Hey this is my first EVER fan fic of anything! But as i am obsessed with FF7, i have started writing about it. So review if u can and tell me if the story is too boring or tedious to read. Or just give me suggestions. MERCY o0
I dont own anything of anything from FF7
Aeris couldn't stop shivering, her lungs burned and every part of her being hurt. She tried to lift her aching body off of the soft surface she seemed to be lying on but none of her limbs seemed to be cooperating. Instinctively she tried to talk yet no sound left her lips. Finally opening her large, green eyes she noticed that she was lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. She wanted to get up in order to get a better view but her tired muscles wouldn't support her weight. So she did the second best thing, she curled herself into a ball to warm herself up. Aeris could tell she had a severe fever because as a healer she had treated many similar symptoms in her short career.
Her thoughts swiftly turned to the present as she wondered where she was and how she got here. Suddenly the single door to the room opened and in came a small, old woman.
"My, you sure wake up quickly," said the stranger. She approached the bed and sat on one of the corners, neatly folding her hands on her lap. When she set her gentle brown eyes on Aeris, she could plainly see the confusion on the young woman's face.
"Don't be afraid, no one is going to hurt you. My name is Grace. You just need to rest and get your strength back. After all, being underwater for so long is bound to make anyone sick."
The older woman giggled slightly at her own humor, but looking back down at the sickly girl, she remembered that she still hadn't explained anything. She quickly grabbed a plush quilt from the opposite bed and wrapped it tightly around the still shivering woman.
"Un.. under..water?" managed to repeat Aeris in between quivers.
Grace winked, "You probably don't remember that which is a blessing in its own way, believe you me."
"Whe.. where... am I?". Aeris noticed her voice was coming back slowly but surely.
"You're in my house which is not far from Bone Village. I was informed on where to find you, so yesterday, at long last, someone brought you here for me."
Aeris's head was spinning. None of this was making sense to her. Several questions were on the tip of her tongue such as who had told Grace to find her and who had brought her here? As if reading her mind, Grace shook her head,
"I cannot tell you more sadly. You will have to discover it all for yourself in due time. That is the way things work I'm afraid."
Aeris was beginning to feel uneasy. She knew she had died, she could feel it, so how was she here breathing, talking even shivering? Thinking frantically, she started remembering the details of her last moments alive. She remembered praying at the altar, when all of a sudden from above came flying down the giant katana and it's powerful owner. She could still recall the piercing pain and the following calmness as she found herself in Cloud's arms.
"Cloud!" exclaimed Aeris.
Grace quickly looked away. She had hoped that she wouldn't have to tell her this soon, but it looked like she couldn't delay it. Putting one frail hand over the Cetra's cheek, she whispered,
"Aeris, your friends aren't here anymore." Grace paused to see how she would react to her words.
"What do you mean?" Aeris eyes began tearing up. She pulled the quilt tighter as if to protect herself from what was coming. Taking a deep breath, Grace resumed explaining,
"Your friends are not here because it's been 100 years since Meteor has been destroyed."
The tears Aeris had been holding back fell down her pale cheeks and unto the pillow her head was resting on. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but only a few whimpers escaped. As she cried, Grace gently patted her head making comforting noises.
"I am so sorry to have to tell you, but you have been brought back for a reason, a very urgent reason. The planet is in danger once again, but it is not from the sky. This time it's right here on the surface and you might be the only who can stop it."
Aeris looked at her incredulously. The planet needed her again, but didn't it realize that she was all alone this time? Suddenly she became conscious of the total silence in her mind, which could only mean the planet was not present. Desperate, Aeris tried to contact it but the planet didn't respond. Grace saw the different emotions cross her face and knew she probably realized just how things were different now.
"You wont hear the planet, dear child. She had been quiet for many years now. A lot has happened since your time"
Grace smiled whimsically as if remembering the better days. Aeris wondered if she was able to hear the planet as well, but didn't have the strength to ask. Grace's brown eyes suddenly became serious as she said,
"I will help you get better and after that you can either stay with me or leave to settle somewhere by yourself. But remember, the time will come when you will have to leave and fight for the planet once more."
Aeris merely nodded for she had exhausted whatever energy she had left. Grace noticed her sleepiness, and so got up quietly and left Aeris to her sleep.
A month later…
Big, vivid, emerald eyes lazily opened at the soft sound of birds eagerly chirping away on another beautiful morning. Their singing seemed to want to hurry the young woman out of bed and outside. A wide smile spread across her pink lips as she propped herself on her fluffy pillow to get a better view out of her single window. Just like every morning before this one, the day seemed full of promise of bright sunshine and warmth. Aeris was happy that it was going to be another wonderful day, but just like every time she woke up, the blissful ignorance of sleep was quickly replaced by reality flooding back with dread. Sighing loudly, she threw the cover off of her, swung her lean legs over the bed and onto the smooth wooden floor below. Aeris stretched her small figure emitting a tiny meowing sound as her sluggish muscles flexed with her movements. She looked around the tiny residence she was currently living in and was pleased once again with how it was starting to look. Aeris had only recently started to decorate her home, well it was more of a room she rented at the Kalm's inn, but to her it was her haven. She had moved from the Northern Continent a few weeks ago to live in this now busy town. Back in her time, Kalm had been a small, tranquil town. Now it was full of people and the town itself must have grown five times bigger. Amazing what a hundred years could do, Aeris thought.
Oddly enough, it didn't feel as if a century had passed by. It was as if she had just been sleeping peacefully the entire time and was suddenly awakened.
