14
Costa Del Sol: Finally, a Splurged Break!
"Oh man!" Yuffie whined when we all told her and Tifa what they've missed.
It was morning, the ship already docked. Aerith and I gladly kept a low profile to pick the two up from the infirmary, while Cloud and the others gathered our belongings and took them to the docks.
Tifa was quiet, sitting along her cot, her usual beautiful face unfortunately blotchy from all the drinking. Her hair was a frizzy mess, and she groaned, a hand up to a hot pack on her head.
Yuffie's high pitched voice made the hungover woman whine with pain, her eyes shut tight as the younger fighter continued, "I would've loved seeing that battle! I can't believe Cloud fought with that cyborg guy! And you guys saw Sephiroth?! And all those bodies?! Whoa! Sick!"
Aerith and I held each other's gaze, smiling sheepishly. It wasn't as fun as Yuffie made it sound to be, that was for sure.
Behind the chaos of healthcare personnel gathering around the ship, everyone murmuring and spreading rumors over what happened, the four of us wobbled through the cargo hold to avoid being investigated at the main ramp, and gladly dodged reporters.
It didn't take long to hear hushed voices of Sephiroth being on board.
Tifa wobbled, and I held her hand, pulling her gently with me while also afraid she would flinch and pull back. But she was either too sick or too weak to fight me as I helped her walk down the ramp like she'd forgotten how to walk.
I was instantly greeted by a blazing warming sky, suddenly thinking of Hawaii and its intense early morning heat in summer. A happy sigh escaped my lips as I smiled up at the sun, letting it injure my face with its wonderful rays of radiation.
"Oh my Gods, I love the sun!" I gasped happily, embracing it.
As soon as we were off the ramp, passing parked cargo crates, Cloud, Barret and Red met with us. Yuffie jumped with joy and, literally, bowed her head down to the cement docks, kissing it.
"Yes! Dry land! I'm never going on another ship ever again!" And she kissed the cement loudly.
We all chuckled at Yuffie's declaration.
Barret stretched his thick arms up in the hot air and smiled, back to his old clothes.
"I'm happy to get rid of that itchy white uniform. That thing made me look ridiculous."
I puffed out a laugh and shook my head.
"What?! No way! It looked good on you!" I exclaimed, only being half sarcastic. The white of his sailor suit disguise did contrast against his dark skin nicely. Barret made a face, and Cloud and I chuckled. He and I shared a glance, and we instantly looked away, the tension from last night still making it awkward between us. I pretended to be distracted by the calming bright blue ocean, while Cloud crossed his arms and announced in his usual monotone voice, "okay, enough fooling around. We aren't on vacation. We're going after Sephiroth. I'll go on ahead."
Disappointment spread around the group, and I, for one, wanted a break.
I peeled my eyes away from the beautiful sea and turned them angrily at Cloud's back, his sword taunting me.
"Wait! We're leaving already?! I want a break!" I demanded.
"Yeah, me too!" Yuffie piped with a raised hand.
Tifa kept her hand over her mouth, too nauseous to speak while gripping Barret's arm.
"Lying out in the sun, having one of those colorful drinks with an umbrella does sound nice," Barret mumbled to himself.
Red rammed his nose into his paw, sighing before he said, "I don't enjoy this heat, but a break would be ideal."
Aerith grabbed my arm and lifted a fist in the air. "Yeah, a break at the resort," she giggled. She smiled at me and I smiled back.
Cloud scoffed and rammed his hands into his pockets as he twisted around, and glared directly at me, the one who spoke up first, so of course he blamed me.
"Fine! I don't care what you do! Just don't wander too far. We meet at the exit of town at 3 and leave, or else we'll go on without you." And he left it at that, turning away and walking into the crowd around the docks. He easily stuck out with his massive sword, a man in dark clothes in a world of vibrant and bright colors.
I clenched my teeth and squinted a disapproved look at his sulkiness. Maybe I will stay here, just live the rest of my days in a beach town, forgetting about following a twisted man in a black cape and become oblivious to the Planet's expiration date. It sounded a lot better than dealing with a disgruntled Cloud.
Aerith tugged on my arm, and I turned to her, widening my smile. Maybe I widened it too wide because it only made her feel the need to force hers, as she could detect that I was upset.
"Want to check out the resort?" She urged, wearing her pink dress again, though badly wrinkled. Our cloaks and coats were gladly put away into Barret's backpack, leaving our shoulders exposed to the early morning sun.
"I would love that!" I chimed.
I skipped my eyes over to Tifa, and thought she needed a decent meal.
"Tifa, want to come with us! We're going to the resort. You could use some good food!"
Tifa sighed. She ditched her sailor uniform, and her hands smacked to her bare stomach, back to her old outfit.
"It's gotta be better than crackers," she grunted, the first time she spoke today.
Yuffie skipped along, cheering on ahead.
"I'm gonna go shopping!" She exclaimed, and disappeared into the crowd towards the main street.
"I will be in the shade, people watching. Such a rare and fun indulgence," Red announced, and he wandered off.
The rest of us: Barret, Tifa, Aerith and I, walked together across the docks. There were rows of ships, some luxurious, and others like the one we docked from. A few Yachts bobbed up and down, waves splashing up against the stone. Gulls cawed, perched over sandstone walls or up along the sails of the boats. But they fluttered away quickly, leaving behind scattered feathers when a Shinra helicopter swooped in towards a private helipad.
I tossed a glance over the docking crowd, and noticed Rufus about to enter the helicopter, alone. A group of reporters clustered around the bottom of the steps to the helipad, snapping photos with old cameras that glared large light bulbs.
Flashes flickered off Rufus, his face blank. His loose white dress shirt fluttered against the rough winds from the blades of the chopper as he curled his hands over the bars to enter the cockpit. But he must've felt my stare, and suddenly knew where to turn. His ice blue eyes instantly found mine in the crowd.
He smiled.
I gulped, my blood going cold despite the heat, and instinctively almost whirled away in the opposite direction. But a question haunted me.
Where's Isaac? Did he make it after battle? Did Rufus throw him away?
Was he dead?
Anxiety took over, urging me to turn around as it whispered the horrible questions into my ear, and my heart rate climbed.
Only Rufus would know, and as much as I didn't want to, I had to find out.
Quickly, I turned to Aerith and told her, along with the rest of the group, "go on without me. I need to take care of something really quick!"
I pulled out of Aerith's grip, startling her, and dove through the crowd of Shinra troops, fans and reporters, avoiding Aerith's hand when she reached for me.
"Aqua, don't!"
But I needed to know. Who knows when I will see Rufus again. Hopefully, never.
Rufus's eyes followed me, his smile frozen as I walked up the tall steps towards the helipad, rough wind tossing hair in my face while photos of us snapped.
Rufus poked his head into the cockpit to tell the pilot to turn off the helicopter, and the blades slowed down.
He then stepped away, and relaxed, sinking his hands into his pockets.
"Aqua, what a surprise. Have you reconsidered my proposal?" he asked light-heartedly, his diamond eyes dull.
I gave us a good few feet of air between us and threw at Rufus, "Where's Isaac?"
Rufus's smile widened, rather coldly, silent.
I glared at him and asked again, "Where's Isaac? Did he make it? Did you shut him down? Where is he?!" My voice rose.
Rufus stepped closer, which only pushed me to take a step back, his insincere smile sharp as his eyes.
