Author: Wow. Fourth chapter already! Oh yah! I would like to thank my
inspirations at the moment. Lots of love and thanks to Chelsey (who griped
and yarped until I posted) and "Aeris-TheWhiteMageofCetras" (check out her
fanfics, she's an awesome writer)
Sephiroth: *smiles and huggles Author* I feel happy! Oh so happy! I feel pretty and witty and gay!
Author: *eyes widen and she smacks Sephiroth* Snap out of it! I won't tolerate a gay Sephiroth! Not under my watch!
Sephiroth: *pouts* Why can't I be happy?
Author: *can't resist his sad puppydog look and hugs Sephiroth* I'm sorry, but sometimes you just need to shut up.
Sephiroth: *shrugs* Well I know that. I just say what I want anyway. What kind of one winged god would I be if I took orders from mere humans?
Author: *raises an eyebrow* An un-dead one.
Sephiroth: *frantically bows and apologizes* Sorry, sorry, you're right. I won't disobey you again.
Author: *kisses his cheek* Be a good boy and you'll get a treat.
Sephiroth: Yay!
Author: Sorry about that momentary lapse of sanity. I'll move on to the fanfiction now. :P (And for those of you who are waiting for some action, it's coming so calm down and keep your pants on..............No, seriously. Please do.................)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
Last chapter, end line: (Sheathing his sword, Sephiroth climbed the stairs to the balcony and pushed the door open)
As he laid eyes on Aeris standing by the railing, he gasped. The way the moonlight shone down on her beautiful face, lighting it up like an angel, took his breath away. Scarsley breathing, he drew closer to her and a soothing angelic melody surrounded him and calmed him brooding mind. His desire to kiss her or just touch her was so great that he stepped forward against his own will and gently ran his fingers through her unbraided flowing hair.
'My god, this woman smelled heavenly,' he sighed to himself, 'did she have any flaws at all?' This one dent in his emotionless armor was perfect to him in all aspects.
At his gentle touch, Aeris' song stopped and she spun around to face him. She watched him, tears running down her face, utterly confused by the loving gaze that was directed at her. Her heart pounded in her chest and she unknowingly took a step back. He closed the distance between them and, almost shyly, took her into his arms, holding her close and comfortingly stroking her hair. Aeris fearfully pulled away and wiped her eyes, embarrassed.
"Just what do you think you're doing?!" she demanded. Sephiroth guiltily looked away from her reprimanding gaze.
"I........just, you looked upset....... I thought you could use a friend."
Aeris sighed and her lip trembled. "I'm fine."
Sephiroth frowned and wiped away a stray tear that ran down her cheek. "Like hell you're fine."
Aeris just shook her head, "and why do you care?"
"Because," he struggled for words, "I don't know. I just do. Guilty conscious I guess..." Sephiroth's voice became quieter as he spoke. Aeris was surprised at the genuinely sorry look on his face. He actually seemed to regret what had happened in the past.
"Don't beat yourself up about it," Aeris said softly, in a reassuring way. Sephiroth smiled, his eyes masking their emotions once more.
"Hey. That's my line. Who's comforting who here?" The uneasy tension between them broke and Aeris looked at Sephiroth curiously.
"So, how did you know something was wrong?"
Grinning, Sephiroth leaned back against the railing. "Well, I could clearly see you had been crying so I figured that: a. you poked yourself in the eye or b. something was wrong." She laughed softly, a gentle tinkling sound that made Sephiroth glow inside. He had made her laugh! Instantly feeling like an idiot, he turned his attention back to Aeris.
Shaking her head, Aeris sighed. "I feel so childish. I know Cloud is here to help Squall, but I've been grumpy and difficult because I didn't want to stay. I just wanted to go home. I feel so alone sometimes."
Sephiroth nodded, "I know what you mean." Aeris frowned disbelievingly. Could this emotionless general who killed without a second thought be............lonely? She suddenly remembered she had asked him to meet her for a reason.
"Oh, um.......by the way...," she mentioned, trying to sound casual, "I just wanted to clear up a few things. Misunderstandings I guess you'd call them...." Sephiroth looked a little confused, but nodded for her to continue. "Well....," Aeris began awkwardly, "I feel.....unsure, about how you came to be here, exactly."
Sephiroth fidgeted a little, not knowing how to word what he wanted to say. "I don't remember very far back.......I know, that once I found out about the things that Shinra did to my mother, my real mother, I was furious. I destroyed my home and my town and the world was lucky that Cloud had the courage to face me in the Nibelhiem reactor. He threw me down into the bottom of the reactor and I barely survived, but slowly my strength began to return. Luckily my feelings of vengeance did not. Jenova didn't know until the very end that I was alive. Hojo didn't seem to have any problems with stealing my DNA samples and making a clone for Jenova to control though. It took care of most of her orders for me....." Sephiroth was snarling with rage by the end of his explanation.
Aeris touched his arm lightly, feeling sorry for him for the first time in her entire life.
Sephiroth just shook his head and sighed, "I'm sorry."
Aeris smiled sympathetically. Her hand self-consciously touched her stomach where her scar lay underneath. "It wasn't you," she whispered, more to herself then Sephiroth. She held back tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. Sephiroth silently hugged her to him and her shoulders began to shake as tears of relief ran down her face. Stroking her back, Sephiroth held her until she stopped crying. Aeris tensed a little as if she was about to pull back and changed her mind.
Sephiroth was surprised when her felt two gentle arms clasp around his waist. "Aeris.........," he said, startled by her bold action. She put a finger to his lips and looked up at him.
"Please. Just let me have a minute. Just one minute."
Sephiroth could feel her warmth against him and wishfully ran his fingers through her hair. Aeris pulled back after awhile and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Smiling sadly, she took one of his hands in hers. "Thank-you," Aeris murmured. Sephiroth leaned down and kissed Aeris' cheek.
