Chapter 3 "Feelings"
Tifa put the fork down and thanked Barret for the breakfast. "I should get back to the inn, I feel bad leaving Cloud there." Cait Sith patted his belly(s) and leaned back in the wooden chair. "He'll be fine, he's like a brick."
"Still," Tifa continued, "I should get back; who knows what will happen with Yuffie as a nurse." she winked as she headed towards the door. The door suddenly swung open, Red XII's mouth covered the doorknob. Tifa blinked confusingly, "Had a little trouble turning the doorknob?" she joked. Red XII let go of the knob, "You'd have trouble opening a door without any hands too."
"Cloud's messed up," Red XII began, "He just had a really bad dream and it was something about you, he's really freaked."
"Something about me?" Tifa questioned, she couldn't picture Cloud being scared of a bad dream. "Awww!" Barret teased across the table, "Does da poor baby need Tifa to tuck him into bed!?" Barret's laughing was halted as Tifa gave him a blow to the head and stomped out the door. Red XII leaned over the table, "You deserved that."
Tifa quickly made her way through the door of the inn and up the stairs to see Cloud; his legs were on the bed but the rest of him had slanted off. Yuffie was on the floor with his head on her lap. "What happened!?" Tifa screeched, immediately running to Cloud. "He passed out! I can't lift him back up!" Yuffie yelled in panic. Both Yuffie and Tifa helped pull Cloud off the floor and onto the bed. Yuffie then showed herself the door and shut it behind her.
His face was still extremely red and he had a horrible fever, his heavy breathing made it hard for Tifa to concentrate. "Cloud," she whispered, "Cloud, wake up..."
"A---Aer---is... T---Ti---fa... N... Noooo!!!" Cloud yelled, crying in his sleep. "He's crying..." Tifa thought, "I've never seen him cry before." She then registered what he just said, "A-Aeris!?" She put his head on her lap and swept the sweat from his forehead with a cloth, "Cloud... What's going on?"
* * *
"Cloud, what's wrong?!" a usually calm voice asked, someone's slender fingers lightly touched Cloud's shoulder. He let his eyes show a bit from the space between his arms and his legs; still clutching his knees. Aeris stood beside him with a look of fright, hey; with the way Cloud looked, who wouldn't?
"I'm..." he tried to finish, but he suddenly realized that he was back again; and not in the hands of Yuffie. "Why do I keep coming here?" he asked. Aeris sat down beside Cloud, the floor made it look like they were sitting on flowing water. "Because you want to."
"To be..."
"With me..."
"....."
"Cloud, you can stay with me, if you want." Aeris added, Cloud wiped his face and stood up. "But what about Tifa and the others?" Thousands of questions were in his head, but one bugged him the most. "If I were to stay with you... Wouldn't I have to be..." he couldn't say it again, so he decided to word it differently, "like you?"
"You mean 'dead'?"
Cloud choked, "Yeah..." Aeris stood up with him and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You do miss me, don't you?"
"Yes!" Cloud blurted suddenly, Aeris put her head on his chest, "I miss you too; if you stay here, we can always be together, Cloud."
* * *
Cloud's eyes opened lightly, getting a small glimpse of Tifa before they shut again...
Tifa...?
"Tifa!!!" Cloud's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up, he almost gave her a hug but he was too tired to lift his arms. Tifa leaned back a little afraid that Cloud would hit her; sitting up so fast. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, "Cloud, lie down; you need rest!" Cloud's eyes were bloodshot, but were about to cry again. "You're... You're alright..." A tear ran down his cheek as he leaned back down and pulled up the sheets, a look of bliss was on his face. "I'm... Glad..."
"Cloud, what's up with Aeris?"
Cloud's eyes opened again and looked at Tifa in fear, "She's... Been with me... Why?"
"Cloud," Tifa lightly touched Cloud's hand, "You do know Aeris is... Dead, right?"
It took him a minute to answer, but Cloud nodded a yes. Before he fell asleep again, he sighed, "She said... I could stay... With her... If I were to..."
"Cloud!!!" Tifa wouldn't let him finish; she had a feeling what he was going to say.
The wind outside was light, and the snow had stopped without it being dangerously high; but that was only the beginning...
* * * * * *
*Sobs* This is beginning to hurt, and not because I've been on the computer for a few hours typing emails and this story (seriously though, I'm getting a serious typers cramp!) Ciao, just a few more chapters to go!