"Isaac? You mean, Zero, I presume?" He asked, one golden eyebrow up.
"Where is he?" I repeated a third time, ready to use magic if necessary.
My long hair blew into Rufus, and he lifted a hand, yearning to touch the silver strands reaching for him. His fingers let my hair tease into them delicately as he said, "I was impressed with your magic, by the way. It took some time to get out of that Ice."
My hands curled into fists.
"Rufus!" I had enough of his delay.
He closed his eyes, shifting gears, and gripped a few strands of my hair into his hand, eying down at the rare but natural color I was born with.
"Hojo's around, repairing Zero currently as we speak. He failed to snatch you, so I gave him a warning. But don't worry, he'll be repaired from what I've done to him, too."
His eyes lifted to mine, and I reeled back, yanking my hair from his gentle grip.
"That's all I needed to know!" I scoffed, ready to leave.
I was glad that Rufus didn't make any attempt to grab for me nor throw any threats. He just sank his hands back into the pockets of his white pants, and watched me go.
The helicopter started up again, and as I descended the steps, I felt the need to look over my shoulder, and found Rufus stepping into the helicopter while smiling down at me. It was a smile I should be afraid of.
Instantly, I looked away and skipped down the steps, blocking flashes from cameras with a hand over my face. Dozens of questions were thrown at me, asking who I was and what I had to do with Rufus, but I ran, finding Aerith in the crowd. She gripped my arms, her eyes wide with concern.
"Aqua, what was that about? Don't do that," she gasped.
Barret stepped in, Tifa holding his arm.
"Yeah. Why did you talk to that bastard, Rufus anyway?"
We all watched his shiny black helicopter ascend, and then headed North.
"I needed to know if Isaac was okay," I answered them.
There was understanding in their eyes, but Aerith's hold tightened as she sighed, "I can't believe he just let you go like that."
"Yeah," I muttered, having the same thought. "Me too." I was scared that Rufus was planning something.
But what?
Costa Del Sol was crowded for a late morning. Many pedestrians loitered in the cobblestone streets filled with colorful shops and festive narrow apartment buildings. A beach expanded across the edge of the main road, with white sand and already, a crowd of tanners, bloody Mary drinkers and people watchers lazing around. Lines of palm trees outlined the edge of the long road heading North, separating the beach part from the town part easily. I kept glancing in between each palm tree, desperate to be out there on the beach, while dodging wandering children and wealthy women with slim beach ware that exposed almost everything of their tanned bodies.
Sand blew into the streets, which were filled with the locals getting ready for setting up their tables and kiosks for the early lunch crowd.
The smell of taffy, waffle cones and pancakes mixed into the salty sea air, and I inhaled it, almost in happy tears.
"I am so hungry!" I gasped, Aerith leading me along towards a large cluster of posh and modern apartments with balconies overlooking the sea.
I could feel her excitement in her hold, her lips wide with her smile as she kept turning her head back and forth at all the colorful excitement. For once, we gladly wanted to feel normal, with no worries, just here on a tiny vacation to have a good time.
At the resort, known as simply, "Little Sun Resort and Spa," we headed straight for the brunch buffet.
Tifa seemed to be pleased with the unlimited plate of eggs she could consume, already on her third plate by the time I sat down at our table. One end of the restaurant was open with a view of the resort beach. It let in a nice warm breeze over fine white table cloths and glimmering marble walls. I could people watch easily, eating crêpes a few yards away while gazing at all the beach loungers.
Everyone stared at Barret, a man who easily stuck out with his rough-looking physique and one gun arm. He held a plate stacked high with pancakes, and avoided eyes as he carried it over to our table, and then sat down with a grumble.
"I hate that they stare at me. Geez, what's the big deal?"
I swallowed a large bite of sunny side up egg and replied lightly, "you just have something in your teeth."
Aerith's smile grew as she chewed quietly behind a hand, staring up at Barret as he tried to glance at his teeth with the back of a spoon.
We ate like kings that morning. There was so much Brunch to enjoy, I wanted to eat it all, but stopped after three plates of eggs, toast, waffles, berries, and chocolate crêpes.
Aerith settled her fork down.
"Are we ready to go find some swimsuits and head out to the beach?!"
I couldn't tell if she was serious when I thought my stomach expanded three times its normal size. I patted my food baby belly and groaned.
"After just eating so much?! Are you kidding me?"
"Not me!" Barret declared. He dropped his warm eyes to Tifa.
"What about you, Tifa?"
Tifa still appeared to be recovering, but she actually smiled and finished her fourth plate.
"I'll go. I could use a little bit of sun," she expressed gently.
We were glad to hear she was slowly getting back to her old self. Aerith rose, her empty plate in her hand.
"I just want some more strawberries, and I'll be good!"
Everyone got up to grab one more bite of something before heading to the shops. When I returned with a cup of black coffee, I found Tifa sitting alone, her eyes out to the resort beach, and with a tall glass drink in her hand.
I sat down and cautiously stared at her. I felt it would be better not to nag nor be that person asking her what she was drinking. She could be drinking a mocktail for all I knew. Instead, I drifted my stare out to the expansive beach as well, spotting lovely beach chairs with polished wood frame and white cushions. People laid out, being served drinks, their feet kicked up in the air or toes buried in the sand, just watching little waves crashing in the distance.
"How are you feeling?" I asked Tifa, taking advantage of the little moment we had.
Tifa sucked up her drink quickly, the ice cubes in her glass clanking together as she spun it with a plastic straw.
"Embarrassed," she breathed, her cheeks growing color.
She sighed and brushed her side bangs away from her red eyes.
"I noticed tension between you and Cloud," she added, not comfortable talking about herself, so instead, she wanted to bring up my problems. I lifted a fake smile out at the beach, and then looked at her, expanding it further until my cheeks hurt.
"Doesn't that just make you feel better?" I was being sarcastic, but I let Tifa decide how to interpret that. She did so with amusement, her eyes big, and then she chuckled to herself, shaking her head gently.
"No, not really. I'd rather he was upset at me than just…nothing at all."
I blinked, surprised at how she put it. Did Cloud being upset mean he cared? I never thought of it that way. I thought he was being immature.
Tifa stayed quiet after that, especially when Aerith and Barret came back with more food than they expected. I kept a close eye on her, not because of the drinking, but because I was seeing a beautiful woman with a wounded heart.
It was brutal.
After Brunch, Aerith and I took to the shops around town, dragging Tifa along while Barret ditched us.
"I leave the shopping to you, ladies. I'm out," he said, and stayed in the restaurant to watch the sea, calm in solitude while nursing a mug of coffee.
"Aqua, what about this one?!" Aerith shoved a pink bikini in my face, and I cringed, hands up to stop her from making me kiss it.
"T-That's more your color, isn't it?" I struggled. Aerith easily agreed and went to try it on. I walked over to Tifa, catching her daydreaming while her fingers traced patterns along a one piece with pineapples on it.
"Are you going to get a swimsuit?" I asked her, snapping her out of her thoughts. Tifa shrugged her toned shoulders.
"I guess. Though there's so many," she said with half enthusiasm, and she picked up a white two piece bikini hanging on a wooden hanger.
Aerith stepped out of the dressing room, her skinny frame appearing so pale against the contrast of the soft pink swimsuit.
With a hand to her cheek, she blushed when she asked me, "what do you think?"
