Can you believe we only have 1 more chapter and an epilogue to round off this story? My eventual goal is to make this a short series, where this one was the closest to the OG but the rest we can do a lot more with. While this romance has been slow getting off the ground, I'm going to make sure we end with some proper fluff. It's what you guys deserve for sticking it out so long with me! Without further ado...
Aerith
Aerith's fingers, trembling at the drastic turn of events, dropped both the wire and the nail; the former drifted down soundlessly back into its cavity while the latter clattered to the tile floor in an obvious, noticeable ping.
The door remained partially open behind Rufus, and through the growing numbness that fought to protect her frail psyche, she observed his heel keeping it from sliding closed. This action reminded her that despite his apparent 'kindness' – she took that word with a grain of salt because Rufus always had ulterior motives – he would always put his interests first and foremost in his life. If keeping her alive and safe was in his best interests, he would do it. If she didn't matter to him, he wouldn't give her the time of day.
"This is a nice catch," Rufus introduced dryly. She couldn't see his expression from where she was standing, mostly because Cloud was suddenly using his body as a shield in front of her. He and Cloud were barely six feet apart.
Aerith peeked around Cloud's legs from her position kneeling on the floor to glance up at him. "Hey, Rufus," she greeted.
Rufus nodded back tersely, his eyes barely flickering from Cloud's face to acknowledge her.
"And I suppose you're the one causing all the problems," he said to Cloud. His tone was indifferent, as if he didn't care in the slightest.
Cloud's back tensed slightly. "What's it to you?" he shot back.
"You're with Avalanche? You're not a SOLDIER, this much we know."
Aerith watched Cloud carefully to see if he would have a reaction to these words, but he didn't show any indication the statement had affected him. "Ex-SOLDIER. I quit," he explained. She could almost hear the smirk on his face.
Rufus's eyebrow quirked up a fraction, pressing, "As for Avalanche…?"
"Maybe." Cloud shrugged. "I'm a mercenary. People hire me to do work. I don't care who I work for, as long as I get paid."
That answer seemed to satisfy Rufus for the time being, and he nodded while flexing the fingers on his right side – by where he kept his gun, Aerith remembered. This made her stand up quickly and lean around Cloud's shoulder; it wasn't until now that she realized the man she'd been fraternizing with was around her own height, which was rather short for a SOLDIER. This information fed further into the theories she had been formulating in the few minutes since her time in the lifestream with a younger Cloud.
"What are you doing here, Rufus?" she asked. She hated that she couldn't stop the nervous quaking in her voice.
He finally turned his gaze onto her and gave her an annoyed glance. "I'm here for you, of course. If you had stayed put and trusted me, all of this would have been much easier. Instead, I had to use my influence and present distractions in the building to empty this laboratory under the pretense of a bomb threat. Now come, Aerith. We have a meeting with my father."
"No," Aerith answered, and the finality of the word almost scared her. Ignoring the chill that ran down her spine, she knew it was time to stop being afraid, time to stop letting Shinras order her around and dictate what she did with her life.
Rufus looked momentarily shocked. Even Cloud turned his head towards her, lips pursed as if he was stopping himself from interjecting his opinion.
"What do you mean, 'no'?" Rufus snapped. "I told you I would help you be free from my father if you helped me. You helped me, and this is me returning the favor."
She shook her head, repeating her stance, "No, Rufus, I'm not going with you. I don't want to stay here. I want to leave Midgar and never come back. Cloud promised to help me."
The exasperated groan out of Rufus's lips was surprising, but not unexpected. "Aerith, Avalanche has infiltrated the tower. My father is cornered in his office. I'm going to finish the job."
The… job? Aerith tilted her head in momentary confusion, but then her eyes flew wide when she realized:
"Are you going to kill him?" Her heart rate quickened. "Rufus... are you going to kill your father?"
"It's the next logical step," he stated, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Avalanche has cleared the path for my ascension. Do you wish to be free of him or not?"
"Aerith," Cloud finally said as he still watched her, "Rufus is right about Avalanche. At least, if it's been a day since we got here. Avalanche was planning a coup."
His eyes were honest and open as she met them with her own. He spoke the truth, and she knew she trusted Cloud over Rufus.
"What is your plan then?" she asked the older man. "What do you want with me?"
The corner of Rufus's mouth twitched. "Once my father is dispatched, you're welcome to stay by my side here," he said. "You would be safe from Professor Hojo and would have autonomy to do whatever you wish, as long as you continue to be a positive face for the company. I've seen what you want, Aerith," he added, more insistent now. "You want to be free to live a life of your own choosing. I can give you all of that and more – whatever you would like – if you take on this role."
A week ago, what Rufus was proposing would have been as close to a perfect life as Aerith could have imagined. The idea of keeping a life with Shinra but never having to feel trapped would have been a dream. Even now, it was a tempting offer, and there was a small part of her that wanted to accept without a second thought.
But there were her newer experiences, the recent travel and dreams and companionship that she never had since Zack left. Even Kunsel, a Shinra SOLDIER, had promised her he would take her wherever she wanted to go across the planet, just as soon as they figured out Zack's fate and she was no longer needed by Shinra. Sitting on the back of that motorbike what seemed like forever ago had been her first taste of freedom. To feel the wind whipping through her hair and caressing her face in a biting chill made her feel alive in a way she never had felt before.
And then there was Cloud's earnest offer, his genuine interest in her wellbeing since almost the moment they had met. He made her feel safe when they were together, and he had been more than sincere when he told the Turks that he only ever wanted was to protect her. She thought of him in the coffee shop, so confused and disgusted by his mocha, and the way his eyes lit up when she told him her name on the Shinra balcony.
Those memories weighed heavily on her mind as she stood behind his shoulder, close enough to smell hints of leather and sharpness of Mako underneath a pleasant earthy scent. Her memory flashed back to the younger version of the man in the church pew, legs drawn to his chest as he let out tears. She had made a promise to figure out how this teenaged Cloud was connected to the man she knew, and she couldn't let that memory – nor her flashes of a life she hadn't lived and died from – go so easily. Not to mention the small bubble of warmth that enveloped her chest at being within his proximity, something that she was finally choosing to no longer ignore. The truth was, she wanted to be with him. She liked him.
