Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 7 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of it. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no profit from it.
SHARDS COLLIDE
CHAPTER 16
Zack clutched his head in pain as he sat up on the ground of the quiet Midgar streets. 'How did I get here?' He thought to himself in confusion. Looking around from right to left, he slowly began to recognize his surroundings. 'Sector 5?'
"So you're finally awake huh?"
Zack turned his head to see Aeris walking his way. "Aeris… how did we get here?"
The green-eyed girl walked up to him then sat down. "I suppose you don't remember much of what happened, do you?" She asked, closing her eyes in exhaustion.
Zack gave her a dumb look. "Uhh… not much… I remember fighting…Then… OH $hit! CLOUD!"
Zack immediately tried to rise to his feet but then fell back again.
"Take it easy!" Aeris said anxiously then eased him back into a sitting position. "I looked everywhere…" She now said in a dejected tone. "I couldn't find him anywhere. I don't know where he is."
Zack shook his head vigorously. "I don't care! We've gotta keep looking! He may be hurt. He might need our help!"
Aeris looked at the black haired mercenary strangely, as if suddenly noticing something new about him.
Zack continued on, totally oblivious to her observations. "If we don't hurry, Cloud may die!"
Once again the black haired mercenary tried to rise yet this time he stumbled to his knees. "Damnit!" He hissed in anger. He clutched his side in pain, then tried to stand up again.
Aeris calmly placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Zack stop."
Zack looked at her while still trying to rise to his feet. "What do you mean stop? Cloud fell!!! Can't you see he may need our help?"
"Please… stop…" She repeated silently.
This caught Zack off guard. He slowly complied to her demands and once again sat on the ground. The pain in his chest was really bugging him now. He lifted up his shirt in irritation only to see that there were faint traces of a scar there.
"What the…"
"You were hurt really bad." Aeris said, answering his half-unspoken question. "When I woke up you were almost dead… You took most of that fall on yourself didn't you?"
Zack turned his head slightly away. "It was nothing." He mumbled.
Oddly enough, this angered Aeris. "What do you mean it was nothing? You were bleeding Zack! You almost died!"
Zack quickly trained his eyes to her, finally realizing the bigger picture. "Then… you healed me?"
He again looked over at his wounds, then back at her.
"Aeris… Thank you. You saved my life."
Aeris smiled slightly at the praise then shook her head softly. "You would have done the same thing. You did do the same thing. Many times over. I'm only now beginning to realize it."
Zack paused for a moment then smiled broadly. "I was only trying to do what's right. You're all my friends and I value that friendship. My actions are no different that those of anyone else in my situation."
"Maybe, but you've done more then enough already. You really are a great friend Zack."
Zack scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, …thanks. But Aeris… we really need to find Cloud! He may be in serious trouble."
Aeris placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know. Listen… you stay here. You've already done your share of work. You need to sit here for a couple hours and give your body time to heal. I'll search for Cloud again. When I find him, we'll come back for you. Deal?"
"Deal." Zack replied with a smile on his face. Aeris had changed. He could see it in her eyes. No longer was she the scared person who relied on others to lead her through life. Instead of the frightened girl he had met in the bar, he now saw a determined, independent woman who was now ready to make her own way through life. Zack silently wondered to himself what brought about such a change in the green-eyed woman.
Aeris walked a few paces away. "Zack… I'll be back. Don't worry. I won't leave you behind."
Zack tossed her a thumbs up. "I know." He said back. "I'll be waiting."
Aeris grinned. She didn't want to leave the black haired mercenary by himself but she remembered the wishes of her mother vividly now. She would continue to do what was right. Never again would she rely on others to guide her actions. She would find her own peace. Brushing a strand of hair away from her face, Aeris turned around once more and walked off into the distance.
****
Cloud opened his eyes to find himself staring up at a dusty ceiling with a swinging lamp off to the side. He blinked rapidly, remembering what had previously happened then shot upright. He promptly rubbed his head vigorously then looked around at his surroundings.
He was lying on a small pallet in a nearly empty room. The only other things taking up space inside the small area were a few scattered magazines and a small television resting in the center.
Cloud hesitantly stood up from his makeshift bed, clutching the wall for support. He noticed he was wearing new attire now. Rather then his usual black muscle shirt together with his crimson baggy pants, he was now wearing a pair of sweat pants while his chest was covered in bandages.
Cloud fingered the slightly dirty material while absently taking small peeks at his injuries.