I thought she would do better with a one piece, the girl hardly with any curves to show off.
"The color looks great on you, just like your dress," I sparkled, that part true. Aerith spun around, her smile like the outside sun.
"I want to look like one of those girls out there on the beach, with their bellies exposed so easily like that!" She gushed. I rolled my eyes, letting them fall to a crowd of young girls squealing over what swimsuit to wear and where to go show off.
"Rufus is here!" They squealed, some of them jumping up and down like a fan club.
"Let's try to get him to see us in our new suits," one squealed.
"No way! He has his own private beach condo at the Resort. The President won't be out there on the beach. He's probably got a million papers to sign or golf or something," another dragged, flinging her manicured nails out.
"I wish he would notice me," A third scoffed.
At that point, I rolled my eyes and plugged my ears.
After over an hour of shopping, Aerith, Tifa and I walked out on the street, grinning from ear to ear. We wore our choice of beach wear over our swimsuits proudly, our old clothes and new luxuries collected in pink and turquoise shopping bags with ribbon. Aerith spun in her new strapless white dress with floral patterns, the loose hem spinning over her thighs. Like a boss, Tifa draped herself lazily in a long black silk wrap with a gold rope tied around her waist, while she kept her tired eyes behind sunglasses. I was more of a fan over the casual long white tunic buttoned shirt, boyfriend style, with the sleeves rolled up. My long silver hair snaked over one shoulder in a loose braid, and hid under a small sunhat and sunglasses.
With our new looks, I thought the three of us waltzed through the streets like Charlie's Angels, ready to go on a mission. I could already hear Demi Lovato's song ringing in my head, screaming, "What's wrong with being confident?"
Men gawked at Tifa's shapely body, her tiny robe exposing her long legs in high-heeled black sandals, freshly combed hair flowing behind her. She held her head high, not giving any man the satisfaction of even a glance, and she was no longer that sick woman on the ship from this morning.
Heading back towards the resort, I noticed Yuffie sitting behind a kiosk that sold Materia. The beautiful glass orbs displayed exquisitely on clean white stacked shelves, and under glass cases. Sitting atop tiny lamps made them appear like glowing jewels, or sitting inside cushioned open clams, like glass pearls.
We stopped in front of the kiosk, puzzled at Yuffie's choice of leisure activity. No customers, but she seemed pleased with herself, sitting back in a folded cushion chair, her hands behind her head and wearing sunglasses.
"Yuffie?" I pried.
The young ninja sat up and pulled down her sunglasses down her nose to eye up at us.
"Hey guys!" She waved.
Aerith stepped forward and asked, "want to come to the beach with us?"
But Yuffie slid her sunglasses back on and shook her head, relaxing again.
"Nah. I got Materia to sell here," she replied with satisfaction. Her eyes laid hungrily on each orb, many of them green and blue.
I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah. To sell," I joked. Yuffie stuck her tongue at me. I stuck mine out, and we left her to her own scheming.
Street performers played soft reggae music. There were bicycles and skateboards passing us. Children kicked around a soccer ball in a less populated street, Red watching them intently while sitting in the shade of a stoop.
"Well, we know where Red and Yuffie are," I chimed in, eying his yellow eyes spotting us and waving with his flaming tail.
"But I wonder where Cloud went," Aerith whined. "I want him to see us in our new swimsuits." And she pouted. I glared at her behind sunglasses, but she didn't notice. Tifa crossed her arms and muttered, "that will be something. Cloud on the beach."
I tensed, not fond of the idea of him seeing me in barely anything, and my cheeks felt hot, or maybe it was the late noon sun. I pictured Cloud walking through the resort, people staring at him and his sword like they did Barret.
"People would probably throw pineapple at him because of his hair," I grumbled.
Aerith and Tifa giggled.
"Because they're both yellow and spiky! Ha, I get it!" And Aerith's laugh grew.
Tifa smiled at me, and I took that as a win.
"Oh wait!" Aerith's eyes spotted something in the crowd, and she gasped.
"There he is!" She squealed as she squeezed my arm, and pointed. Tifa and I stopped uneasily, and noticed Cloud sitting at a small table outside a café, a drink in one hand while he sank his chin into another. He appeared depressed, or just lost in his thoughts as he hid himself under an umbrella, more than half of his drink twirled in his glass aimlessly.
"Cloud!" Aerith shouted, her arm up.
I took Aerith's arm and hissed into her ear, "Aerith, no!" I wasn't ready to face him. Tifa took Aerith's other arm and said through her teeth, "don't invite him." I didn't think Tifa and I had something in common, but funny enough, it was to avoid Cloud.
I glanced over Aerith's shoulder to watch him shake his head and lay a hand over his face to hide it. Aerith ignored our pleas, skipping to Cloud's little table.
"Come with us to the beach!" She cheered, taking his arm.
"Aerith, no. I'm not in the mood," he grumbled, and he pulled his arm away, not looking at me. I crossed my arms and let my eyes wander to the street musicians.
Tifa fiddled with her golden rope belt.
Aerith detected the awkwardness, fuming silently to herself. She growled in a high-pitched way in the back of her throat, and clasped her hands, big eyes down at Cloud.
"But I want to show you my new swimsuit!"
"Why would I want to see that?!" He exclaimed as he slammed his fist down, face red. His drink toppled over, spilling into the street, leaving him to sigh helplessly into his hands.
"Good, you're done with your drink!" Aerith snickered, and took his arm again.
"Please, Cloud. Pretty please?!" She gave him her puppy dog eyes.
Cloud smashed his eyes shut and turned his head away.
"No! That's not going to work on me this time!" he snapped.
I shook my head at Aerith, smiling over her using her magic of being cute to pursue Cloud to join us, something that I was sure no Materia existed to gift anyone with such an ability.
Cloud sighed again, letting Aerith drag him along like a happy little girl forcing her big brother to join her on a playdate.
"I can't believe she invited him," Tifa grumbled, setting her bag beside her chosen beach chair while she glared through her sunglasses at those two. The flower girl was chatting his ear off, glad to have him to herself, as they analyzed the vast blue horizon together.
I took a lounge chair next to Tifa, pretending not to care, and pulled my shirt dress off, exposing my soft pale skin under an elegant classic bikini in bright sapphire. Tifa gladly pulled back her black robe, revealing her pale skin behind a tiny white bikini. Her breasts glossed under the sun, barely held up by her top, as she sat back and applied tanning oil all over herself. Her long hair fell down her back as a shimmering black waterfall behind her.
"Maybe I'll find a boyfriend here, live out the rest of my days sitting by the beach, getting tanned, and working at a bar here in this town," she sighed, her head back and long legs out. I couldn't stop staring at her beauty.
"What are you staring at?" Tifa grumbled when she caught my gawking. I bit my lower lip and instantly looked away.
"Nothing," I muttered, feeling exposed and awkward while Tifa displayed herself as flawless and cool. Compared to Tifa, a beautiful black swan out in the sun, I was an ugly duck. The two of us laid in our lounge chairs, letting the sun bask our oily bodies and feeling like queens in paradise. The crashing of the waves was music to my ears. People chatting and laughing. Drinks clanking and palm trees swaying long green leaves. The heat was intense, almost too hot to stay dry.
I heard ice cubs clanking, and in the corner of my eye, I spotted Tifa drinking a tall glass of an orange drink with bright red cherries. Her cheeks were already pink.
