Here's part two! And again, my apologies for the shortness. Thank you to all who have read and left reviews, they're what's really keeping this story alive, like I stated in a earlier chapter, this story has taken such a completely different turn than from what I originally intended it to be. And I realized that I haven't been responding to reviews in a couple of chapters (whoops!)
One Sky-One Dream-One Destiny: Thank you very much! I hope you like this one!
myloveispurity8: A lifetime? Uhh wow. . .I'm flattered, thank you very much. And it really depends on responses whether this story lives, I have so many other things to do I need to make sure I'm not wasting my time with it. Thank you so much.
Imashitowareto: What do you mean? If it's a flashback from Aerith's pov then, yes, it did happen to her, ONLY in my story, not in the actual game, if that's what you're asking, hope I cleared it up for you ^^
Rainbow Wind: Maybe, maybe not, we'll see in this chapter won't we? ;D
Dea Lux: You commented on chapter one but I wanted to respond anyway, CLOUD AND AERITH = LOVE! Your words were very kind, thank you! I'll definitely read and review your first story. I'll be on the lookout 'kay? Oh and welcome!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything SQUARE owns all!
Enjoy!
EDIT: 7/20/11
She can't hear him in the darkness.
She can't see him in the darkness.
But she can feel him in the darkness.
A shiver runs down her spine, and her breath comes out in quick, hushed gasps as her eyes close. Large hands rest on her shoulders and she collapses against him, forehead pressing against his warm skin and arms wrapping around his waist as tears escape freely from her eyes.
Muscled arms encircle her while her silent tears fall, holding her close. She looks up slowly and her face is cast in silver moonlight, painting her skin a lambent, milky white. Leisurely, as if she fears he'll shatter with a single touch, she touches his cheek, tracing his set features.
"I'm sorry," she whispers, a shake in her voice, "I'm sorry."
His hand reaches out to her, being engulfed in the same light she is and rests on her own cheek, pressing a calloused palm to her skin. She shivers and her lips tremble. Her mouth opens, apt to speak but she stops, thinking over everything that's happened, wondering if it'll be enough.
Then she says it.
"I love you."
Aerith's eyes shot open and she sat up briskly.
The phone was ringing loudly. Agitating. She ran a hand through her hair, brushing her bangs away from her eyes and sighed, reaching over to the nightstand and removing the phone from the charger, "Strife Delivery Service, you name—"
"Aerith!"
She pulled the phone back from her ear and cringed. It was Cloud. " . . .Yeah?"
"How long have you been at the house?" His voice was frantic and she frowned.
"Well . . ."
"Hold on, I'm coming home."
"Cloud, I . . ."
"Save it."
Her eyes widened at the edge in his voice and her mouth fell open as the dial tone sounded in her ear, repeating itself over and over again. She doesn't know how long it is, whether its five minutes or an hour, before she sets it back down. Leaning back, she rests her head on the headboard, staring up at the white ceiling and letting her thoughts take over. Was he really that mad? Did her going out really upset him that much?
Shaking her head she sighed and turned her head to the nightstand, gazing at the picture beside the phone. It wasn't old, but it wasn't new either. Her eyes traveled to the spiky haired blond and she bit her lip, Denzel stood beside him, smiling brightly. A soft smile crossed her face at the small boy and herself, kneeling beside him with her hands on his shoulders and a bright smile to match his own.
Tilting her head to the side, she focuses on the little boy and puts a hand on her belly, " . . . what would Denzel think?" she asks herself. He and Marlene had been with her mom for the past few months while Barret, Cloud, and her were with the WRO.
She hadn't breathed a word of her situation to anyone yet, not even her mother.
Elmyra disapproved of Cloud already.
If her mom found out he had gotten her pregnant, she'd come after him with a chainsaw and a hockey mask. Then she'd come after her, drag her away by the ear, and demand that she start living with her again.
She could see it already.
