The Flip Side of the Mirror

by T'Shael

Chapter 4

Elmyra was busy in the kitchen.

"You don't have to cook dinner Mom," said Aeris. "You're my guest. I'm supposed to cook for you."

"Don't be silly Aeris," said Elmyra. "I want to do this. Where is Sephiroth?"

"He went out for a while, "answered Aeris hoping her mother wouldn't see the worry in her eyes.

"I hope he likes my cooking," said Elmyra. "I haven't cooked for a man in a long time."

"Sephiroth isn't fussy Mom," Aeris smiled although she didn't feel like it. "He'll love your cooking."

Elmyra tuned to look at her daughter. "Aeris, I want you to come home with me."

Aeris looked puzzled. "Why?"

"This idea of marrying Sephiroth," Elmyra brushed a stray hair away from her eyes with the back of her hand. "Honestly Aeris, he has a mental problem. Look at all the people he killed. He tried to take over the world. I think you should come home and give your engagement a chance to simmer for a while."

"Sephiroth doesn't have a mental problem Mother," said Aeris, a little sharper than she intended. "And I don't need to let my engagement simmer. He was under the influence of an alien that came to him at a time when his life was falling apart. He's over that now. You spoke to him. Did he sound crazy to you?"

"No he didn't." Elmyra sprinkled salt in one of her pots. "He sounds perfectly sane. If I didn't know anything about his past, I wouldn't be worried about him, but he did kill a lot of people."

"I know what he did," said Aeris, "He killed me too, but I forgave him for that."

Elmyra turned around. "How could you forgive him for that? He MURDERED you Aeris."

"I know what he did, but how could I not forgive him Mother? asked Aeris. "He didn't just wake up one day and decide to destroy the Planet. There were extenuating circumstances involved. I love him and I'm going to marry him."

"You've always been stubborn when I try to steer you in the right direction," Elmyra complained. "If you had listened to me before, you wouldn't have ended up dead in the first place."

"If I listened to you Mother, I'd be married to Randy Browning, the baker." Aeris shuddered. "The very thought makes my skin crawl."

"Randy had a steady job and could support a family. You would have been the perfect wife for him," argued Elmyra.

"And I would have been bored to death," said Aeris. "Randy's idea of conversation is the latest baking techniques and recipes."

"You could have learned a lot from Randy," Elmyra retorted.

"Like how to drown myself in a vat of yeast?"

"Don't be a smart mouth," admonished her mother. "You could have married Phillip Goings too."

"Oh yes, Phillip," said Aeris. "The banker's son. "The one who's afraid of his own shadow."

"He's not that bad!" Elmyra frowned at her daughter.

"His father is," answered Aeries. "He's loud and domineering. He bosses his family around. He controls his children's marriages. Why would Phillip and I be any different? He'll tell us how many kids to have, when to have them and how to raise them. He'll want to keep track of every gil Phillip makes, how much we spend and what we spend it for. We'd always be under his thumb because Phillip never stands up to his father and he never will. Phillip's father will teach him to treat me and our children the same way he treats them. What kind of life is that?"

"Aeris!" Elmyra was scandalized. "What a thing to say!"

"It's the truth," said Aeris stubbornly. "I'm gong to marry Sephiroth Mother, and that's that."

"If you come home with me, you can give this matter a little more thought," said Elmyra.

"I've already made up my mind." Aeris' looked defiant. "There's no point in going home with you."

"You can't be objective as to whether or not Sephiroth is the right man for you if you're living in the same house with him," Elmyra stirred in a dash of pepper. "Maybe if you come home for a few months and let him visit once in a while, you'll be sure of your feelings."

"I AM sure of my feelings mother." Aeris said. "I don't have to be away from Sephiroth to know what I want."

"Maybe you're just used to having him around all the time," said Elmyra. "Come home for a little while and think about it. It might be different when you've had some time to yourself."

"I'm not going to leave Sephiroth." Aeris sat at the kitchen table and hid her hands. She didn't want her mother to see them shaking. "I love him and he loves me. Time apart won't change anything."

"You're the only woman in he's ever known." Elmyra found it easier to talk if she didn't have to look directly at Aeris. "Now that's he's been close to you, he might find it easier to talk to other women. What if he meets someone else and realizes he doesn't love you as much as he thought he did?"