"Anytime," he smiled, "if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'll be there."
Aeris reddened at the kiss, embarrassed, but didn't object. "It's......it's getting late," she stammered awkwardly.
"All right," Sephiroth quipped, "we'd better get you to bed then." Aeris allowed Sephiroth to take her back inside and promised she would find him tomorrow. With one last hug, Sephiroth let her go to her room. "See you tomorrow," he whispered in her ear.
After walking Aeris back to her room, Sephiroth headed off to bed as well. He decided to ask Squall if he could be approved for a dorm room instead of being stuck in the infirmary for the rest of his recovery. As he lay back in bed, he thought about the days events and how things were taking a considerable turn in his favor. "Watch your back Cloud Strife," he whispered aloud, "because the next time it's turned I may just have to put a sword through it." That being said, Sephiroth laid back in bed, wanting tomorrow to come.
Aeris smiled when she entered her room and saw Cloud sprawled out on top of the covers. She moved him so his head was resting on the pillow and pulled the blankets over him. Climbing into bed, she snuggled against Cloud and fell asleep, with thoughts of a certain silver-haired general on her mind.
***
Aeris groaned and rolled over when sunlight shone in her face and pierced through her eyelids. "Too early..." she mumbled sleepily and Cloud stirred beside her. He said something into the pillow that she couldn't decipher and rolled onto his back, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Cloud leaned to the side and messed up Aeris' hair with his hands. She shoved him away, but he caught her in his arms and kissed her.
"Good morning," he grinned, smothering her with kisses. Aeris giggled and tried to fend him off.
"Get your morning breath away from me," she yelped and Cloud laughed, not stopping his attack.
Catching Cloud by surprise, Aeris pushed him back suddenly and laughed brightly as he crashed to the floor. "You're gonna get it now," Cloud grinned evilly, standing and rubbing his head. Aeris shrieked playfully as he pounced on her and held her arms down on the bed. "Now what are you going to do?" Cloud teased, "I've got you prisoner and there's no one to save you this time."
Aeris lifted her head and kissed Cloud deeply. She felt his grip loosen as she distracted him and reversed the situation. Now she was holding him down and laughing evilly. Cloud freed an arm and tickled her until she was laughing helplessly and gasping for air.
"Cloud.......stop.....it.....," she giggled, swatting at him weakly. He collapsed beside her and breathed in deeply, a little short on air himself. Glancing to the side, he watched the beautiful smile that had spread across her face and reached out a hand to stroke her cheek. Not able to resist, he turned to the side and stole a kiss, narrowing missing the following attempt of Aeris to hit him playfully. She climbed out of bed and dressed quickly shivering in the cold air outside the blankets.
Cloud stretched his arms above his head and lay back again lazily. "What's the rush?" he inquired. Aeris blushed and looked at the ground.
"I don't know," she shrugged, "we should get ready though, because Avalanche could be here at any minute..."
Cloud raised his eyebrows. "Um, love, I hate to break it to you, but no one is insane enough, well besides us, to be up at this hour. It's the weekend and students have the day off, remember? Now come back to bed." Aeris smiled at the seductive look Cloud was trying to give her and laughed.
"Nice try buddy, but you still owe me for ditching me all of yesterday."
He tried to look innocent. "Then come here and I'll make it up to you." Aeris glanced at the clock and noted that it was almost lunch time.
"Liar," she laughed and jumped onto the bed beside him, "it's not early at all."
"Can you blame me for trying?" he grinned.
Aeris leaned over and kissed him, feeling Cloud's arms wrap around her as she did. "Cloud," she said, trying desperately to pry him off her before things got out of hand, "someone might come looking for us. What if Squall comes in?"
Cloud held onto her tightly, "then I'll yell at him for not knocking."
Aeris giggled and still resisted him. She nuzzled Cloud's neck and he released her at last. "Fine," he pouted, "I'll go find someone who will love me."
Aeris' eyes twinkled mischievously. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "Sephiroth is just down the hall....."
Cloud shook his head and grinned at her. "I'd much rather have you thanks."
Aeris sighed, "later sweety. We need to get up now." Cloud got out of bed at last and dressed in his usual attire. Coming up behind Aeris he put his arms around her waist and propped his chin on her shoulder, watching her get ready in the mirror. He frowned at the makeup she was applying.
"Why do you even bother with that gunk?" he asked in disgust, "you don't need it." She just smiled.
"You wouldn't understand. You're not a woman." Cloud just rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through her hair, knowing very well what it did to her. "Stop that," she protested, realizing what Cloud was up to, "I said later."
Splitting the hair into three parts, Cloud gently braided it for her and grabbed the pink ribbon off the counter to tie the bottom. Aeris leaned back against him when he was finished and sighed contentedly. "I guess we should get going now......," she noted, glancing at his reflection in the mirror. Cloud nodded and they headed out the door, walking hand in hand towards the cafeteria.
***
Sephiroth awoke feeling rested and happy, for once in his life. Just the thought of Aeris was enough to get him out of bed and ready to go in five minutes flat. Did this woman know what she did to him? He was putty in her hands and she was too clue less to notice. He sighed and smoothed out the front of his coat. Black sure did look good on him. (A/N *drools*)
With a smug look of confidence he headed out of the infirmary and towards the cafeteria. Food may be the second thought on his mind at the moment, but he didn't know where Aeris was so he'd settle for the food. For now. Upon entering the cafeteria, he saw with satisfaction that Cloud and Aeris were already seated with their lunches and from the looks of it, they'd just started eating. He budged in line and quickly grabbed a sandwich and water and shoved twenty gil at the cashier. "Keep the change," he said as he walked away. He walked closer to Aeris' table where she could see him and looked around as thought he didn't know where he should sit.
