Revised: 4/9/04
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*** = Shift in PoV
' ' = Thoughts
" " = Dialogue
::: = Flashback
[ ] = Suggested Soundtrack
( ) = Disc – Track Number
[ -- ] = No Music, Silence
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[Sadame (Destiny) Piano Version – X TV OST 1 (1-12)]
Yuffie departed the room autonomously, her head filled with the things Cloud had said. "Jenova," she mumbled to herself. Even in another world she continued to torture Cloud. 'That alien bitch, why won't she just die?' The thought was an old one, long forgotten since the supposed death of Jenova's main body in the Northern Crater. Closing her eyes and bringing her fists against her chest, Yuffie genuinely wished, 'Please be safe, Cloud.' And so, it was with a much more subdued manner that she returned to finish her breakfast.
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Squall had remained seated at the table after Yuffie and Cid had both gone, waiting for Aeris to return. He had already finished, but he wanted to be alone with her, like it had been before that man had returned. That guy has been hanging around her non-stop since he arrived and Squall never had a chance to be with her anymore. Looking to the doorway at the sound of approaching footsteps, Squall was disappointed as Cid's head poked through it and not Aeris's as he had been hoping for.
"Hey, Leon," Cid started, "tell Cloud to come up to the cockpit when he's finished." And with that command, Cid headed back up that way.
Squall scowled deeply at that and played with a piece of silver ware. How was he supposed to talk to the man that took Aeris from him? True, it had never been assured that she was his, but the chance to prove that had been taken from him by the arrival of the very man Cid was asking him to talk to. He knew the other man sensed something. A male could always tell when another was intruding upon his territory. And from the way Aeris and Cloud acted towards each other, their bond had been established long before he was on the scene. So did he ever really have chance from the start? The eating utensil became clenched in his hand. 'Damnit!' was his frustrated thought. 'I know it's not my place, but I want to fight for her. To see if maybe she returns these feelings. Perhaps his presence terrifies her so that she is afraid to speak against him…' Freeing the innocent utensil from his grasp, Squall resolved to ask Aeris how Cloud treated her, her feelings, and about many other things. But mostly that if she needed to escape, he would be there for her and help if she needed it.
Upon the next set of footsteps, he was again disappointed to see it was only Yuffie. She quietly sat down and finished what was before her. Squall was extremely puzzled as to what could have taken place to dampen her demeanor in such a severe way. The girl was always quite chipper, except in dire circumstances, and something serious must have happened to make her act this way. He never got the nerve to ask her, as she wasn't seated at the table for more than two minutes before placing her dishware on the counter and leaving the dining area. Her uncharacteristic actions only made the frown deepen.
Only a few moments later, more footsteps came his way, and by the sound of it, it was more than one person. Squall could feel his throat tighten in anticipation of her, but his chest outdid his throat as they came around the corner. 'Of course,' he thought sarcastically as the hint of a bitter smile lifted the right corner of his lips. 'He had to come with her.' Not being able to stand being alone with them, he collected his dishes and placed them beside Yuffie's. And he kept his head down as he brushed past Cloud, out of his presence and their togetherness. Pausing at the doorway, Squall addressed Cloud without facing him. "Cid wants you to see him in the cockpit when you're finished." And as the curt and coldly given statement had taken too much strength from him, he continued on his way. The man was shorter than he was, but for some unfathomable reason, he intimidated him. He had all his plans set, but as soon as Cloud entered the room, his courage always deserted him. Why? He had felt Cloud's eyes on him from the moment he'd entered the room, and they had followed him as he'd gone past and exited. Clenching his hands as he went down the hall towards the cockpit, Squall cursed his weakness at being unable to converse even shortly with the other man. 'If I can't even relay a message,' he thought despairingly, 'how am I ever going to confront him?' And he continued to ponder on that thought in his adopted position on the second accelerator couch in the cabin.
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[Kiss - .hack//SIGN OST I (1-03)]
Turning back from watching the other man depart, Cloud went to sit with Aeris, she finishing her breakfast, and he just beginning his. Cloud had said nothing about Squall's departure and was more than content to leave it alone, but Aeris brought it up with her next musing.
