Chapter 2: A Thousand Miles

Making my way downtown
Walking fast, faces pass
And I'm homebound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making my way
Through the crowd
And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could just see you
Tonight

A Thousand Miles – Vanessa Carlton

Aeris opened the door to Barret's café. Tifa would be joining her in an hour, after her class. She was early, but she knew Cloud would be late. He always was. So she sat down at one of the small, round tables.

The café was really nice. Dark red walls, lots of mirrors, wooden furniture and a platform with a microphone and sound system at one end. Tifa had told her that they had open mic nights. She was one of only two customers who were in the café. The other was a man, a few years older than her by the looks of it. He had black hair, which was quite long, and was dressed in black and dark red clothes. He suited the café. She looked up as a large black man came over. This must be Barret himself.

"What can I get you?" He asked.

"A tea, thanks." He wrote it down, and then he disappeared into the kitchens. Aeris pulled out her notebook and started to jot down lyrics ideas. After a few minutes she was lost in her own world.

Her thoughts strayed to home. Not her dormitory, but to Kalm. Where she and Cloud had grown up. Well, he had been from Nibelheim originally, the same as Tifa. But both would have been too young to remember each other. Cloud was a few months older than her. They had been neighbours, friends, and classmates. He was like a brother to her. Many presumed they were going out, but it never came up between them. They were too close to become anything more than friends, if that even made sense.

She thought about her parents. Infalna and Matthew Gast. She had a different surname to her parents. That was because, Matthew Gast was her stepfather. Her real father had died before she was born. Infalna had remarried when Aeris was about four, and Aeris loved her stepfather dearly. But she hadn't wanted to change her own name, and so remained Aeris Gainsborough. Her parents were both scientists, and fairly famous ones at that. The subject had never interested Aeris. But her parents had never discouraged her love of creativity, even though they're own work was so serious.

In Kalm, everybody knew everybody. It was that kind of place. Everyone was each other's lives and you knew each persons family. That was one reason why it was so strange here. There were a thousand strangers in every direction you looked in. Home seemed a thousand miles away, although it was only an hour and a half by train.

Aeris sipped the tea that Barret had brought her. She reread the lyrics, and then looked around, trying to think about the next line. Her eye caught on the stranger in the corner. He had a drawing pad out and was sketching furiously. She wondered idly what he was drawing when he looked up and caught her staring at him. She turned away, blushing. The door opened and Cloud came in. He joined her.

"Good morning Gorgeous." He said. She smiled. He was always called her things like that. It was rather embarrassing but he never stopped even when she asked.

"Good morning Cloud. You're late."

"By ten minutes."

"Exactly. You were late by fifteen minutes last time. You're slacking."

"I'll try harder next time." He said solemnly. He glanced at the lyrics book.

"Anything interesting?"

"No. Trying to become inspired before class."

"Let me look."

He was the only person she showed her music to. Even her parents were denied this. Cloud scanned the lyrics.

"Misfit, eh? It's good. Not as good as that one you wrote before. What was it called?"

"A Thousand Miles?"

"That's the one. That was seriously brilliant. Hey, do you want a coffee?"

He ordered a drink from Barret and then turned to her.

"Nervous about class?"

"Terrified. I already checked it out and there's only fifteen other students in my class."

"Really? There's around 40 in mine."

"Exactly. That means the lessons are going to be more intimate. I'll have to show everyone my stuff." Aeris said, chewing he thumbnail.

"Aeris, you're fantastic. Don't worry about it. After all, they're the ones who should be scared. You're going to blow them away."

"Thanks Cloud. What would I do without you?" Aeris said, stealing his biscuit and biting into it. Cloud snatched it back.

"I don't know. Buy your own food?"

"Hey, you said that this was your treat. Anyway, Tifa's going to be here soon."

"Your roommate? Cool. Is she hot?" Cloud asked, winking. Aeris kicked him under the table.

"Leave Tifa alone! She's lovely. I don't want you telling her any embarrassing childhood stories."

"Like the time you jumped into the well in Kalm and nearly drowned."

"Exactly!" Aeris said, glaring.

When Tifa did arrive, Aeris was in the bathroom. She came in, looked around and frowned. She caught sight of Cloud and he smiled at her. She smiled back. He waved her over and she sat down.

"You're Tifa, right?"

"That's right."

"I'm Aeris's friend. Cloud."

"Oh, hi! It's great to meet you."

When Aeris returned from the bathroom it was to find the pair talking comfortably. She slid into her seat and smiled at Tifa.

