I turned my attention back to the man. He was very tall and he had brown hair with a little bit of gray, I guess due to his age. He was standing a little bit taller then me and had broad shoulders. His eyes showed years of experience in whatever field he was brought up in. I respectfully bowed to the man remembering my mother's words of 'respect a man with eyes of wisdom'…
"Sir, may you be my employer?"
"Please, child, do not bow. My name is Hiroyuki. Just Hiro for short"
"Sure thing, Hiro"
"So you are the known mercenary, Cloud, am I correct son?"
"Yes, you are, my father is the legendary Kazama"
"Yes, I do know. Hardly anyone forgets a man like Kazama""You are right, but on to business. Seeing how you guys showed and paid me 5,000 up front and more later. I would figure this is a high importance to the people of the castle""Yes. My daughter…no… my niece. She needs protection""Hiro, why did you say your daughter first?""I've been her guardian for most of her life, I cannot help to call my niece my daughter sometimes. She is very special to me and my sister…her parents died not too long ago from a disease called Star-Scar."
Star-Scar? I've been told only two people have died because of that. It was an unknown disease that had effected two people in the world. Who would've known that I would know such people…"Anyways, she needs protection. How long and from whom"
"How long? For as long as I need it for. Do not worry I will pay you and your friends four times as I have given you earlier each. I will also pay for food and anything else you may need. I just need you to protect her with your life. She's very special to me and I want her to stay safe"
Woah. Four times as much? that's 20,000 that's enough for me to quit and go on vacation and he would even have to pay for food. But there had to be a catch…I finally caught it…
"But Hiro, you never answered my question…from who?"
"Them…those who have no hearts, learking beneath the very floor as we speak. I fear that they would rebel soon. Ansem has turned mad. He will unleash something that we could never comprehend…"
His eyes stared off onto the ceiling. Slit as to anticipate something so great. I was growling inwardly about those he talked about. They had seemed very dangerous and deadly. Does he talk about those strange incidents around the castle? I had to find out myself…
"I see…now how will we go about this business"
"You will take her in and you will live with her in your house"
"Wait…what?! Live with her?"
"Yes…The castle is not safe from anyone anymore…I cannot take a chance…You must take care of her in your household…If you do not own a house I will surely be glad to get one for you"
"No…The house passed on by my mother will do…""Great! I will leave you to know my niece. She's on the third floor balcony. I'm sure that Hiromi and his daughter will show you the way, now if you please excuse me"
He turned and went back upstairs to the second floor and grabbed three books on his way and sat down and read. I turned to leave as I bowed to him and left for the door. It had taken me quite a while to reach the door as the damn library was too much of a maze. The red, blue, pink binders everywhere. I get lost here trying to find the door let alone find a stupid book. After a few tries I found myself at the door to the library. I opened to see Hiromi and his daughter, Kairi, playing with a small ball in the large hallway. She stopped and looked at me and then threw the ball at her father. Boy was she a fiesty one. As I turned around to close the door I realized a whole row of red books had two green books mixed within…I guess someone forgot how to organize…
"So, Cloud, did you find out what your mission was?"
"Yes, yes I did. I have to protect a girl for a indefinite time. Hiro said she was on the third floor""Oh, yes I know where she is. Here let me guide you there…Kairi would you like to come along?"
She gave a nod and then suddenly reached out to me. Surprised and taken back at how the girl took such a quick liking to me I picked her up and carried her on my shoulders as we walked to the room. The hallways were with such elegance and royalty. A red carpet lined the middle of the hallway with gold trimmings and a golden line through the middle. The huge walls covered in elegant statues and paintings. Lit candles brimming near the ceiling hung down as it was our light on the long hallway. As we turned for the stairs I noticed the sun shining out…I had not realized that it had almost become sunset…The spiral stair cases had where made of a beautiful wood polishing with the same carpet as the ones in the hall. Beautiful stones on the wall signified the wall with a spiral of lit candles lighting the stairs. I had imagined one falling down these steps and not stopping. Such a scary case to be involved with. Meanwhile, Kairi had been laughing as she bounced on my head because of the bouncing motion I had been doing while I had been walking on the stairs. Hiromi had been laughing too as we walked up the last few steps onto the third floor. Nothing different about this floor except it had more windows to look upon the country with. More paintings and scriptures filled the hallway. As we stopped by a door Kairi had motioned to get off and I had let her down. She moved to her father hugged him and he picked her up and put her in the same fashion as I, upon the head. I smiled at the father-daughter moment as I did not want to interrupt and knocked on the door…
"Hello, miss?"
No, reply came. Suddenly, something had popped in the back of my head…'them'…maybe…I had to find out. I just remembered that I had left my sword in the library and I had no backup weapon, except for my fists. I had gotten my fist balled up and ready for what may be next door. I ushered Kairi and Hiromi back and I slowly turned the knob. To my surprise it was unlocked and with that thought I opened the door slowly and closed it.
Inside was a beautiful gallery of drapes and pillows. All filled with shades of red and white. See through drapes depicting something of a Arabian design intrigued my mind. It looked so beautiful and the smell was so heavenly, it smelled like fresh flowers from a garden.
