Evolution of Innocence
Part 7- Ribbons of Truth
Chapter 25
It seemed everywhere he
turned, he caught the very end of a harsh whisper. The bearers of such tidings
remained anonymous, but Cloud began to suspect that not all was hunky-dory in
the company of Avalanche. “What the hell is going on here?” he muttered to
himself.
“You’ve spooked everyone out,
that’s what, you retarded waste of hair gel.” Cid’s fierce verbal onslaught had
returned, due to Barret’s need to raid the pantry.
“I can’t apologize for things
that happened when I had lost complete control over myself.”
“That’s right, so apologize
for everything else, you damn jackass!”
“Yeah!” chimed in a cheerful
voice. Yuffie carefully sipped ginger ale in an attempt to appease her queasy
innards.
Cloud waved them off. “We have
to make sure Daphne is all right.”
“She’s probably just peachy.”
The ninja hopped from tile to tile on the floor of the cockpit. “I mean, Aeris
was always okay by herself, all her troubles started when you came along.”
Winking, she stuck out her tongue.
“Why didn’t we ditch you when
we had the chance,” the sullen pilot muttered.
“Who me?” Wide-eyed, Yuffie
pointed to herself with a look of mock innocence.
“No, fucking moron, I’m
talking about the lame-ass.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The Highwind lurched to a stop
just outside the limits of
Blond spikes bobbed a bit as
he nodded. “That sounds like a decent proposal. If Barret will feel like
joining me,” he said, a bit of sadness in his voice.
“Of course I do, spikey-ass.
Someone’s gotta make sure ya don’t screw shit up again!”
Giving a tentative smile to
his hulky friend, he turned to Cid. “And you’ll drop us off, right?”
“Sure thing, chocobo-brains.”
The pilot flashed him a thumbs-up.
The others began climbing down
the ladder, headed towards the port town. “Wait,” said Red XIII quickly, “how
about taking Yuf–”
“No way!” the ninja yelped,
and she hurriedly followed Reeve off the deck.
“Dammit,” muttered the cat.
“Hey there, watch your fucking
mouth!” admonished Cid.
“D’ya think Aeris would’ve
needed to buy more materia, Reevie? Huh?”
“I’m not sure, Yuffie.” He
watched in mild amusement as she danced around him in circles, on the pretense
of “working off the airsickness.”
“Great idea, why don’t you go
check out the materia shops while we find other leads?” Red XIII looked
hopeful.
“Really?” A hint of suspicion
entered her upbeat tone.
“Oh, sure.” Derin winked.
Vincent concurred. “It’s
certainly better than what Cloud had us do in Nibelheim.”
Catching on, Reeve shook his
head a bit and grinned. “Why don’t I join you and we’ll go check it out?”
“Cool beans!” She cheerfully
ran off in the direction of the shopping district.
“Cool...beans?” Tifa looked
quite confused.
Smoothing back his dark hair,
the ex-executive followed behind. Turning back to his companions, he mouthed
“Public Service Award?” before disappearing behind their hyper teenage friend.
“An award sounds like a good
idea, actually.” Tifa laughed. “So how much are you going to pay him, Red?”
“I’ll give him my lifetime
pass to Gold Saucer and buy him a grand of GP,” the cat declared.
“Where should we begin?”
Vincent asked.
“Bar!” declared Derin and Tifa
simultaneously.
“...I was thinking her
apartment might be a good lead.” Red XIII cleared his throat. “That’s where I
met her and Cloud a few nights ago.”
“Cloud met her at a bar,” Tifa
insisted, not able to completely delete the snide tone from her voice.
“A friend of her owns a bar.
She works there occasionally,” Derin elaborated. “Plus, I have a feeling she
went straight to this friend upon her Junon arrival.”
“This need not be an ordeal.
I’ll accompany Red XIII to the apartment building, and you too can check out
this bar you’re speaking of.” Vincent crossed his arms and looked at the others.
“Sound easy enough?”
“Of course.” Derin hopped up.
“Follow me, Tifa.”
The lion began walking in the
opposite direction. “It is this direction, I believe.”
Tifa was amused to find that
every time she peeked over her shoulder, she saw Vincent glancing over his.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Elena and Rude were sitting in
a booth, opposite each other, concentrating fiercely on the cards they held in
their hands. Narrowing her eyes, the blonde woman reached a hand towards the
undealt stack of cards, snatching one up.
After a moment or two of
watching her sort through her hand, Rude spoke up. “Aren’t you forgetting
something, Lane?”
Closing her eyes in
concentration, she shook her head. “Wait! I’ve got it.” She set down her cards,
save one which she discarded.
He stared at her demonstration
at disbelief.
“Gin!” She jumped up and
hopped a bit, pleased with herself. Then she caught
Shaking his mussy red spikes,
he mouthed a word at her. “Lame.”
Dejectedly, she stuck out a
tongue.
Rude, noticing the exchange,
turned towards the door only to lower his shades, displaying his disapproval
with the raise of an eyebrow.
Turning back to the street,
“So, are you going to tell Ms.
Angelon?”
He jumped at the voice that
suddenly materialized behind him. “Wha?” He gave his companion a shove in the
shoulder. “Damn Rude, stop doing that. And there’s nothing here to tell.”
“Well I suppose not, since
they haven’t entered the bar, but I would think she’d like to know who’s across
the street. We are keeping an eye out for Avalanche, aren’t we?”
“Ava–”
Rude handed his partner a
small pair of binoculars.
Shaking his head,
“That’s not quite as important
as the girl.”
“She was pretty cute,
come to think of it...” A threatening glare from Rude quieted him back down again.
Focusing in on the other member of the pair, he suddenly realized just who he
was looking at. “Fuck, that’s Kisaragi?!”
Snatching back his equipment,
Rude shook his head. “Very perceptive,
“Tell me what?”
The pair jumped together,
before turning to look behind them.
Daphne stood in front of them,
arms crossed, with an expectant look on her face. “Well, boys?”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Kayley sighed and glanced
around the chocobo stable of the Highwind. With Goldie gone, the place was
empty. (Thank goodness) she thought to herself before plopping down on a warm
bale of hay.