"I wonder why he was acting like that. He's changed these last few days." Looking at Cloud thoughtfully, she asked, "What do you think, Cloud?" And smiling with closed eyes at him, she added, "You're both warrior men, do you know what it is?"
Oh, hell, he knew what it was. Or at least suspected strongly. But not wanting to think on it, he played ignorant and shrugged his shoulders, and after he finished chewing, swallowed. "I'm not sure," he said, pausing to stab at more food with his fork. "Could be a number of things." And leaving it at that, he continued to eat. He had expected Aeris to shrug it off as well, but the look she threw at him at his answer made the food stop in his throat. 'Does she know?' the worried thought came. Her eyes were narrowed and the one eyebrow was definitely in a 'pissed' position.
"Cloud," she said with a stern timbre to her voice, "don't try to pass it off as nothing. I can tell something is wrong with him. Every time he's around you or you're mentioned, he becomes withdrawn." And fixing him with a firm set to her lips, she asked suspiciously, "Did you say something to him?"
Astonished, Cloud let the fork fall from his limp fingers and replied with his mouth slightly agape, "No. Why would I have?" His lips formed a firm line and he let his thoughts finish. 'I haven't had reason to yet. But if he keeps persisting, he'll get to hear everything I'm thinking.'
Refocusing on the empty plate in front of her, Aeris said, "Because you have a way of speaking without thinking in stupid situations." Sighing, Aeris cleared her place and gathered the dishes to begin cleaning them.
Cloud only looked at his remaining food before once again picking up his fork and finishing, a frown accompanying his thoughts. 'It's times like these when I wonder just how naïve she really is.' Grabbing his plate and fork to take over to her, he was once again halted as his cape became caught on something. "Oh, for Holy's sake," he muttered. Setting his things down, he reached up and released the cape, letting it fall where it would, and returned to his task. Reaching her side, he glanced at her through the corners of his eyes. She still looked pissed and the defense left his lips before he even noticed it was happening. "I didn't do anything," he whispered sulkingly.
Looking over at him, Aeris could see the sullen expression on his face, and smiled lightly. "I believe you, Cloud." She took the last few dishes from his hands and washed them. Setting the last one over to dry, she said while wiping her hands, "It's just that you can be so rash when it comes to me." And with that, she left the room, reminding him to go see Cid before she was gone.
Cloud had only been able to stare at the counter. 'She definitely knows more than she lets on about. But how much does she know?' Looking at the doorway, Cloud didn't think she knew exactly what was going on. She could tell something was creating this tension between him and Leon, and she suspects it has something to do with her. Or had to do with her. 'She thought I must have said something in the past to bring this about,' he remembered. 'I only met him a coupla days ago. The fight in the Coliseum was a one-time thing. And I was hardly interested in getting to know people who were just going to die in the next few minutes… But she believed me when I said I didn't do anything. So that means she doesn't truly know.' He nodded to himself once. 'That's fine, then. This is something to be resolved between Leon and myself, anyway.' Pushing away from the counter, he went to collect his cape. And reattaching it on his way out of the kitchen, Cloud concluded, 'This may be about her, but she should keep out of it.' The ludicrousness of that statement was lost on him as he went to meet with Cid.
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[Broken Wings - .hack//SIGN OST2 (1-12)]
Cloud had taken over for Cid with understanding, and he'd noticed that Leon had departed from the room almost immediately after Cid had left. 'Probably upon realizing he would be alone with me.' It suited Cloud just fine. With all unknowing parties gone, he was free to remove his cape and relax. His feet were propped up on the pilot's chair as he reclined in the co-pilot's, fingers of his right hand grazing over the controls within reach, eyes on them but unfocussed. Cid had said this should be the only time he'd have to do this. He didn't mind, really. It gave him time to think. They'd be home in two more days. He closed his eyes and released a sigh. How good it would be. Pulled from his thoughts by an itch, he rubbed against the chair, trying to dispel the building of the irritation in his shoulder. This was becoming quite annoying. It would be soon, he knew. His right shoulder had been getting steadily worse during the course of the morning. It had been morning to him, as far as he was concerned. No one could tell without a sun in the sky. But the soreness was growing quickly and now even slight movements made it ache. It would almost be worth it just to have this over with so the damned itching would stop. He maintained his lonesome vigil undisturbed for quite some time after these last coherent thoughts, despite the beginnings of sweat upon his body.