The pink and red drapes grew a soft orange as the sunset had peeked through the many bedrooms and flourished the surrounding insides. Just then I saw a figure standing on a balcony. I recognize it as a female girl about my height maybe around my age. I slowly walked easing up my step as I slowly approached the girl. I had gone to the doors of the balcony as a small drape, barely visable as the orange touched it, blocked my way. The doors were open to let in a gentle forest air sweep the room. For a moment, the drapes lifted up in the wind and I saw a vision of beauty.
Her back was to me as her soft-looking silky hair caressed her shoulders and her back as she leaned on the edge of the balcony. She had been wearing a soft pink dress that had been cut about knee length and she wore a small belt around her waist and a bow upon her back. She wore no shoes as she stood barefoot as she stood on the stone balcony. The soft orange, pink and purple glow of the sunset seemly curved to her very body. Her body glowed with radiance and she looked like an angel.
She had birds all around her as her soft, barely audible voice spoke out as she was seemingly conversing with the birds as they chirped back to her words. Her voice was that of a melody softly spoke upon. A gentle harmony filled her voice as she spoke. Lips moving like a temping sin, so inviting, but I would seemingly lose my soul if my lips touched hers. As the wind died out my vision was obscure again by the slow draping of the curtains. I then decided to make my move to this vision of beauty…
I carefully move the drapes and walked onto the stone balcony. I slowly made my way to the vision of a goddess and heard her softly sing with the birds…a unforgettable sound and rhythm…
Clouds swaying in the swift, gentle air
Swaying softly the strands of my silky hair
Caressing the earth in its full bloom
The earth is calling me softly…like the wolf to the moon…
Those lyrics, that voice. Was she the one in the garden? I would soon learn the answer as she turned around
"Oh my, who do we have here?"
I couldn't say anything…she had not looked like an angel…she was an angel. She was leaning on the balcony with her hands on the rail looking at me with a smile on her face. A soft smile with those devilish lips and her sexy hips…she looked so beautiful to me…I couldn't describe my beauty to you in these childish words…because no words simply match. Her deep green eyes searching into mine. A trance of ecstasy seaming through the veins in my soul. Her bird friends long forgotten and have flown off into the forest. The touch of the sunset highlighting her hair, her face, her whole body. It made me shiver under the unpure thoughts running through my head. The pink clouds around her body…they seemed to make wings…Yes, truly she was no still is an angel…
"Hello?"
Oh shi-, the question. I must've been staring at her for quite a while
"I am sorry. My words have escaped my breath under the beauty. My name is Cloud Strife. I am a mercenary hired by Hiroyuki to protect you with my life"
I knelt down on one knee and bowed my head. A gesture I learned by my mother to royalty in the castle. I accidentally found out the words that had been said and felt a little heat come to my cheeks as I understood what I had just confessed
"My, you don't have to stand, Cloud-san."
I slowly stood up and looked at her face. I swore I saw a small blush upon her face…
"Please Miss…"
"Oh, sorry, Aerith Gainsborough" she smiled and curtsied
"Aerith, please drop the honor, I am not of a higher class…Just call me Cloud"
"Sure thing, Cloud, and I am too are of no nobility, please just refer to me as Aerith"
"Sure thing" I said and smiled…again I swore she blushed
"Let's go inside Cloud and talk to each other…"
"I would like to, but I enjoy the company of nature"
I walked up to the balcony and sniffed the air of the beautiful country underneath me. The smell of the Sakura trees, the forest they gave off a hint of purity to the world. The view of the sunset filled fields and forest slowly compelled me to smile and enjoy what I had seen. I slowly felt a gentle touch upon my back. And I turned to see her hand slowly rest against my back as she stood next to me. Her hand left my back as she leaned her weight on the railing. We just took in a moment to enjoy the moment together…suddenly I found myself being nostalgic…
"My mother once said that…-"
"-…we are a beautiful part of nature and like nature we are meant to live"I was stunned…how did she know what my mother said…
"How did you know…""The great Kazama, Hiromi had once said those words to me as he found me one night on the balcony. He told me his friend, the legendary mercenary, Kazama, had said this to him. I guess he knew your mother…"
I smiled at my father's tribulations in the castle and Hiromi's loyalty, but it turned into a hollow, deep smile as I remembered my mother…
"Yes, she did know Kazama, because she was his wife"
"Oh my god, I'm sorry Cloud, I didn't know. Sorry! Please, let me excuse myself"I would've let her go, but something compelled me to make her stay. After she quickly bowed in regret she tried to run, but I caught her by the wrist and pulled her in. I couldn't figure out what was happening to me. Because I ended up hugging her in an embrace. I noticed a blush creep up to her face and a blush to mine. This isn't something I had always experienced.
