The Flip Side of the Mirror

by T'Shael

Chapter 2

Elmyra looked around as they rode along.

"It's so desolate here," she said. "Why do you have to live in Icicle Village? Why not some place nice and warm?"

"Home is always the warmest place, no matter where you live Mom." Aeris winked at Sephiroth. "Besides, I don't feel desolate here with Sephiroth."

Elmyra sighed. "It's just that you live so far away and I've missed you so much. We never saw each other again after you sneaked out after that Cloud fellow."

Sephiroth glanced at Aeris.

"I'm sorry I left without telling you Mom," said Aeris. "I was afraid you would try to stop me."

"You're darn right I would have stopped you," said Elmyra. "The next thing I knew, you were dead! Murdered . . . "

She looked at Sephiroth and turned bright red.

"It's all right." Sephiroth stopped the chocobo and looked back at his future mother-in-law. "You have every reason in the world to hate and fear me. I don't blame you. I hurt a lot of people when I went insane."

"A lot of people admired you," said Elmyra. "It hurt them when you turned against them."

"I know." Inwardly, he sighed. He knew this was coming but he hadn't intended to speak of his past to her this soon. He didn't flinch under her gaze. "You can't know what it felt like to discover I was no more than an experiment."

"When I was younger, I didn't understand what was happening to me. Except for the times Hojo had me in his lab, I was always alone. I was locked in a room with toys, attended by people who always acted as if they had better things to do. Later, when I was allowed to go to the Shinra Daycare Center, I found out there were other people like me. Children. I thought I was the only one. I tried to interact with them but they sensed something different about me. They alienated me from the start."

"When their parents came to get them, the other children always got hugs, kisses or other signs of affection. I wondered why no one ever acted that way toward me. I started wondering where my parents were. My questions were ignored at first then Hojo told me my mother died when I was born. When I asked him who my father was, he'd get angry and his "treatments" always seemed to hurt a lot worse. He finally said my father didn't care about me. He'd gone away and would never come back. I'd go to the Daycare Center and play alone while the other children laughed and played together. I couldn't even get one of the attendants to play with me. I wanted so much for someone to like me and treat me like the other children."

"One day I saw a father pick up his son at the end of the day and hug him. He tossed him in the air and turned around and around with him in his arms. I remember that little boy laughing, looking like he was having the time of his life. They left and all I could think about is how happy the father behaved. When I was taken to Hojo that day, I suffered through his examination and injections. When it was over, he ordered my attendant to take me back to my room. On impulse, I hugged Hojo. I thought he would be happy and hug me back. I was wrong. The look on his face was indescribable. He pulled me off and slapped me across the face. He told me to never do that again."

"I was crying when I asked him what I'd done wrong. He said he wasn't there to mother me. I was to keep my hands to myself and do as I was told. I was sitting in a corner of my room crying when Professor Gast came to see how I was reacting to the injection. He asked me what was wrong. When I turned toward him, he was shocked to see a red mark on my face. I told him about Hojo. Professor Gast was angry. I thought he was mad at me, until he put his arms around me and hugged me. He let me cry in his arms. Before he left, he took a candy bar out of his pocket and gave it to me. He said he'd talk to Hojo, then he left."

"I don't know what happened between them, but I think they had an argument over me. After that, Professor Gast never hugged or showed affection for me in front of Hojo. When we were alone, away from my room and the cameras, he talked to me and listened to what I had to say. He gave me candy, toys and books. He always hugged me before took me back to my room. I used to wish he was my father instead of the man who went off and left me with Hojo. I made excuses for my father's absence. I told myself he was a SOLDIER far from home fighting in a war. I kept hoping he would come back and take me away, but that never happened."