"That won't happen," Aeris kept her voice steady. "He's not that kind of man."

"Well look at Zack," pushed Elmyra. "All the girls were after him. I was trying to keep you from getting hurt when I asked him to stay away."

"You were trying to keep me away from anyone, I was interested in Mother," said Aeris. "You always pushed me toward men who have no real ambition or zest for life. I was beginning to wonder what you were trying to do me or if I'd ever have a life of my own."

Elmyra gave her a disapproving look. "That's not true. I was only doing my job. I was only protecting you from yourself."

"You can't keep me from loving someone from SOLDIER just because YOUR marriage didn't work out." Aeris watched Elmyra's back stiffen. She knew she'd hurt her mother, but she couldn't let Elmyra pull her away from Sephiroth. "You know how I felt about Zack. I had to sneak out to see him because you wouldn't let him see me openly. He introduced himself to you and tried to get your consent to date me, but you never gave him a chance. You didn't try to get to know him and you wouldn't let him know you."

"That's cruel." Elmyra bit her lip and kept her back to Aeris.

"It's the truth." Aeris lowered her voice. "You saw him mother. Do you really believe Sephiroth only thinks he's in love with me?"

Elmyra put the lid back on one pot and turned the heat down. She picked up a spoon to stir another. She thought of sitting with her daughter, but she didn't want to betray her feelings by letting Aeris see her hands shake.

"He loves you." The words seemed to stick in her throat. "I'm not blind. As much as I hate to admit it, he loves you. I just can't forget that he killed you."

"You were in love once," said Aeris softly. "Did you walk away from the man you loved just because someone didn't agree with your choice?"

Elmyra stopped stirring. She thought back to the handsome young man who'd waved goodbye and left her at the train station. The man she'd never seen again.

"No," she whispered.

"Then you know how I feel about Sephiroth." Aeris caught her mother's eye. "We've been through a lot together. We didn't fall in love over night. It took awhile. We were attracted to each other but neither of us knew how to handle it. We came close to losing our lives before we realized we were more than just partners."

"Sephiroth makes me feel special Mom, and he's is special too. On this whole Planet, there's no one like him and there's no one like me. If any two people belong together, it's us. We were just fortunate enough to fall in love. Don't ask me to leave a man who means so much to me."

Elmyra felt the sting of tears. She saw the same look in Aeris' eyes, she herself had worn when her father forbade her to marry Brian, her late husband. Elmyra knew the depths of her love for Brian, but her family disagreed. They thought she was too young to know what she wanted.

They left Gongaga in the middle of the night to elope. They moved to Midgar to because Brian was stationed there as a SOLDIER. When her family found out what she'd done, they disowned her. Elmyra was hurt, but at least she had Brian and that took some of the edge off her pain. Over the next few years she tried to reconcile with her family but they ignored her.

They tried to start a family, but every time Elmyra became pregnant, she lost the baby. Brian was supportive at first, but after four miscarriages, he began to drift away from her. Sometimes he didn't come home on leave when he could have. There always seemed to be a reason to stay away.

Late one afternoon, as she did the laundry, Elmyra came across a love letter in one of Brian's pockets. She learned he was having an affair with a female SOLDIER. From what she read, they were in the same division and had gone on several missions together. Their closeness developed in the ranks and poured over into their private lives.

Elmyra never confronted Brian about it. It was just too painful. Her heart was heavy with guilt for alienating her family over a man who would cheat on her. She went with him to the train station to see him off on his next tour of duty. He held her in his arms and swore his love for her. He thought Elmyra was crying because she was touched by his devotion. In reality, she was weeping because she knew he was going to be with his lover. She went home and cried herself to sleep.

The next time he was supposed to come home on leave, he didn't. He didn't call to tell her why. Elmyra was fighting back tears as she watched train after train arrive and leave without seeing Brian's face. She was just about to leave when a woman pushed a child into her arms and sank to the ground dying from wounds inflicted by Shinra's henchmen. With her last breath, she begged Elmyra to take care of her baby. Reading the desperation in the woman's failing eyes, Elmyra took Aeris and fled. As the days passed by, she lavished her foster child with love. She wondered if Brian would come home now that they had a daughter to raise.