No one knew of the baby besides for Cloud, Reno, Rude, and Rufus . . . and the one who had informed the Turks.
What would her mom think? Would she be disappointed with her?
What would her friends think? Would things be the same around them now that Cloud and her were going to have a child?
What would the children think? Would they like the idea of a little niece or nephew? Would they hate the idea? Would they be upset?
Rubbing her palms over her swollen stomach she looked away from the picture.
Was the world ready for another Cetra?
No, that wasn't right.
Was the world ready for a quarter-Cetra?
Her mother was a full one and her father was human, she was half and Cloud was human, but then again, he had been experimented on when he was a teenager. She wasn't saying the experiments had made him Cetra, no form of science could do that, but, he did have Jenova cells injected into his bloodstream.
Where they still there?
He had gotten stronger over the past years, she knew, she had seen him change, watched him grow and be his own person, but if they were still there, would that affect the baby in any way?
Aerith shook her head furiously. She was beginning to ramble on in her own head. As if to say "you were right" a sudden thought entered her mind, something from a while ago, maybe a year or two, yeah, that sounded about right. It was when she had been running, trying to avoid her friends and loved ones, she recalled Reno, grinning as he stretched out on a couch in the Seventh Heaven, talking to Rude . . .
"Cloud and Aerith, huh?"
He put his hands behind his head while he watched Rude, "Never would have guessed. After all, he was trying to get in her pants every time we ran into them."
Rude smacked Reno across the forehead, making him sit up quickly and rub the red spot, "Hey!"
Reno smiled sheepishly and laid back down, " . . . Cloud and Aerith . . ." he whispered again, absorbing it. Shaking his head he turned to Rude, sitting up, "I'll tell you one thing, that ain't gonna be an ugly kid."
The door to their bedroom opened, and she was thrown out of her reverie when Cloud walked in. His hair was swept back, telling her he had been speeding, and his usual expressionless face was twisted into a cross between anger and relief, she couldn't tell, she saw and felt a little bit of both. She sat up, staring at him.
"Cloud?"
"What were you thinking?"
Aerith blinked, just watching him from across the room, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
Cloud stepped towards her, light blond eyebrows furrowed, "What were you thinking?" He repeated. She said nothing. "Aerith." She turned away from him, planet, she hated that tone of voice. It made her feel as if she had done something wrong. He sighed and sat down on the bed beside her, resting an ebony gloved hand on her thigh, "Aerith?" He whispered softly.
She didn't look back at him, too afraid to look into his eyes, she didn't want to see the disappointment.
" . . ."
His hand squeezed her gently, wanting her to go on.
Taking a chance she looked into his eyes and felt her heart skip a beat, there was no disappointment or shame, she saw concern.
" . . . I . . ."
She watched his hand as it traveled up her leg to rest on her belly, and she knew, he wasn't going to like what she was about to say.
"I went to see Rufus."
His hand went flat on her stomach. She could feel it go tense through her clothing and the leather glove. He looked at her, his face and his eyes blank.
At that moment she wished her Cetra abilities could allow her to read minds. She couldn't feel his emotions, and she couldn't read them on his expression.
Wait.
Her Cetra abilities?
The planet, it hadn't spoken to her in a while.
"Going in the middle of the night," when he spoke she watched him intently, he paused, looking her straight in the eyes, "and coming back in the morning?" A bitter smile crossed his face, "A little adventurous for a pregnant woman."
She looked at the hand on her belly, "Cloud, I had to."
"Did you?"
Aerith gave him an incredulous look, "Yes, I had to. This is our child, Cloud. And. . ." her words were forced as she swallowed hard, "you know what he did to me."
Cloud's hand tensed even more.
"I don't want our baby to be exposed to someone like him," she whispered, "He helped us during the Geostigma outbreak, and to that I'm grateful, but that is all the kindness I could give him. I'm not going to blindly put my trust in him, not for myself, and definitely not for my child."