"As time passed, I came to the realization that no one was going to save me from Hojo, especially after Professor Gast died. I cried all day when Hojo told me. I asked if I could skip coming to the lab for a day, but Hojo sent for me anyway. He didn't act sad about the Professor at all. He seemed happy about it somehow. I hated him even more for that. The only way I could deal with things as they were, was to teach myself not to feel emotions. I thought if I didn't care about anyone and if I didn't let them care about me, I could turn off the pain I felt inside. The only thing that kept me going was the hope that life would be better when I was older. Hojo thought he steered me into SOLDIER, but I wanted to join. I would have done it without his "encouragement." I worked hard to gain respect and move up through the ranks, but even then Shinra kept its foot on my neck."

Elmyra looked distressed. "Even when you became a general?"

Sephiroth nodded. "Even then. The visits to Hojo's lab tapered off, but I was still required to report to him from time to time. It made my skin crawl to let him examine me, but President Shinra would have had me brought in by force if I refused."

"You were the strongest soldier in the ranks," said Elmyra. "Couldn't you resist?"

"I could have," answered Sephiroth, "But then I would have been demoted for insubordination or discharged from SOLDIER. I worked hard to get where I was. SOLDIER was the only family I had. For the first time in my life I was respected and treated as if I had a useful purpose in life. If I had lost that, there would have been nothing left for me. I lived and breathed SOLDIER."

Aeris listened in fascination. Sephiroth gave her bits and pieces of his life, but this was the first time he'd ever said this much. Her heart ached as she listened to him speak.

Elmyra looked thoughtful. "Where does Jenova come in?"

Sephiroth looked away for a moment. He looked back. "Do you mind if I tell you while we walk?"

Elmyra shook her head. Sephiroth tugged the reins and Goldie followed obediently.

"We went to investigate a damaged reactor in Nibelheim," he said. "Cloud made a harmless remark."

Aeris looked surprised. "What did he say?"

Sephiroth didn't answer right away.

Elmyra looked at him. "If this is painful to talk about-"

"It needs to be said." Sephiroth looked at Aeris. "You're going to be my wife. You should know."

"Go on with your story she said," giving him an encouraging smile.

Sephiroth nodded. "When we reached the reactor, not only did we find out why it was malfunctioning, we also discovered Hojo was creating monsters in pods connected to the machinery. We started talking about Mako."

"I explained to Cloud that normal members of SOLDIER are showered with Mako. They are different but still human. The creatures in the pods were humans that had been showered with higher concentrations. Cloud asked if it was some kind of monster. I told him it was a mutated organism produced by Mako energy."

He looked away.

"Please go on Sephiroth," said Elmyra. "What did Cloud say that upset you?"

Sephiroth didn't look at her as he spoke.

"Cloud said, "Normal members of SOLDIER? You mean you're different?" It was a just harmless remark asked in ignorance, but he didn't know what a shock it was for me to hear that. I'm not a "normal" SOLDIER. I never was. I was different from everyone around me. I've always known I was, but I didn't know why. It was my difference that made people treat me the way they did.

"I was suddenly obsessed with the desire to know if I had been created in the same way. Was I a monster or was I human? I was so angry I drew my sword and attacked one of the pods. I almost attacked Cloud too, but I stopped myself. When we left the reactor, we checked in at an inn.. I tried to go to sleep. I tried to forget what I'd seen, but I couldn't. I got up and left. I went straight to the Shinra mansion. There was a fireplace there with a secret door that led down to a library."

"I searched until I found notes on something called "The Jenova Project." When Hojo told me my mother died, he said her name was Jenova. I was in that library for hours. My men were worried about me but I wouldn't listen to anyone. I didn't eat, sleep or take a break. I read everything I could find. When I put down the last book, I was hanging onto my sanity by a thread. When Jenova spoke to me, it snapped. I lost my sanity in a room surrounded by information that proclaimed my life was a lie. In my dementia, I came to believe Jenova was a Cetra being held prisoner by humans while I was produced as a slave to do their bidding. You know the rest from there. I let her lead me down the path that led to my downfall."