I sat up and snatched the drink from her as I spat, "stop drinking, for Christ's sake!"
I poured it in the sand before she yanked it back, and she roughly pulled her sunglasses down to have her red eyes glare at me.
"I can do whatever I damn well please! And if that's drinking, then so be it!" Tifa snapped.
She rose, looming over me. I stood up and tried to level with her, so I wouldn't feel like an ant compared to her. But, even as my eyes met with hers, I still felt insignificant.
"Look, drinking isn't going to solve your problems!" I ranted.
Tifa had her hands on her wide hips, and reeled her crooked face into mine.
"No, you're right. But it sure feels damn good!" She hissed.
"Argh!" I threw my hands up into my hair.
"What is the matter with you!" I shrieked, not able to control my emotions.
Tifa rammed her fists down as she barked, "it's called having to lie to Cloud's face about his past! It's practically been haunting me for days!"
I simmered down, appalled over her answer. My rear fell back in my chair as I muttered, "That's what this is about? Lie about his past? I thought maybe it was because he…" I swallowed, and forced, "he isn't meeting you half way." It was a nicer way of putting it.
I thought Tifa was still stuck on Cloud not being able to reciprocate her feelings, but maybe I didn't know the whole story.
Tifa closed her eyes and groaned as she sat back down, her knees bumping into mine.
"Sure, that's part of it but, before I talk more, I need another drink," she requested. She wasn't asking, and her fingers snapped for a man with a white tuxedo suit to head her way.
I laid back in my chair, growling, while shoving a towel over my face to hide the sun that was too bright for even sunglasses to block.
I heard Tifa take a few sips of her drink, and she let out a satisfying moan.
"Cloud's recall of five years ago has been bothering me. It was…." she made an uncomfortable pause. "Inaccurate," she whispered. Her anger dissolved into her glass, and she suddenly sounded lonely. The alcohol easily let her emotions leak out of her hard shell, and she continued.
"I hate not being able to open up like you do," she confessed, half chuckling. Through her dark glasses, I found her eyes dropping to her lap.
"I would've told him so much already if I had your courage," Tifa whispered, and she left it alone after that, quiet while she sank in her thoughts.
I sipped on iced cucumber water, watching Cloud sit in the sand, having a conversation with Aerith as he laid back on his hands, his sword at his side. After too much sun on one side, I flipped around and settled on my belly to give my back some color.
"I wouldn't be so offended by his poor accuracy," I began, eying Tifa. "I mean, how off was he? About Nibelheim?"
Tifa emptied her second glass and shook her head.
"Aqua…" Her tone told me it was serious, and I stared at her carefully, slipping my sunglasses up over my head while I propped up on my elbows
"Yeah?"
Tifa kept herself hidden behind her shades, but an unsettled look was clearly visible on her face. She began to cook, her skin slowly turning pink and brown.
"I know you like to know all the answers, and tell the truth. You like honesty, I get it. But, please, for Cloud, no, for me, please, just let him be for a while?"
A tiny slap hit me somewhere in my chest.
"I don't know what you mean?" I asked, though I had a pretty good idea.
"Please, don't make him try to figure it out," she pleaded quietly, tone serious.
My hands curled around my lounge chair.
"You want me to keep him in the dark? You mean use your tactic to protect Cloud from the truth? That isn't fair to him," I argued.
Tifa turned her head away, displeased with my reply.
"Sometimes the truth hurts, Aqua. Think about that," she warned, and she blew out a trembling sigh.
I stared at her.
"Is it that ba-!" I was interrupted by icy cold water spraying down my back, and I jumped to my feet with a loud scoff.
With a twirl, I glared unexpectedly at Cloud, just a few feet away from the foot of my lounge chair, and appearing dumbfounded as he gazed absently at a water gun in his hands. Aerith was standing next to him, her hands behind her back while humming to herself.
Cloud caught my ferocious eyes, and he gasped, shaking his head.
"No, I didn't do it! I swear! Aerith just gave it to me!"
I clenched my teeth, freezing as the wind threw in what, I thought, was an icy chill to my wet skin.
"Oh, you mean it wasn't you?! You're holding the water gun! No, you know what?!" I marched towards him, steam coming out of my ears, and snatched the plastic water gun from him, leaving him stunned.
"Let's see how you like it!" And aimed it right at him.
Cloud took a couple of steps back, his hands up to his face.
"Aqua, it wasn't me! Don't you dare!" His tone gave warning, but I pulled the trigger, spraying a heavy stream of water onto his battered shirt. A large wet stain appeared across his chest and dribbled from his chin.
Cloud thew his hands down and glared at me.
"Aqua, enough!"
But I kept shooting at him.
"How about I go find a pile of firewood and sticks to throw at you, too?! Huh?"
It felt so damn good to shoot him with a stream of water. Cloud began to run towards the sea, and I chased him, shooting water down his sword and back. My hat flew off my head, left behind with Aerith's musical laughter.
"You act like a sulky jerk to me, and then decide to get me wet?!" I screeched, my body on fire as my bare feet slammed across hot sand. We passed many tanners, dodging stares and hearing giggles as whispers spread about a man with a massive sword was running away from a lady with a water gun.
I only grew more agitated when I ran out of water, chasing Cloud until we were ankle deep into the sea.
My hands shoved the toy beneath the surface, giving me back bubbles as it filled up, and shouted at Cloud, "Why do you have to be such a sulky jerk? Avoiding me like I offended you? Look, I'm sorry if I share things with Aerith and not you. I haven't even told her yet, so get over it!" And lifted the saturated water gun up to my shoulders to spray another stream. Cloud lifted a hand to stop the spray, and he kicked his boot across the water, splashing me with a gigantic wave.
I gasped, completely soaked. How the hell did he even kick that much water? My whole hair was drenched, my braid already uncoiled and falling loose as a wet mess over my shoulders and down my thighs.
"Yeah, well, you wouldn't tell me about what happened between you and Rufus, or with Isaac!" Cloud grumbled, and he kicked another wave at me. I howled from the cold water, dodging the salt falling into my eyes.
With a growling hiss, I smacked the water gun down and used my bare foot to kick a flimsy spray at him.
"I told you, it's none of your business!" I shouted, face red.
"I want it to be my business!" Cloud protested, and he lifted a spray of water with his gloved hands, splashing me in the face.
I couldn't believe we were arguing like this. I couldn't decide whether to scream or laugh. We calmed down, taking a breath and letting the waves sneak up around our legs. Cloud's boots and inches of his pants got wet, but he seemed careless about it, and just gave me a crooked look between seriousness and embarrassment with cheeks red. The sea breeze threw his wet hair across his bright blue yes, his face and shirt dripping wet.
I suddenly felt hot again, pretending it was the sun high in the sky.
"I don't get it," I told Cloud. "Are you jealous because I share things with Aerith instead of you? Or is it the details about Rufus and Isaac? I feel like I'm misunderstanding you."
Cloud crossed his arms and peeled his eyes away from my bikini. His cheeks turned sunburn. I was nothing in compared to Tifa, and I suddenly wanted to hide neck deep in the water.
"I just don't trust either of them, for obvious reasons," Cloud replied, avoiding to look at me.
I began to relax, finally getting a better idea of what was bothering him. Hands on my hips, I cocked my head at him.