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[The Oath – Final Fantasy VIII: Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec (1-11)]
Squall had gone to the only other room in the ship where he was certain he wouldn't be disturbed in for a time, the viewing room. The swirling galaxies in the distance were strangely calming to his troubled person, and he felt as if he could be sucked into them, wishing he would be. A brightly shining star off to the right caught his eye, and as he stared at it, Aeris's smiling face came unbidden to him. The star's intensity had reminded him of her eyes when she smiled. 'Their beauty is the same, but I can hold neither without risking my life.' If he were to go for the flaming star, his life would expire before he even reached it. And he had no doubt about it being in danger when he went after the other. Squall had seen Cloud fight a few times, and the man had killed for less at the Coliseum. He knew there would be a fight between them. But the question is who will be the one to die? Another is, is she worth it? As if he'd put so much at stake if she weren't, he snorted contemptuously.
He knew not how long he had been brooding when he spotted her entering the room out of the corner of his eye. His features softened of their own accord, and his lips betrayed his stoic personification as they tilted up to greet her. He pulled his left leg off the couch so that she could sit beside him. She complied with a darling smile, but didn't sit as close as he would have wished for her to. But still close enough that if he wished it, he could let his fingers slide from the back of the couch to fall on her shoulders. He was sorely tempted to do just that, but knew it would only push her further away. He had to wait for the right time, and romantic timing wasn't something he's had a lot of experience with, or was particularly good at. He was reminded of a few occasions where Rinoa had teasingly scolded him for lacking any romantic sense…
He remained in his position, once again bringing his leg up onto the cushion to close the distance, half facing her, half facing the viewing port that extended along the entire length of the wall. She had gotten straight to her concerns and asked him if he was okay, commenting that he'd been distant lately. But he was surprised when she mentioned Cloud outright, asking if he'd said anything to him. Squall assured her he was fine, and said he was just feeling excluded from their group. Aeris, of course, thought that was ridiculous, and proceeded to tell him he would always be apart of their family. Smiling, Squall shook his head lightly, saying that he was still adjusting to the new boundaries. And sometime during her denial of new boundaries and her explanation of it, his wayward thoughts had led his hand to move across the small space between it and her dangling hair, so that the fingers could intertwine themselves in the tendril that bobbed alongside her face. It didn't seem to bother her as she kept on reasoning with him, and herself.
"Aeris," he interrupted her as he watched his fingers in her hair, "I only meant it as getting used to the group again." And as he felt her puzzled eyes on him, he clarified and punctuated with a sigh. "You all act differently with him around. I----I just need to figure out where I stand," he finished with a sorrowful slant to his eyes.
Aeris's lips thinned and she look to her hands clasped in her lap as she thought of how to explain their behavioral changes, small though they were. And the slight stressing on 'him' left no doubt as to whom Squall was referring. But then again, only one person had joined them in quite some time, Cloud.
[Bittersweet Romance – Final Fantasy IX OST (4-17)]
"You see," she started out and Squall frowned at her saddened demeanor, "Cloud used to be the leader of our…pack." She made eye contact again before returning to her hands. "We always looked to him for direction. I guess it's just become second nature." She paused here, and Squall felt compelled to stay silent. "He's… He's…still that guiding force for us. I-I have no one else, outside of our group. And Cloud, too, is alone. There's Tifa, of course you don't know her, but…" she broke in to smile at him. "She and Cloud were from the same town. When I had first joined the group, they had been really close." Here she paused again, he couldn't say why. "But, something must have happened between them. I could tell when I watched them. They were never the same after he regained consciousness…" Squall's confusion stopped him right there and he sat up slightly to speak.
"Regained consciousness? Was he hurt?" he said, totally lost. "And what do you mean by watched them. You make it sound as if you weren't there." Her face contorted painfully and she jerked her head to the left. Squall's hand cupped her cheek as he murmured some heartfelt apology. And his thumb moved along her skin as she began to speak, but whatever it was he never got to hear it.
