Chapter 16: Love and Disaster
Zack laid himself back against the side of the rail looking up as the sky slowly turned from the afternoon into night. Aeris was resting silently and Lucrecia was resting herself on Hojo's shoulder. Shelia was sitting next to Cid as he piloted the ship tiredly nearly dropping to the side each time that he leaned forward. Shelia begged him to let her take the wheel but each time he refused, saying she'd kill them all with the slightest touch to his controls.
Aeris soon began to stir and turned gently against him placing her hand against his chest. He smiled gently to her as he pulled the blanket around her and pushed her bangs from her face, sliding the back of his warm hand down her soft cheek as he did so. "Zack?" Aeris suddenly began to whisper with her eyes still shut as if in a deep sleep.
"You awake?" He asked her quietly as he sat there, as still as he could, in case she wasn't awake yet.
"Mmmm hmmmm…" She told him as she reached to her side and grabs his hand within hers and smiled gently as she opened her eyes slightly to him.
"Where's everyone?" She asked as she looked up at him and pulled her arm from the blanket and quickly placed back in because of the cold breeze that rushed over her.
"They're over there, sleeping, like you should be." Zack told her as leaned against his chest and looked up at him for a brief moment and then sat up.
"No, I'm fine." She told him quickly as she pulled the blanket from under her and wrapped it around his shoulders.
He laughed at her for minute and then slid his arms around her waist holding her to him and she raised her hands to his shoulders softly, coiling them around his neck as he gently leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers passionately clutching his hands around her waist as she tilted her head to the side slightly and held to his neck tightly returning his kiss with the same amount of passion.
She kept her eyes gently shut as he held her to him pulling back from her slightly to take in short breathes, as the soft evening breeze passed over them.
"Heh! Well look at that!" Cid yelled and Aeris broke from Zack's lips to face him.
Cid was looking to back at them chuckling to them as she looked to him. Zack kept hold of her waist as he smirked at Cid, though.
"Ignore him…" Zack told Aeris as he gently lifted his hand under her chin to turn her gaze to him.
Aeris smiled gently as she leaned towards him and parted her lips slightly as she pressed them over his again, as he wrapped his arm tightly around her again, nearly dropping the blanket from his shoulders.
"Zack?" Aeris whispered to him as she pulled back for a moment.
"Yeah?" He asked leaning back towards her again.
"I…I love you…" She whispered as she held around his neck running her fingers through his hair softly as she stared into his deep blue eyes.
"I love you too…" He told her as he started to lay back against the rail, nearly flat on his back with her over him.
"Oh no you two don't!" Cid yelled as he finally surrendered the controls to Shelia, and got to his feet running towards them.
He grabbed the back of Aeris's jacket and pulled her up from him as Zack started to loosen his grip around her so he couldn't hurt her.
"No way were you two gonna do this on MY ship!" He yelled, chuckling as he spoke.
"You're going to wait until we get to Nibleheim!" He commanded as he let her go; only to have her dropped on the cold hard steel deck.
Zack took in a deep sigh as he pushed himself up and rolled his eyes at Cid.
"We were just going to go to sleep…" Zack told him reaching out his hand grabbing Aeris's and then pulled her back to his side, curling his arm over her head and then around her waist.
"Yeah…sleep, my ass…" Cid said sarcastically to them as he stood above them, slightly laughing to himself still.
He soon turned away shrugging at them with his hands leveled with his neck as he walked back.
Aeris smiled to him as he stood behind Shelia, instructing her quickly of which level to pull down and which way to steer.
Zack didn't loosen his grip from her as he leaned over her placing his head gently over hers as she laid hers softly on his shoulder.
He took her hand in his as she moved it to the side, as she started to fall into a deep sleep in his warmth. He started to drift off as well wishing they would get to Nibleheim sooner so he could talk with her without everyone around.
Slowly he moved his face towards a set of lights below him that were supposedly from Nibleheim. He smiled happily and felt Aeris's soft heart beat against his own as she turned her body slightly to lay her head down gently against his chest, her large braided hair flowing over her shoulder as she moved, with the loose strands swaying with the smooth breeze.
"We're gonna land guys so grab a hold to something! Not each other!" Cid said, emphasizing the last line to Zack and Aeris as he looked to them quickly.
