White Flower
my soul is evaporating won't you saturate me?
chp. vii
saturation
*
The airship interior had progressed slightly as the days wore on; instead of the Industrial-styled control panel and such, it had been upgraded to an almost futuristic style, with glowing screens that made Yuffie stare at them in endless wonder. Facing the window was a velvet bench, which is where the airsick Aeris gazed at the horizon, eyes slightly cross-eyed as she suppressed an upset stomach. Cloud himself watched her from a distance, only slightly hearing the complaints Cid uttered as he attempted to steer the ship. Barrett exchanged deep thoughts with Red, wisdom barely allowing it self to be shown. Cait Sith listened, lost as they discussed theories too advanced for his robotical and simplistic thinking, occasionally cowering as a few brash words were exchanged. But the most peculiar behavior Cloud observed, after only tearing his eyes away from his beloved, was Vincent's.
The mysterious man had settled himself into a revolving chair, casually observing the scene with eerie eyes that Cloud had managed to avoid looking into after more than a year. The long, raven hair brushed the strong eyebrows, grazing the tip of his prominent nose, and the crimson bandanna he tied around his head was instead wrapped around his wrist, absently brushing the golden claw. Cloud had always known Vincent was handsome, abnormally so, but Cloud had never felt threatened by it.
But he felt threatened now; following Vincent's gaze and seeing it rest upon the lovely lady Aeris.
He forced himself to swallow, an old, nervous habit, then grasped his gaze and placed it somewhere else.
He spent the rest of the hour watching Yuffie mess with the controls and hearing Cid cuss at her loudly.
*
The airship came to a solid stop, causing Aeris to slightly falter and upset her stomach more. She grasped the fine, velveteen fabric and clawed it desperately, as if it would rid herself of that awful pain. She felt feverish, very feverish; the air inside the ship was musty and something had messed her up.
She felt strong hands on her back. "Don't worry, Aeris. We're here at the temple. We'll get you out soon."
She allowed herself to smile, then her world hummed into a delightful blackness.
*
"She's passed out!" Vincent yelled. Everyone turned, almost surprised at the volume he had used, but a quick glance at Aeris told them to ask questions later. Cloud immediately headed toward Aeris, smoothing away her brown hair and feeling her forehead; it was hot to the touch, and he winced slightly to feel her heat.
Yuffie walked over, eyes fearful. "Can't we use a potion?"
"We can try," Barrett replied. Cait Sith perked up and bounced to the storeroom, rummaging through the items.
"She has a bad fever," Cloud muttered. "Someone get some water... quick!"
But someone had already thought that. Vincent's hair ran sleekly along his back and shoulders; his bandanna was soaking wet. He wrung out some of the water, and then placed it gently on Aeris's head. For some reason, Cloud didn't like this at all; it disturbed him.
Aeris coughed slightly and twitched to feel the cold cloth on her forehead, but Vincent whispered something and she calmed herself. Cloud wanted to do something, because for some reason he felt Vincent was outdoing him. He took Aeris's hand and held it, but it lay limp in his palm.
"Don't touch her!" Vincent hissed. "We need to bring down her fever and your body heat might keep it up. Plus, you don't want to get sick too."
Yuffie turned to stare at Vincent in wonder. Cloud glared at him slightly, but gently placed down Aeris's hand. "Cloud, just... don't listen to him," Yuffie murmured under her breath. "He's... not being himself."
"I realized that," Cloud snapped, pride still hurt from being corrected by the man at least thirty years older than he was.
"It's not your fault," Yuffie responded, looking out the window. There was a nervous, almost sad look in her eyes. "It's not his fault either."
"What are you talking about?" Cloud asked angrily. "What are you walking around?"
"You don't realize it yet, Cloud?" she asked, turning back to him. The light bounced off the glass, so she glowed almost ethereally.
"No, I don't," he muttered, not willing to admit it.
She shrugged, and turned back to the window. "You will soon enough."
*
She opened her eyes, head still slightly dizzy. She was surprised to see it was nighttime; she was still on the couch and everyone had gone to the sleeping quarters. Feeling rather alone, she sat up, hugging herself.
She felt a cold, metal claw on her back. "Go to sleep, Aeris. You have a fever."
She turned to Vincent. His hair was loose and he looked somewhat tired. "What happened to your bandanna?" she asked.