Aeris saw Sephiroth looking around for a seat, without much success and smiled to herself. "Sephiroth!" she called over to him, "there's a seat over here!" She saw his head turn towards her and a smile lit up his face. Casually strolling over to them, Sephiroth grinned smugly at Cloud who was giving him a "die-you-stupid-prik" look. Aeris turned back around and caught the look Cloud was giving Sephiroth.
"Sweety," she said with a warning tone, "be nice." Cloud glowered and picked at his food. When had they gotten so friendly with each other?
Seating himself next to Aeris and pulling the chair closer to her, Sephiroth shoved his food to the side and smiled gratefully. "Thanks for the offer. I didn't see anywhere to sit." Cloud glared at Sephiroth and looked around at the seven empty tables surrounding them.
"Whatever," Cloud muttered and continued to poke at his food, only with more vengeance now. Squall came in excitedly and plopped himself down in the seat between Sephiroth and Cloud.
"Hey, guess what?" he practically yelled. Aeris looked at him and giggled. He looked like a little boy who got a sticker for getting a good mark on a test.
"What?" she asked, playing along.
"Avalanche is on their way! In fact they should be here by tonight!"
Cloud's head came up to reality and he stopped mutilating his chicken. "Really? Did they say who's coming?"
Squall shook his head and shrugged. "Nope, but as long as Cid stays at home, I'm good! Oh, this is so great! We'll be back on our feet in no time!" Rinoa came in yawning and rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a mess and she wore a fuzzy house coat.
"Morning," she yawned, clearly not sharing her husband's enthusiasm. Squall jumped up and hugged her, lifting Rinoa off her feet and spinning her around. Rinoa moaned.
"Coffee, that's all I ask. Please. Coffee."
Sephiroth smiled at the distressed woman and got up to get her some. Squall finally calmed down a little and sat again with Rinoa on his lap. She leaned against his chest and curled up against him. Fondly brushing some hair out of her eyes, Squall kissed her forehead and let her rest.
"Poor woman," he grinned, "she's been listening to me go on and on all night about how excited I am. She's probably going to kill them all when they get here because they didn't wait until morning to call."
Sephiroth came back with a strong cup of coffee and handed it to Rinoa, who smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you. At least someone knows how to treat a woman right," she teased, looking at Squall. He frowned and nuzzled her.
"Hey. Be nice. I'm learning aren't I?"
Rinoa pushed him away to take a long drink of her coffee. "Slowly, but surely. I guess eventually you'll act your age."
Squall grabbed her coffee away and held it where she couldn't reach it unless she moved. "Squall," she whined, "give it back. I'm warning you!"
Laughing, he handed it back and she smiled and kissed him. Turning to Aeris she grinned. "He's just jealous cause my coffee is getting more attention then him." The two girls laughed and Squall shrugged, knowing any comment from him would only make the situation worse for him.
Sephiroth cleared his throat and stood. "Well, I guess I will see you all later." His eyes held Aeris' as he spoke. Aeris blushed and looked away.
Everyone said their 'see-you-laters' and he headed out the door. Squall smiled to himself. A certain silver-haired someone seemed to have a new attraction. He had seen the way Sephiroth looked at Aeris. He made a mental note to talk to the guy later.
Cloud finally smiled and became social again now that Sephiroth was gone. He really didn't like him. If only he had stayed dead. Aeris startled him out of his thought when she lightly touched his arm. "You okay?" she whispered low so Squall and Rinoa wouldn't hear. Nodding he turned his attention to the conversation at hand.
"I wanted to have two at first, but now I'm starting to think that would be two too many," Squall stated. Rinoa swatted him.
"That's not exactly your decision, now is it?" she said mockingly, "unless you were planning on giving birth?" Squall just smiled and shook his head.
"You still need me for the initial process," he grinned.
Rinoa smiled at him smugly. "There are other ways." Squall paled and hugged her.
"I love you honey," he said, sucking up to her.
Rinoa laughed and snuggled against him. "Don't worry. I'm just teasing."
Squall looked at Cloud, who seemed lost in thought. "How many are you planning on?" he teased Cloud, who looked bewildered.
"Um? planning on?" he asked confused.
"Yah you know. Just give us an estimate."
Cloud didn't have a clue what they were talking about, but didn't want to seem like he hadn't been listening. "Um.........seven maybe....?"
Aeris paled visibly. "Seven?! Sweety are you insane?! I'm not having seven children!"
Cloud went bright red and hid his face behind his hands. He looked up at Aeris and smiled sheepishly. "It's up to you, love. Whatever you want."
Squall laughed at him, knowing very well that he hadn't been listening and was enjoying the situation. Rinoa just rolled her eyes.
Squall got up holding Rinoa in his arms. "Well, I'm off to fulfill my duties," he grinned. Rinoa hit him playfully until he put her down.
She grabbed Aeris' arm. "Come on. I've got to show you the new outfit I got last week. It's drop dead gorgeous." Aeris smiled and followed her friend out of the cafeteria after kissing Cloud good-bye.
Squall looked at his friend with concern. "Are you feeling okay? It's not like you to zone out when people are talking."
Cloud shrugged absentmindedly and stood from the table. "Sorry Squall," he mumbled, "I guess I just have other things on my mind." Sighing he left Squall standing there, confused, and went back to his room. Once inside the room he carefully locked the door and laid on the bed deep in thought. He still didn't trust Sephiroth. Especially with the way he had been looking at his wife.
Cloud rolled over onto his side and considered whether or not to bother Squall with his worries. I'm just being paranoid, he thought to himself, nothing really to worry about.....
***
Aeris gasped in awe at the beautiful dress Rinoa pulled out of the closet. She ran her fingers along the soft silky material and looked back up at Rinoa. "Where did you get this?" she asked in wonder. Rinoa just smiled happily.
"Squall had it hidden to give to me whenever he screwed up. He gave it to me last night as an apology present."
Aeris gazed at the dress longingly. "Maybe I should get mad at Cloud more and he'd buy me a dress like this."
