Part 6: A Victim of Love

A visit from Hojo, fleeing Midgar, Aeris' last letter, Lazard's past, Evan Townshend, The Slums Church

Part 6: A Victim of Love

(“Broken”- Patrick laird) Sitting on the couch in the living room, she stares out the window, quietly weeping. She can see little lights and tall structures, but its dark out and nothing is quite as tall as the Shinra building. Riku and Sakuya are sleeping. A knock at the door; who could be visiting Sephiroth this late at night? She opens the door to see that it is Hojo.

“May I help you?” 

In his creepy sinister laugh he answers, “Actually, you can.” He lets himself in.

“Sephiroth’s not here, right now.”

“I wanted to speak to you.” Serenity closes the door. “Are your children here?”

“Yes, they are sleeping, why?”

“It’s not nice to keep grandchildren away from their grandparent. And what worse than that? Keeping test subjects away from their scientist.”

“Test subjects? They will be no one’s test subjects! I know what you did to your own wife and child but it won’t let that happen to this family again!”

“Oh, so you admit they are his children.”

“I…I didn’t say that!”

“But it was implied. Hehehehehe, did you really think I didn’t know? I’m a scientist, I keep track of all my test subjects.”

“You’re sick. Your own son, you used your own son for one of your experiments!”

“And I am about to use his for another one. It couldn’t be more of a perfect situation; my perfect creation- super Soldier and an Ancient having children; two at that which is even better!” His voice becomes manic.  “Now all I have to do is place them in Deepground and they will be ruthless in no time! My research will be complete and I will be the first scientist to create a supreme being! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!”

“What are you talking about? All the Ancients are gone.” She plays dumb.

“Silly girl, you don’t even know your own family history, even after all the research you did. And you call yourself a scientist.”

“Hojo, he will stop at nothing.” Vincent comments.

“At least you finally got rid of him. He’s the one that caused all of this.”

“You did? I’m glad.”

“And he told you about Deepground?”

“He only mentioned it; I still didn’t know exactly what it was and what they did there. I didn’t cross my mind to ask him. I only saw him once after that.  Hojo knew I was an Ancient since he met me, that’s why he allowed me into his lab, that’s why he let me get close to Sephiroth, that’s why I had to runaway. As soon as I threw him out the apartment, I told my children to gather their things again. Right before I left, I received a key in an envelope that said, ‘Go the Destiny Islands a home awaits for you there’.  I went by train to leave Midgar. It was the first time my children set foot in the other sectors.” (End)

 

(“Train Ride”- Sarah Jackson-Holman) They rush through Sector 8 to reach a train station. Serenity conceals her identity with a cloak and pulled a suitcase along which was Sakuya’s hiding spot. Riku met them at the train station after sneaking through crowds of people; Riku was pulling a suitcase with their things in it.

 Boarding the train, Serenity lets her children sit by the window. Its dark out but they can see what is beyond the window. Leaving Sector 1, they head towards Sector 5 and then 7 so they can reach the wastelands. Serenity tries calling Sephiroth, but his phone is turned off. Instead of leaving a message she hangs up and turns off her phone too.

The children can see the plate and slum areas of each sector; they see the houses of Shinra employees, shops, a train graveyard, the slums and all the people living on the streets; both adults, children and strays. More importantly, they can see the looks on their faces and they feel their despair. The children were used to leaving Midgar by helicopter; they always soared above the plates and never traveled below them. Amazed at the unknown, they begin asking questions,

“Do all these people really live down here?” Riku starts.

“And where are all the flowers?”

“It’s so dark and cold, how do they survive?”

“Does Shinra know about all these people living in poverty?”

“I know, much different from home, huh? This is the real Midgar and there are plenty of other places like the slums and the plates all around the world. This is the world we live in, divided by wealth…a wall we ourselves put between us.” Serenity explains to them.

“Someone has to help them. No one should be living like this while we are living the way we currently do.” Riku insists.

“You’re right. And more people realize this, but don’t do anything about it. I just fear that something really bad will have to happen to bring about great change. When this time comes, hold onto those ideas and act on them. I’m counting on the both of you and your generation.”

They arrive at Sector 5 and Serenity decides to get off. She takes her children to the slums, pass the church to Aeris’ house. There she shows them the one place where flowers bloom.