When Sephiroth looked at Elmyra again, his face looked strained. "When I think about it now, I know I should have fought her, but at the time, I couldn't. I had no ideal I was falling out of one lie into another. When I finally learned the real truth in the Lifestream, I was so ashamed of what I'd done, I didn't want to come back."

"But you came back because of Aeris," prompted Elmyra.

Sephiroth looked into Aeris' green eyes. "She made me promise to help her finish her mission. She was supposed to promise in return, to send or take me back to the Ancient City to die when my mission was over. She never did."

"I didn't think you noticed that," Aeris blushed.

"I didn't," he said. "I was too upset to notice right away. I didn't think about it until you wouldn't let me ride away when Cid took us back to Icicle Village. I was just about to remind you of your promise when I realized you hadn't made one."

"Aren't you glad?"

Sephiroth looked at her sideways. "That just means I'll have to pay closer attention to what you're saying when you're trying to get your way."

Aeris laughed.

"How has it been since you returned?" asked Elmyra. "How do people treat you?"

"No one trusts me completely," he replied. "And some may never trust me again, but at least here in Icicle Village people don't look at me in fear like they used to. In time, I hope in time, it will be like that everywhere."

"Sephiroth keeps the monsters away from the Village," explained Aeris. "He only goes after those who come too close, but the Mayor insists on paying for each one he kills. The Village Council has offered to pay Sephiroth a regular salary to kill all the monsters in the area."

"Are you going to do it?" asked his future mother-in-law.

"I'm going to speak to him after your visit," he replied. "I've been given a second chance to set things straight and that's what I intend to do. If killing monsters is will help, I'll do it. The only thing crazy about me now is how crazy in love I am with your daughter."

"Sephiroth has been really good to me Mom," said Aeris. "You don't think he would lock me in a basement with a bunch of rats do you?"

Sephiroth fought off a smile and looked at Elmyra

"I love her," he said

Elmyra gazed at him in silence. All the way to Icicle Village, she'd been formulating a plan to talk Aeris into leaving Sephiroth. Being married to a SOLDIER brought nothing but pain. She had to make Aeris see that. Not only did the girl want to marry a SOLDIER, she picked one who'd gone crazy and tried to destroy the world. She'd thought it would be easy to make Aeris see the foolishness of marrying Sephiroth and come home, but now that she'd seen them together, she wasn't so sure. Elmyra could feel the love between them.

"I believe you," she said.

Sephiroth smiled. He really was a handsome young man. Elmyra caught herself. She wasn't here to like him. She was here to save her daughter. Her mind went back over his story and her emotions wavered. Would her life have been any different if she were in his place? Her emotion wavered again and she fought to hold on to her resolve. She had to save her daughter.

"I won't win a man-of-the year contest," said Sephiroth, "But I feel like a winner with Aeris."

Elmyra smiled. Her thoughts were racing. She didn't know how to feel.

The trip home was uneventful. Aeris closed her eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks as they rode into the yard. She opened the door while Sephiroth rode around the back to put the chocobo away.

Elmyra looked around. "So this is your father's house."

"It's our house now," corrected Aeris. "We want to raise our children here."

Elmyra took Aeris' hands in hers. "Are absolutely sure he's the one for you? You seemed quite smitten with Cloud Strife once."

Aeris smiled. "Cloud is one of my dearest friends Mom, but Sephiroth is the man I love."

Elmyra looked into Aeris' sparkling green eyes and nodded. "I can see you love each other, but I'm still worried. What if he loses his mind again? If he kills you this time, I'll lose you forever. I don't think I could bear that a second time."

"Sephiroth won't lose his mind again." Aeris squeezed Elmyra's hands. "He's learned to love and he's still learning how to deal with people. He'll be all right. Please trust me."

"I'm here to get to know him," said Elmyra. How was she going to get through to the girl? "We'll take it from there."

Aeris hugged her.

