hello ppl hows it going?

recently i started a topic about this, seeking 4 ppl's opinions, advice etc.

i mainly like this story 2 go 2 the fanfiction website but have been tempted 2 put the story here...but since the story has 2 b rated M...i have 2 make a clean version but that might take a while 4 me 2 prepare since some of the things seen on the game rnt suitable 4 the kiddies but has 2 b used since its story related :mellow:

well...i thought maybe i could preview the story by showing u guys the prologue,
the prologue is mainly about aerith's normal life before all this happens but u can view the opening part in the intro subject of this (2nd video is up in a reply)

im not gonna get my hopes up coz i probably suck at writing stories :pout:

(sorry that it'll seem long here)

oh yh by the way, i do not own any of the ff7/hg characters nor its story. they belong to capcom/square-enix

Final Fantasy 7
Haunting Ground
The Cetra Azoth

“The great Jenova Gainsborough once said, “The most valuable thing in this world is the Great Truth.” ......Human beings... Human life... They are not capable of grasping this truth. We cannot merely sit idle and await the future. We must dedicate our lives to the realization of the truth.”

Prologue: Family Trip
Somewhere, in a dark dungeon, a tall, giant of a man with a disfigured face, was cutting strange looking meat with a rusty hatchet. The meat seemed to have dark hair or fur on it, as though it was poorly skinned. He slammed the blade hard through the meat, making the fresh blood splatter easily. The man threw a piece of the meat into a bucket with thick, murky looking water with steam rising from it; he nodded to his work.

The dungeon was indeed a disturbing environment. Heavy rain hitting the ground was easily heard outside, making the surroundings seem more dramatic. Rusty metal was seen everywhere, as well as dirt from top to bottom. Chains would dangle from the ceiling, making the clatter sound echo as they tapped against each other. A rat ran past something tall were more strange looking meat hung in such strange shapes and positions. God only knows what these creatures were before they were killed. The shadowed room reeked terribly.

There were so many empty animal cages all over the room. All but one. Within this locked cage was a young woman with long brown hair tied up in a braid with blue ribbons. She seemed to be out conscious. She wasn’t wearing any clothes but had a very thin white silk material to cover her. Her beauty charmed the deformed man. He knelt down by the cage, watching her, quietly groaning with a rough voice. He slowly reached to touch her smooth bare legs but pulled back sharply as she shifted in her slumber. A flash alongside a roar of lightning startled the man, resulting him to run away.
The woman stirred and her fingers twitched...remaining trapped in dreams of memories...
~*~

“Now please turn to page 182...” The teacher said while he continued to write on the board. Most of the students in the classroom were just bored to death. The young woman picked up her text book and turned to the requested page, unaware that the young man who sat beside her was looking at her with the corner of his eye. He grinned and then wrote something on a scrap of paper. When he was done, he folded it and gently nudged her with the corner of it, getting her attention. She turned to face the man with spiky black hair... she knew this guy...Zack Arkwright.

She didn’t really talk to him much but thought he was an “ok” guy. She took the paper from him and opened it under her desk. When she read it and smirked. He was asking her to go out on a date with him. There were two words needed to describe this guy: “lady’s-man”. She gave him a second smirk and picked up her pen to write her answer. She returned the paper to him and he read it...and frowned. “Sorry. Maybe some other time.” She whispered. “Ok then, let me know!” He answered with a wink and she giggled. Sure, she didn’t exactly like him in that sort of way but that was usually her naturally response when it came to flattery.

“Hey, Aerith!” The woman turned to the sound of her friends calling her. She waved back with a friendly smile as they approached her. Groups of other people were walking everywhere. All leaving a day of college finally finished; all taking their individual way home. “A freedom weekend with no homework or anything treats us!” said one of her friends. “Are you going to be free this weekend, Aerith? We’ve got fun things planned!”

The woman frowned, yet kept her smile. “Sorry...but I promised my parents that I’d spend the weekend with them. I’m leaving this evening, remember?” “Oh, yeah! Oh, what a bummer!” said another. “Hey, I’ll be back by Sunday.” She assured them. “Let’s just pray that another freedom weekend treats us soon!” she and her friends left the college after that, gossiping, teasing Aerith about the cute guy who tried to ask her out, having fun together as they went home.
~*~

18 year old Aerithanya Gainsborough, or Aerith for short as everyone calls her, shortly returned home to her little apartment. She was only living here temporarily as a college student. It was a little lonely living alone but at least there was a nice view when looking outside the windows.

Her parents, Gast and Ifalna Gainsborough were so agitated when she moved away. Although they showed her plenty of love and support, their eyes showed worry despite their smile combined with words. Aerith assumed that it was just their role as parents...adjusting to the fact that their child has become an adult. She called them regularly, sent them letters, giving them updates about her new life in the outside world. But they called almost twice as much as she did. Her father would sometimes say, “Watch out for stalkers,” as a joke. At first, Aerith would laugh, taking it as a half-joke, but now it was becoming too much of a reminder for a joke. Oh well. Parents will be parents at the end of the day.
It was around this time where she needed to spend more time with her only family. Despite the many times they contacted each other, it wasn’t the same compared to bonding in person. Learning that Aerith’s schedule was free, for once, the family had planned a little week-end holiday trip to finally have some quality time together. It was hard for Aerith not seeing her family so she was looking forward to this trip.

The phone rang as Aerith removed her denim red jacket that went over her pink dress and afterwards took off her boots. She answered the call, still removing the final boot. “Hello? Oh! Hi, Mom!”...... “Yeah, I’m fine. How about you and Dad?” Aerith made herself more comfortable on the couch. It was nice listening to her mother’s warm and loving voice. “Yes, of course I’m still coming. 7:30, right?”...... “Yeah, college is going just fine. It’s very tiring, though”...... “Of course! You know I can take care of myself.” Aerith grinned and rolled her eyes as her mother would once again go on about how much she worries about her, about how scary the world can be and how Aerith is a perfect target as a sweet, innocent little girl. Aerith sighed and reminded her that she was grown up and perfectly capable of looking out for herself. Gradually, after a while, the phone call had come to an end. Aerith had given her love and asked to say “hi” to dad for her.
~*~

The calendar in Aerith’s bedroom had the date ‘May, Friday 15th’ circled to remind her of the family trip. Her luggage was already prepared. She liked having time to be saved so she packed last night. At about 4:45pm she had shower and then got dressed. She changed into a white blouse and a light brown skirt, along with matching brown boots. On her neck was a small, dark brown choker with a tiny, yet simple blue crystal. Her shiny hair that reached to her thighs was re-braided and now reached to her lower back with deep blue ribbons, one at the top and one at the bottom. She tied the locks of hair at each side of her head in braids as well, which rested below the ends of her collar bone. Her friends always commented the length of her hair. She and her friends would have a laugh when they would say things like, “Rapunzel has competition!”

Before she left, she made sure she went to the bathroom before she would regret it later. When she was ready to go, she quickly grabbed a sandwich to eat and placed the trust of the extra keys to her apartment in the hands of her kind, most trusted next door neighbor, Elmyra, who knew her parents very well way back. One can never be too careful these days.

It was almost a two-hour train ride before she could arrive at her parents’ house. She spent the journey reading a book to keep her occupied. During the journey, Aerith noticed a woman struggling with her two children and a couple of heavy bags from shopping. Aerith placed her bookmark in the book and then put it away into her bag. She stood up from her seat and offered the woman help.
The woman was surprised; after all, it was very rare that a person that you don’t even know offers you help, right? But that was how Aerith naturally was. She was a very kind, caring and indeed an engaging person when it came to first impression. “Thank you very much.” smiled the woman after she and her children sat down. Aerith smiled back. “You’re welcome.” After that, Aerith returned to her seat and continued to read. But her sight became distracted with the two children who were amazed with the view outside, they looked so adorable. Aerith loved children. She couldn’t wait to have her own someday. But not yet. She was young so there was no need to consider settling down and raise a family already.
~*~

Finally, the train reached to her destination and Aerith made her way to her parents’ house. As soon as she stepped through the gate, her parents stepped outside with their luggage and hurried to their daughter. Aerith gave her parents a big smile and a tight hug as they gave her the same. It had been a long tome since they last saw each other. After the happy reunion, they placed their belongings in the back trunk of her father’s car and they were on their way.
The car ride was taking far longer than the train ride, but it was nice by the time they left the city. Lovely views of the country sides.... Seeing the sun and the thick white clouds above the huge forest with many trees that trapped the road they drove across. The mountains in the far distance were beautiful. Gorgeous. The sight was just breathtaking!
The brightness of day suddenly became the pitch-black of night—CRASH!!!
~*~

Well? What do u think? Do u guys wish me 2 continue?

