Chapter Twenty-Nine:
-The Blue Sky Seems Like it's Just Yellow
At the suite, Ryiah opened the door joining her room to Zack, Cloud and Levei's shared room. "I'm so glad we got adjoining—" She stopped mid sentence, letting out a shrill scream of horror.
Cloud covered himself with a pillow. "Don't you knock?!" he demanded.
Zack pulled on a shirt. "Man, all those times you yelled at us, you don't even follow your own rules!"
Ryiah shrugged, "Nothing I haven't seen before. I just wanted to be dramatic."
"Can you leave, so I can get my swimming suit on?" Cloud asked, blushing slightly.
"That's rude, asking a lady to leave… tch." Ryiah crossed her arms.
Cloud sighed. "Could you please leave so I can clothe myself?"
"We would all appreciate it," Zack agreed.
"I can't… Sephiroth is changing and he kicked me out of my room… wait, what am I saying?!" Ryiah ran back into her own room, shutting the door behind her.
Sephiroth stepped out from behind a screen, fully clothed in his same robes.
"I thought you were changing," Ryiah said, a look of disappointment on her face.
"I did, these are my vacation clothes," Sephiroth explained.
"…right, well… they look good?"
Sephiroth adjusted his jacket. "I know."
Cloud pulled on his swimming trunks, letting out a breath of relief when he was finally clothed.
"Made your heart jump?" Zack grinned.
Cloud glared at him and Levei stepped out of the bathroom.
"You're… still wearing your Shinra outfit?" Zack frowned at her.
"Is there a problem?"
"Well, we were going swimming…"
"Cool." Levei flopped down on her bed.
"So… are you coming with?" Zack asked.
"I don't think I brought a swimsuit."
"Oh come on." Zack walked over and picked up her bag. "I'm sure you have one somewhere in here…"
"Uh, Zack… I wouldn't…" Cloud warned.
Zack pulled out a bright pink bikini top. "See! ...wait, this is yours?"
"What? No, that's probably Ryiah's. I just put a bunch of clothes in there. Hit or miss." Levei waved a hand.
Zack paused a little longer, eyeing the top before sticking it back in the bag.
"I saw that look, Zack. You were picture yourself in it, weren't you?" Cloud teased. "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't fit, and Ryiah would be really upset if you stretched it out."
"Yeah… you're probably right."
"Wait… Do you think Ryiah will be mad that we didn't wear Speedos like the mission instructed?"
"She made that mission, it's not as if it were critical or anything," Zack dismissed.
At the pool…
Zack fought off a horde of angry fan girls, using a large umbrella for leverage. "I can't take them all Cloud! You gotta do something!"
Cloud lay on the slick cement, being trampled by the mob of squeezing women.
"How dare you wear such baggy swim-trunks!" The crowed raged. "…we'll murder your family! … Off with the swimming suit!"
Zack fought bravely for his life and his dignity, not seeing Ryiah standing off to the side lines, a satisfied smirk on her lips.
"If only they listened to me…" She said, shaking her head. After a moment she took out her gun and fired off a few rounds into the sky making the fan-girls scatter like scared birds.
Cloud lay shriveled in a pile, foot prints lining his body.
Zack crawled his way over to his friend's side. "Cloud… are you… alive?"
Ryiah strode up to them, looking down at their sorry appearance. "Hate to say I told you so but… I told you so, suckers~! I told you you'd need to be well oiled to survive out here. Didn't you realize it was being broadcast that the most desirable First Class Soldiers were going to be staying here over the weekend?"
Zack suddenly perked up, with a smile. "Desirable?"
"We should have followed Levei's example and stayed inside," Cloud moaned.
"Where is your sense of adventure!?"
Cloud curled into the fetal position.
"Get up, Blondie." Ryiah nudged him with her foot. "No one's going to believe we used to share a bed if you act like that."
"Did I… miss something?" Zack questioned.
Cloud got up and brushed himself off. "We're ex-lovers."
"Ex… lovers? Since when?"
"Since I became famous." Ryiah shrugged. "Blondie here is a fame whore, why do you think he hangs around you? He wants to steal your lady fans."
"It's just a cover up," Cloud defended.
"Yeah, it's just a cover up, Zack. We didn't want to make you jealous so we made up a story that we were dating but broke up unexpectedly. So I'm all yours!" Ryiah winked at Zack.