Sephiroth came in the back door with Elymra's luggage.

"I'll take these upstairs for you Elmyra," he said. He started upstairs.

"Thank you," she said.

"Come on Mom," said Aeris. "I'll show you your room."

They followed Sephiroth to the room that was once his. Leaving Elmyra to unpack her things, Sephiroth and Aeris went back downstairs.

"How am I doing so far?" He asked Aeris.

"She's still a little worried, but I think you'll win her over in the end," she replied. She kissed him.

Cid made Watui his last stop. After Yuffie came on board, the Highwind set course for Midgar.

"Oh I hate riding in this thing," Yuffie moaned as she found a place on the floor near a bulkhead. "I'll never get used to flying."

"The only time I feel safe leaving my materia laying around is when you're riding in this thing, " said Cid grinning at Yuffie. "Then you're too sick to steal it."

Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him and curled up in a tighter ball.

"Well, we're finally on our way," said Tifa. "I'll feel a lot better when we know the last Jenova samples are gone."

"We don't really know that they're the last," said Red, "But at least we won't have to worry about this batch any more."

"We won't have to worry about Hojo at any rate," said Cloud. "Hopefully, he doesn't have any crazy friends running around."

"If he does," Barret shook his fist, "We'll get rid of them too!"

"Amen to that." Cid blew a smoke ring at the sky. He turned to Vincent. "How are the lovebirds these days?"

Vincent looked at Cid curiously. "You saw them earlier. Didn't they look okay to you?"

"Of course they did," Cid put out his cigarette. "But Sephiroth and Aeris don't confide in me. Is Sephiroth still on an even keel?"

Cloud snorted.

"Sephiroth and Aeris are just fine," answered Vincent. "They're still trying to plan a wedding date."

Tifa gave Cloud the eye. "So are we."

"So what's the holdup?" asked Cid.

Tifa looked at Cloud.

Cloud looked at Tifa, then looked away.

The others looked at each other and then at Cloud and Tifa.

"Is something wrong?" asked Vincent.

"Cloud?" Tifa folded her arms.

Cloud shuffled his feet and looked down. "It's just that I'd like to get married before Sephiroth and Aeris."

"So?" Red XIII raised his ears and tilted his head toward Cloud.

Cloud looked at Tifa.

"So?" Barret looked impatient. "What's the problem?"

Tifa frowned at Cloud and answered the question. "We don't know when Aeris and Sephiroth are getting married and Cloud won't agree on a date until we do."

Yuffie forgot her discomfort for a moment. "Why does it matter when Aeris and Sephiroth get married?"

"Cloud wants to get married a week before they do." Tifa rolled her eyes at Cloud. "He won't set a date until he knows what their date is."

Cid burst out laughing.

"I don't see anything funny," snapped Cloud.

Cid wiped tears from his eyes. "You mean you're holding up Tifa's wedding because you want to beat Sephiroth to the altar? That's rich!"

Cid started laughing again.

"That's really dumb Cloud." Barret shook his head. "I thought you had better sense than that."

Red shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"Why don't the four of you just get married on the same day?" asked Vincent.

"NEVER!" Cloud folded arms. "I'm not sharing my special day with Tifa with the likes of Sephiroth!"

Yuffie shook her head. "And I thought I was sick."

Cloud gave her a dirty look and turned back to the others. "My wedding day is important to me."

"I wonder about that!" Tifa walked away.

"Tifa wait!" Cloud went after her.

Cid shook his head. "These weddings are going to be more exciting than I thought."

The Whole Eater left the lab. It went down the hall and up the stairs. When it reached the door at the top, the tumor processed more information from the dead blood cells. The monsters' eyes were covered with a hazy white film. If it wasn't for the fact the creature was mobile, an observer would have thought it was dead.

The tumor found the information it was looking for and gave the Whole Eater new instructions. It took an hour for the monster to reach the edge of the city. It crawled into the open and lay there.