It's a good opening, since I'm actually fond of the darker kind of fanfic which isn't so common with cleris. I wonder if Zack is going to play a bigger part? Like I said, this was good as a teaser (I know you wanted to build Aerith's character), but it's too bad that there's no Cloud yet! Really, I do hope you continue. I'm eager to see Sephiroth too!

thku schala, i really appreciate ur opinion and support ^_^

im afraid thats all we'll c of zack on this story, sorry
this story mostly focuses on aerith's pov

sephiroth will rarely b come across in the story, same as the "unknown" character

well, here's chapter 1
enjoy!

Act I
Chapter One: Where Am I?
“AHH!!!” Emerald green eyes shot open wide and quick. Aerith gasped hard, immediately sitting up after becoming conscious. But the shock she was in wasn’t over yet. The first thing she saw was bars surrounding her. “Where am I? A dungeon? Why am I in a cage!? Where are my clothes!?” She gasped in horror and grabbed the silk to cover herself. “What is this!?” Her choker was still on but it wasn’t enough. “What is this!? What's going on!? ”

Faintly panting on her dry voice, Aerith waited to calm down to let her mind focus. She moved up close to the bars of the cage, holding one of them with her free hand. Her eyes investigated the horrifying scenery. Wherever she was, she had to get out now! As though something had been reading her mind, she faced the door of the cage and noticed that the padlock was ‘unlocked’. Aerith shuffled up to it and removed what kept her trapped inside. Now free, she stood up, leaving the cage.

She re-wrapped the silk to cover her body better. Now more questions came to mind, as well as her unanswered ones. “What happened? Wasn't I in a car just a minute ago? How long was I out? Why am I here? Where are my parents? Are they aright? Is there anyone else here?” Speaking of anyone else... Why and who would put her in a cage? Why remove her clothes? Aerith began to feel angry but thought it would be best to shake off the thought of someone...a stranger... undressing her. She stumbled a little as she walked across the room. Her legs felt a little numb, like they hadn't been used for a while.

She spotted some stairs and rushed towards it. Until she heard something. “Huh?” Aerith turned around, noticing that the sound was coming from the table- no...underneath the table... Blood that was spread all over the table was dripping off the sides. But that wasn’t the sound that caught her attention. It was a faint growling sound. She tilted her head slowly to see--

--something white and fierce leaped over her from underneath the table!

Aerith shrieked as she fell to the ground. The ‘something’ ran up the stairs, making its escape. Aerith calmed down again and stood up, holding the silk tight. “What was that? A big dog?” She spotted a damaged collar on the sullied ground. It wasn’t there before. The dog must have dropped it. She picked it up and read the engraved name under her breath. “...Cloud...”

Returning to the ‘where-the-hell-am-I?’ subject, she dropped the collar and turned back to the spiral stairs, looking up to the darkness that lied ahead. Wondering what she would see by the time she would get to the top, what would be in store for her, she took in a deep breath...and began to walk up the stairs. She had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a pleasant place. But is it necessary to jump to conclusions?
~*~

Aerith found herself in a huge garden by the time she reached the top. The grass and plants looked dead. The trees were also in poor condition. Leaves all dry and dull in colour, were being dragged along the ground by the cold wind. A crow called out and flew away, startling her. The sun was setting. “This would make a perfect scene for a horror movie...” “Ok, now you’re being silly already, Aerith...!” she muttered to herself.

She turned the corner that appeared to have more stairs and a short area behind it that looked like no one paid attention to. There were more cages scattered everywhere, but some of these ones were wrecked and quite a bunch was open. “I sure do hope there aren’t any vicious animals roaming around...” Of course...excluding the one from earlier. The cold air was awful against her bare skin and the rough ground hurt her feet as she walked. She needed to find some clothes as soon as possible.

Aerith walked up the stairs. Looking up, what she could see were tall walls with many windows. This place must be a mansion or a castle. She had never been to one before. In front of her to the right was another set of stairs. Up ahead to the left, in the middle of a long pathway, was a little door. But she could see that this pathway led to possibly the entrance, or to quote it better, the exit of the place across a little bridge. She could see the huge doors far behind the little door. The pathway door was locked so she took the stairs. She didn’t exactly want to leave just yet until she knew were her parents were.
~*~

Up here, the door was open. Cautiously, she stepped in. Aerith had stepped into a guest room. No one could be seen... either way, she had to be sure. “H-hello?” She waited for someone to respond...... “Hello?” she called a little louder...... Nothing. It was quiet apart from the sounds of an old grandfather clock ticking away and crackling fire burning strongly at the fireplace that was both positioned at the back of the room. She turned to the window beside the window to get a good look. All she could see over the castle walls was a huge thick forest and huge mountains. Where was this place? She did not like the thought of this place being in the middle of nowhere...

There were little steps that lead to the back of the room. The fire was enjoyable but she still needed some clothes. A double bed lied against the wall; behind that, a set of drawers. Aerith walked up to it and looked inside to see of there was anything she could wear. She was positive the ones in charge here would understand... Disappointment appeared on her face, finding every single drawer to be empty.

Afterwards, Aerith looked around the room, absorbing the awkward feeling again. Wasn’t there anyone around at all? She hoped her parents were here and well. Aerith started to feel worried. She went to take the next door in between the bed and the fireplace. Just as her hand had touched the handle, she heard a whispering sigh behind her that sent a chill right up her spine. She slowly turned her head around and saw a woman behind her. Aerith quickly stepped back out of surprise. “Where did she come from? The room was empty just now...”
The woman gave her a faint smile for only a second. Judging by her clothes, she was a maid. She wore a long, dark green dress with old outlining pattern. A white, thin apron at the front continued up to the neck with a purple stone above the chest. On both of the sleeves, below the shoulders, were gold marks of two snakes circling a staff. Her hair was beautiful in its raven colour and rested over her right shoulder. Her eyes shone in a crimson brown colour. It was noticeable due to her pale skin. She was so young and beautiful... Aerith guessed that she was around her age.

The woman pointed out a set of clothes on the bed. “I’ve gathered some clothes for you.” Her voice was so emotionless. Aerith blinked and then looked up at her. “Oh. T-thank you...” The woman stepped towards the door. Her movement was ghost-like. She was going to leave. Aerith didn’t want to be alone. “Wait! Don’t go.”
The maid faced the pleading woman. “Um, excuse me, but...where are we? And-...how did I get here?” asked Aerith timidly. The woman didn’t speak. “Is there a phone around? I need to call my parents.” The woman ignored her and tilted her head slightly upward to face something behind Aerith. “Yes, Master...” She said with her breathless voice. “We will keep her here for a while. I will make sure she stays comfortable.”

Did someone else appear out of nowhere as well? Aerith turned to see. She realized that the woman was talking to a painting! A portrait of a middle aged man with long grey, almost silver, hair the hung on the wall next to the grandfather clock. He actually looked a little like her father but this man had no mustache and her father had short dark brown hair. The painting’s face of firm and power looked down at her in a disturbing way--

--through a blurry vision within the car, Aerith could see a shadowed man looking down at her from outside—

The sudden memory made her head feel woozy. She felt a sudden pain at the side of her head, as though something had whacked her hard. She felt weak and suddenly fell to the ground but staying in charge, the pain gradually subsided. Wait—the woman was gone! But Aerith didn’t hear neither any footsteps nor the door open and close! She stood up, feeling creeped out. Once again, she was all alone.
~*~

Aerith went up to the clothes that the maid had pointed out. It was a gothic white dress with a dark purple mini-skirt design. A thick blue stone was at the front above the chest part. The patterns looked amazing. The material felt expensive. Definitely not the kind of outfit you could get at even the most exorbitant-priced kind of clothes company. She removed the silk and began to get dressed...

......unaware that someone was someone was watching her through a peephole somewhere. Aerith couldn't hear anything, but the peeping tom made a sound as though he was sucking back saliva into his mouth.....

At the back were two thin blue ribbons used to keep the outfit tied on into a bow. The outfit matched her hair ribbons and choker and also made her unique green eyes stand out. Aerith hated wearing mini-skirts. She tried to pull down at it. Still, she would pick this over a sheet any day! On her left shoulder blade was a strange red birth mark. The outfit felt as though it was custom-tailored to fit her as an individual. It clung to her shape perfectly. For foot-wear were black knee-length socks and deep brown boots. Finally done clothing herself, she returned her attention to the portrait. Something inside was telling her that something was familiar apart from the ‘father look-alike fact’... Aerith focused hard, staring at the painting as she approached it. “Wait a minute...I remember being in the car with...” Aerith tried hard to remember. “I...was in a car...with my parents...and...I...”
Aerith lost her thoughts. It was no good. Everything seemed so fuzzy. Giving up, Aerith went through the door the mysterious maid must have taken. She had walked into an enormous stair case. Up ahead to the right was stairs going down. She leaned over the banister to see what was down bellow. Right underneath her, she heard the only door there being locked on the other side. Probably the maid. With that option stripped off the list, Aerith took the other door that was behind her.
~*~

In here was a long walkway, with many tiny lamps on the very long wall and many pillars covered with ivy leaves, circling upward. As soon as she took the first glimpse of the place—“gasp!” It was blood! And a lot of it! There was a pool of blood on the floor next to one of the pillars that continued presumably downward from the pillar and little fragments of it dripped off the stained leaves. Footprints of human surrounded it (someone must have been wearing boots judging by its shape) and footprints of something like a dog made a path fading at her feet. “Calm down! Don't panic!” her head told her. “... --It’s paint! Dark red paint that looks...like blood. Someone has spilled some paint and...no one’s had the chance to clean it up yet...” “...Yes...” said Aerith. “Red paint.”