"That was pretty exaggerated, now I'm lost… are you two together?"
Ryiah flashed a slow motion wink. "…no."
Sephiroth ran out onto the field. "There you are… my love." He flinched slightly at the term. "We are wanted in the dining hall for a dinner party… as a couple's appearance."
"Marvelous." Ryiah smiled at him. "Don't look so nervous, Sephy, I've got this down."
"Do not call me 'Sephy'."
"I like it, I've always wanted to have a pet name for you, since the first time I saw your photo in that magazine." Ryiah thought back to her first encounter.
Sephiroth nodded to Zack and Cloud before dragging her away.
"So… we finished our mission, right?" Cloud turned to Zack "What now? Where'd Levei get off to?"
"Who knows where that girl is." Zack stretched. "Do you think there's a training room? If so, I bet you'll find her there."
"No, this is a resort. You're supposed to take a break from training… maybe we should try and relax?"
Zack did a single squat. "I can't, I'll get restless."
"You can walk with me to the beach and then… do squats while I swim?"
"Or we could train; there are plenty of umbrellas around here!" Zack grinned, squatting again.
"I like my idea better…" Cloud said, watching him.
"Maybe Levei will want to train with me…" Squat.
"She's probably relaxing herself"
Squat. "Yeah, you're right, she's probably reading with Genesis." Zack shuddered. "Those two are so dull sometimes."
"Excuse me?" Genesis asked, as he was coincidentally lounging on a beach chair behind Zack.
"Did you really not notice him before?" Cloud frowned.
Zack scratched the back of his head with a smile. "Uh, sure I did… just kidding, Genesis?"
Genesis glared at him. "I'm sorry we're not as exciting as you and your… squats."
"So, I'm going to the beach now…" Cloud began to inch away awkwardly.
"I think I'll go see what Levei's doing. Maybe we'll meet you down there?" Zack said.
Cloud shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Ryiah held up a glass of champagne toward the room full of expectant guests. "And then he swooped in from nowhere, slicing her down the middle, that evil witch!"
The crowd clapped and applauded, dramatically. "So brave!"
Sephiroth nodded modestly, standing next to Ryiah.
"He's not just a hero of the people, he's my hero," Ryiah continued, touching his arm lightly. "He's an example of both courage and strength, what a great idol for future generations."
"You're too kind."
"Sometimes I'm jealous that I have to share him with the rest of the world." Ryiah looked at her glass before taking a sip.
The crowd gushed their approval. "Awh… did you hear that? .. they're so sweet… she has to share…"
"Shall we move to the dinner table? I think they're about ready to bring out the food," a plump man suggested, wafting in the scent of their five star meal.
Sephiroth smiled down at Ryiah. "After you, my lady." He gestured for her to walk ahead of him over to the long, thin dining table.
Ryiah sat down in the chair Sephiroth pulled out for her. Once seated, she turned to the lady next to her. "Did I mention Sephiroth is a gentleman? And they say chivalry is dead."
"You're so lucky!" The women squeed.
Sephiroth took the seat next to Ryiah. "Don't you think you're over doing it?"
"Oh? I thought I was doing a good job."
"No one will believe I'm that much of a nice guy."
"True… because you're not." Ryiah smiled at him and took his hand, holding it on top of the table for all eyes to see.
"Women happen to like my bad boy image," Sephiroth spoke under his breath, side glancing at Ryiah.
"It won me over," she admitted.
Sephiroth turned back to his plate, unsure of what to say to Ryiah's comment.
Zack walked back to his room and looked around, "Levei, you here?" He stepped back out onto the balcony where there was a bubbling personal hot tub.
Levei, hearing him coming, quickly ducked under the water.
"Levei? You here?" Zack repeated, knowing there must have been someone recently using the hot tub if the water jets were on.
Levei, not being able to hold her breath for more than a few moments, popped up for air.
"Hey! There you are! You're… not training."
"Am I supposed to be?" Levei frowned.
Zack shrugged. "I figured you would be, I couldn't picture you relaxing." He laughed slightly. "You should have called Cloud or me if you were going hot tubing, it's not as fun relaxing alone, you need friends!"
"I don't know, it was pretty fun up until…" Levei pretended to check her watch. "Thirty seconds ago."
Zack put his hands on his hips and frowned at her.