* * * * *

Sephiroth was just about to kiss Aeris when the Planet screamed inside their heads. Aeris felt the strength go out of her body. She dropped to her knees. Sephiroth fell beside her. Her blood turned into ice water and her teeth began to chatter. She reached out to Sephiroth. They wrapped their arms around each other. Aeris wanted to speak but she couldn't. The scream rose to a pitch and died. The chill in their bodies vanished and the pain stopped. Aeris buried her face against Sephiroth's chest. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Not again!" she cried. "Please not again!"

By the time the Highwind was bound for Midgar, the Whole Eater was dead. A flock of Tornadus noticed the carcass and swooped in for a closer look. Whole Eaters weren't their usual fare, but food was food. One Tornadu touched down near the body to check things out.

The monster's head twitched. The Tornadu squawked and jumped back. The rest of the flock aborted their landings and decided to wait until the first Tornadu gave the all clear. They circled the corpse from the air.

The Tornadu was braced to fly if the Whole Eater moved again. It watched closely, but there were no further signs of life. It hopped closer. The Whole Eater looked just as dead as it had before. The Tornadu was just about to peck at the flesh when a fountain of blood and gore blew out from the monsters head.

The Tornadu squawked in fright and took to the air, joining its companions. They circled the body suspiciously. There was a hole in the bloody skull. A fan-shaped spray of blood outlined the head. Curiosity made the Tornadu swoop low enough to investigate again. It caught a whiff of blood. That was enough to trigger its hunger. It came in for a landing and approached the body slowly, keeping an eye on the hole.

A mass of grey matter, the size of a cantaloupe, pushed its way out of the bloody orifice. The Tornadu backed up a step as the lumpy flesh cleared the hole and lay twitching. Unnerved, the Tornadu was just about to fly away when the grey lump began to change colors. Intrigued, the curious creature came closer. The grey mass changed colors rapidly. The Tornadu heard a voice in its head.

"Eat me, eat me, eat me, eat me."

It couldn't resist. The Tornadu opened its large beak and leaned over for a taste. Before it realized what was happening, the greyish flesh liquefied into the jelly-like state. It threw itself into the Tornadu's mouth and slithered down its throat. The circling flock didn't see what happened. All they knew is their flock mate was eating up all the food. They dropped to the ground for their share. They'd barely managed to nip at the carcass when the first Tornadu let out a dreadful squawk. Startled, the rest of the flock moved away from him.

The Tornadu's tongue protruded from its mouth. The black eyes were fixed and glazed. It stood panting. Saliva dripped from its beak. The rest of the flock didn't know what to make of it. When the afflicted Tornadu stretched out its neck and gagged, they made up their minds. They took off. Their sick mate tried to follow them, but it couldn't get off the ground. It flopped around for a while then lay still. Its chest rose and dropped with an effort.

The cells from the grey matter were stronger now. It didn't take very long to infiltrate the Tornadus blood stream and carry the new cells to its brain as it had with the Whole Eater. In less than half an hour, a tumor was growing inside the Tornadus brain. Half conscious, the Tornadu was no longer in control of its body. The tumor made the giant bird spread its wings and fly. The Tornadu squawked in protest, but it had to obey. The flock watched it go. There was something about it that made them uneasy. They were glad to see it go.

The Highwind touched down in the desert just outside Midgar with a gentle thump. The ramp rolled down and settled into the sand. A figure appeared at the top of the ramp, blowing a smoke ring toward the sky. Cid Highwind looked toward the ruined city.

"Damn, I'm not in a hurry to go in there," he said.

Cloud stepped up and clapped him on the shoulder.

"It's a dirty job," he said. "But someone has got to do it."

"But why does it have to be us?" asked Yuffie. "I thought we were through with Midgar and all these monsters."

"Not until we destroy the samples in Hojo's basement lab," said Tifa coming up behind her. "If we leave those lying around, there's no telling what will happen."