She’d been left alone on the
Airship, for fear of what sort of reaction she’d inspire in the Ancient. (What a
crock, I mean, that chick was psycho before I’d done a thing to her. That’s
pretty messed!)
Alone was a euphemism for
being practically stalked from one end of the aircraft to the other by Cid’s
crew, of course. She’d ducked inside the stable in hopes of eluding them.
(After all, if I wanted to do harm, this would not be the place to do it.)
Plus, the traces of barnyard smells from its former occupants were probably
deterring any thoughts of retrieving her.
She had to wonder about the
amazing coincidences happening lately. “I was the one who saw Meteor
again...when I was the one who had a hand in summoning it in the first place.”
“It’s not so much a
coincidence, as very good planning,” a voice suddenly said.
“Huh?” She glanced around in
surprise. “I thought I was alone.”
“That’s a error in thought
that most humans have in common.” A mouse suddenly jumped up onto the hay next to her.
“A talking mouse? I’m going
schizo,” Kayley mumbled.
“Now, now child, calm down
a bit. Mice still don’t talk. However, there is a very important message that
you need to hear, and the Planet works in mysterious ways.” Hopping onto its hind legs, the small
creature did a gesture with its forelimbs.
She shook her head slightly.
“Whatever.”
“We’re going to go through
an exercise in logic, all right?” The animal waited for her nod before continuing. “That Red
XIII, he pretty much hit the nail on the head when he figured out that these
problems on the surface are being caused by a spirit forcing its exit from the
Lifestream. Now, while those of us in charge of souls don’t generally allow
anything life-threatening to bring harm to the Planet, we decided that a
particular soul needed to be taught a lesson.”
“What are you saying? That you
let something force its way back into the land of the living?”
“I suppose you could say
that, but it’s a tad inaccurate. A spirit can’t force its way back. So we forced the spirit back, therefore
breaking the fabric between life and non-life. Instead of instantly reviving
everything that ever lived, it’s slowly reversing the events that occurred
between the death of said spirit and the time that the spirit returned.”
“That doesn’t seem so bad.”
“Until you look and notice
a small planet is on a collision course with ours, and you realize that there
may be a very huge foe regenerating itself as we speak.”
“Sephiroth...?”
The mouse shrugged. “Yes,
but that’s not the most important enemy on the horizon. You’re
regenerating, but this time, entirely soulless. That may actually make Jenova
weaker, but it will still be a tough battle nonetheless.”
“Can anything be done?”
“Well, everything would
revert to normal if the balance of souls is restored.”
“Then someone has to kill the
person responsible!”
“That won’t work. The spirit
returning must be willing...that’s why we also brought along our own insurance.
If the renegade is not willing to come back, we have another who can return in
her stead.”
“You said ‘her’!”
The mouse nodded.
“Why are you giving all this
information to me?” Kayley asked. “I mean, the person isn’t me, and I doubt
you’re going to let me return in place of said stupid world-destroying soul.”
“You are the one who must
convince her to return.”
The mouse vanished from sight. “It will be hard, but the only true sacrifice
is one that remains unselfish from this life to the next. Tell that to
Aeris...”
Kayley sat up with a start.
Her head had been resting on top of the hay bale, and her legs curled
underneath her. She shook her head, attempting to clear her mind. However, she
was certain that her dream was not some stupid menagerie created by her
subconscious, but a true message from the Planet.
Unfortunately, it seemed the
Planet wasn’t anywhere close to finding Aeris, either.
You slip down into your own
mind
Read the views you have defined
Demand you be repaid in kind
But insist you get to cross the line
Tune your memory with the
stars
Dwarf the past, heal the scars
Attempt to make your heart unmarred
Then cage yourself with hidden bars
In truth, your soul lies
still sealed
And soon reality will be revealed–
You thought nature could be appealed
Just because he cut you...as you kneeled
Chapter 26
Cloud walked through the
streets of Kalm, deep in thought. Barret and the others were still at Elmyra’s
house. The kind woman had gone into shock once she had learned the reason for
their visit.
(Aeris hadn’t even left word
with her own mother.) A light breeze rustled the green grass around him. (I
just don’t understand it.) An image of kind green eyes flashed in his mind;
kind green eyes peering at her mother with concern.
(She just isn’t being herself
at all.
That’s got to be the key to
everything, right? The reason why she’d run from all her friends, ignore her
mother... Is she even the same person that we all knew once?
I’ve been so caught up in my
own hopes and dreams and ideas of how things were supposed to be. But...she’d
been dead and gone for months. The world has passed on without her...so why
wouldn’t she have passed on without it?)
He began to argue with
himself. (Then wouldn’t she be better? More selfless, more eager, more
adaptable, more...more like Derin.) Cloud admitted bitterly that the new
incarnation of Zack had been not only a bit more agreeable than the original
flavor, but also much, much easier to deal with than Daphne.
His own mind was confused with
what to call the trio of dual personalities. Derin...he was easy. The more
mature, grounded version of his old friend was different enough to warrant the
name change. His insistence at referring to Kayley by name, and not by her
former alien self had set a decent example for Cloud.
Though he hadn’t so much as
spoken to her since the disappearance, his thoughts had changed from volatile
and derogatory to tolerant. Kayley was Kayley in his mind. There was no doubt,
now, that she was quite separated from the actions of her slimy self.
That left him with one more
person to contend with. The new Aeris Gainsborough, former flower girl,
once-time girlfriend and the Rissy of Zack, what was she now? The other
personality she had put on like a pair of old socks, and worn when she’d first
met Cloud again, didn’t seem that much like the old Aeris or the one who’d
taken off into the depths of the night.
(She’s not the girl I loved.
And she’s not the girl who used to be in that body.)
“Who are you now, Aeris?” he
whispered to the wind. There was no response.
Only one person could answer
his question, and she was nowhere to be found.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Daphne peered at two of her
new employees. “I’m waiting.”
Suddenly, two figures appeared
in the doorway. “Then wait no longer, and maybe you can give us an explanation
for a few things while you’re at it.” Derin tried his hardest to keep his face
calm, composed. He peered into her eyes, searching for a glimpse of... If only
there was a single spark of...
She shrank back. “You know,
you were hired to watch out for this sort of thing,” she half
screamed at the two Turks in front of her.
