Mirror Image

by T'Shael

Chapter 13

"You couldn't have picked a nicer girl," said Vincent as Sephiroth entered the room and closed the door behind him. "Are you serious about her?"

"Aeris and I are just friends." Sephiroth started getting ready for bed.

"I see," said Vincent. "Do you always kiss your friends like that?"

Sephiroth turned on him. "You have something to say?"

"I am pleased that you found someone you care about," said Vincent. "Given time, I think your friendship could turn into something else."

Sephiroth contemplated that for a moment then discarded it. "I don't believe that will happen."

"Why do you say that?" asked Vincent.

"I believe Aeris cares for someone else," he said.

"Considering what I just saw," said Vincent carefully, "I don't see how you could come to that conclusion."

Sephiroth started to drop the whole subject, but he hesitated. Vincent had been close to his mother once. Maybe Vincent could help him. He had never had these feelings for a woman before, while Vincent had loved and lost. He took a chance. "Aeris loves Cloud," he said quietly.

"A long time ago, I would have said that was true," said Vincent, "But I can't say I believe that now."

A spark of hope sprang up in Sephiroth's chest, but he kept his voice neutral. "You saw the way he acted when you first found us in Icicle Village."

"The last time Cloud saw you and Aeris together, you killed her." Vincent did not use an accusing tone, but Sephiroth dropped his head. "He feels he needs to protect her again."

"I wish I could believe that," said Sephiroth. "I've been alone a long time. When I killed Aeris, I had no regrets. She was in my way. When I met her in the Lifestream, my first thought was that I was supposed to hurt her, but I wasn't sure why I felt that way. Since we've spent time together, I can't imagine why I ever hurt her in the first place. I don't understand why she affects me as she does."

"You care for her," said Vincent. "There might be a future for you two."

Sephiroth was silent for so long, Vincent wondered if he was finished talking, then Sephiroth spoke. "When this mission is over, I'm going back to the Ancient City to die."

Vincent was alarmed. "What are you talking about?"

Sephiroth turned his gaze toward a corner of the room. "I promised to help Aeris, only if the Cetra allowed me to go back and die when my mission was through."

"If you do that, you will hurt Aeris," said Vincent. "How could you kiss her like that, you obviously care deeply about her, then go off and die? What about Aeris?"

"She'll have Cloud." Sephiroth pulled the covers of his bed back.

"Cloud loves Tifa," corrected Vincent.

"Not as much as he loves Aeris," Sephiroth said heavily.

"Sephiroth . . . " began Vincent.

Sephiroth cut him off. "I don't want to talk about it." He crawled into bed and pulled the covers up to his head.

Vincent shook his head. He dressed for bed and turned off the light. He would have to watch Aeris and Cloud for himself. He hoped Sephiroth was wrong. Sephiroth's life had gone wrong from the moment he was born. Closing his eyes, Vincent prayed that Sephiroth would have a chance for a better life with Aeris than he had had with Lucrecia.

The next morning Aeris met Sephiroth as he came out of the Nibelheim Inn. She was wearing black pants and a light grey pullover sweater. To her surprise he was wearing black slacks and a grey pullover shirt.

"Did we plan this or what?" laughed Aeris.

"I had a chance to do some shopping yesterday," he told her. "Why are you bringing a pack? We won't go too far."

"I packed a lunch for us. What are we going to practice on?" asked Aeris. "Are there any monsters left in this area?"

"A few," answered Sephiroth. "Vincent says they haven't all been killed yet."

"He makes his living killing monsters doesn't he?" Aeris brushed away a fly. "You could do that too, after we save the Planet, I mean."

"Do you remember my request, after our mission was over?" he asked her.

"Yes, I do." She looked at him sideways. "I was kind of hoping you would change your mind though."

He was just about to answer her when a chocobo carriage came racing down the road toward them. The driver reigned up near them.

"Be careful if you're thinking about going outside town," he panted. "I just saw a Nibel Wolf. It chased us. It's a good thing my chocobo is fast."

"Thanks for the information," said Aeris. "That's just what we're looking for."

The man started to say something, looked at Sephiroth and thought better of it. He clucked to his chocobo and trotted off down the road. Aeris and Sephiroth walked toward the edge of town. The sky was cloudless and cool. Aeris could hear birds singing somewhere.

"Isn't this a beautiful day?" she asked Sephiroth.

"One day is very much like another," he said.

"Like I said, you have no eye for beauty!" Aeris scolded.

He just looked at her then looked away. As they walked along Aeris thought back to their last night in Icicle Village. She thought about waking up in Sephiroth's arms and she felt warm inside. Her thoughts turned to Cloud and their last conversation. She'd told him to leave her alone and he'd gone right back to Tifa. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Her feelings were so mixed up these days. Did she really know her own heart?

A growling sound close by interrupted her thoughts. Sephiroth put up a hand to stop her. The growling was coming from a behind a clump of bushes just ahead. Before Aeris could say anything, the wolf sprang into the open. It growled again and leaped straight at them.

