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	Wings of Love

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	24/4/01

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	A Sephiroth X Aeris Fanfic

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	To Spend Some Time With You	

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	Sephiroth walked out to the balcony of his room. The others had gone 
home. Only he, Dr. Dallas, Vincent Valentine and Aeris had stayed on in Iraon 
Villa, largely because Sephiroth and Vincent didn't have any place to go, and 
Angeles had insisted at Aeris stay for at least a while.

	The boy was chasing butterflies with a small net 'round and 'round the 
garden now. He was a delight, to be sure, with his cheery smile. The silver 
medallion glinted in the sunlight as it bounced with Angeles' jumps. How Sephiroth 
wished he had been the same... to be normal.... to have a smile as ready as the child's.

	Aeris and Sarah Dallas were walking in the garden, each of them holding 
a posy of flowers in their hands. Sephiroth had liked Dr. Dallas when he was a 
child, often wishing he had had more time to spend with her. He knew that if he 
had.... all this wouldn't have happened. He would never have gone insane, starting 
the chain of events that still drowned him in guilt.

	He briefly wondered where Vincent was, then his eyes settled on Aeris,
 holding out a hand to let a butterfly gently flutter down to perch on it. He 
wondered how she could exude such peacefulness despite all that had happened 
to her.

	Angeles stopped chasing butterflies when he saw her and ran to her,
smiling. She smiled in return. Instantly, Sephiroth knew where Angeles 
got his angelic smiles from. Two pairs of beautiful green eyes reflected the love
they had for each other. Angeles' adoring gaze matched his smile as he walked 
beside his mother, as if he was wondering how he had ever lived before meeting her.
Sephiroth wondered that, too. 

	What difference would it have made if he and Aeris had met before he 
went insane? Sephiroth found a dozen possibilities racing through his mind, until he 
remembered a fine night, holding the boy on his lap and promising to take him to 
Costa Del Sol. 

	Should he? He didn't answer that question because Aeris had looked up, smiling
and waving. Angeles did the same, his greeting more exuberant. Sephiroth smiled in reply.

	Yes, he answered his question the next moment. He really should. 

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

	"Gold streaks?" 

	Aeris looked over Sephiroth quizzically. "Golden streaks?" she repeated.

	"It wasn't altogether my idea," Sephiroth replied tiredly. He looked like 
he hadn't slept much. But it was his hair that held Aeris' attention. While it was 
still the same length, it was now streaked with golden dye. The streaks were haphazardly 
spread throughout his hair, making him look exotic than with just his silver hair.

	"Won't that draw more attention to you?" 

	"Try explaining that to Angeles," Sephiroth grumbled, attacking his breakfast. 

	"It would look better if you dyed your hair golden entirely," Aeris said. She 
reached out to touch a few locks.

	"I'll take care of it." Sephiroth yawned. "Later."

	She grinned. "He didn't let you sleep much last night?" 

	"What do you think?" he grunted in reply. 
	
	She chuckled and pushed back his bangs from his face, still scrutinizing his
hair. He turned a little to look at her. Somehow, the moment seemed frozen until
 her eyes met his. A shy smile appeared on her face, which he returned uncertainly. 

	"Why was he trying to dye your hair?" she asked, her voice softer than she'd
 meant to make it sound.

	"I promised to take him to Costa del Sol," he answered just as tenderly. There
 was *something* there. His mouth went dry, but he continued. "I promised him I would
 five years ago... and he was trying to disguise me...."

	Aeris blinked several times, trying to rid herself of the fluttering feelings
in her. She tried smiling again, but ended up biting her lower lip nervously. What
 was she supposed to do?? *Do something!!* she wanted to yell at both herself
 and Sephiroth. 

	He must have heard the mental shout, because his face began leaning towards
 hers.  His emerald green eyes were locked onto her even as he came closer. They
 both could feel the other's breath, though both were feeling more and more breathless. 

	Close.... so close.... they closed their eyes as their lips very softly touched.
	
	"NOO!!!" Angeles' yell broke through the moment. 	

