Subject: [FFML]Final Fantasy 7: Aerisephiroth
From: aeris-gainsborough@juno.com (John L Hoelscher)
Date: 3/24/1998, 6:21 PM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com

heya, Zyvernia (aka Aeris Gainsborough here).  I'm trying another fanfic
based from Final Fantasy VII.  I hope you like it also. (BTW, I'm still
working on the Crossover)

visit the Unofficial Aeris Gainsborough Shrine
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Stadium/8315
and don't  forget about  DALnet
#aeris-gainsborough, #aerith and #elhazard

Enter the world of Final Fantasy  VII..after the world has been saved by
Cloud Strife and his friends by defeating Sephiroth.  Is this the end?  
Or is this only the emergence of an old pain?

Final Fantasy VII: Aerisephiroth
By Zyvernia (John Hoelscher)
comments welcome at aeris-gainsborough@juno.com

Chapter 1: It's the Day
	
	Cloud lies in bed, thinking about his past memories.  He thinks
about what has happened to him in the past six months.  His run-in with
the group known as Avalanche.  His meeting with Barret.  His first
meeting with Tifa in five years.  He thinks about Biggs, Wedge and Jessie
and what they died for.  'Did they die for the right cause?' he thought 
'Did they die for the planet?'  Then he thought about Aeris.  His first
meeting with the flower seller was amusing to him, now that he thought
about it.  He thought about the time he broke through the church in
Sector 6 and landed on her flowers.  He still feels bad about that.   He
thought about the time they had together in the Gold Saucer and how she
always smiled.  Then he thought about Sephiroth, and how Aeris was taken
away from him so quickly.  He did deal the final blow to Sephiroth, but
he felt that wasn't enough.  He knew that Aeris has a reason for doing
what she did: to summon Holy and to protect the Planet.
	"Cloud.....Cloud," calls a familiar voice.  "You awake?"   It was
the martial artist Tifa Lockheart, with fists of steel and a heart of
gold.  Cloud awakens to the sound of her voice, slowly getting up from
his bed. He brushes his tacky clothing with his hands to make himself
halfway presentable to Tifa.  
	"Now I am thank you," Cloud grins, "so what's up?"
	"Just seeing how you were, Cloud." Tifa grins back at Cloud. 
"You've been thinking about THAT again, right?"
	Cloud had to think a second about what THAT she's talking about.
	"It's finished," she assures Cloud, "Shinra's gone, Sephiroth is
dead.  Don't be so uptight.  You should try to live for once."
	Clouds lets out a sigh. "Yeah, I guess I should, shouldn't I?"
	"Yes...you should."
	A yell could be heard from outside the house.  "Yo!  You two done
gawkin' in ther' or do I hafta git up there and separate the two of
youse!"  It was Barret in his usual commanding mood.
	Tifa opens the window to the right of Cloud's bed.   She sticks
her head out and yells "We'll be down in a minute!"
	"Well, hurry it up!!   Cid's gonna drop by any minute, and you
know how he is."
	"Yeah, foul-mouthed and tempered with a little bit of egotism," 
says Cloud, "but he's like that all the time."
	"Well, nevertheless, we should get ready.  Today's the day."
	"Yes...today's the day."
	Barret takes a quick glance around Nibelhelm.  'It's seemed like
forever since we've moved here,' he thought, 'but it's only been at least
four months.'  He turns the the Shinra mansion,  which is now the
permanent home to former Turk and friend Vincent Valentine.  He sees a 
figure in a three piece suit approach him.  "Yo Vincent!"  he exclaims,
"what's with the monkey suit?"
	Vincent approaches the questioning Barret and brushes his still
long black hair away from his face.  "Well, I wanted to give the
professional appearance."  He holds up his left arm, which is still cast
in the gold-plated armor that reminds him of his inner and outer pain
that Shinra has caused him.  "After all, it's the day."
	"Yep, it's the day alright."
	"I hope we know what we're doing" Vincent says.
	"Hopefully, we're doin' the right thing," Barret comments.
	Cloud and Tifa finally exit the house and congregate towards
Barret and Vincent.
	Tifa looks around.  "Reeve's suppose to be here too!" she says,
"After all, he's the one who arranged this."
	"You wonder whatever happened to that stuffed toy moogle of his?"
Cloud asks.
	"He keeps it with him, I guess.  Sort of like a souviener from
what he has gone through."  Vincent says.
	A distant huffing and puffing could be heard.  It was Reeve, in
his usual blue suit and neatly trimmed beard.  He caught up with the
four.  "So, " Reeve says, while he catches his breath, "where is that Cid
anyway?"
	"I dunno where he is." Barret responds, "Probably late from
picking up Yuffie."
	Cloud turns his head to the sky and spots a faint figure:  The
Highwind.  "Speaking of Cid, there he is now." he says as he points at
the approaching airship.
	The Highwind's presence becomes more apparant now with its loud
roar echoing throughout Nibelhelm.  The ship starts slowing down, making
a descent towards an area outside the little town.
	"Well, " Barret says, "what are we waiting for?"
	Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Vincent and Reeve head outside the town
towards the airship where now retired materia hunter Yuffie Kisaragi and
pilot/mechanic Cid Highwind await aboard.  To them, it seems like an
eternity went by  for them since the last time they were together, which
was about 7 months ago.  But in the short amount of time that they knew
each other, they became inseparable friends.  But they were missing one
person, the person that made their continual existance possible: Aeris
Gainsborough.  It was Aeris that helped them defeat Sephiroth and saved
the world from Meteor by using the planet's lifestream.  The fact remains
though that she is no longer with them, that she sacrificed herself for
the planet's sake.  Everyone felt that way.
	Cloud is the first to reach the ladder which leads to the
Highwind's deck.  Tifa follows close behind, along with Barret, Vincent
and Reeve, lagging behind the rest of the group
	Cid was already waiting on the Highwind's deck, with his usual
cigarette in his right hand.  He was wearing his usual blue bomber jacket
and his eye goggles on top of his head.  A distant away from Cid was
Yuffie, in her usual casual outfit.  She still hasn't gotten over her
ordeal with air sickness.
	"Well," Cloud exclaims, "I see you two haven't changed a bit."
	"Like I said before Cloud," Yuffie starts, "I'm not use to
flyin'."  She urps a bit, then sits for a bit.
	"Well, that's good ol' Yuffie for ya, " Cid exclaims, "and I see
that you haven't a damn bit either, oh fearless leader."  He said the
last part of the statement with sarcasm.
	"Thanks." Cloud relutantly says, then turns to Tifa, Vincent,
Barret and Reeve, who have made it aboard. "Are we ready to go?"
	"Hell ya!" Barret yells.
	"Well," Cid pauses a second, then yells "let's move out!! 
Destination: City of the Ancients."
	
