They reached the inn around midnight. As they approached, Sephiroth shifted his sleeping companion carefully, hoping not to wake her. Aeris had curled closer to him as they went, and he was unwilling to lose her warmth. It was oddly comforting to have her in his arms like this, as if she was meant to be here.
The main room of the inn was nearly empty, though several people still sat by the fire with their late meals. Sephiroth ducked his head under the low door and walked up to the counter, pointedly ignoring the stares he received. The innkeeper recognized him instantly and cowered behind his counter.
The girl in his arms murmured something in her sleep.
"I need a room," he said to the frightened man. "Now. Preferably your nicest one."
"Y—yes, sir," the keeper stuttered, "Right this way."
They were shown to a comfortable room upstairs, with a soft-looking bed against the wall, a chair, and a fire burning in the hearth. He dismissed the innkeeper with instructions for a hot meal to be delivered as soon as possible, then set her down on the bed. He was about to straighten when she stirred and half-woke. His breath caught at her expression.
Her eyes were dark green, half-open, and her cheeks were rosy. She smiled up at him dreamily as he leaned over her, raising her hands to cup his face. He remained very still as one hand traced the silver line of his brow, the other brushing his lips. "Thank you," she whispered, and her hands dropped to rest on her stomach, her eyes closing once more in sleep. He stayed, watching her for any signs of realizing what she'd done, and finding none, he smiled bemusedly.
A knock at the door announced the tray of food he'd ordered. Once he had shooed the inkeeper away, he ate and settled into the overstuffed chair to sleep.
The sky had lightened by the time Aeris woke. Normally an early riser who liked to get things done first thing in the morning, today she was reluctant to leave the bed. She snuggled deeper into the feather mattress and drew the quilt tighter around her. Funny, I don't remember going to bed...
That thought made her sit bolt upright. Hair disheveled, ribbon askew, she looked about the room for her companion. He was sprawled in a large chair by the dying fire. His long legs were stretched in front of him, crossed at the ankles, his head propped up on one hand. The other was draped across his lap. Aeris hopped out of bed, landing silently on her feet. She padded over to him, knelt beside the chair, and peered up at him.
He certainly doesn't look evil when he's asleep, she thought, folding her hands on the arm of the chair and resting her chin on them. He really is handsome. She felt a mental "tug" that meant the Planet was talking to her, and she closed her eyes to concentrate. It was always harder to Listen when she wasn't in direct contact with the earth.
SAFE HERE. FOR BOTH OF YOU.
Why, is he in danger, too?
ALWAYS. ALWAYS. HE MUST STAY WITH YOU TO BE SAFE.
I don't understand...
YOU WILL. ASK HIM. The music sounded like a chuckle behind the words. CANNOT TELL YOU EVERYTHING, CHILD. MUST DO SOME THINGS ON YOUR OWN.
You know, dear Friend, sometimes you're too cryptic. She couldn't help but smile, though. She knew there were rules of Nature that even the Planet needed to follow. She already suspected that it had already "bent" a rule or two to make Sephiroth act as he had instead of killing her.
"What's so funny?" His voice rumbled, and she started. She blushed furiously when she saw him watching her, one corner of his mouth quirked upward.
"N-nothing," she jumped to her feet and backed over to the bed. She hit it unexpectedly and sat down with a yelp. At his low laugh, she hung her head, hands clenched at her knees. Wonderful, now I've been caught staring at him like an idiot.
"Are you feeling better?" She heard him stand and stretch.
"Yes, I think I just needed to sleep." She looked up at him. He seemed impossibly tall in the small room. "I am sorry for being such a burden."
He looked at her in surprise. "You are no burden. Indeed, I seem to recall hardened soldiers that gave out under less pressure." He motioned toward the tray the innkeeper had brought the night before. "There's some stew in there, as well as half a loaf of bread. I will get us something warm to drink."
Aeris nodded, grateful for the chance to be alone for a moment. She waited until she heard his footsteps fading, then went to the washbasin to clean up. Stripping to the waist, she used the linen cloth beside it to remove some of the grime of the road. It felt so good to be clean! Just as the last button was done, she heard him coming back down the hallway. Upon finding a comb near the basin, she decided to fix her hair as well. She unbraided it and shook it out, fluffing it with her fingers.
