Chapter Two: Heartless
He lifted his eyes from the raw mass of soul that moaned and played over each other. They swam against the tides of the luminous green sea, each opening their mouths to scream out a pain unto the world. The stench from the foul water made his nose wrinkle, and with a cautious hand lifted to waft the fumes away, Cloud turned his head.
The cavern was darker than night, he couldn't make out the rock formations or twists of stalagtites or 'mites. The floor was uneven and littered with chunks of rock, sometimes dispersed between these darkness were formations that could very well be chairs, in which gods could have once sat.
His hand lowered automatically, as he squinted into the darkness.
"Hello," his voice grated, cold and harsh, much as it had been when he had first arrived in Midgar after the accident. That had all happened a world away though, and now he was left with the sinking certainty that he would never get that back.
From the shadows a soft glow of blue flame leapt, then a figure stepped out.
Taller than Cloud, easily taller and much more muscular in build, the mercenary tilted his head to stare coldly up at the face of death's warden. It was a face marked by sardonic humour, the eyes shadowed and the lips trying to quirk in hate and self invention. His head would naturally be bald if it weren't for the springs of flame he adorned it with in place of hair. He wore a strange cut of robes, the folds falling down by sandalled feet as they peeked out from under it, but instantly a sarcastic smile was in place on the face of Death.
"Hey, kid, nice to see you managed to crawl your way in here, welcome, and all that stuff.." the being offered him a hand, and Cloud just stared at it without moving.
"Do you think you could tell me what is going on?"
Death arched a brow and hesitated, then drew his hand back with a slight laugh, sliding into one of the rock formations easily. Cloud smirked under the ragged remains of his cloak's neck wrap, he had guessed right. They were some kind of chairs.
"Nice to meet you too, tiger. Let's see, before I can get down to any of the real talkies with you, Pow Wow, let's be polite and hand over names. Hi, hey there, "he flicked a hand from his temple at Cloud, mockingly, "I'm Hades, Lord of the Underworld and keeper of death. You?"
"Cloud."
Hades arched a brow, and then rolled his eyes, "I see, going for the whole one name mysterious thing, good for you. So, hey kid, take a seat... so, what brings you here?"
Cloud frowned and turned away from the pit of souls, and held onto his left side with gritted teeth, sliding uncomfortably into a chair and trying his hardest to not let any of his discomfort show.
"I escaped to the nearest place I could."
"Woah, beezesus, where the hell is your left arm?"
Cloud looked down, sneer forming over his nose as he studied where the appendage had been ripped off, the wound still tender and very painful. Curse those shadows.. after Aeris had been seen to safety, he had seen Tifa struggling vainly with the never ending stream of monster, and had moved to help her.
But it had all been in vain, as he too got swept under, hearing the agonised scream of his childhood friend die, and with pain etched on his eyes he looked up at Hades.
How had he come here? Death may have swallowed Tifa, but he lived for a reason, and that reason was protecting Aeris. He was her bodyguard after all, and as much as he loved Tifa, they had both been aware that a long time ago Cloud has given Aeris his heart for keeping.
He missed everyone.. and now just as Tifa had said, on parting, he had to help Aeris find a way.
"I lost it," he joked with a deadpan face.
Hades blinked, then laughed, harshly barking and banged his hands on the chair rests. "Ha! that's a good one.. so, other than losing random limbs what else do you do Cloud?"
"I'm a mercenary."
"All your life? Bit of a profession slump I'd say."
"No, not always.. I was once accepted into Soldier.. once."
This caught Hades' attention and those dark flaming eyes latched onto the young mercenary as if studying him. Cloud looked right back, standing toe to toe with the disarming God.. and shivering with the pain of his arm, or rather, missing arm.
"I see," the God drawled, "Well, if you have nothing pressing to do for a while, Cloud, I'd like to hire your services."
"..I'm looking for someone."
"Who?"
"...The girl I left behind." Cloud smiled grimly, through the dirt on his face. The green swirl of light from the pool of souls illuminated his face darkly, and he could almost hear the thoughts ticking over in the Underworld' Rulers head. Almost..
Then Hades suddenly stood up, and spread his hands, "well alright, look, here's the deal kid. I give you say, something to cover the loss of your arm, heal you up, give you a bit of boosting here, there, wherever. Then all you gotta do for me is get rid of someone who stands in my way, then you're more than free to go into the wide blue yonder and find your girl."
