Tifa swallowed her feelings as she heard Cloud profess his love for Aeris. It was something she had suspected for the longest time, but she always denied it to herself. Now she could no longer do that. The pain she felt was numbing. The desire to escape from it all and just run away was very strong.
"I've really gotta go. I have to go and see someone. I'll see you guys later." Tifa hurried off and held back her tears until she was out of view and hearing distance. "I've loved you since we were little kids! You didn't even meet her until less than a year ago. You promised to be my hero...not to break my heart..."
Red felt warmth on his back and opened his eyes. He looked back to see Marlene sleeping on him, looking peaceful like a little angel. He remained still so not to disturb her, or his very sore feet and hind quarters. He was very surprised to be alive. Someone had cured him, but his mind was very foggy around the time he was shot. He remembered getting out of the basement, nothing more.
"Doggie, are you awake?" Marlene yawned and looked up at him.
"Yes, I'm awake."
"That's good. Are you okay? Daddy said to watch you and make sure you were okay."
"I'll survive...Barret wanted you to watch me? I thought he wanted me dead. Where did your daddy go?" Red mused at how Barret's attitude towards people changed so quickly.
"He was yelling for Cloud upstairs and then left."
Red started worrying about Aeris and Tifa again. He shouldn't have left Aeris there, and now he was paying for it emotionally. 'Why did you have to let those people get to you? Their opinions are meaningless. Aeris is all you should care about, Nanaki.'
Suddenly, someone burst through the doors of the inn. A heated argument was obviously going on.
"I told you that I don't know! What more do you want from me now?! I'll think about it!" It was Aeris. Red turned on the couch to watch her yelling at Cloud. He hoped this was not about him and the current issue of their possible relationship.
"Just give me a chance, Aeris. Please. A yes or no right now." He seemed set on getting an answer from her.
"I don't know! Just drop it, Cloud."
"Fine." He stormed up the stairs.
Red was surprised. He had no clue Cloud also had affections for Aeris. Aeris looked over in his general direction and spotted him. She quickly ran over to him and hugged him. Marlene crawled off of the couch and went back to the service desk.
"I missed you so much, Nanaki. Why did you leave?" Aeris clung to him for dear life.
"I'm so sorry. Everyone seemed to oppose my presence. I let them get to me. Are you all right? Did anything happen after I left?"
"Yeah. But I'd rather not talk about it here. Do you want to go down to the basement?" That look of discomfort and worry filled her green eyes, and Red understood.
He nodded and carefully jumped off of the couch. He limped towards the basement.
"Are you okay? What happened?"
"It's nothing, Aeris." Red knew it was best not to worry Aeris any further. He need not divulge anything concerning the night to her.
"It is something. You're limping. Please tell me what happened. Is there anything I can do?"
"No, I just hurt my back paw a little bit. Really, I'm fine."
They went downstairs, locking the basement door behind them.
"This isn't easy for me to say, Nanaki. I would understand if this changed our friendship and what might become something more. Cloud is in love with me, too. I do really care about you. But I care about him also. And there were some things that happened at Nigel's Place after you left that have changed me. There's just a lot on my mind right now."
"I understand." He held back his anger and sadness. 'He's a human, you're not. That's what this is all about. She wants someone that doesn't look like he could qualify as a house pet. Someone that she won't be publically looked down upon if she shows her affection and association with him. Someone that obviously isn't me. Maybe it's for the best. But I guess we might not ever know that now. We have something in common no one else does, though. We are both the last of what we are. If she didn't look so human, she would understand.'
"No, you don't. You are upset about this. Be upset. Tell me what's on your mind. Just don't keep it all inside." She hoped she was doing what was in the best interest for herself. It scared her that she had just told him to release his anger on her. He was very strong, even though he was usually as gentle as a lamb.
"We could deal with the discrimination against us. Eventually everyone who really cares about us will come to accept it. You know that as well as I do. We don't need anyone else, Aeris. People may talk about us, but people talk all the time. There might be problems with our relationship. I don't doubt that one bit. But if you really do care about me, we could work through all the problems together. I don't expect you to make this decision right here and now. It will change our lives. But I am ready to take the initiative if you are."
"I want to get some sleep. I'll just stay down here on the couch. After what happened earlier, I don't want to go out in the middle of the night by myself."
"Good night, Aeris."
"Good night, Nanaki." He walked over to the corner and curled up.
"What's all that blood over there by the window?" Aeris stood and went over to the window. "It's yours isn't it? And these bullet holes are from Barret. He tried to kill you. Because of me."
"No, it wasn't just that. Don't worry about it. Just go to sleep. I'm fine now."
He watched her walk over to the couch and lay back down. His eyes soon closed and he fell into a deep sleep.
Aeris awoke bright and early the next morning. The night of sleep had cleared her mind. She knew what she was going to do concerning Cloud and Red. All she had to do was wake them up.
"Nanaki, wake up." She ran across the basement to him. His amber eyes opened.
"Good morning."
"I have made my decision. Come upstairs with me. I'm gonna wake everyone else up."
The pair hurried upstairs to discover everyone else was already awake and about their business. There were no customers in the lobby so Aeris cleared her throat and said, "Would everyone come over here and sit? I have made a decision and I want everyone to know about it now."
Eventually, all of them had gathered. Cloud kept switching his gaze between Aeris and Red. He was obviously nervous, as was Red. That made Aeris unsure of whether she should or should not deliver this to everyone.
"I have made a decision concerning what I'm going to do about Nana-, I mean Red, and Cloud. This was not an easy decision to come to, and I'm going to remind everyone that we aren't getting married or anything. This does mean that the one I have not chosen, though, can't continue incessantly asking me out. But remember we are all still friends. Anyway, I choose..."
