'Aerith, there it is. Our Golden Shiny Wire of Hope...'

The revving of a motorcycle slowly begins to cease, as 'The Final Fantasy' Seymour Almasy slows his motorcycle to a stop. Behind him, Aerith Heartilly has a deathgrip around Seymour's waist, her nails digging into his midsection out of fear from the speedy ride on the cycle. Almasy winces noticeably, as he looks behind him at Aerith, and puts down the kickstand.

Seymour Almasy: Aerith, we've stopped moving, you can stop driving your nails into me! You're going to draw blood!

Aerith looks down, and quickly pulls her nails out of Seymour. She looks at him apologetically.

Aerith Heartilly: I'm so sorry! I didn't realize.......although, you COULD have gone much slower, you know!

Seymour Almasy: Not if we wanted to get here in fifteen minutes! We have a job to do, remember?

Aerith Heartilly: I know, I know........I'm just still nervous.

Seymour Almasy: You can back out anytime you want, you know...

Aerith looks at him, as if insulted by the prior statement.

Aerith Heartilly: No way! I'd never forgive myself if I let someone I lo--

She catches herself....

Aerith Heartilly: --care about go into a dangerous situation like this! Just the same, I'd rather you go up first...

Seymour nods.

Seymour Almasy: Right then! This is our story....and now we take it up the Golden Shiny Wire of Hope!

Seymour smiles, and with his deceptive upper body strength, begins climbing up the wire, using only his arms. As she watches the impressive display, Aerith takes a moment to sit on the ground. With the poverty of the 'Sector 7' Slums all around her, she takes a moment to reflect. Judging The Final Fantasy to be far enough up the long wire/rope, she speaks her thoughts out loud.

Aerith Heartilly: I love him. But, how am I supposed to tell him that? He has no perception of reality. And, beyond kissing, romance really isn't very vivid in role-playing games.

The women sighs. It is clear that she does not share the same mental afflictions as Seymour. While she IS quite naive, it is rather obvious at times that she plays along with 'The Final Fantasy'.

Aerith Heartilly: It's sad, really. He's such a nice kid..it's really sad what happened to him. To such a young child....

Aerith slowly begins to fade, her body falling to the ground. Her eyes close, heavy with the weight of sleep. Slowly, her world changes, into a dream of what used to be...and a dream of what she wishes could be.

-FLASHBACK-

Man: Brian, are you ready?

Brian: Yeah, Dad! What are we going to play today?

Dad: I got us a new one! Legend of Zelda II......it looks like it's going to be awesome!

'Brian' leans in and hugs his father. As this is going out, Aerith's subconsious is speaking, narrating to her what she already knows.

Aerith Heartilly: Before he became Seymour....he was Brian.....the boy I had a crush on from the age of three....he lived next door to me, and he was such a sweetheart..

A knock is heard at the door.

Dad: Brian, you go get it.

Brian: Right dad!

Brian goes over to the door, and throws it open. A young girl, wearing a blue outfit steps inside, greeting everyone.

Girl: Hi Brian! Hi Brian's Dad

Brian's Dad: Hello there, Laura! Here to play with Brian?

Aerith Heartilly: Laura....that is my name. I still remember it, and use it when I'm not with Bri--Seymour..

Laura: Yeah!

Brian's Dad: Have fun with Laura, Brian. We'll play our game later,

Tenderly taking Laura's hand, Brian leads her up the stairs, to his room. A Nintendo Entertainment System, otherwise known as the NES sits in his room, with The Legend of Zelda videogame cartridge sitting in it. He has drawings of black mages, Zelda, Ganon, and other assorted characters in a place of honor, a bulletin board above his bed.

Laura: So, I see you still like your games?

Brian: Of course! Daddy got a new one later today!

Laura: Kindergarten's going good! I know what I want to be when I grow up!

Brian: Oooh! What?

Laura: I want to be a teacher, just like Mrs. Rell!

Brian: I know what I want to be too!

Laura: What, Brian?

Brian: I want to be a hero.....a hero like Link. I want to have a sword! I want to be able to destroy baddie Dodongos with a boomerang! I want to have a bow and arrow to kill bad guys! I want to fight Wizrobes and rescue a princess! I want people to love me!