Levei sighed and rolled her eyes, putting out her hand to the other side of the hot tub in invitation. "Would you care to join me?" She flashed a fake smile.
"Wait…" Zack gave Levei a suspicious look as he slowly lowered himself into the water. "This isn't like you… inviting me to do things with you, what gives?" He narrowed his eyes. "You're not planning to drown me or something, right?" He laughed uneasily.
Levei sighed. "Do you always have to ruin my plans?" She pulled out a knife and set it to the side of the hot tub.
"Why do you have that on you?"
"You think I would let myself be completely vulnerable?" Levei smirked.
"…I guess that… no, it doesn't make sense. We're on vacation."
"Crime never takes a vacation."
"… isn't that from a book or something?" Zack asked.
Levei shrugged.
"Yeah, I don't read much." Zack sighed and put his hands behind his head. "I don't see the appeal, there's no action, no weapons, no reward."
"There is if you have a good enough imagination. Books are gateways to it." Levei leaned back a little and looked at the clear blue sky. "They can take you anywhere with anyone and anything can happen. Or..." She suddenly turned to Zack, being serious. "You can learn stuff outside of that little bubble of intelligence you have."
"Hey! I know what I need to know for… when I need to know."
"Very descriptive."
"Maybe I just haven't read the right book to get into them." Zack smiled as if he had won the debate.
"In that case…" Levei leaned over and picked up a copy of Loveless, handing it to him.
"I'm… waiting for it to come out in film?"
Levei fake laughed and dropped the book in his hands. "Enjoy."
Zack sighed. "I feel like I have homework." He opened the book, accidentally dropping it into the water. "Woops…" He looked up at Levei, nervously.
Levei looked down at the copy then up at Zack with a shrug. "I have it on my Kindle back in the room, you can read it there."
Zack forced a smile. "So your brother got you into the whole Loveless thing?"
"We picked it up at the same time, he is just more… known for it. He is more 'known' than me, after all."
"Are you planning on following in his footsteps and becoming one of the heroes of Shinra?"
"Hero? Please, I don't need that title to make a difference," Levei scoffed.
"Then what do you want to do?" Zack persisted.
Levei shrugged.
"Oh, still undecided I see… you should really branch out and explore your options!"
"And yours is to become a hero?"
Zack grinned widely. "Yeah, I settled on hero after my first dream was crushed… I wanted to become a beautician…" He winked at Levei.
Levei turned to him, speaking as if he she really believed him. "You know, I was wondering about that. Your hair is always so perfect, you really know how to style it."
"You think?" Zack touched his hair with a smile. "It took a lot of practice, but… hey, wait a minute…"
Levei winked at him and Zack shook his head with a smile.
"So, tell us more about our hero, the real inside scoop. I'm sure all the fans out here are dying to know!" One of the women said, holding up her tape recorder in the direction of Ryiah and Sephiroth as they continued to eat their food.
"You're a reporter?" Ryiah asked the obvious.
"Yes, we all are." The woman looked around the table at the nods everyone seemed to be giving.
"Well, let me help you out then." Ryiah smiled brightly. "I understand it's a tough job, getting the real story… Let's see, where do I begin?"
Sephiroth took Ryiah's hand roughly in his, making her look him in the eyes. He gave her a hard look and a forced smile.
Ryiah returned his aggression with a sweet innocent smile of her own. "Sometimes I feel like there's a monster inside of him… but I've taken it upon myself to contain it, and make sure he is a man that would make a mother proud," she answered the reporter.
"A mother? What about his mother? Have you met his parents?" The table erupted into follow up questions.
Ryiah shook her head. "We're not quite there yet, in our relationship."
"We're taking things slow," Sephiroth agreed.
"Slow in some aspects anyway, Sephiroth can be pretty shy in public but… not in other places."
Sephiroth shot Ryiah another heart stopping glare. "I am not 'shy', I just know when to hold my tongue."
"Ooh, please go on!" The reporters encouraged.
"Please, let's wrap this up," Sephiroth said, sitting on the edge of his seat.
"I'm sorry, it looks like we're going to have to turn in early for tonight. Sephiroth has had a busy day and he is human after all…" Ryiah scooted back her chair and stood up.
"No, he's a God!" The people protested.
Sephiroth followed Ryiah's example and stood up as well. "I hope you all enjoyed your evening." He nodded before dragging his 'girlfriend' outside.
