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	Wings of Love

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	23/4/01

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	A Sephiroth X Aeris Fanfic

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	You Argue With A Planet Very Carefully.... NOT!

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	"The gates are open," Sephiroth said to his former enemy, Cloud Strife. 
"Apparently, Angeles has reached here before us."

	Cloud sighed as he looked down sadly. He turned, feeling a tightness in 
his throat as he looked at the tall, silver-haired man at the railing, looking 
down as well with regret in his eyes. Cloud wondered what he was thinking.

	When they got off the Highwind, they ran all the way to the heart of the 
crystalline city, shouting Angeles' name. 

	"There," Tifa pointed as they neared the very same platform were Aeris 
had been killed. "He's just going up. Angeles! Wait!!"

	Angeles turned with a puzzled look on his face. "What are you doing 
here?" he asked.

	"Making sure ya don't get into trouble," Barret replied sourly. 

	"But I'm not going to get into trouble. I'm only going to get my mother back."

	"And just how are you gong to do that?" Sephiroth asked mildly. 

	Angeles pointed at the platform. "That's where she died, right?"

	Everyone winced. 

	But the boy went on. "I'm going to call upon the spirit of the Planet, the 
conscience of the Planet and I'm going to ask for her back. Don't worry!" With that, 
he leapt up the steps. 

	"Get back here!" Cid shouted. 

	Angeles grinned at nothing in particular as he reached the highest platform. 
"Planet Spirit, where are you?" he called out, his clear voice literally ringing off 
the walls. 

	It was slow at first, but an insubstantial mist began forming in the center 
of the platform. It was greenish, like the white materia that Aeris hid in her hair 
before. Eerily, from a small little puff it became a sentient cloud that glowed. 

	Angeles frowned. "You certainly took your time about it."

	The mist gave off a little flicker questioningly. 

	"I want to speak to the Planet's Conscience, not it's representative. Bring it here."

	The mist flickered a bit, as if taken aback by the boy's upstartness. 

	Angeles shook his head. "You don't understand. I am the Destined One. If you don't
 do as I say, then everything will be lost. Doesn't the Planet want to make sure it will
 be saved from Jenova?"

	There was a sullen glow, then the greenish colour became white. In the midst of 
the cloud now stood what looked like an old man, stooped and shrewd looking. "You've 
grown, boy," the old man said critically. 

	"All things change, Planet. You should know that over all others."

	"Ah... yes... the impermanence of all things, except death. What do you want?"

	"My mother," Angeles replied simply. 

	The old man raised a bushy eyebrow. "This is a critical time, lad. Couldn't 
you have done this later, after your work is done?"

	Angeles shook his head. "I know you too well, old man. You're hopeless in 
sticking to deals."

	"You know me too well indeed."

	"Bring her back."

	"And what will you give in return? You know as well as I do that for everything 
you take, you must give something."

	"I hardly think you are in a position to bargain," Angeles said dryly. "If I 
*don't* do anything to stop Jenova, your purpose to survive will fail. And I won't do 
anything at all if you don't bring my mother back."

	"Your mother gave up her life to summon Holy, child. That was the sacrifice she made."

	"Decisions can be re-examined, Planet."

	"Was your father not enough?"

	"Nope."

	The old man tsked. "How very straightforward you are. Surely you did not learn 
that from your parents."

	"I'm not a general. I don't have tact. I'm just me, and I want my mother back now."

	The old man's black beady eyes suddenly flared in anger. "What do you think you are?"
	
	"I... am the boy who is going to save your molten neck... but only IF you give me 
back my mother."

	"You've got spunk," the old man grunted. 

	"Lucky me." 

	"And if I refuse?"

	"I wonder if I actually *could* strangle a certain piece of molten granite," 
Angeles mused aloud. The old man actually looked alarmed at that. 

	"You wouldn't!"

	Angeles bent his head and began chanting. The old man quickly hastily said, 
"All right, all right... just don't do anything rash!"

	"Rash?" Angeles echoed. "That's a funny thing to say. Well, then, get on with it."

	"But on one condition," the old man said slyly. 

	Angeles rolled his eyes. "Go ahead."

	"You've got to get her out of the Lifestream yourself." The old man looked 
kind of smug at that. "Of course, you've only got one chance in there, and one 
chance alone. If you can't get her out of there, too bad."

	The boy's dewy green eyes hardened suddenly. "You goddamn piece of bloody 
molten granite."