Tifa put the fork down and thanked Barret for the breakfast. "I should get back to the inn, I feel bad leaving Cloud there." Cait Sith patted his belly(s) and leaned back in the wooden chair. "He'll be fine, he's like a brick."
"Still," Tifa continued, "I should get back; who knows what will happen with Yuffie as a nurse." she winked as she headed towards the door. The door suddenly swung open, Red XII's mouth covered the doorknob. Tifa blinked confusingly, "Had a little trouble turning the doorknob?" she joked. Red XII let go of the knob, "You'd have trouble opening a door without any hands too."
"Cloud's messed up," Red XII began, "He just had a really bad dream and it was something about you, he's really freaked."
"Something about me?" Tifa questioned, she couldn't picture Cloud being scared of a bad dream. "Awww!" Barret teased across the table, "Does da poor baby need Tifa to tuck him into bed!?" Barret's laughing was halted as Tifa gave him a blow to the head and stomped out the door. Red XII leaned over the table, "You deserved that."
Tifa quickly made her way through the door of the inn and up the stairs to see Cloud; his legs were on the bed but the rest of him had slanted off. Yuffie was on the floor with his head on her lap. "What happened!?" Tifa screeched, immediately running to Cloud. "He passed out! I can't lift him back up!" Yuffie yelled in panic. Both Yuffie and Tifa helped pull Cloud off the floor and onto the bed. Yuffie then showed herself the door and shut it behind her.
His face was still extremely red and he had a horrible fever, his heavy breathing made it hard for Tifa to concentrate. "Cloud," she whispered, "Cloud, wake up..."
"A---Aer---is... T---Ti---fa... N... Noooo!!!" Cloud yelled, crying in his sleep. "He's crying..." Tifa thought, "I've never seen him cry before." She then registered what he just said, "A-Aeris!?" She put his head on her lap and swept the sweat from his forehead with a cloth, "Cloud... What's going on?"
* * *
"Cloud, what's wrong?!" a usually calm voice asked, someone's slender fingers lightly touched Cloud's shoulder. He let his eyes show a bit from the space between his arms and his legs; still clutching his knees. Aeris stood beside him with a look of fright, hey; with the way Cloud looked, who wouldn't?
"I'm..." he tried to finish, but he suddenly realized that he was back again; and not in the hands of Yuffie. "Why do I keep coming here?" he asked. Aeris sat down beside Cloud, the floor made it look like they were sitting on flowing water. "Because you want to."
"To be..."
"With me..."
"....."
"Cloud, you can stay with me, if you want." Aeris added, Cloud wiped his face and stood up. "But what about Tifa and the others?" Thousands of questions were in his head, but one bugged him the most. "If I were to stay with you... Wouldn't I have to be..." he couldn't say it again, so he decided to word it differently, "like you?"
"You mean 'dead'?"
Cloud choked, "Yeah..." Aeris stood up with him and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You do miss me, don't you?"
"Yes!" Cloud blurted suddenly, Aeris put her head on his chest, "I miss you too; if you stay here, we can always be together, Cloud."
* * *
Cloud's eyes opened lightly, getting a small glimpse of Tifa before they shut again...
Tifa...?
"Tifa!!!" Cloud's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up, he almost gave her a hug but he was too tired to lift his arms. Tifa leaned back a little afraid that Cloud would hit her; sitting up so fast. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, "Cloud, lie down; you need rest!" Cloud's eyes were bloodshot, but were about to cry again. "You're... You're alright..." A tear ran down his cheek as he leaned back down and pulled up the sheets, a look of bliss was on his face. "I'm... Glad..."
"Cloud, what's up with Aeris?"
Cloud's eyes opened again and looked at Tifa in fear, "She's... Been with me... Why?"
"Cloud," Tifa lightly touched Cloud's hand, "You do know Aeris is... Dead, right?"
It took him a minute to answer, but Cloud nodded a yes. Before he fell asleep again, he sighed, "She said... I could stay... With her... If I were to..."
"Cloud!!!" Tifa wouldn't let him finish; she had a feeling what he was going to say.
The wind outside was light, and the snow had stopped without it being dangerously high; but that was only the beginning...
* * * * * *
*Sobs* This is beginning to hurt, and not because I've been on the computer for a few hours typing emails and this story (seriously though, I'm getting a serious typers cramp!) Ciao, just a few more chapters to go!