			*	*	*

	The Lifestream: an everflowing array of life that houses
thousands upon thousands of souls that have lived, dies, lived again, and
died again.  This is the beginning and the end.  This is where all life
is based from.  An all too familiar voice lets out a high pitched giggle.
 "Cloud.....I'm coming back.  I told you I would be back after it was
over, didn't I?"
	"It isn't over yet." says another voice, silencing the first
voice.

			*	*	*

	Reno, Rude and Elena sit in Costa De Sol.  Elena sits across from
the drinking duo, waitching them as they gulp down drink after drink.  It
has been like this for the last six months for them.  There is nothing
for them to do since the Shinra is gone.  They've turned to be bounty
hunters and hired assassins just to make ends   meet and give themselves
something to do.  The three don't know why they still stay together. 
Elena thinks that it's a way to hang on to Shinra, that they are the last
of what is left of the giant corporation.  Rude looks at this as a way to
waste time with familiar people.  He doesn't know what else to do.  Most
of his life was to fight or die.  Reno didn't know why Elena was still
with him and Rude.  Perhaps, he thought, that Elena has a thing for Rude,
or perhaps, for himself.  He shoved the thought out of his head.  After
all,  he thought, he didn't have time for things like that.  Life to Reno
was to fight, have a good time and drink with his buddy Rude.  HE
couldn't get involved, or he didn't want to get involved with anyone.  It
just wasn't his style.
	"Hey Elena, " inquires Reno, "why don't you have one?  I'll buy
you one."
	"No thanks, I want to be on top of my game," Elena responds,
"besides, I don't really like to drink."
	"Come on, Elena.  Just one drink.  It won't kill you."
	"Let her be." Rude says.
	"And what's with you?" Reno asks Rude.
	"Nothing." Rude glares at Reno for a second.  Reno knew that
look.  He's gotten that look only twice in his life from Rude.
	"All right.  I'll leave her be," Reno says.
	Elena pops up from her chair. "So what's our next job, guys?  Are
we going to see some real action?"
	Reno puts his drink down, fumbles through his coat and pulls out
a telegram.  Elena looks at the telegram, trying to find out what it says
and where it came from.
	"This is our next job," Reno says.
	"Which is??" Elena says impatiently.
	"Calm down Elena, " Reno says, "all it says that we head towards
the City of the Ancients."
	"And??"
	"That's it.  It's probably some meeting to set terms or
something."
	"I don't like it, " Rude comments.
	"You've got to take the good with the bad, my friend." Reno says.
 "Besides, this will be a good excuse to do something, now wouldn't it?"
	Rude nods.
	"All right!" Elena explains. "Let's go then."
	"Not so fast." Reno snaps.  "Rude is right though, this could be
trouble.  We will have to approach this with caution."
	"Relax Reno, " explains Elena, "who can beat us, the Turks of
Shinra. We are unstoppable, unbeatable and too much for almost everyone."
 She stopped herself for a second and thought about Tseng, the former
leader of the Turks before Reno took over.  She admired Tseng with a
passion.  She wanted to be as big as Tseng.  More than that, she wanted
the two of them to be an item.  But that isn't possible now, since he is
dead.   He died in the Temple of the Ancients by the hands of Sephiroth,
but she doesn't know that.  She still thinks after all this time that it
was Cloud Strife that killed Tseng and not Sephiroth.  She could not
forgive Cloud for that.  She has swore revenge for Tseng and wants to see
Cloud beg for mercy before she deals the killing blow.  Such a day would
make her happy and put her mind to ease.
	"A bit  cocky, aren't we?" Reno says.  "Well then.  We start for
the City of the Ancients tomorrow.  I'm going to turn in for the night." 
He turns to face both Rude and Elena.  "Are you two gonna be okay?"
	Rude replies with only a nod.   The same with Elena.
	"Well then, I'll be off."  Reno takes his nightstick and exits
the Costa De Sol bar.
	"I'll see you tomorrow morning Elena."  Rude says as he walks out
of the bar.
	Elena looks down on to the floor and clenches her fists.  "I will
find you Cloud," she says silently, "and when I do, I'm going to rip your
heart out and watch it bleed in my hand as I watch you die!"

<End Chapter 1>
Chapter 2 coming soon!	

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