	Both of them jumped apart, though no one was in the room to see them. Aeris
 blushed immediately while Sephiroth looked around the room, trying to discern where
 the sound had come from. Angeles crashed (literally) through the door, looking about
 the breakfast room wild-eyed. 

	"Angeles, what's wrong?" Sephiroth asked in concern.

	"They're trying to catch me!" Angeles yelled.

	"Who?"

	"Dr. Dallas and Mr. Valentine!" 

	"Why?"

	"They want to cut my hair," Angeles whimpered, quickly slinking behind Aeris.
 "Hold me," he begged her, managing to sound pretty pathetic. 

	Dr. Dallas came in just then, twirling a scissors with her fingers. She
 looked fine, except that her black hair, usually luxurious in their darkness, had
 golden patches, obviously caused by someone messily laying handfuls of dye on
her hair. Vincent's hair had suffered the same fate.

	"I see," Sephiroth said evenly, turning to look at his son sternly. "Wasn't
satisfied with restyling just my hair and you had to bother the others? Did you have
 anything in mind for your mother?"

	"Auburn streaks," Angeles mumbled even as he hid his face against Aeris. He looked
up at her. "It'll look really good on you!" he said very quickly.  

	Two black eyebrows and a silver one raised themselves. 

	"You didn't have to touch MY hair!" Dr. Dallas shrieked at the boy.

	"Nor mine," Vincent added. "*I*'m not the one going to Costa Del Sol. Your
 parents are. Stick to experimenting your hairstyling ideas on them."

	"Can I be a hairstylist when I grow up?" Angeles asked Aeris. 

	Aeris thought for a moment. "I'm afraid not," she replied finally, glancing
at Sephiroth's hair. 

	The crestfallen look on Angeles was almost too much for her to bear. "Of course
you can, dear," she told him soothingly. "You can be anything you like."

	"Oh, no," Sephiroth groaned. Then he glared at Angeles. "That does NOT include 
being irritating."

	Angeles only grinned in reply. 

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

	Sephiroth felt what he considered a reasonable amount of trepidation as he
 stood at the reception counter to get the keys to the suite Dr. Dallas had booked for
the three of them. 
	
	Angeles was running about the lobby, his eyes widening at the size and grandeur
of the premises. The receptionist looked quizzically at the boy. "Isn't he the champion
 of the last swordfighting competition? The one who was born in the Shin-ra labs?"

	Better think quickly, Sephiroth thought to himself. He was relieved when Aeris
came up beside him, smiling sweetly at the receptionist while taking his hand into
 hers. "No, not really. He's just our son."
	
	The receptionist looked at the two of them oddly, finding them looking
remarkably young to have a ten-year-old son. She surmised that they must have married
 early and she could see why. They both looked very attractive. She decided that they
must be in their twenties, though the man could be over thirty. He looked very much
 like.... She shook her head and simply handed them the key to their room. "Have a
nice stay, sir." 
	
	"Angeles, come on!" Aeris called, before belatedly recalling the receptionist's 
questions about him. She glanced at Sephiroth, who simply kept on walking as if nothing 
had happened. She shrugged mentally, leaving behind a stunned looking receptionist. 

	Angeles took his mother's other hand, still looking around. "What a beautiful
place!" he exclaimed. "Are we really gonna stay here?"

	"Of course," Sephiroth replied, carrying their bags in his free hand. He made
 a mental note to get to a tailor. Glancing at Angeles, he noticed the little rip in
 the boy's sleeve. *That* hadn't been there before. The boy needed plenty of clothes
 before he managed to rip them to pieces. Dr. Dallas had given him a rather hefty sum
 of gil. As far as he knew, Aeris had been given a similar amount of cash. 

	"What's for dinner?" Angeles asked suddenly. 

	"We'll see," Sephiroth answered non-committedly. 

	And so on went back and forth between father and son questions and rather
 vague answers until they reached the suite. When they entered, Angeles ran in, his
exclaimations of delight amusing to hear. 