Without planning her move, Aeris raised her weapon and cast a fire spell on it. The wolf howled and retreated. Just as she thought it would run away, it turned on its heel and charged her again. Aeris used a lightening spell. The wolf shuddered and fell at her feet, she brought her Princess Guard down on the wolf's head. It quivered and stopped moving. Proudly Aeris turned around to see Sephiroth's reaction. She was just in time to see his sword dispatch a wolf in midair. It would have knocked her down if he hadn't been fast.

He took note of her shocked expression. "Remember. Your enemy won't always attack from the front."

"I didn't even hear it," she whispered.

"Fortunately for you, I did." Sephiroth put his sword away. He looked at the wolf Aeris killed. "Not bad."

"A few minutes ago I would have agreed with you," said Aeris, "But I didn't do all that well if I left one sneak up behind me."

"It could have been worse," remarked Sephiroth. "You could have been alone."

"I'm glad you're here then," smiled Aeris. "I feel safe with you."

Sephiroth looked away.

"Did I say something wrong?" Aeris wanted to reach out and touch him but she hesitated.

"Do you ever think about what I did to you?" He still didn't look at her.

"Sephiroth, I told you I forgive you for that!" said Aeris.

He didn't let it go. "Do you?"

Aeris sighed. "Sometimes I do, but it's not because I'm afraid of you or think you will do it again. I think about how you used to be, when you wanted to be a god and how you are now. You are not the same person you were before."

"Is that bad?" he asked.

This time she did reach out. She touched his arm. He turned to face her. "No Sephiroth, it's not bad. Even back then, I wondered what kind of person was under all that anger. I'm learning more about you each day and I like the person I see."

"I've never heard anyone say that before," he said.

"Say what?"

"No one has ever said they liked me." Sephiroth turned his gaze into the distance. "Not even my own father."

"My father liked you," said Aeris. "Didn't he ever tell you that?"

"Your father was an exception Aeris," he answered. "He didn't have to say the words. I knew he liked and cared for me by his actions. Hojo tried to limit contact between us. I believe he was trying to keep us from becoming too close. I couldn't tell your father I liked him either, but he knew he was my friend Aeries. He knew."

"Didn't Hojo ever spend any time with you at all?" He was talking about himself for a change. Aeris hoped she could get him to open up a little.

"Oh yes," Sephiroths voice was bitter. "He spent a lot of time with me, but only to poke and probe and examine. He was never gentle when he touched me. I was no more than a piece of meat. He didn't care if the injections hurt or the if drugs he used made me sick. He enhanced my hearing, my sight, my strength and my intelligence but he never made me feel as if I was worth anything."

"How did he treat you at home?" inquired Aeris.

"Home." Sephiroth looked up at the sky. "What home? I never went home with Hojo. The lab was my home for a long time. Later I had a room in the back. Hojo hired people to watch me. Except to make sure I received the right medicines, Hojo never checked to see if I was treated properly. Once my caretakers found out Hojo's only interest in me was that I was fed at some point and I went to the lab on time, they treated me any way they wanted to."

"You were a child. Didn't anyone ever hug you or tell you they loved you?" No wonder he is so cold to others, Aeris thought to herself.

"Your father hugged me. When he was gone, no one ever touched me like that again." He looked into her eyes. "No one wanted to love me."

Aeris wasn't sure what she was seeing in his eyes. Before she could form an answer, he looked away. I should have said something, she thought, but I don't know my true feelings. What about Cloud?

A wolf howled nearby.

"There's your next target," said Sephiroth. "Come on."

Aeris followed Sephiroth. In the next hour she killed two more wolves and two Crown Lances. Sephiroth had to help her with a Valron. They looked for more game after that but there were slim pickings. Aeris tried to get Sephiroth to talk more about his past but he was uncooperative. She finally had to let it drop. At noon, she convinced Sephiroth to stop for lunch. He seemed pleased to find she had packed his favorite foods. During their meal Sephiroth gave her pointers on her fighting style.

When lunch was over, Sephiroth stood up and stretched. "I had hoped to put in a lot of heavy training today, but since we can't find any more monsters, we might as well call it a day."

"Not just yet," said Aeris.

"You have something else in mind?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"Let's go riding on Goldie," said Aeris. "You handle him pretty well. I don't know this part of the country. You could show me around."

Sephiroth considered it. "If that is what you wish."

"That's what I wish," smiled Aeris. "Let's go back. I can put this bag away and get Goldie. I'll meet you at the inn."

"That's agreeable," he said.

They walked back to the inn. Aeris waved. "I'll see you in ten minutes."

She turned and hurried away. Sephiroth went up to his room. To his relief Vincent wasn't there. Sephiroth sat on his bed with his head down. He thought back to his conversation with Aeris with a heavy heart. He had been looking for a sign that Aeris cared for him as much as he cared for her and he hadn't seen it. What did he expect? How could he expect the her to feel anything more than friendship? Half of his mind still clung to the hope that Aeris would change. The other half told him he was wasting his time. Sephiroth wished with all his heart whatever was threatening the Planet would happen soon. The moment the danger was past, he was going back to the Ancient City and give up his life. If there was any justice in the world, he wouldn't revive anymore. He would never have to feel this kind of pain again. He thought of Aeris and his heart was both heavy and light. Since when did what Aeris thought of him matter? He raised his head and went to the window to watch for her return. If she couldn't care for him as more than an assistant, at least he could enjoy her company until it was time to die.

