Aeris felt fear pierce her heart painfully. She forced herself not to show it and brushed her hair out of her face. With a small sigh, she gazed up into Sephiroth's eyes, waiting for him to strike. She felt tears blur her vision, and blinked hastily. If he kills me, he's going to have to look at me this time! She almost smiled at the bitterness in this thought. She had felt that she could save him, and apparently she was wrong.

She saw her Sephiroth approaching. She remembered vividly the pain that she had felt before. She remembered how she understood it… this she didn't. There was no reason behind it, simply a madman's thirst for power. She felt the tears starting again and cursed them angrily. She did not want to look weak, not in front of him.

Sephiroth saw the tears forming in her eyes, and hesitated. There was something here that wasn't right. This was the one who had caused him so much pain, hadn't she? He struggled to remember, but it was like a haze had taken over his mind. He shrugged it off and stepped again. Those green eyes… they were so familiar… he stopped again. He heard the man behind him shriek in anger and took another step. His muscled bunched and he forced himself to stop. As he did, he noticed the hope in her eyes. There was something else… something that was so tangible and yet he couldn't tell what it was.

"Sephiroth…" she whispered.

He shivered. There was something in the way she said his name… but Phobetor had said she was the lying seductress. Why couldn't he remember? He knew what was told to him by the pale man, but shouldn't there be something in his own memory? Sephiroth shook his head, and lowered his sword. The girl before him sighed in something very like relief, but it was tinged with sadness. He looked at her, demanding the cloud surrounding his memory to disappear. For a brief instant, he remembered something. "Aeris?"

"You remember," she said softly, her eyes lighting.

"I…don't know." He backed away from her, his face twisting with indecision.

"Please, Sephiroth!" Aeris said, her voice desperate. "Remember… remember our walk in the woods. Remember how we used to talk, used to be!"

He stared at her, trying hard to think, but not quite succeeding in making his memories any clearer. "I don't know…" he repeated. His head was starting to hurt.

Aeris saw her chance to save him go as quickly as it came. She got up, slowly, and moved towards him. "I needed you, to help me learn to love, truly love."

His eyes widened as he tried to grasp what she was saying. "Love?"

"Yes. Love." He saw her tremble, and felt a pang of guilt. She was scared of him. That definitely wasn't right.

"I am…" he paused, and then looked down at his sword. "I used this before. I've killed people, and yet I cannot remember it. Why?"

Aeris's eyes went beyond him, and he felt a shiver. She thought it was Phobetor! But he was the one who helped Sephiroth, wasn't he? He groaned and placed his hands on his head, as if that could stop the pounding inside.

"Sephiroth, what are you waiting for?" Phobetor asked, his voice calm and yet Sephiroth could sense the steel beneath.

"Don't listen to him, Sephiroth, please!" Aeris begged.

He dropped his sword. "I don't know what to think," he whispered, his voice filled with doubt.

"Damn it, I brought you back and I can send you away again!" Phobetor screamed, his temper snapping.

"You…?" Aeris's mouth dropped open.

Phobetor closed his eyes and collected himself. He smiled coolly at the Certa. "Does it matter how he got back?"

Aeris looked at him with a mixture of fear and disgust. "You…"

"My moon…" Phobetor pointed up, though they could not see out of the cave. "Did you not see the sign? Wait, that's right, you were still in stasis. My sign, the sign of my powers working. I could only strike now."

"Why do you tell me this?" she demanded.

He shrugged. "You're going to die anyway." His pale eyes narrowed. "You should have never come back."

Sephiroth stood, hearing this, and yet still feeling torn. He looked from Aeris to Phobetor, and that didn't help at all.

Phobetor studied Sephiroth, a familiar look on his face. Sephiroth struggled to remember where he had seen it. He had it on the tip of his mind.

"This grows even more boring," Phobetor said, with a small sigh. "I had such hopes." With a fluid motion, he pulled the sword at his side out of its sheath.