"Hojo is dead," complained Yuffie. "There won't be any more clones."

"We can't be sure of that unless we destroy everything," said Red. "It's better to be safe than sorry."

"I agree," said Vincent. "Let's get in there and get rid of them."

"Why didn't we bring Sephiroth on this little jaunt?" asked Yuffie. "I believe in sharing the workload myself."

Everyone looked at Cloud.

He scowled. "I feel better knowing Sephiroth isn't standing behind me when I'm trying to get a job done," he said. "He told Tifa what we needed to know. We don't need his help to do this."

"Besides," added Tifa, "Aeris' mom is visiting. Sephiroth should be there."

"But he has all that mastered materia!" said Yuffie. "It probably wouldn't take as long to get this over with if we'd brought him. I wouldn't mind being on his side in a fight!"

Cloud turned toward Yuffie with an angry gleam in eyes. "So what are you trying to say about the rest of us?"

"Uh- nothing." Yuffie blushed.

"You think Sephiroth is better than we are?" asked Cloud. "Have you forgotten we beat him when he tried to hurt the Planet?"

"Come on Cloud," scolded Tifa. "She's just a teenager. She didn't mean any harm."

"You're way too touchy," agreed Cid. "Lighten up a little."

Cloud took a deep breath. "Sorry Yuffie."

Yuffie smiled to show there were no hard feelings.

"Let's get going," said Cid. "I want to get this over with and get back home."

"I'm with you," said Tifa.

The seven friends went down the ramp and walked across the desert toward the city. A flock of Tornadus circled high in the sky but none of them attacked.

"Their friends, the Valrons, must have told them we kicked their butts the last time," said Yuffie.

"Then I sure hope someone talked to the relatives of that last monster we met!" Cid tossed his cigarette away and reached for a new one. "I don't want any of them coming back for revenge."

"Yuck!" said Tifa pointing. "What's that?"

The men and Red moved in for a closer look. Tifa and Yuffie hung back.

"It's a Whole Eater," said Cid. "Looks like something killed it."

Yuffie looked green. "Great. Does this mean we're going to run into something the minute we step inside the city?"

"I hope not," said Cloud.

"As long as Yuffie keeps her mouth shut," said Barret narrowing his eyes at Yuffie. "We ought to do okay."

"Yeah, right." Yuffie made a face at him.

They entered the city. They saw crushed walls that had been standing on their last trip here. Barret turned to Yuffie again.

"Listen you," he growled. "Don't you say anything about monsters. You hear me? Every time you opened your mouth we ran into something. Don't you say anything about monsters at all."

Yuffie put her hands on her hips. "Why are you blaming me? Are you saying I have the power to make monsters come after us?"

"That's what it looked like to me," muttered Barret. "If you didn't have the power, you did a damn good imitation of it!"

"Oh yeah, right." Yuffie snapped her fingers. "So I do that, and a monster comes after us?"

A dark dragon raised its head from around a pile of rubble. Everybody turned to stare at Yuffie.

"I didn't do it!" she cried.

The dragon stood up and started toward them.

Barret turned to Cid. "You had to bring her didn't you?"

Cid shrugged. The dragon roared. They raised their weapons.

"Don't cry Aeris," said Sephiroth holding her close. "Whatever it is, we'll get through it."

Aeris let him help her to her feet.

"I feel selfish saying this, but it's not fair!" she cried. "We're just about to get our lives on track and now the Planet senses danger again. When do we live for ourselves?"

"Maybe the Cetra gave us more than a temporary job," replied Sephiroth pushing a strand of hair away from her face. "We may have to get used to this."

"Get used to what?" asked Aeris brushing at her tears.

"The word "Guardians" comes to mind," he answered. "But that's just my opinion. I don't know what they have planned."

"Guardians?" Aeris managed a weak laugh. "That's a tall order. Could we handle something like that?"

