Mirror Image

by T'Shael

Chapter One

The village was in flames. He heard the roar of the fire and the cries of people trapped in burning homes. The bodies of men, women and children lay everywhere. Some of them were burned, but most were covered with blood from numerous cuts and slashes. As he walked among the bodies, he came upon a group of survivors. He walked toward them. Someone saw him coming and screamed. They all scattered like leaves in the wind. He raised his hands in bewilderment. They were sticky and wet. Curious, he moved closer to a burning house. He examined his hands in the light of the flames. They were covered with blood.

A group of people were walking through the ruins of an ancient city. He saw a blonde man carrying a broadsword. At his side walked a lion-like creature. Bringing up the rear was a rough looking man carrying a lance and smoking a cigarette.

Their destination was an altar built in the center of a lake, where a beautiful girl with long brown hair knelt in prayer. There was something about the girl that held his attention. She was special somehow but he didn't know why. Part of him wanted to go to her and gaze into the eyes he knew would be green. The other part of him wanted to hurt her. He wanted her to stop praying. Why did her prayer bother him so? The blonde man approached her. He watched the girl for a moment, then raised his sword over her head. His friends cried out in alarm. The blonde man stopped and lowered his weapon. His face was dazed. He looked as though he just had just awakened from a deep sleep. Why did it make him angry that the blonde man had failed to kill the girl? Why was he relieved? The girl opened her eyes and smiled at the blonde man. Just as he had known, her eyes were a beautiful green. His heart fluttered. Fearfully, he pressed a hand against his chest. Was this a medical problem?

He kept his attention on the blonde man and the girl. He was relieved that she still lived, yet even as he rejoiced, a man in black seemed to drop from the sky, a sword in his hands. As his feet touched the floor behind the girl, he thrust the long blade through her body. Her eyes went wide with shock and a ribbon fell from her hair. Something small and white bounced off the edge of the altar and dropped into the water.

The green eyes closed. She fell forward still impaled on the blade. The man in black could have pulled it out, but he kept it there for spite. He raised icy green eyes to stare at the blonde man. His expression was one of triumph. When he saw the look of horror on the blonde man's face, he smiled. He held the sword in place until he was sure all of them could all see what he had done, then he snatched it out. The dead girl fell into the arms of the blonde man. The man in black raised his arms to the sky in exultation. The blonde man lowered his head to grieve.

He was standing in a dark place now. In the distance, he could see a tall shirtless man with long silver hair. It was the same man who had killed the girl. The silver haired man was looking up at the sky. He looked up too wondering what the silver haired man was looking for. Someone was coming down like a falling star. Whoever it was came head first, but he turned at the last instant and landed on his feet with the grace of a dancer. It was the blonde man again. His blue eyes were filled with hate. He and the silver haired man raised their swords. The silver haired man smirked as if he knew this fight was already over.

Without warning the blonde man attacked. His slashes were fast and furious, raining down on the silver haired man's body like a wind driven storm. The silver haired man rocked under the blows, his own sword useless in his hand. The blonde man leaped impossibly high and came down to deliver a final blow. The silver haired man staggered and sank to one knee, his life flowing away. There was a look of disbelief on his face. A dark wind began to blow. The body of the silver haired man was raised from his feet and blown back into the shadows, breaking into twinkling lights.

He woke up screaming. Nothing was changed. He was still surrounded by darkness. How long had it been since he became conscious for the first time? Hours? Days? Months? He had no sense of time. He could feel rippling motions against his body. He had the sensation of movement. The only thing he was sure of, was that he was completely submerged in something that felt like but didn't behave like a warm liquid. The first time he woke up and found himself here, he thought he was drowning. He'd panicked and tried to hold his breath while he fought his way to the surface. No matter how much he kicked and stroked, he couldn't propel himself in any direction.

He held his breath until he almost lost consciousness. He finally exhaled and gasped for breath, expecting to feel the liquid pouring down his windpipe when he inhaled. To his surprise, he could breathe. He was astonished. He moved his limbs experimentally. He could feel the liquid flowing over his arms and legs. It trickled through his fingers, rolled over his ears and streamed through his hair. When he waved his arms back and forth, he felt resistance. It had no taste or smell. Stranger still, there was no trace of moisture.

He didn't know who he was or how he came to be here. He didn't know why he kept having the same dreams. Sometimes he called out, hoping someone would answer, but except for his voice, this place was as silent as a grave. He stayed awake for a long time pondering his fate. Eventually he fell asleep.

He woke up screaming again. This time, there was a difference. It was no longer dark. Now he was able to see the liquid he was suspended in. It was blue green. There was no sky above or ground below. He could see his body for the first time. He was shirtless. He wore black pants and a pair of black boots. He frowned. They reminded him of a uniform somehow. Before he could make a connection, he was falling so fast he couldn't catch his breath. His eyes began to water and everything went white.