"Thank you, Rufus," Aerith replied finally while slipping her hands behind her back and casting her gaze downward. "I appreciate your offer, but I have other obligations now. I want to go with Cloud."
Before Rufus could speak on the growing annoyance that flitted across his face, the lights in the lab went out. They were replaced barely a moment later by the bright flashing of red lights and the blaring of an alarm. Behind Rufus's heel, the door began to slide closed.
"Shit," Cloud swore. "We need to get out of here now."
Brushing the momentary irritation from his features, Rufus nodded once while gripping the now-obvious handle of his sawed-off shotgun. "Follow me," he instructed firmly before he darted on the other side of the door. Cloud reached down next to Aerith and grabbed her hand, then hauled her out of their prison and into the hallway. Behind her, the door slid shut with a slow, final thud.
Aerith recognized the hallway because of her years of being marched down these halls. Even in an obvious lockdown mode accompanied by startling red lights and loud noises, the unimpressionable gray and metalwork was easy to spot. She had been across the hall from her own art room, and she glanced quickly at the door as she was whisked away.
"Is this Avalanche?" Cloud asked Rufus. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the ruckus.
Rufus shrugged his shoulders and let his gun lead the way around a corner. "Couldn't say," he responded. "They've been wreaking havoc up and down the building."
It took a few moments for Aerith to realize the problem. "Um…guys?" she spoke up. "We're going the wrong way."
An instant later, they reached the edge of the hallway and the entrance to a wide, empty room. A set of stairs lay in front of them, beckoning them further into the lab. Aerith was acutely aware that her hand was still encased in Cloud's, and her heart did a small leap for joy when he didn't make to let go quickly as he had done at previous close contact.
"Are you sure?" Rufus asked with a frown. "Didn't I just come from this way?"
Cloud studied the room beyond. "This doesn't look like the entrance to the labs," he agreed slowly. His gaze shifted up towards some kind of viewing platform that jutted out from the wall. "What… What is this place?"
"I don't know," Aerith admitted. "I was usually housed in my room back there. I didn't make it past here when I visited."
Rufus swept his gaze across the room. "I… also have no idea," he added suspiciously. "My father was always more…lenient with the science department. As long as Hojo and his subordinate scientists gave results, he didn't care what they did with the place. I can now see that was a potentially miscalculation on my father's part," he finished as he studied the far end of the room where a large cylindrical cage sat, empty and gleaming. There was something about the cage that sent shivers down Aerith's spine. She retreated into the back recesses of her mind for the slightest moment to try and figure out why it bothered her, but then realized it wasn't her that recognized it, but it was a small, sentient fragment of the lifestream that was watching.
She gasped without realizing it.
The other two turned towards her. "Aerith? Are you okay?" Cloud asked in concern.
While she had occasionally felt the presence of souls departing to the promised land, she had never experienced this soft, constant warmth of the lifestream. How could I have not noticed until now? she wondered, because now that she was aware of it, her connection to the planet was just so obviously there. In a moment of hesitancy at being discovered, the lifestream sent a gentle nudge into her consciousness. Her mind translated this as the amazing image of Zack nudging her shoulder and waving.
"I…I think so," she replied thoughtfully as she pulled her hand from Cloud's comforting grasp. Stepping into the large room, she let her feet lead her down the stairs and towards the cage without thinking. Something needed to happen here…something she couldn't remember. The memory was just out of reach, but she knew the cage needed to be open. Once she reached it, she tilted her head for a moment and studied the numerical lock. There was no way she could pick it open.
"Can one of you open this?" she asked.
Rufus stepped forward and stood at her shoulder as he, too, studied the lock. "I believe I can," he replied. "But there is nothing inside. Why do you need this open?"
"I…I don't know how to explain it," she admitted sheepishly. "This door just needs to be open."
While Rufus set about equipping the right materia, Aerith turned back to look at Cloud, who was…nowhere to be seen. For the smallest moment her heart jolted in shock and fear, and then she spotted him on the other side of the room. He was walking up a second set of metal stairs that led to the viewing platform.
"Cloud?" she called as she felt, rather than heard, the crackle of ozone in the air as lightning zapped the lock cleanly open. "Cloud, where are you going?"
The blond man didn't answer; he didn't even acknowledge that she had spoken. He walked like a man possessed, legs lurching forward clumsily as he kept a hand pressed against his temple, with his fingers curling into his hair. Aerith left Rufus and the cage, all previous strange thoughts dumped aside for the clear issue at hand:
Something was wrong with Cloud.
Rufus glanced towards her. "Aerith, wait –" he began, but he went ignored as she took off in her bare feet across the metal platform. She pretended not to notice the way the grooves dug into her heels as she ran, nor did she acknowledge the icy sting of cold metal beneath her feet. Cloud wasn't moving quickly, but he had reached the inside of the platform by the time she caught up to him.
Tugging on his arm, Aerith tried to get him to stop what he was doing. "Cloud? Cloud, can you hear me? What's going on? Are you okay?"
Unfocused bright green eyes kept facing forwards, brow furrowed in confusion as he stared unseeingly at the route in front of him. Her tugging seemed to have no effect, and he slipped effortlessly out of her grasp. His pale lips parted and he struggled to speak the word they repeated silently, over and over.
"Mo…ther…"
Aerith's blood ran cold while the lifestream inside her mind recoiled as if it had been struck. She clutched his arm again and, feeling a surge of energy overtake her, she was able to pull him off his current trajectory. Throwing herself in front of Cloud's unseen destination, she grasped his face between her hands and searched his eyes for a sense of familiarity.
"Cloud? Snap out of it, please," she pleaded. "Come back to me."
His sightless gaze blinked a few times and sharp green began to slowly dull until baby blue was once again visible. After a few more seconds, his brow furrowed beneath her hands while his eyes filled with a kind of childlike confusion that reminded her more than ever of the young teen she'd just met.
