A Door Between Worlds

"Well, she has several broken ribs, a concussion, and her left leg popped out of joint. All in all, she's going to off her feet for some time."

Dr. Kadowaki's assessment of Fujin did little to comfort Quistis. She had been unable to determine what had happened to Seifer, saying that, for all she could see, he was physically sound, if a bit malnourished. There were no evident burns or bruises, no evidence of any electrical currants going through him, nothing at all to determine why he had been in so much pain. Quistis knew that Seifer had one of the highest pain thresholds she had ever encountered. Whatever had happened to him much have been torture indeed.

At the moment, Seifer was laying in the infirmary, still out cold. The good doctor also could find no apparent cause for his unconsciousness, attributing it to shock. Quistis found herself looking down at him, wondering what the last three years had done to him. Dr. Kadowaki's comment about malnourished had been a severe understatement. He looked half starved. Yet even then, his muscle tone was considerable, more than it had been when he was a student. And he had been renowned for his upper body strength even then. He clearly had been training intensely, though for what, she could only guess. His life had not been a kind one, and he bore the marks of several recent fights. Whether they had been with monsters or his fellow man was irrelevant, he would not have survived for much longer in his condition. His hair was longer than it had ever been, and Quistis guessed he had not cut it in years. Unlike Irvine's, his was scatted all over, and she had to imagine it was a nuisance to him.

Quistis thought about the trip back to the Garden. Squall could just as easily have been a statue for all the emotion he showed, while Rinoa was clearly troubled. She had tried several different spells on him, even trying haste, but he still hadn't moved, save for his rhythmic breathing. Raijin had been hard to control, with both of his friends hurt, though Fujin did her best to convince him she was fine, while he did his best to keep her awake.

They had learned nothing else of the cave, as it remained silent after Seifer passed out. Even Rinoa touching the stone table and chairs seemed to have no effect. Until they could question Seifer, they wouldn't know why he had gone there, if he had known what was going to happen, or even how it had happened at all. Quistis was still troubled by his last statement, it sounding almost as if he had done this to himself intentionally just to draw her there. But why? She knew Seifer had been interested in her as far back as she could recall, but that only put her into the same category as every other remotely attractive woman at the Garden. She had heard whisperings of his, for lack of a kinder term, exploits, but most came from other male students who were clearly jealous of his charm with the ladies. She could not recall him ever claiming anything along those lines, though he didn't go out of his way to stop the rumors, either.

"He's going to be alright."

Quistis didn't notice the doctor coming up behind her.

"Yes, I certainly hope so. There are a lot of questions we need him to answer."

"So your interest is purely professional?"

Quistis frowned, "Well, no, not entirely. He was a student once, with a great deal of promise, and I would like to see him achieve it. He is blamed for a great deal that isn't his fault, and I would like to see him find a measure of peace and happiness."

"With you?"

Quistis didn't want to say it, but it had been building for days, or, to be honest, years even.

"When in the bloody hell did my personal life stop being personal? If I want to go shag the whole bloody Garden, I don't need anyone's permission to do so! He is an old friend, and I am concerned for his sake! Is that allowed?"

Dr. Kadowaki took a step back, shocked to see Quistis explode.

"I'm sorry, dear. I can get a bit playful at times. It helps me fight off the stress. I didn't mean to imply..."

"Well, you did.", and with that, she left the infirmary, mentally kicking herself.

'What in all the world was that all about', she thought, as she headed back to her dorm.

'Selphie's dorm', she corrected herself

She had been on edge for a while, but she had never blown up at someone like that. She knew she needed someone to talk to about everything that was happening, but who? She wasn't close enough to anyone to feel able to release so much on them. While she wanted to trust Selphie, Quistis knew she couldn't keep a secret from Irvine for all the gil in the world, and in time it would get back to Squall, or Cid, causing both to question her ability to do her duties. With her work and her teaching being all she had at the moment. She didn't want to be confined to quarters, slowly going out of her mind.