She never had a chance to find out. A few weeks later, he was dead. At the funeral, Elmyra wore black but her grief was cut short when Brian's lover threw herself on the casket and had to be carried away. The woman's relatives followed her out the door leading two children who were perfect replica's of Elmyra's late husband. Distraught, Elmyra tried to turn to her parents again, but they rebuffed her.

"You made your bed, now sleep in it!" said her father before he slammed down the phone.

She never got over the hurt. Without Aeris, she would have lost her mind.

Three years before her foster daughter's death at the hands of Sephiroth, a neighbor wrote to tell Elmyra her parents had been killed in the explosion of the reactor in Gongaga. When Shinra built the reactor, they had no problem with building it too close to a residential area. Elmyra's parents owned one of many homes that were too close for comfort should something go wrong. The neighbor casually informed her, it would be a waste of time to come to Gongaga to recover their bodies or have a funeral. There was nothing left to bury. Elmyra stayed home. She'd lost her husband and both of her parents. She never forgave SOLDIER for changing her life.

"I know you love him Aeris," she said moving closer. "I want you to be happy, but you heard what he said about his life. It's what he didn't say that scares me. He had a miserable childhood with Hojo. What if something goes wrong in your lives? What if the pressures of married life get to be too much and all those bad things surface again? A normal person could lose their mind over something like that. Sephiroth isn't normal. He's different . . . he's . . ."

"He's a human being mother." Aeris stood up. "He's just as human as you and me, but he has a little something extra through no fault of his own. Must he pay for that, for the rest of his life?"

"He could kill you again," said Elmyra with a catch in her voice. "I could lose you."

Aeris took her mothers hands.

"I love him mother." Her voice was strong. "He loves me. I know deep in my heart Sephiroth won't kill me. I don't know why you don't trust him. Like you, he's afraid of losing me too."

Elmyra looked deep into her daughter's eyes. They loved each other. She could see and feel that. She thought about Brian and felt a lump in her throat. Would he have found another woman if she'd been able to bear a daughter as sweet and gentle as Aeris? If he'd never been in SOLDIER, would her life have been any different? Sephiroth wasn't an average man but then Aeris wasn't an average woman. Maybe Aeris was right. Maybe the two of them belonged together.

She thought back to the night she sent Cloud away. Aeris had sneaked out and gone after him anyway. If she forced Aeris to choose between her and Sephiroth she'd probably lose. Could she do to Aeris, what her parents had done to her? She felt a twinge the pain she thought she'd buried forever. Elmyra swallowed and gave Aeris a motherly smile.

"If you think Sephiroth is the man for you, then I'll accept him as my son-in-law," she said. "You have my blessing."

Aeris hugged her mother.

Elmyra hugged back, fighting the urge to cling to her daughter in desperation.

Aeris kissed her "Thank you Mom."

"You're very welcome baby," smiled Elmyra. "When my future son-in-law gets back, I want to welcome him into our family."

Aeris peeked out a back window. The door to the chocobo shed was partially open. She could see a light inside.

"He's back," she called out as cheerfully as she could. "I'm going to help him with Goldie. I'll be back in a little while."

Elmyra smiled again and turned back to her pots. Let the past stay in the past, she thought. This is Aeris' life now, she thought. I can't hold her back with the guilt I've had to live with all of my life.

Aeris grabbed her coat off the sofa and tried to look as if she wasn't in a hurry to get to Sephiroth. Once she closed the door, she ran. Sephiroth was just giving Goldie fresh water when she opened the door. He looked at her and turned away.

"You didn't have to come out here Aeris," he said.

"Tell me why you left," she said from her place by the door. "Did I do something to make you angry?"

He couldn't bear the look on her face. He went to her but stopped just beyond her reach.

"You didn't do anything," he said. "The problem is me. I promised never to hurt you again."

"And you haven't." She tried to touch him but he backed away.

"I've hurt you twice." He turned away from her. "You would have had a happier life if I hadn't interfered with it."

I'm happy now, said Aeris. "What do you makes you think you've interfered with my life? How have you hurt me twice?"

He turned around to face her. "I knew Zack."

Aeris looked surprised. "From your reaction, I thought you did."

Sephiroth nodded. "He was my second in command."

"He never told me that," said Aeris. "That's quite an honor, being second in command to you."

Sephiroth just stared at her. "Were you close?"

"We were dating," said Aeris. "We spent a lot of time together. We made plans to meet again, but he never came back. All the girls liked him. I guess he found someone he liked better than me."