	"Touchy, touchy," the old man tsked. 
	
	"Someday, I'll wring your neck, see if I don't."

	The old man laughed. "Well, boy?"

	Angeles walked towards the white mist. He turned to the anxious adults beneath 
and grinned at them reassuringly, which actually didn't do much to allay their fears. 

	"Take me in."

	===========================

	Angeles floated in the greenish glow all about him, feeling more than optimistic. 
"Mother!" he called out. 

	There was no answer except for the howling void.

	Ignoring that, he called again. "Mother!!"

	He frowned. Then -

	"GRANDMOTHER!!!"

	The yell was loud enough to rustle the relative peace of the Lifestream. Angeles did
not feel even the least bit embarrassed.

	{Yes, child}

	[Where is she? Where is my mother?]

	Ifalna laughed a little. {So impatient?}

	Angeles scowled like a petulant child, which he was, really. [Considering *I* 
travelled half the world to get here, while the others took a bloody plane, don't you 
think I'm allowed to be impatient? I'll promise to be good}

	The green eyes grew a little sad. {She does not want to come, child}

	[What? Why not?]

	{She feels her presence would only hamper you in your task. She does not know you, 
and does not wish to cause you hurt and disappointment. She feels she has nothing left beyond 
the Lifestream}

	[That won't matter] Angeles told his grandmother confidently. [She has me. Where is 
she? Let me try convincing her]

	{You can try, child. She is yonder, watching from a distance}

	The boy pushed his way past all the watching souls in the Lifestream, pausing 
a moment when he saw a quiet woman with burdened emerald eyes behind spectacles. He 
smiled brightly, reaching out with his hand to touch her face. [Grandmother] he chirped. 
	
	Lucrecia felt tears flow down her cheek. \Yes\ she said tearfully.

	Angeles tilted his head a little. [You really should stop crying] he advised.
 [Because everything that happened made me]

	He hugged her. When he moved away to continue his search for Aeris, 
Lucrecia was smiling gently. \He's a very self-centered child\ she told Ifalna and 
Gast, who had come to her.

	{He's the delight of the Planet} Ifalna replied. 

	Aeris felt trepidation as the little boy that greatly resembled her came 
towards her, a determined look in his dewy green eyes. [Mother] he said when he 
finally reached her. 

	/Angeles/ she said, not knowing what else to say. 

	[Come on home with me] 

	Aeris shook her head. /I gave up my life for the Planet, Angeles. I cannot 
pull out of the bargain./

	[The Planet does things like that all the time. Why won't you come? What 
can you get from here? Mother, you're so young, too young to die.] 

	Ifalna and Gast watched with a smile on their faces as Angeles requested, 
pleaded, threatened, wheedled, asked with cute-as-puppy-eyes expressions his mother 
to go back to the living world with him. They could see their daughter beginning to 
relent even as she offered vague excuses not to. Angeles, too, saw her weakening and 
pressed on, entertaining every spectator with the lavish smile on his face, bright grins 
that accompanied his suggestions to spend an entire week at Costa Del Sol just having 
fun (whatever that meant to him). The promises he offered were tantamount to blackmail 
and bribing, but it was hard to resist him.

	|You have to admit| Gast said. |The boy *is* rather unique.|

	/Mother, he's not being fair!/ Aeris shouted.

	{I don't see why he should be. He's your son, and you're refusing to go 
back to live when he wants you to.}

	Angeles felt a prickle of alarm as he felt his time growing short. [PLEASE, MOTHER] 
he begged with a terribly mournful look on his face, his eyes tearful. It was extremely fake, 
but extremely hard to resist. 

	/No./

	Angeles burst into a round of crocodile tears. Aeris wrung her hands helplessly. 

	/All right, all right!/ she finally cried, putting her arms about the boy. /You 
did that on purpose/ she accused when she drew back to find the boy grinning at her. The 
lack of tears was immediately seen. 

	Angeles nodded. [Yes] he said modestly. Then he brightened. [But it was good acting, 
wasn't it? Can I become an actor when I grow up?]

	Aeris smiled tenderly as she kissed Angeles' forehead. /You can be anything you like./

	[Mission accomplished! Come on!] Angeles grabbed Aeris' hand, heading back to the 
planar gate. He strutted like a proud peacock, almost crowing with his accomplishment. He 
threw his grins at his mother, who was already anticipating a life filled with alarm.