“Even in the gloomiest of places, even in the darkest of places, light and life will find its way through it and if we let it-it will spread.” Sakuya runs over to the flowers and smells them.

“May I pick one?”

“Yes, I’m sure they won’t mind.” Riku and Serenity pick one too. Serenity leaves her’s on the doormat as they leave.

“Who lives there, mother?” Riku asks.

“My cousin, maybe one day you will meet her. It’s too late right now though and we have to get to Costa del Sol.” (End)

(“Butterflies”- Sia) Aeris leaves her home and heads to her church. The sun is shining on her home and her garden is lively. Elmyra, her guardian is watering the flowers and tells her to be back before dark.  As she walks to the church, she can feel the presence of someone following her and she can guess who it is. At the church, she takes out a pen and a pad of paper and sits beside the flower bed. She writes some words down and then pauses. She thinks of what she wants to write next and then writes it down. She makes faces as if she is talking to the person she is writing to. Every now and then, she looks up at the sky through one of the many holes in her ceiling. Birds hang out on the beams and shed feathers. One falls on her pad of paper and she holds it in her hand as she finishes writing. A creaked is heard as someone walks into the church. Aeris stands up and turns around to face the visitor.

“Would you take care of this letter for me, again? This one is sure to reach him, I just know it.”

 “You still haven’t given up yet. That’s good, because we haven ‘t either.”

“Any new leads?”

“Not of late. As soon as we find him, I will make sure he receives all your letters.”

“Yes, I will give them to him personally.”

“After you punch him for not contacting you in five years.”

“Right!” She giggles as Tseng smiles. “Tseng, I owe you so much. You’ve always looked out for me, since I was young. At first, all I thought you wanted was to take me back to Shinra, but”

“All I care about is your safety. It is your choice if you want to come back to Shinra or not. I still do believe that you can make many lives better, but that’s something you have to decide for yourself.”

“Yes,I know. I am trying to figure out what the Planet wants me to do. I hear the voices, but none are clear.”

“You will know when the time’s right. I believe in you.”

“Thank you.” She embraces him and he blushes. Feeling shy he makes up an excuse to leave, forgetting to take the letter with him.

                That night, Aeris is washing the dishes and swiping the kitchen before she goes to bed. A knock is heard at the door. Tseng has returned realizing he left without the letter. Aeris invites him inside and waves him on to follow her to her room. He stands in the doorway as she heads to her desk.  

“You can come in, it is alright.” Tseng steps into the room. “You can close the door. I don’t want to wake my mom.” He closes the door. Aeris still searches for the letter; she can’t remember where she put it.

“Let me help you.” Tseng searches around her nightstands. “You didn’t leave it in the church or drop it on your way home, did you?”

“No, it has to be here somewhere.”  She checks her dress pocket but no luck. Tseng checks under her bed but doesn’t find it.”

“I need to find it. Zack is waiting for it.” Aeris becomes panicky and her voice becomes shaky.

“Aeris…”

“It’s…my last…letter to…him…” Tears pour from her eyes as she tries to catch her breath. She picks up the ribbon Zack gave her and holds it to her face. Tseng puts his hands on her shoulders and then hugs her from behind. Aeris turns herself around and buries her face in his chest. He strokes her hair and lets her let out all her fears and frustration into his chest. He can’t help but to tear up knowing she is in pain. Her breathing slowly returns to normal and she raises her head up to look at Tseng. He kisses her on the forehead and takes the ribbon from her hand and says, “He will get your letters.” She turns around and he ties her hair with the ribbon.

“You will see Zack again, I promise.” More tears well up in her eyes but she doesn’t allow them to fall. (End)

(“Russian Lullaby” " Ella Fitzgerald) Heading to the wastelands, they run into a familiar face. Director Lazard is also fleeing from Shinra too. He was headed to Modeoheim, just south of the Icicle Inn so their stop was on the way.

“Lazard, what’s in Modeohiem?”

“Hollander and…” He looks to the backseat through the mirror.

“We know he’s still alive.” Riku informs.

“So that’s where they are hiding out.”  

“Yes and I’ve been smuggling money out of Shinra to aid in his research.”

“You’re trying to save Genesis too?”

