Chapter 2
Aeris gazed up at the town of Kalm. Vincent helped her off her chocobo and she landed deftly on the grass
“What’s this town?”
“Kalm. Our friends are here. What do you remember about Kalm?”
“Stories. Cloud’s stories.” Vincent nodded. He hadn’t been there but it had all been explained to him.
“Let’s go in,” said Aeris. She grasped Vincent’s hand and he led her into the town. She looked up at the useless mako well and frowned. Vincent stopped
“That’s bad isn’t it?” She said. He nodded and glanced at the clock. 12:30.
“We’re a bit late.”
He led her to a small house and said
“Wait here a moment.” Then he entered. AVALANCHE was sitting in the living room, chatting. When Vincent came in it went silent
“Before you say anything I need to speak with you. She’s very confused and can’t remember much, so don’t make her jump or anything.” He said. They looked at each other confused.
Vincent turned and beckoned to something from outside
“Come on. In here.” Aeris hesitated.
“It’s ok.” She took his hand and he led her out into the living room.
The room went silent. Aeris looked around at all these people. She knew them. They were her friends. A small girl stood and walked forward cautiously. Aeris looked down at the child. The girl gazed up at her.
“Daddy, it’s the flower lady.” Aeris knelt and touched the girls face.
“M…Marlene. Is that right?” She said looking up at Vincent.
“That’s right Aeris. It’s Marlene. That’s…”
“Barret.”
“And that?”
“Erm…”
“Tea, smoking, space.”
“Cid.”
Tifa stood and looked into Aeris’ eyes
“Aeris? Is it really you?”
“Tifa. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Friendly.” Tifa smiled and hugged Aeris, tears sliding down her face. Yuffie reached a hand out to Aeris, who touched it gently
“Happy, Friendly…. Yuffie.”
“That’s right”
Everyone stood and noise level rose. Aeris looked round and saw Cloud still sitting in shock staring, his crystal blue eyes raking her over. Aeris knelt in front of him. He looked at her and touched her hair
“Aeris?”
“Cloud. Special, Leader. Friend.”
He blinked and gave a small shuddering breath.
“How?” Everyone crowded round Aeris, asking the same question. She stared round, a little frightened. Vincent saw her fear and beckoned her over. She went to him and took his hand again.
“I’ll explain.”
“Thankyou.” Aeris stood next to him.
“I was in the City of the Ancients yesterday. I don’t know why but something was calling me there. Just after sunset there was a splashing in the lake and I found Aeris on the shore. She was wet and cold. She had woken up at the bottom of the lake and couldn’t remember much. I showed her a picture of us and she figured out who she was, who we we’re. So I ran round and got everyone here. We don’t know why she came back, but she did.”
Vincent stopped and saw Aeris was looking at a vase of flowers on a small table near her. She touched them frowning
“Aeris?”
“Flowers. In the church.”
“That’s in Midgar.”
“I want to go there.” She looked at him imploringly. He nodded
“Tomorrow. You’ve had a tiring day.” She picked up one flower. A lily, with waxy white petals, specks of yellow pollen flecking it.
Tifa came behind her.
“Aeris? Do you want something to eat?” Aeris nodded. Tifa went into the kitchen and Aeris sat down staring round the room. Then she walked over to the mantelpiece. There was a picture of AVALANCHE in the Kalm centre. There was another woman there too. Brown hair, tied in a bun and a green dress. Aeris touched the picture and everybody watched.
“That’s…my mother.” She whispered. Vincent nodded
“Not the real one. Infalna was my real one. But she is my other mother.”
“Do you want to see her?”
“Yes.”
“She’s in town.” Said Barret. Aeris looked at him
“Where?”
“She went to buy some coffee.” Aeris looked above the pictures and saw some weapons there. A sword, a glove and a staff. She touched he staff with her fingertips. “The princess guard.”
She took it down and held it gently. Then she turned and walked towards the door. Vincent followed her.
She was standing outside the door.
“I want to remember!” she said to him.