"Infirmary to Commander Leonheart, please report to the infirmary"

There would be only two possible reasons Kadowaki would be calling Squall to the infirmary. And she wasn't the type to tattle, so that left only one.

Seifer was awake.

Quistis headed back the way she came, arriving only moments before Squall and Rinoa did, with Selphie and Irvine not far behind. Seifer had indeed awoken, and he was shouting at Dr. Kadowaki.

"Where is she? I need to talk to her."

Just then he caught sight of Squall, and his mouth began to turn up in a sneer. The look died half-way up, when he also caught sight of Quistis, and instead became a smile.

"Well now, Instructor, I was beginning to think you had gone and left me."

"Left you how, Seifer?"

Seifer gave a mock look of pain. "I'm wounded. I would think laying on this bed would be punishment enough, don't you think?"

Squall's eyebrows dropped, "You're lucky you're not strapped to that bed."

A look of anger took over Seifer's face, but it disappeared as soon as it came. "I wasn't talkin' to you, 'Commander'."

"Well, I'm talking to you. Why were you in that cave? What were you hoping to accomplish?"

Seifer looked at Quistis, then back at Squall, "Can the interrogation wait? I need to talk to Quistis."

"You'll talk to me, Seifer"

"Squall", this from Rinoa.

"No. Anything he has to say to her, we all need to know."

"That's where you're wrong, Squall. Quistis is about to be the most important person in the world, and you aren't going to matter a bit. None of us will."

No one was quite sure what to make of that statement. Particularly because it wasn't delivered with Seifer's usual arrogance or know-it-all edge. It sounded sincere, like he was passing on a message.

"What are you talking about, Seifer", Quistis asked.

"You've heard his voice. You tell me."

Quistis felt light headed.

"What do you know about it?"

Looking around, Seifer turned back to Squall again. "Not here. To many ears. And your blessed Headmaster and Edea are going to want to hear this."

Squall sighed, then turned to Rinoa, "Get Cid and Edea up to his office."

She nodded her head and, with a last look at Seifer, headed out of the room.

"Can you give us a minute, Squall?"

Squall was surprised to hear this from Quistis, but after looking at Seifer, then back at her, he made his way out, with the rest following suit, including Dr. Kadowaki.

Seifer just looked at Quistis, a strange look on his face, as though he was seeing her for the first time.

"Thank you."

"What did you want to say, Seifer? Make it quick."

"I really did know it would be you."

"Did you do that to yourself to bring me there?"

"I had to, Quistis."

"Why?"

It was several moments before he answered.

"Because I am your knight."

-----

Cloud had dealt with a lot in his time.

Sephiroth

Jenova

Meteor

Aerith's mother

But nothing could have prepared him for what Vincent had just said. When Hojo had first used the word, Cloud had come to accept that it was another of Hojo's cruel jokes, a way of tormenting him from the grave. He had never allowed himself, no matter how badly he wanted to, to believe it was possible. Dead was dead, that's all there was to it. He was just beginning to let the past go, knowing how important it was to Tifa. She really did deserve better than him, she always had. But she had made it clear as crystal that he was it for her, and she would wait him out 'till the end of time if he needed. Now, with a single word, Vincent had reawakened both his hopes, and her fears.

"What did you say?", he managed to croak out.

"Lucrecia's research was on resurrection. She knew that it was possible to take someone who the Lifestream had claimed, and restore them to life again."

"But Aerith was never claimed by Lifestream. Cloud left her...buried her in that pond.", Tifa was trying hard to keep the tears back, the anger and frustration she felt at Vincent.

"She was an ancient. Regardless of where she lay, the Lifestream would come to claim her. And certainly, the Lifestream passes through the Forgotten City. Why else would it have led her there?"

Cloud looked back at Tifa, and said what had to be said for both of their sanity.

"No, Vincent. This is madness. I told you this would happen. Aerith is gone, we all saw it. Resurrection was another of Hojo's twisted fantasies to string us along."