"It sounds like you're upset because I was with them?" I guided, encouraging Cloud to help me out here. I could hardly read him sometimes, with his usual bland stares and monotone voice.
He fumed, eyes down, and I thought the water boiled around him.
"I feel bothered by it," he grunted, but then his face softened, and he gave me a concerned look.
"Try not to be alone with either of them again, Aqua. Okay?" I noticed that light again, a gentle warm flame in his eyes that only began yesterday, and it startled me, my body only heating more.
"O-Okay…" I bewilderedly promised, my eyes stuck to his.
Cloud rubbed his hand behind his wet hair, dropping his gaze again.
"I'm sorry I'm not good at this," he gulped. "I know you and Aerith share a lot. I admit, I get jealous of you two sometimes."
I blushed, words jammed at the back of my throat.
"Umm," Cloud struggled, his words, too, stuck, and he cleared his throat.
"I'm not asking you to choose between me and Aerith. That's a battle I can never win. It would just make me happy if you could share with me more of what's going on? Understand?"
He met my stare again, and held it nervously, his lips pressed together.
I heaved a silent chuckle with a relieving smile.
"Okay, I will share more with you," I promised, blushing.
Cloud smirked, his cheeks still red.
"Hey!" Aerith's voice sang loudly. We both turned to find her waving at us while standing on the shore, her other hand over her mouth.
"Did you two make up, yet?!"
Cloud and I threw each other settled looks, and then we both shook our heads at Aerith.
"So it WAS you who got me wet?!" I squealed, splashing water up at her. Aerith laughed and gasped at the same time, her ruffled pink swimsuit in the range of fire while she protected her face and hair.
Cloud joined, and we both splashed Aerith till she was as soaked as much as I was.
Water dripped from her long braid, and she just laughed.
"Group hug!" And she ran towards us with wide open arms.
"No-!" Cloud's shoulders got caught in the hook of her arm, while my neck got latched on, and the three of us fell.
Water splashed. Legs kicked up in the air. The three of us laughed. It was a wonderful song, listening to Aerith and Cloud laughing along with me, under the bright sun and half our bodies buried in the shallow sea.
I planned to treasure this moment for a long time. No Sephiroth. No Rufus. No worries. No more crazy events. It was a day I never wanted to forget.
"Wow, I'm glad you two are feeling better," Aerith bubbled, wringing her braid in her hands as we all stepped out of the water. I gathered my wet hair into my hands and wrung it like she did, while Cloud flicked his fingers over his hair. He sighed when he looked down at his wet boots collecting mounds of sand around them.
"Well, it can't get worse than this," he muttered, frowning.
I searched for Tifa up there on the slight ascend of the beach, but stopped short when someone else caught my eye.
"Guys, it just got worst," I dreaded.
"What?" Cloud was ready to draw his sword. I grabbed his arm and pointed with my free hand to a sleazy man in the distance. I recognized that greasy black hair anywhere, with shark teeth smiling wickedly up to the sun, his thin and pale bare chest slick with oil.
Aerith stepped forward, gasping.
"Hojo?" She uttered.
"No way," Cloud cringed through his teeth.
I wanted to cover my eyes. What's even worse than crashing into Hojo on a beach, was Hojo in a little black Speedo.
Cloud stormed pass Aerith and I, leaving us appalled as we stared at his sword, his hand on its handle. We quickly followed him.
"Cloud, don't make a scene," I whispered, a hand holding his dominate arm.
Cloud kept his Mako glowing eyes straight for Hojo and muttered, "I'm going to just talk to him."
We got close, and held still a moment to notice a cluster of women in swimsuits surrounding the scientist. I didn't get it.
"Wow," I dragged. "He must be rich. There's no other reason why he should be surrounded by girls," I clarified.
Aerith smiled, agreeing, while Cloud scoffed.
"You think? I bet he's a billionaire with all the twisted shit that he does," he growled, and marched forth. A few giggling young girls around Tifa's ages,
gasped when Cloud's tall shadow towered over them.
"Who are you?" one in a red bikini snapped. Cloud pointed to Hojo.
"I want to talk to him," he threatened. About a dozen girls all stood up, one of them whispering into Hojo's ear.
"What?! Huh?"
He sat up from his lounge chair, and dropped his sunglasses down a bit over his long nose to get a good look at us near his feet.
"Oh, I see," Hojo muttered. He rose, exposing a poorly thinned abdomen with a couple of upper ribs showing. The girls dispersed, leaving us alone with groans and complaints.
With long and lanky legs, Hojo mashed his feet into the sand, sitting along the edge of his seat and glaring at me and Aerith in our swimsuits.
"I never thought I would see you two here," he said quietly, blinking at us.
Cloud stepped forward, blocking the scientist's view.
"Hojo, what are you doing here?" he demanded.
Hojo smiled, hiding his teeth, and shrugged.
"Doing this! Thanks to you, I've been working all morning on repairing Zero, but I needed a little break. I heard we were on the same ship. It's too bad we missed each other," he replied. Cloud glared silently, leaving the mad man to add, "oh, and I also heard Sephiroth was on board, too. Did you see him?"
The look on our faces portrayed enough, and Hojo chuckled.
"I see. Brilliant! I wonder if he's going to where it all began. If so, then my hypothesis is true," the scientist sneered.
"Hypothesis of what?" I jumped in, hiding more behind Cloud because Hojo seeing me in a bikini gave me the creeps.
His sunglasses flashed at me when he gave me a smile.
"Why, the Reunion, of course," he answered, like we were all supposed to know what the hell that meant.
I mentioned, "Sephiroth said something about a reunion. What do you two mean? I don't get it. Is there a party somewhere?" I made it half a joke, but Hojo took it too far and howled with laughter, smacking his thighs.
"A party! Ha! It may as well be! Gwahahaha! Too bad, many of the guests are a bunch of failures! I can just picture the guest list! Gwahahahahaha!"
Aerith and Cloud gave me a look to shut my trap, and I pressed my lips together.
Hojo calmed down, and he wiped away a few tears from his eye.
"Hojo," Aerith interrupted. "Is Sephiroth an Ancient? Is Jenova an Ancient? Are we the same blood?"
Hojo cradled his hands together, his lips mumbling over them like a mad man stuck on calculations.
"If you are chasing Sephiroth, then you better head west through Mt. Corel," he advised us, avoiding Aerith's question.
Cloud drew his sword, but I stopped him, my hands around his wrist.
"No! Not here!" I gasped.
Hojo hooted like an amused cracked owl.
"You want to kill me, huh?"
"After what you did to Aqua, you should be surprised you're still laughing!" Cloud threw between his teeth. Mako intensified in his eyes.
I was grateful Cloud wanted justice for all the experiments Hojo did to me, but I didn't want him to do it in a public place, leaving him exposed as a target. Plus, unfortunately, Hojo may know too much to be dead.
"Cloud, I'm thankful, but not here. Please?" My hands cupped his cheeks, tearing his eyes away from Hojo to fall to mine.
Cloud's quick breaths slowed, and the glow in his eyes faded when he kept them on me.
I smiled lightly.
"That's better. And besides…" I released him, walked three steps towards Hojo.
And smacked the bastard hard across the face.
My fingers and palm burned from the sharp impact, turning his head with a gurgle from his shark teeth.
There were gasps around us.