Lucrecia slowly began to lift herself from Hojo's grasp and yawned slightly, gripping the bar behind her and looked over to Zack smiling to him and then looked to Hojo, shaking him softly awake.
Zack refused to arouse Aeris from her dreamless sleep, so instead he just kept his arm tightly locked around her slender form as Cid began to descend into a slight dive.
The wind began to pick up making Aeris shutter from the cold and Zack grabbed the blanket behind him and wrapped it around her shoulders, tucking it in under her legs so it wouldn't fly back as they neared the ground.
Shelia was clutching to the back of Cid's seat trying to ready herself for an impact with her nails digging into the soft leather cushion.
Aeris began to awaken as the ship began to rattle and Zack held to her waist tighter nearly suffocating her, as his grip on the bar tightened as if to bend it. She could feel herself start to slip as he moved his legs slightly over to keep his own grip steadier.
"Damn, she's getting unstable!" Cid yelled as he started to try and pull back up slightly only causing the shaking to get much more violent.
"Shit!" Everybody up! We're gonna crash!" He yelled as he kicked at the controls several times trying to fix them.
Zack turned to see that Aeris was wide awake in a deep panic and he moved his feet completely over so that they would keep him stable enough to hold Aeris as she put her arms around his neck and placed her hands gently to the back of his head to shield him from the incoming impact and he smiled to her to calm her even though they both knew the ship would crash.
The ship began to skid across the treetops and Lucrecia screamed as a branch broke off and ripped across her forehead. Hojo quickly pulled his coat off quickly and wrapped it around her forehead and held her down out of reach from the trees as it lowered into them and then slammed into the ground hard, still pushing itself forward, making the steel bottom screech and tear into tiny shards of metal.
Zack grabbed the back of Aeris's head and pushed it against his chest quickly as he fell back to avoid a small rock that rebounded off the side of the ship's hull and hurtled towards them.
Shelia ducked, herself, pulling her hands to the back of her own head as she crouched down behind Cid's chair.
"Get down!" he screamed as he jumped from his chair to the floor wrapping himself over Shelia's body, acting as a shield and the ship suddenly stuck into a solid iron shelter throwing them forward into the front were Shelia and Cid rested.
Zack held to Aeris as he was flung forward and his back crashed into the front dashboard.
He groaned in pain and clutched his eyes shut as they began to water from the impact's damage on him, waiting for the aching to dissolve.
Aeris shuttered violently in tears as she felt Zack's arm loosen from her waist. Lucrecia was nearby; she could tell by her steady frighten breathing that began to gain rapid speeds and then slowed dramatically.
Cid groaned as he raised himself from Shelia, and she lifted herself back up, her knees were too weak to hold her, that she feel back against the, now, broken dashboard.
Awwww… damn it… my second ship… destroyed… AHHH!" Cid screamed as he leaped over the railing to the ground that was only a foot from it. Angrily he kicked the ship's hull furiously, hurting himself in the process.
"Nilbeheim's over there, Cid. You can probably get it fixed over there you know." Hojo said as he stood up painfully and pointed towards the small village that rested to the right of them.
"Fine then, Sheila! Come on! You guys should get to a doctor for now." He said as she started off towards the town looking back to them quickly to make sure they each could stand and were stable enough to walk.
Zack took in a deep sigh as he stood up, and looked to Aeris who was more in shock then in pain.
"You ok?" He asked gently as he leaned over slightly and gripped her waist, helping her to her feet.
"Wow… I haven't had that much excitement since a couple days ago." Aeris suddenly said as she turned and smiled to him.
He chuckled at her remark, wiping the sweat from his forehead and then reach out, pulling her too him in a tight hug. He pulled his head back from over her shoulder and kissed her lovingly on her soft left cheek, as he swayed her gently in his arms.
"We'll be going now…" Hojo told them, looking to them quickly, not wanting to interrupt them.
Aeris smiled to them over Zack's shoulder and nodded as they both climbed over the rail and calmly walked off looking a bit hurt still.
Zack held to her for a few more minutes before he finally released her from his grasp and turned to her, leaning towards her, whispering, "Lets go before it gets too cold. There's an Inn at Niblehem's entrance I've been to…" He told her softly as he grabbed the rail and hopped over, then raised his arms up and grabbed hers. He flung her down from the busted ship despite his pain and then started off towards Nibleheim with her in his arms, pushing his lips against her's gently as he continued towards the small town.