 “I want revenge, Shinra has gone too far and they need to be stopped. There are too many people in the slums suffering while we do nothing. Well, I am going to do something. Even if that means I have to sacrifice myself to his research to gain the power I need to take them down.”

 “I don’t get it, why do you all want to fix everything by yourselves? Would it kill you to ask for help, rally people behind your cause?”

“If I did that, it would be another Avalanche situation. Too many opinions cause chaos.”

“While only a few can cause that same chaos.”

“Well, this is a battle I must fight; a family matter.”

“The president and Rufus.”

“Precisley.”

“How did we all get caught up in our parents’ mess; Angeal and Hollander, my father, my brother, my uncle, my aunt…my cousin, Sephiroth and…Hojo, your father, your brother and you, my children and myself.”

“It seems they had it all planned out; all we can do is hope that someone from the outside can save us.”(End)

(“Lullaby of the Leaves”- Ella Fitzgerald) “I sure hope so. When did you learn that you were Shinra’s son?”

“When my mother died. She was a secretary for him. Of course, working so closely together the boundary between work and pleasure was crossed. I don’t know if he fired her knowing she was pregnant with his child or if she left on her own accord, but I was born and grew up in the Slums. I worked hard and didn’t have many friends. I had to take care of both me and my sick mother since I was five. Her body couldn’t handle the harsh environment of the Slums, she was a Plate child.”

“That’s my concern for my children, but they have been to Banora and Cosa Del Sol which is rural and Oceanside towns.”

“Yeah, you have nothing to worry about. You’re a great, strong and healthy mother. My mother was only around for the first 7 years of my life and when she died she told me who my father is. From then on, I resented him. How could the richest man in Midgar allow his son to grow up in the Slums?”

“And how could he deny his oldest son rightful inheritance of the company too, right?”

“Exactly. I am the oldest, unless he fathered another son before I was born.”

“Which is quite possible knowing him.”

“No kidding. I knew my place was in Shinra so I worked towards becoming an employee and I found myself as director of Solider. The position was close enough so I could get to know my estranged father and brother and get a glimpse of the life I could have had. And what did I learn?”

“That you were better off growing up in the Slums?” Riku guesses.

“You’re a smart boy, Riku. My mother didn’t want that life for me, I see that now. And now it is my duty to take down Shinra before they go too far and the whole planet is in danger. This is my duty.”

“Well, I am not going to stop you. As for me, I’m staying as far away from Shinra as I can and I will give my children the attention they rightfully deserve. Sephiroth can handle the rest, that’s his job anyways.”

“Everyone has their role. It will come clear to you and I in no time. That is something I am sure of.”

They arrive at Junon and he drops them off so they can catch the ship to Costa del Sol, but he decides to escort them just in case Shinra troops give them a hard time. They safely arrive at their new home. All Lazard could do is laugh. She had him, the owner of the house, wrapped around her fingers.

 

 “It was funny. Lazard and I would always joke about him having other brothers and sisters and the sad thing is that we were right. Just recently I met another one of Shinra’s illegitimate sons. It was around the time that the Lifestream pool appeared in the Sector 5 Slum’s church.”(End)

 

(“Gatekeeper”-Feist) Serenity sits on one of the wooden pieces from the broken church benches. She stares at the pool of water, grateful that her children weren’t infected with Geostigma. She walks over to the pool and looks at her reflection in the water. She can see the stars in the sky and the green in her eyes. The water becomes wavy as a gentle breeze passes through the church. Serenity stands up and walks into the water until it is level with her shoulders. She scoops a handful of water and drinks it despite knowing that many people have bathe in this water to cure themselves. She takes a deep breath and lowers herself to her knees to completely submerge herself. She opens her eyes under the water to see a faint green light. She swims to the middle of the pool and sees that the green light is no longer there. She looks around to see if it moved somewhere else. She floats in the water without moving to see if the light will come back once the water was calm. Within a couple of seconds, she is moved by a big wave and in this wave she feels arms wrap around her midsection and pull her to the surface. Above the water’s surface, she inhales a deep breath as the person drags her out of the water.

“Are you alright, Miss?” The man lies next to her as Serenity wipes the water from her eyes to see the faint green light again behind him.

“The green light, I was following it.” Her vision becomes a little clearer.

“Our lantern?”