Sephiroth felt his mouth grow dry as the other man walked towards him slowly. He stared at him blankly, not quite sure what to do. He heard Aeris say something behind him, and his brain registered the words seconds later. His sword! He bent down and picked it up, holding it in front of him defensively.

Aeris watched this with a look of horror on her face. It was all coming together. The mysterious sign in the sky, Sephiroth's reappearance, and her mission. Why she was needed back here. She felt physically ill. What a trick that had been played on her!

Phobetor swung his sword smoothly, and did not look the least bit perturbed when Sephiroth countered it. Aeris watched them parry back and forth, realizing that Phobetor had been lying when he said he could not handle himself. Every move that he made was countered, but on the same note, every move that Sephiroth made Phobetor took evasive action. After a few minutes, Aeris felt a wave of desperation wash over her. It seemed that they were matched equally. Again and again she heard the swords clash against each other, heard the sounds of their exertion. Aeris used Phobetor's distraction to check on the other members of her group. They didn't respond to her gentle shaking, but otherwise they seemed to be unharmed.

She looked around, and spied her staff on the floor. Quietly, she made her way over to it. Just a couple more steps, she told herself, keeping an eye on the fight. The two men seemed to be ignoring her, so she continued on. After what seemed like an eternity, she reached it. Her hand grasped the slender rod, and she lifted it triumphantly. She scanned the situation. Sephiroth was still defending himself against Phobetor well, but he seemed to be tiring. Phobetor, on the other hand, hadn't even broken a sweat. Aeris frowned. There had to be some way to help out the situation. She wondered briefly if the Princess Guard was strong enough to use against a sword, but her thoughts were interrupted by a hoarse cry. Looking up quickly, she saw red spread on the arm of Sephiroth's shirt.

Sephiroth felt the pain flare up in his arm and cried out. Phobetor grinned, then lifted his sword. Sephiroth saw that he wouldn't have any time nor the strength to defend himself against this strike with one arm taken out. He closed his eyes, but the blow never fell. Instead, he heard a thud. Confused, he opened his eyes. Aeris was looking at him, concerned evident in her green eyes. Sephiroth looked down to her feet at the crumpled form of Phobetor.

"Are you all right?" she asked, her eyes going to his arm.

He found his voice. "You… you saved me."

She didn't reply.

"Why did you do that? I was going to kill you!"

She shrugged, then reached over and gently grasped his good arm, drawing him closer to her. "Does it hurt much?"

Sephiroth frowned, then sighed. "It aches, but I've had worse."

She smiled fleetingly. "I remember. Let me heal you."

"I don't deser-" he started.

"Aeris?"

"Cloud?" Aeris glanced over, startled.

"Is… what happened?" Cloud's eyes widened at the sight of her standing there holding Sephiroth's arm.

"It's all right now. We just have to figure out what to do with him," Aeris said, gesturing at Phobetor.

"He's too dangerous, period," Cloud said, then sighed. "But we can't just kill him!"

Aeris looked down at the body and frowned. "He said something about the moon, and that was the only time he could do anything."

"The moon…" Cloud rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Right before you two appeared there was a moon in the sky…"

Tifa came to stand next to Cloud uncertainly. "Ugh. I have an awful headache," she murmured.

"Shit!" Cid swore. "You think you got a headache?!"

"Foo'!" Barret exclaimed. "Shut up!"

"Who you telling to shut up, you big idiot?" Cid retorted.

"Guys! Will you just be quiet!" Aeris snapped, exasperated. "We have to get along. What it boils down to is this - as long as the moon is in the sky, he can continue to use his powers."

"Right now we need to confine him somehow. I think there's some extra rope on the Highwind," Cid said.

"I'll go get it!" Yuffie volunteered. "I'm bored anyway."

"Not by yourself!" Lucrecia snapped.

"Mother?" Sephiroth looked over at her, noticing her for the first time. "What are you doing here?"

She blushed. "You called me mother!"