"That's for what you did to me!" I screamed, making a scene like a love struck outraged ex-lover. It wasn't an ideal performance, but people would understand, Hojo, the lady's man, probably had drama follow him around. No surprise to see him get slapped in public from time to time.
Aerith put her hands to her mouth.
Cloud slipped his sword on his back, and just smiled.
A red mark swelled all up Hojo's left cheek, and he clenched his teeth up at me.
"How dare you! This is a face of beauty!" He roared.
I rolled my eyes and walked away, feeling so proud.
"I wouldn't feel so smug if I were you. I can tell Rufus where you are. I know he has plans for you!" The scientist screeched. I gasped, eyes glued in the sand, when I stopped.
Aerith and Cloud studied me, but before they were to ask, I decided to run.
No way. I didn't want Rufus to spoil this. How dare that bastard Hojo smack me with that one! I ran back towards our spot, expecting Tifa to be lying in her chair with hot red skin.
But to my surprise, I found her giggling with a red haired fellow, drinks in both their hands while they sat too comfortably side by side like they knew each other.
I lifted a brow, coming in closer till Tifa noticed me.
"Aqua! There you are! I want you to meet Johnny!" She squealed, and Johnny blushed before rising, a hand behind his head.
"I'm johnny! Nice to meet you! Tifa's told me so much about you!" He seemed a little too head strong, and I absently shook his hand, still a little baffled at the scene I walked in on.
They were giggling like I had just missed a joke they shared, and Johnny nuzzled his red cheeks into Tifa's hair, his eyes dropping to her breasts.
Tifa cleared her throat while holding back giggles behind her pink cheeks.
"Johnny is from Midgar. We've been friends for years since I came there from Nibelheim. He recently just bought a condo here. I'm going to go with him for a bit. We still got time, right? Unless you can convince Cloud to give us a full day, and we leave in the morning?" She winked at me.
I couldn't tell if Tifa was asking me or just joking.
"Uh, you want me to try to convince Cloud to let us stay a whole day just so you can get-!"
Tifa shoved her hand over my mouth while she gave me one of her suppressed anger smiles.
"You don't have to spell it out," she grumbled, revealing her true nature in her eyes, but all Johnny saw was her bikini.
I grew quiet as I watched them leave. Johnny, a tall and tanned guy with awkward spiky red hair, and with a very nice six back, held Tifa's bags and wrapped an arm around her little waist. Tifa waved at me from over her shoulder.
"Tell Cloud, till tomorrow! Or else go on without me!" She sang. I've never seen her so happy before.
They giggled together, waltzing across the sand like old lovers.
I was speechless.
"Who's that?" Aerith asked, watching Tifa and Johnny disappear through the Resort's lobby.
"Tifa's old friend, apparently," I struggled.
"That's Johnny," Cloud corrected, behind me. I watched him carefully, searching for jealousy or resentment in his eyes, but shocked to find none. He just seemed…relieved?
"I'm glad they met up. Tifa needed it," Cloud admitted, glancing at my dropped jaw.
"What is it?" he asked, noticing.
I shook my head, and then remembered I should share more of what's on my mind.
"Uh, I'm just surprised you aren't bothered by this," I revealed, and instantly hated that I promised to tell Cloud more of my thoughts.
Cloud smirked, his eyes glowing.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" He joked, detecting how difficult it was for me to share. I raised my eyebrows.
"No, not at all. I'm glad for her. In fact, maybe we should give it a whole day. I'm okay leaving tomorrow morning if it gives Tifa time to be with Johnny," he finished.
I practically jumped in the air with pumped fists. Aerith joined me, and we did a high five.
"Let's get a room here!" Aerith gasped, excited.
"And get a massage!" I added, matching with her enthusiasm.
"And a bath!" Aerith sang.
Cloud kept to himself, hands in his pockets while his eyes wandered back to the sea, giving us girls time to process the excitement while he kept his thoughts to himself. I wondered if he was thinking about what he, too, wanted to do with the extra time given.
After our excitement simmered down, we collected our stuff.
Aerith rammed her towel into a shopping bag, and shoved her summer dress over her swimsuit.
"Well, I'm done out here. Bumping into Hojo ruined my beach day," she grumbled.
I laughed, agreeing with that notion as I slipped my large shirt dress on, and then held my shopping bags over my shoulder.
"No kidding," I chimed.
"Aqua, that was so cool you slapped him. I wish I could do that," Aerith exclaimed, stars in her eyes when she gazed up at me.
I was at a loss for words, the feeling after slapping Hojo an exhilaration I was going to take with me to my grave. I couldn't think of what could be more satisfying besides slapping Rufus too.
Cloud planted a hand over my shoulder, and I saw him actually smiling, which lead me to take a mental snapshot.
"That was badass," he commented.
My face turned red as shivers went up my spine.
"Thanks, you guys."
"Hey, what did Hojo mean about Rufus? What plans?" Cloud pried.
"Uh!" I turned my attention to the lobby and stepped away from his hand.
"Let's book a few rooms. Cloud, why don't you call Barret and give him the update?" I left him a little peeved, aware that I was still avoiding the question, but he took out his phone and began to dial anyway.
"What happened between you and Rufus?" Aerith whispered to me as our steps smacked across the marble floor.
"Nothing. It's so gross. You don't want to know," I whispered back.
But Aerith squeezed my arm.
"Ugh. Now I just want to know even more!" she whined.
We booked a room together for the night. Cloud caught up and got his own room right next to us. Barret gladly joined when he got the update, booking a private room next to Cloud's.
It was the best break we all ever had.
I took a long bubble bath like I've been dreaming of for a long time. I couldn't remember the last time I took a bath. Probably in my New York Apartment I shared with Isaac.
It was one of those large hot tubs, so Aerith joined, and we stayed hidden by a pile of pink foam and bubbles with a light floral scent. I laid back, sighing happily while I held a glass of red wine in my hand. Aerith watched me, like she was trying to process what it meant to be an older adult, and took mental notes.
She leaned back on her end of the large tub, her eyes closed while the faucet dripped.
The windows were open, sending us the delightful sounds of waves crashing and people chatting on the beach. Steam rose from our tub, fogging up the mirrors and gold trim around the sink.
I took a sip of the resort's own brand of red wine, grateful it existed in this world. It was dry and not too sweet, and I let it sit on my tongue before taking a swallow. I almost thought I was somewhere back at home, in a tropical place, and happened to drag Aerith along with me.
For a minute, I pretended we were somewhere in Maui or the Virgin Islands.
The peace and quiet settled in, leaving room for me to tell Aerith, "thank you for earlier today."
Aerith smiled at me across the bubbles, knowing exactly what I meant.
"No problem. I'm always there to help. I'm rooting for you!" and she threw me a determined look.
And then she asked, "how did you two get tension this time?"
I shook my head, almost as puzzled as she was.
I told her about the night in the cargo hold, and how ending it on a sour note, seemed to linger to today. Furthermore, I then explained what Cloud told me and how he struggled to express what it was that was truly bothering him.
"Aqua, Cloud was just worried about you! He doesn't want you hanging around Rufus and Isaac. What happened anyway? Did Isaac do something awful to you? Is that why you won't say anything? Or was it Rufus?"
But I splashed my face with the warm water, and shook my head.
"No…"
Aerith gave me a worried look.
"Aqua, did he…?"
"No!" I threw back, stopping her before her thoughts cascading any further into worst-case scenarios.