She gulped and continued down the walkway. There was a door. Locked. Sighing, trying to ignore the blood behind her, she walked on. There was another door that was unlocked. Inside was a small study room. There were many books seen everywhere. Most of them neatly lined up together on bookshelves. There was a desk in between two bookshelves with a little draw on the side. Aerith began to search the room and went up to a second little desk with a small yet very bright lamp at the other side of the room.

The desk had approximately A5-sized paper scattered all over it. They all had various formulae and computations scribbled on them. She didn’t understand any of it whatsoever. It was way beyond knowledge of even maybe the university level but Aerith thought she could be exaggerating there. Beside the desk was a chalkboard leaning against the bookshelf beside it. There was more confusing information written on it:

“LUMINESSANTS – Luminessants are tiny creatures that respond to the ethereal energies given off by Azoth. They can be used to track down nearby Azoth. However, several precautions must be taken while handling them:
ONE When Luminessants come into direct contact with an Azoth infused item or being, they send forth a small charge which shocks the carrier. The higher the concentration of Azoth in said carrier, the greater and more powerful the shock.
TWO Luminessants’ life span is dramatically decreased whenever they come into contact with open air. This time differs from specimen to specimen, but is never much longer than a few minutes.”

“Luminessants”...... “Azoth”...? None of it made any sense to her. Never had Aerith ever heard of such strange things before. Someone has obviously been conducting some advanced research.
~*~

Aerith left the study room and continued her search. She walked close to the nearby corner and then caught a smell of a bone-shattering stench. A smell like an unhygienic person. Probably worse—wait! Person? Aerith slightly picked up the pace of her feet to meet this person but saw a huge shadow around the corner that caused her to stop dead in her tracks- ...she thought she could hear ...something...like a heavy breathing sound...

The shadow was definitely in the shape of a man with a gigantic body. The arms were lifted and shaking. In his hands looked like something small and lifeless. The sight slowly increased the pace of her heartbeat. She leaned closer to the wall. Trying to be brave, she slowly stepped forward to turn the corner and see what was really going on. But before she could see, something was thrown in her way and almost into her face! She gasped and fell backwards to the floor.

She landed on her behind and it hurt but wouldn’t occur to mind. What was thrown was a doll. The doll’s innocent self was facing directly at Aerith. Half of its face was broken inward, bearing only one eye... Aerith’s eyes looked straight up as she saw the maker of the disturbing sound and shadows slowly stepping into view...the footsteps were pretty load for a slow walk.
...thump...thump...thump...
A tall, giant of a man with a disfigured face stepped in front of her. He picked up the poor, little, helpless doll and faced Aerith. Why did the moment seem as thought the doll was pleading for help...? He wore dirty blue jeans that stopped above his ankles. Around his waist was a thick brown belt with a set of keys attached to the side. He wore a white half-sleeved shirt that had dirt all over it; it even had specks of blood here and there. These clothes must have never been washed at all.

The smell that lingered off him was absolutely disgusting. His skin looked so dirty, dry and flaky. His eyes were big and a pure dark brown colour, almost black. Aerith didn’t know how to react. She shifted herself backwards a little since she was very nervous. Should she say something? Remind herself not to judge a book by its cover and introduce herself, maybe? The man looked at the doll and then at the beautiful, fragile looking woman. And repeated.
Looking like he had made a decision, he gave her a wide, grinning smile, revealing a missing front tooth. Groaning, he threw away the doll, dismissing it and looked down at Aerith and then said with a rough voice, “MY DOLLYYYY!!” “Dolly!?” Aerith repeated in mind with wide eyes. Sounding almost like a gorilla, he laughed and raised his arms. He then stepped forward to lower himself over her! Aerith almost yelped with her heart jumping to her throat watching the enormous man come over her. She moved out of the way just in time and quickly got on her feet to run away. The malformed man was angered, for he had bashed his nose on floor as he landed, missing his attempt to grab her. He slammed his over-sized fists on the floor, mumbling fiercely. He then stood up and began to run after his fleeing “new dolly”...

Aerith was absolutely terrified! She even slipped a little on the pool of blood. “Help!!” She screamed. “Somebody help me!!!” Not knowing what to do, she ran straight back into the guest room. She shut the door tightly behind her. “Oh no! What should I do!? If I don’t do something that...THING will get me!!” The panicking woman looked around to find a way to avoid being caught by the scary man. She should hide—but where!? Wait—the bed! She quickly dived for it and hid underneath. She crawled backwards as far as she could and covered her mouth tight with both hands to mute the sound of her breathing...

The man barged into the guest room! He ran around the room looking for her. He even began to sniff the air for her sweet scent. She was nowhere in sight yet he knew she ran in here. With his short patience, he was already becoming frustrated. “WHEre IsSH YoOU!!? He growled.
Aerith trembled even harder to his words. Holding her hands over her mouth tighter. Her heart began to pound even harder and she prayed that he would not to look under the bed. Just as she thought of this... she saw his feet turn towards the bed! Her eyes widened. She quietly pushed herself deeper underneath the bed. He was coming closer.
“No! No, please don’t look under here! I’m not here! I’m not here! I’m not here!” The man reached the bed and Aerith could see his legs bend. She was about to scream knowing it was too late but then a gust of wind from outside caught the man’s attention. He turned to the door that led to the garden. He noticed that the other door was open. She must have gone outside! Laughing idiotically, he hurried outside.

After a long silence, Aerith slowly removed her hands from her mouth and sighed heavily with relief as her heart returned to its steady rhythm. She crawled out of her hiding place and sighed again as she stood up. It was hot underneath the bed. Aerith was still wide-eyed in shock, “Oh God...That didn't really happen, did it? This has to be a dream- no! A nightmare!”
One thing’s for sure she did NOT want to come across ‘him’ again! What was with that that guy anyway? Why in God’s name would he think she was a doll? Correction—“his” doll? Aerith shook her head, reminding her that he could come back up here if she wasted any more time thinking to herself like that. She returned to the walkway, hoping that man wouldn’t come this way.
~*~

thats chapter 1 done, that was ok right? :unsure:
once again sorry that the chapters will seem long here :sweat:

want 2 kno what happens nxt?
would u guys like me 2 write down descriptions 4 each character? (like a character info)

No problem, I like reviewing! :) Nice job again! Description is really good, though I hope to see the plot deepen later on with the Azoth.

Sigh... Sephiroth would be awesome in this kind of fic. Though Hojo works better. Come to think of it, was that Sephiroth in the portrait that Tifa was speaking to? The silver hair should be a giveaway, but I shuddered at 'middle-aged'. I know Lorenzo is supposed to be old, but Sephiroth was only in his thirties! Sorry, I'm a big fan, and I just hate how Advent Children made him all greyish and old-looking. :sweat:

Cloud! Such a brief appearance... But he'll be back.

Tifa sounds pretty. Wonder if she'll experience jealousy.

I want to know what happens next! Especially if you already have it ready and waiting! I feel like I'm demanding too much when I ask for character info. :sweat: I just want to be introduced to the rest of the characters first. Oh, and don't worry about chapter length. It's usually a good thing to have long chapters (unless you want a cliffhanger. :ermm: Not that I'm suggesting one!).

thku once again schala
the truth is im up 2 chapter 10 with the tifa (daniella) scenario, i have the whole story prepared i just need 2 find a way 2 put it into words
there's gonna b approximately 26 chapters (including the prologue and epilogue) ...gulp...

i really should have done the character info 1st, dont kno y i didnt add it int he 1st place lol, here they r:

Aerith Gainsborough
Aerith was a simple 18 yr old girl attending college, living a normal life.
She is naturally a kind, caring person and smiles from her heart. There is something about her that draws ppl in and wins them over...just by simply being herself. She may not b the athletic type, but she has a gd physical condition that makes her a fast runner.
Finding herself held against her will in a nightmarish castle and not even knowing y after being involved in a car accident, she only desires 2 escape. Gifted with excellent judgement, she can quickly confront any problem that faces her path with strong wits, but she may seem gullible at times.

Cloud
A mysterious flaxen wolf with human sapphire blue eyes who Aerith rescues from a fatal trap. Returning the favour, Cloud acts as her bodyguard and aids her in her search for a way out.
Cloud is smart and is fearless so he is very reliable 4 Aerith.
It is not known how this wolf came 2 b, how he ended up in the castle or even where he came from.