Gingerly, Tifa pushed her way
past Rude and Reno. “It’s a shame that you didn’t learn much of anything in the
Promised Land, or you would have known that...well...we’ve beaten these guys up
and down the tracks a few times. Thanks to you, our duties have been held up
for the time being. I don’t think telling us what the hell you were up to is
out of the question.”
A bit panicky, violet eyes
danced around the room, trying to coax her security into action. Reno, who
always had his head set against authority–any authority, crossed his
arms and scowled a bit. “Actually, I think we’re a bit curious with
what’s going on here. I never cared much for Avalanche, but I’d love to know
your connection with them.”
“They’re on our bad side
because they keep kicking our butts,” Elena chirped from the booth where she’d
been gathering up the cards for another game. She was dissuaded from any
further explanation by two matching glares from her partners.
“Hey! What are you guys
doing–” Yuffie had interrupted the chaos, only to find that her friends had
completed the mission.
Reeve, close behind her,
blinked back his surprise at seeing his old Shinra co-workers gathered around
Daphne as well.
“Good thing we stood our
ground,” Reno muttered to Rude. “I dunno how good Jordan is at combat, but four
against three would not be my idea of easy money.”
Yuffie turned around the
open/closed sign with a mischievous grin before walking over and plopping herself
down on a stool at the counter. “So, lovely Aeris, why the hell did you
run off without us?”
“You welcomed our enemy in
with open arms. How can I feel any comfort next to my murderer?” Daphne’s voice
was full of spite.
“Funny thing,” Derin replied,
“that same person was responsible for my death but I understood that above all,
the Planet’s motives were above my personal feelings.” His words were laced
with poison.
The venomous dart hit its
target. She blinked back tears, vaguely remembering her dreams of the Promised
Land. “I guess...the Planet took my life, your life...”
He shook his head. “Yes and
no. Jenova was unnatural...but...Sephiroth and his sword were of this Planet.
She has to answer for the blame, while we still are bound by this Planet’s rules.”
She glanced around the room
timidly. “I’m not the same person I was,” she said softly. “I can’t be the
same. I barely remember you all.” Her words ended with a muffled sob, and she
sank down into the booth across from Elena.
Tifa felt a pang of guilt.
She’d blamed a dead girl for Cloud’s disinterest and continued to do so even
after her return. (She’s not the same any more...and Cloud’s feelings are his
own business.) It must be admitted, however, that she might have had a little
more trouble with forgiveness if she did not know there was a tall, dark
semi-stranger who was more than willing to try and see what feelings came up.
Yuffie was a bit more amiable,
hopping up and sliding in next to Daphne. “Cloud’s been going nutso on us,
trying to find you.”
“He really worries, huh?”
“We all worried, Aer...” The
ninja’s voice trailed off momentarily, confused with the idea of proper
reincarnated-friend-nomenclature. “We had to lose you once, and you are our
friend. Even though you look different, and you are confused right now, there
have to still be some Aeris-y parts of you, deep down. It’s a bit too much to
give up again.”
An image arose in Daphne’s
mind. Yuffie, crying in the night for weeks. Even a babe born during the tumult
of a war had yet to see a companion die right before her eyes, especially one
of the few who had ever treated her with a speck of respect. And–she thought
she never could, but she finally did–she began to remember.
She smiled to herself, her
pretty eyes shining. It was almost like discovering a long-lost secret. Daphne
looked around. The concerned yet happy eyes of her friends, even the aloof
amazement of the Turks, this was what she had come back for. (And I’ve been
such a self-absorbed brat!) She made a declaration to herself. (Things will never
be exactly the same as they would have been, I’m sure of that, but I must never
lose sight again of why I needed to be here so badly, why I left the Promised
Land. What I wanted was another chance with these people and–)
Derin’s eerily calm voice
broke through her thoughts. “I’m glad you understand.” His deep eyes were pools
of uncertainty, mystery, fear, pain... She could lose herself in them, and this
made her afraid. “We have a bigger problem here though.”
“I know, I’m sorry for
stalling your quest against the reborn monsters...”
“I don’t think it’s a matter
of rebirth, Rissy.” It was the first time he’d managed to use the nickname, his
inner thoughts included, in many days. “It’s a matter of time going back.”
Walking to the picture window of the tavern, he drew up the blinds, revealing
the bright blue sky with its puffy white clouds. A picturesque scene, really.
But the dark blemish near the
sun had grown a bit more prominent. Now, instead of reflecting sunlight, it cast
a shadow on that part of the sky.
“What is it?” she asked
softly.
The answer nearly killed him
coming out. “It’s Meteor, Aeris. But this time there’s no Holy-wielding maiden
in the Promised Land to save the world.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
She was not brave; she was
stupid. And she admonished herself thus as she hurriedly cast down the
airship’s ladder and descended down into Kalm. Her captors, her saviors had
kept her away from them, but this was not a time to stick to alliances or fear
induced declarations.
Kayley had never been through
Kalm, neither as her human self nor her former alien incarnation. Such a sleepy
town was never anything that mattered much, especially in earlier times when
Midgar overshadowed it. She thought for a moment of the charred, bent metal
that loomed ever present in the distance. Even a dead Midgar overshadowed the
quaint little village.
She stopped in the square,
confused. How would she know which way to turn, which way to go? Luckily there
were some locals milling about, and she vaguely recalled the last name of the
woman the others had sought out.
“Excuse me?” Her voice was
soft, her expression timid, and the man she stopped could hardly help being
polite.
“G’day, missie.” He tipped his
hat.
“Could you point out where Ms.
Gainsborough lives?” Kayley put on the same "innocent face" she had
used while seeking out Cloud, and she hoped that it actually did look pure.
“Turn down Wallace Ave. over
there and it’s the third house on the right.” The middle aged man smiled
proudly, displaying a missing front tooth. “We named our main streets over
‘gain to honor Avalanche for savin’ us all from Meteor and that evil
Sephiroth.”
She tried very hard to hide
her repulsion and, for the most part, succeeded. “Thank you,” she said
sugary-sweet.
“Well, I dunno about tryin’ to
head over there at the moment though. You sees, Miz Gainsborough is friendly
with those Avalanchers and they’re at her house this very minute.”
