"What?!" Aeris stood up immeaditaty, a look of disbelief on her face.
"Well, it's true. Reno won't know, and it's vital to your future that you don't tell ANYONE about this. Now, I must go, for I have told you all you need to know. Good-bye, my darling daughter. Good-bye!" Aeris's mother waved as the room faded into blackness.
The tropical sunshine felt warm on her bare back as she slowly opened her eyes. Had it been a dream? Reno's arm was flung over her lower back, and the sheets were mostly tangled at the foot of the bed.
She sat up suddenly, waking Reno, when there came a pounding at the door. "Who is it?" She called nervously at the door.
"Aeris, wake up! It's me, Cloud!" Cloud shouted through the door.
Aeris bit her lip, and looked at the clock. "I'm up!" Why was Cloud pounding on her door at this time in the morning? "Hang on a minute!" She climbed out of bed, whipering to Reno. "Reno! Cloud's here!" She pulled on a bathrobe and waved Reno to the side of the room, behind the TV, and opened the door a little.
"Oh! I'm sorry..." Cloud blushed a light pink, averting his eyes.
"It's okay. I was just uh, just...about to take a bath..." She glanced quietly over at Reno's from behind the TV, also in a bathrobe.
"Oh. Cloud blushed a little bit more, and backed up a little. "Well, I wanted to tell you we found the clue last night in my room. We're going to bone village to..." He dug in his pockets for a minute and pulled out a piece of paper. "Find the secret city, the one with crystal walls. In the limits of the town, one of your own will fall." He glanced at Aeris, to see her as pale as a ghost. "What's wrong?"
"I-I....Know what he means...He's telling you someone will disappear...or die. It's... It's in the prophecies of the Ancients." Aeris backed up a bit. "Can I be alone now? "
Cloud nodded, and backed away. "We're leaving at noon. Please be ready."
Aeris moaned right after she closed to down, and sank down onto the bed, her face in her hands. "No...she said I wasn't going to..."
"Going to what?" Reno sat down next to her, gently stroking her hair. She knew he would put his life on the line for her.
"Oh, nothing." Aeris lifted her head. "We'd better go pack. She stood up and undid her bathrobe, quickly dressing.
"Okay, well...Are you feeling alright?" Reno dressed too, rasing an eyebrow at her as she gathered her belongings.
"Oh, sure. I just, have a stange urge to e at pickles with peanut butter on them!" She laughed, giving Reno a small nudge.
They both laughed, then Aeris glanced at the clock. "Wow! Almost noon already. We'd better get our stuff to the Highwind!" She looked at Reno, and headed out the door.
"Tifa! Hey TIFA!" Cloud ran after Tfa up the Highwind's ramp. "Is everyone on the ship?"
Tifa nodded. "Yes, everyone except us!" She laughed, and Cloud couldn't help but sare at her in wonder. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh! Oh no! Nothing. Just thought I saw something on your face, but it was just a beauty mark." Cloud grinned, and climbed into the Highwind. "Let's go, everyone's waiting!"
Tifa hung back a second, wondering if she COULD win Cloud after all. She nodded to herself confidently, as she knew Reno had already gotten to Aeris's heart. She smiled, and followed Cloud up the ramp.
Aeris glanced around the dried out city nervously. She turned around and waited for the others.
"Hurry up you guys!" Tifa was the first one to arrive, then Reno, then Cloud, then Barret and Cid.
"Wow..." Barret looked around in awe. " dis place is creepy."
"I know..." Cloud nodded, and looked around as well.
"Aeris?" Reno looked at her quizzicaly. "What's wrong?" She was pale and trembling, looking like she was about to faint.
"You guys...He's here." Aeris looked up at the highest building, pointing to a black figure watching them intently.
"Well, it's true. Reno won't know, and it's vital to your future that you don't tell ANYONE about this. Now, I must go, for I have told you all you need to know. Good-bye, my darling daughter. Good-bye!" Aeris's mother waved as the room faded into blackness.
The tropical sunshine felt warm on her bare back as she slowly opened her eyes. Had it been a dream? Reno's arm was flung over her lower back, and the sheets were mostly tangled at the foot of the bed.
She sat up suddenly, waking Reno, when there came a pounding at the door. "Who is it?" She called nervously at the door.
"Aeris, wake up! It's me, Cloud!" Cloud shouted through the door.
Aeris bit her lip, and looked at the clock. "I'm up!" Why was Cloud pounding on her door at this time in the morning? "Hang on a minute!" She climbed out of bed, whipering to Reno. "Reno! Cloud's here!" She pulled on a bathrobe and waved Reno to the side of the room, behind the TV, and opened the door a little.
"Oh! I'm sorry..." Cloud blushed a light pink, averting his eyes.
"It's okay. I was just uh, just...about to take a bath..." She glanced quietly over at Reno's from behind the TV, also in a bathrobe.
"Oh. Cloud blushed a little bit more, and backed up a little. "Well, I wanted to tell you we found the clue last night in my room. We're going to bone village to..." He dug in his pockets for a minute and pulled out a piece of paper. "Find the secret city, the one with crystal walls. In the limits of the town, one of your own will fall." He glanced at Aeris, to see her as pale as a ghost. "What's wrong?"
"I-I....Know what he means...He's telling you someone will disappear...or die. It's... It's in the prophecies of the Ancients." Aeris backed up a bit. "Can I be alone now? "
Cloud nodded, and backed away. "We're leaving at noon. Please be ready."
Aeris moaned right after she closed to down, and sank down onto the bed, her face in her hands. "No...she said I wasn't going to..."
"Going to what?" Reno sat down next to her, gently stroking her hair. She knew he would put his life on the line for her.
"Oh, nothing." Aeris lifted her head. "We'd better go pack. She stood up and undid her bathrobe, quickly dressing.
"Okay, well...Are you feeling alright?" Reno dressed too, rasing an eyebrow at her as she gathered her belongings.
"Oh, sure. I just, have a stange urge to e at pickles with peanut butter on them!" She laughed, giving Reno a small nudge.
They both laughed, then Aeris glanced at the clock. "Wow! Almost noon already. We'd better get our stuff to the Highwind!" She looked at Reno, and headed out the door.
"Tifa! Hey TIFA!" Cloud ran after Tfa up the Highwind's ramp. "Is everyone on the ship?"
Tifa nodded. "Yes, everyone except us!" She laughed, and Cloud couldn't help but sare at her in wonder. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh! Oh no! Nothing. Just thought I saw something on your face, but it was just a beauty mark." Cloud grinned, and climbed into the Highwind. "Let's go, everyone's waiting!"
Tifa hung back a second, wondering if she COULD win Cloud after all. She nodded to herself confidently, as she knew Reno had already gotten to Aeris's heart. She smiled, and followed Cloud up the ramp.
Aeris glanced around the dried out city nervously. She turned around and waited for the others.
"Hurry up you guys!" Tifa was the first one to arrive, then Reno, then Cloud, then Barret and Cid.
"Wow..." Barret looked around in awe. " dis place is creepy."
"I know..." Cloud nodded, and looked around as well.
"Aeris?" Reno looked at her quizzicaly. "What's wrong?" She was pale and trembling, looking like she was about to faint.
"You guys...He's here." Aeris looked up at the highest building, pointing to a black figure watching them intently.