"I think I picked the right woman for the job." Sephiroth laid his hand on her cheek.

Elmyra came downstairs and opened her mouth to speak. She stopped short when she saw the tears on Aeris' face.

"Is something wrong?" She turned a suspicious eye toward Sephiroth. Was he man-handling her daughter? "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Aeris wiped the rest of her tears away. "There's a problem all right but this is nothing you can help us with."

Elmyra looked from one to the other. "You're both keeping something from me, and I want to know what it is."

Aeris looked at Sephiroth. He nodded.

"Sit down Mom," said Aeris. "You're not going to like this."

The dragon lay dead at their feet. Barret turned to Yuffie.

She held up her hands and shrugged.

"I know, I know," she said. "Don't say anything."

"You shouldn't blame Yuffie, Barret," said Red XIII. "You know there are monsters here. We're bound to run into something sooner or later."

A Zenene growled and rushed toward them.

Barret rolled his eyes at Red. "I'm beginning to think we should have left you at home too!"

Cloud raised his Ultima Weapon. "Don't worry. There's only one of them."

Four more Zenenes appeared behind the first.

"You were saying?" Tifa raised her fists.

"Never mind," said Cloud.

The Zenenes attacked.

Elmyra was visibly upset.

"But you saved the Planet," she said. "Why would it need help now?"

"Apparently we missed something," said Sephiroth.

"Like what?" asked Elmyra. "If Hojo and Zephiroth are dead, what could be wrong?"

Aeris looked uncomfortable. Sephiroth noticed.

"Did you think of something Aeris?"

She fidgeted in her seat. "The only thing I can think of are the Jenova samples in Hojo's lab."

"How could that be a problem?" Sephiroth turned all the way around to look at her. "AVALANCHE destroyed them six weeks ago."

Aeris dropped her eyes.

Sephiroth frowned. "Cloud and his band of heroes were supposed to go back to Midgar and destroy those samples after they brought us home."

"I know." She still wouldn't look at him. "But things happen."

"Like what Aeris?" asked Elmyra. "What's going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know," said Sephiroth. "Aeris. Look at me."

Aeris looked up. Her face was a little pale.

"They couldn't go back right away," she said softly. "They're going to destroy the samples this morning."

"WHAT?" Sephiroth stood up. "I should have sent you to your mother and gone back to destroy those samples myself!"

Aeris stood up and reached for his hands. "You had other things on your mind."

Elmyra looked from one to the other. "Would somebody please tell me what's going on?"

Sephiroth nodded. "My real mother died because of the treatments Hojo gave her."

"Aeris told me." Elmyra shivered. "Hojo was a horrible man."

"Killing my mother wasn't enough. He was going to do the same thing to Aeris," said Sephiroth. "He had a supply of Jenova cells in his lab, but I didn't have time to destroy them. I had to find Zephiroth before he found Aeris. When she was safe, all I wanted to do get her away from Midgar. I thought Cloud and his friends would go back and destroy Hojo's Jenova cells. Apparently I was wrong."

"They'll destroy them when they go to the lab today Sephiroth," said Aeris.

"It might be too late," he said told her. "How long have you known those samples were still in the lab?"

"I just found out this morning when Tifa called," replied Aeris.

Elmyra put her face in her hands. "This is terrible. I could lose you again."

Aeris sat next to her mother and hugged her.

"Don't worry Mom," said Aeris. "We don't know that there's a real problem yet. Maybe the planet was just reminding us that the job wasn't finished."

Sephiroth didn't agree. He didn't think the Planet would scream if there wasn't a problem, but seeing the worry on Elmyra face, he kept quiet.

Elmyra looked at Aeris and shook her head. "Ever since your mother placed you in my arms, I've tried so hard to keep you out of danger. I've done my best Aeris."

"I know Mom," said Aeris. "I love you for it."