"Zack didn't find anyone else," said Sephiroth. "He told me about the girl he was going to marry. It was you."

"Zack wanted to marry me?" Aeris looked stunned. "He never mentioned marriage."

"He was going to surprise you with a ring when he came back." Sephiroth looked away.

Aeris stepped forward and touched his face. He turned back. She could see the pain in his eyes.

"What happened to Zack?" Aeris' voice was soft. "Was he killed on his mission to the reactor?"

"I killed him." Sephiroth tried to turn his face away again.

Aeris wouldn't let him. She caught his face in both hands and looked into his eyes. "Did it happen while you were under Jenova's influence?"

Sephiroth started to shake. His voice didn't sound like his own.

"I thought I'd found out who I was. I was going to free Jenova from the pod room in the Nibel reactor. Zack tried to stop me. I slashed him with my sword. I know I hurt him, but I didn't care at the time. I was too busy "saving my mother." I never saw him again after that. He didn't come back to you because of me Aeris. He was the closest thing I had to a friend and I killed him!"

Sephiroth dropped his eyes and waited for Aeris call him a murderer. She said nothing.

"He would have come back and married you," he said. "You might have had a family by now and a life with a man who really loved you if I hadn't cheated both of you out of a life together."

Aeris laid her head against his chest. She wrapped her arms around him. She could hear his heart beating. Sephiroth couldn't bring himself to touch her. His arms hung limp at his sides. She raised her face to him.

"It would be so easy to scream and cry and swear at you," she said. "I cared a lot for Zack and it really hurt me when he didn't come back, but I don't hold you responsible for anything that happened during that time Sephiroth. I love you. I love you more than ever for telling me the truth. I'll bet Zack knew you better than you know yourself. He'd understand why I won't leave you now. Not ever."

Sephiroth put his arms around her and held her tight. He buried his face in her hair to hide the tears that burned his eyes. "I love you Aeris."

"What could have come out of a Whole Eaters head?" asked Yuffie. "It would have to be small, right? We should be able to find a small monster and kill it!"

"What makes you think it won't grow?" asked Cid. "We don't know what we're up against here."

"For all we know," said Red, "It's grown into something we've never seen before. None of us knows where those Mega-Monsters are coming from. They're new."

"But it was such a small hole!" repeated Yuffie.

"We have to go see Aeris and Sephiroth," said Tifa. "We need to find out if they've heard the Planet call for help."

"Isn't Aeris' mother visiting?" asked Red. "I'd hate to disturb their reunion."

"I don't want to bother Aeris either," said Cloud. "But this is important. We have to see them right now."

"Damn it, we blew it!" muttered Cid. "I'll tell the crew to set a course for Icicle Village."

The Tornadu was flying over the Nibel Mountains now. Fluid dripped from its beak. It wouldn't last much longer. The tumor urged it to hurry. It had to have a safe place to hide while it grew. The Tornadu made an unhappy sound in its throat and flew on.

Aeris came into the house on Sephiroth's arm.

"There you are!" Elmyra smiled at them. "Dinner is almost ready."

"Has Aeris tied you to the kitchen already?" asked Sephiroth. "Don't let her take advantage of you."

Aeris jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

"She didn't tie me to the kitchen," replied Elmyra. "I wanted to cook."

"I haven't smelled anything so good in my life," said Sephiroth taking a deep breath. "Aeris' cooking never smells like this!"

Aeris looked indignant and jabbed him in the ribs again.

"She abuses me," he grumbled, rubbing his side.

"You two get washed up and get back here before everything gets cold," said Elmyra.

Aeris let Sephiroth lead her to the stairs.

"Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth turned to look back at Elmyra.

She smiled. "Welcome to the family!"

He blinked, then he smiled at her.

"Thank you."

"Shoo!" Elmyra scolded. "Go wash up!"

"I told you Mom would like you," whispered Aeris as they went up together. "You don't have to pretend my food isn't as good as hers to win her favor."

"Who said I was pretending?" asked Sephiroth.

Aeris jabbed him again.

During the meal Elmyra asked questions about Sephiroth's life in SOLDIER. He answered as best as he could. Aeris always stepped in to steer her mother away from sensitive subjects. Elmyra listened and agreed with Sephiroth's plans to change the house. She was concerned about their wedding date but she was more than happy to offer suggestions for the ceremony. Dinner was over when someone knocked on the door.