Debilitas
Debilitas is a deformed man who works as the castle's handyman and gardener.
Upon seeing Aerith, he for some reason claims she is his new 'dolly' and has an uncontrollable urge 2 chase her.
Despite his abnormally highly developed body, he is still mentally a young child. He seems 2 understand when he is scolded, but is unable 2 speak 4 himself.

Tifa
Tifa is the only maid if the castle and does all of the cooking and housework. Although she is beautiful, like she had stepped out of an oil painting, she expresses no emotion and is more ghost-like than human.

Hojo
The castle butler, Hojo, keeps his face hidden in the hood of his jacket.
Juging from his relationship with Debilitas and Tifa, Hojo acts like a servant, but he seems 2 b the 1 in charge of the castle.

Sephiroth
Sephiroth is a shadowy figure who tries 2 help Aerith but doesnt reveal himself. All that Aerith seems 2 kno about him is that he knows a lot of what is really going on and that he is extremely old

Unknown
Nothing is known about this person except that he is...or was regarded as an intruder in the castle.
He apparently has a connection 2 Sephiroth and knows about Aerith. According 2 Hojo, this is a bad thing.
This man can only b identified with spiky blonde hair and wields a massive sword. He is rarely seen so Aerith cant tell if this is some1 she should trust compared 2 the other dangers she has faced so far.

Dw, cloud will come 2 the scene very soon...but not yet

No, aerith doesnt experience jealousy with tifa's looks, aerith isnt the type 2 care 4 beauty and blah blah blah lol

and the painting...that 1 will remain a mysery...as the story pogresses, there will b strange clues that will b related 2gether, including the painting
(such a shame i cant give away spoilers lol)

i kno, im still uncomfortable with sephiroth looking old, i cant even imagine it, even i shudder lol ...... thats y i thk whoever came up with the idea of the guy in the wheelchair with the white robe lol (i kno its rufus, but its a gd idea 2 use 4 sephiroth instead of imaging him like the way the old lorenzo is) :sephy:

but believe me, when aerith finally meets him (at the near end of this story), sephiroth will b very kl (that prt of the game is definetly sephiroth like)

here's a treat just 4 u shala: (and every1 else if theyre into this)
another hg video where u c all of the characters (concentrate on the 3rd shot of lorenzo) and chapter 2!
enjoy ^_^

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It6IzPXGI9k

if any1 would like 2 provide story ideas or anything like that, they r free 2 do so, send me an email and i will get back 2 u asap


Chapter Two: Gainsborough Castle
Aerith found the little doll he had dropped. She picked it up and observed its ill-fated features, feeling sorry for the lifeless figure. She must have been such an adorable doll before that man had ruined her. Giving the doll a little credit, Aerith neatened the dress as best as she could and sat her on a nearby table. She picked up the matching dirty blue hat, dusting it a little and neatly placed it on the doll’s head. One half of its face still smiled. “......” Compared to what has happened to this doll, what could have happened to Aerith if that man caught her? Aerith trembled as her mind wondered the possibilities.

She could now see what was around the corner: a long corridor with a door to the very far left close to a painting. But Aerith didn’t go down the corridor just yet since there was a door close to her (at the table where the doll now sat) but blocked by a dark green, hollow, empty metal cart. She got to one side and pushed it out of the way. The act made a rough scrapping sound that was pretty loud since the area was so quiet. She looked back down the walkway, checking if the scary man or someone else might have heard. She waited for a moment......nothing.

She walked through the door and found what looked like a small refinery. The first thing she spotted was a tall figure made of earth blocking a door on the side of the room. It was even taller than that scary man. It was in the standing position of a man but it seemed to look have a face more like a gorilla. There was a slot-shaped hole in the chest. Behind this figure, Aerith could see a door. A bit silly to put something there when a door has a purpose.

There were all sorts of strange scientific equipments seen all around the room. In the middle of the room was a table with a group of this old looking equipment. Despite the aged condition, someone had been taking painstakingly good care of them. At the back of the room was a small cauldron on top of a stove. It was impossible to see inside because purple smoke rose out from it. She hoped it wouldn’t explode or anything. Aerith’s mouth curved slightly to the silly comment. As she looked around the room, she found an old parchment on the table. She picked it up and began to read...

“A deciphering of the book of origins ‘Seferru Yetria’ has uncovered the process for creating “life from earth-soil.”
This Golem needs neither nourishments nor sleep, making this earthen guardian the ultimate safe-keeper of our deepest alchemic secrets and knowledge.
I dub this creature EMETH"


“Just what is all this supposed to mean?” Aerith turned to the figure made of earth behind her. “Hmm, well this thing must be is a ‘Golem’...” she thought to herself. The ultimate safe-keeper...she tilted her head slightly and wondered what could possibly be behind the door. She put down the parchment went back to the walkway and walked down the corridor.
~*~

She noticed small chandeliers hanging from the ceiling as she walked down. One of them was crooked and made an awful creaking sound as it slowly swung from side to side. Aerith raised her shoulders closer to her and her face cringed a little, not liking the sound one bit. At the end of the corridor was a dark painting of a woman with wings protruding her from her back.

Aerith walked through the door that she had noticed earlier down here. This room was quite a large and almost empty room. A big chandelier sat on the floor and was wrecked as though it fell from the ceiling. There were cobwebs all over it; it must have fallen ages ago. It was completely ruined. She wondered what could have happened here. When she lifted her head to look at the rest of the room and walked around, she noticed there were cobwebs everywhere. The room felt very neglected. There was a birdcage at the back of the room like the one in the guest room but this one had the remaining husk of a bird inside. She could see a little spider crawling around inside.

On the other side of the room was a small machine sitting on a small table. It was an unusual looking typewriter. There was a tiny screen above the alphabetical keys and above this was a slot-shaped hole that reminded her of that Golem thing. “Hmm...” Aerith thought carefully, remembering what she had read not five minutes ago.

She leaned over and typed the word “Emeth”, watching each letter appear on the miniature screen one after another. She then pushed the green ‘enter’ button and the machine made a clicking sound. She waited for the results and then a keyplate suddenly spat out of the slot, making her jump a little. She picked it up, reading the word “EMETH” engraved in it. Taking this keyplate, she returned to the refinery.

Standing in front of the giant figure, keyplate in hand, hoping her theory of the Golem and the typewriter having a connection was correct. She entered the keyplate into the slot. It was a perfect fit.
..... Nothing happened. Did she make a mistake?
Just then, the Golem began to move! Aerith stepped back, leaning against the table and rested her hands on it at either side of herself. The Golem slowly walked across the room as fragments of earth and soil dropped off its body and bounced on the floor.

Gradually, the Golem stopped, standing at ease and against facing the wall. The other door was no longer blocked. “Ha, ha!” Aerith smiled, surprised that her idea was right; and in one shot, as well. But it was such a bizarre way to prevent people from going through this door. “Why make things complicated for a place like this? Is there something man-kind must not know on the other side?” she joked in mind.

Through the block-free door was a little area that looked like a balcony but had a lack of banisters. There was a long ladder leading down to a small garden. “What was the point of putting that Golem-thing there?” Aerith wondered. “It doesn’t look so secretive down here.”

Before going down, she observed the features seen in the little garden. There wasn’t much. She could see was a sealed up well..., more doomed-to-die plants...a bench facing the wrong way for some reason... and two doors on the left. She climbed down and approached the closest door. It was locked so she took the other door.

Through here was an outside area, more than double the size of the garden. At the end was a large gate that made a barricade to the next area. On the wall in the middle was a door that had two statues of people to decorate it on either side. Inside was an audience room. To her right was a seriously over-sized harp. Almost half the size of the tall room.

From above was a small balcony. As soon as Aerith entered the room she heard someone play a piano beautifully. She felt too nervous to interrupt, so she didn’t say anything. Compared to what had happened when she encountered that freaky guy, she didn’t want the event to repeat itself.

As quiet as she could, she took the time to observe the room. Near a large window was a big book shelf. Behind that on the wall was a smaller one but was planted into it. Ahead was another seating area. On a couch was something covered with a white sheet; she could see something made out of wood in the shape of two legs revealed below the sheet. Aerith stared at it, “What is this? I‘d rather not know...”

On the table was a key with the words “garden key” engraved on it. Hopefully, for the other door that was locked. Hopefully, the person playing the piano wouldn’t notice if she took it. Not that she was going to try anything funny or anything...she just wanted to simply search the area and find her parents. Surely there was no harm in that. As quiet as she could, she reached for the key.

--DUNNN!!!

Aerith jumped back, startled from when the piano player slammed their fingers on the music keys. The mysterious player began to speak. A male voice... “Ahhh, Aerith. I see you’ve finally awakened...” Aerith lifted her head back a little higher. “He knows my name?” “You’ve been in a coma for over a week now.” Aerith was shocked. “A week!?”

The man didn’t reveal himself, not going anywhere near the edge of the balcony. Before she could think more of this, the man spoke again. “There’s something that I’ve wanted to show you for quite sometime. Pull away that sheet behind you.” He ordered.

