::Chapter 07 - The Pain of Rebirth::
Cid stood on the bridge of the Highwind, staring out the front glass. Where the hell did that boy go? He thought, wondering about Cloud's whereabouts. He was chain-smoking one cigarette after the other. Barrett paced back and forth across the lower area of the bridge. Dammit, he thought to himself, why did he have ta' run off like that for? Barrett stared at the floor while walking, not noticing Red XIII's tail, which he stepped on. Nanaki, as his family would call him, growled and then whimpered. Red stood up and crawled out of Barrett's way. Tifa sat curled up in Cloud's little sleeping corner, concerned but hopeful that he hadn't permanently disappeared. Yuffie had returned to the ship for the first time since Vincent had nearly died in the collapse of Shinra Tower. She'd come for mainly things she'd need to stay at the hospital longer, extra clothes - which lacked any huge difference in them, as well as some other necessities. She grabbed what she needed and waved bye to everyone aboard, and returned to where Vincent remained.
Cloud stared out of a small window on the quaint house. He didn't know what to make of anything that had happened in the past few months. He had joined the vigilante group AVALANCHE just for the money. He didn't think he'd become wrapped up in a scheme like this. He pondered AVALANCHE and what it meant to be part of it. In the eyes of many that lived in Midgar, they were no more than terrorists. Many lived in Midgar enjoying life on the top plate, living off of the Mako that the reactors sucked up. All AVALANCHE did was destroy those reactors, in belief that Mako was the soul of the earth, a liquid like blood that was being harnessed and used for energy purposes. He looked over at Aerith, who had slept for twelve hours now, and pondered how things would have been if he hadn't fallen through the roof of the church she was in, let alone bumping into her while fleeing Sector 1's reactor explosion. That explosion was caused by AVALANCHE. What if, the thought, What if I hadn't purchased that one flower? That one rare flower elegantly cared for by this girl selling them on the street. Midgar had a lack of flowers, as well a place to grow them. How did I manage to adventure with her? Surely, he thought, she wanted to explore more of the world. Perhaps she thought she would accomplish that by going with Cloud and the rest.
Aerith was awake now. Cloud had found several towel-like cloths in which he placed around her to help dry her. Her clothes were still damp, but that was the last thing on her mind at the time. Her abdomen hurt, in extreme pain. The wound caused by Sephiroth had indeed become a scar, but the pain continued. It was merely sore, but it was enough to make her cry a bit. She couldn't stand, let alone move a whole lot. She would need to remain here for the time being, until she could move. Her vocal chords hadn't been used in a while, and she lacked the ability to speak full sentences. Her vocal abilities were limited to a few words at a time. Cloud heard her slight moan of pain, and walked towards the room where she lay. He slowly approached the room, peeking in to see how Aerith was.
Aerith lay still on the bed as Cloud walked in. She was awake, and looked at him as he approached her. "Are you okay?" He asked, placing his hand on hers. She nodded and placed her other hand over the wound. "Hurts." She said, with tears in her eyes. Cloud removed his hand and took her other hand away from the wound. "I know. It will go away when you've recovered from the effects of your long slumber." He slowly placed her hand back down. "How did you do it? I mean - how are you alive? Is this another dream?" She tried to grin, but only partly succeeded. "Cast spell. Not dreaming." She coughed. Apparently, she tried to say too much, too fast. Cloud grinned and sat down on the stone bench that was near the bed. "Do you want some different clothes? I have the purple dress with me, from long ago." Aerith tried to laugh. "Your Dress?" Cloud turned red. "Uhh.. yes. That dress." He shook his head and looked at the floor. Why, he thought, why did I even agree to wear a damn dress to save Tifa? Aerith placed her hand on Cloud's hair. "Embarrassed?" Cloud looked up. "Yes. You practically made me wear the thing, after all." Aerith placed her hand under Cloud's chin and raised his eyes up to hers. "Looked so cute!" Cloud looked back at the floor and shook his head no. "I did it to save Tifa, and to prevent you from becoming Don Corneo's love slave." Aerith brought Cloud's head back to her eye level. "Brave." Cloud took her hand and held it between his. He shook his head no, once again. "I'm not nearly as brave as you. You faked death to save us all." Aerith pulled her hand back and placed it on Cloud's face. "Still sweet." Cloud smirked and placed her hand back on the bed. "Sleep for now, I'll go find the other clothes." With that he got up, and walked out of the room.