Kayley narrowed her eyes. She
was quickly losing all the patience someone in her situation could muster. “I
understand, but I just came from the Highwind. I don’t think they’ll turn me
away.” (At least they better not.)
“Lor’ a mercy!” he exclaimed.
“Do you think you can handle getting a helpful body like myself an au-to-graph
of the heroes?”
“I apologize, but I’m really
in a hurry.” Sick of stupid, moronic human frivolities, she turned on her heel
and ran towards the house the man had described.
“Well!” he muttered to himself
before making his way towards the tavern. “Jus’ ‘cause she’s a mate of famous
people, don’t mean such a young brat should go putting on such airs.”
Kayley’s nerves were about
shot, however, by the time she’d reached Elmyra’s front stoop. Her actions had
been quite bold as it was, and then the townsperson had been grating, in all
honesty. Biting back fear, she decided to get things over with and deal with
real consequences instead of imagined ones.
Her rapping at the door was
answered promptly by a sweet-faced girl with nut-brown hair.
This did not faze Kayley at
all, of course not. Just because Aeris was fairly grown-up did not mean that
her mother did not have other offspring. She put on her best smile for the
girl. After all, even the one-time slimy headless being could admit that the
child was cute as a button. “May I speak to your mother please?”
Instantly, the girl began to
wail with an awful racket. “What’s wrong?” Her voice was soothing, but to no
avail. “Please, I need to speak to Elmyra Gainsborough!”
A terse voice answered her.
“Tryin’ to destroy the Planet ain’t enough for ya, y’all had to go and make my
Marlene cry.” Barret finished his growling and lifted his adopted daughter to
his shoulder. Already, her sobs had quieted down to subdued sniffling.
“I had a vision.” Kayley held
her ground. “Your precious Ancient is in Junon, and the fate of the Planet lies
on her head this time, not mine. I thought ‘y’all,’” she continued
scathingly, “would like to maybe do something about it before it was too late.”
Chapter 27
The bar was still closed when
Joel arrived to take on the night rush. The occupants inside peered at him with
curiosity and he, them, as he unlocked the door and entered. “What does this
all mean, Daph?” he asked. Then, suddenly, he saw Tifa, Yuffie, and the newest
arrivals Red XIII and Vincent, eyes blazing with recognition. “Why can’t you
all leave that poor girl alone? Just because Cloud Strife decides that he wants
something–”
Something else stayed his
words, though, a look in Daphne’s eyes that he had never seen before.
“There...are a few things that you don’t know about me,” she said miserably.
First though, she nodded to the blue suited group across from her in the booth.
“These are the bodyguards I hired. The Turks.”
“Sir,” Rude spoke up
immediately, always having a knack with those in authority, “we can assure you
that Avalanche means your friend no harm. We’ve been in here for a few
hours...discussing some matters.”
“What matters?” He looked
around the room half-crazed. “This seems like a dream. What matters would any
of you have with a young girl from Mideel?”
“I lied to you, Joel. I said
that they thought I was Aeris...that part was true...but the lie is...” She
looked up at him. “Promise me that you won’t think I’m nuts.”
With a dubious frown, he
nodded.
“I am Aeris. Reincarnated, I
guess you could say. Daphne was strong, Joel, but...things were too much for
her.” Part of her knew Daphne inside and out...part of her felt Daphne inside
and out. There was still some love inside of her for Joel. She reached out,
placing a hand on his arm. “She’s resting now, in the Promised Land. I’m sure
she’s with her family...and I know that she and Rachel are happy.” She began to
cry.
“So what? You took over some
girl’s life to get your own back?”
“It was a willing trade. I
would never ask a soul to sacrifice what I did.”
He didn’t know what to do.
Daphne was sitting there, right in front of him, saying that she wasn’t
Daphne. Yet, yet...he felt... Pain built up inside of him, and before he could
stop himself, he had run his fist straight through the wall. “Now there’s a
hole in the bar to match the one in me,” he stated matter-of-factly. “I loved
her and you took her away!” He strode towards this hollow shell, this sick and
twisted...
Joel met a barrier in Derin.
“Do not blame her because you did not tell the woman you loved her in time to
make her feel less lonely.”
“Out of my way.”
“The masters would never force
a soul out of their body. If they released your precious Daphne, it was only
because she was about to release herself.”
It was beginning to look like
the soul avatar would end up on the wrong end of a fist when Daphne spoke.
“Stop this, please! I don’t mean to hurt you, Joel. This is very hard for
me...I’m not the same Daphne you grew up with...but I still remember everything
about her life.” She sighed. “I think it was their intention that I live a life
thinking I was her. But the convention revived my memory partially, and time
has begun to restore other things.”
Daphne’s childhood friend took
a deep breath. “When?” he asked. “When did you...switch?” The last voice was
barely a whisper.
“The girl you took home from
the shelter next to the hospital, the day my mother died, was I. Before
that...” her voice trailed off.
His spirits rose a bit. This
girl then, was the one he’d spent time with and the one he had fallen
for. But she had another past, with another group of friends, and perhaps even.
His eyes slid to the floor as he recalled the protective friend who’d blocked
his path.
“Are we...are we friends?” she
asked timidly.
Joel looked down at her. “Of
course,” he said softly. “I meant it when I said I’d always be here for you. I
still will miss the way you used to be, of course...but that seems like a long
time ago.” He gave her a queer look. “So...you remember everything?”
Smiling, Daphne was about to
open her mouth, probably to relate some sort of childhood anecdote, when
interruption suddenly burst upon them.
Cloud, Barret, Cid, and Kayley
walked into the bar. Well, Barret and Cid stormed, Kayley slunk, and Cloud
dejectedly shuffled inside.
“The gang’s all here,”
muttered Reno. His partners silenced him with glares.
“Hi.” Daphne peered at them
all guiltily.
“No time for none a’ that
shit!” Barret swore in anger. “That damn Meteor is closer to the Planet than it
was a few hours ago. We all gonna be toast by next week, at this rate.”
Kayley managed a weak smile
before slowly walking over to Daphne. She began to breathe quickly, nearly
hyperventilating. Eventually, she was able to spit something out. “Everything
that happened since you died is becoming undone because you’re alive again.”
No one had dared say such a
thing, not so plainly, and not in front of more than a few others. But she had
just announced it to everyone, even the Turks!
