Guardian Angel

Chapter 7

Dr. Gast sat next to the fireplace in his family room, holding his wife’s soft hand in his own. Sephiroth and Aeris chose the loveseat across the couple. Neither of them had spoken a single word. Ifalna unclasped the necklace that held onto her pendant and let the shinny orb and the golden chain slide on her waiting palm. Gently, she placed the white orb next to Sephiroth’s masamune on the coffee table that separate the couple from the teenagers.

"Sephiroth," Ifalna started in a soft tone. "Can you tell me where and when you found the masamune?"

He was not sure if anyone of them would believe the bizarre incident; yet he could not find a reason to deny Ifalna’s request. The silver haired teenager nodded and told the Gasts the entire story, minus the dream he had when he was in the cave.

Even though one of her hands was securely wrapped in her husband’s, her other free hand was shaking as she listened intently on Sephiroth’s adventure. Dr. Gast wrapped his other arms around his trembling wife’s shoulders; he knew too well what was on her mind at this moment.

Another awkward silence had landed in the room after Sephiroth finished telling his story.

"Ifalna," Dr. Gast shook his wife’s shoulders slightly, as if to wake her up from a deep sleep. "I guess we have to tell them about their destinies."

"What destinies, daddy?" Aeris finally dared to speak up.

"Listen, honey…" Ifalna paused for a moment before she continued. "I am not… human."

Aeris’ loud gasp could be heard across the room. Sephiroth was also shocked by Ifalna’s confession, but he chose to remain silent.

"I am a Cetra, or what the people called, an Ancient." Ifalna explained calmly.

"But I thought Ancient was a myth?" Sephiroth voiced out his question to no one in particular.

"No. It’s not. Ifalna was the last Cetra when I met her…" Dr. Gast shot a glance at his daughter.

"So, Aeris…" Sephiroth turned and looked at the shocked girl next to him.

"Yes, Aeris is also a Cetra." Ifalna continued his sentence.

The brunette teenage girl did not know how to respond to this revelation; she just stared blankly at her mother. Her lack of reaction bothered the silver-haired young man. Instinctively, he put his arms around her slender shoulders, tried to comfort her as much as he could.

"But why do you and I both look exactly like human, mom?" The silent Aeris finally found her tongue.

"Honey, our bond structures are a little different, but the differences are not visible from the outside…" Ifalna explained in a soft voice. "I'll tell you more about Cetra later on, but first, I have to tell you about your destinies."

She exchanged a glance with her husband before she began her tale.

"Long long time age, there was a chosen Cetra. She was the only one who had the power to summon the Holy materia. As the chosen one, she had a guardian angel to protect her from harm. As time passed by, the chosen one and her guardian angel fell in love with each other. But since the angel was not a Cetra, they could not be together until he had given up his immortality. In order to prove his will and his love for the chosen one to the elders, the angel had to complete nine dangerous missions before he could be a Cetra. But after the first and the most dangerous mission, the elders saw his will, and granted his wish -- under one condition: to give up one of his wings…"

"And he accepted the deal?" Aeris asked quietly.

"Yes." Ifalna nodded. "And he was granted the Holy sword to ensure his power to protect the chosen one and our planet. When used along with the Holy materia, the Holy sword had the ultimate power to seal any evils. Later, the Crisis from the Sky had came to our planet and killed a lot of our people. The chosen one and her guardian angel had successfully sealed the Crisis and buried it deep underground. So the legend about the chosen one and her guardian angel has been passed on generation after generation."

"But what does the legend have to do with our destinies?" Sephiroth glanced at his masamune, which Ifalna had called it 'the Holy sword' before dinner.

"Well, the legend said that both the chosen one and her guardian angel will reincarnate when there is another crisis…" Ifalna shot a cautious glance at both of the teenagers before she continued. "Aeris, you are the chosen one. And Seph, you are her guardian angel."

Aeris was beyond shocked at this point. Not only was she a Cetra, but also the chosen one who had the ultimate power. She had always thought the shiny orb on her mother's necklace was nothing more than a piece of precious stone. No way would she ever think that white stone was a materia, much less a materia that has the ultimate power.