"Hi Tifa. I see you've met the village idiot."

"Hey! I resent that!" Cloud protested. Aeris smiled.

"How was class?" she asked Tifa.

"It was great! I knew a lot of what it was about, because there was a student who took it last year in here a lot."

"Tifa!"

She jumped as Barret came over, carrying a plate of toast and three cups of coffee. Tifa grinned and hugged him,

"Aeris, Cloud, this is Barret. He's sort of my dad/boss." Barret nodded.

"And right now I'm your boss! So get to work."

"After breakfast." She said, tucking into the toast he had set down on the table. He joined them.

"So what are you two taking here at MA?" He asked conversationally. Cloud grinned.

"Media Production and literature."

"Music literature." Aeris said, drinking the coffee. Barret nodded.

"You've got the Highwinds then."

"The Highwinds?" Cloud asked, looking worried. Barret laughed.

"Cid and Shera Highwind. They're both professors here, but they're married. Cid teaches Media Production and Shera takes Music."

"What are they like?"

"From what I know, Cid has a got a filthy mouth and short temper, while Shera is the sweetest woman alive." Tifa said. Cloud smirked.

"I'm going to enjoy Media then."

"Hey, he's a great teacher, just don't cross him." Barret said. He tapped the back of Tifa's head.

"Get to work, Lockheart. I don't pay you to sit around, talking to your friends."

"Yes sir." She said with a mock-salute. Barret returned to the kitchens and Tifa went behind the counter, pulling on an apron. She held up a coffeepot.

"Refill?"

Aeris and Cloud hung around the café for the best part of the morning. Tifa kept them entertained, by messing around as she cleaned the café and served the customers that came in. Although the café was popular, it never seemed to get too crowded.

"A lot of people just go the bar across the road. We get a select crowd in here." Tifa explained. At 11:15 they reluctantly prepared to leave. Tifa smiled.

"Enjoy class. See you back at the dorm Aeris. It was great to meet you, Cloud."

"You too, Tifa." Cloud said, smiling at her.

"Welcome to Music. I'm Shera Highwind, and I'll be your professor this semester." The cheerful, blonde woman told the sixteen students. She smiled.

"And there's no need to look so nervous, all of you. I don't bite. Unless you fail to hand in work, in which case I'll set my husband on you."

Nervous laughter. Clearly Cid Highwind's reputation was infamous on the campus. She smiled.

"You're all free to call me Shera. I generally end up with small classes, so there's no point in being formal about things. And I like to get to know my students. So, we'll go around and introduce ourselves."

Aeris watched as the students introduced themselves, adding a small fact about themselves afterwards. The girl sitting on her left had very short brown hair and said,

"Hi! My name's Yuffie Kisaragi. I'm from Wutai, but Midgar University has a better music course, which is why I'm here. But the Wutai basketball team still kicks Midgar's butt."

They all laughed at her cocky attitude. It was Aeris's turn.

"Hi. I'm Aeris Gainsborough. I come from Kalm and this is my first time in Midgar, so I'm constantly getting lost on campus. And there is no way that the Wutai team is better than Midgar!" She added as an afterthought. They laughed again. Yuffie stuck her tongue out and Aeris returned the gesture.

Once the introductions were completed Shera stood up.

"OK. I expect everybody here as at a different level of musical training, but that's OK. At the end of each class, we'll all sit back in the circle and share some of what we've done. We're going to be critical but no overly critical. We're here to help each other out, so there's no need to be embarrassed. For the first class, do whatever you want. Look around the room, try out some of the instruments, and see what you like best. Part of the course is one-on-one tutoring with me and another part is performing in a concert at Christmas and at the end of the school year. It'll be up to you all to organise those. We also tend to help out in the drama department with their performances and the Media Production class sometimes asks us to help with their mini-projects. It's hard work, but you're going to have fun, and come out with a degree at the end of it, OK?"

They all split up. Aeris went over to the corner where there were a great number of guitars. She had taught herself to play guitar and piano and had lessons in clarinet, saxophone and violin. These instruments were breathtaking. The highest quality.

Some people were playing the piano; some were trying out wind instruments. There were a few on the computers, trying out the music compilation programs. Aeris took down a violin and a bow and played a few quick notes. Shera looked up, but Aeris didn't notice. She carried on playing, running through a few different songs. She stopped and looked at the violin. It sounded amazing.

"That was wonderful." She looked up. Shera was standing next to her, watching. She smiled.

"Thanks."

"What instruments do you play?"

