No Wish to be Alone
Chapter 18
They ran, three blurs of
movement across the snowy wasteland, faster than a chocobo
could have carried them. The leader, all black and silver, cradled his precious
burden close as he leapt over the deeper drifts. He shielded her face from the
stinging ice even as he bore the pain himself with the stoicism of a man with a
mission. His two companions, the dark man with the golden claw arm, and the
brilliant red catlike beast, had kept up with him admirably, much to his
surprise. They had run with him, for the rest of the day before and all through
the following night, uncomplaining, unspeaking as the miles flew beneath their
feet.
Now the horizon behind them
was beginning to lighten, the second day of travel. They were all growing
weary, but still they pushed their bodies to the limits. They knew that to stop
and sleep could spell her death.
The girl stirred suddenly, and
he began to slow as the warning hit him again: another attack! As before, the
initial pain of Jenova’s onslaught made her scream in
agony, her writhing body threatening to fall from her lover’s grasp. This had happened twice more since the start of their mad dash to
Icicle Inn. The silver-haired man was beginning to truly fear for her; each
attack lasted longer, grew fiercer, hurt her more. His shields were barely
holding in place around her mind. He knew they needed to reach the town very
soon.
Nanaki lashed his tail, the
only outward sign of his worry. "It’s not getting any easier, is it?"
"No, if anything, it’s
getting worse." His handsome face tried to maintain the old unreadable
mask, but it failed. He hugged her fiercely, ignoring the prick of tears in his
eyes. "Love, please keep fighting. We’re almost there."
Emerald eyes smiled up at him,
even as they filled with pain. "I...trust you...love...," she said,
voice reduced to the barest whisper. Another cry tore through her, the evil
creature screeching in fury at the tender moment. Another shield dropped,
shattered by Jenova’s psychological battering. A
triumphant, malevolent laugh echoed in the girl’s head.
I will kill you soon, you
pathetic little creature! He will be mine again and I will get my revenge on
you in such a sweet way...I’ll have him hurt you just as I tried to do before!
No matter what you do, I will get him back and I will kill you... With that, the loathesome
presence fled her mind, retreating for now, but leaving her with the knowledge
that it would return.
The girl lay gasping for
breath, tasting blood from when she’d bitten her lip to keep from giving in.
"She...she knows I’m weakening," she said miserably, "I think
next time she won’t give up until the end."
The other man, a shadow of
black and red, moved forward, gently smoothing her brow with his human hand.
"We will do all we can to help you. We’re not far from the town now. Try
to sleep, all will be well."
His words were comforting to
the others, and the girl snuggled closer to her love. He raised his green Mako
eyes to the other’s blood-red ones. "Thank you, Vincent. And you,
Nanaki." He kissed the girl’s pale cheek. "I had thought I could do
this alone, but...it is good to know that you’re here." He looked up at
the expanse before them, peering through the fog that shrouded the mountain.
"Let’s go."
The other two joined him as he
began to run again.
*****
A mile outside of town, Jenova
attacked once again, this time, drawing out the torture. The men put on an
extra burst of speed. They tried to ignore the pitiful whimpers from the girl
as she fought with her entire being.
"I hope this plan of
yours works," shouted Vincent over the sound of the wind.
"It will," came the answer. Silently, he begged, Please, Planet, I
hope this works.
It will.
Suddenly, they were in the
town itself, and the silver-haired man ran not to the hospital, as his
companions expected, but to a small temple. The others shared a glance and a
raised eyebrow before he kicked the door open with one foot.
"A church?" murmured
Nanaki thoughtfully. Vincent nodded, following inside.
The room had erupted into
chaos. They had unwittingly interrupted the morning religious service, and the
room was filled with people. Sephiroth was in full General mode now, sweeping
down the center of the room with the girl in his arms, bellowing for a cleric
as people dodged out of his way. A teenager wearing the robes of an altar boy
stood frozen in fear at the sight. The sacred relic he had been about to place
on the altar was gripped tightly between his trembling hands. He gulped when
the man strode up to him and asked, very quietly, very threateningly,
"Where is the cleric?"
The boy stumbled backward,
tripping on the hem of his robe. The relic flew from his grasp, twirled in the
air once, and fell to the stone floor. The congregation gasped, realizing that
it would shatter when it hit the ground. Many turned their heads, wincing.