"You really shouldn't mess with that too much." Came a heavy, soot-filled, voice in the distance. "You might get an infection if you bother your wounds too much."
Cloud's eyes snapped wide as he turned his head and stared at the man who had taken him in. The man appeared to be slightly aged. He had a mien of gray hair mixed in with a few specks of black. His thick beard had a similar color scheme. Cloud noticed that his cloths were somewhat ragged and plain. He wore a dirty overcoat with shredded pants and a woolen shirt with holes in it. He also noticed the dangerously unstable cane he leaned heavily on.
The man chuckled mildly at Cloud's tentative gaze. "Heh, I guess you're a bit surprised. I admit I'm not at the height of fashion but I hope my humble surroundings were of some service to you."
Cloud quickly shook his head, his face turning a deep crimson red. "No, no sir, not at all! I mean yes, yes of course you're surroundings are great!… I mean…"
The old man smiled warmly as Cloud continued to fumble in his mixture of apology and appreciation for what he did for him. The smile seemed to relax the flustered mercenary thus allowing him to slowly regain his composure.
"I was just still kinda confused at how I ended up here in the first place, that's all."
The old man nodded his head. "I assumed that was the case. I was just making a joke that's all. When you get to be my age, you have to laugh at life, otherwise you'll drown in the whirlwind of time. Not that I have much to laugh at to begin with." He stated throwing his arm out towards his few possessions. "But enough of that. My name's Draven Paxt. Now, You wanted to find out about exactly what is going on right?" The old man shifted slowly and plodded over to one side of the room, taking a seat on the floor. He motioned his arm, signaling for Cloud to do the same.
The blonde haired man followed his command and eased himself, once more, onto the pallet where he had first woken up.
"I guess it must have been around six o'clock when I found you." Paxt began. "I was taking my usual mid day stroll when I heard a loud crash. I rushed over as fast as I could. When I finally got there, I found a young body lying amongst the wreckage. I don't know how you survived young man but you did. After dragging you back to my house, I patched you up and did the best I could do using cure materia on you."
Cloud bobbed his head. "Thank you sir. I am completely in you debt."
This amused the old man as he laughed heartily at Cloud's remark. "Don't worry about it. Besides…" Suddenly his face became very serious. All traces of his former amusement were gone in that one instant. "Us rebels gotta look after our own eh?"
Cloud's eyes widened in alarm and his arm absently twitched, wanting to reach towards his back for the huge buster sword that wasn't currently there. "How…" the young mercenary asked. "How did you know?"
The old man chuckled softly. "It's a knack sonny." He said proudly. "Once you get to be around my age, you tend to notice certain aspects about people just by looking at them. Besides it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what you were doing bleeding to death a few miles under a recently destroyed Shinra reactor."
Cloud scratched his heard sheepishly at how obvious it was. "I guess it doesn't." Cloud raised his head and trained his eyes once more on the old man. The man noticed the intense level of seriousness in which Cloud gazed at him and straightened his back slightly, preparing himself for what you young man would say next.
"I'm sorry to trouble you with yet another burden but I have one more thing I must ask you."
The aged rebel waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. What is it you wish to know?"
"Were you able to find any other's in the wreckage where you found me? Were there any… dead… bodies…?"
The old man shook his head. "No. You were the only one I found there. As far as I could tell, there were no others."
Cloud silently sighed in relief. 'Good, that means the others made it out ok.'
"You are part of that rebel band Avalanche, aren't you?"
Cloud's eyes widened once more. The man simply smiled. "They have been pretty active as of late. If you are trying to get back to your group, it is not far from here. We are in sector 6 after all. It is roughly an hours walk away I believe."
Cloud nodded and smiled at the old man that had helped him so much. "Sir thank you. You have provided more then enough help for me today. I don't know how I can ever repay you but some day I will."
The man placed a firm hand on Cloud's shoulder, looking at him solemnly. "Repay me by winning this war. Stop the senseless killing and violence that Shinra is emitting. Stop it else it will destroy the very planet with which we hold dear."
Cloud grasped the man's hand in his own. "Sir I will do my best."
"Good. You're clothing was rather shredded and irreplaceable. I had my daughter dress you with the one's you are currently wearing. However, you will find that there are cloths much more suited to your liking in the back area. You can use those on your journey."
Cloud looked at the man quizzically. "Daughter?"
