FF7: Hojo+Aeris "One Second"
One Second
He’s coming.
Hands carefully folded in her lap, Aeris stared at the cold, sterile wall. Older people, faceless people, rattled around her, fiddling with things and looking at her out of the corners of their eyes. She could feel their gazes on her, as oppressive as the metal walls, but she didn’t look back.
coming closer Her puppet bane bane bane
No matter how loud the whispers grew, the child did not allow her expression to change. Her mother had been whispering to her, telling her to stay strong and not tell them anything, but the Other voices overrode hers.
They always did when He came.
He’s here.
When the door on the far side of the room clicked open, and the faceless ones froze. Green eyes focused on the far wall, Aeris struggled to ignore them all. She didn’t care about them or the men in suits walking into the room or even about Him. She just wanted her mother. She had heard Ilfana calling for her. Where was she?
“Leave us.” His voice, the ones They so despised. He asked them about Them before, and They had snarled and roared so much that Aeris had been afraid of all of them. She didn’t like him either, with his feverish eyes and icy hands, but she didn’t want to hate him. She didn’t want to be as mean as Them.
There was a whispered conversation by the door, talking about it and Aeris knew they were talking about her. It would be so easy to hate, but she didn’t want to. She just wanted to leave this lifeless place and go somewhere with her mother where They were happy and Their voices were light. Her mother had told her of such places.
She just wanted to go.
The door clicked shut again, and the voices quieted, although she could still feel their presence, defensive and waiting. She didn’t turn around when He walked up beside her.
“Still no cooperation from either specimen.” Aeris didn’t know if He was talking to her or to something else. While she could find out, she feared searching that man. “Separation has yielded no positive results. Considering reuniting the specimens. Perhaps then the elder specimen will be more willing to cooperate.”
Specimen. Why did they keep talking about them like that? Were they truly so different?
A cold hand gripped Aeris’s small chin, forcing her to turn her head. She tried not to meet His dark eyes, but He twisted her head so she had no choice. Trying not to tremble, Aeris stared at him and fought not to recoil at the things she saw there.
The voices screamed, and she involuntarily cried out, clapping her hands to her ears. He dropped the machine he had been holding to his mouth and grasped her shoulder with that hand. The machine clattered to the floor; He didn’t seem to notice.
“Can you hear them then?” Aeris whimpered and tried to pull away, but He didn’t let go. “Can you hear them like my child can?”
Mother? Aeris cried out, and she could hear her in the distance, voice just as desperate, almost a physical presence reaching back for Aeris. Another shake from Him ruined that connection.
“Focus!” he snapped. “Can you hear the voices?” His voice dropped, almost as if He was afraid someone would overhear. “Can you hear her?”
It was the fear in His voice that made Aeris look again at Him. Perhaps a more spiteful person would rejoice in that fear, but Aeris couldn’t, just like she couldn’t bring herself to hate. Tentatively, she raised a hand to touch His face. He flinched away from her touch, but she didn’t let that deter her. Instead, that startled reaction encouraged her.
“You don’t need to be afraid of her,” Aeris whispered soothingly. “We can scare her away.”
If Aeris didn’t have the power, she knew her mother did. Her mother was stronger, stronger than she. Just like her mother banished Aeris’ fears when the voices grew too insistent, she knew her mother could help him.
The cold look had faded from those eyes, replaced by an odd look. She smiled encouragingly at Him. “That’s what she said before,” He murmured, and Aeris knew they were talking about another she entirely. “She talked about how we wouldn’t need to be afraid anymore. She said that . . .” The darkness returned to His eyes. “Until . . .”
He shook his head, and Aeris knew that the moment was gone. The cold and the dark covered Him like a shroud. “Enough,” He said briskly. “There’s work to be done.”
Days later, Ilfana took Aeris and fled. Even as the Turks hunted them down, Jenova’s voice grew in Hojo’s mind until he could hear nothing else.
When they met again, only Jenova’s puppet stared at Aeris from behind shimmering glasses.