Sephiroth knocked twice. "I'm back. Can you let me in? My hands are full."
She opened the door for him, and he nearly dropped the small tray, hot water and all. She had been working on her hair, he saw. It fell in soft waves to below her hips, the ends just brushing her thighs. He normally didn't pay attention to women's hair, but hers wasglorious.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, looking up at him uncertainly. He realized that he was still standing in the doorframe with the tray, staring. When he nodded and forced a slight smile to his lips, she relaxed a bit and took the tray from him. Setting it down by the hearth, she opened the canister of tea and prepared two mugs. He tried not to look at the chestnut curtain that flowed over her shoulders and arms as she worked. He remembered running his fingers through it earlier. How would it feel to completely bury his hands in it? It looked like silk; he wondered if it always smelled of flowers as it had when she'd cried against him.
She straightened, handing him one of the mugs. "Here, let it steep for a moment. Thank you for getting this." She finished the leftover stew, then sat on the bed, comb in hand.
Sephiroth made himself comfortable in the chair and watched her work through some of the knots from traveling. When she was having a particularly difficult time with one, he decided to intervene. Ignoring her protests, he plucked the comb from her fingers and sat beside her, instructing her to turn away from him.
"Hold still. How did you manage to get it this bad?" He carefully began loosening individual strands.
"I can do it, really," she insisted. "I'm used to it."
He snorted. "We have quite a bit of traveling ahead of us, my dear. We don't have time to wait for you to fix your hair, even if it is beautiful." As soon as the words were out, he nearly bit his tongue. Now where did that come from?
She, too, fell silent. He liked the her hair? Aeris didn't know whether to be flattered or worried. She felt the blush creeping over her cheeks again. It shouldn't matter what he thinks of me, she chided herself. Truce or no truce, he is still my enemy. Isn't he?
He smiled at the way her ears reddened. Deftly, his fingers separated the fragile strands of her hair. He ran the comb through it a few more times, stopping once or twice to pull more of it back so he could comb all of it. She shivered when his touch brushed her temples and the back of her neck. Once that was done, he separated the whole thing into four parts and began weaving it into a complex braid.
She closed her eyes as he worked. It felt—strange, to have someone else's hands working on her hair. It was definitely pleasant, and his hands were surprisingly gentle. She could feel him braiding it for her. His hands brushed her back as he worked, flipping the sections over and around each other, until he reached her waist. He paused, then leaned forward. So close to her ear she felt his breath with each word, he said softly, "Hand me your ribbon."
She stopped breathing. Such a small, ordinary thing to say, but suddenly she realized how intimate this act had been, his fingers weaving through her tresses, brushing her skin. Hands shaking, she gave him the long piece of grosgrain over her shoulder. He took it, hesitating for the barest of moments, slowly drawing the ends out of her grasp. She felt it trail down her back, and then he was tying it tightly about the end of the braid. She tried to sit without touching him, but all she really wanted at that moment was to feel his warm breath on her neck again.
Sephiroth could almost see the battle raging in her mind. When the bow was done, he gave in to the temptation of touching her hair one more time. He traced his fingers over the long, spiraling column. She swayed back against him, giving into her body's desire, a slight "oh" escaping her lips. It was all he needed.
His left hand tunneled under the braid, until his fingers were trapped by her hair against her head. He turned her face around and upward to his, pulling her into his lap with his right arm around her waist. Her hands grabbed at his arm as his mouth met hers with a searing heat.
Aeris had been kissed before, but never like this, and never by a man like him. Sephiroth ran his tongue over her lips, demanding entry, until she opened her mouth to him. He tasted her thoroughly, coaxing, encouraging her response. He felt, rather than heard, her moan, and he tilted her head further back, exposing her throat. A line of kisses traced along her jaw, under her ear, and over her neck. She was threading her hands through his hair now, urging his mouth back up to hers. He obliged, whispering, "I need you," just before he captured her lips again.
The music in her head rose and fell madly. The Planet sent a whirl of colors into her mind, impressions of passion reds and yellows. Sephiroth's kisses were intoxicating, addictive, and Aeris wanted more. He pushed her back down onto the bed, both of them sinking into the soft mattress as their hands roved over each other. She could feel him beginning to undo the buttons of her dress, starting to expose more of her skin.
GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, the Planet sang, RIGHT. THIS IS RIGHT.
A sharp knock at the door brought them slamming back into reality. They stared at each other, dazed. Both jumped when the knock sounded again.
"Hello? Umm, sorry to interruptI came to get the tray" They looked over at the door to see the innkeeper. He seemed to be trying to make himself very small. Sephiroth fixed him with a glare so icy the other man shivered.
"What?" He growled, not trying to keep the venom from his voice. One of the empty mugs floated up from the floor and hurled itself at the innkeeper's head. The poor frightened man quickly pulled the door shut just in time to hear several items thud against it. Feeling extremely lucky to be alive, the innkeeper ran down the stairs. He decided to hide in his kitchen until his unnerving guests decided to leave. His wife could deal with them.
*****
I need you. The words echoed in her mind, repeating themselves over and over again. I need you. I need you. Had she actually heard him say that to her? Oh, gods and Planet both, what was I doing? What was I about to do?! She closed her eyes, trying to clear her head. She heard Sephiroth curse under his breath, and then his weight was gone from the bed. She struggled to sit up. It was somewhat difficult, for she still heard the Planet's encouragement, though a whisper now, and her head felt foggy.
HE IS THE ONE. RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT. YES.
Stop it! She sent. I need to think clearly!
A soft mental caress, an apology.
I'm not mad at you, dear Friend. I just need to think about this. She watched him picking up the items he'd hurled at the door. Somehow, she knew he was frustrated and angry, confused, but none of it directed at her. She stood shakily. "Can I help?" It felt strange to talk; her lips were still a bit swollen. They felt like she'd been humming for hours. Her neck ached somewhat in a few spots.
He paused, not looking at her. "No, just get our things. We've got a lot to do."
She pulled on her boots with a small sigh. She bit her lip out of habit, wincing at the soreness. Sephiroth looked over at her then, and they both stood still. Aeris could read his mind clearly from the expression in his eyes.
Desire. I need you. He nearly fell to his knees in front of her, but a lifetime of military discipline and childhood torture had taught him that showing emotions meant showing weakness. Confused by the depth of feeling he had just encountered, he fell back on years of hiding behind his arrogance. He grinned coldly at her, the warm smile from earlier replaced by a familiar smirk.
Her face colored. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She knew she had seen something, but then his eyes had clouded over.
She has you under some kind of spell, he thought, only half-believing himself, that must be it. He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. "I was just thinking about how readily you kissed me back," he said carelessly, "I wonder how far would you have been willing to go. Do you make a habit of letting strange men ravish you? Or am I a special case?" She's an Ancient. She's full of lies and deceit. But the memory of Jenova's words rang hollowly in his mind, even as he tried to convince himself they were true.
Aeris burned inside with sudden fury, outraged at the suggestion. "And exactly what are you implying?" She asked.
In two strides he crossed the room and pinned her against the wall, one arm on either side of her body, his face dangerously close to hers. "I'm implying—no, I'm saying with certainty—that the sweet and innocent act you put on is just a cover for how easy it is to get you into bed." He let his eyes wander down over her body. "I wonder just how easy it would be. Or perhaps I wouldn't even have to try?"
Her eyes flashed. "You bastard. And here I thought you actually might be a decent human being."
"And here I thought you actually might be chaste."
*****
The early morning crowd down in the main room of the inn looked up at a loud noise from upstairs. Jospha, the innkeeper's wife, saw one of the doors open, and the two guests who had arrived last night came out.
What a pretty couple! She thought, Both of them so striking! Too bad he doesn't appear to be in a very good mood. She smiled at the lovely young woman with dark green eyes. The girl smiled back, requesting some food for the road. The man was scowling darkly at the back of her head, but she only ignored him. When he coldly plunked down the gil for their stay, Jospha saw what looked suspiciously like a red handprint on the right side of his face. He seemed to be unconsciously arranging his silver bangs to cover it.
So that's how things are. Good for you, girl, don't take any guff from him. She hid her amusement from him, winking at Aeris when he stomped away. The young woman merely curled her lips upward slightly as she spoke her thanks for the supplies and turned to follow him out the door.
Yes, indeed, thought Jospha to herself, It looks as if she has matters—ah, well in hand.