You Were Meant For Me Chapter 2
By Kyris Hyl
Movement in the shadows.
A figure stepped out, his iridescent green eyes sweeping the immediate area for any threat. Granted, the creatures roaming the area poised no threat to him and sensed that it was him that was a threat to them, but there were always creatures mutated too far beyond the reach of even basic survival instincts.
As thought to prove his thoughts, he sensed a presence behind him a full second before a wailing cry pierced through the air. Fully confident in his abilities, he dropped into a graceful spin to face the doomed creature.
Silver glinted in the moonlight, edged with dull red. A couple of thuds onto the ground were the only accompaniment to the creature perfectly cleaved into two.
He didn’t bother sheathing his masamune, perfectly comfortable with the 7 foot sword by his side. Contemplating cleaning the blood off for a moment, he disregarded it.
Right now time was of the essence.
He hurried down the street, subconsciously following his instincts to avoid potential death traps. Or at least, time-consuming nuisances. Ever since the construction accident from above, the whole suburb had degraded into a nest of monsters, attracted by the dead and mangled bodies crushed under rubble. Even now, several months since the incident, the creatures had stayed to prey on people who strayed into the area.
-Why did you tell her to meet you here?-
He knew very well why. It was the one place where he would never look. Hojo. The name caused a feral smile to grow on his lips, one of the rare things in the world able to elicit a response from his normally expressionless features. The scientist could ill afford to spare resources to monitor a red-zone area like this. No matter how prized he was by Shin-Ra, they would never give him enough man-power and electronic equipment to scout this corner of the slums.
A smirk tugged in the corner of his lips. And of course, knowing how much Hojo wanted to get his hands on the Cetra, Sephiroth just naturally had to keep her away.
But now… A slight frown crossed his expression. There was something more to it. Something more than petty revenge. ‘No’, he admonished himself privately as he expertly navigated the gloomy streets, ‘It can’t be’.
But why not? For his whole life, Hojo had told him he was supposed to be the perfect SOLDIER, the ultimate warrior, the leader of elites. A breed apart.
Superficially, he was all that. Everything about him set him apart from others; from his tall, well-built form to the unusual metallic silver of his hair to the unbelievable capacity he had for destruction. He had always been excluded from social circles, opting instead to remain isolated and simply watching from the shadows.
A lone wolf.
He didn’t need anyone. They needed him. And he delighted in toying with their needs.
However, despite all that, he had all too human emotions. Elation, knowing he was the envy of others. Frustration, knowing others feared him. Anger, for the company that controlled him perceived him to be a mere object to be experimented on. Fear… that he would always be alone, that his isolation would drive him mad. Mad and prone to those strange urges, those strange voices whispering in his head. These feelings, thoughts, all this he was determined to keep away from others. They need not know this. They would use it to twist him, bend him to their needs instead.
Aeris had seen this. Aeris knew. Somehow, her clear emerald eyes were able to pierce the shield he had built around himself and had seen him for who he truly was, seen what he truly needed. She saw his anger, his frustration, his fear, his desires. She had seen his humanity. And yet… she did nothing to use it against him. And that puzzled him.
Suddenly remembering she was waiting for him, he doubled his speed. It would not do to keep her waiting in a place like this. Pushing aside all other thoughts, he concentrated on reaching the meeting place as soon as possible.
*****
Run through the cold of the night, as passion burns in your heart.
Ready to fight, a knife held close by your side
Like a proud wolf alone in the dark with eyes that watch the world
And my name like a shadow on the face of the moon.
*****
Her footsteps echoed thinly as she ran down the deserted cobbled streets. Breath coming out in thick vapours, she shivered and clutched her thin jacket closer around her chest while the grip around her staff tightened. The eerie silence and haunting shadows were enough to give anyone the creeps. Trying to distract her mind from the darkness, Aeris hurried her steps.