Aeris had chosen to live on her own so she could have the freedom to do as she pleased. So when she no longer needed someone to take care of her, she had left the Northern Continent and Grace behind. Grace had given Aeris plenty of supplies and gil, to which Aeris had vehemently protested, but the older woman's will proved to be a match to her own and so she eventually accepted. The older woman had hugged Aeris tightly and whispered in her ear to be careful and prepared. Slightly puzzled, the Cetra had asked the old woman what she had meant, but Grace had only grinned and winked. Thus she had ended up in the city of Kalm.
As Aeris brushed her thick hair, her mind kept coming back to the one question that had haunted her ever since her stay with Grace: why had she been brought back? She knew next to nothing about why she was still on the planet. She didn't know if she should start making a normal life for herself or wait for that fateful day when she would be called upon to accomplish yet another duty. Putting the brush down, she stared at her reflection in the large mirror. Even to herself, she looked hollow with her pale skin stretched across her cheekbones and her eyes shadowed by dark circles. Aeris sighed, she missed her friends terribly but they were already recycled in the lifestream and probably back on the planet as well. Suddenly an idea struck her, what if she found their reincarnated selves? Aeris knew that the odds of her finding them were minimal, but at least she was doing something. With newfound energy, she hurriedly got clothed into her new white dress, buttoning the three buttons in the front all the while enjoying the smooth feel of it against her skin. Aeris decided against her usual pink dress since the color was just too noticeable and with a new threat on the planet she wasn't taking any chances. She left her long, honey brown hair in its usual braid because it was how she liked it and she wasn't about to change it now no matter what. Looking around the room, she grabbed the only garment she had splurged more money than was needed because it was just so pretty her girlish side couldn't resist. Her cloak was made of fine silk and had a nice pale green color to it that reminded her of spring's new growth. Tying it expertly around her neck she slipped into her new black boots (that actually fit her), grabbed her big bag and got out of her room, quickly running down the stairs.
"Good morning Peter," she cheerfully greeted the inn's owner as she passed the reception desk, "I am going to be gone for a while today, so don't worry about me. I'll bring cookies back for you." She yelled over her shoulder as she exited the inn in the direction of the chocobo stables without pausing to stop.
Peter smiled at her back wondering how a person could be so bright day after day.
"Get me the carrot made ones this time. Those oatmeal cookies you got last time tasted like paper!" He bellowed to her and with that he bent his head and got back to work.
The closest town to Kalm was still Junon. Since Shinra's demise, the port wasn't used as a weapon's facility any longer. Over the years, the port has served as a great economic opportunity for the town to grow in size and power. It was now a very active merchant city where goods from towns overseas were sold and bought. It was here where she bought her new clothes, but Aeris had yet to buy a weapon. She knew she was tempting fate by not being defended, but she didn't want to think about the future in any way right now. It might be dangerous but she was desperately clinging to ignorance.
As her green chocobo made its way through the crowded market, the young woman couldn't help but get the feeling of someone staring at her back. She didn't know if she was just being paranoid, but she had put her cloak's hood on anyway. She got off her young chocobo caressing its neck lovingly and guided her feathered friend to the stables. She paid the stable owner the necessary gil and left to go browsing through the large market. She let her bright green gaze pass from one stall to the next not really paying attention to their wares. Instead she kept glancing behind her unable to shake the feeling of someone following her. This could just mean that someone out of the hundreds of people in the market was just looking at her. Nevertheless, Aeris quickened her pace only to stop in front of a weapons dealer's shop. Looking back once more behind her, she entered the store deciding it was now or never to buy a weapon. The Cetra wrinkled her nose as the overpowering smell of smoke hit her. People now used coal and wood as a source of heat and energy instead of Mako like they used in her time, another change brought on by the demise of Shinra. Aeris was glad to know the planet didn't suffer from any more open wounds brought on by the despicable Mako reactors. She removed her hood to get a better view at the weapons being offered but had no idea where to start. The man must have been seen her look of puzzlement because he immediately offered her his help.
"Well I am looking for a staff, if you have one that is," smiled Aeris warmly.
The man's blue eyes positively sparkled as he directed her towards his most prized staffs. Aeris couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm and the way his red whiskers moved when he talked.
"These staffs I made myself," he said proudly. "I have everything from plain wooden staffs to more intricate metal ones. It all depends on what you want."
Aeris mulled it over, but then decided on a metal one because it was better when attacking.
"Excellent choice, miss..?"
"Aeris, just call me Aeris," she answered his question politely.
"I haven't seen you around here, are you a new comer?" he inquired.
"Actually I am. I moved into Kalm not long ago."
"Ah, I see now. I always remember faces and a new one is always welcome," said the red headed man. "My name is Eric by the way."
Aeris nodded and pointed to a staff that had caught her eye. It was a nice metallic blue with a dark sapphire jewel at one end and a spike at the other. The jewel was surrounded by 3 curved hooks that seemed to be placed there to protect it. Eric noticed the way her eyes widened as she held it in her dainty hands.
"One of my best works that one, light and easy to maneuver while still being strong and powerful in battle."
"It's very beautiful too. I'll take it."
"Excellent," beamed the owner.
Aeris paid for the staff, cringing slightly at the price and bid her goodbye as she went out into the market again. At least she was pleased with her choice of staff, she told herself. Putting her hood back on, she looked around the vast marketplace and froze in terror at what she saw. No, that was impossible! It can't be him, it just can't, she chanted to herself. Aeris blindly ran towards the stables not paying attention to stealth in her frenzy to run. She quickly mounted her little chocobo and sped out of Junon at a mad pace. Aeris was tempted to believe she was losing her mind, but she couldn't deny what she had seen with her own eyes: a tall, silver haired man in the middle of the crowd.