Chapter 9
Nightmare
Cloud wrinkled his nose at the now dead monster's stench. He felt he would throw up if he didn't get away from it quickly. He looked over at the man called Vincent, who knelt by the thing, making _sure_ it was dead. Once he was satisfied with this, the red cloaked man stood and walked over to where the young Cetra sat.
"Th-thank you again," Cloud said, exausted from the magic he had used.
Vincent just nodded. Cloud began to find it hard to keep his eyes open.
"Are you all right?" Vincent's voice was distant in Cloud's ears, but didn't sound at all concerned for his welfare.
"I'm just kinda sleepy," he said.
"Rest then."
Just before he fell asleep, Cloud realized that it was Vincent who he had sensed earlier.
_______________________________________________________________________
The room was large, and for the most part empty, save the floating staircase and two platforms. The larger of the two was engulfed in a pale green light...
~(...envelops me...)~
A woman knelt in the center of the platform, the light seemingly eminating from her. Her hands were clasped together in prayer, her face downcast and shadowed. Cloud could hear her humming as well. The song was somewhat meloncholy, but beautiful none the less. And the tune was familiar. He knew it from somewhere...
Abruptly, the woman ceased her humming, and raised her head to look at him with emerald green eyes. She was taller, older, but somehow Cloud knew that this was Aeris. She smiled at him, the light that came from her brightening a little. He smiled back and approached her. She stood, holding her arms out to him. He found himself looking down on her, for he was older and taller as well. He took her into his arms, and their lips met, the light becoming almost blindingly bright.
But then Aeris pulled away, her face contorted in pain, shock, and disbelief.
"Cloud," she breathed, "why?"
She went limp in his arms, the light fading quickly away. And Cloud saw the dagger that he himself had slid into her back.
_______________________________________________________________________
"AERIS!"
Cloud was sitting up in a bed, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He inhaled sharply, then sighed in relief. It had only been a dream. No, a nightmare.
"Cloud?"
The boy in question looked to to his left to see Brenna gazing worriedly at him.
"Mom?"
He was home? How...?
"How did I get here?"
His foster mother smiled at him.
"A man in red brought you out of the mansion."
Ah...so Vincent had taken him home. Cloud nodded and lay back down.
"Cloud?"
"Yeah, mom?"
"Who is 'Aeris'?"
H closed his eyes, then replied:
"A good friend."
Then he was asleep.
_______________________________________________________________________
Cloud went back to the mansion to visit Vincent often after that. The red eyed man let it be known he did not approve, but Cloud always came back anyway.
"Tell me," Vincent asked one day, "why do you keep coming here?"
The boy shrugged.
"I just feel like I should. Besides...no, nevermind."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"I know it isn't nothing."
"It _is_ nothing!" Cloud insisted.
Vincent's eyebrow raised just enough to be noticeable, but then he shrugged, his face once again holding an indifferent expression.
The spiky haired youth was silent for a long moment. Then:
"Hey, Vincent?"
"Yes?
"Have you ever had a nightmare...that you were afraid would come true?"
Vincent's expression darkened as he replied, "My nightmare has already come true."
Cloud looked down at his hands. Vincent glanced at him.
"Why do you ask?"
"I..." Cloud rubbed at his eyes on instinct, trailing off.
"I've been having this dream," he continued after a moment. "I'm in this holy looking place, and I'm older. A friend of mine is kneeling on a platform nearby. She looks up at me and smiles and..." here Cloud grimaced, deciding to leave out the kissing part, "I go over to her and it always ends with me...killing her."
"Do you know why you are having these dreams?"
"No...but...it's frightening. I don't want anyone else I care about to die."
"You lost someone?"
"Not just one...everyone."
Vincent looked over at the boy, beginning now to understand why he was the way he was.
"My hometown...everyone in it...I lost them all."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Cloud looked over at Vincent in surprise. He had certainly not expected such a sympathetic question from the man. Not at all.
"I guess it might help..." he managed.
And so he started from the beginning.
(Okee...I need to play FF7 again, 'cause I'm not sure how OOC Vincent was. Oh, and I know I said this in my other fic, 'Hatred', but I have some fics listed on my profile that I might post, but I need opinions first, so please let me know which ones sound interesting in a review or e-mail (my adress is on my profile.) Also, my deadlines for chapters are there, too. Oh, and I've said this before, too, but any questions about my fics or something of the like, feel free to ask. I will try to answer them to the best of my abilities. Well, later!)
