Warning: This is not very good for several reasons. I haven't gotten very much sleep over the past few days (about a total of 10 hours over 3 days). I have been SO busy at school and wrote this mostly during my lunch periods. That is why it is not good, so please forgive me. It will be better next time I post another part, which will be on Saturday. Again, thank you for bearing with me on any misspellings and other mistakes I have in this.
Red XIII jerked his body forward as the bullets from Barret's gun arm pumelled through the wall around him. The bullets grew dangerous close to his hind quarters until one grazed his left back paw. Several bullets penetrated before pain his survival instinct gave him a new boost of strength. He ran the best he could, dragging his hind legs behind him, as bullets whizzed through the window past him. With no healing materia , he would soon bcome a sitting duck for the enraged Barret. Loss of blood was sending him onto the virge of unconsciousness. He managed to reach several trash cans near a fence before falling.
Cloud paced his room in Seventh Heaven. He passed the mirror and glanced into it, barely recognizing his own reflection. 'I look like hell,' he thought when he saw his bloodshot blue eyes, pale tearstreaked face and tangled blond hair. He walked over to the sink, turned on the water and pushed the hard metal plug into the drain. He stripped off his outer shirt, leaving a tight white muscle shirt. 'You can't let a woman do this to you.' He turned off the water and splashed it on his face. 'Forget about her. It can wait until tomorrow. You really need some sleep.' He dipped his entire head into the cold water, his dulled senses coming back to life with new vitality. Though he had intended on taking a nap, Cloud decided to pay a visit to the local gym. He left his room, not even bothering to put his outer shirt back on. After going downstairs and out the front door, he stopped and gaped in horror at what he saw. A trail of blood was going from the basement window out onto the sidewalk. He followed the trail quickly, pitying whoever had lost so much blood. In the back of his mind, he feared it was Aeris. If it were, he knew she couldn't live through the loss of this much blood. He discovered Red beside several trash cans, bleeding profusely. He took a step back in surprise and used all the self-control he had to suppress his jealousy and anger towards him.
"Tifa and Aeris...Nigel's Place...danger...go." Red went completely unconscious as he uttered the last word. It seemed to be of the utmost urgence and importance to him.
With some hesistence, Cloud quickly cast a healing spell on Red. It almost depleted his magic to nothing. He wondered what had happened. Someone or something was definitely out to get Red, and it wouldn't have a hard time killing him now. With a sigh, he used the last of his points to cast a weak barrier to weapons around him and ran off towards Nigel's Place.
Barret's rage had subsided. He was still very upset, but now he was clear-minded enough to realize that this wasn't Red's fault totally. Aeris felt something for him, too, supposedly. Barret still had his doubts. Serious doubts. He hurried out of Seventh Heaven and saw the trail of blood. "That catdog's a #^@*$!& bleeder! I didn't shoot da foo' that much!" He folowed the trail to the trash cnas and saw Red. It was obvious that someone had cast a healing spell on Red. He also saw the barrier cast around him when he looked at him right. "Cloud!" Barret hoisted Red over his shoulder, which was not by any means an easy task and carried him back to Seventh Heaven.
"Marlene!" he shouted across the room.
"What, daddy?" Marlene steeped out from behind the service desk.
"Watch him until he wakes up." Barret dropped Red down onto the loveseat like he was a sack of potatoes.
"Okay, daddy." She smiled at him.
Barret went upstairs to Cloud's room to find him gone, as he had suspected. He was worried about Cloud's safety in his emotional condition and hurried out of the inn.
Aeris observed Tifa in silence from the corner. She found Tifa's assertiveness and courage in the situation nothing short of extraordinary. She had always considered herself inferior to men, and they could easily evoke terror within her. Especially men like this. She had been strong before, but now they had her tied down. Tifa had come in at the nick of time. It definitely saved her.
"Get your hands off of me! Men like you make me sick." Tifa's voice was abnormally cold and cruel.
'The men seemed to have forgotten all about me,' Aeris thought. She thought too soon. One of them began approaching her again.
"Why aren't you fiesty like your friend? I like fiesty girls." He was staggering around a bit, probably had one too many drinks.
Aeris remained silent while Tifa fought against the men encircling her.
"Aren't you gonna talk to me, pretty baby?" He leaned against the wall near her.
"She doesn't talk to trash like you!" Tifa yelled from across the room.
Suddenly, the man pounced on Aeris, evoking a loud scream. "Please don't do this!" she shrieked.