"I…" she started meekly, but ceased and they both turned upon the sounds of heavy, labored breathing. There, in the doorway, was his rival, who currently looked like…well, choco shit.
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[Lose One's Illusions – Star Ocean OST (2-04)]
He had finished wiping his hand across his brow again. This sweating was getting ridiculous. And his head hurt. And his back, and his shoulder, even his feet. He caught his head from falling again, and rested it in his hand, trying to focus on the controls in front of him. 'Damn, it's hot in here,' he cursed mentally as he pulled at the collar of his shirt. His breath was coming in fast rasps now, and he was fighting for control over his eyes. 'I can't keep them open,' he thought sickeningly. Taking one last look at the controls and the stars beyond, Cloud stood up. And after only falling back into his chair once, approached the doorway to the acceleration chamber. He left his cape behind, in too much pain to give a shit now. It was hard to walk, something he had expected. Wobbling as best he could, he collided heavily with the wall of the cockpit and stopped solidly where he'd connected with the metal. His faced scrunched with pain and right hand flying to hold the screaming flesh of his left shoulder, continued down the hall. 'Aeris,' he thought, 'anyone, help.'
He passed the sleeping compartments, checking to see if anyone was there. Both curtains were open. 'Cid…not here,' the thought fluttered across before pain once again raked over his body. Grimacing, he resumed his search, still holding his shoulder. He'd run into that frame hard. It would be a large, ugly bruise, he knew, because of the heightened senses of his body. Everything was being magnified. The pain was building, and he slid along the wall as he moved down the hallway. His eyes had shut with pain, and his teeth were bared with the sudden rise of new pain. 'I can hear voices. Just a little farther,' he pushed himself.
Cloud leaned heavily on the doorframe of the viewing room after crashing into it, attempting to stay standing. He didn't know how long he would be able to, breathing was hard enough. He saw them there on the couch, looking at him as he slumped there. Aeris, at first opened mouth after calling his name, in slight horror or concern, he couldn't tell, half rising to come to him. And that Leon guy too close to her. Touching her, even, having the audacity to leave his hand on her in his presence. Cloud gathered all of his pain and focused it into a scathing glare directed at the other man. But he knew it wasn't nearly as effective as he had intended or would have liked it to be. For his teeth were still grit and bared with pain and he was unable to hold the expression for more than a few seconds before being overcome once more with the flaring of hurt forcing him to break eye contact. But he was pleased to see the other man remove his hand from her hair. And as if that was the barrier that kept her from further action, Aeris stood fully and began coming around the couch. Shifting his eyes to Aeris, he struggled to speak. "Aeris," he wheezed, "it's…beginning." Distantly and oh so quietly, the frantic call of his name and sound of hastened footsteps reached his ears before he hit the floor.
Aeris had managed to save Cloud's head from connecting with the metal flooring. She cradled it in her lap after awkwardly flipping him onto his back, stroking his hair and calling his name. Squall had shot up as the other man had collapsed. This was… unexpected. He froze, not knowing what do to, ensnared by indecision. He resented the other man, surely, but never did he wish death upon him. He came to kneel next to them, and turned to Aeris. "What should I do?" He knew better than to ask if he was all right. It had been clear from the moment he entered that he was indeed not all right.
Aeris's watery eyes met his, and she spoke with only a slight tremble to her voice, "We need to get him to a bed." And Squall nodded at her, eager to help her. But as he moved to lift Cloud, the frown he'd been withholding broke free. This was his enemy he was about to help. Sighing, he wormed his arms underneath the other man, positioning his legs to push up. It was a lot harder than he thought it would be. Cloud was by no means light. The flapping of Cloud's cape against his legs was quite annoying and Squall wished for it to be removed, which he made known to Aeris. It would even take some weight off his load, Squall knew.
Aeris moved to do as Squall asked, stopping in mid reach to look up at Squall. "He's not wearing it," she said with a worried glance. Squall's eyes widened when he saw what was 'flapping' against his legs and his jaw slackened. Aeris looked away from him after a brief contact, hurrying him along. "I can explain, but later. We need to get him stabilized."