"I've really gotta go. I have to go and see someone. I'll see you guys later." Tifa hurried off and held back her tears until she was out of view and hearing distance. "I've loved you since we were little kids! You didn't even meet her until less than a year ago. You promised to be my hero...not to break my heart..."
Red felt warmth on his back and opened his eyes. He looked back to see Marlene sleeping on him, looking peaceful like a little angel. He remained still so not to disturb her, or his very sore feet and hind quarters. He was very surprised to be alive. Someone had cured him, but his mind was very foggy around the time he was shot. He remembered getting out of the basement, nothing more.
"Doggie, are you awake?" Marlene yawned and looked up at him.
"Yes, I'm awake."
"That's good. Are you okay? Daddy said to watch you and make sure you were okay."
"I'll survive...Barret wanted you to watch me? I thought he wanted me dead. Where did your daddy go?" Red mused at how Barret's attitude towards people changed so quickly.
"He was yelling for Cloud upstairs and then left."
Red started worrying about Aeris and Tifa again. He shouldn't have left Aeris there, and now he was paying for it emotionally. 'Why did you have to let those people get to you? Their opinions are meaningless. Aeris is all you should care about, Nanaki.'
Suddenly, someone burst through the doors of the inn. A heated argument was obviously going on.
"I told you that I don't know! What more do you want from me now?! I'll think about it!" It was Aeris. Red turned on the couch to watch her yelling at Cloud. He hoped this was not about him and the current issue of their possible relationship.
"Just give me a chance, Aeris. Please. A yes or no right now." He seemed set on getting an answer from her.
"I don't know! Just drop it, Cloud."
"Fine." He stormed up the stairs.
Red was surprised. He had no clue Cloud also had affections for Aeris. Aeris looked over in his general direction and spotted him. She quickly ran over to him and hugged him. Marlene crawled off of the couch and went back to the service desk.
"I missed you so much, Nanaki. Why did you leave?" Aeris clung to him for dear life.
"I'm so sorry. Everyone seemed to oppose my presence. I let them get to me. Are you all right? Did anything happen after I left?"
"Yeah. But I'd rather not talk about it here. Do you want to go down to the basement?" That look of discomfort and worry filled her green eyes, and Red understood.
He nodded and carefully jumped off of the couch. He limped towards the basement.
"Are you okay? What happened?"
"It's nothing, Aeris." Red knew it was best not to worry Aeris any further. He need not divulge anything concerning the night to her.
"It is something. You're limping. Please tell me what happened. Is there anything I can do?"
"No, I just hurt my back paw a little bit. Really, I'm fine."
They went downstairs, locking the basement door behind them.
"This isn't easy for me to say, Nanaki. I would understand if this changed our friendship and what might become something more. Cloud is in love with me, too. I do really care about you. But I care about him also. And there were some things that happened at Nigel's Place after you left that have changed me. There's just a lot on my mind right now."
"I understand." He held back his anger and sadness. 'He's a human, you're not. That's what this is all about. She wants someone that doesn't look like he could qualify as a house pet. Someone that she won't be publically looked down upon if she shows her affection and association with him. Someone that obviously isn't me. Maybe it's for the best. But I guess we might not ever know that now. We have something in common no one else does, though. We are both the last of what we are. If she didn't look so human, she would understand.'
"No, you don't. You are upset about this. Be upset. Tell me what's on your mind. Just don't keep it all inside." She hoped she was doing what was in the best interest for herself. It scared her that she had just told him to release his anger on her. He was very strong, even though he was usually as gentle as a lamb.
"We could deal with the discrimination against us. Eventually everyone who really cares about us will come to accept it. You know that as well as I do. We don't need anyone else, Aeris. People may talk about us, but people talk all the time. There might be problems with our relationship. I don't doubt that one bit. But if you really do care about me, we could work through all the problems together. I don't expect you to make this decision right here and now. It will change our lives. But I am ready to take the initiative if you are."
"I want to get some sleep. I'll just stay down here on the couch. After what happened earlier, I don't want to go out in the middle of the night by myself."
"Good night, Aeris."
"Good night, Nanaki." He walked over to the corner and curled up.
"What's all that blood over there by the window?" Aeris stood and went over to the window. "It's yours isn't it? And these bullet holes are from Barret. He tried to kill you. Because of me."
"No, it wasn't just that. Don't worry about it. Just go to sleep. I'm fine now."
He watched her walk over to the couch and lay back down. His eyes soon closed and he fell into a deep sleep.
Aeris awoke bright and early the next morning. The night of sleep had cleared her mind. She knew what she was going to do concerning Cloud and Red. All she had to do was wake them up.
"Nanaki, wake up." She ran across the basement to him. His amber eyes opened.
"Good morning."
"I have made my decision. Come upstairs with me. I'm gonna wake everyone else up."
The pair hurried upstairs to discover everyone else was already awake and about their business. There were no customers in the lobby so Aeris cleared her throat and said, "Would everyone come over here and sit? I have made a decision and I want everyone to know about it now."
Eventually, all of them had gathered. Cloud kept switching his gaze between Aeris and Red. He was obviously nervous, as was Red. That made Aeris unsure of whether she should or should not deliver this to everyone.
"I have made a decision concerning what I'm going to do about Nana-, I mean Red, and Cloud. This was not an easy decision to come to, and I'm going to remind everyone that we aren't getting married or anything. This does mean that the one I have not chosen, though, can't continue incessantly asking me out. But remember we are all still friends. Anyway, I choose..."