Aerith Heartilly: Even back then.....he wanted to be a hero. He wanted to save people....he wanted to fight against all odds. He wanted to love, and be loved. Of course, at the age of five....you're almost expected to have a frivolous job. Some of my friends wanted to be hairdressers, a few boys wanted to run the ice cream truck, be a mountain climber, or even a hot dog salesman. Yet, that always changes, as people get older, they take into account things like money and living conditions, and choose a more acceptable job. But not me, I always wanted to be a teacher...and Brian? He always wanted to be a hero. Always. Then....up until that day. The one day when he was thirteen...

Downstairs, on the Super Nintendo, Brian sits, playing Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on his brand new game system he recieved for Christmas the year before. Just as he raises the Master Sword for the first time, however, the policeman arriving at the door will change his life forever..

Policeman: May I please speak to your mother?

Brian has no idea what is about to come...as he nods to the officer, and gets his mother. He instantly knows something is wrong as his mother comes back inside the home, crying her eyes out. Brian goes to hug her, questioning what happened. The mother sadly tells her son the news. Still, he does not cry, he merely runs up to his room, talking to himself.

Brian: Don't worry mom! I'll save him!

Aerith Heartilly: He tried.....Yev--God bless him, he tried.....

Brian reaches into his pillow, and begins to pull out feathers from it. He stuffs these into his pocket...as the scene fades to the viewing. As a line of grieving relatives pass by the casket of Brian's dad, the relatives gaps, as young Brian pulls a pair of feathers out of his pocket, dramatically drops them on his father's body, and screams out....

Brian: PHOENIX DOWN!

Aerith Heartilly: Poor Brian was so naive....he had no comprehension of the real world. In all of his playing games with his father, Dad had forgotten to mention somewhere along the line that they weren't real. To Brian, these games were representations of far off lands he fully intended to visit and protect one day. Whenever hurt, he always asked his parents for a Potion....due to their busy schedule, Brian's mother and father left him to the games, which acted as a kind of babysitter. Most children learn the difference between fantasy and reality at an early age. Brian never did, which is why he was attempting to use feathers from inside his pillow to bring his father back from the dead.

Brian begins sobbing, seeing the Pheonix Downs are not working. He throws every feather he has, before collapsing to the ground, in deep sobs.

Brian: FATHER!

Brian's mother, sensing his panic, leads him by the hand out of the room, allowing the somber occasion to continue..

Aerith Heartilly: Brian's mother found out why he threw the feathers, and immediately launched a lawsuit against Squaresoft and Nintendo that was thrown out of a court instantly. Still, it is rumored that this incident inspired Square to change Phoenix Downs from curing Death, to merely curing a 'KO' status. Brian's mother did not allow him to watch the funeral, out of fear he would ruin the moment. But, in doing so, she did him a severe disturbance. Brian still had no comprehension of death....and he would not get it until he was in his mid-teen years...at the hands of a game for PlayStation named Final Fantasy VII. It was the first of these 'RPG' games I had every played....because Brian recommended it to me. I came in to see him one day. I had already beaten the game, but I walked in, and he was not playing as I expected. Rather, he was on the ground, sobbing as he did on the day his father died.

Laura: Brian, what's wrong?

Brian: Aeris.......died. In my game. Sephiroth killed her, and Cloud set her to rest in a pond.....Laura, is that what happened to my father?

Aerith Heartilly:: How do you answer that question? How can you possibly help someone whose own MOTHER refused to let her son see the gravestone of his own father. It was the most cruel thing I had ever heard of in my life...to see someone I loved be treated as if he were a freak. His mother had given up on him, she was a proud conformist, someone who had spent her entire lift trying to fit in....so I guess she saw Brian as a threat. She sent him off to live with his grandfather in New York, but before he went, I had to show him where his father was.

A car bounces along a long gravel road, leading up to a cemetery. The car pulls to a stop, as Laura gets out, and leads Brian to his father's gravesite.

Laura: Brian.....this is where your father is. He's buried here.

Suddenly, Brian's mind recalls a similar occurrence in an RPG, and speaks, in a small voice.

Brian: You mean, like General Leo?

Laura: Yes Brian, like General Leo..

Aerith Heartilly: A day later, Brian's mother packed up his video game systems and drawings, and shipped them off to Manhattan. I gave him my contact information, and, through phone or the new Instant Message technology, we talked everyday. Brian's grandfather took a different approach than his mother. Rather than shun his obsession, he fed it, with hopes of teaching him what he had to know in life through RPG analogies. The day Brian arrived, Grandpa greeted him at the door, dressed up as Cid from Final Fantasy VII.