"When can we leave!?" Shouted Yuffie, at the others. "Vincent can walk again, so we can go!" Barrett shook his head no. "We haven't been here just because of Vincent." Yuffie looked confused. "Why else are we still here for, then?" Cid shrugged. "Cloud. He's missing." Yuffie was amazed. "What?! Where did he go?! He's okay, isn't he?!" Cid shrugged. "We don't know. No one has any idea where he went. I talked to people in town, who say they saw someone leave here on a Chocobo. "Cloud?" Yuffie asked. Cid nodded. "Probably. They said he headed either North, or Northwest." Tifa looked at Cid. "Aerith. Oh no. He actually thinks these visions he's been seeing are meaningful. I talked to Vincent's doctor. He said recovering from Mako poisoning can often make someone see hallucinations." Cid looked at Tifa. "Well, where should we go? We need to get him before he does anything stupid. I swear, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Sometimes that boy will do something smart, and then the next, he'll go and do something crazy." Tifa nodded. "The City of Ancients. That's where Aerith was put to rest. He had to have gone there." Yuffie looked excited. "We're finally leaving!? Woo!" She left the ship to go get Vincent. Cid commanded the pilot begin takeoff procedure. Immediately thereafter, the ship began its startup. Vincent was slowly taken to a bed in the cabins of the ship where he could lay. He could walk, but the side effects of the drugs given to him counteracted with his own mutated DNA. This caused him to get dizzy and vomit. Yuffie helped Vincent to his bed and then lay down on the bed across from it. "You think we'll really find Cloud?" Vincent coughed. "Don't know." The ship took off a few minutes later, full on fuel, with everyone aboard with the exception of Cloud. They headed for the north, and would arrive in about an hour.
Cloud had to help Aerith with her clothes. This was something he was nervous with doing, but for the fear of hypothermia, he did the best he could. She seemed to be as nervous as he was. The whole operation was done in complete silence. The dress fit Aerith, but was a bit long, for being made for Cloud's height. It had been two days since Cloud had brought her back from the water. She could talk much better now, but her voice hadn't fully healed. The pain from the wound had subsided. It was still noticeable, but was not nearly enough to make her cry. She could stand, and walk, but even this was weakened. She often needed Cloud's help moving around. Slowly, he thought, slowly she'll recover. We can leave and return to Midgar when she's recovered. Aerith stopped and looked at Cloud. "Sometime, will you tell me what happened after Sephiroth injured me?" Cloud grinned. "Sure. We can wait for the others and they can help tell you too. A lot happened after you were left here. We all thought you had really died. We didn't know you'd protect yourself with Shell, to lessen the blow. I have one question though. How did you not move down there, until I dived down there to get you?" Aerith placed her finger over his lips. "Later. I'll tell you later." She hugged him and then stopped. "Cloud, where's my mother?" Cloud shook his head. "We're pretty sure she's in Kalm with Marlene." Aerith sighed in relief and wrapped Cloud's hands around her. "Can we go to Midgar, and see what's left?" Cloud stopped. "Midgar. There's not much left at Midgar. The tower collapsed on us while we were in it. It almost killed Vincent." Aerith squeezed Cloud tighter. "Oh my! Is everyone alright!?" Cloud nodded and walked with Aerith towards the porch of this small house. "Yeah, as far as I know, Vincent will survive." Aerith nodded. "Good. I would have worried if my calls to you during your sleep would have stopped." Cloud looked at Aerith, as she laughed.
The Highwind approached the shore near Bone Village and noticed the forest had been cleared. "Can we just land there?" Tifa asked. "Pilot, land us where those trees once were." The pilot slowly brought the ship down into its landing position. The excavation crews that had been clearing out the forest in search of artifacts had stopped. They had found what they were looking for. Cloud had dropped it when he noticed the forest was gone. The item they were looking for this entire time was the harp. It was useless now, for the forest it soothed with music had been destroyed.
The group headed towards the City of Ancients. Yuffie took every sight in, for this time she actually got to travel with. "I can't wait! I may actually get to meet this 'Aerith' that Cloud's always talked about!" Tifa looked at Yuffie. "Yuffie. she died." The group had headed down the center path, which contained the small house. Yuffie looked up in shock. "Tifa..?" Tifa looked at Yuffie. "What?" Yuffie pointed at the house. "If Aerith died - who is that up on the porch with Cloud?" Tifa looked up ahead. She could barely make out the person standing next to Cloud. "Oh my! Aerith!?"
