Chapter 7
Aeris slowly began to get up, feeling weak as she pushed herself up. She knew she had hit her head hard because of the headache that was starting within her. She dropped to her knees close to the water and held herself up above it as it washed under her. Exhausted, She flipped onto her side and laid in the wet cool water as it pushed against her and tried to relax with the water washing against her wounds she could feel on her back. Her body wanted to just give up and go to sleep but she knew she couldn't because she had no idea what could happen to her since she didn't have a good enough idea of the land she was on yet. The salt water slightly stung against her wounds and slipped under her head and gently into her eyes making them shoot open in pain.
She groaned heavily as she pushed herself to her knees again and squinted into the setting sun. The area around her was silent as she looked around and pushed herself up.
"Guys?" She asked into the area around her softly as she looked around, but she heard nothing. She could see her staff laying down near the grass, where she had landed and she slowly made her way over to it. Dropping to her knees, she scooped it into her open hand and stood once more. A voice made her eyes blast open and she turned quickly around to see someone in the distance looking as though he was hurt. He groaned deeply and placed his hand behind his head but stood under the shade of a tree so all she could see was the outline of his body.
Believing it was Zack or Dyne she grinned broadly and took off towards it.
"Dyne! Zack!" She called out to him and he looked up at her but his expression was still unclear. She stopped in front of him not daring to touch him since he stood perfectly still and he suddenly spoke.
"Uhh... what'd you call me?" He asked, with his voice as deep as Zack's with a hint of confusion in it.
"Zack? Is that you?" Aeris asked him taking a dew steps back from him, frightened that it might be a man from Shrina instead.
"No… no…. I'm not Zack…" He told her as he stepped forward out of the shade and stared at her. He had a hood over his head and his face was hidden by it. A slight amount of blonde hair stuck out from the front of his hood and his eyes glowed a bright mako blue and Aeris looked at him wide eyed remembering where she had seen him.
"Hey! You're that guy that saved me from that thing." She told him and he raised his hand back behind his head and pulled his hood off.
"Yeah, I know. Hi Aeris." He told her as he unhooked his robe and tossed it behind him. He wore almost the same thing Zack had worn when she last saw him except for his boots. They were laced with black leather around the top and strapped around his ankles. His deep purple tang top sweater stuck out like a sore thumb, next to his pants that were hooked over his shoulders by light brown belts. The one thing she noticed the most though was his long thick silver sword that was hooked to his back with the same two material holes on the top and the same gripping on the end, like Zack had.
"How'd did you know my name?" She asked him confusingly and his eyes widened looking deeply concerned for her.
"How could I not know?" He asked her with his eyes now scanning her.
"Well, I don't know you… What's your name?" Aeris asked him. He just about stumbled backwards then and backed up a few steps stuttering as he spoke.
"I'm C-Cloud. Did you hit you head or something?" He asked her now starting to calm himself.
"No, I'm fine, I just stumbled out of my portal and here I am…" She informed him. He then moved back closer to her moving his black-gloved hand to the side of her face. "Have you seen a man named Zack or Dyne?" She asked him again looking around him trying not to let him touch her.
"Zack? Ummm… he's dead, Aeris. The same goes with Dyne." He told her.
"D-Dead? When? Where are they?" She stuttered stepping back from him.
"Zack died like 7 years ago, and Dyne about 2 years, don't you remember? You were there that day Dyne through himself back off the cliff in front of Barret!" He yelled at her and she began to shake her head furiously at him.
"N-No! I just saw them! They're not dead! The Ultimate Weapon came back a-,"
"The Ultimate Weapon is gone too!" He interrupted and reached out to her shoulders putting his hands tightly on them looking deep into her eyes. "We need to get you to the infirmary fast, there's something defiantly wrong with you." He told her as she struggled to back away from him.
"No it's not!" She screamed and pushed away from him. "That thing put me where I am now! I don't know you, but you're making this all up! I don't know Barret either! I just know I want to get back with Zack and Dyne now!"
"Aeris!" He hollered as he slammed his hands back on her shoulders and tightened his grip. "They're dead! They're not coming back! You must have whacked your head on something because what you're saying is impossible!" He yelled at her as he shook her hard and stared deep into her eyes. Aeris began to then clutch her staff tightly and she through it up at his arm smashing it against his elbow making him let go of her. She turned swiftly knocking his other hand off and start to run swiftly away from him as he screamed out in pain and dropped to his knees.
"Damn it! Aeris come back here!" He ordered to her as he pushed himself to his feet and started after her. Frightened, she pushed her staff above her head and twirled it as fast as she could in her right hand.
"HASTE!" She screamed and it began letting yellow sparks flow down around her from the end of the staff, causing her to gain speed and run away from him until he was finally out of sight.
Figuring that he probably gave up because of his broken elbow, she stopped in front of a streamed that glowed eerily in front of her. Looking into it, she couldn't even see her reflection. She slowly sat down in front of it looking deeply into the liquid feeling tired from running from Cloud.
"Zack… You can't be dead… at least not for 5 years… or was that man right." She said to herself as she pushed her knees to her chest and folded her arms on the top of them, slightly rocking back and forth.
"No!" She yelled to herself. "You're not dead! You can't be! I couldn't have imagined the whole thing up! Cloud's wrong!" She yelled as she pushed her head into her arms, falling into a deep peaceful sleep… or so she wanted to believe.