Cid: Hey there kid! How would you like some )*^^(&^#&( TEA?!

Aerith Heartilly: With that, Brian became 'Cid's' son. Cid taught him about concepts like driving through Final Fantasy 7. While Brian did not attend school from that day, he learned an excellent vocabulary from his videogames. Lessons were taught to him under the learning tree of role-playing. From being Cloud, he learned pain and misery. From Squall, he learned isolation and loneliness. From Zidane, he learned tenacity. From Tidus, he learned courage. From Barrett......well, he finally learned those four letter words most other children know at the age of ten and use with Barrett like frequency. 'Cid's' immersion program had worked for the most part. However, he failed to take one important piece of information into account. Brian had no concept of reality. And thus, Brian finally percieved his world as the world of RPGs. The line between fantasy and reality had completely disappeared. Fantasy became his true reality. Looking back, I almost shudder to think how much time he played those games.....God, it has to be over 8000 hours. His grandfather was quite wealthy, and could afford to get game systems and new video games for his grandson. He's played games from Nintendo all the way up to GameCube. Heck, he imported games from Japan! Seymour's fluent in Japanese now. I always used to wonder why Cid drove Brian this far over the edge...but now I know. It's better for Seymour to believe he lives in a fantasy world, then to be torn halfway between fantasy and reality. One day, Cid told Brian his training was complete. But, as he told his grandfather, Brian had ceased to be Brian. At the age of 22.....on January 1st, 2002, Cid was ready to send Brian out into the world.

Cid: Brian.....there is no more that I can teach you. You have learned all of your lessons well. It is time for you to go out into the world, and initiate your own quest. The world is yours to explore now.

Brian: Thank you Cid......but I am no longer Brian. I have come to a conclusion.

Cid: Hmm?

Brian: I am no longer Brian Wilson. I've decided....that henceforth, I am Seymour Almasy.

Cid: In that case, Seymour Almasy, I wish you godspeed.

As the new Seymour walks off, carrying all of his worldly possessions on his back. The second Seymour is out of sight, Cid immediately goes to his telephone. He reaches up, and dials a number. On the other end of the line, at the University of Delaware, Laura, now a senior, picks up the phone.

Laura: Hello.......who is this?

Cid: Laura....this is Brian's grandfather. Please listen carefully....Brian's life is on the line.

Laura: Why? What happened?!

Cid: He left out into the world......he refused to accept money or anything from me. You are the only person that can help him.

Laura: Why me?

Cid: Because.......he loves you.

Laura: He does?!

Aerith Heartilly: It was all I could do to keep from melting on the spot...

Cid: Yes, he does. Now listen carefully. He has changed his name to Seymour Almasy. He needs help desperately. I will pay for anything you two will ever need.

Laura: You want me to leave college?

Cid: Yes, Laura. He needs someone with a perception on the real world to help him. He needs someone to love. Although...you'll probably have to teach him a bit more about that..

On the other end of the phone, Laura grins...

Cid: He's living in Manhattan now, he went to the shack he built. He thinks it is the Sector 7 Slums from Final Fantasy VII. I need you to go there and get him. I have a house ready for you two on a beach. You will have to change your name though..you have to make him think you are joining him on his quest.

Laura: I see....in that case...I will be....Aerith.....Aerith Heartilly.

Cid: Good luck, Aerith. Please....save the one thing I have left to care about. Save my grandson.

Aerith Heartilly: How could I refuse? Brian's grandfather was worried sick, and Brian needed my help. No, it was more than the fact that he needed my help. The words 'Because......he loves you.' were reverberating in my mind, over and over. I had a childhood crush on him for years, largely because we were neighbors. But, how it felt to have someone say he loved me.......mmmmm.....I had to find out. And, I knew that, whether in a romantic connection or not, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. And so, Laura was swallowed up inside me that day....and I became Aerith Heartilly. I immediately went to the hairdresser, and had my hair done up like Aerith's, with a white marble to resemble her materia. I found a pretty pink dress, and put together the outfit. I still remembered the tears Brian shed when Aerith died in FFVII.....I hoped I could get an emotional reaction out of Seymour now. I knocked on the door of what I thought was a shack, but in actuality, was a gateway. A gateway.....to my Final Fantasy. He saw me, and at first, he really did think I was Aerith..