He motioned to her left, and she looked at the small pile the cloth had arranged itself when it had fallen off her forehead.
"You really didn't need to help me, Vincent," she asked, slightly embarrassed.
He didn't answer, only looked out the window. The sky was brilliantly lit that night, stars twinkling upon the velvet blackness. Aeris could see the temple ruins slightly in the dark, the waters reflecting the glowing sphere that hung in the sky.
"It's... pretty, isn't it?" Aeris asked idly, not exactly expecting an answer.
"It is." He turned around to face her, leaning against the glass. "Lucrezia... used to tell me about how she wanted to come here."
Aeris remained silent, but he continued.
"She... loved pretty things. She was pretty herself: long, brown hair... really blue eyes. She never did get to go out much though," he said softly. "Hojo saw to that. But she always used to talk to me about going places. I promised her I'd bring her here."
"Did you?" she asked tentatively, almost afraid of the answer.
"No." The words were blunt, falling into the tension between them like heavy weights.
Aeris was going to say something, but the words would not come out. Vincent brushed away her reaction. "It's okay. I... am glad I got to meet her. She made me realize I wasn't too cold." He laughed slightly, one of those hollows laugh that made Aeris's skin tingle every time. "After Sephiroth was born, she never was too healthy. Her frame was too small for her to give birth. Internal complications, Hojo put it."
"Did you ever forgive him?"
"Nope. Probably never will. The bastard ruined her."
She looked outside. "I forgave Hojo."
He turned to her. "What?"
"I mean, only because I felt a sort of pity for him. He was twisted. Malicious, unseeing. He didn't really know, did he?" She smiled at the sky. "Of course I'll never forgive him for killing my Dad... never forgive him for killing my mom..." She was quiet. "She fell under his feet, even though he was a million miles away: she still died. I'll never forgive him for those things, but for his insanity, yes I can forgive him."
Vincent listened to her, and offered no response for a few moments. Aeris lay down again.
"I'm going to sleep now."
Silence.
When she closed her eyes, she dreamt of Vincent holding her hand.
*
Author's Note: haha, a teeeaase! Anyways, I don't want to put up previews of the next chapter anymore. Time to get suspenseful. cackle, cackle
my soul is evaporating won't you saturate me?
chp. vii
saturation
*
The airship interior had progressed slightly as the days wore on; instead of the Industrial-styled control panel and such, it had been upgraded to an almost futuristic style, with glowing screens that made Yuffie stare at them in endless wonder. Facing the window was a velvet bench, which is where the airsick Aeris gazed at the horizon, eyes slightly cross-eyed as she suppressed an upset stomach. Cloud himself watched her from a distance, only slightly hearing the complaints Cid uttered as he attempted to steer the ship. Barrett exchanged deep thoughts with Red, wisdom barely allowing it self to be shown. Cait Sith listened, lost as they discussed theories too advanced for his robotical and simplistic thinking, occasionally cowering as a few brash words were exchanged. But the most peculiar behavior Cloud observed, after only tearing his eyes away from his beloved, was Vincent's.
The mysterious man had settled himself into a revolving chair, casually observing the scene with eerie eyes that Cloud had managed to avoid looking into after more than a year. The long, raven hair brushed the strong eyebrows, grazing the tip of his prominent nose, and the crimson bandanna he tied around his head was instead wrapped around his wrist, absently brushing the golden claw. Cloud had always known Vincent was handsome, abnormally so, but Cloud had never felt threatened by it.
But he felt threatened now; following Vincent's gaze and seeing it rest upon the lovely lady Aeris.
He forced himself to swallow, an old, nervous habit, then grasped his gaze and placed it somewhere else.
He spent the rest of the hour watching Yuffie mess with the controls and hearing Cid cuss at her loudly.
*
The airship came to a solid stop, causing Aeris to slightly falter and upset her stomach more. She grasped the fine, velveteen fabric and clawed it desperately, as if it would rid herself of that awful pain. She felt feverish, very feverish; the air inside the ship was musty and something had messed her up.
She felt strong hands on her back. "Don't worry, Aeris. We're here at the temple. We'll get you out soon."
She allowed herself to smile, then her world hummed into a delightful blackness.
*
"She's passed out!" Vincent yelled. Everyone turned, almost surprised at the volume he had used, but a quick glance at Aeris told them to ask questions later. Cloud immediately headed toward Aeris, smoothing away her brown hair and feeling her forehead; it was hot to the touch, and he winced slightly to feel her heat.