He looked at her, his frown deepening just slightly, and nodded once. He followed Aeris out into the hall, mindful of Cloud's head upon exiting the room, lest he hit it. But he couldn't stop himself from thinking, 'I would almost enjoy that,' and he allowed his eyebrows to lift at the thought. He shook his head, clearing the malicious thoughts…for now. They would do him no good when his opponent was unable to joust in return. And that was what made the challenge worth it. To best the opposition and utterly humiliate him, in front of the girl, if possible. Further pondering on the characteristics of his preferred intellectual sparring was abruptly halted as an exclamation thundered across his awareness.
"HOLY SHIT!" Cid said, stunned as he stood in the hallway. He had just come out of the lavatory, still pretty sleepy-eyed, on his way back to bed. But the site of Cloud being cradled in Squall's arms was as good a wakeup call as anything else. "What the hell happened? Is he okay?" he asked hurriedly, checking his friend over. His eyes found the wing quickly enough, and his eyes narrowed in understanding. 'That's what the tablecloth was for.' He looked to Aeris, waiting for an answer, only to interrupt his own thoughts. "Wait just a damned minute," he began pulling back a step. "If he's here, who the fuck is watching the ship?" Seeing the other two trade questioning glances, he rushed up front with a quick 'ah, shit', leaving Aeris and Squall to immediately continue on.
[May It Be (Enya) – Lord of the Rings OST (CD Track Unknown)]
Squall had set Cloud down on their bunk and then had quickly backed away, giving Aeris room to do…whatever it was she was going to do. He stood off to the side, near the door, watching. What else could he do?
Aeris knelt next to the bed, stroking his forehead. His brows had been drawn ever so slightly together in pain, unconsciousness giving him momentary reprieve. But as she studied his face, she could see that it was rapidly ceasing to be the case. His mouth tightened, and his eyes squinted. Soon enough, he was even exposing his teeth in a pain-laced grimace. The thrashing began quickly after. It had been small twists and turns at first, but he moved to arcing off the bed and Aeris didn't know what to do to ease his pain. Shoving the pillows aside, she sat at the head of the bed and asked Squall to help her flip him onto his stomach. Cloud's head was now laying aside on her right thigh, her hand combing his hair in an earnest attempt to soothe him if only the smallest amount. His head kept rubbing into her, seemingly trying to bury itself. His hands clutched at the sheets and mattress, at times pulling in synch with his moans. He was hunching his shoulders now, twisting as if trying to shed something. 'His shirt!' she thought. "Squall! Help me get his shirt off!"
He had jumped at his name, but blanched at her request. 'Undress the bastard? Like hell!' But her next insistence quickly pushed the resistance from his mind and body. Moving over to her, he abided by her wish. He lifted the bottom, pulling it up as far as his wing. A frowned bloomed on his face as he struggled to get the wing through the hole in the material. It was quite difficult. Aeris was becoming exasperated and told him to hurry up. "I'm trying!" he whispered tersely. "It's not easy with him flexing it every which way." Aeris frowned and reached out with her left hand, her right still in Cloud's hair, and grabbed his wing, pushing down on its top until it compacted against his back. Then giving Squall a look released it after he had cleared the wing. What greeted their sight was a nasty, oozing, hellishly red blister on Cloud's right shoulder blade. They both had to look away, the sight utterly revolting. Cloud suddenly shoved his head to the side, freeing his mouth, and her attention was immediately drawn back to his suffering. If she'd had the time, she was sure she could count every single muscle in his upper back, he was straining so hard. His hands were white, all the blood practically driven out of them by the intensity of his squeezing as his back expanded and the most horrible sound filled the too small room and barreled down the hallway in both directions. Aeris bent over, lips pressing against his burning forehead, quieting murmurings of 'shh' flowed over her lips. And the tears fell as she closed her eyes, his next scream drowning her out.