Sephiroth opened it. Cloud stood on the other side.

"Oh. It's you," said Sephiroth. "What do you want?"

Cloud held back the nasty response on the tip of his tongue.

"We're all here Sephiroth," said Cloud. "We need to talk to you and Aeris."

Sephiroth gave Cloud a chilly smile and moved aside. Cloud came in followed by the rest of AVALANCHE.

"Aeris!" called Sephiroth. "We have company. And Cloud."

Tifa touched Cloud's shoulder. Cloud rolled his eyes at Sephiroth refusing to respond to his remark.

Aeris came out of the kitchen followed by Elmyra. She greeted her friends cheerfully and introduced them to her mother. Once she found sitting room for everyone, she sat next to Sephiroth.

"We were just cleaning up the kitchen," she said. "I wish you had come earlier. You could have joined us for dinner. We just put everything away."

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call," said Vincent looking more serious than usual. "We may have a problem on our hands."

Sephiroth looked at Vincent. "You're here about the Jenova samples in Hojo's lab aren't you?"

AVALANCHE looked uneasy.

"We went to Hojo's lab to destroy them this morning," said Tifa. "They weren't there."

Sephiroth kept his face neutral. "You said those samples would be destroyed six weeks ago. What took so long?"

"It's not her fault," said Cloud giving Sephiroth a warning look.

"So that's why the Planet screamed," said Aeris laying her hand on Sephiroth's arm. "Something bad is happening."

"You heard the planet scream?" Yuffie looked unhappy. "When?"

"This morning soon after my mother got here," said Aeris. "We both heard it."

"SHIT!" said Cid. He saw the shocked look on Elmyra's face. "Sorry."

Sephiroth frowned at Cloud. "What happened?"

"As near as we can tell," said Cloud, "A Whole Eater got into the lab and ate them."

"A what?" Aeris looked stunned.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at Cloud. "You left dangerous Jenova samples in an unsecured lab and a monster ate them?"

"The Whole Eater is dead now," said Tifa. "We found it lying dead outside the city walls."

"How do you know it's the same one that ate the Jenova samples?" asked Aeris.

"Red used his nose again," said Barret.

Red nodded. "The scent I followed tells me the monster went into the lab and found the cell samples. It even licked the floor clean in one spot of the lab, but we don't know why. It left the lab, crawled out of the city and died."

Sephiroth's expression didn't change. "Those cells could still be alive. Did you destroy the monsters' body?"

AVALANCHE looked at each other.

Sephiroth looked annoyed. "I take it you didn't."

"I don't think we have to worry about the Whole Eater," said Vincent. "We've got bigger problems."

Sephiroth turned his attention to the former Turk. "Such as?"

"Something tore its way out of the monsters' skull," said Vincent. "All the bone fragments were pushed outwards. Whatever crawled out of it was gone before we got there."

Aeris glanced at Sephiroth. His expression was neutral but his green eyes were glowing more than normal. "Were there any tracks around the body?"

"We didn't pay much attention to the monsters body when we passed it going into Midgar," replied Tifa trying to hide her nervousness. "Red looked at it on the way out, but he didn't have time to study it in detail. We were being chased by an enormous monster at the time."

Sephiroth looked at Cloud. "You didn't answer my question. Why weren't those samples destroyed weeks ago?"

"When you brought Aeris aboard, we were headed for the nearest hospital," said Cloud tightly. "But the medic checked her over and said she would be okay. He wanted her to sleep as long as she could. I thought Aeris had been through enough for one day, so I made the decision to take her home. After we left both of you on the glacier, Cid found out Shera wasn't feeling well, so he dropped us off and went home. In the days that followed, for one reason or another, none of us made it back to Midgar right away."

"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't make it back?" Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at Cloud. "You could have called me. I would have gone back and taken care of those samples myself."

"Those samples were in a city full of monsters." Cloud struggled to keep his voice even. "We thought they would be safe. We didn't know Hojo left the doors to the lab open."

"You're the leader of your group Cloud," said Sephiroth. " You should have known better."

"Don't start with me Sephiroth," warned Cloud. "I don't need you to tell me what I should have done."

"Maybe if I had, we wouldn't have this problem," said Sephiroth.

"Come on guys," said Tifa. "Don't fight now. We have enough problems to deal with."