Zack laid himself back against the side of the rail looking up as the sky slowly turned from the afternoon into night. Aeris was resting silently and Lucrecia was resting herself on Hojo's shoulder. Shelia was sitting next to Cid as he piloted the ship tiredly nearly dropping to the side each time that he leaned forward. Shelia begged him to let her take the wheel but each time he refused, saying she'd kill them all with the slightest touch to his controls.
Aeris soon began to stir and turned gently against him placing her hand against his chest. He smiled gently to her as he pulled the blanket around her and pushed her bangs from her face, sliding the back of his warm hand down her soft cheek as he did so. "Zack?" Aeris suddenly began to whisper with her eyes still shut as if in a deep sleep.
"You awake?" He asked her quietly as he sat there, as still as he could, in case she wasn't awake yet.
"Mmmm hmmmm…" She told him as she reached to her side and grabs his hand within hers and smiled gently as she opened her eyes slightly to him.
"Where's everyone?" She asked as she looked up at him and pulled her arm from the blanket and quickly placed back in because of the cold breeze that rushed over her.
"They're over there, sleeping, like you should be." Zack told her as leaned against his chest and looked up at him for a brief moment and then sat up.
"No, I'm fine." She told him quickly as she pulled the blanket from under her and wrapped it around his shoulders.
He laughed at her for minute and then slid his arms around her waist holding her to him and she raised her hands to his shoulders softly, coiling them around his neck as he gently leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers passionately clutching his hands around her waist as she tilted her head to the side slightly and held to his neck tightly returning his kiss with the same amount of passion.
She kept her eyes gently shut as he held her to him pulling back from her slightly to take in short breathes, as the soft evening breeze passed over them.
"Heh! Well look at that!" Cid yelled and Aeris broke from Zack's lips to face him.
Cid was looking to back at them chuckling to them as she looked to him. Zack kept hold of her waist as he smirked at Cid, though.
"Ignore him…" Zack told Aeris as he gently lifted his hand under her chin to turn her gaze to him.
Aeris smiled gently as she leaned towards him and parted her lips slightly as she pressed them over his again, as he wrapped his arm tightly around her again, nearly dropping the blanket from his shoulders.
"Zack?" Aeris whispered to him as she pulled back for a moment.
"Yeah?" He asked leaning back towards her again.
"I…I love you…" She whispered as she held around his neck running her fingers through his hair softly as she stared into his deep blue eyes.
"I love you too…" He told her as he started to lay back against the rail, nearly flat on his back with her over him.
"Oh no you two don't!" Cid yelled as he finally surrendered the controls to Shelia, and got to his feet running towards them.
He grabbed the back of Aeris's jacket and pulled her up from him as Zack started to loosen his grip around her so he couldn't hurt her.
"No way were you two gonna do this on MY ship!" He yelled, chuckling as he spoke.
"You're going to wait until we get to Nibleheim!" He commanded as he let her go; only to have her dropped on the cold hard steel deck.
Zack took in a deep sigh as he pushed himself up and rolled his eyes at Cid.
"We were just going to go to sleep…" Zack told him reaching out his hand grabbing Aeris's and then pulled her back to his side, curling his arm over her head and then around her waist.
"Yeah…sleep, my ass…" Cid said sarcastically to them as he stood above them, slightly laughing to himself still.
He soon turned away shrugging at them with his hands leveled with his neck as he walked back.
Aeris smiled to him as he stood behind Shelia, instructing her quickly of which level to pull down and which way to steer.
Zack didn't loosen his grip from her as he leaned over her placing his head gently over hers as she laid hers softly on his shoulder.
He took her hand in his as she moved it to the side, as she started to fall into a deep sleep in his warmth. He started to drift off as well wishing they would get to Nibleheim sooner so he could talk with her without everyone around.
Slowly he moved his face towards a set of lights below him that were supposedly from Nibleheim. He smiled happily and felt Aeris's soft heart beat against his own as she turned her body slightly to lay her head down gently against his chest, her large braided hair flowing over her shoulder as she moved, with the loose strands swaying with the smooth breeze.
"We're gonna land guys so grab a hold to something! Not each other!" Cid said, emphasizing the last line to Zack and Aeris as he looked to them quickly.
