Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ I Know What Lies Beneath the Snowfields ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

"I Know What's Beneath the Snow Fields"
Chapter 5

It was quiet, and very dark.

"You, my dear," echoed a haunting voice, "are just part of a test.."

"What?" Aeris whispered, turning around in alarm.

Aeris found herself standing in utter darkness. The silence ruthlessly
crushed her, but she felt sure there was somebody with her, watching her
closely; only she couldn't see anything.

"Why, girl, what's wrong?" hissed the voice suddenly.

"Who..who are you?!" she cried as she tried to see the speaker.

"Fah! Look at you!" the voice scoffed, "You're just an image of another
person! You're not real at all!"

The voice broke into wild, hysterical laughter, but it seemed to surround
Aeris from all directions. She covered her ears and began rushing through
the darkness in hopes of escape; all in vain. The laughter cruelly persued
her.

Noticing that the cackling had ceased, Aeris stopped to catch her breath.
Her heart pounded loudly. Neverless, she was frightfully alarmed at the
sudden stillness of the place. She thought perhaps the speaker had
vanished.

"You are such a pathetic creature!" the voice boomed again, startling her,
"Did you think you could escape me?"

"Wh..what do you ..want with me?!!" she faltered angirly.

"You are part of a test.."

"What test?!"

"But, you are just an image.."

"What test?! What image?!"

Aeris screamed desperately in all directions, but no answer came. Another
deathly silence filled the darkness, almost suffocating her.

"This..is some nightmare!!" she sobbed.

Suddenly, a firm hand gripped her shoulder and forcefully swung her
around. Much to her astonishment, Aeris found herself standing infront of a
full length mirror.

How that mirror had been produced, she could not guess. But, more
importantly, she could not see her reflection, only a blurry image dancing
playfully on the other side. Aeris tried hopelessly to distinguish the
image, as if her life depended on it; as if she *should* know what it was.

When the image settled down, it gradually began to form a distinct
picture..of a young girl..

Aeris froze solid as she stared at the image on the other side. All
thoughts, emotions, and sensations abandonned her immediately. Her breath
quickly shortened and her legs trembled with fear.

A young girl with grey eyes blankly returned Aeris' stare. A peaceful,
though rather stoic, expression shrouded her beautiful face. Her hallow
eyes didn't gleam or glitter; her lips, slightly parted, were white. But
the paleness of the girl's skin frightened Aeris the most; the girl was as
white as snow.

"Dear God..," Aeris muttered, finding her voice at last, "She's dead..and

yet..she's me! She looks like me!"

"Or rather, *you* look like her," corrected the same malicious voice, "You
are the image, she is the reality."

In an instant, the image melted away, leaving the mirror empty again.

"Who are you?" Aeris asked.

There was a stiffened hush for a few minutes. Aeris stared stenly at the
mirror, as if expecting to find an answer there.

"Who are you?!" she cried out, "SHOW YOURSELF!"

No sooner had she uttered those words, than a most horrific image popped
up on the mirror. A thin, sickly man in a tattered lab coat stared straight
at her mockingly. Aeris was dumbfounded by his flaring yellow eyes and
slimy-green skin that twitched incessantly. He greedily licked his lips, as
if wanting to devour her. Though his dull black hair was pulled back into a
tight ponytail, several strands literally sprang out and dangled defiantly
infront of his gaunt face.

Slowly, his thin lips curled upwards, displaying all his sharp, rotten
teeth. Aeris thought he was trying to smile.

She sat up in bed with a start and gasped for air. Clutching her chest,
she attempted to calm her throbbing heart, but to no avail; that nightmare
had frightened her out of her wits. It seemed so real to her..to real..

"Hey, you okay?" asked a gentle voice.

Despite th dimness of the room, Aeris noticed a young woman by her
bedside, bending over her with genuine concern. This woman had long,
beautiful dark brown hair and gazed kindly at Aeris with her bright
honey-colored eyes. Aeris was certainly surprised; she had thought she was
alone in the room.

"Who..are you?" she asked confusedly.

"It's alright," replied the woman, sitting by her on the bed and holding
her hand coaxingly. She was eager to disperse any fear or mistrust Aeris
had, "I'm a friend...um..that is, I'm a friend of Vincent. My name's Tifa."

Tifa smiled good-humouredly, but Aeris merely stared with unconcealed
puzzlement.