"There wouldn't be any problem if Cloud had done his job," said Sephiroth.

"What's done is done," said Cid. "We have to move on from this point."

"All right." Sephiroth leaned back and smiled mockingly at Cloud. "The honor is yours. You're in charge. Where do we go from here?"

"We need you and Aeris to tell us when the Planet calls again," answered Cloud. He'd had just about enough of Sephiroth's taunting smile. "You knew the danger was near Nibelheim the last time. Maybe you'll be able to tell us where it is this time too."

Aeris spoke up before Sephiroth could reply.

"Of course we'll let you know is we feel anything," she said. "Sephiroth or I will call you immediately."

"Why bother?" asked Sephiroth. "Maybe I'll just handle this myself. At least it will be done right this time."

"Look Sephiroth," said Cloud with an edge in his voice. "None of us planned on this happening. The only thing we can do now is work together."

"This is why you didn't make it into SOLDIER," said Sephiroth. "You should have freed the prisoner, moved her to safety and returned to the battlefield to finish the job. You've endangered the Planet with your carelessness. That doesn't speak well of your abilities to lead a team. How do I know you're up to the job?"

The room was very quiet. Suddenly Cloud burst out of his chair, throwing himself at his silver haired nemesis. Sephiroth rose, and they met in a hail of fists. Barret, Cid and Vincent jumped out of their seats to intervene. Cloud threw a punch at Sephiroth's jaw. Sephiroth blocked it and landed one of his own. Tifa screamed. Cloud went with the punch and recovered. He swung at Sephiroth again but Cid grabbed him from behind. Cloud slipped on a throw rug and missed. Before Cid dragged him out of range, he managed to kick out with both legs hitting Sephiroth in the chest. The impact drove Sephiroth into Barret and Vincent. They all fell back on the sofa as Yuffie scrambled to safety. Aeris and Elmyra screamed. Vincent and Barret grabbed Sephiroth and dragged him back as he lunged at Cloud.

Cloud struggled to free himself and Tifa added her strength to Cid's. Barret and Vincent were having a hard time with Sephiroth. It took every ounce of their strength, but they held onto him.

"Knock it off!" yelled Cid.

Cloud threw an ice spell at Sephiroth. It almost knocked Sephiroth, Barret and Vincent off their feet.

Sephiroth cast Matra Magic on Cloud.

"Shit!" yelled Cid trying to duck the effects.

Cloud cast Frog Song on Sephiroth and missed.

"Stop!" shouted Tifa.

Sephiroth looked furious as he turned his palm toward Cloud. Aeris turned pale, rushed forward, caught his hand in hers and pressed it against her chest. Sephiroth's hand felt warmer than it should have been. Aeris wouldn't let go.

She spoke to him with her eyes.

Sephiroth looked at Aeris and stopped struggling. He turned to Vincent and Barret.

"It's all right," he said. "I won't fight him."

Vincent and Barret released him cautiously, ready to grab him again if he made a move toward Cloud. Sephiroth took Aeris' hand and squeezed it.

"I'm sorry Aeris," said Sephiroth. She let him take her hands in both of his. "I guess I need to work more on my people skills."

"I'll work on YOU!" Cloud lunged forward and almost broke free. "I'll work on your face with my fists."

"Stop threatening my son-in-law!" cried Elmyra. "First you took my daughter away. Now you're trying to hurt her fiancee. YOU started this fight!"

The room went silent again. Everyone stared at Elmyra.

"Mom-," started Aeris.

"Sephiroth is right!" Elmyra's eyes burned into Cloud's. "Why didn't you destroy those samples? You've put my little girl and the rest of the world in danger again!"

"Mom-" Aeris tried again.

Sephiroth cut in. "It's okay Elmyra. He's young. It's hard to control your temper when you're that age."

Everyone stared at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth turned to Cloud.

"I'm sorry Cloud," said he said. He released Aeris' hands and took a step toward Cloud. "I was wrong to say that. You should have been in SOLDIER. We were wrong about you."

Cloud glared at him.

"We shouldn't be fighting." Sephiroth held out his hand. "We have to pool our resources and work together if we want to help the Planet. Truce?"

"Turn me loose Cid so I can break his arm!" Cloud ignored Sephiroth's hand and tried to break free again.

Tifa moved in front of him.