Sephiroth could only stared at his sword. No wonder he felt so familiar with this weapon even when he first saw it in the cave. But now both Aeris and himself were reincarnated, that could only mean…

"We have another crisis." It was not a question, but a statement. Sephiroth looked intently at Ifalna, waiting for her response.

"Yes." Dr. Gast answered for his wife. "And it was my fault…"

"No, it's not your fault, honey." Ifalna shook her head and frowned. "It's not your fault. You didn't know that creature was the Crisis when you excavated it. It was even before you knew me!"

"What? The Crisis had been excavated?" Aeris could not believe what she just heard.

"It was more than twenty-one years ago." Dr. Gast took off his glasses as he recalled the past. "I was doing research in the Icicle Inn area. By chance, I dug up the Crisis. And due to my own ignorance, I thought it was a Cetra." He paused and frowned at his mistake. "I even gave it a name. Jenova. We thought it was a corpse of an Ancient, so we stored it in one of the tank in the lab and did research on it for a few years… until I met your mother."

"Yes." Ifalna patted lightly on her husband's back, trying her best to comfort him. "I was the only Cetra at that time. It was my duty to explain to your father about the Crisis and the real Cetra race. After all those time we spent together, we fell in love."

A smile played across the Professor's face as he recalled the past.

"Right after I noticed the mistake I'd made, I had the Crisis buried back in the place I first found it." Dr. Gast let out a heavy sigh before he continued. "But it was too late…"

"What do you mean?" Aeris frowned a little in confusion.

"During those few years in the lab, the Crisis had gathered enough energy to revive itself. It was no longer dead when we buried it. But we didn't know its revival until your mother was pregnant with you, Aeris." Dr. Gast glanced at his wife. "The planet told your mom that she was carrying the chosen one. It also gave her the Holy materia to pass on to you once your ancestors have found the reincarnation of your guardian angel."

"You mean the planet 'talked' to you, mom?"

"Yes, dear." Ifalna tried her best to explain to her daughter. "It talks to every Cetra. But you haven't heard from the Planet itself, have you?"

Aeris shook her head in response.

"From now on, you will, honey." Ifalna ensured her with a smile. "Now that you've known your true heritage, the planet will talk to you soon."

"But why didn't you tell me that I am a Cetra?" Tears started to build up in her eyes; somehow, Aeris felt betrayed. "Why didn't you say anything for the past thirteen years?"

"Aeris?" Sephiroth gently stroked her back to calm the emotional girl. As if his touch was magical, Aeris calmed down visibly.

"Honey, I am very sorry." Ifalna hanged her head a bit. "But we didn't mean to lie to you. You were too young to understand that you're different. We didn't want you to grow up feeling awkward among other children. I know very well how it feels to be a non-human among other human children… I had no friends when I was small, just because I was different… I would never want to lie to you, honey. But I would not want you to have a lonely childhood, like the one I had…"

"I am sorry, mommy." Aeris rushed to her mother side and buried her head on her chest. "I am very sorry. I didn't mean to get upset."

Ifalna smiled through her teary eyes and stroked her daughter's hair. "That's alright, dear." Gently, she peeled her daughter off her chest and looked her straight into her brilliant emerald eyes. "Now that you are old enough, you'll learn all about our race. But promise me one thing: do not tell anyone you are a Cetra. I want you to have a normal and happy life. You're the chosen one; sooner or later you'll have to face the Crisis. But until then, all I ask for you is to be happy."

"I promise I won't tell anyone, mom." Aeris put her right hand on her heart and vowed.

"And you too, Seph." Ifalna turned her attention to the silver haired teenager. "Please promise that you will not say a word about anything I've said."

"You have my word as a SOLDIER, Auntie Ifalna." Sephiroth turned his gaze to the brunette girl. "And I promise I'd protect Aeris for the rest of my life."

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Author's note: I know it's lame. Sorry. Special thanks to Silver Valentine for her words of wisdom. Thanks, Silver! You know what I'm talking about ^_~. Expect even more chessy stuff next time. Until then, take care!