Rinoa watched her friend admiring the dress and felt a twinge of guilt. She knew that Cloud and Aeris were worse off financially then Squall and her were and that she probably shouldn't be rubbing such a lovely present in her friend's face when she couldn't possibly afford anything like it. Shoving it towards Aeris she smiled. "Here, try it on. If I'm not wrong we're still the same dress size are we not?"
"Could I really?" Aeris asked unbelievingly, her eyes growing wide. Rinoa nodded and Aeris unbuttoned her dress and dropped it to the floor. Rinoa picked up Aeris' dress and frowned at it. It was certainly in some need of repair. Aeris slipped into the elegant burgundy silk dress and it draped down her body in just the right places. Rinoa felt a tear run down her cheek.
"You're so beautiful," she whispered and Aeris hugged her tightly. Quickly removing the beautiful dress, Aeris slipped her old one back on and handed Rinoa hers before Rinoa could say anything else. Rinoa was at a loss for words and Aeris just smiled and headed for the door.
"Come on, Rinoa. Let's find the boys and wait with them for Avalanche to arrive." Rinoa could see Aeris' excitement at the prospect of seeing her old friends and put the dress back on the hanger, then followed behind her.
***
Squall walked over to infirmary and knocked lightly on the inner door to Sephiroth's room. "Hey buddy? You in there?" A soft 'come in' came from the other side and Squall entered the room to find a miserable looking Sephiroth sitting on the bed.
"Not you too," Squall commented, and Sephiroth glanced up.
"What?"
"Oh nothing," Squall replied, "you and Cloud just seem so down today. What's wrong? Girl trouble......?" Sephiroth looked at him suspiciously at that comment.
"What do you mean by that?" he growled. Squall sighed and sat next to him.
"I saw the way you were looking at Aeris today in the cafeteria. She may be beautiful, but she's taken. Don't do anything you'll regret later." Sephiroth stayed silent. Squall peered into his face, "do you disagree with me? Hmmmm? Why so silent?"
"He doesn't deserve her," Sephiroth muttered bitterly. Squall sighed.
"Despite what you may think, Aeris loves Cloud. Neither of them are going to be very happy if you go around trying to screw with their personal lives."
"Whatever," Sephiroth snapped. Squall shook his head and gave up.
"Just........be careful....," he warned. Getting up, Squall left Sephiroth to mull over what he had just said.
Sephiroth thought of all the things he would do to a certain little blonde, spiky haired runt if he ever got his hands on him. He wouldn't have to worry about Cloud being in the way much longer....... Grinning to himself he tested his sword with a finger. Good and sharp.
***
Cloud shifted about uncomfortably, thinking about Aeris. He should really go hang out with his friends and stop moping about. God he felt pathetic. That's it! No more sulking! He jumped up from the bed and strolled out the door, colliding with the worse person possible.
"Watch were you're going Strife!" Sephiroth snapped angrily at him. Cloud narrowed his eyes.
"Oh shut up! You're just jealous because you can't have Aeris!" Sephiroth became deadly silent and Cloud knew he had struck home with that comment. Sephiroth smiled tightly and pointed to the balcony exit.
"Care to take this outside?" he asked dangerously.
"Gladly," Cloud snarled.
Sephiroth followed Cloud up the stairwell, thinking of how easy it would be to stab him through the back and be done with it. Very un-sportsman like, but it would get the job done. Wanting to enjoy Cloud's slow, suffering death, he decided against it and watched Cloud push open the door.
Once both of them were outside, Cloud spun around and drew his sword. Sephiroth smirked. "You really think that you could defeat me in battle?" he asked mockingly. Cloud growled.
"What? Are you afraid to face me?" he challenged in return. Sephiroth closed the distance between them and grabbed Cloud by the front of his shirt before he had a chance to react. The Buster sword dropped from Cloud's hand and clattered to the deck.
"How dare you, you stupid, pathetic mortal. You think I would fear you? You are merely a bug to be squashed in the path of my destruction!" Sephiroth shook Cloud to emphasize each word and Cloud whimpered in pain. Sephiroth angrily stormed over to edge of the balcony and dangled Cloud over the sixty-foot drop. "Care to throw anymore insults before you go? Or should I just tell Aeris you said good-bye?"
Cloud's eyes flashed with rage and he struggled fiercely against Sephiroth's hold. "I won't let you touch her you bastard!" he yelled, "put me down and I'll fight you man to man!"
Sephiroth smiled evilly, "as you wish."
Moments later a sickeningly loud thud sounded from below.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
Author: Mwahahahahahaha! I love cliffhangers don't you? *hides from barrage of sharp objects being thrown her way* Okay, okay! I'm sorry, but it was necessary to make you want to read more. lol. Actually I quite enjoy leaving the chapter hanging like this. It was the perfect place to stop. :D *laughs evilly* I think Sephiroth is rubbing off on me. I hope you all still love me and I really, really, really would love it if you guys could give me six reviews because I didn't get a full five last time and so I can end your suspense.
Sephiroth: *dances around happily* Aeris is mine! All mine!
Author: *looks rejected* What about me?
Sephiroth: *laughs* Hell, forget you! I'm gonna get me an Aeris!
Author: *beats down Sephiroth with a meter stick (from my new math class, ugh new semester) and glares at his unconscious form* That'll teach you to laugh at me. *huggles Inuyasha and Legolas* You two can be my replacements until Sephiroth learns to obey me.
Both: *shudder*
Legolas: What have we done to receive such torture?
Inuyasha: *shrugs* Oh well, it's better then that dead chick, what's her name. Kiky-something or other. She smells funny.