"I know you do, but I'm not strong enough to keep you out of trouble." Elmyra looked at Sephiroth. "I can see you love my daughter and I'm happy for her . . ."

"But?" Sephiroth waited.

Elmyra sighed. "Her life has been one misadventure after since she got involved with SOLDIER."

Sephiroth looked puzzled.

"Mom," said Aeris. "There's no reason to think my life would have been any different if SOLDIER didn't exist."

"What does SOLDIER have to do with Aeris?" asked Sephiroth.

"Nothing. Forget it." Aeris turned to her mother. "Why don't you finish unpacking Mom?"

Sephiroth kept his eyes on Elmyra's face. "What has SOLDIER have to do with Aeris?"

Elmyra rose. "My husband was in SOLDIER. He's dead now. I didn't want Aeris to go through the pain I did. I kept hoping she'd meet a nice boy from town and get married, but she fell in love with a young man in SOLDIER. It broke her heart when he went away and never came back."

"Who was he?" asked Sephiroth.

"It doesn't matter Sephiroth," said Aeris. "That was long ago. You're the man I love now."

Elmyra sighed. "It probably wouldn't have made any difference whether Aeris had met him or not. She's an Ancient. Shinra would have come after her sooner or later. At least I have the comfort of knowing you can protect her if they ever pull themselves back together."

"Of course he can," said Aeris. "If someone ever reorganizes Shinra, they wouldn't dare touch me."

Elmyra moved toward the stairs.

Sephiroth wasn't finished. "Who was he? Maybe I knew him."

Elmyra paused on the stairs. "Oh. His name was Zack."

Sephiroth looked stunned. "Zack?"

Elmyra didn't notice. She nodded and started up the stairs again. "Yes. His name was Zack something-or-other. Almost as tall as you. He looked a lot like that Cloud fellow, but with black spiky hair."

Aeris turned away from her mother to find Sephiroth staring at her.

She felt a sudden chill. "What's wrong?"

He didn't say anything. He just went on staring at her.

"Sephiroth," she said uneasily. "What's wrong?"

"When did you see Zack last?" His voice was strained.

It was Aeris' turn to look puzzled. "Why?"

"When?" He kept staring at her.

"It's been close to six years now," she answered. "He went on a mission and never came back."

"What mission?"

"I don't know," said Aeris. "He couldn't give me any details. He just said it had to do with a reactor."

Sephiroth stumbled back.

Startled Aeris reached for him. "Sephiroth? What's wrong?"

He pulled away from her touch. His Mako green eyes seemed to look right through her. When Aeris tried to touch him again, he turned and walked into the kitchen. She followed him wringing her hands. Without a word, he walked out the back door.

"Where are you going?" she asked. "Sephiroth! What's wrong?"

Sephiroth kept walking. Aeris ran after him and touched his shoulder. He turned around so fast, she jumped back in alarm. She stumbled over her own feet. He caught her before she fell. Aeris clung to him desperately.

"Where are you going Sephiroth?" she asked. "Why are you leaving me like this?"

His eyes were filled with pain. It frightened her.

"I'm not leaving you Aeris," he said. "I just need to think."

"Think about what?" She had never seen him this way before. "Maybe I can help you."

"Not with this," he said softly. "I'm going out on Goldie for a while. You stay here with your mother."

She released him and he walked toward the chocobo shed.

"Sephiroth!"

He stopped and looked back at her. There were tears in her eyes. She looked so beautiful standing there. He came back and kissed her forehead.

"I love you," he said. "Stay here."

She stood in the snow while Sephiroth went into the shed and prepared Goldie. She watched as he led the chocobo outside and mounted it. He didn't look back as he rode away.

Aeris went back into the house and closed the door. She sat down at the kitchen table. Her hands were shaking. Why was Sephiroth so upset? She thought back over the conversation with her mother. Sephiroth was fine until Elmyra mentioned Zack. Why would hearing Zack's name upset Sephiroth?