"Clearly it wasn't. It wasn't his idea at all. It was her life's work. It is why she chose to work with him, to have his child. He provided her with the tools to do her research, and he was crazy enough to let her do it, and to get Shinra to fund it."

Yuffie still looked pale, "And Chaos?"

"Chaos is the key to surviving the trip into the Lifestream. Although the stream preserves life, it won't let it go once it has it."

Cloud frowned, "Tifa and I were claimed by Lifestream. We got out."

"You fell in, you weren't claimed because you weren't yet dead. You could escape yourself, but you would have been unable to take anyone with you."

Cloud started shaking his head, "This is MADNESS, Vincent. We can't undo death, it a part of the natural process of life. If it was interrupted, everything would turn to..."

"Chaos?", Vincent said, with a smile.

Nanaki looked up from reading, "Whether it is possible or not, it was no joke of Hojo's. Lucrecia clearly believed it was possible, and felt frustration at being unable to cause it. Eventually Hojo seems to have convinced her that Jenova was the key, thus she allowed him to infest her unborn son. She envisioned some sort of...I don't know, traveler? Someone who could reclaim those who had been wrongly taken. But the Lifestream rejected Jenova's cell as unnatural. She must have made the discovery of Chaos shortly before she gave birth."

"And thus, never saw if it worked. I was to be that traveler. This is why she allowed me to the mercy of Hojo. He must have promised he would finish her work."

Yuffie's head was swimming by this point. There was just an overload of information, and she needed to find somewhere to breath.

"I have to get out of here.", she mumbled, and started up the stairs.

Vincent watched her leave. He knew that she had come to feel something for him, and the thought of what Lucrecia had done, regardless of her motives, was almost more than she could handle. He had expected Cloud to be ecstatic at learning that Aerith could be brought back, but he continued to fight it, as if afraid to get his hopes up. Or, more likely, afraid to let Tifa's hopes down. Vincent would not question that she had been through enough already. She had also been Aerith's friend, despite knowing she was taking Cloud from her. On some level, she wanted to believe she could be brought back as much as any. But it would be the death of all of her dreams to do so.

Vincent felt for her. He would have rather died himself then bring such pain on her. But this had to be done. Not for the sake of Cloud, but for the planet. Lucrecia had led Vincent here to learn this terrible secret because he needed to know it in order to save the planet. And the only purpose in it being this way is that he was the only one who could bring her back.

"What will it do to you?"

Vincent hadn't realized Yuffie had returned.

"What?"

"The Lifestream. What will it do to you if you go in to find her?"

After a pause, "I do not know. I will have to finish reading Lucrecia's journal to determine what she found on the subject."

Barret finally spoke up, "Let's git outta here. Now", and with that, he, Cid, Nanaki and Tifa started up the stairs.

Cloud followed to the doorway, then turned back to Vincent, "I don't know what to say, Vincent. I've hoped for this for far to long. But what will happen if it works? And Yuffie's right, we don't even know what it will do to you.", and then he was gone, leaving Vincent and Yuffie.

Again.

"Vince, I...I know how much this mission means to you. But how can you still do this after what she did to you? What if it's all a lie, just her wishing she could do something to heal the world, but it doesn't work? It could kill you. It could set Chaos free. It could...", her voice trailed off.

"Yes, it could. Or it could work, and bring Aerith back. You can't tell me you don't want that."

'I want you more'

Yuffie tried to bring herself to say it, but she couldn't. He was set on doing this, and she would help him. She had become Tifa, the pawn to her own demise. She wanted so badly to hate Lucrecia. For doing to him what she had, and for doing this to him now, to both of them. She didn't care what she was doing it for, it was wrong, whether it brought her friend back or not.

"Aerith died for the planet, Vincent. Why can't you just let her rest?"

Vincent wanted her above all to understand, he had to do this. He knew it made no sense, but he still owed it to her, regardless of what had happened. She had been trying to do the right thing, why couldn't they see that. She hadn't expected Hojo to do what he did. He had betrayed her trust as he had betrayed all humanity. And Vincent didn't care what it did to him.