	"Look at the huge bed! They never have such big beds in the Shin-ra building!!"

	Aeris gave the bed a very long look. Angeles was right; it was very large. In
 fact, she was sure six people could fit on that bed. She turned to Sephiroth, who 
also looked at her. "He's right. It IS a big bed."

	She got only a shrug in reply.

	"So I guess that means none of us has to sleep on a sofa outside or anything."

	His gaze was startled. He looked from the bed, to her, to Angeles. "I guess
 you're right," he finally said, smiling a little. 

	Angeles whooped and leapt onto the bed. He sank into it. "Wheeee!"

	"Shoes off the bed," Sephiroth said calmly, sitting on a chair nearby to remove 
his boots.  	
 	
	Angeles got off the bed and ran to look out the window. 

	"Can I go to the beach?"

	"Yes."

	"Can we eat at that restaurant?"	
	
	"Yes."

	"What's that building over there?"

	"Another restaurant."

	"Is there a movie theater someplace?"

	"Yes."

	"Can we go watch a movie?"

	"Yes."

	Aeris chuckled as she began packing away the clothes. 

	"Are there really pretty girls on the beach all day?"

	"....."

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

	"I'm very patient," Sephiroth stated, trying to refrain from rolling
 his eyes when Angeles got side-tracked again at seeing another ice-cream stall. 
The boy had just discovered sweets and all the niceties that went with it. Aeris chuckled.

	"I did tell you not to give him so much gil," she chided. 

	"Don't push it."

	She grinned back. They were playing the resemblance of a family, holding hands
 while Angeles ran about, trying to make out the general ambience that he was so unused
 to. Aeris herself had come to Costa Del Sol before, but that was with Avalanche, so she
didn't have much time to enjoy herself while she was here. 

	"I think vanilla is the best," Angeles said wisely when he came to them, yet
another stick of ice-cream in his hand. He smiled satisfiedly at them. "See? No one 
can recognize either of you."

	His parents glanced at each other; Angeles had given up and Sephiroth's hair was
 dyed golden entirely, while Angeles had had his way with Aeris' hair. It was a rather
 creative, if quite exotic, idea on the whole. But of course, Angeles was totally ignoring
the fact that the entire thing didn't keep people from staring and giving them curious looks.

	"They're still staring," Aeris pointed out.

	"That's because you're so beautiful," Angeles answered with a genuine smile. 

	"You're trying very hard to get a shield to hide behind when you get your father
angry, aren't you?" 

	The boy responded with a wide-eyed, innocent look. "Why would I do that?"

	Sephiroth grinned. "You know, Aeris, I do believe I saw some blackened pots and 
pans in Sarah's kitchen."

	"Can I have another ice-cream?" Angeles asked to quickly change the topic.

	"Go right ahead. Don't blame us when you can't eat the delicious lobster."

	"Maybe I won't have the other ice-cream at all, then," Angeles decided. 

	Sephiroth chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. 

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

	"I think we need to find an escape route somewhere," Aeris said quietly to 
Sephiroth as they stood off to the side, watching Angeles demonstrate a fighting scene to
his new friends in the playgroup they had put him in. Many other parents were there, 
too, though they viewed the newcomers a bit nervously. 

	Angeles had thoroughly won over all the other children.

	"This is getting quite amusing," Sephiroth mused, eyes still on Angeles, who had
jumped onto a bench, and danced on it, making the other children clap in appreciation.

	"Seph, please, I'm hungry."

	"All right, all right."
	
	The two of them began walking off. "Father, wait!" Angeles called, running up
 to them. "Where are you going?"

	"To get dinner," Sephiroth answered. "We'll come and pick you up later."

	"Okay," Angeles said, running back to his playmates. "And then, BOOM! went the
bomb! And everything was so quiet...." he went back to his story-telling.

	============================
	
	Cloud and Tifa strolled about among the busy streets. Their arms were hooked
 together, and Tifa had discarded her usual white blouse and short skirt, wearing a
 tasteful dress. Soon, Cloud thought. Soon they would be married. The preparations were
 just beginning. No more regrets, no more hiding.... 