"hmm," Cloud looked down at his side. It would be worth it, all of it for Aeris, for those chances offered to them.. and then he nodded. "Alright."
"Deal!" Yelled the God, and stuck out his palm, to help Cloud up.. and as Cloud felt himself being moved, he looked towards the swelling pool, knowing he had not seen Aeris there.. and comforted by the chance to help her..
* * * * * * * * * *
Aeris walked in a kind of silence from the hotel with Leon at her side, the tall and lean warrior having not said a bare few words to her that morning after breakfast, but for a couple of grunts and the random, "whatever's." Not usually one to be frustrated by silence, in fact quite the opposite, Aeris liked silence when it could be found for contemplation. But what bothered her was the sensation he was simply thinking about her, and screwing up her nose to keep out those thoughts she stepped down the steps towards the large gate into the First District.
He brushed his hair aside slightly, fixing those eyes on her briefly, then he moved without comment ahead of her so he could open the doors. She stood, impatient and watched him.
He took this all so seriously, she had never seen him really smile once, and in such a fashion he reminded her painfully of Cloud.
With the sharp pain in her heart, she looked up at the darkened day sky above them, past the lights and strange signs that hung, useless without wind. She guessed he was still out there somewhere, but finding him would be a hard task.
"Aeris," Leon repeated.
She jumped and brought her emerald eyes down from the study of the sky, to smile easily at Leon. He gestured at the open doors with something close to impatience. Of course, he could exist within silence but anyone kept him waiting and he lost his patience rather easily. Bringing her hands down from her throat, where they had crept without volition, she strolled her way over the courtyard and then slid into the First District and paused to wait so Leon could shut the gates.
No one took any chances here, gates were all dealt with accordingly and with the minimal of fuss. The people who had escaped here knew the meaning of living in fear for their lives.
As Leon struggled with the gate without complaint, Aeris turned her green eyes across the long pathway and to the large man who stood by the locked area of the guardhouse. He smiled at her, and she waved in return. He was a kind man, and had helped her and her protectors find a suitable place for their needs as well as a living.
Behind him, she could see a moogle wander past, arms full of raw metal, to use no doubt in the making of some fantastical jewelry or other. Their strange ways interested her, but the moodle knew her well enough and waved. Their shop was above Cid's, and he often complained that they kept him awake into the night with their, "Infernal god damned banging!"
Covering her smile with a hand at the thought of Cid's never ending sream of discomforts, she turned to watch Leon shut the last bit of the gate then dry wash his gloved hands off one another.
"Well done, it looked heavy," she ventured, trying to get some kind of resopnse from the normally tacturn warrior.
He grunted and looked away, standing with his hips cocked, "whatever."
She sighed and looked back down the path, "ready?"
She didn't get an answer, instead her moved easily, like some kind of predator down the path and expected her to follow. Quickly she hid another smile behind a hand and followed him, her heavy boots clicking on the path, as it meandered round the back of the Moogle shop and then led down some steps towards the accessory shop.
The first district was lovely and reminded her of how Kalm Town used to be laid out, with cobbled streets, an open air cafe and the shops with balconies hung over their entrances. Even the wood effect on the outside with ;aminated wood beams coloured dark on purpose was similar.
For a moment, she stepped away from following the warrior and hung by the wall above the postbox and stared out as if trying to remember hazy memories of her past..
* * * * * * * * * * *
"...It's been nice talking," she whispered and looked up with a skeptical eye at Tifa, trying to gauge the darker haired girl's reaction.
Tifa was a lovely young woman, younger than she by about two years but no less pre-possessing. Her hair was really dark, and hung to her hips in a strange kind of ponytail, left to unravel constantly when she flew into battle. Small strands of that dark hair hung about her heart shaped face, from which the two wine dark eyes were studying the menu, rosy lips pursed in thought.
Tifa favoured a strange outfit, possibly trying to find a medium between being a bar hostess and a fighter. A short skirt for work coupled with a "do-all" sleeveless shirt for battle. Heavy boots and dangerous looking hand gauntlets finished off the ensemble.
The other girl looked up, "Hmmm? Going somemhere?!"