Aeris slowly began to get up, feeling weak as she pushed herself up. She knew she had hit her head hard because of the headache that was starting within her. She dropped to her knees close to the water and held herself up above it as it washed under her. Exhausted, She flipped onto her side and laid in the wet cool water as it pushed against her and tried to relax with the water washing against her wounds she could feel on her back. Her body wanted to just give up and go to sleep but she knew she couldn't because she had no idea what could happen to her since she didn't have a good enough idea of the land she was on yet. The salt water slightly stung against her wounds and slipped under her head and gently into her eyes making them shoot open in pain.
She groaned heavily as she pushed herself to her knees again and squinted into the setting sun. The area around her was silent as she looked around and pushed herself up.
"Guys?" She asked into the area around her softly as she looked around, but she heard nothing. She could see her staff laying down near the grass, where she had landed and she slowly made her way over to it. Dropping to her knees, she scooped it into her open hand and stood once more. A voice made her eyes blast open and she turned quickly around to see someone in the distance looking as though he was hurt. He groaned deeply and placed his hand behind his head but stood under the shade of a tree so all she could see was the outline of his body.
Believing it was Zack or Dyne she grinned broadly and took off towards it.
"Dyne! Zack!" She called out to him and he looked up at her but his expression was still unclear. She stopped in front of him not daring to touch him since he stood perfectly still and he suddenly spoke.
"Uhh... what'd you call me?" He asked, with his voice as deep as Zack's with a hint of confusion in it.
"Zack? Is that you?" Aeris asked him taking a dew steps back from him, frightened that it might be a man from Shrina instead.
"No… no…. I'm not Zack…" He told her as he stepped forward out of the shade and stared at her. He had a hood over his head and his face was hidden by it. A slight amount of blonde hair stuck out from the front of his hood and his eyes glowed a bright mako blue and Aeris looked at him wide eyed remembering where she had seen him.
"Hey! You're that guy that saved me from that thing." She told him and he raised his hand back behind his head and pulled his hood off.
"Yeah, I know. Hi Aeris." He told her as he unhooked his robe and tossed it behind him. He wore almost the same thing Zack had worn when she last saw him except for his boots. They were laced with black leather around the top and strapped around his ankles. His deep purple tang top sweater stuck out like a sore thumb, next to his pants that were hooked over his shoulders by light brown belts. The one thing she noticed the most though was his long thick silver sword that was hooked to his back with the same two material holes on the top and the same gripping on the end, like Zack had.
"How'd did you know my name?" She asked him confusingly and his eyes widened looking deeply concerned for her.
"How could I not know?" He asked her with his eyes now scanning her.
"Well, I don't know you… What's your name?" Aeris asked him. He just about stumbled backwards then and backed up a few steps stuttering as he spoke.
"I'm C-Cloud. Did you hit you head or something?" He asked her now starting to calm himself.
"No, I'm fine, I just stumbled out of my portal and here I am…" She informed him. He then moved back closer to her moving his black-gloved hand to the side of her face. "Have you seen a man named Zack or Dyne?" She asked him again looking around him trying not to let him touch her.
"Zack? Ummm… he's dead, Aeris. The same goes with Dyne." He told her.
"D-Dead? When? Where are they?" She stuttered stepping back from him.
"Zack died like 7 years ago, and Dyne about 2 years, don't you remember? You were there that day Dyne through himself back off the cliff in front of Barret!" He yelled at her and she began to shake her head furiously at him.
"N-No! I just saw them! They're not dead! The Ultimate Weapon came back a-,"
"The Ultimate Weapon is gone too!" He interrupted and reached out to her shoulders putting his hands tightly on them looking deep into her eyes. "We need to get you to the infirmary fast, there's something defiantly wrong with you." He told her as she struggled to back away from him.
"No it's not!" She screamed and pushed away from him. "That thing put me where I am now! I don't know you, but you're making this all up! I don't know Barret either! I just know I want to get back with Zack and Dyne now!"
"Aeris!" He hollered as he slammed his hands back on her shoulders and tightened his grip. "They're dead! They're not coming back! You must have whacked your head on something because what you're saying is impossible!" He yelled at her as he shook her hard and stared deep into her eyes. Aeris began to then clutch her staff tightly and she through it up at his arm smashing it against his elbow making him let go of her. She turned swiftly knocking his other hand off and start to run swiftly away from him as he screamed out in pain and dropped to his knees.
"Damn it! Aeris come back here!" He ordered to her as he pushed himself to his feet and started after her. Frightened, she pushed her staff above her head and twirled it as fast as she could in her right hand.
"HASTE!" She screamed and it began letting yellow sparks flow down around her from the end of the staff, causing her to gain speed and run away from him until he was finally out of sight.
Figuring that he probably gave up because of his broken elbow, she stopped in front of a streamed that glowed eerily in front of her. Looking into it, she couldn't even see her reflection. She slowly sat down in front of it looking deeply into the liquid feeling tired from running from Cloud.
"Zack… You can't be dead… at least not for 5 years… or was that man right." She said to herself as she pushed her knees to her chest and folded her arms on the top of them, slightly rocking back and forth.
"No!" She yelled to herself. "You're not dead! You can't be! I couldn't have imagined the whole thing up! Cloud's wrong!" She yelled as she pushed her head into her arms, falling into a deep peaceful sleep… or so she wanted to believe.