Cloud shivered as he hurried to Nigel's Place. 'The sleeveless shirt and wet hair were really a wonderful choice on a cold night,' he thought. The streets lonely. The usual bustle during the day had subsided to eerie silence. It didn't bother him, though. His years in SOLDIER had provided him with much experience with night watches in similar conditions. The memories from SOLDIER pained him. He cast them out of his mind as he walked through the door of Nigel's Place. It was crowded and very loud. Drunks were everywhere, bumping into each other, singing raunchy ballads and chugging down mug after mug. The sight would have been slightly amusing had he not heard a shrill scream. He knew that scream anywhere. It was Aeris.
"She's in trouble." He realized where the scream originated from. He had been to Nigel's Place enough times he knew it like the back of his hand. It was from the store room. He pushed past everyone at the bar and behind the bar. Everyone was drunk enough they didn't seem to care. He tried to open the store room door only to discover it was locked. Four swift kicks brought it down like it was made of styrofoam.
What he saw when he entered the room brought him to nausea. Some man was all over a tied down Aeris in the corner. Cloud pulled out his sword and killed the man who approached him with a gun. He ran straight for Aeris, not even noticing Tifa was in the room. He brutally slashed Aeris's assailant while mumbling obscenities. He killed the other two men in the room with the assistance of Tifa before freeing Aeris.
"Are you okay?" He grabbed her dress from a chair nearby and handed it to her, blushing slightly.
"Yeah, they just bruised me a little. I'll be fine."
"What about you, Tifa?"
"I'm okay, too. You came just in time. Thank you, Cloud."
"Yeah, thanks." Aeris stood and brushed herself off before walking towards the door. "Let's get out of here."
The trio left Nigel's Place, all shaken considerably. The walk towards Seventh Heaven was mostly silent and thought filled.
"Aeris, I know now is not the time for this sort of thing...but I really want to know...nevermind." Cloud forced himself to keep his thoughts in his own mind for the time being.
"No, it's okay. What?" She looked into his eyes, and he found himself melting.
"It can wait for a little while. Now's really not the time."
"If you want to talk about it, feel free to."
He could no longer contain it. Even though Tifa was here, it didn't matter to him. He couldn't bear this any longer. "Aeris, I have loved you since the first moment I saw you. Seeing you with Red just kills me inside. Do you love him so much that you can't give me a chance? All I want is a chance."
Red XIII jerked his body forward as the bullets from Barret's gun arm pumelled through the wall around him. The bullets grew dangerous close to his hind quarters until one grazed his left back paw. Several bullets penetrated before pain his survival instinct gave him a new boost of strength. He ran the best he could, dragging his hind legs behind him, as bullets whizzed through the window past him. With no healing materia , he would soon bcome a sitting duck for the enraged Barret. Loss of blood was sending him onto the virge of unconsciousness. He managed to reach several trash cans near a fence before falling.
Cloud paced his room in Seventh Heaven. He passed the mirror and glanced into it, barely recognizing his own reflection. 'I look like hell,' he thought when he saw his bloodshot blue eyes, pale tearstreaked face and tangled blond hair. He walked over to the sink, turned on the water and pushed the hard metal plug into the drain. He stripped off his outer shirt, leaving a tight white muscle shirt. 'You can't let a woman do this to you.' He turned off the water and splashed it on his face. 'Forget about her. It can wait until tomorrow. You really need some sleep.' He dipped his entire head into the cold water, his dulled senses coming back to life with new vitality. Though he had intended on taking a nap, Cloud decided to pay a visit to the local gym. He left his room, not even bothering to put his outer shirt back on. After going downstairs and out the front door, he stopped and gaped in horror at what he saw. A trail of blood was going from the basement window out onto the sidewalk. He followed the trail quickly, pitying whoever had lost so much blood. In the back of his mind, he feared it was Aeris. If it were, he knew she couldn't live through the loss of this much blood. He discovered Red beside several trash cans, bleeding profusely. He took a step back in surprise and used all the self-control he had to suppress his jealousy and anger towards him.
"Tifa and Aeris...Nigel's Place...danger...go." Red went completely unconscious as he uttered the last word. It seemed to be of the utmost urgence and importance to him.
With some hesistence, Cloud quickly cast a healing spell on Red. It almost depleted his magic to nothing. He wondered what had happened. Someone or something was definitely out to get Red, and it wouldn't have a hard time killing him now. With a sigh, he used the last of his points to cast a weak barrier to weapons around him and ran off towards Nigel's Place.
