This story was meant to be a stand-alone. But after waiting for over a month for some extremely stimulating stories to pop up, I've decided to expand on this. That and a lot of FF7 ideas have been planting themselves in my mind lately. So there may be other stories coming as well, unrelated to this one. When he is talked about from a third person perspective, it's Squall. But when addressed, I made it Leon. That's because his personality is different in KH, and as such, I'm using his given identity to reflect that. It'll all become clear. ^_^
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*** = Shift in PoV
' ' = Thoughts
" " = Dialogue
::: = Flashback
[ ] = Suggested Soundtrack
( ) = Disc – Track Number
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[Dearly Beloved – Kingdom Hearts OST (1-01)]
They had all gratefully piled into the ship and unloaded their wares. Cid had made a storage bin for each member of their team in his Gummi's War Room and he had had Cloud's sword in mind when designing it. So Cloud's bin had a special rack built into the underside of its lid where his sword could be secured. But because his weapon was so big, his bin was as well, taking up space he had been trying to conserve. He had also decided to store Squall's gunblade with Cloud's wares for the simple fact being that it was the only bin with large enough dimensions.
Cid had been reluctant at first to make Cloud's this way, but was glad he had decided on it. …No one had really planned on Aeris coming back, but she was here. Not that he was glad she wasn't, but it had just seemed… too impossible for that to happen. But this whole bin thing worked out perfectly now. Her unretractable rods would be stored along with Cloud's sword. Although Cloud's differed in that one way, all the bins shared small, compartmented, hanging boxes in which materia was stored. This made for easier accessing, browsing, and loading times.
'Man,' he thought, 'that's kinda creepy. Store their stuff together and they are together. It all worked out.
Cid, I should have never doubted your genius,' he congratulated himself with a huge grin.
Although void of his arms, Cloud had retained his cape. Which had made Cid's eyes narrow. 'I knew he was hiding something. There's no doubt now. It can't be for fashion purposes. He's not concerned with that type of thing.' But Cloud had removed his claw appendage, which had surprised him. Surprised him because Cloud had been so defensive when questioned about it, and yet nothing was out of the ordinary.
'Ok, he wasn't hiding anything with the claw, but what about that cape? He has to be. That thing can't be that comfortable,' he continued to ponder. 'The time will come, however, when he can't hide it anymore.
…He's gotta know he won't be able to hide it from her much longer.' And muttering what a weirdo the kid still was, Cid went back to prepping the ship for take-off and its long flight.
Once everyone had unloaded and was seated on the acceleration couch, Cid had begun the preflight sequencing. Looking back at the other three, he gave a quiet laugh. This Gummi, although built by him and therefore the greatest one out there, was a bit on the small side. Something that was made quite evident by the way his companions were all squished next to each other on the foremost acceleration couch.
The secondary couch was occupied by Squall alone. Which he seemed fine with, and everyone else as well. He was giving off a most depressed aura and had withdrawn quite considerably since before boarding. The others couldn't think as to why he was acting this way, but Cloud had a sneaking suspicion. And it suited him just fine that he was all the farther from Aeris.
When he thinks of it as small, he's comparing it to the Highwind, as he does with all his ships. The Highwind was, after all, his crowning achievement to date. The Gummi were fun but lacked the real power he wanted in his ships. In reality, this Gummi was probably the biggest civilian one out there. Civilian because in this world he had no Shinra funds to fall back on. And as such, his spending was limited quite severely, preventing him from creating any more masterpieces.
As that last thought passed through his head, Cid raised a clenched fist and shook it at his mental ramblings, stopping when he felt something…looking at him. Roused from his ranting, he turned to the direction of the creepy feeling, only to meet with Yuffie's wide eyes. He shuddered. 'I knew it was something horrible.'
Aloud, he said, "I thought I sensed a wicked presence." And he was most pleased by the immediate narrowing of her eyes. 'That'll teach her not to interrupt the musings of a genius.'
'Hmpf. What'll annoy him to no end? …Oh, yes! Bwahahhahaha!' Cid's nervousness grew as Yuffie's eyes once again returned to the large, round and innocent look. And as soon as she opened her mouth, he knew he was in for it. "Are we there yet?"