“This isn’t my fault,” the
raven-haired girl protested. “Why you’re the one who forced herself back.
You’re an alien! You belong neither here nor the Promised Land.”
She shrank back as if wounded.
“That’s what my life here is to determine. You forget that the masters decided
I should be alive. I think the person who broke the rules was you!”
“No.” The first word was
feeble, but soon her insistence grew. “No, no, no!” Daphne sprung from her
seat. “I’m here to save the Planet again! Zack, tell them about our mission.
Tell them why we’re here.” Her eyes were bright, expectant, and filled with
fear.
Derin gazed at her face with
compassion and love. But he could not lie. “I was sent here so that there could
be a mediator between the Planet and what the masters intend. Without an
Ancient alive, there would be no other way to make sure their messages were
interpreted correctly.”
“...all this, to keep the
Planet safe. Us, together,” she said firmly. Her words may have been firm, but
she looked pale and faint. A sudden blast of wind could have knocked her over
in a heartbeat.
He closed his eyes in pain.
“Rissy.” His voice was delicate and precise, filled with restrained emotion.
“Eldor...when he told me of what I was to do...and that I was to aid someone...
You were never mentioned by name. Jenova was sent back the same time you were.
It can’t have been a coincidence. I...you...both of us, we misread the
intentions of the masters. Like the imperfect souls we are.”
The two of them stood, eyes
locked together, for what seemed like an eternity. Slowly, the others began
slipping out of the tavern in ones and twos until only they, Joel, Cloud, and
Kayley remained.
All of a sudden, Daphne broke
the silence. “...y–you don’t have anything else left to tell me, do you?”
Shaking his head sorrowfully,
Derin placed a hand on her shoulder. “I wish I did. By every deity that could
ever have existed, I wish I did.”
Choking back a sob, she nearly
collapsed into his waiting arms. He silently held her quaking form as she wept
into his chest. Almost like they were cued, Cloud and Joel slid towards the
exit.
Kayley did not move to join
them until she heard the subsequent whisper.
“Oh Zack...what am I supposed
to do?” No cheer or hope existed in that voice; the girl sounded old and tired.
Not caring to reveal anything
else at present, the redhead quickly made her way to the door. She was almost
entirely outside when she heard Derin’s cautious reply.
“I’m not sure, Riss.”
But Kayley was, and she
thought the same to herself, biting back tears of her own. Even for all the
spite passed between the two women, even a life newly human could see the pain,
heartbreak, and sorrow on the misunderstood girl’s face. (...I know exactly
what to do) she thought gloomily. She could not escape the declaration that the
poor girl should die again–it was too much to bear!–and she began to cry.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“Why did it have to be like
this?” Walking along the shore under Junon with Vincent, she was not sure if
she demanded an answer from her stoic companion or the sea. It didn’t matter;
any answer that could be given would be better than the emptiness she felt
right then.
“I don’t know.” At least he
was being honest. They passed the next few minutes in silence, and then he
dared to speak again. “After...after the Jenova project began...and
Hojo...changed me, I bitterly renounced any belief in any sort of divine power
beyond our Planet. Aeris’ death reinforced that.”
For awhile, no sound passed
between the two, aside from the roar of the storm-filled currents beyond them.
“But then we destroyed the
foe. Sephiroth...misused, maligned, abused Sephiroth was finally put to
rest...we emerged battered, not broken. And we all saw the very fabric
of life itself rise up from beneath the ground, in waves and spirals,
deflecting the one thing left that could destroy us all.” He took her hand in
his good one. “However small and insignificant, it did give me a spark of
hope.”
“They could have kept her from
coming back! Those masters or whatever the hell Derin is always submitting
to...they had the power to send her back–knowing the havoc it would wreak on us
all–and followed the simple, foolish desires of one of the souls they are
supposed to guide.” Tifa shook her head furiously. “They could have stopped
her.”
“They could have stopped Hojo
and Lucrecia from doing their experiments, even if they could not control
Jenova’s crash landing here. They could have destroyed the Shinra, too, but
they didn’t.”
Tears fell from burgundy eyes,
and Tifa Lockhart still denied comprehension. “What kind of divine power could
cause its children pain?”
Vincent seemed to ignore her
question. “I believe Derin has told us the purpose of our lives before. What
did he say it was?”
She looked away, out...out
to the vanishing horizon. (It will be a moonless night.) After awhile, she
turned back. “We live our lives to learn all that we need to know. That’s what
he said.”
He released his grip on her
hand, bringing his own up to caress her cheek, brushing away a stray tear. “And
when do we learn most? When we fly through easily, without a care or a
worry...” His voice sunk into deeper cadences. “...or when we fail?”
“I don’t know!” Her voice
rose, almost accusing him of causing all of this. In her heart, she knew
such an idea was ridiculous, but right now he was the only one opposing her
frank mope about parity, and damn it...Tifa didn’t want to know when she
learned the most. All she wanted is for the hurt to go away for just a little
while. To let life give her the gifts she felt she had earned...
...and suddenly, she
understood Aeris completely. But still, she repeated, “I don’t know.”
Wordlessly, Vincent backed a
few steps away from her, trying not to flinch at her expression of alarm. He
reached his hand up and began to unwrap the scarf that had been a constant
attendant at his neck for as long as any of his friends had known him. At the
top of his throat, from one side of his jaw to the other, ran a deep, ugly
scar. Poorly healed and very discolored, it was obvious that...it had been a
mortal wound.
Tifa gasped in alarm and
sympathy.
Blood red eyes became unseeing
as the man traveled back into the lost reaches of his memory. “My commander,
when I was in the Turks, used to have a little saying. ‘For every scar
earned, a lesson learned.’ I think you can understand the meaning nearly as
well as I.”
She nodded. They both knew if
he dared to explore the region beneath her tank top, he’d find a gash down her
chest nearly as ugly as the one on his neck.
“When we earn our scars, they
hurt horribly, but they don’t kill us. We patch up, but never the same. And we
don’t make the same mistake again.” He began to wrap himself back up.
He walked back over to her,
kissing her gently on the forehead. “Life hurts so much,” Vincent whispered,
“because we live to fail.”