When she realized that Aeris made no sign of recognizing her, Tifa stood
up and studied Aeris' face intently.

Yes, guessed Aeris tiredly, I know. She's like that man; she'll say that
I'm her friend...and that she knows me..but I can't remember anything! I
don't remember her either.

"This is so strange!" exclaimed Tifa, studying Aeris' with interest,
"Um..Vincent..he told you that you.."

"I..," interrupted Aeris indignantly, "..that Vincent says the strangest
things! And he won't explain anything to me, either! he's just stupid!! He
says that I should know him, but I don't! He says I died, but I'm alive! He
says I should remember everything, but I don't remember anything!!"

By the time Aeris finished, her eyes had welled up with frustrated tears.
She felt strangely angry at Vincent, as though he were somehow responsible
for this misfortune. Tifa quickly embraced her, trying to soothe her
wrecked nerves with gentle words.

"Shh...don't be too hard on Vincent, Aeris," she pleaded, "You should have
heard him when he phoned me. He was just as confused as you are now.
Vincent doesn't mean any harm. He..well..all of us are so shocked! See, you
were a very close friend of mine and Cloud. And all of a sudden, you
just.."

"Cloud?"

"Yeah, Cloud," Tifa repeated with slight uneasiness. She immediately
recalled how both girls had been undeclared rivals for Cloud's affections
in the past. Some starnge feeling pricked Tifa's heart as she looked into
Aeris' green eyes. She couldn't quite explain what the sensation was.

"Is Cloud...another friend of mine?" Aeris inquired.

"Yes. Cloud, Vincent, me..we all want to help you."

Aeris looked down in silence.

"I'm sorry. I've been losing my temper a lot lately," she finally said.

"It's okay. You're only human."

That remark left a bitter tinge in Aeris' heart. She instantly recalled
that nightmare, and shuddered with disgust.

"You must be cold," commented Tifa, "here. I got you some clothes. I hope
they fit you."

"Clothes?"

"Well, yeah. You don't wanna go on wearing Vincent's shirt, do you? It's
way too big! And besides, what'll the poor guy wear?"

So, after some hesitation, Aeris at last agreed to wear the clothes Tifa
had brought her. As she quickly undressed, Tifa handed her a warm, long
winter dress. It fit her perfectly, although the sleeves were slightly too
long for Aeris' slender arms.

"ah! That can be fixed!" smiled Tifa, folding the sleeves once. Now the
dress was flawless. Nevertheless, Aeris frowned with discomfort as she felt
her new clothes.

At least they're more decent than the one *he* gave me, she thought.

"Right," said Tifa with a brush in her hand, "do you want me brush your
hair now?"

"No, no, it's okay," replied Aeris, immediately edging away, "I can do
that by myself. Thank you."

Tifa discerned some uneasiness in Aeris' face and tone, so wisely decided
to "give the girl some breathing space". She nodded her head quietly, then
walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Aeris was left alone. She slowly picked up the brush Tifa had placed on
the bed, and searched the room until she discovered a small mirror hanging
in a corner. She walked up to it, but stopped short when spotting her
reflection. strange to say, she did not brush her thick, long hair.
Instead, she gazed intently at her face in the mirror.

Suddenly, Aeris spotted the same horrifying man behind her reflection in
the mirror. His eyes glowed brightly and a wicked grin spread across his
hideous face.

She turned around sharply in alarm, but there was nothing behind her. She
looked again suspiciously at her reflection: nothing there either.

"I must be going mad," she murmurred.

Tossing the brush on the bed, she marched to the door and opened it to a
tiny crack. The corridor was deserted, but Aeris could hear two voices
discussing something in the living room down the hall. One spoke with
obvious excitement; she didn't know his voice. The other answered with a
surprisingly subdued calmness; that voice she immediately recognized.

That must be Vincent, she deduced. A cold shudder tickled her spine.

"Well?" asked the unfamiliar voice with agitation, "what do you think?"

"I can make no definite conclusions about her for the time being," replied
Vincent coolly.

"She couldn't have survived! Impossible!" he cried, "you were there with
me, Vincent! You saw it when that bastard stabbed her!"

"Yes, and when I told her about that, she went into hysterics."

"And?"

"I had to carry her back to bed and calm her. She was very upset because
she couldn't remember anything."