"Why you little--!!" He turned to chase her from his presence and was glad when Yuffie jumped from the couch and ran behind it into one of the bed couches, her little head bobbing from behind the sleep curtain.
Seeing that their little game had caused Cloud to wake from his dozing, Cid felt a grimace grow on his face. The kid doesn't sleep much as it is, and hardly in front of people. Cid watched him as he took in his surroundings with sleepy eyes. He had been resting his head on Aeris's shoulder, and as he straightened, Aeris woke up as well.
Stretching his neck and arms, Cloud asked, "Have we already taken off?" The puzzlement on his face displayed his thoughts of 'did I sleep through it?'.
Shaking his head, Cid replied, "Nah, we ain't lifted off yet. Still going through the preflight."
"Still?" Cloud was amazed it was taking so long. "I didn't think it would take this long," he said looking up at Cid.
Cid scowled. "It doesn't. You fell asleep almost as soon as you all sat down."
Cloud flushed and brought his left hand up to rub the back of his head. "Sorry. Didn't know I was tired." He brought his hand back down and placed his right arm around Aeris's shoulders as he shifted to a more relaxed position, she turning to smile up at him as he did so. Squall tried to suppress the grimice and looked away, but kept his attention on what was happening.
Seeing that Cid had forgotten about her, Yuffie came out from her temporary hiding place and plopped down again next to Cloud. Being so cramped, Cloud adjusted by placing he left arm around Yuffie's shoulders and slid his butt forward to make it more comfortable. Surprised by the move, Yuffie looked up to Cloud with a slight blush on her face. Seeing that he wasn't looking at her, Yuffie put her clenched hands on her knees and looked down at them, embarrassed. She had originally joined the party because of Cloud's good looks. The fact that everyone had been loaded with materia was just an added bonus and gave a legitimate excuse to tail them a while longer.
He was still as hot as ever. She had to admit Squall was beyond fine, too. But he was always so distant to her. Cloud had always included her in their dealings, one of the ways they were different. 'Why am I comparing them!?' And she stopped herself before she got too gung-ho about it.
After accommodating the girls, Cloud refocused on Cid. "I thought this ship would be bigger than this.
Being as it's yours and whatnot."
The smirk on his face was not lost on Cid. He was being teased, by Cloud of all people. 'She really does change him,' he thought in a brief somber moment. "Well, shit. 'Course it is. I've got a War Room, gotta have that. And there's a viewing room. That's essential. It's not often that I'm in space," He said with a huge grin. "And there's even a bathroom and two sleeping couches. Big enough for two people each. Maybe not extremely comfortably, but two people could definitely fit in there." Looking aside at Cloud through the corner of his eyes. "I'm sure you and Aeris won't have any problems conserving space," he finished with a wicked grin.
The pain that flared to his heart was hard to conceal, and Squall wasn't sure how good a job he was doing. 'But then, again,' he comforted himself, 'they're not really paying attention to me.' And he continued to watch the event's unfolding, not sure why he was putting himself through this torture. Shaking his head, he thought, 'I guess I'm just looking to see how strongly those two are connected, testing their bond. Maybe they're not as close as they appear.' But even as he completed his thought, he knew it didn't feel right. 'All I can do is watch for now. I'll know when the time is right to act.' And so he continued his silent visage.
Cid had to admit, he'd never seen Cloud quite that red before. It had been directed at Cloud, of course, but peeking over at Aeris, he could see that she was comparably close in hue to Cloud.
This was too much fun. It wasn't often he could get someone without them having a comeback. But to get three of them? No way in Shinra's hell was he gonna pass this up. "Shit," he started again, "Yuffie's not very big. You could easily fit her in with you two. Might as well with the way you're pimping there on my couch." And Cid chuckled as Aeris and Yuffie brightened a little more, but it was Cloud's reaction that made him laugh out loud. Cloud was so flustered that his scalp was pink and he emitted choked noises from his hanging mouth.