Barret's rage had subsided. He was still very upset, but now he was clear-minded enough to realize that this wasn't Red's fault totally. Aeris felt something for him, too, supposedly. Barret still had his doubts. Serious doubts. He hurried out of Seventh Heaven and saw the trail of blood. "That catdog's a #^@*$!& bleeder! I didn't shoot da foo' that much!" He folowed the trail to the trash cnas and saw Red. It was obvious that someone had cast a healing spell on Red. He also saw the barrier cast around him when he looked at him right. "Cloud!" Barret hoisted Red over his shoulder, which was not by any means an easy task and carried him back to Seventh Heaven.
"Marlene!" he shouted across the room.
"What, daddy?" Marlene steeped out from behind the service desk.
"Watch him until he wakes up." Barret dropped Red down onto the loveseat like he was a sack of potatoes.
"Okay, daddy." She smiled at him.
Barret went upstairs to Cloud's room to find him gone, as he had suspected. He was worried about Cloud's safety in his emotional condition and hurried out of the inn.
Aeris observed Tifa in silence from the corner. She found Tifa's assertiveness and courage in the situation nothing short of extraordinary. She had always considered herself inferior to men, and they could easily evoke terror within her. Especially men like this. She had been strong before, but now they had her tied down. Tifa had come in at the nick of time. It definitely saved her.
"Get your hands off of me! Men like you make me sick." Tifa's voice was abnormally cold and cruel.
'The men seemed to have forgotten all about me,' Aeris thought. She thought too soon. One of them began approaching her again.
"Why aren't you fiesty like your friend? I like fiesty girls." He was staggering around a bit, probably had one too many drinks.
Aeris remained silent while Tifa fought against the men encircling her.
"Aren't you gonna talk to me, pretty baby?" He leaned against the wall near her.
"She doesn't talk to trash like you!" Tifa yelled from across the room.
Suddenly, the man pounced on Aeris, evoking a loud scream. "Please don't do this!" she shrieked.
Cloud shivered as he hurried to Nigel's Place. 'The sleeveless shirt and wet hair were really a wonderful choice on a cold night,' he thought. The streets lonely. The usual bustle during the day had subsided to eerie silence. It didn't bother him, though. His years in SOLDIER had provided him with much experience with night watches in similar conditions. The memories from SOLDIER pained him. He cast them out of his mind as he walked through the door of Nigel's Place. It was crowded and very loud. Drunks were everywhere, bumping into each other, singing raunchy ballads and chugging down mug after mug. The sight would have been slightly amusing had he not heard a shrill scream. He knew that scream anywhere. It was Aeris.
"She's in trouble." He realized where the scream originated from. He had been to Nigel's Place enough times he knew it like the back of his hand. It was from the store room. He pushed past everyone at the bar and behind the bar. Everyone was drunk enough they didn't seem to care. He tried to open the store room door only to discover it was locked. Four swift kicks brought it down like it was made of styrofoam.
What he saw when he entered the room brought him to nausea. Some man was all over a tied down Aeris in the corner. Cloud pulled out his sword and killed the man who approached him with a gun. He ran straight for Aeris, not even noticing Tifa was in the room. He brutally slashed Aeris's assailant while mumbling obscenities. He killed the other two men in the room with the assistance of Tifa before freeing Aeris.
"Are you okay?" He grabbed her dress from a chair nearby and handed it to her, blushing slightly.
"Yeah, they just bruised me a little. I'll be fine."
"What about you, Tifa?"
"I'm okay, too. You came just in time. Thank you, Cloud."
"Yeah, thanks." Aeris stood and brushed herself off before walking towards the door. "Let's get out of here."
The trio left Nigel's Place, all shaken considerably. The walk towards Seventh Heaven was mostly silent and thought filled.
"Aeris, I know now is not the time for this sort of thing...but I really want to know...nevermind." Cloud forced himself to keep his thoughts in his own mind for the time being.
"No, it's okay. What?" She looked into his eyes, and he found himself melting.
"It can wait for a little while. Now's really not the time."
"If you want to talk about it, feel free to."
He could no longer contain it. Even though Tifa was here, it didn't matter to him. He couldn't bear this any longer. "Aeris, I have loved you since the first moment I saw you. Seeing you with Red just kills me inside. Do you love him so much that you can't give me a chance? All I want is a chance."