"No," Aeris laughed softly and put her menu down as she fiddled with the end of her braid in the cafe chair, then looked out over the way at the memorial statue in the centre of the cobbled street, at the people who wandered to and fro from shop to home. "You just looked lost in thought."
"I guess... well, I think I'll be having a hot chocolate. You?"
"Oh, oh.." Aeris turned back quickly and picked up the menu, "Um.. probaby the same, sounds good to me."
Tifa smiled, a genuine heartfelt smile that she found no difficulty in expressing. "I could really get to be good friends with you, hey, I'll go order, don't run away." The girl laughed and stood up, moving to find the waiter so she could lay an order in.
Aeris watched her go, and then smiled. It was a beautiful day, and Tifa looked happier than Aeris remembered seeing in the past two weeks. It had taken them a long time to journey out of Midgar, but once acheived, she and the bar hostess had grown close.
There would still be a hint of jealousy whenever Tifa got onto the subject of Cloud, more often than not, complaining vociferously about his behaviour somedays.. but she could tell he cared for the man however dense he could be. But she could also see in Tifa's eyes sometimes a look of sadness and acceptance. When asked about it once, the dark haired beauty had replied, "Well, sometimes you just have to accept, right?"
Tifa would never know how much those words would support the flower girl later on, and unaware of future paths, Aeris smiled as Tifa came back, two heavy glasses, piled with cream in each hand. Taking one from her, Aeris moved her legs back from where they had been stretched out to let Tifa sit down.
After a few sips, she looked up at Tifa, "mmm, s'nice."
Tifa looked up from her drink, then laughed.
Not understanding, Aeris looked down at her front, then checked her hair. Puzzled, she looked at Tifa with it written clearly in her eyes. Tifa shook her head, then pointed at her own upper lip.
Mortified, Aeris picked up a handy napkin and wiped the cream off, turning a shade of crimson. "Whoops.."
"Oh Aeris, I do love you.. hahaha.."
* * * * * * * * * * *
...and she smiled, tears springing to her eyes.
"Ahem, standing there is going to accomplish nothing," the gruff but quiet voice informed her, and she let go of the wall, taking a moment to brush fingers over her eyes and compose herself.
"Yes, I am sorry."
She turned and looked at Leon who appraised her with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing else. Fixing her hair, self conciously, she flashed him a smile and moved towards the door of Cid's accessory shop, and pushed it.
The door jangled and Cid looked up from where he was leant over the counter, usual cigarette in his mouth and winked at her easily. Aeris grinned in return, and came slowly down the steps with Leon remaining where he was by the door, arms forever folded over his chest.
"Hey, now there's a sight for sore eyes," Cid smiled and flipping up a part of the counter moved round to engulf her in a hug.
She couldn't help the small prickling of tears in her eyes, and hung on tight for as long as the embrace lasted. She dearly missed Cid when he wasn't about, just liked she missed Yuffie. They were he only connection to the reality they had had taken from them. Then she let her hands fall away, and folded them politely at her waist, feeling the blue half-belt and the bracelets jangle.
"How are you?" she asked, in concern.
"As god as can be expected, still trying to figure out a way to get those damned moogles to stop kupo-ing...or whatever.. it's annoying." Cid scratched his head and looked over at Leon, then Aeris. "Where's the brat?"
The ancient fought hard not to roll her eyes, and said patiently, "Yuffie went to go get the grocery shopping today, she decided you may need a break from her charms."
"Charms my ass!"
"What a delightful image," Leon murmured sarcastically from the door, and Cid smirked.
She took a moment to study the shop in which Cid worked, it was cosy if nothing else with a set of setee's over by a low table, an attic like opening in the ceiling. The fireplace was cold and she made a small note to remember to offer to fix that for him one day. Behind the counter were boxes of all descriptions, neatly filed away, and a strange cabinet with a chunk of crystal in it.
Frowning she moved to the crystal and ran her fingers down it, then looked up at Cid, "Materia?"
"God knows," he stated, and leant on the bar. "How are you then Aeris?"
"I'm fine," she stopped touching it, and turned with a brave smile, the only smile she felt she could muster round about now. "I have a few bad dreams now and then, but I am still trying my hardest to research and stuff.."
Cid smirked and dipped a hand into the shirt pocket, pulling out a slip of paper and handed it to her. Arching a brow, the slender ancient took it and read the words on the paper.