Deciding this was unbearable, Cloud got up and made his way around to the back of the acceleration couch, the ever-present cape fluttering behind him. "I'm going to the bathroom," he muttered as his voice dropped off, "gotta pee..."
Cid nodded in understanding. "Yeah, yeah. Sure it's not to masturbate?" And as Cloud tripped and all but ran the rest of the way to the lavatory's solace, Cid's echoing laugh accompanied him the entire way. And even Aeris and Yuffie couldn't help but giggle at his exit, with the slightest of smirks appearing on Squall's mouth. It was always good to see your foe flustered.
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Turning away from the console, Cid directed one of the girls to get Cloud out from the bathroom. They were gonna lift off as soon as he was strapped in. Although this was Cid's baby, he wouldn't recommend taking off unsecured and he voiced this to the occupants.
Heeding Cid's warning, Aeris got up to go retrieve Cloud, but not without a parting warning for Yuffie and Cid to behave while she was gone. And with her teasing smile still lingering as she met Squall's gaze, Aeris parted from the cabin area in search of Cloud. Squall was more than tempted to go after her, but why put himself through more pain in witnessing more of their displays of affection? So instead, he sat half pouting in his previous seat.
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[Prelude – Final Fantasy VII (1-01)]
As she walked down the hallway to where Cid had said the bathroom was, she took in the ship's appearance. It really was a sturdy looking ship. Not at all what she had expected from all the details Cid had told her in the past about building Gummi. She also knew they could take a bit of damage. 'Good,' she thought. 'Cid's a troublemaker,' she closed her eyes and giggled to herself.
Reopening her eyes as she finished her self-humoring, she could see the room that contained the toilet. The shower area was separate. A smart move on Cid's part. It'd be a pain with five people wanting to use the toilet and shower if they were in one room.
As she came to the lavatory's entrance, she could see quite clearly that no one was occupying it. 'He's not here.' She was somewhat puzzled as to why he wasn't. 'He couldn't have been truly upset by it, could he?' The thought that Cloud was actually offended bothered her. He wasn't that serious as to be upset by a little friendly teasing. If he had become so hardened, then she would have some work to do. 'No, that can't be it. He's probably just taking some time to collect himself,' she reassured herself. 'Now, where would he go to recuperate?'
Doing the next most logical thing, Aeris continued down the corridor, watching for any clue that might tell her where he had gotten to. As she passed each room, she ducked her head into the doorways, checking for her mysterious Cloud. Coming to the end of the hall, she stared at the last door on the right. 'Well, he's gotta be here.' Going into the room, she found Cloud sitting thoughtfully on the couch, facing away from the door.
She approached the back of the couch and leaned over it, placing her head beside where his would be if he were to sit back. "What you thinking about?"
He was resting his head on the tops of his hands, cupped and reclining on elbows propped against his knees. When Aeris had spoken, he'd shifted his eyes to the side to view his visitor. Seeing it was her, he sat back and gave a very faint smile, the left corner of his mouth barely lifting. "Nothing much," was his curt reply. He always felt sick when he lied to her, even with one as tiny as that had been. In truth, he had been thinking about his…condition and how best to present it to her. He was so afraid of rejection. She had cocked her head slightly, and Cloud feared that she knew of his fib, and that his fear was visible in his eyes. Sure, he was good at hiding his emotions and he knew it. He'd had to learn if he'd wanted to survive. But she could read him in a way that no one else could. It was both comforting and unnerving.
Trying to ease his face into a relaxed expression, he inquired, "And what are you up to?" His smile became a little more genuine as her face brightened and she smiled at him.
Leaning her arms on the back of the couch, she started to sway slightly as she answered him. "Nothing much," she smiled and Cloud's smile grew as he nodded in irony of her reply. "I was just looking for you."
At that, Cloud turned to sit sideways on the couch and leaned in towards her, putting his left elbow besides hers. "Oh?" he teased. Nonchalantly, he used his first two fingers to caress the back of her upper arm, his eyes following their movements. It was hard to miss the hundreds of goosebumps that sprang forth, and Aeris was doing her best to appear unaffected by him. But it was so hard to keep that up; it felt so nice. "Did you miss me that much?" he finished. At her insolent expression, a quiet and small laugh came from him as he shook his head. "You're full of it today, aren't you?"
