Chapter 3
The party woke early, to find that Vincent had left. Cid told the group that Vincent had sounded a little preoccupied last night, and did not go to sleep. Yuffie looked shocked at the fact that he didn't sleep, and seemed to be out still. She grimaced when Cid told her that Vincent slept very little, even when he did.
"Two or three hours of sleep, and he is awake, and rested. I don't know how he does it."
"It is a little creepy," said Tifa, who shivered at the thought of only needing two hours of sleep. She liked sleeping…
"But, he is just a night person, that's all," Yuffie added. " I think it makes sense, having found him in a coffin in a run down and condemned building… No light in there… He just got used to perpetual nighttime. I personally find it a little interesting…" she let the sentence drop, before she finished it.
Cid looked at her, and shook his head.
"You like that? How could you? He scares the crap out of me, when he fights with us against the monsters on this ridiculous planet! It's like having a monster with us all the time… Now don't get me wrong…" he never finished the sentence, because Yuffie put her fist into his face.
He jerked back, and lost his balance, but managed to recover before he fell, then he turned to Yuffie and shouted, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR? FER CRHIST SAKES! WHY?"
"Don't talk about people like that. I don't care who they are. Vincent is as close to being a monster as you are of getting in my pants! I don't want to hear you talk about anyone on this team like that again, understood?" Yuffie glared at Cid with a look that would make a bold man cry.
"GOD DAMNIT! YOU DIDN'T LET ME FINISH WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT COMPARISON? YOU MEAN YOU DON'T LIKE ME?" He took a moment to calm himself and continued, "Shit, and I thought I had a chance… Well I can't say as I blame you, I can make a right ass of myself… I'm sorry Yuffie." He looked down into her face, and shook his head.
Yuffie looked just as startled that those words had come out of his mouth as the rest of them. She stared into his grey-blue eyes and saw a different Cid than she had ever seen.
"You mean it don't you Cid? Oh! You're bleeding!" She pointed her finger at a small trickle of blood running down the pilot's face. She reached into the pocket of her denim shorts and drew out a tissue, which she wiped the drip up with, and then threw into the trash.
"This is getting weird," she said, sitting down and staring at the ceiling.
"It's just that we've been cooped up in this place for months… I dislike it as much as the rest of you," said Tiffa, who patted Yuffie on the shoulder.
"I am starting to really wonder about us…" Yuffie said, looking at the group.
Cloud looked at her and shook his head.
"This group was not formed to do nothing, Yuffie. I know that I at least have something I need to finish here before I die…" Cloud looked serious, and shook his head again. He looked at the rest of the party, and then glanced at Cid. "Did he say when he would get back?"
"Didn't know he was leaving. All I know is that he said he wasn't going to sleep last night. What do you think about leaving without him?"
"No! We can't leave without him… If you do, I stay too…" said Yuffie, stomping her foot, and looking at Cid.
"Well then what do you propose to do… if he isn't here by 3:00 today, we leave without him…" Cid persisted.
"Fine, but I stay… I don't want to leave him behind."
"Suit yourself sweet stuff, but we will leave without you too…"
"Stop being such a bastard! I don't want to leave without him because he is an important member of our team! He makes it easier to get around… He also has helpful advice when we are stuck," Yuffie said.
"That's it! We aren't leaving without everyone! We will wait for Vincent to get back. If that means forever then we will wait forever! Don't argue!" shouted Cloud, who startled everyone. He almost never yelled, and that made this time even more effective. Yuffie and Cid both gaped at him, Aeris jumped about a foot into the air, and Barret shot off a few shots involuntarily. Tifa merely nodded, as if she had expected him to break.
"Tsk, tsk Cloud! Not so much yelling. You shouldn't talk to your friends like that!" she said, looking at him and shaking her head so that her long brown hair swung back and forth.
Cloud looked at her, and looked away. He shook his head, and said,
"I am not sure what just happened. I am sorry."
"It's okay, just don't yell. You frightened poor Aeris half to death doing it. You okay honey?" She looked at Aeris, who had a hand over her heart, and was breathing fast. She looked at Tifa, and nodded without speaking.
"You sure? Did Cloud scare you?"
Aeris' eyes went wide, and she shook her head.
"Vincent," she said on a whisper.
"What about him?" asked Barret, who gave a worried glance at the young woman.
"He… He… He is trapped! I don't know… I don't get it… He's in a shield cell… Not able to get out… Lost… I just don't know." She began to tremble violently, threatening to fall from the motion. Cloud jumped up, and in a completely un-Cloud like action, grasped Aeris' arm to keep her from falling. Concern was etched into every line on his face. He looked her in the eyes, and asked gently,
"Don't know what Aeris…? Are you okay?" He held her like that for a moment longer, and then noticed that she had stopped shaking. He let her go, and she looked at him, and shook her head.
"He was… talking to me… I did not understand him… He kept saying something, and I couldn't understand…." She started to shake again, but this time she cried, and shook her head quickly back and forth. Cloud's concern deepened as he watched this, and he stood close, in case she fell.
"Is that what you don't know? Is this what is hurting you now?" he said even more softly than the last time. His eyes had the faint hint of mist in them, as if he might cry too, but he kept them back. He put his hand on Aeris' shoulder, and looked her in the eyes again.
"Tell me… Is this what pains you? Is this the thing that makes you cry, and shake so?" He desperately wanted to know, but he did not let that show on his face. He needed to know.
Aeris nodded, and fell forward, her knees giving way entirely. Cloud grabbed her around her middle, and then, as if he held glass, carried her to the couch. He laid her there, and turned to the others.
"We must find Vincent! This is not a good thing… We are going to need all the strength we can get… We have a lot to accomplish." He looked from one shocked face to the next, and he nodded. He moved to the door, and beckoned the rest to follow. He opened the door, and walked out. Tiffa looked at Aeris, and saw that she had fallen asleep.
"Aeris is lucky to have such a guardian. Cloud cares so much for her, and doesn't even know it… I don't understand this whole mission. It is only meaningful to these two." She shook her head, and headed out after Cloud. The others followed.