"Forget that!" shouted the irritated voice, cutting Vincent short, "How
the Hell could she be *alive* in the first place?!!"

"Cloud, please calm down," pleaded Tifa, who was also in the room, but had
remained silent.

"All three of us were present when she was killed, Cloud," continued
Vincent, not at all offended with Cloud's outburst, "and we all saw you
place her body in that lake. But.."

"But now, after a whole year, she just runs out of nowhere, and can't even
remember her name?! Damn it, it doesn't make sense!!"

"As I said, I cannot offer any logical explanation, but.."

Vincent stopped short when noticing that Aeris had been standing at the
doorway with a deeply troubled look. Both men were standing near the
bookcases while Tifa sat nervously on the couch, trying to appear calm.

Vincent suddenly cut the conversation by gruffly turning his back to
Cloud. He obviously did not want Aeris to hear this discussion. Cloud, who
had his back to her, turned around quizzically.

The silence lasted one full minute, during which Cloud stared at Aeris as
if struck by lightning.

Aeris ventured one step into the room, glancing timidly at Cloud, her
so-called "friend". He was a tall, slim young man, with a shock of spiky
blond hair. She instantly noticed his bright blue eyes which actually
gleamed at her. Scratching the back of his head, he looked at Tifa
helplessly.


Tifa understood Cloud's meaningful look, and got up from the couch.

"Aeris," she began, clearing her throat, "this is Cloud."

During the awkward silence that followed, Vincent walked to the window
with apparent irritation. Keeping his back to all the others, he gazed out
the window panes, and did not flinch a muscle. No one noticed him.

Cloud finally extended his hand to Aeris amicably.

"Hi," he greeted with a warm, though nervous smile.

"Hello," answered Aeris, but she didn't extend her hand. She had a
foreboding feeling about this meeting.

"Okay," said Tifa, breaking the silence, "Aeris, I bet you're all confused
and lost in this mess. So, here's what we'll do..why are you standing? Sit
down, please."

Aeris obediently sat down next to Tifa on the couch, while Cloud drew up a
chair and leant forward on its back. His eyes betrayed extreme curiosity in
what Aeris would say. Vincent, however, mutely refused to budge from his
spot by the window, as if this affair bore no significance whatsoever.

"Somethings never change," sighed Tifa, indicating Vincent. She suddenly
recalled that strange man who had insisted on knowing Vincent's
whereabouts. She thought she should mention it to him later.

"Aeris, now take it nice and easy," said Cloud gently, "First of all, tell
us what you remember."

Both Cloud and Tifa stared at Aeris attentively, waiting for her to speak.

"Well," she faltered, "I..I remember the laboratory, and the cell I was
locked in, and the Professor."

"Professor?" asked Tifa. Cloud seemed slightly perplexed.

"I don't know how he looks like," continued Aeris, addressing Tifa, "I've
never seen him. But, when he drugs me and I'm half-conscious, I can hear
his voice...actually, it's more like a hiss."

"And you've never seen him? Never?" demanded Cloud.

"No..it's always dark when he speaks."

"You mentioned that he used to say strange things," added Vincent
suddenly, without turning around.

"Yes..," she muttered with downcast eyes, "He said that I'm '
perfect'...and that I'm 'just like Aeris'. I don't understand anything he
says."

Her face darkened as she sunk into deep thought. Cloud glanced
significantly at Tifa. Vincent remained stubbornly by the window, oblivious
to the heavy silence in the room.

"Go on," Tifa encouraged, "You can tell us."

"I don't remember anymore," Aeris concluded sadly, "That's all I can
remember. the Preofessor wanted to do something to me...something that
really hurts me..but, I managed to run away."

"Do you know where you ran from?" asked Cloud.

"Of course not! But, I ran for a very long time, and ran through so many
streets, because I was being followed by some men."

"Yes, we know," interrupted Tifa, "Vincent told us how he 'disposed' of
them"

Several haunting memories cluttered Aeris' brain at the mention of
Vincent's name: the ice-cold sensation she felt when he muffled her mouth
with his claw; the ear-splitting gunshots she heard when he ruthlessly
killed those men. Even she could not explain why Vincent aroused such fear
in her heart. She just did not feel comfortable with him near her.

"Perhaps now," she asked meekly, fidgetting in her seat, "you could tell
me about myself?"