Cid stood on the bridge of the Highwind, staring out the front glass. Where the hell did that boy go? He thought, wondering about Cloud's whereabouts. He was chain-smoking one cigarette after the other. Barrett paced back and forth across the lower area of the bridge. Dammit, he thought to himself, why did he have ta' run off like that for? Barrett stared at the floor while walking, not noticing Red XIII's tail, which he stepped on. Nanaki, as his family would call him, growled and then whimpered. Red stood up and crawled out of Barrett's way. Tifa sat curled up in Cloud's little sleeping corner, concerned but hopeful that he hadn't permanently disappeared. Yuffie had returned to the ship for the first time since Vincent had nearly died in the collapse of Shinra Tower. She'd come for mainly things she'd need to stay at the hospital longer, extra clothes - which lacked any huge difference in them, as well as some other necessities. She grabbed what she needed and waved bye to everyone aboard, and returned to where Vincent remained.
Cloud stared out of a small window on the quaint house. He didn't know what to make of anything that had happened in the past few months. He had joined the vigilante group AVALANCHE just for the money. He didn't think he'd become wrapped up in a scheme like this. He pondered AVALANCHE and what it meant to be part of it. In the eyes of many that lived in Midgar, they were no more than terrorists. Many lived in Midgar enjoying life on the top plate, living off of the Mako that the reactors sucked up. All AVALANCHE did was destroy those reactors, in belief that Mako was the soul of the earth, a liquid like blood that was being harnessed and used for energy purposes. He looked over at Aerith, who had slept for twelve hours now, and pondered how things would have been if he hadn't fallen through the roof of the church she was in, let alone bumping into her while fleeing Sector 1's reactor explosion. That explosion was caused by AVALANCHE. What if, the thought, What if I hadn't purchased that one flower? That one rare flower elegantly cared for by this girl selling them on the street. Midgar had a lack of flowers, as well a place to grow them. How did I manage to adventure with her? Surely, he thought, she wanted to explore more of the world. Perhaps she thought she would accomplish that by going with Cloud and the rest.
Aerith was awake now. Cloud had found several towel-like cloths in which he placed around her to help dry her. Her clothes were still damp, but that was the last thing on her mind at the time. Her abdomen hurt, in extreme pain. The wound caused by Sephiroth had indeed become a scar, but the pain continued. It was merely sore, but it was enough to make her cry a bit. She couldn't stand, let alone move a whole lot. She would need to remain here for the time being, until she could move. Her vocal chords hadn't been used in a while, and she lacked the ability to speak full sentences. Her vocal abilities were limited to a few words at a time. Cloud heard her slight moan of pain, and walked towards the room where she lay. He slowly approached the room, peeking in to see how Aerith was.
Aerith lay still on the bed as Cloud walked in. She was awake, and looked at him as he approached her. "Are you okay?" He asked, placing his hand on hers. She nodded and placed her other hand over the wound. "Hurts." She said, with tears in her eyes. Cloud removed his hand and took her other hand away from the wound. "I know. It will go away when you've recovered from the effects of your long slumber." He slowly placed her hand back down. "How did you do it? I mean - how are you alive? Is this another dream?" She tried to grin, but only partly succeeded. "Cast spell. Not dreaming." She coughed. Apparently, she tried to say too much, too fast. Cloud grinned and sat down on the stone bench that was near the bed. "Do you want some different clothes? I have the purple dress with me, from long ago." Aerith tried to laugh. "Your Dress?" Cloud turned red. "Uhh.. yes. That dress." He shook his head and looked at the floor. Why, he thought, why did I even agree to wear a damn dress to save Tifa? Aerith placed her hand on Cloud's hair. "Embarrassed?" Cloud looked up. "Yes. You practically made me wear the thing, after all." Aerith placed her hand under Cloud's chin and raised his eyes up to hers. "Looked so cute!" Cloud looked back at the floor and shook his head no. "I did it to save Tifa, and to prevent you from becoming Don Corneo's love slave." Aerith brought Cloud's head back to her eye level. "Brave." Cloud took her hand and held it between his. He shook his head no, once again. "I'm not nearly as brave as you. You faked death to save us all." Aerith pulled her hand back and placed it on Cloud's face. "Still sweet." Cloud smirked and placed her hand back on the bed. "Sleep for now, I'll go find the other clothes." With that he got up, and walked out of the room.
