Sleepless Night
Cloud sat alone in his bedroom of the house they where staying in, cold sweat flowing down his forehead like a waterfall. He was brooding over a weird dream he had, a dream that seemed so real, and yet was so unreal that it had to be just a dream.
The dream had been of him standing in a river, holding Aeris, who had a bloody hole in her stomach, and he was crying, crying like he'd never cried before. She was dead, he had known in his dream, and it had torn him apart. He felt the darkness clutch his heart like a vice, and crush it into dust within him. That's when he awoke, his blue eyes snapping open, and his body throwing itself into a sitting position on the four-poster.
"It was... just a dream". He whispered into the air as he tried to regain his composure, "It was just a dream".
But he knew in the back of his mind that this 'dream' he'd just had was too vivid to be 'just a dream'. But the thing that startled him was that the flower girl was just across the hall, probably sleeping peacefully with a gentle smile on her face. He settled back down, laying his spiky head onto the pillow, and closed his eyes, hoping to fall back asleep, but sleep just wouldn't take him.
He slowly opened his eyes again, and sat up, thinking that maybe a drink of water or something would help. He got up, and left his room and headed to the kitchen. As he rounded the corned, he caught the scent of tea drifting through the air, and a gentle breeze stirred his pajamas. As he looked around, he saw that Aeris was standing out on the deck, and the sliding door was open just a little, letting in the smell of Aeris' aromatic tea. He walked to the door, and opened it as quietly as he could, but the flower girl heard him, and without turning around she said, "Couldn't sleep Cloud?" He just walked up beside her, and nodded affirmatively, resting his hands on the railing.
"What's wrong, are you having bad dreams again?" She asked kindly, reaching out to rest a fragile hand upon his.
"Yeah…" Cloud said, gazing out into the star lit sky.
"What was it this time?" She questioned him, her tone of concern and comfort.
"I dreamed… that you had… died. That I was holding you in some river, and you had a wound in your stomach… It seemed so… real." He replied faltering in his words, as he didn't like saying them thinking that it might happen if he did.
Aeris stayed quite a moment, glancing up at the stars, her hand clasping his gently in a reassuring manner. She sipped her tea, and then turned her emerald gaze on him and spoke.
"I too have had that dream. It seemed like it had happened before… in another life…" She commented, in an almost whisper, as she looked up at him.
They stood in silence for a moment, and then Aeris moved closer to Cloud.
"It's a beautiful night here in Radiant Garden, with the stars and the moon… Isn't it Cloud?" She asked.
Cloud stood for a second, looking out at the inky black expanse, dotted with its billions of little pinpricks of light. Then he nodded slowly.
"Come… Let me fix you some tea. It'll help settle your mind." She said, taking his hand, and giving it a soft tug, leading him to sit at the dining room table.
She went into the kitchen, and after a few minutes, returned with a steaming mug of tea, placing it in front of him and smiled, settling next to him.
He reached out, and took a sip of the tea, and nearly spit it out, for it was incredibly sweet. He managed not to show this to Aeris, and bravely drank it not wanting to hurt her feelings, knowing that this is how she made her own.
After finishing their drinks in silence, Aeris wished Cloud good night, and gave him a gentle hug, leaving him in the semi-darkness with a smile. He sat for a moment longer, and then left to his room, feeling that tonight had really told him something: that actions really do speak louder than words. As he got back into bed, he contemplated what Aeris had meant by 'in another life'. Soon his eyes closed, and he fell into a dreamless sleep.
END