“?” Aerith placed her sight back onto the sheet covered object, walking up to it cautiously. Instinct was telling her she wasn’t going to like what she was about to see. Despite the funny feeling in her stomach, and the fact that she just thought she'd rather not know, she did as she was told...
—“gasp!” Sitting right in front of Aerith was a human-sized figure of HER! The details from top to bottom—the perfect facial structure—it was exactly the same as her! Like a twin. But this figure looked pregnant!

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” The man said up above. “That, my dear, is what you will become in the future." Aerith was shocked even more to that last comment. A face of both shock and disgust. “Go ahead...you may touch it.” He continued. “You WILL be MINE, Aerith!” The man began to laugh. Speechless... horrified... Aerith took the key and ran towards the exit. But before she could reach outside when she opened the door...

...thump...thump...thump...

Those footsteps... Aerith gasped. That man who chased her was coming! Aerith looked up to call to the man above for help, but she heard a door close from above. He was gone. “What am I gonna do!? I’m trapped!” She looked around and spotted the book shelf. Aerith decided to hide behind it for now and just hope the scary man wouldn’t find her. She sat on the floor and waited for the next. All she could do now was pray.
~*~

For almost ten minutes she waited. She could hear him walking around outside. Just what was he doing out there? She was becoming impatient and wondered when he would leave. The fear of him finding her here as she waited kept making her feel more tense as well as the fact that she couldn’t take her eyes off of the figure of her sitting across the room.

Why was this happening to her? Every single word she heard and the sight of the figure made her stomach churn and her blood run cold. Her thoughts then wandered the piano player. “Who was that mad man? What could he possibly want from me?” Listening to his voice, she knew she had never met him before...
“...A pregnant figure of me...Does he want me to have his child?” Aerith blinked and then shook her head violently. “No, no, no! That can’t be it. That’s just plain stupid!” This was all just too much for her mind to process. Could he be the one who took away her clothes? “Oh, God! What have I awoken into!?” her whispering voice cried. She sighed as knew she had to forget about this for now since there was nothing she ‘could’ do about it.

Aerith cursed herself for letting her mind wander elsewhere when she heard the scary man come in! “gasp!” She could hear him laughing behind the book shelf she lied against as he got closer. Aerith quietly got on her feet. He revealed his face on one side and smiled at her. Aerith yelped and tried to run to the opposite side but he quickly moved and placed his hand in front of her. He was just toying with her. But she knew what would happen to her if she didn’t do something and fast!

She pushed herself against the wall. Building up strength from within, she rammed herself into the book shelf and watched it tumble and crush him. Aerith placed her hands close to herself and moved away but circled to see the scary man. He didn’t make any noises or anything.
There he was...just lying there. She took a step closer but that was when he shot his eyes open! He growled and tried to reach out for her but the weight of the book shelf kept him pinned down. Aerith took this opportunity to escape and ran back to the little garden.

Aerith’s back hit the door as soon as she closed it behind her. She clutched to the garden key in her hands and trembled. How long was this nightmare going to go on for? Aerith wasn’t so sure if she would be able to cope. But she promised herself that no matter what would happen, she wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

Sure, she wasn’t strong or anything...but she wouldn’t let killer over-sized dolly lovers nor crazy musicians have their way with her. After a moment of silence, Aerith calmed down from the experience and approached the other door. God, she couldn’t wait to find her parents and go home...
~*~

As she had predicted, this was the key needed to unlock the door. But before she could open it, she heard a gentle sound...like a chime...coming from the area of the door she just came from. She stepped sideways to see what was over there, keeping a safe distance, worried that it might be that scary man. From around the corner of the second door...came a little tiny blue ball of light...drifting slowly along the air. What was it? A blue firefly or something?

She had never seen anything like this before so she was definitely convinced that everything here is just a dream. But why did everything feel so real? It was coming her way. It was very pretty...but it was giving her a bad feeling... She felt like it was drawn to something from within her. She didn’t want it to come any closer. Keeping her eyes fixed on whatever it was, she stepped backwards. Just then, right in front of her, it just disappeared. “Huh?”

A thought just occurred to her after a moment of confusion, remembering something she had read earlier... “a lumi-thingy’s life span is dramatically decreased whenever they come into contact with open air...” The air did smell fresh outside despite the size of the little garden. This place just kept getting crazier by the minute... Aerith sighed and shook her head a little and returned to the now unlocked door.

Inside was a service passage. She turned left to follow its path. The first door next to a grandfather clock had neither a handle nor a doorknob whatsoever. Instead, there was a hook above a sign of a man. There was definitely no way she could get in here.
Underneath the sign was writing which said “Pupa Cella”. No point in staring at a door, Aerith took the slope stairs that made a neat quarter turn and took the second door that ‘did’ have a doorknob. It wasn’t that much of a big deal since this room was just a kitchen.

It was a very dirty kitchen, not much of a surprise really. Right beside her was a long counter with the obvious things you would find in a kitchen behind it (a stove, an oven etc.). Behind all this was another door, but right in front of Aerith was some stairs. It led down to a little cellar.

The little room was fully stocked with meat and wine. The condition of the room was just as bad as upstairs. Dirt was seen everywhere. Up on the ceiling and rafters were spiders crawling along their webs. In the middle of the room was a table with a candle.

Something on the wall on the opposite side caught her eye –a map! “Yes!” “That’s exactly what I need!” She smiled and hurried towards it. She began to examine it to find where she was and get a good idea of where to go to. To her surprise, at the top of the piece of paper said “GAINSBOROUGH CASTLE”. “What a coincidence, my surname is Gainsborough.” Aerith thought.

The state of the paper was quite old; the sides were crinkled and had tiny pieces torn off. “sigh...” This map was of no use. It was just a castle sketch anyway. None of the rooms had titles or anything. Only the outline of all the rooms together was drawn so it was difficult to tell where she was. Since all this was what the little room had to offer, she went back up the stairs.
~*~

When she reached the top, she heard something creak somewhere. “gasp!” But she couldn’t tell whereabouts it came from. She stood beside the counter and slowly walked along, gently brushing her hand along the wood. Everything was so quiet. Nothing moved. Maybe it was just her imagination. Aerith sighed with relief and barely smiled–THUMP!!!

Right behind her, the scary man leaped up from behind and slammed his giant hands on the counter! Aerith shrieked and quickly spun around. He leaned into her face with his big, wide, evil smile, groaning to the terrified look on her face. She felt paralyzed by fear. But as soon as he raised his hands to thrust his arms around her, she shrieked and threw herself backwards to the floor!

He gave her another wide smile and kept swooping his arm down to grab her! She ducked out of the way and cried out. Like a little mouse, Aerith quickly crawled along the ground, scattering away along the floor to the door. She got on her feet and ran out and back into the service passage.

Now panicking, Aerith shut the door behind her. Standing up, she ran again and up the flat steps. But she slipped and sprained her ankle! “Arhh!” She shut her eyes from the pain. But her green eyes opened when she heard the doorknob turn! Her eyes widened when she looked up and saw the door open. “gasp”
“Oh, no! He’s coming!” Her foot hurt badly, but she had to keep going! The scary man stepped into the corridor. He turned to face her in a mocking way. He laughed, raising his fists high.

Sitting on one step, she lifted herself to the next as fast as she could. He was coming her way! It made her leg feel worse, but she stood up and ran. She winced in pain– for a second she thought she saw someone up ahead. But no one was there and—“gasp!” The scary man was right behind her!

Aerith turned around, keeping her direction facing him, stepping backwards carefully to reduce the pain in her leg. She brought her hands close to herself, whimpering in fear. She was really scared. She knew he could easily grab her if she turned to run. He came closer and closer and—

“Exire, Debilitas!” someone yelled behind them.

Aerith turned to the direction of the voice but saw nobody. Neither could the scary man. She looked back at him, worried what he would do next...he seemed to know more than she, starring into nothingness. He lifted his hand towards her but kept it hesitant...... Gradually, he lowered his hand and frowned. He looked upset. He slowly walked away... he turned to look back at Aerith, and then walked away again...sulking.

She was now safe from harm... but she didn’t feel relaxed at all. The grandfather clocked ticked through the awkward silence. “Debilitas...is that his name?” she wondered. Someone had just saved her... but who?

“Please excuse me, Miss. My sincerest apologies for his rude behavior.” Aerith turned around to face the familiar voice. Behind her was a man wearing all brown. His outfit was in a medieval style with sandals. Unfortunately, he had his hood up so she couldn’t tell what he looked like. On the chest was a gold mark of two snakes circling a staff; exactly the same as the marks on the maid’s sleeves.

Aerith lowered her head to the floor, she was still afraid. “I am Hojo, keeper of the castle.” She knew this voice. The crazy man from the audience room. But this man sounded more like a civilized gentleman compared to that weirdo. Aerith wanted to thank him for helping her, but she felt too nervous to speak. She felt her fingers curl into her palms... “So sorry to hear about your accident. Your parents...” Aerith’s head shot up. “!!? My parents! Are they alright!?”—

--the car was screeching hard, trying to gain control—Screaming—CRASH!!!