Something under her foot crunched loudly, the sound almost deafening in the silence. Her foot skidding a little, she bit back a yelp as she regained her balance. Lifting her foot gingerly, she was relieved to see it was only a broken bottle.
-I could have cut my foot on that…-
Grabbing hold of her thoughts before she could start, she turned away and continued. Far above, a full moon peered behind a cloud, illuminating her way with soft silvery light. Aeris could feel a little bit of her fear dissipate as the moonlight revealed the hunched goblin around the corner to merely be an overflowing trash can, the hooded caped form of a giant bat to simply be cloth, wrapped around a pipe by the wind.
-Hah. Aeris, you’re too nervous.-
She laughed softly, wondering if her sudden case of edginess was because she was always seeing demons in her mind, or because of him.
-Meet me at the church in half an hour.-
Why did he suddenly want to see her? Was it to put a final closure on their relationship, or was it to…
She was suddenly brought back to reality as she crashed into something hard, landing ungainly onto the rough ground. “Wha…”, her words faltered as she looked up.
A pair of slitted golden eyes stared down at her. A serpentine head was just inches away from her own, so close she could feel the hot sulphurous air as it breathed out, wispy vapours reaching out to caress her cheek. She could almost see the intelligence behind those eyes assessing her potential as a threat, or better yet, as prey.
-Stay still. Don’t show fear-.
Without any warning, the dragon whipped its head back, breathing a huge gout of flame so bright it left purple-black after-burns searing across her vision, successfully blinding her temporarily. A moment’s panic; she couldn’t see! Accompanying her alarm, a surge of adrenalin rushed through her, heightening senses painfully aware of her surroundings.
A snarl from the right.
Instinctively she ducked, feeling a rush of air above where the reptile had just struck. Scrambling to her feet, she hastily focused her thoughts on a shield, hard and unyielding in front of her. A second later, she cried out as she felt something smash into her protect spell, sending her reeling. Her spell stood though, and a moment’s concentration later, her vision came back.
A huge beast of golden and red stood high above her, coldly intelligent eyes reassessing her strength. She could escape right now, or at least attempt to, but something in her held back.
-I don’t want to run any more.-
Emerald green eyes determined, she stood her ground, staff held before her. Sensing the sudden change of mood in its prey, the dragon took a step back warily, long whip-like tail lashing the air. Relying on instinct, she clenched her staff tighter.
-I can fight. I will fight-.
With a cry, she struck the ground with her staff, instantly feeling a surge of energy unleashed at the moment of contact. From above, a spark shone before growing in size. With a high-pitched buzz a bolt of electricity stuck the startled dragon, eliciting a pain-filled bellow.
Enraged, the dragon lunged forwards, snarling viciously as its forelimb lashed out poison-tipped claws. Knowing she could not match the speed, she threw up another shield, crying out once again as the force of the blow sent her crashing against the wall. She barely scrambled aside as another strike smashed the spot she had just previously occupied. Dodging falling bricks and mortar, she pumped her legs faster, determined to give herself some time to cast another spell. The ground shook as the dragon, realising her intentions, leapt ahead to cut her off.
Palms swirling with white energy she whirled around from her mad rush to face her adversary. Holding her hands before her, palms outwards, she sent the energy spiralling towards the dragon. Upon impact it solidified to fully encase the dragon in a boulder of ice.
Undeterred, the creature shook its massive form, powerful muscles straining to flex. Cracks began to form, and with a huge bellow, the dragon reared upwards, shaking itself free from its prison. Shards of ice flew through the air, cutting deep into both combatants.
Breathing heavily, both the dragon and the girl faced each other. For a brief moment, as the moonlight struck melting ice, an array of colours danced across the square, lending an almost surreal setting for the battle.
A small smile quirked the corner of Aeris’ lips.
-Sephiroth… I will miss you.-
*****
Broken mirror, a million shades of light,
The old echo fades away.
But just you and I,
Can find the answer and then,
We can run to the end of the world,
We can run to the end of the world.