"Cloud please stop!" she whispered. "You're upsetting Elmyra."

Cloud glanced at Elmyra. Aeris' mother was standing just behind Sephiroth holding a vase in her hands. If looks could kill, Cloud would have been on the floor gasping for his last breath.

He looked at Sephiroth. Sephiroth was still holding out his hand.

"Truce?" he asked again.

There was a mocking smile on Sephiroth's face, but Elmyra couldn't see it from where she was standing.

Cloud relaxed and Cid released him.

Seething with anger, Cloud reached out and took Sephiroth's hand. "Truce."

They both began to squeeze.

"I'm glad we can work together," smiled Sephiroth's tightening his grip.

Tifa looked at Aeris.

"So am I," smiled Cloud squeezing even harder.

Aeris looked at Tifa.

"It'll be old times, just like in the old days, when we worked for Shinra," said Sephiroth. He was trying his best to crush Cloud's fingers.

"And you were my commanding officer," said Cloud. His fingers looked bloodless as he managed to tighten them a little bit more.

The strain was starting to show on their faces. The muscles in their hands quivered as they squeezed even harder.

Tifa and Aeris moved quickly. They laid their hands on top of those of the two combatants.

"I'm glad you two finally see eye to eye!" said Tifa brightly, pulling at Cloud's wrist.

"Likewise," said Aeris tugging on Sephiroth's hand.

Cloud and Sephiroth gave each other one last glare before they let go of each other and allowed the girls to lead them back to their seats.

The others tried to pretend they hadn't noticed the power struggle. Elmyra missed the whole thing because she went to put the vase back on the table where it belonged.

"What about that clean spot on the floor in front of the examining table?" asked Barret. "It almost looked like someone mopped the floor, but why one spot? It was done recently too."

"That's where I killed Hojo's first body," said Sephiroth ignoring Cloud's glowing eyes. "There was a lot of blood on the floor when I left."

"Yew-w-w-w-!" said Yuffie making a face. "That means that Whole Eater licked up all of Hojo's dried blood. Why would it want to do that?"

"That's a good question," said Red. "Whole Eaters generally hunt for their food. They aren't carrion eaters, and I've never heard of one being attracted to old bloodstains."

"It's too bad we don't know the answer." Cid looked worried. He stood up. "We've ruined Elmyra's visit enough for one evening. We're sorry Elmyra. We're going to get out of here and leave you kids alone. Aeris? Sephiroth? Call us the minute you sense anything."

"Wait a minute," said Yuffie. "As long as we're here, why don't we find when these guys are getting married? How about it Tifa? Cloud? Aeris? Sephiroth?"

Everyone stared at her.

Yuffie looked at their expressions and tuned beet red. "Sorry. Bad idea."

She hurried to the door and went outside. Cid shook his head and motioned for Tifa and Cloud to go ahead of him.

Cloud's face was neutral but his eyes were blazing when he stole a glance at Sephiroth. Keeping his back to Elmyra, Sephiroth smiled at Cloud. Cloud narrowed his eyes and led Tifa out the door without looking back again.

Barret followed with Red and Vincent. Aeris hurried to the door.

"Good night everyone," she said.

Cid nodded to Aeris and followed the others. She closed the door behind him. Elmyra sat shaking her head. Aeris went to her.

"I'm sorry about all this," she said. "Cloud and Sephiroth just don't get along."

"Sephiroth was just stating the facts and Cloud attacked him!" Elmyra's eyes were bright with anger. "You should have let Sephiroth clobber him!"

"Mom!" Aeris was shocked.

Sephiroth joined Aeris.

"Don't be angry Elmyra," he said. "I'm not. I hope this hasn't ruined your visit."

"It hasn't. I agreed with you." Elmyra's eyes were bright with anger. "Those samples should have been destroyed a long time ago. I blame Cloud for this. His carelessness could hurt both of you."

Sephiroth looked surprised.

"Hojo would have used both of you for evil means," said Elmyra. "Thank goodness you escaped, but what's going to happen now? Who know what's running around out there? Sephiroth? You should have trounced that careless do-nothing! I was fully prepared to smack him with a vase if he tried to hurt you."

Sephiroth's eyes widened.

"Mom!" cried Aeris, "You wouldn't have hit Cloud with a vase would you?"