Memories were flooding too quickly. She was too scared to hear the next let alone view the further memories that were to build up and run through her mind... “As Master Gast and Mistress Ifalna are both deceased,” Hojo continued “–!!” Aerith’s emerald eyes slowly opened wide. A hand covered her gasping mouth. “What...!?” “...you, Miss Aerith, are the sole surviving heir of Gainsborough Castle.” “Deceased!?”—

...Ifalna turned from her seat in the car, smiling at her daughter...
...Ifalna placed her hand on Gast’s, Aerith smirked to the gesture. She leaned back in her seat. The car ride was taking far longer than the train ride, but it was nice by the time they left the city. Lovely views of the country sides.... Seeing the sun and the thick white clouds above the huge forest with many trees that trapped the road they drove through. The mountains in the far distance were beautiful. Gorgeous. The sight was just breathtaking!...

“...no...No...! No!” Aerith began to feel the same pain on the side of her head. She felt extremely dizzy. Her vision was turning fuzzy. She was loosing balance; she raised her hands up to keep as much of it as possible but it was useless. “Are you in pain, Miss?” asked Hojo in concern. “Ugh...” “Will you be all right?” Aerith wasn’t strong enough to speak.

“You’ve had a long day." said Hojo. "Please, rest upstairs. Your bed has been prepared.” Aerith’s weak body gave up. Her sight blurred and then went black as her body twisted and fell to the ground, passing out. Her long braid followed her down and was the last to hit the ground. Hojo slowly walked up to the unconscious beauty, smiling...
~*~

Poor Aerith...
what do u guys think of hojo, wierdo or gentleman?...no need 4 an answer really lol
what do u think could happen nxt now that aerith has fainted?

OH! Cloud is the Unknown! ... Or at least somehow connected, because Cloud's already the wolf. I liked your desciptions, by the way, very game manual like. The part about Tifa looking like she stepped out of an oil-painting just seems very appropriate. Yay for Sephiroth! He sounds cool, except for the part about him being old (And yes, I think it's a good idea to envision the guy in the wheelchair as Sephiroth). Why is he helping Aerith anyway? Well, actually, you don't need to answer that since it's probably an important part that you'll reveal at the end. I'll wait.

I looked out for the third image of Lorenzo! Is it the one where he looks young with the fire (?) around? If so... Heh, now that's a role worthy of Sephiroth. Daniella is scary though. The ... twitching...

My favorite part was with the mysterious piano player. I've got a thing for deserted castles, "doomed-to-die" gardens, and music. It's very Secret Garden like. I feel like I should know who the player is, but I'm bad at guessing.

As for Hojo: Weirdo. Definitely. On which demented world is Hojo a gentleman? :P I'll bet he's going to do something less than noble to Aerith. Experiments?

Wow, there's still a long way to go! I'll keep reading if you keep writing! :D

Hello again schala
how r u?

yes, it does seem intriguing...the mystery of the description between cloud and the "unknown"...there's only 1 way 2 find out, lol

as 4 tifa, it will seem a very 'interesting' role 4 her...the twitching, headbutting the window...even tho i find tifa annoying i am trying 2 give her credit 4 her and her fans...but then again there r some prts of the story that cant b avoided...

yes the young man with the fire is lorenzo, soon 2 b sephiroth :fangirl:

but like everything else 4 aerith and the readers...everything will remain a mystery...for now...

coming up now, a chapter with a character schala has been w8in 4...
enjoy every1 :aeris:

Chapter Three: Cloud

--the car was screeching hard, trying to gain control—Screaming—CRASH!!!—Someone shadowed by darkness was looking down at Aerith outside the car, his face hidden by his hat—

“NOOOOOO------!!!” Aerith shot up out of the nightmare on the bed, panting hard against her lungs. She was back in the guest room. “My parents are dead!? No! No! No!!” Aerith crossed her arms, holding her shoulders tight. Thick, hot tears stung her eyes, making her eyes glisten. One by one, they poured down her pale face. “No... This isn’t real... It’s just a dream...” she cried. “This can’t be happening to me! ... It can’t be...”

Aerith lied back on the bed and rolled on her side, facing the wall the bed lied against. Drawing her knees close to herself, she began to cry hard. “Mother! Father! ...It has to be a lie! I’m just in shock. That has to be it! It just has to be!”
All she wanted to do now was fall asleep. Praying that when she would wake up, there would be her parents smiling down at her...telling her it’s ok...that everything that has happened was nothing but a nightmare. During the sounds of her sorrow, she was interrupted by the sound of an animal’s cry.

She sat up and dried her tears even though her face remained damp. As slow as she felt, she shifted herself across the bed and swung her legs over to stand up. She walked across the room, down the steps and up to the window... Her leg didn’t hurt anymore. Somehow, it felt as good as new...
It was now night. She must have been out for a few hours or something. It was slightly difficult to see outside but there were lampposts to help. Looking out into the garden, she saw something white in front of the tall tree near the bottom of the stairs that she saw when she first awakened here. She leaned closer to the window, placing her hand on the glass. She squinted her eyes a little to focus better.
“--!!” “A dog is tied up to the tree by the neck! –No...It’s a wolf!”

It didn’t matter what it was. This animal needed help! She couldn’t allow the poor innocent creature to suffer! Immediately, Aerith charged outside to the rescue.
As she ran down the stairs, she could hear the wolf whimper in pain, shattering her heart even more. When she reached the bottom, she stopped running and reduced her pace to a slow walk, being careful in case if the wolf would try to warn her to go away by snarling or even bite her. She had never been up close to a wolf before. Instead of what Aerith had expected, he just lied there. She knelt down beside the wolf, shocked to the sight.

“Unforgivable! A thick wire attached to a metal pole is bound to the wolf’s neck!” Aerith was completely appalled. “You poor thing...!” she whispered to the wolf in sympathy. “Just hang in there. You're gonna be ok...”
Aerith traced her fingers along the wire through the fur to find the part that attached. Using whatever strength she had, she snapped the wire apart and the wolf instantly sat up. “Go, now. And don’t get caught this time.” She said gently to the wolf. He seemed to have enough strength to walk. Aerith kept her eyes on him as he walked past her while she stood up. The wolf stopped and looked back at the human who just saved him with deep blue eyes. Aerith had never seen a wolf with such eyes. She smiled to him kindly. “Go.” The wolf obeyed and walked away.
~*~

The cold wind began to blow. Aerith wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “A little cold for this time of year...” Her thoughts then wandered back to the wolf. “The poor wolf looked really hurt... I hope he’ll be alright. He seemed fine enough after I broke that wire off. Hopefully, he’ll have enough strength to run if someone ever tries to commit such cruelty again!” She took one last look around the garden before heading back to the stairs after feeling glad that the wolf, that could have died, was now all right. But that didn’t help her forget the depression pulsing inside her heart...

Her parents were gone...and she was stuck here...Why? She didn’t know. She didn’t really want to know but another part of her mind would obviously argue to that. Her only clue was the shadowed man from outside the car. If she was in a car crash and he found her, why didn’t she end up in a hospital or something if she was still alive? Wait... what if that man ‘did’ attempt to bring her to a hospital but someone objected and dealt with him?...
“You WILL be MINE, Aerith!” Either way...it was obvious that she had been kidnapped! Kidnapped. She couldn't believe it. She never liked the thought of it but never expected it to happen to her.

No. This wasn’t a movie or some kind of fantasy or anything. There was no need to be so stupid. She wasn’t some damsel in distress being harassed by some evil villain. Even at a time like this, she refused to call herself that! If she was, her knight in shining armor would have come to the rescue by now. And she hasn’t found anyone that would help her...yet, maybe? Heroes don’t come to the rescue in reality. And whether she like it or not, here in Gainsborough Castle full of nightmares, this was happening...for real. And no one will come to save her. The harsh reality made Aerith feel even more depressed. Aerith sobbed and cried a little again. Why did this have to happen to her? She never did anything wrong. She didn’t even know any of these people here! Why did she have to be taken here?
“You WILL be MINE, Aerith!” Those words haunted her.

Why? Why her? She wasn’t anything special or anything. She was just an ordinary girl living her life just like any other ordinary person would. Her life so far was definitely nothing more but the average. If anyone wanted her to “be his” (for a reason she would never understand), he would be pretty silly to pick her and would definitely fail to make a good impression taking her away clothes and placing her in a cage. Aerith then frowned at herself. Why was she thinking all of this anyway? She shouldn’t be wasting time like this! She should be concentrating on finding a way out of this godforsaken place!
~*~

As she walked up the stairs, she heard a creaking sound from afar. By the time she finished the first set of stairs, she turned her sight to her left, down the long pathway, where the sound was coming from. The locked door...it was now wide open! It faintly swung from side to side. The pathway was now open. She could now reach to the exit across the bridge and get out!
Realizing this, Aerith bolted down the pathway. She ran through the door, continuing on the path, never leaving her sight on the two large exit doors. She turned around the corner but the door’s features gave her the worst possible as she got closer...there was no door handles or anything. The door was sealed shut! “No!”