"What's going on?" he asked, his eyes darting around to the unfamiliar surroundings. "What happened?"
Aerith sighed in relief. "I don't know," she answered gently. "You were walking this way and wouldn't answer me. Are you okay?"
He nodded, albeit a little shakily, and his gaze focused behind her down the long hallway that pressed ominously against her back. Shooting a nervous glance towards that direction, she shook her head. "We are not going that way. Let's go back the way we were supposed to." She dropped her hands from his face and slipped her hand into his before gently tugging him away. As they turned around to head back, she caught the slight glint of steel – Cloud's sword! – and she smiled at him while pointing. Behind the weapon was a stack of materia and a wonderfully familiar staff, left haphazardly as if discarded in a hurry.
As Cloud stashed his PHS and they were equipping materia onto their weapons, something caught Aerith's attention. Tucked away on the corner of the desk was something small and glowing. Curiosity getting the better of her, she moved forward to lift a small cloth from the object. What laid beneath was straight out of her visions from earlier with the lifestream – a small, white materia that matched exactly the one that had fallen into the pool of water. That familiar presence in the back of her mind reached out insistently – she needed to take this materia. Carefully, she used the cloth to pick it up and stuff it into the pocket of her lab-issued white pants.
It was at that moment something caught Cloud's attention. He was instantly alert, his head snapping to the doorway a split second before Aerith heard a loud grunt and a clambering against metal. They spared a moment's glance before taking off after the noise.
The sight that greeted them outside the viewing platform was one that had Aerith completely confused and also, strangely enough, understanding. Rufus was on the floor, his back pressed against the metal grate as he struggled against the weight of a massive animal with auburn fur and a flaming tail. The very sight of such a creature had her grinding to a halt, once again abusing the soft soles of her feet against the textured grate of the same metal, but there was a pressure of relief that slid into her mind from the lifestream. The image of Zack heaved a sigh and gave a thumb's up.
Friend, the lifestream insisted.
It didn't quite look like that was the case just yet, but she knew she could trust that planet, so she reached out and grabbed Cloud's arm just as he was about to draw his sword.
"Wait," she insisted before pushing herself in front of him and leading the way. Her feet were really beginning to feel tender, but she pushed through the discomfort until she was standing right in front of the scene. Cloud's footsteps echoed tentatively behind her, and she could feel his presence just behind her left elbow.
Rufus wasn't struggling anymore, which seemed to have something to do with his saving face. Instead, he was glowering up at the creature on top of him while his hand twitched just out of reach of his sawed-off shotgun. Aerith took a final step forward and raised her arms hesitantly, the lifestream guiding her with mental nudges and key words.
"Heya," she greeted the new creature with a small smile. "I'm Aerith. Were you trapped here too?"
The animal made a show of baring its teeth at her while wild ochre eyes slid across her form. Rufus twitched a bit and the animal snarled in the man's face.
"Stop, wait!" she tried again. "I'm a friend, I promise. I…I know you, or at least the planet is telling me I know you. Can I show you?"
Eyeing her distrustfully, the creature stared for a solid ten seconds before ever-so-slightly inclining its head. Reaching forward carefully at the direction of the planet, she let her trembling hand press against the fur of his head and encouraged the warmth of the lifestream to flow through her fingers and into the creature before her. As she did so, another word supplied itself from the interaction.
Nanaki.
After a few moments of sharing her connection with the lifestream, Aerith removed her hand and returned it to clasp her other in front of her body. The creature in front of her visibly relaxed and stepped off Rufus, who returned to his feet with as much grace and poise as he could muster.
"What the hell is this?" he demanded. "What are you?"
Aerith continued to smile at the creature – Nanaki. "You're free now," she told him.
The creature bowed his head and sat on his haunches. "I owe you a debt for freeing me," he spoke plainly in a low, growly voice befitting such a creature.
There was a moment of silence before she heard Cloud's audible shock. "You…you can talk?" he asked hoarsely.
Nanaki nodded, answering, "That I can."
"Not to bring this introduction short, but we must go now," Rufus intervened before the conversation could go further. This elicited a growl from the creature.
"I owe a debt to Aerith," he repeated. "I will go where she goes."
Rufus looked from the creature to her and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Then by all means, tag along," he sighed before he turned around. "I have business with my father that cannot wait any longer."
He began stalking away, but not before shooting a final glare towards them. As Aerith began to follow, her poor decisions finally caught up with her and she hissed as her foot took the brunt of her weight on the metal below.
Cloud was at her side again in an instant. "What's wrong?" he asked immediately.
She looked down to her feet and was horrified to see there was blood on the floor. She laughed nervously and replied, "Nothing, it's just not the best flooring for bare feet."
"That isn't nothing." His statement was matter-of-fact and he stared at her feet for a few silent moments. Then he slung his sword back over his shoulder and, before she knew what was happening, he had moved forward and picked her up, bridal style.
She couldn't help the squeal of surprise and sudden intimacy that she found herself in. Cloud, whose face was suddenly much closer, had one hand positioned under her legs and the other at her lower back. He was determinedly not looking at her as he began walking forward.
"There's no reason to injure yourself," he told her simply while keeping his gaze on Rufus's retreating back. "We need to find you some proper shoes."
She hid her expression in the crook of his neck as she felt her face warm. Her thoughts drifted to her room and the piles of comfortable shoes that waited patiently for her to return. Opening her eyes, she saw Nanaki padding quietly after them.
"I have shoes in my room," she offered quietly through a curtain of hair and embarrassment. "If we're following Rufus to the President's office, my room isn't too far out of the way. It's just back down a few levels."
Aerith felt rather than saw Cloud nod. "Just point the way," he instructed.
The odd group made their way back to the entrance of Hojo's labs, thankfully not running into anyone as the alarm continued to blare in the distance. Aerith had shaken off her embarrassment to notice the metal stick that was wedged into the door that Rufus began trying to pry open. Is that Reno's mag rod? she wondered internally. Her question was rewarded a second later by the redheaded owner himself appearing on the opposite side of the door to give a hand. Cloud's grip on Aerith tightened noticeably, and she herself wasn't too happy to see such an unwelcome familiar face so soon.