	"Can I have a sweet afterwards?" he asked her as they exited. 

	"Anything you like, dear," Aeris told him.

	==========================

	Sephiroth had been keeping watch at the platform while the others had gone to 
sleep, their sleeping bags nearby. The gate was still there, an eerie glow in the 
night. Angeles has been gone for hours. Where on earth could he be?

	When the glow suddenly shone brighter, Sephiroth blinked in disbelief. Those 
two shapes coming from it, could it be?

	"It's them!" he shouted at the others, who bolted up immediately. 

	"Who?" Sarah Dallas demanded. 

	"Angeles and Aeris!"

	Angeles was laughing, bubbling over with joy. His hand tightly holding Aeris, 
he was the epitome of triumph. "Look, Mother! They've been waiting."

	Aeris gasped when she saw her friends, her eyes widening at the sight of 
Sephiroth, striding up onto the platform while the others still rubbed sandmen from 
their eyes. 

	"The boy managed to bring you here," he stated, fully recalling their conversation 
before his resurrection. 

	"Yes," she said, smiling a little. The man had definitely changed. He was 
noticeably sane, less cold. She thought she could see a hint of a smile on his face. 

	"Welcome back."

	Her smile grew wider. "Thank you."

	Sephiroth nodded, then turned to look down at Angeles. "Now *you*" he said sternly. 

	Angeles cringed. 

	"What were you thinking," Sephiroth began. "Leaving at night with nary a word to 
anyone at all? Journeying by yourself all the way to the City of the Ancients when the 
rest of us were worrying over you?"

	"Mother did that," Angeles protested.

	"Don't change the topic," Sephiroth ordered. "Your mother knew exactly what she
was doing-"

	"So was I!" 

	"-And she is a grown-up. You're half grown. Do you realize what amount of concern 
you've caused us?"

	"Your pop's right, y'know," Cid pitched in. "We were all worrying our asses off 
over you! Couldn't you have at least left a note?"

	"Yeah, you little foo'!" Barret thundered. "Don't you realize that you could've 
been killed?? Your father didn't come back to life just to see you killed by some monster 
on your foolhardy trip here!!"

	"But I didn't get killed! It's not like anybody died of worry!" Angeles exclaimed.

	"Well, you wouldn't want any of us to be the first, would you?" Sarah said acerbically.

	"Nobody can die of worry!" Angeles insisted. 

	"As a matter of fact, they *can*" Sephiroth cut in. "I once saw a senior general 
die of a heart attack due to a setback in his plan."

	"And epileptic fits aren't all that rare either," Cid told him.

	"You're making all this up!" the boy exclaimed. 
	
	"'Fraid not, boyo," Barret rumbled. "Ask Dr. Dallas. She's a doctor."
	
	Angeles turned to Sarah Dallas, who was also glaring at him, hands on hips. "What 
they're saying isn't true, is it?" he pleaded. 

	"From a professional point of view, it's actually highly possible with people are 
excitable, which some of us are."

	"Sorry, Angeles," Vincent surprisingly came into the fray. "But some of us are." He
glanced meaningfully at Sarah. "Really."

	"Valentine...." Sarah growled dangerously. 

	"Living dangerously, are we?" Cloud murmured to the dark man.

	"Yes," Vincent admitted. "But I can afford it."

	Tifa grinned even as she hugged her friend. "Gods, Aeris, it's so good to see 
you again!" 

	"You, too, Tifa," Aeris answered, hugging Tifa back. "Are they going to 
continue that way?" she asked indicating where the others were still busy giving 
the boy the worst earful of his life. 

	"I'm afraid so," Tifa said solemnly. "But I think he deserves it, considering 
how much worry he put us through."

	"Not you too," Aeris said exasperatedly, glancing at the boy, now being 
scolded by Sephiroth while the others, standing around, nodded in sage agreement. "That's 
enough!" she finally exclaimed. 

	Everyone turned to Aeris. Angeles bolted to hide behind her. Everyone except Aeris
gave Angeles a hard, even stare. 

	"Fine, then," Sephiroth finally said flatly. "Are we done here?"

	Angeles nodded from behind Aeris' skirt. 

	"Let's go home," Cloud told the others.

	"Yeah," came the agreement from various mouths. "C'mon, let's get back."

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	All characters (except for Dr. Sarah Dallas) are copyright of Squaresoft Inc. This is 
just a fanfic for heaven's sake! 

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