"It's allright…I'm happy to know my mother's wise words are in someone like you"
She smiled happily as she hugged me back. We were complete strangers, yet, I felt we knew each other for an eternity. And maybe, just maybe, she felt the same way about me. After a while in silence, we separated and went inside. I had become night and I felt a shiver on her body so I had ushered her in and closed the balcony doors behind us. We came to sit on a small table across from each other. Her small garden of flowers softly kissed my senses as I felt the scent on my nose. We sat talking to each other, almost like good old friends, I had explained her my mission to protect her without the part of her father telling me about the enemies. She had explained to me what she did in the castle.
She was a researcher of all the books in the library and was an apprentice to Hiroyuki. I was surprised a girl of her age reading so many books, I knew that I never liked books. Even though mother used to scream at me for not reading them during school. I really didn't care, I knew I couldn't go to college and I had to take care of my mother and that's what I did, till the day she died. After maybe a three hour conversation with my new roommate I heard a slight knocking at my door. She opened the door to reveal Hiromi and Kairi at the door.
Crap!
I had completely forgot about them. I bowed many times in forgiveness, but he waved it off as he left 10 minutes after I closed the door because Kairi was hungry. Kairi ran to Aerith and hugged her and Aerith picked her up. Soon Aerith put her down and she ran to Aerith's garden and plucked out a small daffodil and reached out to Aerith. She put the flower between Aerith's ear and her hair and smiled. I smiled sweetly as I remember that I had once put a flower in my mother's hair. It had been a rose given to me by my father to give to her on her birthday. Though those memories were once long ago. I couldn't help, but to see that my mother's spirit in person like Aerith. Hiromi bowed in apologies, but said that it had been Kairi's bed time and he would've put her to sleep soon.
Though Kairi complained and wanted to sleep with Aerith tonight which Hiromi only smiled and said ok. Kairi brought Aerith to her bed and they began to play. I caught Aerith's attention and said sweet dreams to her as she wish me the same thing. Hiromi bowed as a thanks to Aerith and closed the door behind me as we walked out of the room…
"It's funny"
"Hiromi? What is it?""Aerith is such a kind lady, she really is. Reminds me of the way Kazama described your mother"
"Yes, I know, they might not look the same, but her spirit as the same as my mothers"
"Yes it truly is…shall you rest for the night, Cloud?"
"Yes, I'm dead tired today and I need a rest for tomorrow, we are leaving. But, could we go to the library first I forgot my sword" I replied with embarrassment
"Yeah, of course. Here follow this way…Right here"
I found him opening double doors to reveal a network of what seemed to be elevators hung on strings. The strings glowed with such brightness, like lights on a shop. They seemed to be holding the elevators and directing their path. Such a elaborate networking of such complicated devices could've taken years and years to plan. I found myself again at awe of how this building kept surprising me. The library, now this and, of course, Aerith."Here step with me here Cloud"
"Allright"
Suddenly, I felt weird then in a moment's flash I found myself in the elevator that instantly moved without a bump just like it floated on the wire…I could only describe it in a few words…
"What the fu-"
"These here are the Inner Coil Elevators or ICE as we call them. We called them ICE because of those wires they emit a bright blue and white glow like ice"
And in another's moment flash I found myself in a small hallway closed by a door in the end
"Here we go, the library. Go get your sword and come back here"
"Alright"
I opened the doors to see a busy library…eerily empty and silent. Not a single soul I sensed and it was dark as night. Only the small glow of the candles lighting my way. Hastily, I found myself on the second floor running onto the first and searched for my sword. I found it in a moments time and jumped to the second floor. I walked to the elevator and closed the doors behind me. Not seeing that shadows that feared my presence
"Good, you got your sword now let me bring you to your room to retire for the night."
"Allright"In such a short time, after the a few ICE trips I found myself in the same position as the library but this time it had only 1 door. I said my goodnight to Hiromi and he said goodnight to me and left a sentence in the air.
"Speaking of which, To reach Aerith's floor take the 5th elevator from your right all the way up…"
Before I had a chance to comment he had vanished. Good thing too, I had a little heat at my cheeks. I opened the door to see a large room. Elegantly done with long drapes and tall windows on one side. A King sized bed with drapes had been located on the right side. I sighed in long anticipation of sleeping and started to take off my buckles and straps.
After removing my shoulder plate I took off my socks and walked to the bed while taking off my shirt and pants leaving myself in my boxes and crept into bed. I laid the sword on the ground next to me out of habit and just for emergency case. Though fighting in my boxers wouldn't be a great thing either. I slowly rest my head on the comfy pillows letting the softness draw me in. I looked to the ceiling and thought jumbled in my head. Aerith, Yuffie, Squall, Kairi, Himori, Hiro, and did I mention Aerith?
I thought about the people in my life and how much they meant to me. And looking forward to the days with Aerith at my house. It would be a long time with anyone in my house and it would take some getting used to. Suddenly those impure thoughts plagued my mind and I furiously waved them off. Soon, sleep covered my eyes and my muscles relaxed and found myself about to sleep. Suddenly a thought came to my mind…
"Why did we use the stairs why not the elevators?!"
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AN: How did you guys like it? I know I've been a little late with it, but I was waiting for more reviews. I hope you guys love it and I'll update faster with more reviews :D.