Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, they all belong to Squaresoft,
you know how it is.
Chapter 6: Night Thoughts
As they reached the gates of Nibelheim, the party returned to their own homes, with a few mumbled goodnights. Only Cloud and the recently reunited couple stayed. Aeris turned to Zack and smiled, her beauty almost making him faint again.
"Well, we'll have to fix you up a room right away!" she chirped, "There's plenty of free rooms in the mansion." Zack froze and started shaking. Aeris' expression jolted into one of worried concern. "Zack? What's wrong?"
"Not. . . . not there. Somewhere else. . . anywhere else!" he moaned. Aeris wrapped her arms round him again, scared that he was having a nervous breakdown after all he'd been through. Cloud walked up to dispel her fears.
"He's ok. It's just that the mansion is where they kept us before we escaped. Just before. . . " His voice trailed off, not wanting to remember the night of Zack's 'death'. Aeris squeezed Zack tighter for a second.
"It's ok," she whispered, "You don't have to stay there." Raising her voice, she asked "Cloud, can he use your spare room?"
"Sure," replied Cloud with a grin, "It'll be like old times, huh buddy?" Zack regained a slight smile.
"I remember the old times. Didn't they usually end with you getting so drunk you couldn't walk, and me having to push you back to the barracks in a wheelbarrow?"
"Hey! They served pretty strong stuff at that bar back then!"
"Yeah, but you never drank it! It was usually light beers you drank, and not much of those either! Old four-then-floor we called you!" Cloud fumed.
"Oh shut up! Anyway, let's go if you're going. You'll be lucky if I give you a couch now."
"I'll be along in a minute." Cloud started to ask why he wouldn't come right away, then noticed Aeris' pointed look.
"Erm, ok. Second house on the left, with the green door. I'll fix up your room while you're- erm, I mean before you- I'm going before I dig myself any deeper into this hole I've just made." He departed, leaving the two alone.
They looked into each others' eyes for a few moments. "I'm so sorry I left you," said Zack, "I know it's a bit late to say so, but I am. I thought I could become someone great, then come back and have you take me in as if nothing had happened. I'm so sorry. It was so goddamn stupid of me! I just. . . I just never meant to cause you any pain, whatever happened. I'm sorry." Aeris squeezed him again, just happy to hold him after so long. "It's ok," she said softly, "I know you didn't. I forgive you." Saying that, she drew her face close to his, and kissed him, washing away the bad memories.
From where they stood, they were too far away to hear the choked sob from Reeve's room in the mansion.
Vincent lay flat out on his bed, hands held behind his head. It had been a strange day all round. First there had been the Zuu attacking Aeris in the mountains, and the second one that had tried to attack them both. Then there had been, well, Yuffie. As the grin spread across his face, he struggled to focus on the rest of the day's events.The poker night had been nothing out of the ordinary. There had been the usual amount of swearing, mocking laughter and drinking. Vincent always got a spectacular hand at least once a night, so the royal flush was normal as well. What had happened after, however. . .
Vincent sighed, feeling sorry for another whose life Shinra had destroyed. Vincent knew firsthand what that was like. Was that why Zack had seemed so familiar to him?
"IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING," boomed a voice in his mind. Vincent sat up so fast he almost fell off the bed. "Chaos?" he thought in shock, "What the hell do you want?"
"A VILLA IN COSTA DEL SOL AND A FERRARI, BUT I DOUBT THAT WILL HAPPEN," it intoned sarcastically.
"Cut the crap! Why are you suddenly talking to me?"
"VERY WELL. THE ONE YOU MET THIS EVENING IS KNOWN TO ME."
"What? How would you know him?"
"THIS I CANNOT REMEMBER. I ONLY KNOW THAT HE IS NOT ALL THAT HE SEEMS."
"What is that supposed to mean? Chaos?" But there was no reply. Vincent scowled in annoyance at his inner demon and returned to his former position on the bed. The beast was just playing one of it's mind games, trying to confuse him. It wouldn't be the first time.
But what if it was telling the truth? Chaos would be able to tell if there was something strange about a person, especially when it had something to do with Shinra. As he lay pondering the odd information, his keen hearing picked up muffled sobs from Reeve's room. Best not to ask, he thought, and ignored it.
Reeve wept into his hands, trying to keep quiet, but only partially succeeding. Why had he fallen for her? She was too good for him, he knew that, but he hadn't been able to help himself. Her gentle teasing, her sweet smile, her heavenly eyes, the way she walked, talked, laughed. . .