This was his penance.

But no words came. He simply walked out of the room, hearing her crying as he ascended the stairway.

-----

Quistis couldn't recall this many people having been in Cid's office at one time, yet it spoke to it's size that she still didn't feel cramped. Seifer was acting as though everything was blue sky's and sunshine, and it was starting to concern her. But then, what about this whole mess wasn't concerning her at the moment?

Squall kept an eye on Seifer, as though he was waiting for him to strike at someone. The conversation downstairs had done nothing to alleviate his anger, and Quistis knew what he was about to hear wasn't going to help, either.

"Alright, Seifer, we are assembled. What in the world is going on?"

Ignoring Cid, Seifer looked at Edea, "How much do you know about sorceresses?"

"More than you", was her blunt reply.

He smiled, "I know that, silly. But seriously, how much do you know? About their history?"

"I know that there have been sorceresses for all of time, and will be for all time to come. Perhaps not upon this world, but elsewhere."

"So you know of Pangea?"

"If you speak of the gateway between worlds..."

"Oh, it's so much more than a gateway,sister. So very much more."

"Do tell."

Instead, he looked at Quistis, "You still don't know yet, do you? Who you really are?"

Squall almost growled, "Enough of the theatrics, Seifer. Just say it."

Again ignoring, her continued looking into Quistis' eyes. "Do you?"

"No, Seifer, it would seem I don't."

"You are the sorceress Aria."

Even having somewhat expected to hear it, the way he said it, again with no bravado or kidding in his voice, stopped her cold. The only one seemingly more stunned than Quistis was Edea. Seifer turned to her.

"As you clearly know that name, please elaborate for her."

Edea took a moment to get her composure, "All I know is that Aria was said to be ageless, powerful beyond what even a sorceress could fathom."

"Or a sorcerer for that matter."

"A what?" Edea was not having a good day.

Seifer laughed, "You don't think this power was somehow exclusive to women, do you? There are sorcerers, this world just hasn't known one in a very, very long time. If ever."

Before anyone could answer, he continued. "The voice you have been hearing, Quistis, is a sorcerer. I don't know his name, but her knows Aria. Intimately. And he knows that she has the power to get him what he wants."

"And what is that.", Quistis asked, terrified to her the answer.

"To open the door to Pangea. To be able to travel the worlds at whim, as Aria once did. As I said, Pangea is more than just a gateway or a door itself, it is an existence, to be truly omnipotent. It is what connects all existence to each other, what holds the universe together. All of the gods that are worshiped on this, or any other world, are a mortals grasp on the idea of Pangea. It is to know everything, to see everything, to feel everything, to be everything all at once. You remember that old line of yours, instructor, about how knowledge is power? In this case, it is. The more you understand of Pangea, the more power it grants you. I touched it for a moment, and my mind was opened to the possibilities. I couldn't even begin to put into words what I saw, but I know I saw it because Aria wanted me to, not for any effort of my own."

"Why would she do that, Seifer?"

"So I would understand what is at stake. Aria's innocence is as pure as this sorcerer's evil and malice. If he gained this power, he would make all existence suffer just for his perverse joy.", He turned to Quistis, and shocked her by dropping to one knee in front of her. "She showed me because it is my purpose to be your knight, Quistis. Because you are her, you are Aria."

"How...how could she..I...how?"

"I should clarify. You are the essence of her in this world, you hold a fraction of her powers, but enough to make all others pale in comparison.", turning to Rinoa, "Sorry, Rinoa."

A hint of a smile played at Rinoa's mouth.

He looked back at Quistis. "You are the key to opening that door, Quistis. He can whisper to you, but it is your power that is taking you to wherever you are going. And while you are gone, it is the essence of Aria within you that takes your place here."

Quistis was so beyond words at this point, she wondered when she would ever regain the ability to speak.

Rinoa spoke for her. "Why are we being taken to this other world?"