Approaching the door at an even faster pace, she repeatedly slammed her fists on the giant wood. “No! No! No!!” Every slam was very weak, almost pitiful. She gave up, resting her hands on the doors so not to bring any more damage to her fragile little hands. She sunk her head, falling to her knees and she cried again. “No! This isn't fair! I want to get out! I want to go home!” All there was on the door was a keyhole with beautiful patters surrounding it. There was definitely no way she could get out now. She didn’t have the key and she knew there was also no way she would ever find it to claim her freedom. The key could be anyway in a humongous place like this!

Aerith lightly pushed her hands against the doors to step backwards away from the exit, looking up to how high the doors were. Such a shame there wasn’t a way to climb over. It was useless. “I’m gonna have to find another way out...” she concluded. There was no point in sitting around and crying. She would have to do something if she wanted to escape. Thanks to the map from the cellar, she knew this place was bigger than she thought. There had to be more than one way to leave this big castle, right?

Aerith stood up dried her tears while trying to take in a few breaths. When she was done she turned back. She walked back across the tiny bridge. In front of her was another door, probably the main entrance door. She didn’t notice it before but that was obviously because of the angle of the long wall and the fact that she only paid attention to the damn locked exit. She stepped closer and turned the handle. “arg!!” It was locked as well, placing more barricades in the way of her hopes of escaping. Becoming more frustrated than ever, she kicked the door. This was all becoming absolutely ridiculous! If this was all just some kind of sick joke someone was playing on her, it wasn’t funny!

She felt as though everything was laughing at her. Something was definitely having fun tormenting her like this. She ran a hand underneath the hair that hung close to her face, rubbing her forehead to try and calm down. There was no use in becoming so worked up already. Aerith was always a patient woman and never had a short temper. She walked back up the pathway, through the door and headed back up the second set of stairs.
~*~

Despite the many attempts her mind tried to reassure her and cheer her up, Aerith couldn’t help but feel miserable, keeping her eyes closed to hide the sight of her prison. Never before had she felt so alone... Sure, she was used to being alone in her apartment back in Midgar...but being alone here was unbearable! What if she never found a way out? What if she was to die here? She returned to the guest room after climbing the second, mountain, set of stairs; flopping one foot in front of the other. She didn’t bother closing the door, since all she could focus in was the burning feeling inside. “sob” After she dried her tears and climbed up the three little steps and opened her eyes— “!!”

Debilitas was there sitting on the bed! Aerith fell back, landing on the floor from the surprise. He kicked his massive feet like a little child and then looked at her. “HIIII.....” he groaned, smiling and waving at her. Aerith faintly gasped as he stood up and faced her. “Please, don’t come any closer!”

He once again grinned at her and raised his arms, growling and laughing at her. He was now taunting her; he kept raising his arms up and down and roaring down at her. He growled louder than before, like a vicious creature ready to attack. Aerith shifted slightly, scared and unsure of what to do to. He growled again after an eerie moment of silence and swung his arms in front and behind him before throwing himself onto all fours, reflecting the frightened woman to raise her arm protectively. He crawled closer towards her, reaching a hand out to touch her soft bare thighs.

Aerith trembled and tried to crawl away to the steps beside her. But Debilitas stretched out his arm and grabbed her ankle! Aerith shrieked and fell flat on her face. She turned her body onto her back so she could ‘try’ to struggle and free herself from his tight grip. His massive hand actually covered a half of the bottom half of her leg. “Nooo!!” Aerith cried out louder as he chuckled roughly and pulled her towards him. “Let go!!” she begged. He failed to understand her desperate plead. Without thinking, she lifted her free leg and rammed her foot into his face!

Debilitas bawled out load to the sudden attack, letting go of her leg. While rubbing his face with both hands, Aerith got up on her feet but before she could even lift a foot to run, he quickly stood up and grabbed her wrist with a furious expression! Aerith screamed as her body was twisted back towards him. Grabbing onto her captured arm, she tried strenuously to free herself, struggling with all her might. “Please, let go of me!” cried Aerith. Debilitas wouldn’t listen. “HELP!!!”

Suddenly they both heard something barge in and growl ferociously. And the next thing they knew, something white and fast leaped in between them, breaking the two apart. Debilitas screamed in pain, Aerith opened her eyes after she fell to the floor and saw a wolf biting her attacker’s arm! The wolf let go and stood in front of Aerith, facing him in a threatening position. He growled and snapped up at him.

Blood trickled down Debilitas’ hand. Debilitas sulked and ran out of the room. Watching him take his take his drastic leave, Aerith got up from the floor and quickly grabbed the handle with both hands. She pulled the door towards her, instantly pressing her back against it after it clicked shut.
~*~

Aerith panted from the intense experience. She slowly lowered herself with her back rubbing against the door before she slumped to the floor. She sat there taking in the relief of safety. Sighing greatly, she opened her eyes to face the animal who just saved her. Yes, she knew where this wolf had come from. “Thank you. You saved me.” she breathed out.

The wolf stood there. Aerith noticed something. His eyes were not like a wolf’s at all...instead, they were a sapphire blue... and in the form of human eyes. Aerith didn’t really care, she believed they were beautiful eyes. A warm feeling was building inside, replacing the thought of the wolf’s odd feature. “He must have followed me here after I freed him...” More tears appeared in her eyes. This time, these were thin, delicate ones filled with joy. She smiled and reached out a hand to him before she spoke. “Come here... Come on, boy.”

Aerith’s smile brightened as the wolf approached and licked her palm lightly. One thin tear fell down her cheek. Aerith let out little gasps of excitement. It was an incredible feeling to have affection given from a wolf actually standing right in front of her. An actual wolf! Aerith sat up and bent her knees, resting herself over her feet to allow more room between herself and the wolf. She gently placed her hands on the sides of the wolf’s neck. He licked her face, removing the single tear that fell, earning another bright smile from her. “What’s your name?” she giggled. “Hmm... What to name a wolf...I wonder if he already has a name...” Wait...

--something white and fierce leaped over her from underneath the table!

...the collar... “Cloud?” Aerith smiled once again. It was a wolf in the dungeon. Strange that a wolf would be given a collar but what did that matter? “So your name is Cloud!” ‘Cloud’ rubbed the long side of him against her and then moved to sit in front of her. Not losing her happy expression, she rested her hands on the floor, raising her shoulders a little and tilted her head slightly. “Well hi, Cloud! I’m Aerith. Nice to meet you.” Aerith laughed a little. Cloud sat there, looking at her with obedience shown in sight. Aerith smiled sweetly. She knew this wolf was now going to remain by her side and this was a wonderful fact of reality.
~*~

Oh, I'm doing fine, thanks for asking! Really, reading this made me feel eager to see the next chapters. The mystery is, of course, what draws me in further.

Yay for Cloud! It's so like Aerith to help animals, even a wolf! I'm sure she won't feel quite as alone now that she's got a good friend to help her. I liked it when he came to Aerith's rescue! Even as a wolf he's sweet.

I'm not so much of a Tifa fan myself, though I hope that she'll demonstrate some of Tifa's traits. Apart from being in love with Cloud. We get enough of that elsewhere.

Come to think about it, what did Hojo do? Just put Aerith back in bed? :ermm: The reason she could heal so quickly was either her own powers or his doing. I'm not sure about Fiona, but Aerith was definitely able to use healing magic.

Just a general question here, Clorith88. Would you consider this story more of a Haunting Ground story or an FF7 one? As I would say on ff.net, update soon!

yw ^_^

well on the hg game, after fiona faints, the nxt scene starts like the way this story has, so we have no idea what happens while aerith (fiona) was out...makes u wander tho

well, this story is mostly hg based but it will contain ff7 elements...since the title is called "hg, the cetra azoth"

unfortunatly, the answers get revealed 3/4 thru the story...in the meantime we will only get clues...including the strange role 4 tifa...
this is still just the beginning 4 aerith...the worst is still 2 come...

the nxt chptr will b slow 4 the updating story.
the chptrs were actually longer so 2 save room i split them up, so this if u wanna kno y the nxt is slow...there u go

Chapter Four: Looking Back
Well, maybe there are those who do come to the rescue after all. Sure, he wasn’t human but who cares? This wolf made her feel a lot better than imaginary knights. Still sitting on the floor, Aerith looked at the door behind her. She planned on going back through this door to find another way out but thought it would be best if she waited for a while with her new companion. She could run back into Debilitas if she started her search already and he obviously won’t be very happy the next time he sees them.

So for now, she would wait until she felt sure enough that it felt safe to go on. Aerith took this time to observe Cloud. She noticed he was a little big for the average size of a wolf. She felt as though there was something very familiar about him and his human eyes were giving her a strong feeling why... The colour of his eyes...she noticed that his fur had actually a pale yellow colour, almost flaxen. She didn’t notice before but that was probably because it was either too dark to see or he was too fast to notice. The wolf gave her a feeling inside...like someone she...his name... This wolf reminded her of...