"What took you so long, boss?" Reno asked conversationally after they'd managed to pry the door open enough to let the vice president of Shinra through first. "Didja get in a…what the hell is that?"
Nanaki paid the Turk no attention as he followed Cloud and Aerith through the portal and back into the rest of the conference floor of the building. Aerith shot a glare at Reno as he stood there, jaw dropped and dumbstruck, at the sight. In a renewed act of childishness, she stuck her tongue out at him. She thought she caught Rude next to him smirking as they all departed from the labs she hoped she'd never have to see again.
For there being blaring sirens somewhere down below them, the floor they were on was surprisingly quiet. Rufus led the way to the executive elevator, followed by Cloud – who refused to put Aerith down even though her feet were fine, she tried to reason – and Nanaki, all flanked by Reno and Rude.
Rufus pushed the elevator button and crossed his arms before looking back at the Turks. "Tseng is still in my father's office?" he asked coolly.
"Yup, boss. He's keeping an eye on things," Reno answered immediately with a grin. Rude made a hmph noise and nodded his affirmation.
The doors swung open and the party marched inside, all of them barely fitting in the space. Aerith whispered her floor number to Cloud, who reached out with expert skill and pressed that button before Rufus could press the solitary button at the top. The other man arched an eyebrow at him.
"Aerith needs shoes," Cloud pointed out. Aerith offered a winning smile, and Rufus just rolled his eyes but didn't comment.
The elevator headed down, and it dinged relatively quickly, which was most likely caused by her getting distracted. Nanaki had stood menacingly and was snapping at Reno any time the other man moved, which had the redhead quite nervous. The doors blissfully chimed open and everybody exited.
"Hurry up, we have people waiting on us," Rufus reminded. Cloud, Aerith, and Nanaki left them standing awkwardly in front of the elevator doors as they strode down the hall towards her room.
Cloud still refused to put Aerith down until she finally pointed out her door to him. While outwardly she rolled her eyes, inwardly her heart was gleefully singing at their close proximity even after he finally put her down. She couldn't stop the smile that flitted to her face as she felt around for the pocket her key would usually be in. Except she realized she didn't have a way to access her room. Laughing nervously as she wiggled her bare toes against the cold tile of the hallway, she looked at her companions. "So…I don't have my key," she admitted.
Cloud looked from the door to her and back again. "Can you open it…like you did before?" he asked in reference to her attempts to break them out of the cell in the labs, which made her giggle a bit.
"I could if this was a fancy electronic door, but it's just a standard keyhole, see?" she pointed out. "And I'm not the best at picking locks."
He moved forward and knelt in front of the doorknob, his eyes giving it a quick once-over. Then he hummed to himself, dug around in his pocket for a moment, and pulled out a nail.
"Where did you get that?" she asked in surprise.
Cloud smirked and held it up so she could see better. It was the same small nail she was going to use to short-circuit the door and let them out. He must have picked it up before they left the cell in the labs. After a few long moments of standing uncomfortably in the hallway while he fiddled with the lock, there was a satisfying click and with the barest of grins, he opened the door to her familiar home.
"I'll wait out here," Nanaki said as he sat back on his haunches next to the door. Cloud stood up as Aerith walked through the doorway. The feeling of being back inside her space, even for a few moments, was a strange combination of coming home and being a stranger. After all, she was planning on leaving her room behind forever. She absently ran a hand along the plush throw on the back of her sofa as she stared out the floor-length window at the late-night view. The mangled reactor five sat quietly, no green plume of pollution illuminating the inhabitants below. Soft, green-tinted stars sparkled down on the city as she watched. The smallest sliver of light from a moon at the edge of the horizon promised a more spectacular show soon, although the warring clouds rapidly descending from the north promised otherwise.
Hearing Cloud move around, she glanced back to see him stride into the bathroom and begin rifling through things. She stepped carefully on the plush, gray carpet of her room and hoped she wasn't leaving bloody footprints everywhere as she went to investigate what he was doing.
He was running a washcloth under water when she walked in. His SOLDIER hearing must have picked up that she was there, because without looking up he ordered, "Go sit down. I'll be right out."
Aerith sighed and smiled a bit before obeying. She found herself sinking into a stool at the counter in her kitchenette, eyes trained on the bathroom door for when he would reappear. It only took a few moments for him to oblige her expectation, with the now-damp washcloth in one hand and a potion in the other. He put the latter down in front of her on the counter.
"Drink," he demanded.
Aerith eyed the potion. "My feet aren't that bad," she complained, not wanting to waste it. Cloud shook his head and pointed at it. Resigning herself to his demands, she unstopped it and let the bitter liquid slither its way down her throat. She grimaced, coughed the disgusting taste down, and pushed the empty bottle away, managing, "Happy?"
"Extremely," he deadpanned. Then he knelt in front of her with the washcloth before he looked expectantly up at her.
Aerith was confused as she watched him. Keeping his eyes trained on hers, he lifted an arm out and captured her ankle in his bare hand. It was then she realized he'd removed his gloves – something she had never seen him do. As he brought the surprisingly warm washcloth to her foot, she flinched in shock and blushed.
"Cloud, what are you doing?" she exclaimed as she hid her mortified face. "I'm fine, really." In truth, she really was fine; the potion was doing its job and there was a strange ticklish tingling in the bottom of her feet now, where the skin there was quickly knitting itself back together.
Aerith didn't miss the blush that spread across his face as he ducked his head to focus on the task at hand and muttered, "Stop whining, I'm trying to help."
His expression and his action were both so caring underneath that stoic interior that she fell silent as she peeked through her hands and watched him work. While the feeling of somebody touching her feet was strange to her, he was gentle as he brushed away caked blood to reveal a perfectly healed foot underneath. His solemn concentration was such a familiar expression to her now. Memories of their encounters the past few days flashed before her eyes: his obvious discomfort in the suite at the Honeybee Inn, his soft, glowing eyes in the darkness, his out-of-place adorable confusion in the coffee shop when she asked what he wanted to order... That earnest assurance that he could help her be free of Shinra and Midgar once and for all.