Lucrecia slowly began to lift herself from Hojo's grasp and yawned slightly, gripping the bar behind her and looked over to Zack smiling to him and then looked to Hojo, shaking him softly awake.
Zack refused to arouse Aeris from her dreamless sleep, so instead he just kept his arm tightly locked around her slender form as Cid began to descend into a slight dive.
The wind began to pick up making Aeris shutter from the cold and Zack grabbed the blanket behind him and wrapped it around her shoulders, tucking it in under her legs so it wouldn't fly back as they neared the ground.
Shelia was clutching to the back of Cid's seat trying to ready herself for an impact with her nails digging into the soft leather cushion.
Aeris began to awaken as the ship began to rattle and Zack held to her waist tighter nearly suffocating her, as his grip on the bar tightened as if to bend it. She could feel herself start to slip as he moved his legs slightly over to keep his own grip steadier.
"Damn, she's getting unstable!" Cid yelled as he started to try and pull back up slightly only causing the shaking to get much more violent.
"Shit!" Everybody up! We're gonna crash!" He yelled as he kicked at the controls several times trying to fix them.
Zack turned to see that Aeris was wide awake in a deep panic and he moved his feet completely over so that they would keep him stable enough to hold Aeris as she put her arms around his neck and placed her hands gently to the back of his head to shield him from the incoming impact and he smiled to her to calm her even though they both knew the ship would crash.
The ship began to skid across the treetops and Lucrecia screamed as a branch broke off and ripped across her forehead. Hojo quickly pulled his coat off quickly and wrapped it around her forehead and held her down out of reach from the trees as it lowered into them and then slammed into the ground hard, still pushing itself forward, making the steel bottom screech and tear into tiny shards of metal.
Zack grabbed the back of Aeris's head and pushed it against his chest quickly as he fell back to avoid a small rock that rebounded off the side of the ship's hull and hurtled towards them.
Shelia ducked, herself, pulling her hands to the back of her own head as she crouched down behind Cid's chair.
"Get down!" he screamed as he jumped from his chair to the floor wrapping himself over Shelia's body, acting as a shield and the ship suddenly stuck into a solid iron shelter throwing them forward into the front were Shelia and Cid rested.
Zack held to Aeris as he was flung forward and his back crashed into the front dashboard.
He groaned in pain and clutched his eyes shut as they began to water from the impact's damage on him, waiting for the aching to dissolve.
Aeris shuttered violently in tears as she felt Zack's arm loosen from her waist. Lucrecia was nearby; she could tell by her steady frighten breathing that began to gain rapid speeds and then slowed dramatically.
Cid groaned as he raised himself from Shelia, and she lifted herself back up, her knees were too weak to hold her, that she feel back against the, now, broken dashboard.
Awwww… damn it… my second ship… destroyed… AHHH!" Cid screamed as he leaped over the railing to the ground that was only a foot from it. Angrily he kicked the ship's hull furiously, hurting himself in the process.
"Nilbeheim's over there, Cid. You can probably get it fixed over there you know." Hojo said as he stood up painfully and pointed towards the small village that rested to the right of them.
"Fine then, Sheila! Come on! You guys should get to a doctor for now." He said as she started off towards the town looking back to them quickly to make sure they each could stand and were stable enough to walk.
Zack took in a deep sigh as he stood up, and looked to Aeris who was more in shock then in pain.
"You ok?" He asked gently as he leaned over slightly and gripped her waist, helping her to her feet.
"Wow… I haven't had that much excitement since a couple days ago." Aeris suddenly said as she turned and smiled to him.
He chuckled at her remark, wiping the sweat from his forehead and then reach out, pulling her too him in a tight hug. He pulled his head back from over her shoulder and kissed her lovingly on her soft left cheek, as he swayed her gently in his arms.
"We'll be going now…" Hojo told them, looking to them quickly, not wanting to interrupt them.
Aeris smiled to them over Zack's shoulder and nodded as they both climbed over the rail and calmly walked off looking a bit hurt still.
Zack held to her for a few more minutes before he finally released her from his grasp and turned to her, leaning towards her, whispering, "Lets go before it gets too cold. There's an Inn at Niblehem's entrance I've been to…" He told her softly as he grabbed the rail and hopped over, then raised his arms up and grabbed hers. He flung her down from the busted ship despite his pain and then started off towards Nibleheim with her in his arms, pushing his lips against her's gently as he continued towards the small town.