“No, it was in the water.” She turns to the man and his companions. She freezes in place at a familiar face.

“What, did I frighten you?”

“Oh, no! I am sorry, you just remind me of someone. Well, a couple people actually.”

“I see. You must be familiar with former President Shinra and his son, Rufus.”

“So, your one of them, aren’t you?”

“Yes; I am one of his illegitimate sons.” She places her hand on his face.

“Uh hem.” A woman standing over them has her hands folded and is tapping one of her feet.

“Oh, haha. How rude of me, my name is Evan and this is my girlfriend Kyrie and our adopted son, Vits.” He gets off the floor and helps Serenity up.

“Nice to meet you all; my name is Serenity.”

“You weren’t trying to drown yourself, were you?” Kyrie wonders.

“No, I was searching for something…I think.”

“Right…” Kyrie is doubtful.

“She may have seen something; the Lifestream will suck you in when it wants to. You should know that, Kyrie.”

“Yeah, people can travel the planet through the Lifestream, you know?”

 The kid lets out a groan.

“Right, we need to get him into the water, Evan.” He nods and walks him into the water. Serenity can see the black soot all over his body and how it gracefully washed away as he submerged himself. The boy came up smiling and when he saw his reflection he jumped for joy and hugged Evan. Kyrie ran over to the water and hugged both her men. Serenity was glad for their happy ending. (End)

(“Someone to Watch over Me”-Chet Baker) They leave the church and Serenity remains. She sees the green light again and knows it isn’t their lantern this time. It circles around her head and leads her back to the pool. At the edge, she looks across to see the Buster Sword illuminated by moonlight. She sees an outline of a man kneeling behind it with his hands on the handle.

“Angeal?” She calls out. The figure rises and changes form.
“Zack…” The figure splits into two and then three. They stand around the Buster Sword and each places on hand on it, Zack in back, Angeal on the left and Cloud on the right.

“Cloud you’re not dead, are you?” Zack and Angeal face Serenity, smile and then disappear. Cloud remains. Serenity walks into the water towards him and as she gets closer, Cloud’s eyes widen in fear. He looks past her and readies himself to swing his sword. Next thing they know, Serenity feels a sword pierce through her back and her body goes limp. She stares at her reflection that is now a vision of Aeris with a sword through her back and a dark figure standing behind her with an ominous smile. Serenity looks harder at the figure to see who had killed her cousin. This is how she figured out her husband, Sephiroth, was responsible for the death of her cousin, Aeris. Serenity falls into the water and her tears became bubbles around her face. She reaches out to the vision of Aeris that now becomes an apparition.

“It’s alright. Everything is fine.” Aeris tells her cousin. Serenity hugs her tightly.

“I’m so sorry, I never said goodbye or checked up on you. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. You don’t need to say goodbye, I am right her with you. We are Cetra and we have the Lifestream, so as long as it flows, you can see me anytime. Did you know there is a place where the living can see their past loved ones? All you have to do is think about them and they will appear to you.”

“Yes, in my dreams and memories.” Serenity closes her eyes and finds herself lying on the church floor. She hears a motorcycle approaching and hides behind one of the pillars. The engine is cut off and she hears footsteps approaching. She peaks around the pillar to see Cloud. He sits at the edge of the pool and looks at the Buster Sword. While he is distracted, she sneaks out the church. Cloud does see her but believes it’s just another one of his vision of Aeris and pays her no mind.

“We’ll meet soon, Cloud.” She smiles and walks to her car.

 

“I hoped that things would get better and I could raise my kids away from the craziness, but I felt too much guilt about not saying goodbye to Sephiroth. This guilt manifested into a vision of guilt that still haunts me. I was sleeping one night and began feeling really hot. I sat up in bed and walked over to the window to open it, but as I looked out the window, I saw fire everywhere. I saw smoke making its way to the clouds. I saw Sephiroth standing next to me, staring out the window. He turns to me and fire surrounds him. He smirks and then disappears into the flames; back turned to me. He had snapped. I woke up from that dream in a cold sweat. I felt like I would be the blame. I’ve been gone for months and have not contacted him. I contacted an old friend within Shinra and asked him how he was doing and to find out where his next assignment would be. I found out that Sephiroth, Zack, and two rookies were going to Nibelheim...” (End)