*****
-That’s odd… what’s a golden dragon doing here?-
Hearing the characteristic deep bellows of the beast gave Sephiroth a moment’s pause. Golden dragons were, by far, one of the rarest creatures on the planet. For one to travel this far to Midgar meant it had located a source of magic, the one substance it craved above all else. Where in this planet forsaken place could there be a source for immense magic?
-Aeris!-
<><><>
-I should never have told her to go to the church! What was I thinking?!-
Furious, the young man forced his legs to run faster. The sword in his hand failed to hinder him one bit; instead, he used it to slice through any fences that impended his way. Scenery passed by him in a blur. All he was focused on right now was to get to the flower girl, fast. Aeris, no matter how enormous her magic potential was, was still untrained. He knew she would try to last the battle out, but against a golden dragon, her chances of survival were close to none.
Concentrating on the sounds of battle, he was enraged to find that the sounds echoed throughout the whole sector, making it hard to pinpoint the exact location.
-Why am I bothering? Maybe this way will be better for the both of us.-
“No!”. The sound of his own voice startled him; were his thoughts really getting that out of hand? Shaking off the thought, he looked upwards. A loud boom announced the casting of a powerful spell, followed by the deep rumble of the dragon’s challenge.
-Let her be. In the end we can be together. Don’t bother.
Images of Aeris lying on the cobbles, pale, bloodied, lifeless sprang into mind. Red-hot fury threatened to overtake him, and he could feel power bristling over his skin, barely held in check.
-I bother because she is mine. No harm shall come to whatever belongs to me.-
Spying a fully intact building up ahead, he clenched his fists. Focusing his rage, he cast float. The spell carried him easily to the roof, pale wings beating behind him. The moment his boots touched solid ground again though, the spell collapsed, wings dissipating into feathers.
From his new vantage point, he could spot the battling duo. Shimmering gold confirmed it was a golden dragon. Even from this distance, his sharp eyesight spotted the figure dwarfed by the immense dragon.
Chestnut hair. Emerald eyes. Pale, flawless skin. It was Aeris.
<><><>
“Aeris, get down!”.
The command left his lips as he saw the dragon take a deep breath. Automatically, his mind shaped the mana for a shell spell and sent it towards the startled young woman. It shattered upon impact, the scattering mana threads forming a protective dome around her. Almost instantly she was enveloped in flames.
At the same time, Sephiroth launched himself at the dragon that was fully focused on his prey. Masamune gleaming in the moonlight, he slashed at the tender spot just between its chest plates. Still breathing fire, the dragon roared with rage, twisting its neck so the deadly gout of flames was turned onto Sephiroth. He dodged it easily, hardly surprised to see a faint glimmer of pearly white engulfing him.
Shell.
Without skipping a beat, he leapt up, grabbing hold of the armour plate masamune had pried loose and sank the seven foot sword deep into the wound. The huge beast shuddered and struggled to free itself from the legendary sword. Shoving the blade in up till the hilt, Sephiroth twisted the blade before releasing it, dropping gracefully to the ground below.
Ignoring the death throes of the dragon, he turned around to find her standing on top of a pile of rubble. And seeing her there took his breath away.
Her eyes… they were so tired, fading from the usually brilliant green to a strangely light turquoise. Never had he seen her like this, in such an exhausted state. And yet there was something in there that spoke of an iron will, the will to survive. Standing there against the dark of the sky, the curves of her lithe body hypnotised him, the tears in her pink dress hinting at the flesh beneath the soft cloth.
As she stepped down ever so gracefully, the sway of her thick chestnut locks accompanied the gentle sway of hips. Her skin appeared to be almost porcelain white, almost as though she was glowing. A dark contrast to the deep crimson matting her features here and there. For some strange inexplicable reason, it was the sight of her blood that enthralled him, aroused him the most.
Never had he wanted something so bad. Never had he wanted to take her in all her purity, her goddess-like aura. He wanted to take her, ravish her, break her. He wanted her to bleed.