"Nothing like that," I reassured her, and lifted my eyes up to the small chandelier over our tub.
Finally, after many struggles of Aerith being patient and not Searching me, I muttered, "Rufus asked me to marry him."
"What?!" She splashed mounds of water over the floor, her eyes as large as her mouth.
"What?!"
I hid my face in my hands, shaking my head as I waited for Aerith to let it all out.
"Ew! Ugh! What?!" She seemed in shock.
"Rufus?! Why?!" I heard her high-pitched voice cringe.
I rubbed my hands across my face, pulling my cheeks back till I had a very temporary facelift.
"I know, gross. And it gets worst," I warned. Aerith leaned in, her soapy hand over her mouth, struggling to wait.
"He wants Ancient children. Being a leader, he hopes that having children with Ancient powers will make them into even more powerful leaders. Can you imagine? The sick bastard."
Aerith was so bewildered, she couldn't decide whether to drop an open smile from the gossip or frown with disgust.
She thought hard to herself for a minute while I finished my glass of wine.
"Aqua," Aerith said my name with apprehension.
"I can see why Cloud is worried about you getting anywhere near Rufus but, I'm scared. Rufus seems like a man who always gets his way. You do need to be careful."
At that point, I settled my empty glass down, and climbed out of the hot tub, bubbles, and bath water dribbling across my body to the tile floor. With a thick white towel, I dried myself off and wrapped it under my arms.
Aerith had every right to be afraid, but I thought she was overreacting.
Or maybe I was simply under reacting. I tried to shove the possibility out of my mind, half hoping Rufus was a decent enough man to trash his idea after being rejected.
But I doubt it.
How will Isaac feel when he finds out he's working for the man who wants to impregnate me…
I made a face, and tasted the contents of brunch simmer in my esophagus.
"I'm going to lie down," I told Aerith with a draining voice. The wine easily floated in my brain, helping me unwind.
I gladly collapsed in my own soft white bed, the blanket thick and cool. The firm pillows were perfect, my head barely sinking into them. An afternoon breeze tossed soft white curtains into the room, dancing shyly over the tile floor. I sighed happily, arms outstretched, relaxed, and stared up at the ceiling fan spinning round and round.
I may have fallen asleep. One minute, I closed my eyes, remembering a faint sunlight falling across the ceiling fan. When I blinked, warm orange light spilled across the soft blades. Something tickled my fingers. I turned my head, and found Aerith lying next to me, her fingers fiddling with mine as a meshed ball of hands between us.
She held a secret meaning into her eyes, and they softened when I reached them with mine.
"Hey," she whispered.
"Hey," I whispered back, cracking from a dry throat.
The bed was so soft, I almost fell back into a coma, but Aerith's voice reeled me in when she said, "the sun is setting. You should go ask Cloud to take a walk before it's too late."
My eyes widened, and I stifled a laugh, amazed at her cupid abilities. I rammed a pillow over my face and shook my head at the idea. It sounded lovely, but I didn't think he would agree to it. I couldn't even picture it.
"I don't think he would want to do anything like that," I sheepishly replied, sitting up. Aerith blinked at me when I had an idea, and asked, "do you want to walk along the beach with me?"
She blushingly smiled, but then she bounced off the bed and rushed over to her shopping bags along her bed. She dug through them loudly as she replied,
"I would, but I promised Yuffie a girl date to the dessert bar."
I noticed she kept hiding her face from me. I scoffed, sitting up and tightening my towel around myself.
"You just want me to have alone time with Cloud. Aerith, I don't get it. Why are you trying to hook us up? What about you? Don't you like him?" I asked, standing around in a towel with my hands on my hips. My hair had dried during my nap, a smooth mess over one shoulder.
Aerith took one glance at me, and then quickly spun her face away to hide her bright red cheeks.
"Me? No, not like that," she replied seriously. "Besides…" Her hands froze in her bag, and then her tone dropped when she added, "I already had my chance a long time ago. It's all you and Cloud."
Something in my chest ached when I heard that, and I walked over to her to wrap my arms around her from behind.
"Aerith…" I whispered.
Her hands shot up and wrapped around my arms.
"I love you, and I can tell Cloud feels the same too. We both love you," I told her. She shook her head in my arms and patted them to tell me to release.
"I know," she said, and gave me a weak smile over her shoulder. "You both do."
I didn't know why, but Aerith's smile didn't seem too convincing, but she busied herself trying on some new dresses.
Trying to leave her to her mini fashion show, I combed my hair, applied my first moisturizer, and slipped on a simple white maxi dress with thin straps. As always, I kept my bracer on as it still glimmered under the bathroom light.
Aerith sparkled when she saw me.
"I like you in white. And you even got a tan," she noted.
My eyes fell to her beauty in her dress, a stunning soft red polka dot dress with a leather belt to give her a waist, and spaghetti straps. With her hair in a loose bun, Aerith had a Bohemian beauty to her, and I smiled.
"You look beautiful!"
Aerith's face turned into the color of her dress.
"Remember, just knock to see if he's there, and simply ask him. I'll watch you from the door," Aerith whispered to me quietly.
I was already starting to panic before we even left the room, anxiety swelling up in my chest as we stood before the door to the hallway.
My eyes grew as I shook my head at Aerith, the idea sounding more and more ridiculous every second.
"I can't. I just can't," I muttered.
Aerith narrowed her eyebrows at me, and with her usual cute growl, she opened the door before I could stop her.
We almost bumped straight into Cloud. All three of us gasped. Cloud stood awkwardly right outside our door, like he was about to knock, or maybe he's been standing outside for a while. His face was red, a hand rubbing his hair while dodging eyes with me and Aerith.
"Cloud?!" Aerith chirped, just as surprised as I was.
Cloud cleared his throat and straightened himself, but his eyes drifted to the floor when he tried to speak.
"Hi! I'm sorry to bother you. Just, well, I just wanted to know if…" he glanced up to me and then to Aerith before looking away again.
He put his hands on his hips, still in his old SOLDIER uniform, and just sighed.
"Do you two have any spare laundry soap? I'm going to throw my clothes in the wash tonight, and need a little extra. To get the blood stains out," he requested cooly, face collected.
In the doorway, Aerith and I glanced at each other. Aerith's eyes sparkled, while I was just astonished he bothered us for some soap.
She then smiled to Cloud and replied brightly, "Sure! Also, Aqua was going to ask you something! Right, Aqua?"
My words rammed together, leaving me tongue-tied as I tried to tell Aerith I changed my mind, but she disappeared back into the room.
I was left alone with Cloud.
He read me carefully with tender eyes.
What is it?" he asked patiently.
I thought I suddenly had a sunburn, and my fingers fiddled together, something to help my nerves as I struggled to pick up words.
"Uh, well, I mean, it was nothing. Nothing!" I hurried, pressing my lips together.
Cloud blinked, not believing me.
"Is it that bad?" he pried.
"No!" I snapped, eying him.
"Then, what is it? Just ask me already," he almost begged, crossing his arms. I couldn't believe he was still in his usual clothes, the armor, the sword on his back, everything. Didn't Cloud even shower or enjoy a bath? What does he do alone to relax?
"I was wondering if you wanted to get some air? Aerith is going out with Yuffie. I got nothing to do and wanted a walk. Would you like to join me?" I made it sound so casual. I didn't want Cloud to squirrel away at the mentioning of walking along the beach during sunset, expecting to hold my hand or anything. And that's all it was going to be: a walk.