"What...what is it?"
"You guys heard of Ansem right?"
Aeris glanced over at Leon then drew her gaze sharply back to Cid, and nodded, "he used to be the mayor or something close to it here, but one day he just left. He was a great man.."
"Yeah, maybe. But he was into experiments, or at least thats what a few townspeople told me, and thats a page from his report."
"Report?"
"Just read it, Aeris."
Obediently, she bent her head and studied the words, trying to etch their existance into her memory. Then she looked up curiously, "Castle?"
"I think he means Hollow Bastion, that place has been open to the worst kind even when Sephiroth spent a sojourn there in his madness and limbo..."
"H-heartless?"
Cid looked at Leon, then at Aeris, "Can't you guess?"
"I'm trying not to, but from how it describes it.. it's one of those shadow things. They're called Heartless.. I wonder why. And doors and keyholes.." she froze, and frowned, reading that part again.
~ A key is inside you.. ~
She then folded it up and tucked it away, into the small pouch held up by her belt. The hairs on her arms tried standing up and she grit her teeth against the very overwhelming sensation of revulsion, finally asking softly, "where are the other pages?"
The pilot shrugged, "I don't know Aeris.. but whatever, you got your first clue, and well, maybe something from that will help you."
"Maybe.."
"I believe in you, girl," he clapped her warmly on the shoulder and she looked down at her small hands, hearing him.
~I believe in..what do I believe in?~
* * * * * * * * * * *
He frowned, opening his eyes and sitting up. They had clothed him in his sleep, and the darkness about him covered all but the small trickle of light centred upon him, enough so he could make out what he had done to him.
Nervously he lifted his left arm, and then stopped to stare at it.
A metal claw stared back at him, a sharp reminder of Vincent. Had he too, now been damned to shadows?
Then tilting his head, spiked blonde hair shifting as he looked over his shoulder and then he drew a sharp breath. The compact made with darkness had changed him, for in mockery of a bitter enemy, on his shoulder now stood a single bat like wing. Demon touched..
Bitterly, Cloud looked down at his hands, and wished there was a better way.
Tomorrow, it would all begin.
He lifted his eyes from the raw mass of soul that moaned and played over each other. They swam against the tides of the luminous green sea, each opening their mouths to scream out a pain unto the world. The stench from the foul water made his nose wrinkle, and with a cautious hand lifted to waft the fumes away, Cloud turned his head.
The cavern was darker than night, he couldn't make out the rock formations or twists of stalagtites or 'mites. The floor was uneven and littered with chunks of rock, sometimes dispersed between these darkness were formations that could very well be chairs, in which gods could have once sat.
His hand lowered automatically, as he squinted into the darkness.
"Hello," his voice grated, cold and harsh, much as it had been when he had first arrived in Midgar after the accident. That had all happened a world away though, and now he was left with the sinking certainty that he would never get that back.
From the shadows a soft glow of blue flame leapt, then a figure stepped out.
Taller than Cloud, easily taller and much more muscular in build, the mercenary tilted his head to stare coldly up at the face of death's warden. It was a face marked by sardonic humour, the eyes shadowed and the lips trying to quirk in hate and self invention. His head would naturally be bald if it weren't for the springs of flame he adorned it with in place of hair. He wore a strange cut of robes, the folds falling down by sandalled feet as they peeked out from under it, but instantly a sarcastic smile was in place on the face of Death.
"Hey, kid, nice to see you managed to crawl your way in here, welcome, and all that stuff.." the being offered him a hand, and Cloud just stared at it without moving.
"Do you think you could tell me what is going on?"
Death arched a brow and hesitated, then drew his hand back with a slight laugh, sliding into one of the rock formations easily. Cloud smirked under the ragged remains of his cloak's neck wrap, he had guessed right. They were some kind of chairs.
"Nice to meet you too, tiger. Let's see, before I can get down to any of the real talkies with you, Pow Wow, let's be polite and hand over names. Hi, hey there, "he flicked a hand from his temple at Cloud, mockingly, "I'm Hades, Lord of the Underworld and keeper of death. You?"
"Cloud."
Hades arched a brow, and then rolled his eyes, "I see, going for the whole one name mysterious thing, good for you. So, hey kid, take a seat... so, what brings you here?"