"When can we leave!?" Shouted Yuffie, at the others. "Vincent can walk again, so we can go!" Barrett shook his head no. "We haven't been here just because of Vincent." Yuffie looked confused. "Why else are we still here for, then?" Cid shrugged. "Cloud. He's missing." Yuffie was amazed. "What?! Where did he go?! He's okay, isn't he?!" Cid shrugged. "We don't know. No one has any idea where he went. I talked to people in town, who say they saw someone leave here on a Chocobo. "Cloud?" Yuffie asked. Cid nodded. "Probably. They said he headed either North, or Northwest." Tifa looked at Cid. "Aerith. Oh no. He actually thinks these visions he's been seeing are meaningful. I talked to Vincent's doctor. He said recovering from Mako poisoning can often make someone see hallucinations." Cid looked at Tifa. "Well, where should we go? We need to get him before he does anything stupid. I swear, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Sometimes that boy will do something smart, and then the next, he'll go and do something crazy." Tifa nodded. "The City of Ancients. That's where Aerith was put to rest. He had to have gone there." Yuffie looked excited. "We're finally leaving!? Woo!" She left the ship to go get Vincent. Cid commanded the pilot begin takeoff procedure. Immediately thereafter, the ship began its startup. Vincent was slowly taken to a bed in the cabins of the ship where he could lay. He could walk, but the side effects of the drugs given to him counteracted with his own mutated DNA. This caused him to get dizzy and vomit. Yuffie helped Vincent to his bed and then lay down on the bed across from it. "You think we'll really find Cloud?" Vincent coughed. "Don't know." The ship took off a few minutes later, full on fuel, with everyone aboard with the exception of Cloud. They headed for the north, and would arrive in about an hour.
Cloud had to help Aerith with her clothes. This was something he was nervous with doing, but for the fear of hypothermia, he did the best he could. She seemed to be as nervous as he was. The whole operation was done in complete silence. The dress fit Aerith, but was a bit long, for being made for Cloud's height. It had been two days since Cloud had brought her back from the water. She could talk much better now, but her voice hadn't fully healed. The pain from the wound had subsided. It was still noticeable, but was not nearly enough to make her cry. She could stand, and walk, but even this was weakened. She often needed Cloud's help moving around. Slowly, he thought, slowly she'll recover. We can leave and return to Midgar when she's recovered. Aerith stopped and looked at Cloud. "Sometime, will you tell me what happened after Sephiroth injured me?" Cloud grinned. "Sure. We can wait for the others and they can help tell you too. A lot happened after you were left here. We all thought you had really died. We didn't know you'd protect yourself with Shell, to lessen the blow. I have one question though. How did you not move down there, until I dived down there to get you?" Aerith placed her finger over his lips. "Later. I'll tell you later." She hugged him and then stopped. "Cloud, where's my mother?" Cloud shook his head. "We're pretty sure she's in Kalm with Marlene." Aerith sighed in relief and wrapped Cloud's hands around her. "Can we go to Midgar, and see what's left?" Cloud stopped. "Midgar. There's not much left at Midgar. The tower collapsed on us while we were in it. It almost killed Vincent." Aerith squeezed Cloud tighter. "Oh my! Is everyone alright!?" Cloud nodded and walked with Aerith towards the porch of this small house. "Yeah, as far as I know, Vincent will survive." Aerith nodded. "Good. I would have worried if my calls to you during your sleep would have stopped." Cloud looked at Aerith, as she laughed.
The Highwind approached the shore near Bone Village and noticed the forest had been cleared. "Can we just land there?" Tifa asked. "Pilot, land us where those trees once were." The pilot slowly brought the ship down into its landing position. The excavation crews that had been clearing out the forest in search of artifacts had stopped. They had found what they were looking for. Cloud had dropped it when he noticed the forest was gone. The item they were looking for this entire time was the harp. It was useless now, for the forest it soothed with music had been destroyed.
The group headed towards the City of Ancients. Yuffie took every sight in, for this time she actually got to travel with. "I can't wait! I may actually get to meet this 'Aerith' that Cloud's always talked about!" Tifa looked at Yuffie. "Yuffie. she died." The group had headed down the center path, which contained the small house. Yuffie looked up in shock. "Tifa..?" Tifa looked at Yuffie. "What?" Yuffie pointed at the house. "If Aerith died - who is that up on the porch with Cloud?" Tifa looked up ahead. She could barely make out the person standing next to Cloud. "Oh my! Aerith!?"