When he opened his eyes this time, he was lying on his back under a cloudless blue sky. He was surrounded by vegetation. Sitting up, he discovered he was in a field of beautiful flowers. As far as the eye could see, colorful flowers of every possible variety, grew everywhere. Their fragrance filled the air with a sweet perfume. He shook his head unable to believe he was not seeing an illusion. He plucked a flower and examined it. It seemed real enough. As he lowered his head to smell it, he realized he was no longer shirtless. His chest was now covered by a loose-fitting white tunic. As he wondered about this, he was startled by a soft voice.

"Hello Sephiroth."

He looked up into sparkling green eyes in a face framed by long brown hair. It was the same girl he had seen killed by the man in black. She wore a white tunic just like his and rose-colored slacks. She smiled at him.

His mind went blank.

"C'mon now, don't you remember me? I'm Aeris!" She waited expectantly.

"Aeris?" His head whirled. He was sure she hadn't been here a moment ago. But how could she be here? Hadn't he seen her die?

Aeris knelt beside him and reached out to touch his hand. He pulled it away from her. She didn't seem to be offended by his action. She made herself comfortable on the ground beside him. "You really don't remember me do you?"

He shook his head. Somehow that didn't seem quite true. In a way, he thought he knew her but he wasn't really sure. There was something about her eyes . . .

"What did you call me?" he asked.

"I called you Sephiroth," she repeated. "That's your name. You've been through a lot these past few days. It's only natural you would be confused."

He blinked at her. Confused was putting it lightly. He couldn't begin to describe how he felt.

"Wait," she said. "Maybe I can help. I'm going to touch you okay? Don't be afraid. It's only a healing touch. It should help clear your mind."

He didn't want to be touched. He wanted to tell her he didn't like to be touched because touching brought pain but he couldn't. He never revealed how he felt to anyone. Where had that come from? He looked into her eyes and some of his aversion eased. Somehow he knew he had to let her touch him. He forced himself to hold still. She reached out and he felt her fingers touch his head. He cringed and jerked away. She'd barely made contact but it was enough to bring pieces of memory to the surface. He took a closer look at Aeris and recoiled.

"You! What are you doing here? You're dead! I killed you myself!" He stood up and backed away from her. "I killed you!"

She stood up. "Yes you did Sephiroth. That was some time ago."

He frowned. Was she a ghost? He discarded that idea at once. He didn't believe in that sort of nonsense and besides, he'd felt her touch on his skin just moments ago. He felt a wave a fury pass over him directed at Aeris. What had she done to make him feel that way? The wave of anger passed leaving him puzzled and confused. "Why did I kill you?"

"I could spend a lot of time explaining, or you could let me touch you again," she answered. She held out her hand. "Trust me. I won't hurt you."

He didn't want her to touch him again. That wave of fury frightened him. He'd wanted to kill her just then. Why? He looked into her green eyes seeking signs of deception but all he saw was the gentleness of her soul. For some reason, he felt as if she really cared about him. It felt strange to have someone feel that way. Why? Suddenly he was very thirsty but it wasn't water he craved. It was a thirst for knowledge. A thirst for the truth. That had been an obsession with him once. When? He had tried to unravel the lies, expose the secrets. There were too many secrets. Who was he? There were no books here. Why was he thinking of books? The girl could help him learn the truth. He didn't understand how he knew that but he felt it was true.

The urge to kill her was building again. He fought to hold it down and nodded, giving her permission to touch him. Aeris stepped forward her fingers brushed against his temple. There was something about her touch. Something soothing, something special. He wasn't used to a touch like this. He felt . . . he pushed her hand away. Something was happening inside his head. It felt as if a dust cover was lifting from his mind. Memory flooded back. He was Sephiroth, a former general of the Shinra army. His mission was to restore his mother and himself to their rightful positions of power on this planet. The girl in front of him was . . .

"Traitor!" he hissed. "You are a traitor to the Cetra!"

"We told you he would never change." A voice, seemingly from nowhere spoke just above their heads.

Startled, Sephiroth crouched and reached to his side for . . . there was nothing there. He stared at the place where his masamune once hung. "Where is my weapon?"

"You don't need it right now Sephiroth," said Aeris. "I have a lot to tell you and I need you to listen."

He took a step toward her. "I want my sword now!"

"Why?" she asked.

"To kill the traitors!" he snapped. "To kill you!"

Aeris simply looked at him. "Why?"

"Don't toy with me!" He said menacingly. "You and your kind imprisoned my mother and tried to enslave me! We are taking back what is rightfully ours!"

"Jenova is dead," said Aeris.

Sephiroth laughed nastily. "My mother can't die that easy. I can help her return and we will take back this pathetic planet!"

"What if I could prove you were wrong?" asked Aeris. "What if I could prove that Jenova isn't your mother?"

He was losing his patience with her. He took another step.

"Give up Aeris," said the voice. "He will not believe."

Aeris looked up. "I won't give up," she replied. "He needs to know the truth. Please let me help him."

Sephiroth glanced around warily. Who was she talking to? Where was that voice coming from? Ready for any subterfuge, he circled into a new position.