Cloud frowned and turned away from the pit of souls, and held onto his left side with gritted teeth, sliding uncomfortably into a chair and trying his hardest to not let any of his discomfort show.
"I escaped to the nearest place I could."
"Woah, beezesus, where the hell is your left arm?"
Cloud looked down, sneer forming over his nose as he studied where the appendage had been ripped off, the wound still tender and very painful. Curse those shadows.. after Aeris had been seen to safety, he had seen Tifa struggling vainly with the never ending stream of monster, and had moved to help her.
But it had all been in vain, as he too got swept under, hearing the agonised scream of his childhood friend die, and with pain etched on his eyes he looked up at Hades.
How had he come here? Death may have swallowed Tifa, but he lived for a reason, and that reason was protecting Aeris. He was her bodyguard after all, and as much as he loved Tifa, they had both been aware that a long time ago Cloud has given Aeris his heart for keeping.
He missed everyone.. and now just as Tifa had said, on parting, he had to help Aeris find a way.
"I lost it," he joked with a deadpan face.
Hades blinked, then laughed, harshly barking and banged his hands on the chair rests. "Ha! that's a good one.. so, other than losing random limbs what else do you do Cloud?"
"I'm a mercenary."
"All your life? Bit of a profession slump I'd say."
"No, not always.. I was once accepted into Soldier.. once."
This caught Hades' attention and those dark flaming eyes latched onto the young mercenary as if studying him. Cloud looked right back, standing toe to toe with the disarming God.. and shivering with the pain of his arm, or rather, missing arm.
"I see," the God drawled, "Well, if you have nothing pressing to do for a while, Cloud, I'd like to hire your services."
"..I'm looking for someone."
"Who?"
"...The girl I left behind." Cloud smiled grimly, through the dirt on his face. The green swirl of light from the pool of souls illuminated his face darkly, and he could almost hear the thoughts ticking over in the Underworld' Rulers head. Almost..
Then Hades suddenly stood up, and spread his hands, "well alright, look, here's the deal kid. I give you say, something to cover the loss of your arm, heal you up, give you a bit of boosting here, there, wherever. Then all you gotta do for me is get rid of someone who stands in my way, then you're more than free to go into the wide blue yonder and find your girl."
"hmm," Cloud looked down at his side. It would be worth it, all of it for Aeris, for those chances offered to them.. and then he nodded. "Alright."
"Deal!" Yelled the God, and stuck out his palm, to help Cloud up.. and as Cloud felt himself being moved, he looked towards the swelling pool, knowing he had not seen Aeris there.. and comforted by the chance to help her..
* * * * * * * * * *
Aeris walked in a kind of silence from the hotel with Leon at her side, the tall and lean warrior having not said a bare few words to her that morning after breakfast, but for a couple of grunts and the random, "whatever's." Not usually one to be frustrated by silence, in fact quite the opposite, Aeris liked silence when it could be found for contemplation. But what bothered her was the sensation he was simply thinking about her, and screwing up her nose to keep out those thoughts she stepped down the steps towards the large gate into the First District.
He brushed his hair aside slightly, fixing those eyes on her briefly, then he moved without comment ahead of her so he could open the doors. She stood, impatient and watched him.
He took this all so seriously, she had never seen him really smile once, and in such a fashion he reminded her painfully of Cloud.
With the sharp pain in her heart, she looked up at the darkened day sky above them, past the lights and strange signs that hung, useless without wind. She guessed he was still out there somewhere, but finding him would be a hard task.
"Aeris," Leon repeated.
She jumped and brought her emerald eyes down from the study of the sky, to smile easily at Leon. He gestured at the open doors with something close to impatience. Of course, he could exist within silence but anyone kept him waiting and he lost his patience rather easily. Bringing her hands down from her throat, where they had crept without volition, she strolled her way over the courtyard and then slid into the First District and paused to wait so Leon could shut the gates.
No one took any chances here, gates were all dealt with accordingly and with the minimal of fuss. The people who had escaped here knew the meaning of living in fear for their lives.
As Leon struggled with the gate without complaint, Aeris turned her green eyes across the long pathway and to the large man who stood by the locked area of the guardhouse. He smiled at her, and she waved in return. He was a kind man, and had helped her and her protectors find a suitable place for their needs as well as a living.