*Knock Knock*

Seymour slowly opens the door to his shack. His eyes begin to light up, as he sees Laura in front of him. However, he does not connect her as Laura....he sees Aerith Gainsborough in front of him, and reacts accordingly.

Seymour Almasy: Aer--Aer--AERITH?! You're alive?! How?!

Aerith Heartilly: Well, I'm not exactly Aerith...

Suddenly, the sparkle of recognition appears in his eyes....

Seymour Almasy: Laura?

Unable to control herself, she steps forward, embracing her childhood friend. He ponders what to do for a second, before cautiously wrapping his own arms around
her.

Seymour Almasy: What are you doing here? I thought you were off in college!

Laura: Well, I was......but then I decided....I want to go on your journey with you?

Seymour Almasy: Really? That would be wonderful! It would be great to have company....and not have to journey alone....It's been quite lonely here in the Sector 7 Slums. Where do you live now, anyway?

Laura: Well, I have a place down by Costa Del Sol..if you'd like to see it...

Seymour Almasy: Of course I would! It's the beach! Much nicer than here!

Aerith Heartilly: And so.....I took him back to the beach house in the car. It was on Long Island....but I drove slowly, to simulate the time it would take to reach Costa Del Sol from Midgar. I took him inside....and we began discussing what to do with ourselves. I managed to convince him into professional wrestling, under the guise of the Battle Arena...and telling him he would get to fight lots of bosses. I didn't like having to mislead him.....but I knew professional wrestling would be a good calling for him, because it would be a business for him in which his fantasies would be considered his 'character'......not the person whom he actually is. My biggest fear would be for people to laugh at him..mock him. It's not his fault he is what he is. His mother gave up on him...and his grandfather used his problem to try and help him. No one tried to cure him. Seymour Almasy is a product of his upbringing. This is the only business that can help him.....the only thing, besides me. Soon, he faces the toughest test of his young wrestling career....the 'Panzer WEAPON', Jack Panzer. A former member of CCW. A current member of Global Wrestling, and a dangerous foe. Can Seymour defeat him? I certainly hope so. For, Seymour is living his dream. He steps in the arena to battle the toughest bosses he can. He will fight until defeated. Panzer....know this....for years.....Seymour has been my only fantasy.....but for you, he shall be your Final Fantasy...

Seymour's voice comes, from the distance..

Seymour Almasy: Aerith? Aerith! Are you okay?

Aerith Heartilly: I will be......now.....

Aerith slowly begins to come to. She smiles as her eyes flutter open, for she finds herself in Almasy's arms. Seymour, apparently spotting Aerith unconsious on the floor, has descended the Golden Shiny Wire of Hope, and has come to check on her.

Seymour Almasy: What happened? I thought you were right behind me!

Aerith Heartilly: I don't know....I felt faint.....and collapsed.

Seymour Almasy: Well, it's okay now. I'm here..

In her mind, Aerith knows he has no idea how okay it is.....but, more importantly, how okay she wishes it to be in the future. Rather than speak, she just smiles, and throws her arms around Seymour.

Aerith Heartilly: I'm fine.....but time is running out, Seymour! We have to get to the Shinra Headquarters, and then get the Ultima Weapon!

Seymour Almasy: I've been thinking.....I don't need the Ultima Weapon just yet. We may need it later in our quest for the Golden Turnbuckle....but for now, I feel quite strong. Once we figure out what is going on with Shinra, I shall be levelled up sufficiently to defeat Panzer WEAPON on my own, with the Apocalypse Masamune!

He removes his sword from its scabbard, and swings the blade around, taking care NOT to cut the Golden Shiny Wire of Hope.

Seymour Almasy: Panzer WEAPON, once ShinRa has fallen, I am coming for you! You may have powerful attacks! You may have magic! But I shall defeat you regardless.....for the power of determination, heart, and courage triumph over the most evil of fiends! You have been booked on a one way ticket to the Farplane, Panzer! Not even the might of Yevon can save you now! Now, we've got one slight problem....

Aerith Heartilly: What would that be, Seymour?

Seymour Almasy: Getting away from those Midgar Police before they catch us.

Midgar Policeman: YOU! You're the one who took out Shane! GET HIM!

Seymour Almasy: This isn't good! HERE THEY COME.....

Seymour and Aerith drop into fighting stances.....

TO BE CONTINUED!