What Lies Beneath

Chapter 10

Eyes of Pain

Cloud stirred, his eyebrows knitting together. The fog that had been holding his consciousness was lifting and he knew he had been sleeping. But for how long? He could feel the floor beneath him but his head was on a pillow and his body was warm. He opened his eyes and found them blurring. He closed them and reopened them to see emerald eyes shining and a infectious smile greeting him.

"Aerith?" he asked. "How long have I been asleep?"

He sat up, a blanket falling around his waist. He looked up at her, finding the faint rays of the sun peeking through the room so he could see her.

"Almost a whole day." she answered.

"A whole day?" he repeated in shock.

Cloud turned from her. He had been so exhausted that he slept almost entire day away. He clutched the blanket around him, prepared to throw it off when he realized that he did not fall asleep with this blanket or that pillow. All he remembered was arguing with Aerith and then the world became black. He looked up at her again, finding her still smiling at him. Had she stayed with him the entire day? Did she make sure nothing happened to him?

He felt foolish for arguing with her. She should have left him on the floor alone. He expected her to after the way he treated her. Cloud wanted to smack himself for being rude to someone who has been so kind to him.

"Aerith... I..." he began but she cut him off.

"Cloud, can we go somewhere?" she asked. "I want to show you something."

The request was sudden but Cloud felt he owed it to her. He nodded is head in an affirmative response which caused the flower girl to clap her hands happily. Cloud went to stand when Aerith held out her hand. The bodyguard looked at it before taking it. Aerith used all her strength to help him up. Cloud wobbled a bit, his muscles were still sore. The brunette helped steady him, grabbing his biceps with a gentle firmness. Cloud looked down at her, their eyes locking and for a moment and found that he could not breathe.

Those eyes, so beautiful that he felt his insides twists. This girl, was so much of a mystery. He knew so little about her and yet his life had become intertwined with hers. He wanted and needed to know about her, about everything. Yet, every time he wanted to ask a question he found himself drowning in pools of deep emerald.

"Is something wrong?" she asked softly.

Cloud let out the long awaited breath before he shook his head, "No."

"Alright, let' go."

The two were on Cloud's bike, riding into the twilight of Midgar. Aerith instructed Cloud where to go and after a lengthy ride they came to a park. It, however, was not a park that Cloud was use to. This park had no trees and the ground was dirt. There were several swing sets, jungle gyms, and other things for children to play on. In the center was a large slide in the that looked like it was in a shape of a cartoon cat.

At first Cloud wondered if this place was in fact the place they were supposed to be. Aerith did not protest and headed inside the park, pushing open a gate. Cloud followed and after taking a few steps, Aerith turned around.

"Why did you bring me here?" Cloud asked coming close behind her.

Aerith ignored him for the moment and climbed the cat like slide and sat on the top. She looked down at Cloud who arched and eyebrow.

"Come sit up here with me!" she called out.

At first he was going to deny it, due to embarrassment but realizing no one would see him, he climbed the slide. He slipped down next to Aerith, who was hugging her knees to her chest. She rested her chin on her knees and looked up into the darkening sky.

"So why are we here?" Cloud asked.

"I wanted to show you something." she replied. "We have to wait for the sun to go down."

The two waited in silence. The sun could not go down any slower. Cloud stared blankly in front of him. Time slipped by as he was lost in his own thoughts that when the sun did go down he did not hear Aerith.

"Cloud look!" she called shaking him by the shoulder with one of her hands.

Cloud snapped out of his daze and looked at the flower girl. She was pointing up into the sky and for a moment Cloud was wondering what he was supposed to be looking at. Then he noticed deep in the dark sky several stars were appearing.

"You wanted to show me the stars?" he asked. He had seen stars before. In fact he could see thousands of stars in the sky in Nibelheim, due to it not being a brightly lit city.

"This is the only place in Midgar you can see most of them." Aerith continued before softly adding, "Zack showed me them."

Cloud looked at her, eyes slightly widened. Aerith hugged her knees tighter and lowered her head to them.

"I had never seen stars until then. In Midgar the lights are so bright even at night but here it isn't. I was actually afraid of the sky. I know it sounds stupid but I always felt that the sky would swallow me up because it was calling to me. Zack held my hand the entire time and I... I didn't feel afraid anymore."

Cloud watched a small tremble shake her body. He could see that distant look in her eyes, a pain that only appeared when she was deep in thought and Cloud was sure it had to do with Zack.

"You two were very close." he stated.

"I... loved him."

Cloud swallowed hard. Now he realized what Zack had meant to her. She once stated that Zack had promised to protect her. Then he left her alone. It must have broken her heart. Cloud felt his own heart go out to her because he knew very well how it felt to be left alone. .

"Cloud why did you come to Midgar?" the flower girl pondered.