Yuffie had come bolting down the hall, swinging through the doorway just ahead of Cid. Both looking beyond frightened and lost, but it was Cid who gained his mouth first. "What the fuck was that?" Aeris opened her mouth and eyes, the tears still in them, and began to answer, but Cloud answered for himself with another scream, seemingly louder than the other two. Aeris's face swiftly contorted with pain, and she buried her face into his hair, returning to her futile attempts to help him. She knew there really was nothing else to be done but wait it out. But she had to keep trying. She had to. She couldn't just sit by and watch him writhe in pain.
Yuffie's hands had covered her mouth at the site. The horror of the situation bombarding her senses and memories. The new scream tearing through the image of Cloud's peaceful face as he groomed a chocobo. The next one shattering his beautiful eyes as she remembered his peaceful reflection at some lost moment. She couldn't take this! This wasn't her Cloud! It wasn't! She shook her head violently, her little balled fists vainly trying to block out his tattered voice as it shredded the air and her depiction of him. She darted from the room, as far from it as she could get, half-missing Squall in her haste.
By the time Squall had steadied himself, he could no longer hear her pounding footsteps. But then again, he wasn't sure if that was because of her distance or the male banshee across the room from him. He was useless here, he knew that. And even when he was needed, he found it hard to help. It was Cloud. Not one of the other crewmembers, and that made it all the harder. Sighing, he decided he may as well be of help where he could be, and set off in search of the terrified girl. At least, he thought she was terrified.
It took him only a matter of minutes to locate her. And perhaps that was because once he started in the right direction, he could hear her sobs. He felt his heart catch at that, she was genuinely disturbed by this. Truly, it was painful for Cloud. He could see that much. He slid down the ladder and slowly walked in the direction of the sounds. He found her in a trench of crates, huddled over, hands still pressed harshly over her ears. The tears flowing freely from her eyes and running down the curves of her cheeks, kissing the corners of her mouth as they fell to the floor, joining predecessors in a puddle of liquid emotion. She jumped at his voice and hand, but couldn't bring herself to stop hiccuping enough to even stutter. "So here you are," he said gently, hand closing more firmly over her shoulder. "It's alright, you know. He'll be alright." He exhaled sharply, taking a step back as she forcefully shook his hand from her.
"No it's not!" she exclaimed. "No it's not," she said again, softly. Pausing to let a small hiccuping spell pass, she wrapped her arms around her and continued. "This isn't like him at all." Sniffling, she sunk down, pulling her knees up against her arms but refusing to release herself from the self-hug as she leaned against the crates. "He-he never shows his pain. Never like this." And here, Squall could see her tighten her arms. "I—I can't stand to see him like that. To hear him. He's always so in control and it makes me sick to—to think of what—what could be causing him to lose himself!" Any further insight into the little shinobi was ended as she was once again taken by sobbing.
Squall sobered greatly, this new insight birthing slight turmoil in his being as he began to realize just how out of character this was for the other man. 'It is a great power, indeed, if it's something to unsettle them all.' He had been looking over a shoulder in thought, but rounded again at her next sob and hiccup. Features softening, he reached out to Yuffie, pulling her into an awkward embrace. "It'll be okay, Yuffie. Doesn't it always turn out that way?" He wasn't really expecting a response, but nonetheless, she nodded against him and further startled him by clinging to him, crying away. Squall brought one hand up to lightly cradle her head against his shoulder, letting her vent, and sank as gently as he could against the crates, intent on being some kind of help.
Time passed uncounted by either of them, and Yuffie had calmed to only sniffles and the occasional hiccup. They could still hear his screams, however. There was no truly escaping it, but it was dulled considerably down here. Yuffie had managed to ask Squall how he'd found her through stuttered speech. He had given her a small, teasing smile and said gently, "You were echoing up through the stairwell." She only nodded mutely, and continued to cling to him, taking refuge in his presence. But the quiet reprieve was shattered as the current scream stopped. Suddenly, in mid cry. Their eyes shot towards the stairwell then to each other, before jumping up and racing up the ladder back towards Cloud and the now too quiet ship.