He wished he had said something. Whatever the odds, there had been a small chance she would have returned his feelings. And even if she didn't, she wouldn't have held it against him; there would have been no awkwardness between them. She wasn't that kind of person. So why hadn't he said anything? He knew the answer. If he didn't ask, she couldn't say no, so there was still a chance. He hadn't wanted to have his hope taken away.
And now it was too late. He should have taken the gamble. Now it was too late.
So what was he to do now? He would pretend. Pretend he was happy for the new couple. Pretend everything was fine with his life. Pretend he didn't feel like he had been stabbed in the heart.
The crying subsided and he sat up again. That was what he would have to do. The last thing he anted was for her to know what was wrong, for that would cause awkwardness. And he couldn't bear for their friendship to suffer because of his selfishness. So he would put on a brave face. Maybe he'd get over it soon. Maybe not. He had to try. Give it some time, and he could be happy for her.
He could. He knew it. Just give it some time.
Cait Sith sighed. He felt sorry for his companion, but there was nothing either of them could do to make him feel better. He had muffled their link for awhile, to let Reeve be alone with his thoughts. While he was, Cait's thoughts stole back to the thing that had called itself Quarkal. The emblem on it's chest had been that of the Shinra intelligence agency; their spies. But when Shinra had shut down, they had been the only major multinational corporation in existence, so they hadn't needed spies for a long time. The department had been closed for about thirty years. So why had their attacker worn their symbol? And the black battle-suit he had worn was a design that Cait had never seen before. It was a strange business altogether. Oh well, thought the cat, I'm sure the answers will appear sooner or later. And he drifted off to sleep.
Some miles away, Quarkal shuffled to a stop. He was limping by now, his ankle having almost given way. That Quake 3 had been very powerful. With an outlet of breath, he collapsed against the side of a rock. His body started to shrink, his eyes becoming human, his skin losing it's green colour. In a few minutes, a red-haired young man lay wincing on the ground, glad to be back in control of his body. He scowled at those who had opposed him. His new form needed some more training. He would come back and wipe the smiles from their faces. They would die by his hand.
Pulling himself to his feet again, Reno walked off into the distance.
Author's Notes: Wow, I finally updated! It feels good to get back into the swing of things. A big apology to anyone who's been waiting for me to update, especially Rads! Anyway, I should be back to updating regularly now, and I'll be finishing off my DBZ story as well. Then some new projects will begin! Until next time, True Believers! (Lol! Had to say that!)
Chapter 6: Night Thoughts
As they reached the gates of Nibelheim, the party returned to their own homes, with a few mumbled goodnights. Only Cloud and the recently reunited couple stayed. Aeris turned to Zack and smiled, her beauty almost making him faint again.
"Well, we'll have to fix you up a room right away!" she chirped, "There's plenty of free rooms in the mansion." Zack froze and started shaking. Aeris' expression jolted into one of worried concern. "Zack? What's wrong?"
"Not. . . . not there. Somewhere else. . . anywhere else!" he moaned. Aeris wrapped her arms round him again, scared that he was having a nervous breakdown after all he'd been through. Cloud walked up to dispel her fears.
"He's ok. It's just that the mansion is where they kept us before we escaped. Just before. . . " His voice trailed off, not wanting to remember the night of Zack's 'death'. Aeris squeezed Zack tighter for a second.
"It's ok," she whispered, "You don't have to stay there." Raising her voice, she asked "Cloud, can he use your spare room?"
"Sure," replied Cloud with a grin, "It'll be like old times, huh buddy?" Zack regained a slight smile.
"I remember the old times. Didn't they usually end with you getting so drunk you couldn't walk, and me having to push you back to the barracks in a wheelbarrow?"
"Hey! They served pretty strong stuff at that bar back then!"
"Yeah, but you never drank it! It was usually light beers you drank, and not much of those either! Old four-then-floor we called you!" Cloud fumed.
"Oh shut up! Anyway, let's go if you're going. You'll be lucky if I give you a couch now."
"I'll be along in a minute." Cloud started to ask why he wouldn't come right away, then noticed Aeris' pointed look.
"Erm, ok. Second house on the left, with the green door. I'll fix up your room while you're- erm, I mean before you- I'm going before I dig myself any deeper into this hole I've just made." He departed, leaving the two alone.
They looked into each others' eyes for a few moments. "I'm so sorry I left you," said Zack, "I know it's a bit late to say so, but I am. I thought I could become someone great, then come back and have you take me in as if nothing had happened. I'm so sorry. It was so goddamn stupid of me! I just. . . I just never meant to cause you any pain, whatever happened. I'm sorry." Aeris squeezed him again, just happy to hold him after so long. "It's ok," she said softly, "I know you didn't. I forgive you." Saying that, she drew her face close to his, and kissed him, washing away the bad memories.