“You will.”
“I want to know now! I want to know who I am and why I’m back here!” She looked round again
“Your mother?” She nodded and Vincent pointed towards the shops on the other side of the centre. Elmyra was talking to a woman there. Aeris gave a strangled cry and took a step towards her.
“Mother!” She said. Elmyra didn’t hear.
Aeris started to run towards her.
“Mother! Mother!” she cried. Elmyra turned and saw her daughter streaming towards her. The shopping fell from her hands and she held out her arms for the girl who fell into them
“Aeris, Aeris, Aeris.” She repeated, stroking the soft brown hair gently. Aeris pulled back and looked at her mother’s face, tears cascading down her face
“I thought you were dead.”
“I was. I came back.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. I don’t care right now.” Aeris wiped away her tears.
“Mother…I missed you.”
“I missed you too Aeris.” Elmyra touched her child’s cheek
“Let’s go back to Tifa’s house.” Said Vincent. Aeris nodded and they went back.
Aeris looked down at the plate of food in front of her. She ate slowly, chewing thoughtfully. She was sitting her mother and Vincent. She looked up at him
“How long was I gone for?”
“Just over a year.”
“A year?”
“Yes. We killed Sephiroth a little while after you died.”
Aeris put down her fork, looking up at him. He looked back
“What’s wrong?”
“Who’s Sephiroth? I know the name.”
The table fell silent. Cloud and Tifa glanced at each other. Vincent looked at Aeris
“The silver-haired man.”
“The one with the sword. The one who...” Aeris placed a hand to her stomach. She shivered.
“He was… he was…”
“He killed you.” Said Vincent quietly. Aeris nodded
“Jenova… Sephiroth… and someone else. Dark hair.”
“Play the game Aeris.”
Cloud frowned
“Game?”
Vincent ignored his question
“Thoughts and what you read from his face. I’ll say who it is.” Aeris thought
“Pain… silver… cages… My mother. Infalna…experiments.” Vincent raised his eyebrows
“Gast?”
“No. He was nice.”
“Hojo?” Aeris’ head flicked up.
“Yes! Hojo… I could read pain.”
“Pain?”
“He wanted it. He liked it. But not to himself.”
Aeris looked round at the silent table then back to Vincent
“Was I wrong?”
“No. You were just right.” Aeris nodded and started to eat again. Cid spoke to her
“You never went in the Highwind, did you?”
“Highwind?”
“The airship.”
“No.”
“Want to see it after lunch?”
“Yes please. Will Vincent come?” She glanced at him. He nodded. Tifa gave him a strange look and picked up the plates.
“Vincent can I have a word in the kitchen?”
He stood and the went into the kitchen
“I think Aeris is a bit attached to you.”
“What?”
“She feels safe with you. You’re like a… guardian.” Tifa said smiling slightly. Vincent frowned
“It’s because I found her. That’s why.”
“Oh, okay.” Aeris came into the kitchen and said
“Can I have a drink Tifa?”
“Of course. What?”
“Water please.” Aeris watched the water flow from the tap into the glass. She stood sipping it.
“Thankyou. Can we go to the airship now Vincent?”
“Yes.” Tifa gave him a satisfied smile. Aeris looked at Tifa
“Can you come Tifa?”
“We’ll all go. Except possibly Yuffie. She gets travel sick.”
“I’m coming.” Came Yuffie’s voice. Tifa smiled and they went into the Dining room
“Well someone should help with the washing up first.”
Everyone looked away. Tifa put her hands on her hips
“Yuffie and Reeve can wash up, Cloud can clean the table.” They groaned and went off to their jobs. Aeris sat next to Vincent in the living room
“Can we see the church tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“It’s special. The church.”
“I know. That’s where Cloud first met you.”
“Did he?”
“Yes.”
Aeris sat watching some birds outside, waiting for them to go to the airship.
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What do you think? It was one of those ideas that just keeps nagging at you until you write it! Please review
Lotsa luv
Katie