If she didn't learn to control herself now, she would end up falling in love with her hero.
Cloud finished after a couple of silent minutes. The poor white washcloth he'd used was now stained pink, but her feet were feeling nice and freshly clean. She wiggled her toes in delight and beamed at him. "Thank you," she said sincerely.
"Don't mention it," he replied before standing up and holding out a hand to help her to her feet. His skin was surprisingly soft and not calloused considering his familiar use of melee weaponry. The light touch was enough to send a small electric shock to her heart.
Clearing her throat, she pulled away and stepped lightly to her bedroom to grab a fresh pair of clothes.
Fitting back into clothing that was hers – from the familiar textures to the comforting lavender scent of her laundry soap – was like putting on a layer of armor. It wasn't much more than long-sleeve blouse, jeans, and a light jacket, but these clothes were hers and it made all the difference. She took great care in tucking that special small materia in her pocket before calling herself ready.
Feeling better than ever, Aerith padded back to the main room in her clean attire and fresh socks and took a pit stop in the bathroom to grab a hairbrush and her favorite pink ribbon. Then she reached her final destination to consider footwear options. While most of her shoes weren't built for the rugged unknown outside the city, she knew which boots she would prefer if she had the option. There was only one issue.
She groaned. Cloud, who had been loitering near the window in the living room was at her side in an instant. Worry creased his brow as he asked, "What's wrong?"
"My boots I left with Madam M, those were the ones I wanted to wear," she answered with a pout towards the rest of her footwear.
He crossed his arms and looked down shamefully. "I had them with me when I got here, but I didn't see them with the rest of our stuff… I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," she supplied with a quick smile to emphasize the point. "I have lots of options here, I'm acting spoiled. Hmm…" Kneeling down, Aerith surveyed her various pairs of shoes. While she was looking, a pair kept catching her eye until she realized why – the boots were black, wide at the brim and folded over. They were worn and definitely a few years past saving, but they reminded her of the pair she was wearing in her visions. Without thinking twice, she reached for them.
"Are those the most…practical option?" Cloud asked with an arched brow and a confused frown.
Aerith shrugged and stood again, wiggling her toes in the safety of their enclosure. She declared, "I don't care, they've been through everything with me and they'll keep on trucking."
The corner of his mouth twitched, and his eyes softened as their gazes met. Then his stare rapidly found his feet once more.
"What's wrong?" she asked as she moved forward to try and glance under his hair.
He ducked his head farther. "Nothing," he replied firmly. "Let's get going."
Cloud started moving towards the door, but as he reached out a hand to open it, the other grasping his gloves, she stopped him with a hand on his arm. Turning around, he tilted his head inquisitively, just in time for Aerith to plant a peck on his cheek before he could turn away. Lingering next to his face, she whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Cloud. For everything."
He blushed a deep shade of burgundy and hid his face again, but not before she caught a beautiful wonder in his blue-green eyes.
"Let's go," he reiterated as he pulled open the door. Aerith practically skipped after him and stole his gloves out of his hand with a giggle. Her heart soared at the idea of freedom so close to touch.
Cloud
Calm down, Cloud's mind reminded his heart once again as it continued to pound in his ears to the rhythm of the soft humming as the elevator began to climb. They had reunited with the Turks and Rufus Shinra at the entrance to the elevator and together they had all made their way to the top of the building. He still wasn't even sure if this was the right move, but at this point his primary mission was to bodyguard for Aerith.
His heartbeat increased as his eyes slid over to her eager frame. Dressed in her own clothing and worn black boots, she had spent the last few minutes carefully brushing and arranging her hair into a neat spiral braid that ran halfway down her back. There had been something calming about the way she manipulated her auburn locks to do what she wanted, and it certainly wasn't helping his heartbeat situation.
She had kissed him, plain and simple. It was a small gesture, a simple kiss on his cheek, but the spot still burned as he considered the implications behind it. Cloud was only slightly mortified to admit he had never been kissed by anybody except his own ma. The familial kisses she used to press to his head were entirely different than the one that still left an imprint on his cheek. It took all his willpower not to reach up and touch the spot, just to make sure his skin hadn't become enflamed from the gesture.
He was so caught up in his own head that he only just now noticed that Aerith had stolen his gloves, too. His fingers and wrists felt strangely vulnerable without the extra protection, and he eyed the missing gloves secured in her left fist wistfully.
Meanwhile, Reno continued to try and decipher the purpose of the new creature who now stood in the crowded elevator with him. "So who are you then?" he tried asking again of the creature that had pledged its loyalty to Aerith and hadn't said much since.
The creature huffed a breath and growled softly. "Professor Hojo designated me 'Red XIII,'" he answered tersely. Aerith tensed up next to him, but he didn't have a chance to ask what was wrong.
Cloud felt eyes on him then, and he glanced over to the men from Shinra to see Rufus glaring down at him. Nostrils widened and eyes narrowing, he was somewhere between contemplative and angry. As a Shinra, he was probably used to getting his way, so hearing that Cloud was the cause of Aerith's disobedience – the very word left a dirty taste in his mouth, as she was a grown woman – was probably not sitting well with him.
Well that's just too bad, he thought smugly as he reminded himself that Aerith had chosen to go with him, no matter that he had no plan on where exactly that would be. The first step was getting out of the Shinra building, and right now they were going the exact opposite direction.
The elevator dinged cheerfully and the door slid open to reveal…
Purple. Everything tinged purple and mingled with nausea-inducing green. His vision swam and he felt himself swaying on his feet. Cool, gentle hands broke through the heat that flashed across his skin and caressed his cheek.
"Come, on, Cloud."
Aerith's voice, as soothing as a cool waterfall, brought Cloud back to alertness. He discovered he was leaning heavily on her and she was struggling to keep his weight up. Straightening instantly, he mumbled an apology under his breath. Her beautiful emerald eyes glittered in concern, and he allowed himself to anchor to them.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Reno asked rudely as Cloud felt a jab in his shoulder blade.