From where they stood, they were too far away to hear the choked sob from Reeve's room in the mansion.
Vincent lay flat out on his bed, hands held behind his head. It had been a strange day all round. First there had been the Zuu attacking Aeris in the mountains, and the second one that had tried to attack them both. Then there had been, well, Yuffie. As the grin spread across his face, he struggled to focus on the rest of the day's events.The poker night had been nothing out of the ordinary. There had been the usual amount of swearing, mocking laughter and drinking. Vincent always got a spectacular hand at least once a night, so the royal flush was normal as well. What had happened after, however. . .
Vincent sighed, feeling sorry for another whose life Shinra had destroyed. Vincent knew firsthand what that was like. Was that why Zack had seemed so familiar to him?
"IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING," boomed a voice in his mind. Vincent sat up so fast he almost fell off the bed. "Chaos?" he thought in shock, "What the hell do you want?"
"A VILLA IN COSTA DEL SOL AND A FERRARI, BUT I DOUBT THAT WILL HAPPEN," it intoned sarcastically.
"Cut the crap! Why are you suddenly talking to me?"
"VERY WELL. THE ONE YOU MET THIS EVENING IS KNOWN TO ME."
"What? How would you know him?"
"THIS I CANNOT REMEMBER. I ONLY KNOW THAT HE IS NOT ALL THAT HE SEEMS."
"What is that supposed to mean? Chaos?" But there was no reply. Vincent scowled in annoyance at his inner demon and returned to his former position on the bed. The beast was just playing one of it's mind games, trying to confuse him. It wouldn't be the first time.
But what if it was telling the truth? Chaos would be able to tell if there was something strange about a person, especially when it had something to do with Shinra. As he lay pondering the odd information, his keen hearing picked up muffled sobs from Reeve's room. Best not to ask, he thought, and ignored it.
Reeve wept into his hands, trying to keep quiet, but only partially succeeding. Why had he fallen for her? She was too good for him, he knew that, but he hadn't been able to help himself. Her gentle teasing, her sweet smile, her heavenly eyes, the way she walked, talked, laughed. . .
He wished he had said something. Whatever the odds, there had been a small chance she would have returned his feelings. And even if she didn't, she wouldn't have held it against him; there would have been no awkwardness between them. She wasn't that kind of person. So why hadn't he said anything? He knew the answer. If he didn't ask, she couldn't say no, so there was still a chance. He hadn't wanted to have his hope taken away.
And now it was too late. He should have taken the gamble. Now it was too late.
So what was he to do now? He would pretend. Pretend he was happy for the new couple. Pretend everything was fine with his life. Pretend he didn't feel like he had been stabbed in the heart.
The crying subsided and he sat up again. That was what he would have to do. The last thing he anted was for her to know what was wrong, for that would cause awkwardness. And he couldn't bear for their friendship to suffer because of his selfishness. So he would put on a brave face. Maybe he'd get over it soon. Maybe not. He had to try. Give it some time, and he could be happy for her.
He could. He knew it. Just give it some time.
Cait Sith sighed. He felt sorry for his companion, but there was nothing either of them could do to make him feel better. He had muffled their link for awhile, to let Reeve be alone with his thoughts. While he was, Cait's thoughts stole back to the thing that had called itself Quarkal. The emblem on it's chest had been that of the Shinra intelligence agency; their spies. But when Shinra had shut down, they had been the only major multinational corporation in existence, so they hadn't needed spies for a long time. The department had been closed for about thirty years. So why had their attacker worn their symbol? And the black battle-suit he had worn was a design that Cait had never seen before. It was a strange business altogether. Oh well, thought the cat, I'm sure the answers will appear sooner or later. And he drifted off to sleep.
Some miles away, Quarkal shuffled to a stop. He was limping by now, his ankle having almost given way. That Quake 3 had been very powerful. With an outlet of breath, he collapsed against the side of a rock. His body started to shrink, his eyes becoming human, his skin losing it's green colour. In a few minutes, a red-haired young man lay wincing on the ground, glad to be back in control of his body. He scowled at those who had opposed him. His new form needed some more training. He would come back and wipe the smiles from their faces. They would die by his hand.
Pulling himself to his feet again, Reno walked off into the distance.
Author's Notes: Wow, I finally updated! It feels good to get back into the swing of things. A big apology to anyone who's been waiting for me to update, especially Rads! Anyway, I should be back to updating regularly now, and I'll be finishing off my DBZ story as well. Then some new projects will begin! Until next time, True Believers! (Lol! Had to say that!)