"When I looked into...it, I saw another world. I saw a meteor almost hit it, and some kind of river of pure...something...come out of the ground and consume the meteor. I saw a girl, with a beautiful smile, and I somehow knew she had caused it to do that, to save her world. But when she did it, it somehow opened a crack in their door, and now this sorcerer is trying to get from his world to theirs. Aria knows this and she has been trying to protect it. There is only one person on their end who can receive a portion of her powers, but she's already dead. I think it's that same girl. So in order to close that door, you have to do something to bring her back to life. Then together, you can close the door to your world, and she to hers, and the sorcerer won't be able to come into either."

A stunned silence overtook the room, broken only when Zell finally said, "DUDE!"

Seifer looked at him with a mixture of laughter and scorn, then turned back to Quistis. "You are the key, and I am your knight, my lady. I almost helped Ultimecia claim this world. I am bound to help you save theirs, and ours as well."

Quistis was unable to stop looking at Seifer, still unable to speak, barely able to have a coherent thought. This was so unlike him.

It was Noble

Selfless

Brave

Finally she spoke, not even sure how. "What do I have to do?"

An angelic smile lit up his face

"I thought you'd never ask."

-----

They had arrived.

Vincent wasn't sure if this was where it needed to happen. But he knew it was Aerith, and this was where they laid laid her.

He looked down into the pool, and couldn't see the bottom, despite the water being crystal clear. It was deep, he knew that much. Was he supposed to dive into it and swim until he couldn't anymore? Would the Lifestream just take him at some point?

Lucrecia's journal had revealed very little. She had been unsure, as he now was, how one actually entered the Lifestream. All he could determine was that he had to be in the Chaos form when he did. But how was he to accomplish that? It wasn't as if he could summon Chaos at will. Perhaps, at the very moment his breath gave out as he swam, Chaos would come forth, and the Lifestream would take him. But could he risk that? If he died, so much would die with him. Was he supposed to wait for another dream. Dusk was coming on, and night would soon follow, but he could not summon sleep any more than the beast within. Was he to just stand around waiting?

Yuffie say the confusion in his eyes, and wished she could help.

'Where's that damn voice of hers when we need it?'

And then it hit her.

"Vincent, both times we heard the voice, we were praying."

Vincent felt thunderstruck. 'Oh course! How could he not have realized that?'

He began chanting the prayer, and Yuffie followed. Despite not knowing the words, Nanaki soon picked up the basics, and he, to, began chanting. As they prayed, a wind began to stir. Barely felt at first, it grew until it was all they could do to stand in place. Yet still they chanted, with the others joining in as they began to memorize some of the words.

And then he say her.

It wasn't Lucrecia or Aerith, so he determined it must be Quistis. She was not what he had expected. She had no wings, no halo, no angelic presence. He didn't feel the power of holy around them. But a light was growing around them, along with the wind. Several of his friends had been blown clear, and were hanging onto whatever they could grip. Yuffie lasted the longest, for her small size and sheer willpower, but she was also swept off of the ground and into a tree nearby. Yet he seemed unaffected by the wind or the light. He looked again at her, staring back at him with a knowing smile, and holding out her hand. He walked toward it and felt the beast within him arise with each step. For the first time he could ever remember, he didn't fight it's coming, letting it take over his senses.

He wasn't sure if he took her hand or not, but he was suddenly in the church in Midgar. Looking out, he saw a garden of flowers, with two people caring for them. The first he knew instantly, her pink bow just as he remembered it. The second person, a man, he couldn't identify at first. But only at first. Because they both looked up as he approached, and Vincent's heart fell into his boots.

Aerith smiled, "I knew you'd come", then gestured toward her guest, "So did he"

Vincent found himself staring into the serene face of a man he knew better than he knew himself.

He was Lucrecia's Son

He was Sephiroth

-----

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of Pangea, I suggest you look it up. It was a super-continent that scientists believe the Earth was once formed into. I just liked the name. And for those who are crying heresy at the thought of sorcerers, get over it.