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Cid had run several checks on the ship, the system, everything he could think of. Out of habit or just trying to drown Cloud out, he didn't care. It occupied him. Rationally, he knew some tests had to be run because he didn't know how long Cloud had been away from the console. Cid sighed, filled with sadness. He couldn't blame him. Maybe his old self, before he became attached to the group, before…everything, would have no trouble faulting the kid. But the Cid sitting here now couldn't. He had long lost that high level of cynicism, no longer jaded by fate. This group had given him the very dream Shinra had robbed him of. And he thought that perhaps that was when he started becoming a little less cynical, a little more understanding, and dare Shera find out, a little more loving, towards himself and others. 'What the fuck is this?' he thought sarcastically. 'Poetry of the Soul club? Bah!' He gazed out the viewport and made the decision to orbit that planet over there, the closest, for a while, just until things calmed down a bit. He was so glad he had done that guy a favor back in Traverse Town. Who knew he was from a displaced race that traveled the stars? In return for his kindness, they had granted Cid all the information about the stars' placements. Something he'd thought useless until the doors had been closed. But now he was hella glad to have it.
He sat back in his chair after having completed the orbiting requirements, thinking. It was only when his thoughts became too clear did he pause and look up, trying to place the oddity. 'Cloud,' his mind warned. Cid bolted from the chamber to their room, skidding to a stop as his hands caught the doorframe. "Holy fucking mother of Shinra." The exclamation was uttered just under a normal speaking tone but not quite a whisper. His eyes were wide, mouth agape. It was only a few seconds after that when Yuffie's small body collided with him and squeezed under his arm and over his leg, edging into the room. He registered her horrified gasp and flight of her hands to her more-than-likely gaping mouth as well. Even Squall's gasping was noted in his distant mind. Aeris's eyes were the widest he'd ever seen them, and her small lips parted. Even she was taken in by the horror. The thought was clear on everyone's faces. So…much…blood. Cid looked to Cloud's face, slack with true unconsciousness. His head was still pillowed on Aeris's lap, and his right arm had fallen to rest over the edge of the bed, fingers lightly curled only spaces above the floor. 'Yeah, I'd wanna pass out too if that much blood came outta me.' And the cause of it all rested against his draping arm, the newly released blood riveting down the tip, continuing along the arm to drip off the fingers. Cid nodded to himself and sighed, 'Another wing.' Looking at everyone else, it was clear they were still quite dumbfounded. So he took it upon himself to take control of the aftermath, starting with some towels. Lots of towels.
Cid brushing past him seemed to awaken Squall, and after watching him for a moment, Squall stepped forward to Aeris's side, putting his gloved right hand on her blood-speckled shoulder. But she didn't snap out of her stupor until he'd called her name softly. She half shook her head and slowly looked up at him, passing by Yuffie's image as she did so, who was still in that wide-eyed, hands over mouth stance. Her glazed eyes were on Squall, but unfocused. Squall knelt and brought his other hand up to cup her cheek. "Aeris," he said, "come on. Look at me."
It took her a few moments, but her eyes finally focused on his, widening a little as everything came back to her. She moved her head as much as his hand would allow, her eyes taking in the room. Cloud's blood was everywhere. On the ceiling, the back wall, the sheets, her. Her! 'Oh, no, Cloud!' she worried, looking him over as best she could after breaking out of Squall's light hold. She pushed his sweat-matted hair off his face and checked his pulse. 'Finally, it's at a decent pace.' She sighed, the last hour's or two hours' tension running out with her breath.
She looked up as Cid returned and walked over to her, giving her an assessing glance before handing some towels to Squall, who nodded and watched as Cid once again left the room, presumably back to the cockpit. He had let his hand fall after she had shaken it from her, paying attention only to her. He looked at the hand grasping the towels, his right one, the one that had gripped her shoulder. The blood from her shoulder had been soaked off his glove into the topmost towel, a bright red stain. He pulled his other hand to separate the towels, and was sure he would have blushed as he removed it from her lap if the circumstances hadn't been so somber. Using his left arm, he tossed a couple of towels at Yuffie, and asked for her to help clean everything up. The gentle whack of the soft cloth against her face broke her trance and her nimble hands reacted quickly to catch the falling material, giving a nod before moving numbly to start wiping the far wall. Squall turned his attention back to Aeris and lifted a towel, gingerly removing the blood from her face. She turned from him, taking a free towel with her and began to clean Cloud's face and back. Unperturbed, Squall cleared the cheek now facing him, and after finishing, moved to her neck, and then shoulder, working his way down.