A swift hand caught the
tumbling relic just before it landed. "Kami’s
tears, Yev, why didn’t you put it down first?"
The speaker hefted the item, then extended a hand to
help the boy up. "Here, put it back. I’ll deal with this."
He faced the man who had
barged in and so rudely interruped the morning’s
religious service. "I am Eron. What, may I ask,
is the meaning of this?"
Sephiroth glared at him, then pulled the hood away from Aeris’s
face. "I want you to marry us. Now."
Vincent and Nanaki looked at
each other. Neither of them had seen this coming.
The cleric drew himself up. He was roughly the same height as Sephiroth,
with brown eyes in a handsome face. He looked as if he smiled often. His dark
brown hair was pulled back with a ribbon to form a club at the base of his
neck. He wore the robes of his office with natural ease, and right now, he
radiated all the authority of that went along with the position. "You want
me to what?"
"I want you to marry
us," he repeated, "Right now."
"I will not! You abduct
some poor girl and expect me to—,"
"This is not a request!
She needs to marry me, or she will die!" The mask was cracking again as
desperation began creeping back into his voice.
The girl moaned. "L-let
me stand, love."
His attention was suddenly
completely focused upon her. "But you’re too weak!" he protested.
"Just let me
s-stand," she gasped. Reluctantly he lowered her legs to the floor,
keeping a firm arm about her shoulders. Eron watched
them with interest. Could it be the girl agreed? Was the man telling the truth?
"Sephiroth, what’s going
on?" asked Vincent softly, appearing at his elbow. Nanaki wound around Aeris’s legs, whining.
"There is a bond between
us that connects our minds. The Planet says that if we marry, the bond becomes
permanent, and Jenova can no longer harm us that way." He paused at a
small cry from the fragile woman. He enveloped her in his arms, nearly giving
in to the icy fear that had gripped him since the first attack. "Love, I’m
here...,"
He felt a hand upon his arm.
"Let me ask one question." Eron moved
closer to the girl. "Child, do you wish to wed this man of your own free
will?"
She smiled, blocking out the
screaming monster in her mind. "Yes." The assault doubled, and she
drew a ragged breath, digging her nails into her lover’s arms.
Eron glanced up at the General’s face. He
was shocked to his core to see such naked emotion there. Stepping back, he
cleared his throat. "Ah, um, right. Everyone!"
The congregation sat up and paid attention. "This couple has requested
that I join them in marriage. This is an emergency. Please remain, and when we
are done, I will continue the service."
The people seemed to react to
his words with trust. If Eron said it was all right,
then it must be.
Sephiroth indicated his
companions. "These two will be our official witnesses. Vincent
for me, Nanaki for her." One look at his face told them not to
argue. They would sort it all out later.
Eron took a deep breath and began. He kept
his eyes on the couple before him. He saw the careful way in which Sephiroth
held her, one arm firmly about her waist, the other behind her back, supporting
her head with his hand. She seemed to be fighting something inside, and she
would stiffen or cry out from time to time. He raced through the ceremony,
knowing somehow that by joining these two people, he truly would help to save
her life.
Each time she made a sound,
Sephiroth held her tighter. He could hear Jenova screeching,
felt his last weakened shield beginning to break. Hurry, cleric, she won’t
be able to stand it when it all comes crashing down...
After what seemed an eternity,
it was time for the most binding words of the ritual. "Sephiroth, you must
repeat these words to me. This is the most important part." Eron caught the other man’s gaze. He began speaking the
ancient vows, pausing for the response.
"I, Sephiroth, love thee
with all my heart."
Please, love...
"I will keep thee,"
Hang on...
"And cherish thee,"
I have you.
"For all my days,"
I need you!
"Until
my death."
My love...
"Of my love be
certain."
I love you.
"Now,
Aeris? You must
hold on. Please repeat these words as well."
"I, Aeris, love thee with
all my heart."
NO!! HE IS MINE!!
"I will keep thee,"
CETRA NUISANCE!!! DIE
ALREADY!!!
"And cherish thee,"
Love, help me!
"For all my days,"
I need you!
"Until
my death."