Cloud and Tifa exchanged another look. Tifa nodded resolutely to Cloud.

"Very well," he consented firmly.

So, he began telling Aeris all he knew about her. He mentioned her mother,
both real and foster, and then how they had met and what was said. He
talked of ShinRa; what they had hoped to gain out of her, because she was
the last "Cetra".

"Now..um..about you death.." continued Cloud uneasily.

"Yes, I want to know about that the most!" Aeris exclaimed.

He carefully explained about Sephiroth, and Jenova, even a bit about his
personal past and how he became involved. Finally, he described vividly how
Sephiroth stabbed her as she prayed, and how they left her body at the
bottom of that clear, blue lake in the Forgotten City.

A heavy silence lingered in the room for a long time; no one dared to
break it. Aeris, overwhelmed with this torrent of history about herself,
sat very still on the couch. Cloud searched intently in Aeris' face for
something; some hint that perhaps she vaguely recalled anything. But Aeris
merely returned his look with confused eyes: she obviously could not
remember any of this.

"It's okay," comforted Tifa kindly, "Just give it time to sink in."

Cloud shuffled out of his chair and walked up to Aeris, crossing his arms
solemnly. His face showed a curious mixture of dismay and concern. He bent
over Aeris.

While gazing into his glittering eyes, she struggled to remember this man
who seemed closer to her than Vincent, Tifa, and everybody else in the
world, but nothing! She could not recall ever seeing him before.

"If you're walking among us, Aeris, then how could you not remeber any of
what I told you? Better yet, how could you be *alive* in the first place?"

Aeris blinked at him with surprise, but did not utter a word.

"We saw you die, understand? Die! How could you be alive now, but can't
even remember our faces? You either came back to life somehow, or you're
just some dream..some image."

Aeris fixed her eyes on the floor, ashamed she could not provide any
explanation to Cloud. However, Vincent suddenly turned around to face the
others, with his bloody-red eyes narrowed sharply in grave contemplation.

"I don't know..," whispered Aeris dejectedly, "all I know is that I will
never, ever go back to that laboratory or that Professor."

Everyone was silent. Tifa gently put her arm around Aeris.

"It's a blessing from God I met friends like you," Aeris went on, "You've
done so much for me, and are very kind, even though I can't remember any of
you. I..I'm sorry I can't help you in return..I just don't remember any of
what you've told me."

"Aeris, don't be sorry," Tifa answered, "What matters is that you're safe
and well. Believe me, none of us would allow anyone to take you back to
that lab. Me, Cloud..," she paused momentarily as she glanced at Vincent,
"..and Vincent too. We're all your friends!"

Vincent scoffed noiselessly, as if contemptuous of the title "friend".

"Yeah!" added Cloud warmly, "Just relax, Aeris. You're not alone anymore.
You've got us now."

Aeris looked up with a cheerful smile. A feeling of genuine safety swelled
in her heart; with these two trustworthy friends, she could finally live
peacefully, far away from the Professor!

And Vincent? Could she trust him like the others?

Although Tifa had assured her Vincent meant no harm, he never failed to
arouse intense feelings of anxiety, even fear, in her heart. He seemed too
detached, too dispassionate, to even care for Aeris or her "friendship". In
fact, Aeris could not erase the notion that perhaps Vincent despised her.

"Well, anyway," began Tifa, "we have to decide where Aeris is gonna stay
until this blows over. Aeris, would you rather stay here with Vincent, or
come with us?"

"I think she'd better come with us," voiced Cloud confidently, "We run a
restaurant, but there's plenty of room on the second floor. We even have an
extra bed for her."

Aeris twiddled her thumbs nervously, as if letting Cloud decide for her.

"I..I don't want to trouble anyone..," she muttered.

"Oh, it's no problem at all!" replied Cloud with a laugh, "It would
probably be better for Vincent too. he doesn't like people that much."

"Cloud!" whispered Tifa harshly, kicking his shins.

Cloud tried to stiffle a cry of pain. Vincent, however, only glanced at
him, unruffled by the impudent remark. Turning to Aeris, he skimmed her
face, then gave Tifa a meaningful look. Tifa seemed to instantly grasp what
he wanted to say.

"Cloud," she said, "I think Aeris should stay here with Vincent."

"Huh? Why?"