*****
Cold fire clenched to my heart in the blue of night,
Torn by this pain, I paint your name in sound.
And the girl of the dawn, with eyes of blue, and angel wings,
The sounds of the season are her only crown.
*****
He wanted her so badly it was almost a physical pain. And at the same time, he felt confused. She was his, why would he want to hurt her so? Frustrated by this conflict of emotions, he headed back to the now still corpse, jerking his sword out and starting to clean it. The familiarity of routine began to calm him down.
“Seph…”.
The nervousness of her tone almost made him laugh out loud. He knew, he just knew, that she feared him. Maybe she was frightened of his sword. Giving it a last loving polish, he held it up to the light, admiring the elegance of such a deadly weapon.
-It would do her good to fear it-.
Images of her flashed though his mind. Aeris, kneeling on some sort of raised platform, head bowed, eyes shut in prayer. Aeris, sensing something from above, looking upwards, her shining green eyes gently probing the shadows above. Him jumping off a ledge. Driving a sword, his sword, right down. Shock, fear, confusion. Red.
-What…?- Growling softly to himself, he clenched his head in his hands, forcing the images away from his mind.
-I’d never do that to her. Not her. Never her.-
“Seph”. This time she had more force in her voice, making him look at her in surprise. Seeing she finally had his attention, she plunged on, “Why did you call me this late at night?”.
Tear his attention away from her inviting lips, he cocked his head to the side, simply saying, “I told you I’d call you back”. His thumb stroked the hilt of masamune, the rough texture a welcome distraction.
-She’s changed.-
She had expected to die.
But now? She was standing, still alive, still breathing, while the dragon was dead. And it was all because of Sephiroth.
-Seph…-
Steeling herself for the confrontation, she faced him, knowing what a pitiful sight she must make. Blood, dirt and grime smeared all over her clothes, cuts and bruises marring her once perfect complexion. Couple that with the paleness that came of shock and horror, she knew she must look horrific.
-This is no fairy-tale, Aeris. He’s not here to beg your forgiveness. Even if he did save you, it doesn’t mean he loves you.-
“Why now, Sephiroth?”. She cursed the slight break in her voice; her emotions were getting the better of her. Forcing down her anxiety and fear, she regained her composure, “Why are we meeting now? Why not a week ago? Why not the time when you left?”. Without meaning to, her voice dropped to a mere whisper, “Why are you bothering now?”.
Mako-green eyes regarded her lazily, silver eyebrows arching upwards in mock surprise, “Did you not want to see me? Or did I misunderstand your constant efforts to contact me?”. Oh, how she hated his smugness.
-Oh gods… he really doesn’t care-. “From the way you’ve treated me, it doesn’t really matter what I want, does it?”. He shrugged, disinterest clearly showing in his expression.
She gaped. Could it… but… no! -How could he?! He never cared! He never did care!- Tears gathering in the corner of her eyes, she tried to blink them back furiously, and yet… yet… Why should she bother?
Something in her snapped. All the hurt, confusion, pain and suffering she had endured ever since his departure overwhelmed her in such force that she couldn’t hold back anymore.
“If you want to end this, then end it!”. Her voice rose, shrill and pained, “You never loved me, did you? I’m just a plaything to you! What does it matter that I have feelings, huh? You just lead me along, all the way until you manage to get into SOLDIER. After that, you just toss me to the side like trash!”.
A strange light appeared in his eyes, his features hardening, lips set into a grim line, “You seem to have everything figured out, don’t you?”.
Anger sparked her reply. Catching him off-guard, her palm met his cheek in a resounding slap which echoed amongst the surrounding rubble. “You have everything you’ve dreamed of”, she hissed, “I hope you’re happy now”.