"Piano, guitar, violin, clarinet and saxophone. And I'm hoping to learn percussion." Aeris said, putting the violin back. Shera smiled.

"Quite a variety."

"I just love music. It's like nothing else. There are a lot of things you can't say out loud. But you can say them with music."

"Boy, that's deep." Said Yuffie, coming over. Aeris blushed. Shera smiled.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You're clearly good at music. Don't be embarrassed about it. Embrace it. Are you looking into a career with music?"

"I want to be a songwriter. I know it's hard but I have to try. I can't imagine being in a job without music."

Yuffie brightened.

"Hey, can you play piano?"

"Yes."

"Can you help me with it? I'm mainly a vocalist but I need an instrument as well. I've been trying with piano but it's hard."

"Sure, I'll help you." Aeris said, bewildered. Shera smiled and turned to talk with some of the other students. Yuffie clapped her hands.

"This is fantastic! Come on; show me what you can do! Hey, you brought your own guitar! That's so cool!"

Aeris laughed at her excitement. She followed Yuffie to the piano and they sat down on the wide stool. Yuffie cracked her fingers.

"It's so great that I met someone who can play this good. I've been struggling with this instrument for nearly six months and I still can't get past the basics!"

By the end of the lesson, Yuffie knew the notes and could play a few short tunes with one hand. Aeris had sometimes taught children how to play in Kalm but it was different teaching someone her own age. She was embarrassed by the attention she was receiving. A little while before the end of the lesson Shera called them back to the circle.

"OK, guys. We're going to show off to each other. There's no need to be shy. We're stuck with each other for a few years, might as well show us what you're made of. Part of being a musician is playing to other people. You're not going to learn music and not show it to other people. That goes against all of my teaching standards. James, you go first. Just do your best – that's all I'm asking for."

James played them some Beethoven on a violin. Aeris listened to each performance with delight. These people clearly loved music as much as she did. She relished being among them, sharing their love of music. Yuffie was the complete opposite of her though. She hooked up a microphone and sang to them. Aeris was stunned. She had a big voice for such a small person. She delighted in being the centre of attention.

Aeris was the last person to perform. Shera smiled encouragingly.

"Come on, don't be shy. Just do whatever you want."

Aeris licked her lips and sat down at the piano, placing her notebook in front of her so she could see the words. Hesitantly she ran her fingers over the keys in quick succession of each other. She felt herself relax. She knew this. This was just the same as practising in her bedroom or for Cloud. She looked at the lyrics and sang into the microphone over the piano.

"Making my way downtown
Walking fast, faces pass
And I'm homebound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making my way
Through the crowd
And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could just see you
Tonight"

She stopped. No need to play the whole song. They all applauded and Shera stood up.

"OK, that's it for today. You're all welcome to come in any time to rehearse, as long as you log in, with that book by the door. There's a list of one-on-one tutoring times by the door. Don't be late and if you can't make one come and TELL me. Don't just not show up. I'll see you tomorrow."

Yuffie bounded up to Aeris.

"That was so cool!"

"Thanks Yuffie. When do you want to meet for another lesson?"

"Tomorrow morning?"

"OK, I'll meet you here at 10:30."

"Thanks a ton, Aeris! You're the best!" Yuffie said and hugged her, much to her surprise.

Aeris gathered up some notes that had fallen from her book. Shera smiled and helped her.

"I think you're going to enjoy this course, Aeris."

"I think so too. I was so scared!"

"No need to be. University is scary at first but once you get here it's ok. I'll see you tomorrow."

As Aeris made her way to her literature class, she couldn't help smiling.

Aeris sat with Cloud in literature class. The teacher, Professor Jenova, was explaining the course aims.

"We're going to be studying novels from different time periods. You will be writing a paper on each text. There will be an exam on each text. For part of the course marks you will be writing a creative writing piece. I'm warning you now. Literature is not a course to take lightly. I set a lot of work and I expect it to be done. However, I am not a monster. If you have any questions you can ask them. I have not had a failure in this class for twelve years. Don't be the first. I want you to pass as much as you do. When the finals are near, I will be holding extra revision classes. I take this class seriously and I expect you to as well."

His dark eyes ran over the crowd. A smile spread across his face.

"And now that I've intimidated you enough, let's get started."

They laughed, although be it somewhat nervously. As Professor Jenova wrote the names of the texts on the board Cloud whispered to Aeris.

"Is University as bad as you thought it was going to be?"

She smiled at him.

"I think I can handle it."