Cloud's face grew more color as he cleared his throat. He took his eyes away from mine and tossed them to the side as he muttered, "Sure. I could use the fresh air."
Inside, I let out a sigh of relief, but I was also scared.
It started out as a simple, quiet walk.
I let my bare feet get tickled by the coming waves, sinking them into the wet sand, while Cloud stayed closer towards the drier parts, his hands in his pockets. There was no sight of a sun sinking over the horizon, but its colors rippled beautifully across the sky over the gentle sea. Along the dark grey and blue horizon of water, a thick layer of orange and yellow settled, sandwiched by a darkening blue sky above.
I settled my hands behind my back, my long dress flapping along with my loose hair. Its great length brushed against Cloud's shoulder, probably tickling him, but he didn't seem to mind because he didn't fight it. He was quiet, his eyes either gazing out at the colors over the sea, or down in the sand. Many couples passed, some hand holding, others draping arms over each other.
It gave me thought to wonder if Tifa was out here somewhere, her arm looped around Johnny, happy for once in her current chaotic life. Would she actually consider staying here?
"Aqua," Cloud called. I snapped out of my thoughts, and turned my head to face him. More of my hair swooped around my face.
"Yeah?"
I was surprised he spoke at all. He kept his eyes down into the sand ahead of us, appearing somber.
"Barret had a talk with me today…." he paused, letting it sink in. I wasn't sure where this was going, until he mentioned, "he told me you spoke with Rufus."
I stopped, and had enough with the mentioning of the sadistic president.
Fuming, I mashed my fists down and stomped my foot.
"Oh, why is he always brought up?! I can't stand him!" I growled.
Cloud stopped a little ahead of me, and turned around to look into my eyes with his serious gaze.
"Aqua, what's going on?"
Moisture began to collect in the back of my neck.
"I asked him about Isaac. I-I had to know!" I gave Cloud a pleading look.
"I saw Rufus alone, and I was scared. Did he scrap Isaac? Did Isaac die from his wounds? I hate Rufus, but I had to ask him," I explained.
Cloud sighed, and turned his attention to the sun setting sky. Wind threw his spiky blond hair back, tickling his chin. His eyes turned green from the colors, and I was transported to our first sunset together, the one outside Tifa's bar. I remembered trying to catch the sun's thin rays that snuck into the slums, and having my first deep conversation with Cloud.
The bird that has been nesting in my chest since the day we fell into Aerith's church, fluttered its wings suddenly, making me lose my breath.
Cloud didn't seem to notice, too distraught in his own thoughts after hearing my explanation.
"Then, is he alive?" he asked.
"Yes," I breathed.
Cloud sighed, and crossed his arms. The waves tucked under his boots, but he didn't seem to notice, his gaze stuck out at sea. His anterior glowed in orange, while the rest of him settled in shadow. A man of light and dark.
He was quiet, and I wish he, for once, would share what's on his mind.
I stepped closer, feeling his troubled vibes.
"Cloud…" I laid a soft hand on his arm, pulling him away from inside his head.
His eyes brightened, and as I looked down at his toned arm, I saw his chin pointed to me.
"I wanted to thank you for sparring his life," I mentioned softly. "I know it must've been very difficult for you, but, I'm glad you stopped."
Cloud's gloved hand swept across his chest and met with mine. He didn't smile, but he replied smoothly, "you're welcome."
We left it at that. No questions of how I felt about Isaac nor why I still cared about him even after all that has happened. Cloud didn't need reassurance nor answers, and that made me smile a little deeper.
We stood like that for a while, peacefully. Even as the warm orange colors faded, leaving behind purples and blues, we still stood there, frozen in time. I grew tired, and rested my head against his arm, smiling sheepishly when I whispered, "I feel so safe with you." And I closed my eyes, savoring this moment.
Cloud let out a soft gasp.
His hand tightened on mine, but then he pulled it back and let his fingers tickle my cheek.
"Hey, I have an idea," he replied softly.
I blinked my eyes open, and the first thing I saw was Cloud's hand in my face, his pinky out. I was silent, and looked pass it to find his gentle gaze. He smirked, cheeks red, and darted his eyes away.
"Uh, the pinky promise thing, right?"
I took one step back, finding this very unexpected, and I thought the bird in my chest grew.
"Yeah?" I gasped lightly, my hands to my chest to settle the bird down.
Cloud handed me his pinky, encased in his dirty leather glove, but I looked at it like it was the rarest treasure in the world.
"I promise to always be your bodyguard. I'll protect you till, well, till we stop Sephiroth," he struggled.
I expected that of him anyway, no need to pinky promise it, but I loved that Cloud was trying, and I smiled, teeth showing and stifling a soft chuckle.
"And after that?" I teased, lifting an eyebrow at him. He didn't expect that, and let a jumble of words roll off his tongue in a long, "ahhh…"
I giggled and shook my head.
"I'm kidding." I had no idea where Cloud's thoughts went, but I pulled him back in and lifted my pinky.
"Okay, then. It's a pinky promise from you," I warned, smirking. Cloud and I locked pinkies, his much larger than mine. I think there was still old blood on his as it scrapped onto mine like rust.
It wasn't hand holding, feelings exposed nor arms wrapped over each other like star crossed lovers. But with Cloud, I knew I had to be cautious. That's why staying as simple as this, the pinky promises, the gentle hand squeezing, and being present, was good enough for me. If that's all he needed, then I was willing to give all of that to him. That's why I needed to keep my feelings inside, even if they wanted to burst out and take full flight. For now, I continued to trap my bird, even if it flapped wildly to be set free.
After the stars went out, and I grew tired, we headed back.
I stepped towards my door, ready to open it with a keycard, but before I did, I turned my head to find Cloud waiting for me, his hand already opening his door.
"Good night, Cloud," I said gently.
Swiftly, before I could step into the room, his voice called to me.
"Aqua, wait," he sounded uneasy as I turned to him walking up to me. I watched Cloud's eyes struggle to take hold of mine as he fought against his awkward shyness, his face pink.
My hand slipped off my door's knob.
"Is something wrong?" I asked, unsure what disturbance dwelled inside of him.
He appeared to be struggling with himself, his hands opening and closing while he went back and forth in his own internal dialogue.
"I was wondering…" Cloud looked away, taking a deep breath, and he left his hands clenching.
A sudden wave of depression crashed over him, his eyes dimming, and he crossed his arms. He then turned around, his massive sword inviting me to reach out to him, but before I could, he sighed and told me, "Never mind. I need to go to bed. Get some rest. We wake up early tomorrow."
Cloud retreated quickly, leaving me alone and disappointed in the hallway. I kept my eyes stuck to his closed door, hoping that maybe, he would open it and pull me inside, to tell me he didn't want to be alone.
But that was just wishful thinking.
No, I refused to be like that. I shook my head, trying not to dwell too deep, and stepped into my room. After closing the door, I leaned my back against it, dragged a long flutter of a sigh, and slid down to the floor.
Being so near Cloud, especially alone, shook my body to its very core, and it took effort to keep myself collected.
I noticed the room was quiet and dark. Aerith must still be out.
I took advantage of the peacefulness and slumped on the bed, exhausted from the sun exposure and shoving my feelings deep down. Sleep took over instantly.
68