Author: *shakes her head* Anyway, thank you for putting up with all my author's note that I enjoy so much! Please review! Lots of huggles for all! (Can you tell I'm starting to get desperate here? lol) ;) See ya soon. (Oh, yes. And I said the action is coming. I didn't mean this chapter.....lol. Don't worry. By the next chapter or two all you "hopeful" peoples should be satisfied)
Sephiroth: *smiles and huggles Author* I feel happy! Oh so happy! I feel pretty and witty and gay!
Author: *eyes widen and she smacks Sephiroth* Snap out of it! I won't tolerate a gay Sephiroth! Not under my watch!
Sephiroth: *pouts* Why can't I be happy?
Author: *can't resist his sad puppydog look and hugs Sephiroth* I'm sorry, but sometimes you just need to shut up.
Sephiroth: *shrugs* Well I know that. I just say what I want anyway. What kind of one winged god would I be if I took orders from mere humans?
Author: *raises an eyebrow* An un-dead one.
Sephiroth: *frantically bows and apologizes* Sorry, sorry, you're right. I won't disobey you again.
Author: *kisses his cheek* Be a good boy and you'll get a treat.
Sephiroth: Yay!
Author: Sorry about that momentary lapse of sanity. I'll move on to the fanfiction now. :P (And for those of you who are waiting for some action, it's coming so calm down and keep your pants on..............No, seriously. Please do.................)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
Last chapter, end line: (Sheathing his sword, Sephiroth climbed the stairs to the balcony and pushed the door open)
As he laid eyes on Aeris standing by the railing, he gasped. The way the moonlight shone down on her beautiful face, lighting it up like an angel, took his breath away. Scarsley breathing, he drew closer to her and a soothing angelic melody surrounded him and calmed him brooding mind. His desire to kiss her or just touch her was so great that he stepped forward against his own will and gently ran his fingers through her unbraided flowing hair.
'My god, this woman smelled heavenly,' he sighed to himself, 'did she have any flaws at all?' This one dent in his emotionless armor was perfect to him in all aspects.
At his gentle touch, Aeris' song stopped and she spun around to face him. She watched him, tears running down her face, utterly confused by the loving gaze that was directed at her. Her heart pounded in her chest and she unknowingly took a step back. He closed the distance between them and, almost shyly, took her into his arms, holding her close and comfortingly stroking her hair. Aeris fearfully pulled away and wiped her eyes, embarrassed.
"Just what do you think you're doing?!" she demanded. Sephiroth guiltily looked away from her reprimanding gaze.
"I........just, you looked upset....... I thought you could use a friend."
Aeris sighed and her lip trembled. "I'm fine."
Sephiroth frowned and wiped away a stray tear that ran down her cheek. "Like hell you're fine."
Aeris just shook her head, "and why do you care?"
"Because," he struggled for words, "I don't know. I just do. Guilty conscious I guess..." Sephiroth's voice became quieter as he spoke. Aeris was surprised at the genuinely sorry look on his face. He actually seemed to regret what had happened in the past.
"Don't beat yourself up about it," Aeris said softly, in a reassuring way. Sephiroth smiled, his eyes masking their emotions once more.
"Hey. That's my line. Who's comforting who here?" The uneasy tension between them broke and Aeris looked at Sephiroth curiously.
"So, how did you know something was wrong?"
Grinning, Sephiroth leaned back against the railing. "Well, I could clearly see you had been crying so I figured that: a. you poked yourself in the eye or b. something was wrong." She laughed softly, a gentle tinkling sound that made Sephiroth glow inside. He had made her laugh! Instantly feeling like an idiot, he turned his attention back to Aeris.
Shaking her head, Aeris sighed. "I feel so childish. I know Cloud is here to help Squall, but I've been grumpy and difficult because I didn't want to stay. I just wanted to go home. I feel so alone sometimes."
Sephiroth nodded, "I know what you mean." Aeris frowned disbelievingly. Could this emotionless general who killed without a second thought be............lonely? She suddenly remembered she had asked him to meet her for a reason.
"Oh, um.......by the way...," she mentioned, trying to sound casual, "I just wanted to clear up a few things. Misunderstandings I guess you'd call them...." Sephiroth looked a little confused, but nodded for her to continue. "Well....," Aeris began awkwardly, "I feel.....unsure, about how you came to be here, exactly."
Sephiroth fidgeted a little, not knowing how to word what he wanted to say. "I don't remember very far back.......I know, that once I found out about the things that Shinra did to my mother, my real mother, I was furious. I destroyed my home and my town and the world was lucky that Cloud had the courage to face me in the Nibelhiem reactor. He threw me down into the bottom of the reactor and I barely survived, but slowly my strength began to return. Luckily my feelings of vengeance did not. Jenova didn't know until the very end that I was alive. Hojo didn't seem to have any problems with stealing my DNA samples and making a clone for Jenova to control though. It took care of most of her orders for me....." Sephiroth was snarling with rage by the end of his explanation.
Aeris touched his arm lightly, feeling sorry for him for the first time in her entire life.
Sephiroth just shook his head and sighed, "I'm sorry."
Aeris smiled sympathetically. Her hand self-consciously touched her stomach where her scar lay underneath. "It wasn't you," she whispered, more to herself then Sephiroth. She held back tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. Sephiroth silently hugged her to him and her shoulders began to shake as tears of relief ran down her face. Stroking her back, Sephiroth held her until she stopped crying. Aeris tensed a little as if she was about to pull back and changed her mind.
Sephiroth was surprised when her felt two gentle arms clasp around his waist. "Aeris.........," he said, startled by her bold action. She put a finger to his lips and looked up at him.
"Please. Just let me have a minute. Just one minute."
Sephiroth could feel her warmth against him and wishfully ran his fingers through her hair. Aeris pulled back after awhile and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Smiling sadly, she took one of his hands in hers. "Thank-you," Aeris murmured. Sephiroth leaned down and kissed Aeris' cheek.
"Anytime," he smiled, "if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'll be there."
Aeris reddened at the kiss, embarrassed, but didn't object. "It's......it's getting late," she stammered awkwardly.