"You know," he started in softly as he wiped down her arm, "he'll be alright until after you're cleaned up."
Aeris pulled her arm away from him and gave him a sharp glare before once again attending to Cloud. "It will be much easier to get this off him before it becomes all crusty," she said with slight anger in her voice. Her tone made Squall look up her, bewilderment highlighting his features. "And it will be dry by the time I go dig some spare clothes out and take care of these." His skin was now free of blood so she moved onto the newly…sprouted…wing, carefully lifting it and smoothing the towel along its length. She heard Squall's sigh, but continued to ignore him. She had to see to Cloud, then she would listen to what it was he wanted to say, but would make no promises to do what he asked.
"Aeris, you should go change," Squall started, and when she made no acknowledgement of his call, said her name again. Reaching up, he grabbed her forearm, her name on the tip of his tongue, and as he drew breath to speak it, a hand was placed on his forearm, with crushing strength. His eyes shot to the source of pain and followed it to meet eyes of blue steel.
"Don't touch her," Cloud uttered extremely tersely. "And don't tell her what to do." Upon speaking, Aeris had said his name, but he didn't turn to her. He must put this guy in his place, but she was making it difficult to do so with the way she was stroking his hair and cheek.
Squall hardened his features and defended himself, overlooking Aeris's hand. "She's a big girl, and can make her own decisions. I was only giving her an option," he said as he glared back at the other man.
"That's right, she can. So stop pushing her. And let go of her," Cloud said darkly, squeezing the man's arm harder, the leather of his jacket sleeve creaking under the pressure.
Squall's sight never left Cloud's, and he would have remained defiant if not for the granite hold on his arm. Closing his eyes and sighing around a slight wince, he opened his hand, releasing Aeris's arm. And as soon as he'd done so, Cloud had flung his arm away before releasing his on hold on him, glaring at him the entire time. Having been humiliated and feeling awfully rebuked, Squall stood and left the room, the towel in his hand hitting the floor non-too softly. And he could feel Cloud's gaze all the way and even through the metallic walls as he calmly fled.
Cloud pulled his arm back, bringing it to wrap around along Aeris's leg as the hand rested behind her, touching her buttocks. He felt her tense and rubbed his face against her briefly before returning to watch the doorway. He knew why she'd tensed, but didn't react to it. That had not been his intention. Possessiveness making a sweep over him, he hugged her a little more, exhaling heavily. It had been so difficult to do that, shooing that guy out of here. He hadn't had the energy for it, but he wouldn't stand for what he'd been doing.
Looking up over to Yuffie, Aeris saw her quickly shift her eyes back to where the far wall and floor met, chasing the pooling drops of blood with her towel. "We'll be fine, Yuffie. You don't have to stay any longer," Aeris said with a soft smile.
Cloud's head shot up and looked behind him to see Yuffie hesitantly standing up. He hadn't even known she was here. Turning back to his previous position of hugging Aeris about her legs, he muffled through them, "She's okay."
Aeris saw a quick bright smile flit across Yuffie's lips before she went back to catching his blood. Smiling herself, Aeris put her arms atop Cloud, hugging him as best she could, and ducked her head as a couple of tears escaped. 'Oh, thank you, Holy, that it's over.' And they stayed that way long after Yuffie had left, comforting each other without words, only through the contact of skin and cloth.
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That's the last chapter of this fanfic. I won't be continuing any farther for I have lost interest in it.
JUST KIDDING.
*Some one had asked as to why Cloud saying that would inspire "more blood wiping by Yuffie". Well, I just wanted to show that Yuffie understood she was being accepted into Cloud and Aeris's company. I thought that was important because those two usually like to be alone when they can. And so by letting Yuffie stay, Cloud was in some way acknowledging Yuffie's newfound intimacy into their 'group'. Does that make sense? _ Doesn't feel as if I explained it well!
And BOY did THIS sucker need a revision! It was chock FULL of errors!