He’s coming.
Hands carefully folded in her lap, Aeris stared at the cold, sterile wall. Older people, faceless people, rattled around her, fiddling with things and looking at her out of the corners of their eyes. She could feel their gazes on her, as oppressive as the metal walls, but she didn’t look back.
coming closer Her puppet bane bane bane
No matter how loud the whispers grew, the child did not allow her expression to change. Her mother had been whispering to her, telling her to stay strong and not tell them anything, but the Other voices overrode hers.
They always did when He came.
He’s here.
When the door on the far side of the room clicked open, and the faceless ones froze. Green eyes focused on the far wall, Aeris struggled to ignore them all. She didn’t care about them or the men in suits walking into the room or even about Him. She just wanted her mother. She had heard Ilfana calling for her. Where was she?
“Leave us.” His voice, the ones They so despised. He asked them about Them before, and They had snarled and roared so much that Aeris had been afraid of all of them. She didn’t like him either, with his feverish eyes and icy hands, but she didn’t want to hate him. She didn’t want to be as mean as Them.
There was a whispered conversation by the door, talking about it and Aeris knew they were talking about her. It would be so easy to hate, but she didn’t want to. She just wanted to leave this lifeless place and go somewhere with her mother where They were happy and Their voices were light. Her mother had told her of such places.
She just wanted to go.
The door clicked shut again, and the voices quieted, although she could still feel their presence, defensive and waiting. She didn’t turn around when He walked up beside her.
“Still no cooperation from either specimen.” Aeris didn’t know if He was talking to her or to something else. While she could find out, she feared searching that man. “Separation has yielded no positive results. Considering reuniting the specimens. Perhaps then the elder specimen will be more willing to cooperate.”
Specimen. Why did they keep talking about them like that? Were they truly so different?
A cold hand gripped Aeris’s small chin, forcing her to turn her head. She tried not to meet His dark eyes, but He twisted her head so she had no choice. Trying not to tremble, Aeris stared at him and fought not to recoil at the things she saw there.
The voices screamed, and she involuntarily cried out, clapping her hands to her ears. He dropped the machine he had been holding to his mouth and grasped her shoulder with that hand. The machine clattered to the floor; He didn’t seem to notice.
“Can you hear them then?” Aeris whimpered and tried to pull away, but He didn’t let go. “Can you hear them like my child can?”
Mother? Aeris cried out, and she could hear her in the distance, voice just as desperate, almost a physical presence reaching back for Aeris. Another shake from Him ruined that connection.
“Focus!” he snapped. “Can you hear the voices?” His voice dropped, almost as if He was afraid someone would overhear. “Can you hear her?”
It was the fear in His voice that made Aeris look again at Him. Perhaps a more spiteful person would rejoice in that fear, but Aeris couldn’t, just like she couldn’t bring herself to hate. Tentatively, she raised a hand to touch His face. He flinched away from her touch, but she didn’t let that deter her. Instead, that startled reaction encouraged her.
“You don’t need to be afraid of her,” Aeris whispered soothingly. “We can scare her away.”
If Aeris didn’t have the power, she knew her mother did. Her mother was stronger, stronger than she. Just like her mother banished Aeris’ fears when the voices grew too insistent, she knew her mother could help him.
The cold look had faded from those eyes, replaced by an odd look. She smiled encouragingly at Him. “That’s what she said before,” He murmured, and Aeris knew they were talking about another she entirely. “She talked about how we wouldn’t need to be afraid anymore. She said that . . .” The darkness returned to His eyes. “Until . . .”
He shook his head, and Aeris knew that the moment was gone. The cold and the dark covered Him like a shroud. “Enough,” He said briskly. “There’s work to be done.”
Days later, Ilfana took Aeris and fled. Even as the Turks hunted them down, Jenova’s voice grew in Hojo’s mind until he could hear nothing else.
When they met again, only Jenova’s puppet stared at Aeris from behind shimmering glasses.