"All right," Sephiroth quipped, "we'd better get you to bed then." Aeris allowed Sephiroth to take her back inside and promised she would find him tomorrow. With one last hug, Sephiroth let her go to her room. "See you tomorrow," he whispered in her ear.
After walking Aeris back to her room, Sephiroth headed off to bed as well. He decided to ask Squall if he could be approved for a dorm room instead of being stuck in the infirmary for the rest of his recovery. As he lay back in bed, he thought about the days events and how things were taking a considerable turn in his favor. "Watch your back Cloud Strife," he whispered aloud, "because the next time it's turned I may just have to put a sword through it." That being said, Sephiroth laid back in bed, wanting tomorrow to come.
Aeris smiled when she entered her room and saw Cloud sprawled out on top of the covers. She moved him so his head was resting on the pillow and pulled the blankets over him. Climbing into bed, she snuggled against Cloud and fell asleep, with thoughts of a certain silver-haired general on her mind.
***
Aeris groaned and rolled over when sunlight shone in her face and pierced through her eyelids. "Too early..." she mumbled sleepily and Cloud stirred beside her. He said something into the pillow that she couldn't decipher and rolled onto his back, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Cloud leaned to the side and messed up Aeris' hair with his hands. She shoved him away, but he caught her in his arms and kissed her.
"Good morning," he grinned, smothering her with kisses. Aeris giggled and tried to fend him off.
"Get your morning breath away from me," she yelped and Cloud laughed, not stopping his attack.
Catching Cloud by surprise, Aeris pushed him back suddenly and laughed brightly as he crashed to the floor. "You're gonna get it now," Cloud grinned evilly, standing and rubbing his head. Aeris shrieked playfully as he pounced on her and held her arms down on the bed. "Now what are you going to do?" Cloud teased, "I've got you prisoner and there's no one to save you this time."
Aeris lifted her head and kissed Cloud deeply. She felt his grip loosen as she distracted him and reversed the situation. Now she was holding him down and laughing evilly. Cloud freed an arm and tickled her until she was laughing helplessly and gasping for air.
"Cloud.......stop.....it.....," she giggled, swatting at him weakly. He collapsed beside her and breathed in deeply, a little short on air himself. Glancing to the side, he watched the beautiful smile that had spread across her face and reached out a hand to stroke her cheek. Not able to resist, he turned to the side and stole a kiss, narrowing missing the following attempt of Aeris to hit him playfully. She climbed out of bed and dressed quickly shivering in the cold air outside the blankets.
Cloud stretched his arms above his head and lay back again lazily. "What's the rush?" he inquired. Aeris blushed and looked at the ground.
"I don't know," she shrugged, "we should get ready though, because Avalanche could be here at any minute..."
Cloud raised his eyebrows. "Um, love, I hate to break it to you, but no one is insane enough, well besides us, to be up at this hour. It's the weekend and students have the day off, remember? Now come back to bed." Aeris smiled at the seductive look Cloud was trying to give her and laughed.
"Nice try buddy, but you still owe me for ditching me all of yesterday."
He tried to look innocent. "Then come here and I'll make it up to you." Aeris glanced at the clock and noted that it was almost lunch time.
"Liar," she laughed and jumped onto the bed beside him, "it's not early at all."
"Can you blame me for trying?" he grinned.
Aeris leaned over and kissed him, feeling Cloud's arms wrap around her as she did. "Cloud," she said, trying desperately to pry him off her before things got out of hand, "someone might come looking for us. What if Squall comes in?"
Cloud held onto her tightly, "then I'll yell at him for not knocking."
Aeris giggled and still resisted him. She nuzzled Cloud's neck and he released her at last. "Fine," he pouted, "I'll go find someone who will love me."
Aeris' eyes twinkled mischievously. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "Sephiroth is just down the hall....."
Cloud shook his head and grinned at her. "I'd much rather have you thanks."
Aeris sighed, "later sweety. We need to get up now." Cloud got out of bed at last and dressed in his usual attire. Coming up behind Aeris he put his arms around her waist and propped his chin on her shoulder, watching her get ready in the mirror. He frowned at the makeup she was applying.
"Why do you even bother with that gunk?" he asked in disgust, "you don't need it." She just smiled.
"You wouldn't understand. You're not a woman." Cloud just rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through her hair, knowing very well what it did to her. "Stop that," she protested, realizing what Cloud was up to, "I said later."
Splitting the hair into three parts, Cloud gently braided it for her and grabbed the pink ribbon off the counter to tie the bottom. Aeris leaned back against him when he was finished and sighed contentedly. "I guess we should get going now......," she noted, glancing at his reflection in the mirror. Cloud nodded and they headed out the door, walking hand in hand towards the cafeteria.
***
Sephiroth awoke feeling rested and happy, for once in his life. Just the thought of Aeris was enough to get him out of bed and ready to go in five minutes flat. Did this woman know what she did to him? He was putty in her hands and she was too clue less to notice. He sighed and smoothed out the front of his coat. Black sure did look good on him. (A/N *drools*)
With a smug look of confidence he headed out of the infirmary and towards the cafeteria. Food may be the second thought on his mind at the moment, but he didn't know where Aeris was so he'd settle for the food. For now. Upon entering the cafeteria, he saw with satisfaction that Cloud and Aeris were already seated with their lunches and from the looks of it, they'd just started eating. He budged in line and quickly grabbed a sandwich and water and shoved twenty gil at the cashier. "Keep the change," he said as he walked away. He walked closer to Aeris' table where she could see him and looked around as thought he didn't know where he should sit.
Aeris saw Sephiroth looking around for a seat, without much success and smiled to herself. "Sephiroth!" she called over to him, "there's a seat over here!" She saw his head turn towards her and a smile lit up his face. Casually strolling over to them, Sephiroth grinned smugly at Cloud who was giving him a "die-you-stupid-prik" look. Aeris turned back around and caught the look Cloud was giving Sephiroth.