Cloud whipped his head around and glared. "Nothing, I'm fine," he snapped.
Reno raised his arms with a roll of his eyes, but the Turk didn't get a chance to reply when Rufus stepped between the two to exit the elevator. Cloud followed his gaze to whatever had knocked him off-guard in the first place, and that's when he saw the purple that had overtaken his senses for a brief moment.
There, on the ground in oozing, pulsing puddles, was a disgusting, warped trail of purple. It stained the red carpet, and in places it even looked black in its concentration. While completely unfamiliar to him, the smell of absolute decay hit his nose and almost made him gag. This must have been what had caught Rufus's attention, because the older drew his gun and held it up.
"Let's go," he said simply.
Reno shoved past him, knocking his shoulder into Cloud's which sent him staggering back a step. He wanted to snarl out a retort, but Aerith had her cool hand on his warm skin, and he found himself falling dumb as he met her gaze again. She had lost that bubbliness that had filled her whole being before and now had once again retreated into herself in fear. He was angry that he was beginning to recognize this expression in her body. Shoving down his own nerves - What is going on with me? he thought anxiously – he took her hand off his shoulder and clutched it protectively, which kept him warm but in a much more pleasant way. She offered a grateful smile as he led her out of the elevator and around the purple goo. Rude walked at his back, but Cloud didn't particularly care; the Turk was not nearly as threatening as whatever this shit was.
They followed the strange, pulsing, living liquid up flights of stairs, around corners, and through a set of glass sliding doors that opened automatically as they approached. There was something off about the atmosphere now, and Cloud wasn't sure if it was the hanging stench of death or if it was something worse. Either way, the hairs on the back of his neck were standing straight up and he reached around with his spare hand to grip his sword. On either side of them, Reno and Rude were also tensing; the former dropped his mag rod whose electricity pulsed in anticipation, and the latter cracked his knuckles. Even Aerith summoned her staff, which she clutched with white fingers in her free hand. She was looking around like a scared rabbit, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze of comfort before focusing on Rufus's tense back.
Up the final winding set of stairs and behind two sets of sliding doors was a large, open room that glittered black like the eyes of bugs and felt much more like the belly of a beast than the President's office. The trail of shining purple they had been following vanished without a trace once they hit the door, and for some reason the absence of eyes on the goo was even more unsettling than seeing it in the first place. The deathly, ashen smell hung even here, and it took Cloud a long moment of exploring the space with his gaze to realize why.
Rufus hissed angrily in front of him. Reno and Rude both let out exclamations of shock. Aerith stared with wide, horrified eyes as a growl elicited from Red XIII's throat. A heavy pressure slammed its way into the back of Cloud's mind with a familiar slithering sneer.
Behind an excessively wide desk stood President Shinra. Like many of his professional photos, he was wearing a crisp charcoal suit that was set off by a silver pocket square; unlike his many photographs, his suit was wrinkled, his pocket square was mused, and his pallid expression was a clash of shock and horror. It wasn't difficult to see why.
"Oh my god," Aerith whispered, because there – centered in his stout chest – was a long, gleaming, familiar blade. Blood trickled down its wickedly sharp edge and dripped onto the floor, one ruby droplet at a time.
Behind the president was the owner of said sword, eyes narrowed in a predatory humor, like he found the entire situation funny. His thin lips were twisted into a pleased smirk, his silver hair flowed over broad shoulders, and the one-of-a-kind silver and black ensemble barely revealed the muscled chest they covered. Slit eyes met Cloud's and left him rooted to the spot in sheer terror.
Sephiroth.
Cloud's hallucinations had more than done his once-hero-turned-enemy justice. The pressure in the back of his mind murmured in that familiar voice, beckoning him closer in the intimate promise that Sephiroth would take everything he had once again. Flashes of burning fire and screaming drowned out his senses and clouded his mind. He could do nothing but watch in shock as Rufus Shinra and the Turks rushed forward. Masamune – Sephiroth's beautiful, brutal sword - slid from President Shinra's corpse and Sephiroth vanished in a wisp of black smoke.
For a moment, the spell was broken. Cloud was able to tune into his surroundings better and he felt Aerith tremble next to him, her staff shaking as she stared, wide-eyed, where Sephiroth had just been.
"He was there?" he asked, just to absolutely confirm. "He was real?"
Aerith turned to him and nodded. They stared at each other for a few moments, and then something changed in her eyes. She took a deep breath, stowed away her staff, and reached up to touch his face again. "Are you okay?"
Cloud took a shaky step back and shook his head, half to clear his thoughts of that pressing in his skull and half to answer her. "I don't know," he managed to gasp. "He's never been real before."
Her brow pinched. "What are you talking about?"
Concern was awash in her expression. Cloud took a few steadying breaths and glanced around quickly to make sure Sephiroth wasn't there. He was still gone, and the pressure was slowly fading. "I've been seeing him for months," he admitted absently, "but he's always been a hallucination. He's dead, Aerith. I – I…" Trailing off, he glanced uncertainly at his hand as he finished quietly, "I thought I killed him."
She didn't say anything in reply, just silently reached for his hand again. Instead of holding it, though, she pressed his gloves into it. As Cloud slipped his fingers into the familiar leather, they both turned just in time to see Reno and Rude sprinting past towards the exit, undoubtedly to somehow pursue the smoke that was Sephiroth. Cloud had a sneaking suspicion they wouldn't find him in the building, not anymore. Sephiroth was too clever for that. He thought he heard the ghost of a laugh and whipped his head back towards where Shinra's body would now be slowly returning to the lifestream. The fresh corpse was already disintegrating, but that wasn't all that was happening: Rufus was helping a disgruntled Turk – Tseng, the one that had taken Aerith before, he recognized – back to his feet and shoved a potion into his hand.
Cloud couldn't help it; he tugged on Aerith's hand and stepped in front of her body to shield her from the Turk. There was no way he was letting her go, not again. Red XIII seemed to read into his body language and maneuvered himself in front of her as well.