Behind him, she could see a moogle wander past, arms full of raw metal, to use no doubt in the making of some fantastical jewelry or other. Their strange ways interested her, but the moodle knew her well enough and waved. Their shop was above Cid's, and he often complained that they kept him awake into the night with their, "Infernal god damned banging!"
Covering her smile with a hand at the thought of Cid's never ending sream of discomforts, she turned to watch Leon shut the last bit of the gate then dry wash his gloved hands off one another.
"Well done, it looked heavy," she ventured, trying to get some kind of resopnse from the normally tacturn warrior.
He grunted and looked away, standing with his hips cocked, "whatever."
She sighed and looked back down the path, "ready?"
She didn't get an answer, instead her moved easily, like some kind of predator down the path and expected her to follow. Quickly she hid another smile behind a hand and followed him, her heavy boots clicking on the path, as it meandered round the back of the Moogle shop and then led down some steps towards the accessory shop.
The first district was lovely and reminded her of how Kalm Town used to be laid out, with cobbled streets, an open air cafe and the shops with balconies hung over their entrances. Even the wood effect on the outside with ;aminated wood beams coloured dark on purpose was similar.
For a moment, she stepped away from following the warrior and hung by the wall above the postbox and stared out as if trying to remember hazy memories of her past..
* * * * * * * * * * *
"...It's been nice talking," she whispered and looked up with a skeptical eye at Tifa, trying to gauge the darker haired girl's reaction.
Tifa was a lovely young woman, younger than she by about two years but no less pre-possessing. Her hair was really dark, and hung to her hips in a strange kind of ponytail, left to unravel constantly when she flew into battle. Small strands of that dark hair hung about her heart shaped face, from which the two wine dark eyes were studying the menu, rosy lips pursed in thought.
Tifa favoured a strange outfit, possibly trying to find a medium between being a bar hostess and a fighter. A short skirt for work coupled with a "do-all" sleeveless shirt for battle. Heavy boots and dangerous looking hand gauntlets finished off the ensemble.
The other girl looked up, "Hmmm? Going somemhere?!"
"No," Aeris laughed softly and put her menu down as she fiddled with the end of her braid in the cafe chair, then looked out over the way at the memorial statue in the centre of the cobbled street, at the people who wandered to and fro from shop to home. "You just looked lost in thought."
"I guess... well, I think I'll be having a hot chocolate. You?"
"Oh, oh.." Aeris turned back quickly and picked up the menu, "Um.. probaby the same, sounds good to me."
Tifa smiled, a genuine heartfelt smile that she found no difficulty in expressing. "I could really get to be good friends with you, hey, I'll go order, don't run away." The girl laughed and stood up, moving to find the waiter so she could lay an order in.
Aeris watched her go, and then smiled. It was a beautiful day, and Tifa looked happier than Aeris remembered seeing in the past two weeks. It had taken them a long time to journey out of Midgar, but once acheived, she and the bar hostess had grown close.
There would still be a hint of jealousy whenever Tifa got onto the subject of Cloud, more often than not, complaining vociferously about his behaviour somedays.. but she could tell he cared for the man however dense he could be. But she could also see in Tifa's eyes sometimes a look of sadness and acceptance. When asked about it once, the dark haired beauty had replied, "Well, sometimes you just have to accept, right?"
Tifa would never know how much those words would support the flower girl later on, and unaware of future paths, Aeris smiled as Tifa came back, two heavy glasses, piled with cream in each hand. Taking one from her, Aeris moved her legs back from where they had been stretched out to let Tifa sit down.
After a few sips, she looked up at Tifa, "mmm, s'nice."
Tifa looked up from her drink, then laughed.
Not understanding, Aeris looked down at her front, then checked her hair. Puzzled, she looked at Tifa with it written clearly in her eyes. Tifa shook her head, then pointed at her own upper lip.
Mortified, Aeris picked up a handy napkin and wiped the cream off, turning a shade of crimson. "Whoops.."
"Oh Aeris, I do love you.. hahaha.."
* * * * * * * * * * *
...and she smiled, tears springing to her eyes.
"Ahem, standing there is going to accomplish nothing," the gruff but quiet voice informed her, and she let go of the wall, taking a moment to brush fingers over her eyes and compose herself.
"Yes, I am sorry."