Augh...pain...
"Of my love, be
certain."
I love you.
Jenova redoubled, furiously
launching against the last shield and crashing through it. Aeris threw her arms
about her love, weeping with pain as she forced the final words past her lips.
"I am thine, and thou art mine."
He replied, stroking her hair,
"I am thine, and thou art mine."
The attack continued,
unabated. He thought wildly, PLANET?? Nothing’s happening!!
Must be more! Not finished!
Needs something else! So close!! It sounded as frantic as he.
Eron saw him break from a trance, looking
desperate. "What’s next? There must be more!"
"No! That’s the
end!" Eron cried. "Only thing left is the
kiss!"
That’s it!! They all thought in unison.
He tilted her chin up, and
very, very gently pressed his lips to hers.
NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Jenova’s shriek cut off abruptly as the Bond
solidified, threads of molten gold sliding around the two figures, encasing
them in a protective shield of thought. They both felt healed as a refreshing,
blinding light burst forth, repelling the hated invader before fading into
silvery, glittering motes that landed over the assembled people. The tiny
flecks shimmered upon contact with anything, skin, hair, chair, floor,
flame...then disappeared, like snowflakes of light.
Sephiroth felt her respond
with more strength, felt her fingers tracing through his hair. He deepened the
kiss, turning them both a little as he did so. It was enough.
Outside, the sun had come out,
dispelling the fog and shining defiantly in the sky. A few beams found their
way through the stained glass windows, highlighting the people at the altar in
myriad colours. When the General turned, the people
could all see the girl clearly. She moved against him, wholeheartedly returning
his kiss, when she stepped into a patch of golden yellow.
Her hair flared into glorious
radiance, freed from its braid at last and hanging as like a curtain of flame
about her. When she moved again, a white patch caught something behind
her...was it a trick of the light? The result of the light
reflecting itself in the room? Magic? No one
knew, but they all swore later that they had seen a pair of massive, feathered
wings spring from her back. Then the man moved as well, gathering her more
securely in his arms, and a bit of blue light caressed
a single, silvery wing over his own right shoulder.
Vincent, Nanaki, and Eron looked on in awe as they saw wisps of luminous
Lifestream spring up out of the ground at their feet. It began spiraling up,
around, over the two lovers, twining in their hair, the wings, anything. It
became a column, a windstorm, an inundation of otherworldly green.
Finally, when they pulled
apart, the Lifestream seemed to splash lightly down, back to earth,
disappearing. The wings were nowhere to be seen. People blinked, rubbed their
eyes, tried to find some logical explanation for what they’d witnessed. No one
made a sound, save for the ecstatic couple that held everyone’s attention. They
were clinging to each other, laughing and crying at once. He held her face in
his hands, not believing that she was truly all right.
She, meanwhile, was blessing
the silence in her head. When the Bond became permanent, she had felt it curing
her tattered consciousness. The last day and night had been agony, broken only
by the knowledge that her love was doing all he could to shelter her. Now she
stood before him, safe within his fierce embrace, and they were married! She
turned that joyful thought around and around in her mind. Married...
Good! Good! Together! The Planet’s reaction was a dizzying
assortment of brightly-coloured streamers, waving
madly in a breeze. Good!
Aeris kissed her husband
gleefully. A slight cough from behind them reminded her that her friends were
standing there. She grinned at them.
Eron was struck by the change in the girl;
where there had been a weak, pitiable thing, there was
now a healthy, vital woman whose eyes sparkled. She was probably the loveliest
bride he’d ever seen.
Vincent and Nanaki, who had
remained silent and still the whole time, seemed to come out of their shock.
Nanaki bounded forward, rubbing his face on her skirt. Vincent, whose face was
a mask to rival Sephiroth’s best, placed his claw hand on the other man’s
shoulder. Smiling faintly, he nodded. "I see why you told Cloud he’d
probably be angry with you."
"Hmph. As if I care if he’s angry or not."
He hugged her closer. "Especially now."
Vincent smiled, for real this
time. "I thought you’d say that. Why don’t we go leave these people in
peace?"
Sephiroth looked down at his
new wife, eyes crinkling at the corners as he grinned. "Agreed."
My wife.
My
husband.
The Planet hummed.