"Cloud, it's fine," Aerith assured him.
Cloud felt all but reassured, barking, "Stay behind me." Then, sword drawn, he began to slowly edge towards the other two men, pausing only when a growl not coming from Red caught his attention. A massive disgusting creature that very much resembled guard hounds he'd fought a few times in the slums appeared on the other side of the desk, a long tentacle on top of its neck writhing menacingly.
"Darkstar," Rufus snapped. "Stand down."
The dog-like creature whipped its head back to its owner and stopped growling. Then it laid down and folded massive paws in front of it. Beady eyes kept Cloud and his sword in its sights.
Rufus and Tseng both turned to them with varying expressions of being unimpressed at him and his sword. Rufus spoke first. "Calm down, boy," he ordered. "There's nothing you can do here anymore. My father is dead."
"Then we'll be going now," Cloud responded easily as he gripped the sword a little tighter.
The smirk on the other's face said all he needed to prove his sneaking suspicion – Rufus Shinra wasn't used to not getting his way and his offer to Aerith wasn't just an offer; it was a demand.
Not on my watch, he thought firmly.
"I'd rather think not. As the President of Shinra, it's in my best interest to keep assets close to me." Rufus's smirk grew more pronounced as he leaned over the desk and continued, "Namely rogue SOLDIERs and the last of the Ancients."
Tseng tsked and shook his head. "He's not even a SOLDIER, sir," he corrected with a small smile of his own. "In fact, he never has been."
"Liar!" Cloud yelled as he took a few more quick steps forward. Darkstar the guard hound snarled and sprang to its feet again. Cloud grunted and took a swing at the beast, just barely missing its paws as it darted out of the way. From behind him he felt more than saw Red leap onto the desk and bare his teeth at the two on the other side. A quick glance back assured him that Aerith was ready to fight too, her eyes shining in anger and nervousness.
Rufus sighed. "If you're determined to be stubborn about it, we'll settle this like men. Just the two of us."
An even fight was one that had Cloud itching to go. He gave a curt nod. "I accept," he spat.
"Then we'll go outside where we won't destroy this office," the older man declared as he stretched his fingers around his shotgun before nodding to Tseng. "Secure the Ancient."
Cloud's eyes narrowed and he dashed back in front of Aerith. Red vaulted off the desk and skidded to a halt next to him. "Get her out of here," Cloud told him while angling his stance into a guarded one. "I'll hold them off."
"Cloud!" Aerith spoke up, her voice shocked and emotional.
He glanced back to her and gestured with his head while ignoring the pleading in her eyes. "I'll be right behind you," he promised what he hoped was truthfully. "Get out of here and find the others."
The fear in her eyes dissolved into determination. She grabbed his arm and gave him another kiss on the cheek, which burned just as hotly as the last one as his heart pounded with adrenaline. Then she was off, Red XIII hot on her heels as they made their escape. Cloud turned with renewed vigor back to the other two people.
Rufus was shaking his head in pity. "Cloud, was it?" he said. "Your options are limited here. You cannot hold off both of us."
"I can try," Cloud replied edgily as he adjusted his stance for Tseng striding around the left side of the desk while Rufus moved around the right side. His eyes flickered from one to the other, waiting to see who would attack first. Rufus, hand still twitching next to his shotgun, looked the most probable candidate; however, he didn't see any visible weapon on Tseng. He knew enough about the Turks to know weapons weren't their only way to bring down people, however.
"Cloud, Cloud, Cloud." Rufus was still shaking his head. "There is no quitting Shinra, you must know that by now. Especially when enhanced, you're Shinra property. I own you."
The very idea of it brought a smirk to Cloud's face as he listened. Rufus could think all he wanted, but if there's one thing he knew, it was that he would fight for his own autonomy no matter where he ended up.
It was Tseng who darted forward first, barely a flash of movement but enough to not catch him off-guard. Cloud brought his sword up and used the flat side to push away the fist that nearly collided with his face. In the next moment, Rufus was drawing his gun and aiming for just above his chest. Cloud tucked quickly into a diving roll and came up at the feet of the new president, his spare hand sweeping behind Rufus's legs to knock him to the ground. Then he backed up, taunting with his free hand.
"Come and get me," he said with a grim grin. Rufus huffed from his position on the ground and shifted to aim his shotgun, Cloud responding by guarding with the flat of his blade. In the process, he saw Tseng dart around him and try to make a run for the door.
Nice try, he thought as he crouched and leapt towards the Turk, his feet halting and his sword swinging out to stop Tseng's progress. If Tseng was surprised, he didn't show it, but instead he took another swing towards Cloud's outstretched arm and got a quick jab in. The momentary pain caused his arm to lower his sword momentarily, just long enough for the Turk to smile once more and take off down the stairs. Before Cloud could go after him, he heard a shot behind him and felt a sharp pain blossom in his thigh.
"Shit," he swore as he grabbed his thigh with one hand while whirling around to face Rufus.
The new president of Shinra was smiling calmly as he lowered his smoking gun. "Just the two of us," he reiterated with a head tilt towards the waiting door to the outside. From the whine in the corner, it sounded like Darkstar wasn't happy with the arrangement and wanted to join. Luckily for Cloud, Rufus didn't spare a moment's glance to the beast and it chose to stay put.
Cloud grit his teeth, cast a quick cure on himself, and followed the older man outside while his thoughts drifted back to Aerith and Red. The strange creature seemed more than capable of taking care of himself, so at least she wasn't alone. On top of that, perhaps she would be lucky and make it out of the Shinra building. Perhaps she would meet up with Kunsel and Tifa. Perhaps Tifa was still alive…
The thought of it was enough to give him a new sense of determination. He wouldn't let his friends down. He wouldn't let Aerith down. It was time to show the Shinras that Aerith wasn't somebody to be owned or ordered around. She was her own person, and he would make sure she could do whatever she wanted in the world.
The helipad outside the president's office was expansive and empty. The stench of mako clung to the air alongside familiar smog and ash. Cloud entertained the thought for the slightest moment of peeking his head down at the city below to see if he could see the ruins of sector seven. The thought churned his stomach.