Aeris hurried to Tifa's house on feet that had grown wings. Sephiroth had opened up to her! Maybe someday, he would trust her enough to share all his feelings with her. She stopped. Since when did Sephiroth sharing his feelings with her matter so much? She shook her head and hurried on, picturing herself behind Sephiroth flying across the open plains on Goldie. Why did that make her so happy?

She ran up to the front door and opened it. Tifa and Cloud pulled apart and Tifa quickly pulled her robe closed. Cloud was barefoot, his shirt open. Both of them were rumpled. Tifa in robe after noon was unheard of. Cloud in disarray? Hardly. There was a smudge of lipstick, the same color as Tifa's on Clouds lips and collar.

"Oh," Aeris averted her eyes. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

She hurried past them and went upstairs.

Tifa put her arms around Cloud and tried to embrace him but he pulled away. "I'd better go Tifa."

"Why? Come on Cloud," pouted Tifa. "Aeris is a big girl. You don't have to leave."

When Cloud looked at Tifa, she was startled to see pain in his eyes. Before he could say anything, Aeris came back downstairs without her Princess Guard.

"I'll be back soon." She tried to keep her voice light but her eyes were a bit too bright. "I'm going riding with Sephiroth."

Aeris hurried out the back door and to the shed. She put Goldie's bridle on and led him out the door. There was an old stump in the yard and Aeris used it to pull herself up. She turned the chocobo's head and rode back toward the inn. She would not cry she told herself. Cloud was free to choose who he wanted to and obviously he had chosen Tifa. She blinked back her tears. Today she would not think about what she had seen. She would go riding with Sephiroth and wipe Cloud out of her mind.

By the time she got to the inn, Sephiroth had seen her from his window and come down to meet her. He climbed on in front and let Goldie chose the way out of the village. When they were outside, Sephiroth set the chocobo into a gallop. Aeris loved the way handled the chocobo Sephiroth took her up into the Nibel Mountains. They raced down one mountain and up the next. They went through steep valleys and over low laying plains.

Goldie was born to run and neither he nor Sephiroth worried how high they were or how narrow a mountain ledge was. Sometimes Aeris laughed with joy. Sometimes she clung to Sephiroth in fright and buried her face against his back. Although he never really took them into a dangerous situation, Aeris had no idea Sephiroth was using the cliffs as an excuse to get her to hold him closer. He wondered if she'd be angry if she knew.

They ran into a Zuu and then four Kyuvildunis. Sephiroth made sure Aeris and Goldie were safe before he faced them with his masamune. Aeris marveled at the way he never showed any fear when he faced an enemy. He was always calm and he always seemed to know what to do. She felt safer with him than anyone on the Planet. Where did that come from?

Two hours later, Aeris found herself getting tired. Sephiroth seemed to sense it. He turned Goldie toward town. Aeris laid her head against his back sleepily. She missed Sephiroth's smile.

Sephiroth thought about the night Aeris slept in his bed. He found himself missing the house in Icicle Village. What would it be like to be back in Icicle Village again like this with Aeris half asleep against his back? What would it be like to say goodnight to her and not have to go a separate bedroom? Stop that, he thought. He shook himself. He woke Aeris.

"What's wrong?" Her voice sounded dreamy.

"Nothing, but it looks like I'll have to take you home. You're about ready to go to sleep."

Aeris roused herself. "It's silly for you to have to take me home and have to walk back. Let me drop you off instead."

"I just want to make sure you get there okay," Sephiroth said.

"I'll be fine silly," Aeris laughed. "I want to make sure you get back okay too."

"If that is what you wish," he said. Sephiroth's heart sank.

"I wish," she answered, not realizing how much it meant to him.

As they rode back into town wrapped up in their conversation, neither of them noticed that they were being watched.

At the inn, Sephiroth climbed off the chocobo. "Be careful."

"I will," she said.

Sephiroth made no move to go into the inn. He stood gazing into her eyes. She looked so pretty sitting on Goldie with her hair mussed by the wind. He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her more than anything else in the world, right here, right now.

"Aeris?" he said softly.

She smiled at him. "What?"

They were startled as Barret and Cid came out of the bar across the street laughing and telling each other jokes. They hadn't noticed Aeris and Sephiroth yet but the spell was broken.

"Goodnight." He didn't want to cause any trouble for Aeris with her friends. Sephiroth turned and walked into the inn.

Puzzled, Aeris watched him go. What was that all about? she thought. Barret and Cid were engaged in a good-natured argument. Aeris was just about to get their attention and wave when a large cart pulled by two chocobos pulled up between Aeris and the men blocking them from view. She shrugged and urged Goldie to take her home.