Yuffie walked over, eyes fearful. "Can't we use a potion?"
"We can try," Barrett replied. Cait Sith perked up and bounced to the storeroom, rummaging through the items.
"She has a bad fever," Cloud muttered. "Someone get some water... quick!"
But someone had already thought that. Vincent's hair ran sleekly along his back and shoulders; his bandanna was soaking wet. He wrung out some of the water, and then placed it gently on Aeris's head. For some reason, Cloud didn't like this at all; it disturbed him.
Aeris coughed slightly and twitched to feel the cold cloth on her forehead, but Vincent whispered something and she calmed herself. Cloud wanted to do something, because for some reason he felt Vincent was outdoing him. He took Aeris's hand and held it, but it lay limp in his palm.
"Don't touch her!" Vincent hissed. "We need to bring down her fever and your body heat might keep it up. Plus, you don't want to get sick too."
Yuffie turned to stare at Vincent in wonder. Cloud glared at him slightly, but gently placed down Aeris's hand. "Cloud, just... don't listen to him," Yuffie murmured under her breath. "He's... not being himself."
"I realized that," Cloud snapped, pride still hurt from being corrected by the man at least thirty years older than he was.
"It's not your fault," Yuffie responded, looking out the window. There was a nervous, almost sad look in her eyes. "It's not his fault either."
"What are you talking about?" Cloud asked angrily. "What are you walking around?"
"You don't realize it yet, Cloud?" she asked, turning back to him. The light bounced off the glass, so she glowed almost ethereally.
"No, I don't," he muttered, not willing to admit it.
She shrugged, and turned back to the window. "You will soon enough."
*
She opened her eyes, head still slightly dizzy. She was surprised to see it was nighttime; she was still on the couch and everyone had gone to the sleeping quarters. Feeling rather alone, she sat up, hugging herself.
She felt a cold, metal claw on her back. "Go to sleep, Aeris. You have a fever."
She turned to Vincent. His hair was loose and he looked somewhat tired. "What happened to your bandanna?" she asked.
He motioned to her left, and she looked at the small pile the cloth had arranged itself when it had fallen off her forehead.
"You really didn't need to help me, Vincent," she asked, slightly embarrassed.
He didn't answer, only looked out the window. The sky was brilliantly lit that night, stars twinkling upon the velvet blackness. Aeris could see the temple ruins slightly in the dark, the waters reflecting the glowing sphere that hung in the sky.
"It's... pretty, isn't it?" Aeris asked idly, not exactly expecting an answer.
"It is." He turned around to face her, leaning against the glass. "Lucrezia... used to tell me about how she wanted to come here."
Aeris remained silent, but he continued.
"She... loved pretty things. She was pretty herself: long, brown hair... really blue eyes. She never did get to go out much though," he said softly. "Hojo saw to that. But she always used to talk to me about going places. I promised her I'd bring her here."
"Did you?" she asked tentatively, almost afraid of the answer.
"No." The words were blunt, falling into the tension between them like heavy weights.
Aeris was going to say something, but the words would not come out. Vincent brushed away her reaction. "It's okay. I... am glad I got to meet her. She made me realize I wasn't too cold." He laughed slightly, one of those hollows laugh that made Aeris's skin tingle every time. "After Sephiroth was born, she never was too healthy. Her frame was too small for her to give birth. Internal complications, Hojo put it."
"Did you ever forgive him?"
"Nope. Probably never will. The bastard ruined her."
She looked outside. "I forgave Hojo."
He turned to her. "What?"
"I mean, only because I felt a sort of pity for him. He was twisted. Malicious, unseeing. He didn't really know, did he?" She smiled at the sky. "Of course I'll never forgive him for killing my Dad... never forgive him for killing my mom..." She was quiet. "She fell under his feet, even though he was a million miles away: she still died. I'll never forgive him for those things, but for his insanity, yes I can forgive him."
Vincent listened to her, and offered no response for a few moments. Aeris lay down again.
"I'm going to sleep now."
Silence.
When she closed her eyes, she dreamt of Vincent holding her hand.
*
Author's Note: haha, a teeeaase! Anyways, I don't want to put up previews of the next chapter anymore. Time to get suspenseful. cackle, cackle