"I most certainly would." Elmyra sniffed. "Sephiroth is part of our family now, or he will be when you're married. I'm not going to stand by and watch someone hurt my family!"

"Mom-" began Aeris.

Elmyra waved Aeris away. "It seems I've misjudged you Sephiroth. Cloud is the troublemaker around here. At least you saved my daughters life."

"Mom-" said Aeris.

"I'm going to bed," said Elmyra waving her away. "I'm so mad at Cloud, I've got a headache now!"

Aeris and Sephiroth watched Elmyra hurry up the stairs.

"You took advantage of that situation Sephiroth," said Aeris. "Now Mom thinks Cloud is a bad guy."

"He is as far as I'm concerned," said Sephiroth. "I don't want you in danger because of him."

"You were going to use your new power weren't you?"asked Aeris.

"Maybe just a little," admitted Sephiroth.

"A little?"

"Okay. I would have used it," Sephiroth looked unconcerned. " I wasn't planning to kill him. I was just going to throw him across the room a little."

"A little? I don't want you to use it against AVALANCHE at all, " said Aeris, "Powers like that should only be used for defense against a common enemy."

Sephiroth started to say something but Aeris raised her hand to stop him.

"Don't interrupt," she said. "You know what I mean. Hojo and Zephiroth were threats to the Planet and so was Shinra. That kind of evil would destroy anyone who got in their way. You and I were sent back to stop that kind of thing. Don't use your powers against our allies."

"AVALANCHE is no ally of mine," grumbled Sephiroth.

"Yes they are, whether you like it or not," said Aeris. "You shouldn't show them anything new. Not yet. They aren't ready for it. They're trying to act better toward you but they don't trust you yet. If you attack Cloud with your new power, we'll go back to square one."

"You're determined to make me human aren't you?" asked Sephiroth.

"You ARE human," replied Aeris.

"A human contaminated with Jenova cells," he reminded her. "My behavior may always be unpredictable."

"I love you just the way you are," said Aeris. "But I can see right now, you're going to turn my hair grey early."

Sephiroth took her in his arms. "That's all right. Then we'll be a matched set."

Aeris frowned at him. "Yours would be silver. Mine would be grey. That's not matched. That's old!"

"Maybe I'm attracted to old ladies."

Aeris swung at him. He jumped back and ducked.

Sephiroth turned serious again. "I really am concerned about your safety. Something came out of that monsters head and it worries me. We don't know what to look for."

"It worries me too," she confessed, "But there's nothing we can do until it strikes . . . if it's going to. C'mon. I'll do the dishes in the morning. Let's turn in for the night."

Cloud and Tifa stood alone on the observation deck.

"What burns me up is that he's right," said Cloud. "We should have destroyed those samples long time ago."

"That's true," said Tifa. "But at the time, it was more important to us to get to know each other again. Don't let Sephiroth get to you. If the Planet is in danger again, he'll help us fight for it."

"Did you notice how Sephiroth phrased his comments so that he didn't look bad in front of Elmyra?" asked Cloud. "When I lost my cool and slugged him, it looked like he was just defending himself."

"I noticed that," said Tifa. "He's good at turning things to his advantage."

Cloud snorted.

Tifa touched his arm. "He didn't pass up an opportunity to impress his future mother-in-law but he is just as worried about those Jenova samples as we are."

"I hate him," said Cloud.

"I know." Tifa took his hand. "But learn to get along with Sephiroth for Aeris sake. She's trying to help him learn to get along with you too."

"Sephiroth has been spoiling for a fight ever since he came back," muttered Cloud. "One of these days, he's going to get his wish."

Tifa sighed.

The Tornadu dropped low and circled the Utai mountains in search of a landmark. Finding what it wanted, it landed what appeared to be a random scattering of boulders. The Tornadu knew just where to go. It found the opening of the cave and squeezed its way in. The cave was dark, but it lit up when the machinery inside sensed movement. There were two large pods against one wall. Both were open. At the base of the pods, a thick purplish material had dried on the floor. The door of a shower stall was closed but the door beside it was open. An outfit still hung on a hanger.

The Tornadu was too sick to care about anything. It wandered into the middle of the room and collapsed, struggling to breathe. Its body quivered. The Tornadu moaned and tried to flap its wings. It had no strength left. It lay where it was. After a while, the tortured breathing stopped. The creature was dead, but the tumor inside it continued to grow.