-Diamond Weapon
Nightmare
Cloud wrinkled his nose at the now dead monster's stench. He felt he would throw up if he didn't get away from it quickly. He looked over at the man called Vincent, who knelt by the thing, making _sure_ it was dead. Once he was satisfied with this, the red cloaked man stood and walked over to where the young Cetra sat.
"Th-thank you again," Cloud said, exausted from the magic he had used.
Vincent just nodded. Cloud began to find it hard to keep his eyes open.
"Are you all right?" Vincent's voice was distant in Cloud's ears, but didn't sound at all concerned for his welfare.
"I'm just kinda sleepy," he said.
"Rest then."
Just before he fell asleep, Cloud realized that it was Vincent who he had sensed earlier.
_______________________________________________________________________
The room was large, and for the most part empty, save the floating staircase and two platforms. The larger of the two was engulfed in a pale green light...
~(...envelops me...)~
A woman knelt in the center of the platform, the light seemingly eminating from her. Her hands were clasped together in prayer, her face downcast and shadowed. Cloud could hear her humming as well. The song was somewhat meloncholy, but beautiful none the less. And the tune was familiar. He knew it from somewhere...
Abruptly, the woman ceased her humming, and raised her head to look at him with emerald green eyes. She was taller, older, but somehow Cloud knew that this was Aeris. She smiled at him, the light that came from her brightening a little. He smiled back and approached her. She stood, holding her arms out to him. He found himself looking down on her, for he was older and taller as well. He took her into his arms, and their lips met, the light becoming almost blindingly bright.
But then Aeris pulled away, her face contorted in pain, shock, and disbelief.
"Cloud," she breathed, "why?"
She went limp in his arms, the light fading quickly away. And Cloud saw the dagger that he himself had slid into her back.
_______________________________________________________________________
"AERIS!"
Cloud was sitting up in a bed, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He inhaled sharply, then sighed in relief. It had only been a dream. No, a nightmare.
"Cloud?"
The boy in question looked to to his left to see Brenna gazing worriedly at him.
"Mom?"
He was home? How...?
"How did I get here?"
His foster mother smiled at him.
"A man in red brought you out of the mansion."
Ah...so Vincent had taken him home. Cloud nodded and lay back down.
"Cloud?"
"Yeah, mom?"
"Who is 'Aeris'?"
H closed his eyes, then replied:
"A good friend."
Then he was asleep.
_______________________________________________________________________
Cloud went back to the mansion to visit Vincent often after that. The red eyed man let it be known he did not approve, but Cloud always came back anyway.
"Tell me," Vincent asked one day, "why do you keep coming here?"
The boy shrugged.
"I just feel like I should. Besides...no, nevermind."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"I know it isn't nothing."
"It _is_ nothing!" Cloud insisted.
Vincent's eyebrow raised just enough to be noticeable, but then he shrugged, his face once again holding an indifferent expression.
The spiky haired youth was silent for a long moment. Then:
"Hey, Vincent?"
"Yes?
"Have you ever had a nightmare...that you were afraid would come true?"
Vincent's expression darkened as he replied, "My nightmare has already come true."
Cloud looked down at his hands. Vincent glanced at him.
"Why do you ask?"
"I..." Cloud rubbed at his eyes on instinct, trailing off.
"I've been having this dream," he continued after a moment. "I'm in this holy looking place, and I'm older. A friend of mine is kneeling on a platform nearby. She looks up at me and smiles and..." here Cloud grimaced, deciding to leave out the kissing part, "I go over to her and it always ends with me...killing her."
"Do you know why you are having these dreams?"
"No...but...it's frightening. I don't want anyone else I care about to die."
"You lost someone?"
"Not just one...everyone."
Vincent looked over at the boy, beginning now to understand why he was the way he was.
"My hometown...everyone in it...I lost them all."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Cloud looked over at Vincent in surprise. He had certainly not expected such a sympathetic question from the man. Not at all.
"I guess it might help..." he managed.
And so he started from the beginning.
(Okee...I need to play FF7 again, 'cause I'm not sure how OOC Vincent was. Oh, and I know I said this in my other fic, 'Hatred', but I have some fics listed on my profile that I might post, but I need opinions first, so please let me know which ones sound interesting in a review or e-mail (my adress is on my profile.) Also, my deadlines for chapters are there, too. Oh, and I've said this before, too, but any questions about my fics or something of the like, feel free to ask. I will try to answer them to the best of my abilities. Well, later!)
-Diamond Weapon