"What!?," was her stunned reply. She looked at Cloud with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape. "I just started being like this," she said as she wrinkled her nose and turned her head away from him. "All day, geez," she huffed. "And being apart from you for ten minutes is hardly enough to make me miss you so much," she punctuated by turning her head quickly to stick her tongue out then back again.
Cloud was still running his fingers over her arm. "Oh, come on," he said, his fingers squeezing her arm slightly and smiling as her head jerked back to him. "That's better," he beamed, his eyes sparkling. 'This'll be fun,' he thought.
Cloud focused his eyes on the doorway, his face dropping to a neutral expression. He kept that pose until Aeris's curiosity won her over, which didn't take long. She had been watching his face, and as soon as she had begun to turn to see what had captured Cloud's attention, she felt herself falling over the couch.
When he saw and felt her start to move, Cloud's hand had rocketed around her tiny arm and solidly pulled her to him. He had brought his other arm up and wrapped it around her shoulders to soften her landing. Cloud waited for her to get over her surprise and orient herself, his right arm still around her shoulders and under her while his left hand laid top her abdomen. And he just stared at her in that position for a short while, his left hand coming up to caress her cheek slowly. He was aware of Aeris watching him as his eyes took in her face and hair as he moved to play with the little curl that was just above her ear.
"So," he started again, "why did you come looking for me? Really." And his eyes shifted to look into hers as she voiced her reply. 'Such a pretty green,' was his simplistic thought.
Aeris had taken this opportunity to observe Cloud in his unguarded state, once she had gotten over the surprise of this uncharacteristic turn. 'He's been very unpredictable since their reuniting,' she pondered, but was brought out from her musings when he asked something of her. "Oh," she said. "Cid had sent me to come find you." At this, Cloud nodded. "We're ready to take off. He was just waiting for you to come back so we could all strap in for takeoff," she clarified.
Cloud's mouth took on an amused shape. "So it's Cid bothering me once more," he smiled. "Well," he began, deviousness springing to his features, "let him wait." And with that said, he once again cupped her cheek and leaned forward to meet her, but was halted in his progress by a strong pull at his neck. Annoyed, but the event not spoiling his mood, he quickly removed his hand from her face and pulled upwards on his cape a bit, removing it from underneath him just enough so that he could complete his action. Finished, he resumed his prior position and finally took her lips in a short, soft kiss. Pulling back to sit once more on the couch, he removed his right arm from underneath her, using that hand to stroke the top of her head.
Looking and feeling much more content than she had planned, Aeris watched Cloud from her relaxed spot. Being true to her inquisitive nature, she confronted Cloud. "Why don't you just take that off? It only seems to get in your way here." Her eyebrows had drawn together partially, illustrating her puzzlement. And the sad and frightened look that came to Cloud's features puzzled her further.
He shook his head ever so slightly and gave a small sigh. "Not now," he spoke softly. "Later." And Aeris just gave a patient nod and returned to being motionless in his lap. 'Let's not ruin this wonderful feeling by bringing up my physical transformations,' he thought solemnly. 'I'm enjoying this.' And he went back to the comfort of her hair.
Despite his efforts to not let it disrupt his mood, that inevitable question was pulling on him, and its weight eventually got to be too much. Swallowing, he said, "C'mon, I think we've made him wait long enough." And with a final stroke of her hair, Cloud helped Aeris up, his arm once again around her shoulder as they made their way back to the cockpit to finally begin the journey home.
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I know this was a long time in the making, but as I said earlier, this was meant to be a standalone fic. But I've set myself up a good little universe, and I think I'm going to exploit it fully. I have other ideas for the FF7 characters, which will perhaps come to life another time. If I ever get this one finished the way I want it, that is. Subsequent chapters will be posted…when I finish them. No time frame available.
I know Squall is coming across pretty dark, but that's the way he is. Kingdom Hearts is a very dark game in reality. You just have to read into it. ^_^
Next time then.
Mandy138
