It's me again! Thanks for the reviewing! Only three more chapters to go after this one!
Chapter 14: What Should Be
"I know where I'm fuckin' goin!" Cid yelled.
"Then can you explain why we're heading east when it should be west?" Cloud asked.
Cid let out a string of curses and fiddled with the wheel accordingly. Someone put their arms on Cloud's shoulders. He turned and found Aeris.
"Cloud, let's go somewhere and talk."
"Okay." He agreed, turning back to Cid. "Will you be alright if I leave for awhile? I mean, you won't crash into a mountain or anything?"
Cid's lip formed back into its trademark smirk. "You're going to be crashing into a mountain if you don't get out of here!"
Cloud grinned, took Aeris's hand, and they went inside to the cabins, past a sleeping Shera. Yuffie was snoring loudly from another room, but they were able to find an empty one.
Aeris and Cloud sat on the bed. Cloud noticed she couldn't sit still. "What's wrong?" He asked.
Sephiroth's words echoed in Aeris's head, 'Do you think it's coincidence that you were sent back now? Do you really think you'll be able to stay here, wrapped up in the puppet's arms?' "I--- pretty soon, this will all be over…"
"Yeah…"
Small tears crept out of her eyes.
"Hey," Cloud said softly, "Please don't cry." He tugged one of his gloves off and wiped away the tears. "Everything's going to be okay, you'll see."
Aeris rested her head on Cloud's shoulder. "Would you stay with me, Cloud?"
"Stay with you where?"
She lifted her head to look into his endless blue eyes. "Tonight. I know you've been alone, that you've been searching… the Lifestream, but your heart, your soul, and your mind… for me. I don't want you to be alone anymore."
"Well, since you've come back, I'm not alone."
Aeris smiled at him, and kissed his cheek.
Cloud inched away from her, and closed the door with his foot.
Yuffie listened intently outside Cloud and Aeris's door. Vincent, who was walking by caught the sight. "What are you doing?"
Yuffie jumped, "Shhh, Cloud and Aeris are together!"
Recognition spread throughout Vincent's face. "Oh, together! Well, we should give them their privacy, shouldn't we?" And he led her away among her squeals of protest.
Kadaj marveled at Hojo's brilliant mind. Though he was back in the place he grew up… the cell he had grown up in, it did function very well as a headquarters. Kadaj turned as his father entered the room, and he bowed gracefully.
"Yazoo is dead." Sephiroth said bluntly.
"I'm aware," Kadaj replied, without a trace of emotion. "Yazoo was the weakest of us, the loss of his power is nothing substantial. Phase One is almost complete I can wield the Lifestream almost effortlessly." He held up his arm bearing the armlet.
"Has Loz returned with the child?"
"Not yet, father. He should be arriving momentarily." He starred at his father, his master, his God, and knew that pleasing him was the only thing that mattered in his existence. Yet, he had questions… so many questions that Hojo could never provide the answers for. But dare he, a mere offspring of his glorious ruler grace the air with pathetic ramblings?
"You have questions, Kadaj."
"Yes, father… I want to know the truth about my mother…" He bowed his head in respect, not knowing if his father would chop it off.
"Your mother was sent from the Lifestream to stop us. She is the one we must kill at all costs. If not for me, do it for your brother, as she murdered him in cold blood…"
Kadaj's eyes burned with unearthly hunger. "Yes father, she will pay. Your bidding will be accomplished!"
The sound of a motorcycle echoed from outside of the facility. Loz had returned.
A loud, annoying banging woke Cloud from his slumber. He stretched. He felt… good. Content. He hadn't felt that way in a long, long time. He starred down at the angel whose head was on his chest. Her green eyes were open, and she was starring off into space, as if contemplating something. "Sorry," He said, "Did I wake you?"
She smiled up at him, and shook her head. "No, I've been up for awhile. Barrett keeps banging on our door saying we're almost there."
Cloud scrubbed his face with his hands. It was weird going back to the place he had lost her, and after two years of searching, having her here by his side just like that.
She giggled.
"What?" He asked.
"Don't stress so much. You'll get wrinkles."
"Aeris, after I lost you, all I did was stress about things. It's kind of hard not to."
She sat up, and rested her head on his shoulder. "But, like you said, everything will work out."
"I want to believe that…"
"So believe it."
"It's not that easy." He scrubbed his hand through his hair, making it spikier.
"So that's how it gets that way." She said with a smile.
Cloud bent down and kissed her. He loved her; it was pretty easy to tell. When he was around her, it was like he could deal with what the world would throw at him. Aeris loved the way he kissed her. It was so sweet, so loving.
But had she done the right thing? When this was all over, would she be allowed to stay? And if she weren't, how would both of them deal with it?
Cloud and Aeris dressed and walked onto the bridge among catcalls from Reno and Yuffie. Aeris blushed, and hid her face in Cloud's shoulder.
"Jealous?" Cloud asked Reno.
Reno smiled at Aeris, causing her to blush even more, "Who wouldn't be?"
He jumped in the air as Tifa's black boot connected with his behind. Cloud stared between the two. What was going on with them?
"Cloud, look." Aeris said, pointing.
Cloud followed her finger and his eyes rested upon a place he had nightmares about. The City of the Ancients loomed into view.