Sephiroth looked surprised, then smiled. "I guess I did."

"Gawd, this is boring," Yuffie said, rolling her eyes.

"I guess we should all head up and get that rope. Lucrecia's right, no one should go by themselves," Cloud said.

"We can't just leave him here, and it's too dangerous to take him anywhere without him being restrained," Aeris pointed out. "I want to stay here. He can't hurt me."

Sephiroth looked at her severely. "You can't be hurt by his mental powers, but you're no match for his sword."

She gave him an exasperated look. "Then what do you suggest."

"I want to stay here."

"I'm staying, too," Vincent volunteered.

"All right. You guys make your way back up, and we'll stay here and watch him," Aeris said, nudging the motionless body with her foot.

Cloud looked as though he was going to argue with her, but she looked at him sternly and he reluctantly followed the rest of the group.

Aeris watched them go, then turned to Sephiroth. "Sephiroth… you need to tell me. Is there anything Phobetor told you that we could use?"

Sephiroth frowned, and his eyebrows came together in concentration. Finally, he sighed. "I can't remember. It all seems so weird, like a dream."

Aeris nodded, then looked at his arm. "That isn't slowing down at all. Here, give me your sword." She laughed at the alarmed look on his face. "I'm not going to chop your arm off! I just need it to cut some material."

He handed it to her. "Um, Aeris, what-" he started, then watched as she sliced off the bottom of her skirt. "- material," he finished lamely.

"Hold out your arm," she instructed.

He looked at her. "It's fine."

"No, it's not! Hold out your arm!" she insisted, her jaw setting.

He was about to protest again but saw the look in her eyes. With a wince, he presented his arm to her. She quickly bandaged it tightly. "There. That should help," she said, with a satisfied look. "You big baby."

"Hmph." Sephiroth looked at her. "Tell me… did I hurt anyone?"

Aeris felt a pang in her heart, but stifled it. "No, Sephiroth. You didn't."

He exhaled slowly. "Good."

She nodded. "You could have, but you didn't."

Vincent moved to come stand next to them. "It's not over yet, though. Don't let your guard down," he said, his red eyes reflecting what light there was in the cave eerily. He sat on a rock near Phobetor's body.

"Aeris, come here," Sephiroth said softly, leading her to a back corner in the cave.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No… I wanted to thank you. You saved me again. I know it," he put up his hand as she tried to interrupt him. "Hold on just a minute. I don't know how the others will accept me after this, and I'm tempted to go find my own life, but I must know. Do you want me to stay?"

She stared at him, her eyes growing wide and her heart beating faster. She tried to talk, but no words would come out. Finally, she managed to squeeze out a word past her uncooperative throat. "Always."

Aeris saw his eyes light up, and then before she knew it, he had her in his arms. She could feel something wet on her cheeks, and realized she was crying. He stroked her hair gently. "Aeris, I'll be here. Whenever you want me."

She nodded, unable to reply. She wondered briefly if she was doing the right thing, but quickly dismissed that thought. She knew she was. She could have stayed in his arms forever.

She felt him stiffen. "Aeris. I heard something."

Aeris nodded. She released him. Sephiroth put his hand on the masamune, and turned around. He felt a pain sear through his side, heard Aeris's scream. Aeris grabbed at him, but his legs buckled under and he fell to the floor with a groan. He was dimly aware of blood flowing from his side.

"Hah! You thought you had gotten me, bitch!" Phobetor snarled, his thin face twisting in rage.

Aeris saw Sephiroth grasp his sword feebly and try to pull it out. She looked beyond Phobetor and saw Vincent lying on the ground. She couldn't think. There was a dull roaring noise in her eyes, and she could hardly stand. She watched Phobetor raise the sword, a maniacal grin on his face. She closed her eyes, waiting. The blow never fell. Slowly, she became aware of warmth surrounding her. Through her closed eyelids she could see light shining. She opened her eyes.