"Who is that and where are they hiding?" he snarled at her. "Have them come out into the open!"

Aeris ignored his command. "If I can prove Jenova is not your mother, will you listen to me then?"

"You will never prove that lie!" He grinned at her and flexed his fingers meaningfully. "I don't know why you're alive, but I can make you dead again and I won't need a sword to do it!"

"If you won't listen to me," said Aeris, "Maybe you will listen to someone from your past."

Before Sephiroth could demand an explanation, he felt someone behind him. He turned ready to fight. Professor Gast stood smiling at him. Sephiroth's eyes widened in surprise.

"What kind of trick is this?" He asked suspiciously.

"It's no trick Sephiroth," said Professor Gast. "I'm just as real as you are."

"Lies!" Sephiroth backed away. "You are obviously an actor trained to mimic Professor Gast. He's dead!"

Professor Gast's kindly eyes twinkled at him. "Do you remember the day we were in the lab and I showed you my two headed Sand Lizard?"

"I remember the real Professor Gast had a two headed Sand Lizard, but anyone who visited the lab would have known that. That doesn't prove anything!" Sephiroth eyed him distrustfully.

"I wanted you to hold it, but you were afraid of it," said the Professor. "I wanted to prove to you that Sand Lizards were tame. I took the lizard out of the cage and held it out to you. You ran to the other side of the work bench and wouldn't come any closer. I finally gave up and took it back to its cage. Before I could get it inside, it jumped out of my hands and tried to get away. Every time I got my hands on that damned lizard, it tried to bite me and I had to let go. When I thought finally had it, it had me! Do you remember? I had it in my hands and one of those ugly little heads bit into my left thumb."

Sephiroth stared at him.

"I couldn't get that little monster to let go of me, no matter what I tried. Those little teeth hurt something awful. The second head tried to bite too, so I had to hold the jaws shut. As you know, a Sand Lizard won't let go once they get their teeth into prey. They hold on until it dies. I wasn't going to be dying anytime soon, considering I was several times larger than what it normally eats."

"You were my only hope. Even though you were afraid of it, you grabbed a scalpel and cut off the second head. Of course that killed the remaining head too, but by that time, I wanted nothing further to do with it. I still have the scar on my thumb, see?"

He held up his thumb and Sephiroth could see the scars of the old puncture wounds.

Professor Gast went on. "I swore you to secrecy about the bite and paid you off with a chocolate bar too! My colleagues warned me it was dangerous to keep a Sand Lizard as a pet, but I was trying to prove them wrong. When they discovered it was missing, I told them I found it dead. I would have been the laughing stock of the lab if they knew what really happened. I even told my wife I accidently burned my thumb on a hot coffee pot when she saw the bandage."

"Did she believe you?" asked Sephiroth.

"No." Professor Gast chuckled. Ifalna wormed the truth out of me by withholding her famous chocolate cake. "I had to swear her to secrecy too!"

Sephiroth's anger and suspicion frizzled. It was the first time Aeris had ever seen a happy expression on his face. Sephiroth stepped forward clasping the older man's shoulders. "Professor Gast!"

Professor Gast drew Sephiroth into his arms. Sephiroth hugged him tight. The older man sighed. He was the only person who had ever hugged Sephiroth. His heart ached as he remembered the uncaring nannies and the lack of affection. Mentally, he cursed Hojo.

Blinking away the moisture that threatened spill from his eyes, Sephiroth pulled away and held the Professor at arms length. "How can you be here? They told me you were dead. Was that another lie?"

Professor Gast looked troubled. He reached up to brush a silver bang from Sephiroth's face. "We have to talk Sephiroth. There is so much that you don't know. I want to help, if you will let me. I want to set everything right, the way it should have been."

Sephiroth nodded. There was too much happening too fast. He didn't trust himself to speak.

Professor Gast sat down among the flowers and Sephiroth sat close by. Aeris sat on the other side of the Professor.

"Sephiroth," started Professor Gast wearily. "This isn't going to be easy for you to hear. Your life has been full of lies and mysteries for far too long. It's time you learned the truth about the past. It's going to hurt like a son-of-a-gun, but I can't stand by and watch you make another mistake. You have to know the truth."

"I found the truth," Sephiroth said. He indicated Aeris, "This woman and her friends are traitors to this planet, they-"

"-Are innocent," interrupted the Professor. "As you've been an innocent all of your life."

"Innocent!" Sephiroth felt his anger rising again.

Professor Gast held up his hand. Sephiroth stopped. "Do you trust me Sephiroth?"

"With my life," replied Sephiroth without hesitation.

"Then trust me now," said the Professor. "No more lies. I meant to tell you the truth a long time ago, but I never got the chance. In a few minutes, you may get very angry, but you have to control your temper. I need you to keep a level head until I am finished. Hear me out before you decide to react."

Sephiroth nodded. His eyes never left the older man's face. Professor Gast took off his glasses, cleaned them on his shirt and put them back on. "Let us begin with where we are."