Cloud swallowed a lump that had grown in his throat. There was a very specific reason why he came here.

"I wanted to get away," he admitted, looking down at the ground.

"Get away?" she repeated.

Cloud nodded, still looking down. Aerith stared at him, still hugging her knees to her.

"The picture you saw when you came to my apartment the first time of the girl..." Cloud started.

"Yes, what about it?"

Cloud sighed, "Her name is Tifa."

The sadness that Aerith saw in his eyes mirrored her own when she thought of Zack. She frowned but waited for him to continue.

"We lived in Nibelheim together as kids. She was popular, beautiful, kind, smart... everyone loved her. I wanted to be her friend but the other kids hated me. They made sure I could never talk to Tifa until one day there was an accident and Tifa was left injured. I saved her but her father thought I was to blame. Tifa didn't blame me and instead she came to my house to thank me."

Aerith smiled but Cloud was far from smiling.

"We started dating when we were sixteen. We made all these plans for a future. We would start a business together and then someday maybe get married and have a family. We would get a house somewhere and..."

He trailed off and Aerith's smiled disappeared as she saw Cloud's eyes darken.

"and... she left me." he finished. "She left suddenly and I couldn't understand why. I was angry and hurt that she would just go. If she didn't want to be with me then why didn't she just say so. Why play with my emotions like that?"

Cloud looked at Aerith his eyes showing so much anger now that Aerith was taken aback.

Cloud lowered his gaze again and said softly, "I promised I would protect her."

Aerith let out a soft gasp. She placed a hand on Cloud's arm.

"Shouldn't you go an protect her then?" she asked. "You should keep your promises Cloud."

Cloud looked up at the flower girl. "I have to protect you now."

A small smile spread across Cloud's face. Aerith's eyes softened when she felt Cloud take her hand to hold. The two did not speak anymore. Instead they quietly watched the stars late into the night until the two grew tired and parted ways.

The next morning when Cloud awoke he took a long hot shower. Last night's events were still fresh in his mind. He confided in Aerith and she with him. He surprised how he could easily talk to her about something he thought he would never share with anyone. How could these two seemingly different people end up so close?

Cloud stopped and stared at the shower wall in front of him as the water ran down him. He never did get to apologize for being so rude to Aerith.

"I should go see her and apologize," he said aloud. It would only be right.

He finished is shower and began to dress in simple street clothes. A plain t-shirt, demin pants, socks and his boots. He went to put on a jacket when he noticed Aerith's pink ribbon lying on his bed where he had set out his clothes after his shower. He picked it up and noticed how rather tattered and dirty it was now. She had used this to bandage his wound. He took the ribbon and made a slip knot. He slipped the ribbon around his arm and then tightened it.

After all the fights he had been through he felt that this ribbon was lucky. Not to mention a token of Aerith's kindness. He felt naked without it. Assuring himself that it was secure, he pulled his jacket on and then turned to leave his apartment.

He arrived at the church not too long after and got out. He pushed open the large doors and walked in. He spotted Aerith at the flower bed and he could hear her faintly talking. He wondered if maybe she was talking to the flowers but as he reached halfway down the aisle he then realized Aerith was not alone. He gripped the sword, which he brought everywhere with him now, prepared to fight the person she was with. Anytime Aerith was with someone Cloud ended up in a fight and always seemed unprepared.

"Aerith," the swordsman called out as he neared her.

Aerith stopped her chatting and turned around. Her face lit up as she saw Cloud.

"Cloud, I am glad you came." Aerith giggled with delight.

The person Aerith was talking to was behind her, that Cloud could not see. The grip on his sword tightened, half expecting the person to jump over Aerith and attack without warning.

"Who are you talking to?" a tense Cloud asked.

Aerith smiled, hands behind her back and she stepped out of the way. Cloud's eyes widened and the grip on his sword was lost and it clanked to the floor. Sitting behind Aerith, dressed in a white shirt, a black skirt and overalls, was a busty girl with long raven hair and beautiful dark eyes.

She looked up at Cloud smiling coyly.

"Hello Cloud," she spoke with a hint of amusement.

The color from Cloud's face drained and he felt all the air within him leave. He let out a small gasp, unsure what to say or do. His stomach knotted and his heart twisted painfully.

Then almost choking he whispered, "Tifa."

Before he could do or say anything the sound of the church doors slamming shut alerted him and he spun around. A man walked down toward them. Dressed in dark navy clothing, he had wild spiky black hair. His skin was pale and he had a scar on his cheek. Yet, when the man was only feet away Cloud could clearly see the same amazing blue eyes that Aerith once said reminded him of his. The man crossed his arms, staring at Cloud.

He grinned, "Hey, I want my sword back."

X, X, X,

Author Note- Unedited version. Sorry, I just want to get the story out. Sorry for the wait.