"Sweety," she said with a warning tone, "be nice." Cloud glowered and picked at his food. When had they gotten so friendly with each other?
Seating himself next to Aeris and pulling the chair closer to her, Sephiroth shoved his food to the side and smiled gratefully. "Thanks for the offer. I didn't see anywhere to sit." Cloud glared at Sephiroth and looked around at the seven empty tables surrounding them.
"Whatever," Cloud muttered and continued to poke at his food, only with more vengeance now. Squall came in excitedly and plopped himself down in the seat between Sephiroth and Cloud.
"Hey, guess what?" he practically yelled. Aeris looked at him and giggled. He looked like a little boy who got a sticker for getting a good mark on a test.
"What?" she asked, playing along.
"Avalanche is on their way! In fact they should be here by tonight!"
Cloud's head came up to reality and he stopped mutilating his chicken. "Really? Did they say who's coming?"
Squall shook his head and shrugged. "Nope, but as long as Cid stays at home, I'm good! Oh, this is so great! We'll be back on our feet in no time!" Rinoa came in yawning and rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a mess and she wore a fuzzy house coat.
"Morning," she yawned, clearly not sharing her husband's enthusiasm. Squall jumped up and hugged her, lifting Rinoa off her feet and spinning her around. Rinoa moaned.
"Coffee, that's all I ask. Please. Coffee."
Sephiroth smiled at the distressed woman and got up to get her some. Squall finally calmed down a little and sat again with Rinoa on his lap. She leaned against his chest and curled up against him. Fondly brushing some hair out of her eyes, Squall kissed her forehead and let her rest.
"Poor woman," he grinned, "she's been listening to me go on and on all night about how excited I am. She's probably going to kill them all when they get here because they didn't wait until morning to call."
Sephiroth came back with a strong cup of coffee and handed it to Rinoa, who smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you. At least someone knows how to treat a woman right," she teased, looking at Squall. He frowned and nuzzled her.
"Hey. Be nice. I'm learning aren't I?"
Rinoa pushed him away to take a long drink of her coffee. "Slowly, but surely. I guess eventually you'll act your age."
Squall grabbed her coffee away and held it where she couldn't reach it unless she moved. "Squall," she whined, "give it back. I'm warning you!"
Laughing, he handed it back and she smiled and kissed him. Turning to Aeris she grinned. "He's just jealous cause my coffee is getting more attention then him." The two girls laughed and Squall shrugged, knowing any comment from him would only make the situation worse for him.
Sephiroth cleared his throat and stood. "Well, I guess I will see you all later." His eyes held Aeris' as he spoke. Aeris blushed and looked away.
Everyone said their 'see-you-laters' and he headed out the door. Squall smiled to himself. A certain silver-haired someone seemed to have a new attraction. He had seen the way Sephiroth looked at Aeris. He made a mental note to talk to the guy later.
Cloud finally smiled and became social again now that Sephiroth was gone. He really didn't like him. If only he had stayed dead. Aeris startled him out of his thought when she lightly touched his arm. "You okay?" she whispered low so Squall and Rinoa wouldn't hear. Nodding he turned his attention to the conversation at hand.
"I wanted to have two at first, but now I'm starting to think that would be two too many," Squall stated. Rinoa swatted him.
"That's not exactly your decision, now is it?" she said mockingly, "unless you were planning on giving birth?" Squall just smiled and shook his head.
"You still need me for the initial process," he grinned.
Rinoa smiled at him smugly. "There are other ways." Squall paled and hugged her.
"I love you honey," he said, sucking up to her.
Rinoa laughed and snuggled against him. "Don't worry. I'm just teasing."
Squall looked at Cloud, who seemed lost in thought. "How many are you planning on?" he teased Cloud, who looked bewildered.
"Um? planning on?" he asked confused.
"Yah you know. Just give us an estimate."
Cloud didn't have a clue what they were talking about, but didn't want to seem like he hadn't been listening. "Um.........seven maybe....?"
Aeris paled visibly. "Seven?! Sweety are you insane?! I'm not having seven children!"
Cloud went bright red and hid his face behind his hands. He looked up at Aeris and smiled sheepishly. "It's up to you, love. Whatever you want."
Squall laughed at him, knowing very well that he hadn't been listening and was enjoying the situation. Rinoa just rolled her eyes.
Squall got up holding Rinoa in his arms. "Well, I'm off to fulfill my duties," he grinned. Rinoa hit him playfully until he put her down.
She grabbed Aeris' arm. "Come on. I've got to show you the new outfit I got last week. It's drop dead gorgeous." Aeris smiled and followed her friend out of the cafeteria after kissing Cloud good-bye.
Squall looked at his friend with concern. "Are you feeling okay? It's not like you to zone out when people are talking."
Cloud shrugged absentmindedly and stood from the table. "Sorry Squall," he mumbled, "I guess I just have other things on my mind." Sighing he left Squall standing there, confused, and went back to his room. Once inside the room he carefully locked the door and laid on the bed deep in thought. He still didn't trust Sephiroth. Especially with the way he had been looking at his wife.
Cloud rolled over onto his side and considered whether or not to bother Squall with his worries. I'm just being paranoid, he thought to himself, nothing really to worry about.....
***
Aeris gasped in awe at the beautiful dress Rinoa pulled out of the closet. She ran her fingers along the soft silky material and looked back up at Rinoa. "Where did you get this?" she asked in wonder. Rinoa just smiled happily.
"Squall had it hidden to give to me whenever he screwed up. He gave it to me last night as an apology present."
Aeris gazed at the dress longingly. "Maybe I should get mad at Cloud more and he'd buy me a dress like this."