	Tifa leant on Cloud as they walked. She was content to be with Cloud, no matter
what. It didn't matter what else happened as long as Cloud was with her, and she could
look after him. She-

	She froze when she saw Sephiroth and Aeris chatting as they walked hand in hand
down the road, towards Cloud and Tifa. It couldn't be, Tifa thought in the next moment.
Sephiroth didn't have golden hair, and Aeris didn't have bright auburn streaks in her hair.
Still, they looked very good together, strangely.

	"It's got to be a resemblance," Cloud muttered. 

	"What is, dear?"

	"Those two there," Cloud nodded towards the couple that had stopped to look at a
piece of jewellry through the window. "It can't be Sephiroth and Aeris."

	Tifa agreed. Until, that is, the woman who resembled Aeris turned to their direction.
Her green eyes lit up immediately and a bright grin spread across her face. 

	"It's them," both Cloud and Tifa told each other at the same time. 

	"Cloud! Tifa! Hi!" Aeris called as she walked towards them, dragging Sephiroth
along with her.

	"Ae.... Aeris...?" Cloud stuttered. 

	"What are you doing here?" Tifa exclaimed. "We thought you were at Iraon Villa
 with Sarah and Vincent!"

	"Angeles wanted to come to Costa Del Sol," Aeris explained. "So here we are!"

	"Where's he now?" 

	"We left him with a playgroup. He's too busy making friends to miss us."

	"Marlene's gonna be jealous," Cloud chuckled.

	"Marlene?" Aeris asked.

	"Why?" Sephiroth wanted to know.

	"Marlene was really fond of Angeles when Barret agreed to take care of him," Tifa
said. "But what about Vincent and Sarah? Why aren't they here with you?

	"Whatever for?" Aeris blinked in surprise. 

	Aeris, Tifa decided, was still pretty innocent, even if SHE was older. She glanced 
at Sephiroth, scanning the streets with his green eyes. He looked very different wearing
the white shirt and ordinary brown trousers, and that golden hair didn't do anything
to uplift his foreboding presence. He was, Tifa also noticed, holding Aeris' hand tightly
in his. 

	"Where are they?" Cloud asked.

	"Oh, they didn't want to come along to Costa Del Sol, so they decided to stay back 
at Iraon Villa for a while," Aeris answered.

	"They mentioned something about a trip up North," Sephiroth murmured. 

	"Oh, yeah, the trip. They want to go monster-hunting."

	Tifa smiled. "So it's just the three of you?"

	"Yeap!" Aeris smiled back. "You and Cloud... alone?" she asked with a cheeky smile.

	Cloud put his arm about Tifa. "We're... getting married, Aeris."

	Aeris' eyes widened. "Really?"

	And the next thing they knew, Aeris was hugging them both. "Aeris! I can't breathe!"
Tifa gasped. Aeris released her in the next moment, her smile happy. For a moment, Tifa wondered
why Aeris hadn't minded that one bit. Aeris, had, after all, liked Cloud as well.

	"When's the wedding?" she asked.

	"We're setting it some time next month." 

	Aeris smiled and almost looked like she was about to burst. "Well, congratulations!
Are you sending out the invites anytime soon?"

	"Not yet. But of course, you're sure to be there!" Cloud said.

	Tifa's brown eyes softened. "How is Angeles?"

	"Wonderful! He's still trying to adjust to this sort of place."

	"That sounds great!" Then, surprising herself, Tifa asked, "Would you three like to
 come over for dinner tomorrow?" She held out a card with Cloud and her name printed on it,
and the address of Cloud Villa.

	Aeris stopped short, looking to Sephiroth for what to say. He was of no help, simply
shrugging and saying, "Whatever you like."

	She made a small moue of dissatisfaction at his answer. Promptly, he took the card from
 Tifa's fingers, saying, "Of course we'd love to. We'll just see whether Angeles has ripped all
this clothes to pieces yet."

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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! 

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