Chapter 28
Yuffie was inconsolable,
seated obstinately between Reeve and Red XIII. The Turks, opposite them, merely
looked on in disgust.
Finally, an irritated Reno
broke the sniffle-filled silence. “Jeez, girl, you’d think your friend was dead
again from the way you’re carrying on.”
“B–but Kayley just told us
Aeris has to–” she gulped “–die or else Meteor will come!”
“At least you can tell her all
the things you never got the chance to before,” offered Elena in comfort.
The teen just burst into tears
again at the thought.
Red XIII growled. “You’re
getting my fur soaking wet!”
“And you’re a fucking
heartless beast!” She yelled in return. “All of you!” she continued in
accusation. “You not only don’t give a crap whether the person who saved your
lives gets to continue hers or not, but you can’t even comp–re–hend what it
means to me. She’s the only one who ever treated me decently, with any bit of
respect, and she’ll be gone again, and there will be no one left who
doesn’t think I’m a selfish brat.”
The others stared at her in
startled silence.
“Aeris understood,” she
sobbed, “she knew that the materia was important to Wutai. All my life,
all I ever heard about was the Shinra and how they were evil and how home would
be strong again if we could only get our hands on materia. We’d have plenty and
be safe and happy if we could get those pretty, shiny, little...tiny
things.”
The atmosphere around them
turned to quiet once more, but the peace was a stale one. “Didn’t she rip
through time and space though?” Elena asked primly. “I mean, she can’t go
against nature without any consequences.”
“It’s more like a tipping of a
scale,” Red XIII replied. “I don’t think she would necessarily have to
go, but something has to return balance to the Lifestream.”
“Well then she doesn’t even
have to die!”
“Would any of you take her
place?” Yuffie burst out suddenly.”
Elena shook her head.
“Remember what I said about–”
“Oh right. Consequences. Nice
talk coming from a member of a group of damn murderers. She saved our lives and
you talk about consequences. You know what she deserves? To bend you all
over the altar and rip into you herself. Ungrateful, horrible beasts!” She
sprung to her feet and ran away into the night.
Slowly, Reeve rose. “We’re in
the middle of the city. Can’t just let her run off like that.”
His words were met with
apathetic expressions.
“Red?”
“She’ll come back,” said the
cat tersely. “She always does,” he continued in a mutter.
The former executive just
shook his head in disgust and followed in the direction of her egress. If
Yuffie was that bad, then why was it that she was the only one making much
sense at the moment?
* * * * * * * * * * * *
From the midst of Junon Park,
Daphne looked at the night sky, expressionless. (I guess no being is ever meant
to see the same stars twice.) Seemingly immortal globes suspended in the
heavens, they lived and died, but their rate was a bit more tolerable to the
stirrings of a dying mortal. (Our lives are like photographs to them. Only a
brief moment captured in time. All I wanted was...a full moment. Mine was
half-developed.)
A voice pierced through the
cloak of silence. “Can we talk...” It trailed off into confusion. “I don’t even
know what to call you anymore.”
She turned, gazed into blue
Mako eyes, and nodded. “I don’t even know what to call myself. ‘Daphris’ would
probably be the most appropriate moniker at the moment.”
Cloud smiled sadly at that. “I
understand that you felt you had to come back. I understand, because I kept
looking for you even though I knew that I wouldn’t ever find you.”
“Part of me wishes you never
had,” she whispered. “That I could be Daphne, a completely different
person, and have my life with Joel...even if it did end in a week. I...I just
feel that I gave and gave to life, and I get what? Death? My second chance
forces me into another decision of self-sacrifice?”
He closed his eyes in
frustration and pain; he’d given the situation all the thoughts he could
muster. The only solution that existed was for someone to die, yet his answer
was firm. “No.”
“The Planet can’t die for me.
And...as twisted as it is now, what Eldor said in the Promised Land is
true. Something is threatening the purpose of my sacrifice. Little did I know
then that the threat was me.” She shook her head. “No. I can’t escape this. I caused
this. I deserve to go back and end it like this all began. With my death.”
Another voice entered the
discussion. “No.” Derin walked down the hill, joining them at the playground.
“Think about it, Riss. I can’t be happy here. I’m a pure soul. I belong back in
the Promised Land, and you deserve a chance to live life to the fullest.” He
glanced at his old friend. “With...the person you love.”
“But you came back for a
reason,” she whispered.
“To make sure that the right
thing was done in the end. If you couldn’t, wouldn’t see the light, who do you
think would have been there in your stead? Why can’t you consciously let me
go?”
“Because it’s not your error
to compensate for. You followed every rule. You encouraged me to stay, and told
me all the reasons why I had to wait. Why my old life was gone, and how
everyone would eventually be all right.”
He took her hand. “That
doesn’t earn me a new lease on life, any more than laying your life
under the blade earned you this one. You’ve learned from your mistake, though,
and understand the problems that result from things. I have no problem...”
“I do.” Daphne’s voice broke.
“I can’t run away from the wrongs.”
Cloud watched the scene, a
mere spectator. Flashes, images of some sort, a memory were seeping into his
mind.
“Hey buddy, I’m just going
to set ya down a sec, okay?” Zack stretched his lean body, relaxing and tensing
his tired muscles. It had been a long day’s walk from Kalm. They were on a
small cliff, overlooking their destination. Midgar, the floating city.
Cloud merely grunted in
return. “Mu...st...mak...e...goo...time.”
“That’s right!” He smiled.
“Hey, I think you’re getting better. Anyway, look over there.” He pointed in
the distance. “That’s where we’ll head out to tomorrow. Ain’t it great? They
say that huge hunk of metal is suspended above the ground. Walking down the
street is like being in a third floor apartment.”
A rustling in the bushes
startled him from cheerful speech.
“Geez, wonder what that
was. Hang on,” he said, backing away from his sick pal. Pulling back the
branches of the lilac next to him, he peered outside their clearing.
The shots were loud,
startling. It is doubtful that Zack even had time to register the thought that
they were fired at him, before he hit the ground. Blood spattered from violated
arteries, and his form lay lifeless in the dirt.
A man in a Soldier uniform
walked up and kicked the corpse gingerly with one foot. Peering down at the
body, he noticed the bleeding was dying down a bit. Of course, with the red
stain coating the entire clearing in front of him, including the dead guy’s
buddy, it was pretty obvious to see that their target was dead.