...Cloud Strife...

~*~

Little five year old Aerith was exited about going to the the park, she had never been to it before since she and her parents recently moved to the small town of Nibelheim. She couldn't wait to meet the other children who were bound to be there. She even jumped up and down with excitement; her parents laughed and her mother had to restrain her a little. On that day, her mother dressed her in a turquoise dress that matched her emerald green eyes very well. She had a lighter green ribbon wrapping around her middle with a cute bow at the back. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail with a turquoise ribbon.

Aerith looked forward to making new friends when she saw all the children play. After short while, she grew more comfortable and she hugged her parents and them a kiss on the cheek each ran off to play. Aerith faced the children with a big smile on her face, ready to make a good impression amongst them. But before she stepped forward, she spotted someone sitting one a swing all alone at the far back.

A boy about her age was looking down at the ground. He had tiny, adorable spikes in his blonde hair. He looked so sad and lonely. Everyone else seemed oblivious to even VERY his existence. Aerith ignored everyone and walked straight up to him. The boy didn’t notice her coming, drawn his own world. When she stood next to him, she placed her hands behind her back and smiled ever so sweetly. “Hello.”

The boy snapped out of his thoughts and faced her. He stared at her, wide-eyed with his deep sapphire blue eyes. He looked surprised so it took a while for him to respond. “H-hello...” he stuttered with a faint blush on his cheeks. A shy one, Aerith noted. “Are you okay? You look lonely.” she said. He still had difficulty trying to find words. “Uhh...” “What’s your name? I’m Aerith.”
The boy blinked. “C-Cloud.” Aerith held her hands in front of her and gave him another bright smile. “I like your name! Do you wanna play with me?” Cloud’s eyes instantly shone to her words. A cute smile slowly replaced his sad features. “Y-...yeah...” Aerith smiled and hopped onto the swing next to his. “I bet I can swing higher than you!” Cloud smiled a little and accepted her challenge.
~*~

Aerith looked up at the ceiling as her thoughts wandered to the little boy she used to play with. The poor thing, she was his only friend. He told her once that his mother was killed by someone, leaving him all alone in the world, but a man found him and took him in. When she asked about his father, Cloud only said he didn’t know if he even had a father.

He had such a hard time making friends. He was often bullied by the other children. His “master” (as Cloud usually called him) rarely let him play outside anyway...in public areas, that is. He only trusted Aerith to talk to about his problems. Despite his cold behavior around others and way he could get into a fight with the other children who tried to start with him at the drop of a hat, Cloud was the complete opposite with Aerith, especially when he became more comfortable with her.

The two became close friends quickly. Aerith smiled to the memories of the way they would always play together...but she frowned again after looking back at the memory of when she saw him for the last time. It was almost a year and a half after she met him...
~*~

Aerith and Cloud were at the park playing together in the sandpit, building sandcastles (though it was more like small sand hills), laughing and having fun. After a while, Aerith notice Cloud looking tense. “You okay?” she asked after she blinked. Before Cloud responded, he almost blushed. This only made Aerith’s curiosity grow even more. The nervous boy reached into his pocket and took out a small wooden box with beautiful patterns that was just as big as the palm of his hand.

Aerith smiled when she saw it. “Wow! It’s pretty! Is it a treasure box?” Cloud opened it and took out a dark brown choker with a tiny blue crystal. Sure, it was plain and a little dull looking, but through Aerith’s young mind, it was very beautiful.

Aerith held onto the jewel of the choker on her neck.

[I]He looked up at Aerith with a bashful smile. “This was my mom’s. It’s all I have left of her...but I want you to have it.” Aerith gasped. “But-...I can’t take it. It must be ‘valooble’ to you!” (A/N: “valuable”)

Aerith liked picking up words from her parents when she was younger. But it got her into trouble sometimes; but not as much as her father sometimes.

Her childhood friend handed it to her and continued. “I know, but you’re my best friend. I want to see you wear it when we grow up...But be careful with it...” This time, it was Aerith’s turn to give a bashful smile with a faint blush. She leaned closer to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek which made his face burn red. [/I]

Aerith chuckled to the memory of both her action and his reaction.

Aerith held the choker close to herself. “Thank you, Cloud! I promise I’ll take good care of it!” Cloud smiled at her after he removed his hand from his cheek and nodded in approval. Aerith giggled and then tried to put it on, but it was too big for her tiny neck. The two laughed at her attempt.

Just then, outside the park, Cloud and Aerith saw her parents park their car nearby. It seemed to have their belongings inside. Her mother quickly came out with a worried look on her face and rushed towards Aerith. “What’s wrong, Mommy?” “Come on, Honey, we need to go!” Ifalna said before picking her up. Aerith looked back at Cloud. “But what about Cloud?” “I’m sorry Aerith but we have to leave!” “Leave!?”

Aerith held the choker in her hand tight and could see Cloud following them, also wanting to know what was going on. Ifalna sat Aerith in the back seat of the car and set up her seatbelt. Even Gast had a panicked look on his face as well as an apologetic one towards his daughter. “Can’t I say goodbye to Cloud?” Ifalna got into her seat and set up her own seatbelt. “I’m afraid there’s no time, Sweetheart.” answered Gast. “We can’t ever come back!”

Aerith couldn’t believe what was happening. She looked outside the window and there was Cloud still following them. Was she never to see her best friend again? The car began to drive off and Cloud ran after them. “Wait!” he cried. Aerith undid her seatbelt and looked out of the back window and watched her friend. “Aerith! Put your seatbelt back on!” Ifalna turned to Aerith, trying to turn her back onto the seat properly.
Tears appeared in Aerith's eyes as she cried out her goodbyes but knew Cloud wouldn’t be able to hear her. Gast and Ifalna felt terrible for what they were doing but knew it was for the best. Gradually, they were out of sight and Cloud was standing alone on the middle of the road...
~*~

Even today, Aerith was still unsure of why they had to leave like that. Sure, they often moved a lot but never had it been as sudden as that. When they stopped to stay at a hotel for the night, her parents held her close together and apologized greatly. Ifalna even cried for separating her child from her best friend. They told her that there was something dangerous in the little town and they had to leave immediately.
They didn’t tell her exactly what was so dangerous that they had to leave but Aerith could see by the look in their eyes that they were telling the truth and questioned no further.

She forgave her parents but she still felt sad for losing her friend. At such a young age he suffered great sorrow. She wanted to be there for him forever to replace those feelings with joy and happiness. By now, Cloud has obviously grown up and she hoped that he was able to make friends and remain happy. Sometimes, when she would look back, she wandered if there was a way to contact him but Nibelheim was basically a little town that very rare would pay attention to. Very hard to contact.

Her family moved there to get away from the monstrosities of the big city they last lived in. But Aerith was sure there was no need to worry so much about the little boy she knew twelve years ago, he probably forgot about her anyway. But Aerith still kept her promise of taking extra care of his mother’s choker. She was happy when it finally became a perfect fit for her neck. She usually kept it safe in her jewellery box,
While she got dressed for the trip, she went through her jewellery box and spotted it. She couldn’t resist and chose to wear it.
~*~

Aerith looked at Cloud. It was such a coincidence that she would come across a wolf that had the same name and eye colour. Throughout the time she was thinking to herself she noticed the wolf was looking impatient, waiting for her to do something. She giggled and stood up. “Sorry, Cloudie.” She liked saying “Cloudie”; it sounded so cute. Aerith gently scratched the back of his ear and Cloud tilted his head to the comfort. “I’m sure it’s ok to go ahead now...”

She opened the door and two stepped into the staircase. Aerith's and Cloud's search now began...
~*~

I was a little surprised to find that Aerith already knew Cloud before this. Plus, they were so sweet as kids (if this was Avatar, the choker would be like an engagement ring!). I guess later on we'll be learning about how he ended up in the castle as well.

Geez, the whole place is booby-trapped! Scary... Especially the part with the maid and the mysterious thing in the pan. As for the phone call... I'd say that it's Sephiroth, but I can't get over the saliva sound.

I don't have much to say this time except update soon!

hello again schala!

i was wondering would chapter 4 b ok, i actually made up the aerith and cloud childhood scene(s) 4 a kh story i had in mind a few yrs ago but busy school work held me behind...but i thought i could use them 4 this ^_^

cute comment about the choker engagement thing, imagine those 2 proposing at their age lol

i kno, i kno, 4give me about the saliva sound thing, even i dont like it >_<
but l8r on we'll c somethign that'll make us sephiroth fans feel much better with (shame thats a while 2 go)

by the way, ive decided 2 save room 4 this long story,
with some stories we have act 1, chapter/scene blah blah blah, so im gonna have different topics that'll b seperated by acts

so from prologue-chapter 4 is act i (as it says up top since i edited it, phew act i done already yay! lol)

so...onto act ii, chapter 5 and 6