She turned and looked at Leon who appraised her with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing else. Fixing her hair, self conciously, she flashed him a smile and moved towards the door of Cid's accessory shop, and pushed it.
The door jangled and Cid looked up from where he was leant over the counter, usual cigarette in his mouth and winked at her easily. Aeris grinned in return, and came slowly down the steps with Leon remaining where he was by the door, arms forever folded over his chest.
"Hey, now there's a sight for sore eyes," Cid smiled and flipping up a part of the counter moved round to engulf her in a hug.
She couldn't help the small prickling of tears in her eyes, and hung on tight for as long as the embrace lasted. She dearly missed Cid when he wasn't about, just liked she missed Yuffie. They were he only connection to the reality they had had taken from them. Then she let her hands fall away, and folded them politely at her waist, feeling the blue half-belt and the bracelets jangle.
"How are you?" she asked, in concern.
"As god as can be expected, still trying to figure out a way to get those damned moogles to stop kupo-ing...or whatever.. it's annoying." Cid scratched his head and looked over at Leon, then Aeris. "Where's the brat?"
The ancient fought hard not to roll her eyes, and said patiently, "Yuffie went to go get the grocery shopping today, she decided you may need a break from her charms."
"Charms my ass!"
"What a delightful image," Leon murmured sarcastically from the door, and Cid smirked.
She took a moment to study the shop in which Cid worked, it was cosy if nothing else with a set of setee's over by a low table, an attic like opening in the ceiling. The fireplace was cold and she made a small note to remember to offer to fix that for him one day. Behind the counter were boxes of all descriptions, neatly filed away, and a strange cabinet with a chunk of crystal in it.
Frowning she moved to the crystal and ran her fingers down it, then looked up at Cid, "Materia?"
"God knows," he stated, and leant on the bar. "How are you then Aeris?"
"I'm fine," she stopped touching it, and turned with a brave smile, the only smile she felt she could muster round about now. "I have a few bad dreams now and then, but I am still trying my hardest to research and stuff.."
Cid smirked and dipped a hand into the shirt pocket, pulling out a slip of paper and handed it to her. Arching a brow, the slender ancient took it and read the words on the paper.
"What...what is it?"
"You guys heard of Ansem right?"
Aeris glanced over at Leon then drew her gaze sharply back to Cid, and nodded, "he used to be the mayor or something close to it here, but one day he just left. He was a great man.."
"Yeah, maybe. But he was into experiments, or at least thats what a few townspeople told me, and thats a page from his report."
"Report?"
"Just read it, Aeris."
Obediently, she bent her head and studied the words, trying to etch their existance into her memory. Then she looked up curiously, "Castle?"
"I think he means Hollow Bastion, that place has been open to the worst kind even when Sephiroth spent a sojourn there in his madness and limbo..."
"H-heartless?"
Cid looked at Leon, then at Aeris, "Can't you guess?"
"I'm trying not to, but from how it describes it.. it's one of those shadow things. They're called Heartless.. I wonder why. And doors and keyholes.." she froze, and frowned, reading that part again.
~ A key is inside you.. ~
She then folded it up and tucked it away, into the small pouch held up by her belt. The hairs on her arms tried standing up and she grit her teeth against the very overwhelming sensation of revulsion, finally asking softly, "where are the other pages?"
The pilot shrugged, "I don't know Aeris.. but whatever, you got your first clue, and well, maybe something from that will help you."
"Maybe.."
"I believe in you, girl," he clapped her warmly on the shoulder and she looked down at her small hands, hearing him.
~I believe in..what do I believe in?~
* * * * * * * * * * *
He frowned, opening his eyes and sitting up. They had clothed him in his sleep, and the darkness about him covered all but the small trickle of light centred upon him, enough so he could make out what he had done to him.
Nervously he lifted his left arm, and then stopped to stare at it.
A metal claw stared back at him, a sharp reminder of Vincent. Had he too, now been damned to shadows?
Then tilting his head, spiked blonde hair shifting as he looked over his shoulder and then he drew a sharp breath. The compact made with darkness had changed him, for in mockery of a bitter enemy, on his shoulder now stood a single bat like wing. Demon touched..
Bitterly, Cloud looked down at his hands, and wished there was a better way.
Tomorrow, it would all begin.