“I’m getting sick of the
AWOLs,” his partner stated without sympathy.
He nodded his assent, then
looked towards their second target.
“Goo...time?” Cloud asked,
his face blank, lids blinking, and lashes brushing away the blood of his friend
from his eyes. A clean path traced from his lower lip to his jaw, the
after-effect of a long line of drool.
“This one’s long gone.” The
first man set his jaw. “Even if he leaves, when the peacekeeping corps finds
the body, they’ll haul his ass in for murder.”
“What are we gonna tell the
boss?”
He slapped him. “What the
hell you think? That we shot ‘em both dead. Motherfucker...” He continued to
curse as the two of them made their way back to their transport, and eventually
the base in Midgar proper.
Cloud cocked his head to
one side in confusion. (Friendmanquiet.) He crawled over to Zack’s body, not
understanding what was wrong with his traveling companion. His skin was cool.
Suddenly, a flash of memory popped into his head.
(Longsilverhairman.
Takeswordofdeadmanandliftup.) He reached out and grabbed the Buster Sword.
Thunder crashed and lightning crackled through the air. Raindrops fell, cleansing
the ground, even Zack’s body...his own face.
And Cloud Strife raised his
blade to the heavens and screamed in pain.
(I owe them both my life) he
thought.
“Don’t you agree that for me
to go would be the best way?” Derin asked.
He shook his head. “What about
me?” he asked.
Daphne’s eyes widened. “Of
course not! Cloud, you’re an innocent spectator in all of this... Why, I can’t
even bear the thought of such a thing.”
“You can’t...you can’t leave
us again,” he whispered.
She bowed her head, a teardrop
falling from her eyes. “I have no other choice,” she said, “and if you won’t
take me there and be my support, then I guess I shall have to run off on my own
again and do it myself.”
He had no other choice but to
take her by the hand. The three of them walked away together to find the
others. It was time to tell them the end result of everything. Apologies were
whispered; more tears than anyone thought imaginable fell that night. No one
slept; no one could bear to dream.
When Aurora swept away the
evening sky with the first morning light, the Highwind was there to greet her.
On its way to the Forgotten Capital, the time had come to finish the ending of
the second story.
Chapter 29
The group filed down the
ladder of the airship, one by one. No one thought they could stand to be an
onlooker; however, none of them would allow being left behind. Morbid curiosity
led them all down the path to a final goodbye.
The Turks had even gone along.
“You got us mixed up in this, now we have to keep going on, even though we
won’t enjoy the ending,”
In a way, that was also true.
Who was really bound to Daphne? Derin, of course, then Cloud. Perhaps Joel, but
he had not been informed of the decision that led them away from Junon. For the
most part, he believed the woman he loved dead; there was no need for him to
sit there and watch it.
Kayley should have been happy;
by all accounts, she seemed to have a bitter distaste for Daphne. The two of
them had clashed horribly, some of it due to jealousy regarding a certain blond
man. The rest was due to the obvious animosity. Jenova had killed Aeris in the
first place, and now Kayley had basically been the one to send her back to the
grave.
They were all brave. The last
of the tears had fallen from Yuffie’s eyes, as she descended the ladder.
Not a sniffle, nor a sob broke
the quiet still as they slowly tread through the city of fragile shells.
Distracting herself, Daphne mused
on the origins of such large things. (What sort of sea creature left shells
large enough for people to house themselves in? Was this valley once filled
with water? The Cetra didn’t live underwater did they? I mean, the scuba race
seems a little absurd.)
There was an odd air of the
surreal as the group crept up towards the building at the lake. Most of the
people knew that Aeris had been laid to rest in the waters there.
What is it like, to stand at
one’s own grave? The question that was on all minds, but slipped to no tongues.
No barrier welcomed them at
the entrance to the temple; the final indicator, at last, that the drastic
measures being taken were the only ones that could be taken. Tifa blinked back
some moisture. (So it does have to be like this.) She leaned a little on
Vincent’s shoulder as her feet stepped down a spiral glass staircase for the
second time.
No matter how slow the pacing
was, eventually there had to be an arrival. The path that led to the altar was
narrow, and the place itself quite small. Some of the group immediately held
back, but the others awaited a decision–someone’s, they did not care
who–telling them to stay away.
Maybe they should close their
eyes too, while they were at it. Oh, why were they even there in the first
place?
“Only Zack and Cloud,” she
whispered.
Obviously, the others were
much relieved and held back as the trio slowly wound their way up to the
platform. Daphne smiled a bit. “Come on guys, don’t look so somber. Cloud’s
already been to my funeral, and Derin knows I don’t have a reason in all the
Planet to be sad to die.”
“How?” Derin asked, not
trusting his voice to utter more than a syllable. Unconsciously, he wrapped his
hand around an object in his pocket. (I hope this will be enough, in time.
Someday, she will thank me for all of this. Right now, she simply does not
understand. For me to live this life out, here, is pointless. After all, I’m
only an avatar of a soul...)
“I’m going to cast a Death
spell,” she said. “It will be fast and painless, and that was one of the
materia that I took from you, so I already have it.” Having already disposed of
most of her equipment, she slipped the green orb into a stray Carbon Bangle
that she’d found discarded on the Highwind.
Cloud gulped, grasping the
object in his pocket tightly, hoping that his reflexes were as quick as
he had hoped.
“Now then.” She attempted to
keep her voice light. “I must thank you, Cloud, for both of the wonderful dates
that we have had. I am very glad that you were always so protective of me and
persistent enough to make sure that I was safe, even when I did not care about
such things myself.”
He felt her arms quickly wrap
around him, and soft lips gently brush his. He could not help being tense and
stiff to these gestures. Any movement or change from the position he had taken
would lead to a complete breakdown in front of her. (It is too hard for us all
as it is...I have to keep calm...just a few minutes more.)
She placed her hand on Derin’s
shoulder, and he quickly covered it with his own. Biting her lip, Daphne buried
her face in his chest for a few moments. “I’m sorry, Zack, that it took so long
for me to see, to remember.”