Aeris stared at Tifa, greatly distressed.

"Those men that were persuing her are probebly combing every inch of
Midgar in search of her," explained Tifa sternly, "and we run a restaurant.
They could just walk in, dressed in civillian clothes, and recognize her.
And we wouldn't even know it!!"

" I realize that," protested Cloud," but, I was going to protect her."

"No, she's right," interrupted Aeris, standing up, "I don't want to
endanger anybody. Those men may harm you just to catch me...but they won't
know where to find me if I stay here...with Vincent.."

Cloud evidently understood her meaning; he reluctantly nodded his head in
agreement. Tifa turned uneasily to Vincent. She felt she was forcing all
this trouble on him, without even asking his consent! But Vincent made no
response to her quizzical look.

"I'm sorry..," Aeris apologized meekly, addressing no one in particular.

Vincent silently brushed past her, and left the room.

All three followed him with their eyes until he walked out, then fidgetted
awkwardly. Aeris in particular felt most upset at this turn of events.

"I shouldn't stay here..," she faltered, "I have no right to.."

"Hey, he didn't say anything, right?" smiled Cloud, trying to calm her,"
If he doesn't speak, it means he doesn't mind."

Cloud hurridly ran after Vincent, leaving the two girls alone.

"Tifa..," whispered Aeris very softly, "Vincent scares me a bit.."

"Wha?! Why??" cried Tifa with surprise.

"He has such strange eyes...and he's so pale..like a ghost! And..well, he
has a claw!! I don't think he likes me at all.."

"Hey, easy!" interrupted Tifa, placing both hands on Aeris' shoulders,
"Listen:Vincent may be a bit on the dark side, and can be cold sometimes,
but I know you can trust him. Don't let his appearance fool ya!"

Aeris said nothing, but those words greatly comforted her.

"I'll come visit you again very soon," continued Tifa, "but now, I really
have to go home."

When she stepped into the hall, Tifa spotted both men by the main door,
discussing something with apparent seriousness. As she picked up her coat
from the table, she caught some of their conversation.

"So..,"said Cloud in a low voice, "if she needs anything, you be sure to
call me and *tell* me. And fer God's sake, don't scare her with your moody
attitude! she's only a girl!"

"I understand," replied Vincent.

"And, if you need anything, like money or.."

"I have money, thank you," answered Vincent gruffly.

"Really?!" exclaimed Cloud, quite astonished, "How? Did you scare a bank
or something?"

Vincent turned away in annoyance, trying to suppress a violent outburst.

"I have a job," he muttered forcefully.

"A job?!!" cried Tifa, walking up to them as she put on her coat. The idea
obviously never struck either of them that Vincent would actually get a
job.

"What do you work as?" she asked, very much interested.

"A gunsmith. I work for a small company in Sector 1"

"Wow," blinked Cloud with unfeigned bewilderment, "Y'know, I always
thought you'd go back to that coffin and rot in there. I never would have
dreamed you'd get a job, and live here in Midgar.."

Tifa kicked his shins again, which silenced him effectively. She cleared
her throat in a business-like air, then faced Vincent.

"So, you'll take care of her for the time being?"

"Yes."

"And don't upset her like you did last time."

Vincent merey scoffed scornfully.

"Okay," concluded Tifa resolutely, "I'll visit her again. You make sure
she's safe. Vincent, please guard her."

Though he nodded dismissively, Tifa knew from his eyes that he would
protect Aeris. Dragging Cloud by the arm, she bade goodbye to Vincent, and
left.

Vincent mechanically shut the door. As he leant back on the door tiredly,
his breath rapidly turned to short gasps. Sweat broke out on his pale
face.

Suddenly, his head jerked forward, but he covered his mouth firmly and
squeezed his eyes shut. His shoulders and back throbbed continuously, as if
ready to burst any second. He dropped to the ground, but would not remove
his hand from his mouth. The throbbing turned to violent shaking; still, he
refused to utter a sound.

Aeris peered out from the living room, and started on seeing Vincent
shivering by the door. At first, she thought he was crying, but then
noticed red droplets trickle through his fingers and stain the floor. He
was, literally, fighting a coughing seizure.

He struggled like that for a long time. Still, some ominous feeling
prevented Aeris from going to him. She lingered by the doorway, too afraid
to approach him, yet too concerned to leave him.