So instead, he did what he did best – sword in his hand, he marched behind Rufus Shinra and waited for the other to turn around. The new president seemed to have an air for the theatrics based on his only stopping when he was in the direct center of the helipad. He turned around slowly, one hand gripping his gun and the other tossing something in his hand. The faint clinking sound brought Cloud's attention to the action, and he realized the small item being tossed along his fingers and gently tossed in the air was a coin. His gaze was drawn to the simple movement and he watched as it slowly reached its peak and began a tumble down. It was only they he realized the shotgun pointed towards the coin and at his heart.
Cloud brought his sword up to guard just in time, and the force of the shot pushed his surprised form back a couple inches. Not wanting to show he'd been distracted, he swung his sword around once and demanded, "Let's get this over with."
"Oh, don't be like that," the older man replied with a twist of a smile. Rufus was toying with him, delaying him, this Cloud knew – but Cloud had a grudge to settle and he was going to spend his current energy trusting Aerith to know the building well enough to get out safely.
Swinging the sword around once for momentum, he charged, dropping into a guarded position just as Rufus aimed again. He felt his muscles tense in anticipation of the force this time, and as three bullets ricocheted of his blade he swung a low swatch forward towards the other's knees. Rufus managed to dodge the majority of the attack, but his sixth shot missed by a margin because of his distraction. Cloud got up close and thrust forward speedily, finally succeeding in landing a blow.
Rufus coughed for the slightest moment and clicked his fresh shells into the chamber. Shooting a quick glance at his materia, Cloud willed magic from his blade and shot a ball of fire towards the other man, momentarily catching him off-guard. Rufus disappeared for a moment in a ball of red fire and black smoke, and then a bullet came whipping through the clearing attack and grazed the top of Cloud's arm. "Shit," he swore as he retreated and quickly checked the wound. It was only a surface wound, but blood still dripped from his arm and onto the helipad below.
It reminded him of how the late President Shinra's blood had trickled down Masamune's edge…
Blinking away the image, Cloud dropped back into a guarded stance as he waited for Rufus to emerge, which the other man did in a moment, his movements fast and difficult to follow as he skidded to a halt next to Cloud and aimed directly for his head. Ducking as quickly as he could, Cloud then swiped the buster sword towards Rufus, where it collided with the man's stomach on its arch. Rufus dropped back a few feet, his breathing very audible even from here.
He slowed for a moment and resumed taunting, "Think you got my number?" He watched Rufus flex his fingers and wipe fresh blood on the front of his coat.
"Not at all," Rufus replied smoothly. "You're making me sweat." Sure enough, his hair, once slicked back, was falling out of place and running into his eyes. Cloud knew the feeling – he shook his own hair out of his eyes and doubled down on his stance just as Rufus pulled two more coins out of his jacket and narrowed his eyes. Rufus grinned. "Good thing I came prepared," he said, and then he flipped the coin in the air.
Except this time, his other hand pulled out a second shotgun Cloud had somehow missed. Grunting, he rolled away from the impact of the next rounds, his cheek taking a grazed casualty that instantly smarted, and aimed for the guns with his sword. Rufus danced away with a relaxed laugh, as if he'd seen the move coming.
What, does this guy train with SOLDIER or something? he grumbled to himself as he fixed his stance and charged again.
Fighting Rufus Shinra was strange, in part because Cloud didn't expect the Shinra heir to be much of a fighter… not that he spent lots of time reading the Midgarpolitan magazines or scrolling the fan message boards while he borrowed Tifa's PHS, of course. No, everything he knew about the guy was from his research into SOLDIER back when he was a kid. Rufus Shinra had always been labeled a 'pretty boy' with a charisma that bit into dissenters and an attitude to boot.
It was almost…refreshing to be dueling somebody who made him think. While he'd had his fair share of battles this past week between angry mechs and larger-than-life crabs, Cloud was actually enjoying the duel. He sensed the urgency of his needing to reconnect with Aerith again, but there was a small, selfish part of him that relished in the burn of his calves and biceps from his endless dodging and searching for openings in the older man's stance. They were evenly matched as well, which gave him a strange sense of relief. It was as if he had expected himself to be worse. Probably my dwelling about failure earlier, he thought to himself as he grimly dodged another round of bullets. A strike of lightning flashed dangerously close to his left ear and he winced before matching it with his own.
As calm and collected he felt, Cloud knew he needed get out of here. It was time to make a point, and, his weapon bursting to life while his joints vibrated with anticipation, he set his stance and darted forward while unleashing his limit break in a series of powerful slashes in a crisscross pattern.
After landing and catching his breath, Cloud looked up to see the damage. Rufus was stumbling and took a moment to shake himself. He was clearly about to lose, a sight that had Cloud's blood singing.
"I could end this here and now," he retorted at the small smile that still encapsulated the infuriating older man.
Rufus shook his head and reached into his jacket slowly. "No, not quite," he answered easily as he pulled out a clenched fist. Whatever was inside, Cloud couldn't pick up on it. He warily got to his feet and adjusted his stance again.
"No matter where you may go, I will always be one step behind," Rufus told him with a smirk as he moved his closed fist behind his back. "If you think you can get away today, you are sorely mistaken. I will tell everybody that it was you, Avalanche scum, who killed my father. We'll hunt you across the entire planet."
The smirk grew more pronounced, almost predatory in nature. Cloud narrowed his eyes as Rufus continued, "If you leave now without Aerith, then I may just give you a head start to flee the city."
"Not interested," Cloud spat. There was no way he was going to leave Aerith in the hands of Shinra, never again. His heart sang its approval.
The resignation on the older man's face was short-lived. He stretched the arm behind him and then the object was spiraling towards him. Cloud only had a half moment to grasp that it was an unpinned grenade sailing right towards his head.
"SHIT!" He shouted as he tucked and rolled before sprinting as far away as he could get –
The world upended, sending him careening towards the edge of the helipad and to the thousand-foot drop below.