“Shh...” He brushed a strand
of hair from her eyes. “I knew that it would be hard. After all we learned and
talked about, how could you apologize because being here wasn’t easy?” He
kissed her forehead. “Riss, I’m sorry that I ever expected anything to
be easy.”
She took a few deep breaths.
“I’m not scared for myself,” she declared.
“I’m not either,” he replied.
Daphne took a few steps back
from them, slowly lowering herself to her knees. “I’m going to smile,” she said
bravely, “just happy that you all will be all right.”
A glow began to surround her,
as she summoned up the power to cast her final spell.
Derin clenched his teeth and
told himself to have patience.
Cloud closed his eyes,
murmuring the only prayer he had ever said in his entire life. (Please...give
me the strength to carry on...)
Then everything went red.
Someone–most likely
Yuffie–screamed in a shrill, nearly inhuman voice.
Somewhere in the haze of hot,
wet, spattering liquid, eyes stared in disbelief, lids fluttering, lashes
beating desperately in an attempt to clear the path of vision. Who was hurt, in
pain? (There is materia...goddammit, someone in the fucking room has to have
materia...)
(It wasn’t supposed to happen
like that. Only a second of hanging on, and then it would be over.)
(Where is the darkness?)
(Why is the Lifestream so
heavy and red?)
(Who is crying? Why are there
tears? This is supposed to make a happy ending...
...I see light.)
The body had been left behind
long before, and a spirit flowed through cool green liquid. Suspended in the
dense material, one felt weightless instantly. The current pushed through, and
soon the surface was reached.
White sands, where the tide
that approached was glowing of its own iridescence.
A man, grizzled, with a beard
of the purest white was the greeter. He bore a robe of unstained cloth and
spoke soothingly.
(He understands why I did what
I did. The masters are in an uproar. This wasn’t the plan at all, but he’s not
surprised.)
“I always knew you had it in
you,” the man said, with a laugh in his voice. Eldor rarely spoke without joy.
Chapter 30: Epistle
Hey. I know that I’m never
going to be able to send a letter to you, but I have high hopes that Eldor is
going to let you come read this over my shoulder. It’ll be a comfort to us all.
I don’t think this is a normal everyday occurrence on our Planet, let alone the
entire Creation.
Meteor receded...nearly
instantly. It was quite surprising to see as we made our way up out of the
altar and across the lake. You don’t expect to see heavenly bodies disappear
and reappear like that thing does. It was quite unnerving.
Not all of the monsters
disappeared, of course, because there were ones before this whole incident ever
happened. But hunting them is a lot easier now, since they will stay dead after
we kill them. We can be sure that Jenova isn’t lurking around any corner, too.
That’s a comfort, believe me.
Barret went back to Kalm
and Marlene. You couldn’t really expect anything different. Cid is in...Rocket
Town, bitching Shera out every single day. I get this odd feeling inside that
she likes it. Red XIII is still off in Junon, monster hunting, though I suspect
he’s getting quite sick of city life and is going to head back to Cosmo Canyon
one of these days now.
Yuffie, you ask? Well, she
didn’t go back to her father in Wutai. She sent back some of her materia via
the new Planet-wide mail system, but remained in Junon. I think she’s got
something for Reeve, but she won’t admit it. Reeve’s too nice to her, I think
she’ll be hurt in the end. He offered her a job at Shinra, which she accepted,
so I guess they’re both satisfied for the time being.
Kayley, well, I have no
idea where she is. I think she went to check out Midgar, then Nibelheim,
looking to see the places where Jenova had caused the most damage. I believe
she started hanging around the Turks (who really aren’t a bad lot, when all is
said and done, by the way) but I lost track of them awhile ago. I have no
doubts that our paths will cross again someday. They’re just too damn obvious.
Now...on to Tifa. She’s
been very strong about this whole matter, of course. She never was one to
voluntarily show weakness. She adjusted to the loss, I bet it was hard at
first, but she had him
by her side.
I kinda wonder how they
managed to get together in the first place, but they seem to compliment each
other. Vincent has continued to stay in the Shinra Mansion, while Tifa packed
up and bought the replica of the house she grew up in. I have the sneaking
suspicion that one or both of those residences might be abandoned soon...
I guess there’s only one
more person that needs to be talked about.
She’s happy, pal, and I
thought you needed to know that. That Joel guy? Well, they’re working out their
problems. He really seems to love her more than anything else in the world, and
I can’t begrudge him for that.
She deserves to find love
and happiness, and if I’m not the one to give it to her this time around, then
oh well. At least I know now that she loved me once, and some part of her deep
inside will always care for me.
I think, in the end, we did
the right thing for her. You’re the only one right now who knows whether or not
the masters agree with me. I’m not sure if I want to know if your choice was
the right answer. I’d like to spend the rest of my life thinking that your
sacrifice was the best way to go...that you did what you did because you wanted
to, and had no regrets.
Her mission succeeded, you
feel no pain, and as for me, well...
This voyage of mine began
out of sacrifice. I never seemed to have the time, or heart, or concern for
anyone else but myself, at least, not before Hojo put us into those tubes. I
was a newborn soul, restless to try everything–and everyone–there was to have
in life. Looking back, I was surprised that Aeris had the power to keep me
concentrated on one person for that long.
Don’t worry about me, I’m
doing fine. I mostly keep to myself. I have to let Rissy alone, to live her new
life, or else we’d both go crazy.
I can’t feel sorry for
myself. When I get to feeling down, I just remind myself that this life, here
in the mortal realm, is gone in the blink of an eye. It just makes me wonder...
Will I ever be able to look
at a flower again?
–Derin
The End
(January 2000-August 21, 2002)
________________________________________________
A/N: For the last time. *grin* Well, this story has taken on various forms
between the time I started it, to six months later, the first time I posted it.
The inception was a different sort of atmosphere. I was more worried about who
would end up pairing with whom than what the actual end results would be.
Everything worked itself
out, like it always seems to do. I don't think the ending is sad, I believe it
is happy. Derin (Zack) understands why everyone did what they did, and has the
patience and discrimination to make it through his life. Aeris has a chance to
be Daphne. Cloud doesn't have to live through a life he knew would have been
still unbearable for him.
Nothing in life occurs
without consequences; but never lose faith that things may work out for the
best in the end.
Thanks for reading.
~Quinkie~