Rinoa watched her friend admiring the dress and felt a twinge of guilt. She knew that Cloud and Aeris were worse off financially then Squall and her were and that she probably shouldn't be rubbing such a lovely present in her friend's face when she couldn't possibly afford anything like it. Shoving it towards Aeris she smiled. "Here, try it on. If I'm not wrong we're still the same dress size are we not?"
"Could I really?" Aeris asked unbelievingly, her eyes growing wide. Rinoa nodded and Aeris unbuttoned her dress and dropped it to the floor. Rinoa picked up Aeris' dress and frowned at it. It was certainly in some need of repair. Aeris slipped into the elegant burgundy silk dress and it draped down her body in just the right places. Rinoa felt a tear run down her cheek.
"You're so beautiful," she whispered and Aeris hugged her tightly. Quickly removing the beautiful dress, Aeris slipped her old one back on and handed Rinoa hers before Rinoa could say anything else. Rinoa was at a loss for words and Aeris just smiled and headed for the door.
"Come on, Rinoa. Let's find the boys and wait with them for Avalanche to arrive." Rinoa could see Aeris' excitement at the prospect of seeing her old friends and put the dress back on the hanger, then followed behind her.
***
Squall walked over to infirmary and knocked lightly on the inner door to Sephiroth's room. "Hey buddy? You in there?" A soft 'come in' came from the other side and Squall entered the room to find a miserable looking Sephiroth sitting on the bed.
"Not you too," Squall commented, and Sephiroth glanced up.
"What?"
"Oh nothing," Squall replied, "you and Cloud just seem so down today. What's wrong? Girl trouble......?" Sephiroth looked at him suspiciously at that comment.
"What do you mean by that?" he growled. Squall sighed and sat next to him.
"I saw the way you were looking at Aeris today in the cafeteria. She may be beautiful, but she's taken. Don't do anything you'll regret later." Sephiroth stayed silent. Squall peered into his face, "do you disagree with me? Hmmmm? Why so silent?"
"He doesn't deserve her," Sephiroth muttered bitterly. Squall sighed.
"Despite what you may think, Aeris loves Cloud. Neither of them are going to be very happy if you go around trying to screw with their personal lives."
"Whatever," Sephiroth snapped. Squall shook his head and gave up.
"Just........be careful....," he warned. Getting up, Squall left Sephiroth to mull over what he had just said.
Sephiroth thought of all the things he would do to a certain little blonde, spiky haired runt if he ever got his hands on him. He wouldn't have to worry about Cloud being in the way much longer....... Grinning to himself he tested his sword with a finger. Good and sharp.
***
Cloud shifted about uncomfortably, thinking about Aeris. He should really go hang out with his friends and stop moping about. God he felt pathetic. That's it! No more sulking! He jumped up from the bed and strolled out the door, colliding with the worse person possible.
"Watch were you're going Strife!" Sephiroth snapped angrily at him. Cloud narrowed his eyes.
"Oh shut up! You're just jealous because you can't have Aeris!" Sephiroth became deadly silent and Cloud knew he had struck home with that comment. Sephiroth smiled tightly and pointed to the balcony exit.
"Care to take this outside?" he asked dangerously.
"Gladly," Cloud snarled.
Sephiroth followed Cloud up the stairwell, thinking of how easy it would be to stab him through the back and be done with it. Very un-sportsman like, but it would get the job done. Wanting to enjoy Cloud's slow, suffering death, he decided against it and watched Cloud push open the door.
Once both of them were outside, Cloud spun around and drew his sword. Sephiroth smirked. "You really think that you could defeat me in battle?" he asked mockingly. Cloud growled.
"What? Are you afraid to face me?" he challenged in return. Sephiroth closed the distance between them and grabbed Cloud by the front of his shirt before he had a chance to react. The Buster sword dropped from Cloud's hand and clattered to the deck.
"How dare you, you stupid, pathetic mortal. You think I would fear you? You are merely a bug to be squashed in the path of my destruction!" Sephiroth shook Cloud to emphasize each word and Cloud whimpered in pain. Sephiroth angrily stormed over to edge of the balcony and dangled Cloud over the sixty-foot drop. "Care to throw anymore insults before you go? Or should I just tell Aeris you said good-bye?"
Cloud's eyes flashed with rage and he struggled fiercely against Sephiroth's hold. "I won't let you touch her you bastard!" he yelled, "put me down and I'll fight you man to man!"
Sephiroth smiled evilly, "as you wish."
Moments later a sickeningly loud thud sounded from below.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
Author: Mwahahahahahaha! I love cliffhangers don't you? *hides from barrage of sharp objects being thrown her way* Okay, okay! I'm sorry, but it was necessary to make you want to read more. lol. Actually I quite enjoy leaving the chapter hanging like this. It was the perfect place to stop. :D *laughs evilly* I think Sephiroth is rubbing off on me. I hope you all still love me and I really, really, really would love it if you guys could give me six reviews because I didn't get a full five last time and so I can end your suspense.
Sephiroth: *dances around happily* Aeris is mine! All mine!
Author: *looks rejected* What about me?
Sephiroth: *laughs* Hell, forget you! I'm gonna get me an Aeris!
Author: *beats down Sephiroth with a meter stick (from my new math class, ugh new semester) and glares at his unconscious form* That'll teach you to laugh at me. *huggles Inuyasha and Legolas* You two can be my replacements until Sephiroth learns to obey me.
Both: *shudder*
Legolas: What have we done to receive such torture?
Inuyasha: *shrugs* Oh well, it's better then that dead chick, what's her name. Kiky-something or other. She smells funny.
Author: *shakes her head* Anyway, thank you for putting up with all my author's note that I enjoy so much! Please review! Lots of huggles for all! (Can you tell I'm starting to get desperate here? lol) ;) See ya soon. (Oh, yes. And I said the action is coming. I didn't mean this chapter.....lol. Don't worry. By the next chapter or two all you "hopeful" peoples should be satisfied)