-You…-
A stinging pain on his cheek shocked him. She had slapped him! For the first time in his life, he felt his mask of apathy crack, then shatter. Treacherous thoughts flooding his mind, he seized her wrists, fury darkening the brilliant green of his eyes. “You think you know everything about me, Cetra”, he growled, “Then tell me this. Will it make me happy? Knowing that Hojo still creeps about the shadows, still tracking me, still testing me even though I am the most powerful man in Shin-Ra’s army? Knowing that people, weaklings, command my actions!”.
The anger in her expression melted into shock and horror. He shoved her away, feeling the all to familiar pickling on his skin signalling a colossal build-up of power. And he didn’t care.
“ Do you really think all this is what I dreamt?”, he asked her, the softness of his tone masking the deadliness of his intentions, “I did not leave you. Hojo caught me escaping from my cell when I wanted to visit you. He knew then he could not hold me any longer, and told me I was offered a position in SOLDIERS. That was my dream. But even then, even now”, his fist clenched, and a pile of rubble exploded in a shower of hot mortar, “He tracks my calls. He tracks my movements, my assignments. He is assigned to me whenever I end up in the infirmary, free to conduct more experiments on me. Is that my dream, Cetra?!”.
His voice rose on the last sentence, the same time as huge flames engulfed the area around them.
*****
Broken mirror, a million shades of light,
The old echo fades away.
But just you and I,
Can find the answer and then,
We can run to the end of the world,
We can run to the end of the world.
*****
“Seph…”.
A feather-light touch on his arm, he visibly flinched and backed away. Aeris stood before him, the desire to help him evident, as was the helplessness as she didn’t know what to tell him. She reached out once again and this time he allowed her to come forward and wrap her slim arms around him.
“I will not be seeing you again, Aeris”, he muttered, rage tamed with the slightest of her touch, “Tomorrow I am to go to Wutai”.
“But Seph, can’t you-“.
He cut her off abruptly, pulling away from the embrace, “Hojo will be coming along. The new weapons to be used may backfire, and in the instance that I am injured, he would be the only one qualified to treat me”. He said it as though he was quoting someone, tone monotonous and the stoic expression sliding back into place. He shook his head when she made to speak, causing his long silver hair to cascade down his back in waves.
“He will not touch me. I will not let him. I know a place where I can finally free”. And for the first time since she met him, there was tenderness in his eyes as he looked into hers, his voice soft and gentle, “But because of that, I will not be able to see you again”.
“I don’t understand, Seph”.
He awkwardly touched the silky strands of her hair, running his fingers through them as though memorizing the texture. “It’s better if you don’t”. A moment’s pause. “Forgive me, Aeris. But it’s the only way I know to escape”.
Escape Hojo. Escape Shin-Ra. Escape myself. He ached to touch her more, to taste her and to remember her. But time was short, and after Wutai, there would be nothing to remember. And yet, he gazed at her, committing every single feature to mind. Her large expressive eyes, the pink of her full lips, the arches of her cheeks, the innocence of her face.
He wanted remember her face, wanted her to be the last thing in his mind before death. The final release.
“Goodbye, Aeris”, he whispered, “I’ll miss you”.
She watched him turn and leave, vanishing once again as the shadows claimed his powerful form. -He did care-. She had seen his eyes shining when he bade her goodbye. She knew that was as close to tears as a man like him could ever come to. Confusion reigned in her mind as she tried to puzzle out his cryptic words.
-Never see her again? Finally be free? Miss her?-
Realization dawned on to her then. “No!”, the exclamation left her lips before she even realized it. Running down the street he had taken, she looked around feverishly to try spot any trace of him.
But he had vanished.
“No”, she whispered, sinking down to the ground, “Please Seph… You can’t…”. Helplessness overcame her; she knew there was nothing in her power to stop him.
Tears dripped down to the ground as she cried out her misery.
From high above, iridescent green eyes watched her every movement.
-Cry for me, Aeris. Cry, for the both of us.-
*****
We met in the mist of morning, and parted deep in the night.
Broken sword and shield, and tears that never fall,
But run through the heart.
Washed away by the darkest water,
The world is peaceful and still.
*****