Sephiroth had propped himself up against the rock and had a look of intense concentration on his face. The air around him had a greenish tinge, as if his hated was physically manifesting itself. The green haze was so thick around Phobetor that it was almost opaque. The man had frozen, his mouth open in a silent exclamation of horror. Aeris watched, feeling as though she wasn't really there. She saw his sword fall out of his hand, then heard him hit the floor. The green air dissipated and Sephiroth slumped down. She kneeled down next to him. He raised his eyes to her face, and she saw the pain in them. "Oh… Sephiroth," she breathed.

"Aeris…" he murmured. His hand came up and rested on her cheek for a minute.

"No! This isn't right!" she cried.

"Shh," Sephiroth said. His own eyes were starting to tear up.

"You'll be all right!" she said frantically. Concentrating, she tried to heal him. The wound slowed down in the bleeding, but didn't close. "What's happening?"

"I guess I'm not meant to stay here," Sephiroth said, then coughed. The pain wasn't so bad now. He had an intense urge to just close his eyes and sleep. Something told him not to do that.

Aeris took his hand, and held it tightly. "Sephiroth… I love you… you can't leave." The words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them, but she didn't try to take it back. She knew it was true.

He looked into her deep green eyes, and tried to smile. "I love you, too." His eyes closed and he sighed.

Aeris trembled and reached out to touch him. There was no response. She moved back away from him and almost tripped over Phobetor's body. Hesitantly, she shook him, then realized he was dead. "You bastard!" she shrieked, shoving him away from her.

"Aeris?" Vincent's voice came.

"I-I…" she choked.

He walked over to her unsteadily. He shook his head. "Aeris, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. One minute I was standing there and the next…" He stopped as his eyes rested on Phobetor's body. "Is he…?"

"Yes." Aeris turned away and lowered herself next to Sephiroth. She pulled him towards her. He was still alive. She could hear his shallow breath. She exhaled. "He's still alive, though!"

Vincent studied Sephiroth, then looked at Aeris. "He has a stomach wound."

"It wasn't fatal!" Aeris insisted, pulling Sephiroth so he leaned against her.

He bent over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Aeris… he's not going to make it. Already his breathing is slowly down. He's finally going to be able to rest eternally."

She shook his hand off and glared at him. "Don't say that! Just go away!"

Vincent gave her a sad look, but obeyed. Aeris tried again to heal Sephiroth. She felt the magic balk. Her head lowered in defeat as a sob escaped her lips. His silver hair cascaded down his face and into her lap. She stroked the side of his face and kissed his forehead. "I won't forget," she whispered. "I promise. Vincent was right. Sleep well, my love."

Sephiroth shuddered, as if he heard her, then relaxed. His breathing slowed, then tapered off completely. She sat, cradling him. For what could have been two minutes or ten hours, she sat like that.

"Aeris?"

She blinked and looked up. Cloud looked at her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm…" Aeris trailed off. "I just want to get out of here."

He nodded, then helped her to her feet.

* * *

Aeris watched the ceremony numbly. Vincent was speaking, but she couldn't hear him. She could only see Sephiroth's cold body. Cloud had stepped out into the water, the very same water they had laid her to rest in. The reeds surrounding the pool bent gently under the light breeze. The air was warm, but Aeris felt chilled. Slowly, Cloud released his body, letting it float down the endless depths. Sephiroth's hair spread out around him, forming a silver cloud. Aeris watched the descent, blinking her tears out of the way. Stepping out into the water herself, she dropped a single flower. It floated on the surface for a moment, then followed the trail made by Sephiroth's passing.

She watched that sink down, then turned from the water. "Let's go," she said, her voice strained and unnatural. The others nodded, and walked towards the Highwind. She lingered for a second, then followed them. As she did, she thought she heard his voice once more. She paused, then smiled. She'd make it through. And when she was finally done with her life, she'd have another one waiting for her, on the other side. Quietly, she spoke. "I love you, too."

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