"Yes, my daughter. You don't actually thing I was the one who dressed you while you were injured do you?"
The old man laughed mirthfully as Cloud's face shot beat red. He slowly rose to his feet, motioning for Cloud to sit back down. "In any case, I want you to remain here for the night. I sent my daughter on a few errands. Tomorrow she will lead you to the sector limits so that you can find you way back to your comrades. However, tonight you should stay and rest your body, else you will have a relaps."
Cloud wanted to protest but knew it was a mute point. The old man was absolutely right. He was in no condition to travel now and He truly did feel extremely exhausted, despite the fact that he had just woken up minutes earlier.
Cloud trained his eyes towards the old man. "Once again sir I am in your debt. I promise I'll do the best I can to repay all that you have done for me."
The only man smiled once more then turned and began walking out of the room. "Do your best to create a better world for the future generation… That is all that I ask of you…" Came the old man's simple reply as he finally disappeared amongst the curtains.
****
Aeris sighed sagely as she trudged slowly through the dirt-riddled grounds of sector 6. She had been constantly mulling over her thought for the past few hours. She was beginning to accept life with new vigor and motivation. For the first time in her life, she could see her own path clearly. Her mother's vision had been the last step and pulling her towards total self-reliance. Yet at the same time, she couldn't help the rush of troubling thoughts that assaulted her. She Knew Zack could handle himself yet she still didn't like the idea that she had left the black haired mercenary behind. Then there was Cloud, the irresistible blonde haired man who plagued her thoughts constantly. She desperately wanted to find him. If she lost him, she didn't know what she would do.
She wrapped her arms briskly around her shoulders as a gentle wind picked up, breezing across her warm skin. Her mind thought back to the night before that fateful mission. The night she and Cloud talked for the last time.
****
Cloud walked up to Aeris door, still rubbing his shoulders from the workout he had been going over with Zack when Aeris suddenly bumped into him as she was coming out.
"Cloud!" She said, trying her best to suppress the enormity of how relieved she felt at him waking up. "I'm so glad your awake!" She quickly embraced him. It was a warm feeling, which Aeris never wanted to forget.
Cloud gazed into her eyes then and suddenly there was no longer any need for words. Her heart melted at the sight of his tender blue eyes as he gazed upon her. Aeris knew then that she wanted to be with Cloud forever, she had to be with him forever. She didn't think she could go on living without him.
Before either one of them knew what was happening, their lips finally locked and Aeris was caught up in a passionate kiss.
After what seemed like ages, Cloud withdrew from the embrace, his eyes alight with compassion yet also fear. To Aeris, he looked as if he were terrified of something but also, to some extent, gratified as well.
"Cloud…?" Aeris asked with a lump in her throat, afraid of what his response would be. "W- what's wrong?"
Cloud shook his head, tearing his tender eyes away from Aeris face. "I'm sorry Aeris… Please… We can't do this. I,… I just don't know what I'm feeling anymore. My thoughts are so confused. I just… need more time to understand how I'm feeling…"
Aeris heart wanted to break at that very instant. She was utterly speechless, half from the kiss and half from the revelation she had just received. Ultimately, she resolved with simply nodding her head. Later, after Cloud left, she had cried. However, they were no longer simply tears of deprived love, they were tears of frustration and confusion because just like Cloud, she didn't understand what she was feeling either.
****
Aeris smiled faintly as she thought back to that night. Even though little time had passed between then, it seemed to her as if she was another person then. She could see things more clearly now. She was beginning to understand her life more.
She drew her hand towards her neck and pulled out a charm attached to the necklace she wore. It was a gift given to her by her mother long ago. It was almost as if, ever since that short interlude with her mother, some unknown force was now guiding her and giving her purpose. She couldn't understand it fully but she now felt as if she were complete. She still harbored feelings for Cloud, yet they all seemed less captivating as they did then. For the first time in her life, she felt the vigor of knowing that she was in control of her own destiny.
The wind began to pick up once more, only this time it was accompanied by the sounds of tires skidding across the dirty Midgar roads. Aeris head snapped up at the sudden noise then nearly gasped in alarm.
Driving right in front of her was a small, old-fashioned caravan with the emblem of Shinra marked on the side of it. However, what shocked her the most was the occupant currently lying bound and unconscious inside.
Aeris could barely speak over as whisper. "Is that… Tifa!?"
::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::
Authors note: Thanks for reading. Please stay tuned for chapter 17.