible, I am the person I've become because of that influence. Remove it and you change the fundamental makeup of who I am. I'm accustomed to it and it doesn't control me. I thank you for your offer, but I think I'll decline." He gave her a respectful nod. "Good day, Aerith."
            She gave him a tentative smile, admiring him even more. "Good day, General. The offer still stands if you ever change your mind."
            "I'll remember that."
~**************************************~

            Later that evening, they had mass funeral rites on the outskirts of the city. Not all of the dead could be recovered, so many of the "graves" were simply markers or epitaphs with the ID tags respectfully draped over them. Cid Highwind's body was amongst those that could not be recovered, but a special ceremony was held in his honor. Rufus Shinra and Scarlet were buried in a separate rite, with all Turks present and a gun salute to their honor.
            Lazard watched as the casket housing his half-sibling's body was carefully lowered into the ground, next to Scarlet's grave. He imagined Rufus would have been annoyed to find out he'd been buried to the woman he had such a love/hate relationship with, but on the inside, he would probably find it fitting. People could say what they wanted of the ambitious, aggressive woman but if there was one thing she had always excelled at, it was loyalty to Rufus Shinra. Somehow, Lazard couldn't imagine a more fitting companion to lie next to his brother in death.
            There was no music. The rite was simple, efficient and dignified—just as Rufus would have wanted it. When it was finished, Lazard separated from the crowd and walked a separate path back into the city, alone. Nobody troubled him, and he stopped on a small hill just beneath a huge oak and slipped his hands into the pockets of his long, gray coat. The chill in the air was growing sharper, signifying that winter was on its way again. Lazard shut his eyes and quietly thought over what to do next.
            A strong, slender hand squeezed his shoulder and he almost yelped as he turned. He instinctively reached for the handgun concealed at his waist but he relaxed when he recognized the heart-shaped face of the woman facing him.
            "I'm sorry," he gasped—at the exact same moment Shalua said it.
            "No, I should have announced myself," she said. "I only wanted to see if you needed...that is...you shouldn't...going off alone right now isn't safe, even without WEAPON dangers."
            Lazard looked at her curiously, noting the faint blush on her cheeks. "I'm going to be okay. I have my regrets, but there truly was no love lost between Rufus and I."
            Her cybernetic hand gently took his and she nodded, looking at him expectantly. "Good."
            They stood there quietly together for several minutes, until the sense of expectation began to bug Lazard. He looked at her profile and he wondered what she really wanted. Shalua looked back at him and she sighed.
            "Well?"
            Lazard was beside himself with ignorance. "'Well', what?"
            She heaved another bereaved sigh before closing in on him and kissing him on the lips. He went still with surprise, his body reacting with immediate favor to her gesture even as him mind was filled with question marks. He gave up on trying to analyze it and he returned the pressure of her kiss, putting his arms around her to hold her closer. He thought he heard Reno make some inappropriate remark from the path behind him, but he ignored it.
~********************************************~

            Tifa stood beside Reno, just outside the city. The funeral rights were over with and they were both trying to figure out what happened next. She'd known from the beginning that even if the situation in the world changed, he couldn't give up being a Turk. Now she had to decide whether she could live with that.
            "So," she said softly, looking up at him from beneath the shade of her sooty lashes, "It's over now. Things can go back to the way they were."
            Reno took a drag from his cigarette and he studied her sidelong, nodding. "Yeah, I guess so. We'll all go back to doing what we were doing before, once we get our shit together. I mean, minus the shit that damages the environment."
            She bowed her head, her dark hair falling around her shoulders. "What if we don't want to?"
            "What, get our shit together?" He bent over and put his cigarette out before depositing it in the butt container he kept in his jacket—something he'd never have bothered with a year ago. Tifa shrugged and he cupped her chin, urging her to look at him.
            "Baby, we both knew my work would get in the way if things ever got straightened out. You're better than me. I've..." He had to stop for a second and swallow. "I've gotta let ya have what you deserve. Doesn't mean I won't be thinking of ya every fucking day of my life."
            Tifa raised her eyes and stared at him. "I've changed my mind. I don't want this to end."
            Reno fought a groan, revealing that he desperately wanting to be with her despite the odds. "You know it won't work out, Tif. You'll never approve of things I've gotta do for my job and I'll never be able to leave it to make you happy."
            She felt like there wasn't enough air to breathe. "I...guess you're right."
            Reno gave her a smile she knew was forced and he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly against him, one last time. His mouth descended to hers in a kiss that was almost harsh. She felt his need and desperation and she returned it with her own.   When he drew away again, he was breathing heavily and his eyes were bright. Tifa couldn't seem to catch her breath, either.
            "I'll move my shit out into Rude's place," Reno said huskily. "You shouldn't have to put up with any of that. It's all on me, babe."
            He released her and started to walk away. Tifa watched his cinnamon ponytail sway against the dark back-drop of his jacket and her eyes blurred with tears. Reno was just doing what was best...for both of them. She knew that. Still, something inside of her got angrier and angrier as his lean form moved further away. How dare he decide for both of them that this was over with? She was a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions without some man trying to protect her from them.
            How DARE he?
            Her first instinct was to kick him in the ass...but she refrained. Instead, she decided to use is own logic against him.
            "Reno...Knock, knock."
            He stopped in his tracks and he took a moment to turn and face her. "Babe, I..."
            Tifa felt like her heart was pulling her into several different directions, but she persisted with what she knew she wanted above all. "Knock, knock, Reno. You did it to me, so it's only fair I get to do it to you at least once before you leave."
            He sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets. "Who's there?"
            "Bea."
            "'Bea' who?" He was starting to smile a little.
            Tifa shrugged. "Bea-cause I'm worth it."
            Reno stared at her. "Wow, that's corny."
            "You're the one that wrote it," she reminded.
            He closed the distance between them, eyeing her up and down. "And you went for it? What a sucker."
            She reached up and put her arms around his neck as his hands settled on her waist. "It was cute...even if it was silly. Reno, I know one day you may have to do things I can't morally approve of. I know your department could go back to dark dealings and you'll have to keep things from me. I've weighed it all in my mind and I'm prepared to accept all that."
            He looked wary, but his resolve was clearly wavering. "You say that now, but can ya be sure you'll feel the same when I've got to keep things from ya?"
            "I don't know," she admitted softly, stroking his vivid, spiked hair. "All I know is I want to be with you more than I want to change your lifestyle. If I give up over what might happen in the future, I think I'll regret it for the rest of my life. What if we're both wrong and the company doesn't go back to dark dealings? You never know."
            "Well, I think you're being a little naive, but it's your call, toots." He held her tighter and lowered his mouth to hers for a kiss.
~********************************************~

            It was decided that the remains of Jenova—all of them—would be cryogenically frozen, sealed and locked away in a location known only to the council. Migration and reconstruction plans are being made and people will either return to their former settlements, help build new ones or relocate. Staying here, in the city once populated by those who once strove to protect us, is too sad...too greedy. This place served as our sanctuary but now, even those who aren't versed on the history of the Ancients agree that it doesn't feel right to stay. This city will once again become a place of legends, sleeping in history until humanity requires it again or it crumbles to ruins—though I can't imagine Gaia allowing the latter to happen.

            What will become of us now, I wonder?

            Only time will tell the truth to that question, I'm afraid. I'd like to think that what remains of humanity will be okay with time, but we as a species, have an unfortunate habit of over-reaching. Maybe this time, we'll do better.

-Reeve Tuesti

~*****************************************~

-To be continued
- 38
- 39
- 40
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Ashen Skies