Author: I feel the need to mention how utterly disturbingly long it took
you people to give me five reviews. I'm sad. :( No one loves me anymore.
Fine then! How about this. I won't ask for a "required" amount of reviews.
I'll just update whenever I'm ready to. Ha! So there!
*Legolas and Inuyasha shudder in fear when she comes closer to them, both chained to a wall and dress in 'leather apparel'*
Author: *coos at them* How are my lovers doing?
Legolas: Let us go! Without me middle earth will parish and no one with a perfect, beautiful complexion will be in the movie anymore, thus ceasing half the fans interests in seeing the movies and making our ratings/profits plummet!
Author: *shrugs* I think you're a gay pretty-boy elf and that didn't stop me from seeing the movies. Not to mention your run-on sentences are atrocious.
Legolas: Hey!
Inuyasha: *smirks*
Author: *turns to Inuyasha* And you, my little puppy dog, are a pathetic little whiner who can't accept when a relationship is over.
Inuyasha: Hey! *growls angrily*
Author: *giggles and takes their chains off them* There. You're free. Now get going.
Inuyasha: *smiles meekly* Um, can I have my clothes back? I don't think a tight leather thong is acceptable in the feudal era.
Legolas: *grins* I've grown rather attached to mine.
Author: *shudders* Get out of here! I won't say it again! Or do you want more huggles?!
Inuyasha and Legolas: NOOOOO!!!!!! *run away*
Sephiroth: *returns with an apologetic look on his face* Hi......
Author: *turns her back to him* Sorry. You had your chance. I'm even single now. But no, you wanted Aeris. Leave me be in my miserable self loathing!
Sephiroth: *sighs* *glances at readers* You see what I have to put up with? Geez. And she wonders why I left. Well I can tell you that she doesn't own any of the Final Fantasy characters. Even me. Most of the time anyway. *clears throat* We are all owned by Squaresoft (Yah yah, I know. Square- Enix)
Author: Hey! I didn't tell you to do the disclaimer yet! I was going to let Chelsey do it!
Sephiroth: *shrugs*
Author: *growls in anger and heads for her room* Let's start the fic!
Sephiroth: *hurriedly follows* See you guys at the end of the chapter. :D
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Squall's head jerked up away from his work when a loud crash echoed throughout Garden.
"Emergency stop!" Squall barked into an intercom, "and what the hell was that?!"
"No clue, sir. We're investigating as we speak." Squall jumped down onto the lift and got to the main entrance as fast as he could. Aeris and Rinoa were already there and an out of breath Sephiroth came running down the hall, followed by Cloud. Aeris could see that both men had their hands clenched tightly around their weapons and she made sure to position herself in between them.
Squall entered a code into the key pad next to the door and a whoosh sounded as the door lowered into a ramp. Thick clouds of smoke billowed up into the main hall and the group made their way through to the outside. Loud swearing ensued and Cid swung himself out the side.
"Fuck! I just washed the damn thing too!"
Squall groaned. "Not Cid. Anyone, but Cid," he moaned to himself. A familiar cloaked face appeared as well and Vincent gracefully jumped ship. He landed on his feet then helped a frazzled looking Tifa down to the ground. Tifa's foot caught on the edge of the ship and the two ended up sprawled on the ground in a heap. Vincent untangled his cloak from the young woman and helped her up, a small smile playing on his lips. Tifa shook her head at his amusement and brushed herself off.
Cloud's face widened into a smile as he ran to Tifa, smothering her in a big bear hug. Vincent strolled over to Aeris and she hugged him excitedly. Vincent pulled her back and inspected her.
"I see time has treated you well," he spoke softly. Aeris grinned.
"Forget me! How are you guys?!" Tifa had managed to escape from Cloud and ran over to Aeris, embracing her friend.
"We're great! I haven't seen you people in so long! I've missed you so much!" Both girls jumped up and down in each other's arms. Cid shook his head.
"Damn women. They better not start crying or nothing." Aeris laughed at his disgust.
"Sorry Cid. We're just so happy to see each other again." Cid scoffed at her reply and went to inspect the damage to the Highwind. A high pitched voice came from inside the airship and an adorable little girl ran out giggling and laughing. A pissed off looking Red XIII leapt out after her.
"Sarah!" he snarled, "get back here! Your mom's gonna kill me!" The girl ran directly into Tifa's arms and buried her face in Tifa's hair.
"Sarah!" Tifa said scoldingly, "I told you to wait inside until I came to get you!" The girl looked up at Tifa innocently.
"But mommy, me and Red are playing tag."
"Mommy?" Cloud choked out, but no one heard his strangled comment. Tifa raised an eyebrow at Red.
"Tag?" she asked, sceptically. Red shrugged and bared his teeth in a smile.
"I wasn't aware of it." The girl giggled and continued to hide. She peered out and saw Sephiroth standing in the shadows, looking a little nervous, and her eyes widened. Struggling until Tifa put her down, she skipped over to him and clamboured up his leg until he awkwardly picked her up. Tifa's face went white when she saw who was standing there and she reached out towards the little girl.
"Sarah, honey......" she said, her voice quivering with fear, "please come here. Don't go near that man! Come here now!" Vincent stepped forward and pointed his clawed hand at Sephiroth.
"Put the child down," he spoke in a quiet, but dangerous voice. She had already climbed up onto Sephiroth's shoulders and she was playing with his hair, forming clumsy braids. Sephiroth threw his hands in the air helplessly.
"I didn't invite her. She got up here on her own!" Aeris and Squall both came to his defence and Squall explained the whole situation. Vincent held the shaking Tifa who was trying to get over the shock of seeing her old enemy alive.
"You have pretty hair," the girl giggled at Sephiroth, completely oblivious to the tense situation surrounding her. Vincent left Tifa and went to the giggling girl.
"Come down Sarah," Vincent said in a caring tone, "come on. You're scaring mommy." With a leap the girl launched herself off of Sephiroth and into Vincent, who narrowly missed catching her.
"Baby, did Cid give you candy again?" Vincent asked suspiciously. She just grinned happily and ran her fingers through Vincent's hair. (A/N: This kid seems to have a hair fetish. lol. I wonder where she could've got that from........ *eyes shift back and forth*) Tifa spoke up after a minute of everyone's confused silence.
"Um, everybody? This is my daughter, Sarah. Tell them how old you are pumpkin." Sarah giggled shyly.
"I'm three!" she smiled, holding up three fingers, "my birthday is in nine days! Daddy's gonna buy me a pony!" Vincent smirked at the happy girl.
"Sorry, baby, but you might have to settle for a different pet." Sarah pouted, but still snuggled up to Vincent and laid her head on his chest. Cloud looked back and forth between Tifa and Vincent.
"Um......so....what?! Huh? Clear this up for me. Tifa......you and Vincent?!" Tifa went over to Vincent and kissed him, then nuzzled her daughter's cheek.
"That would be correct," she beamed happily. Cloud stood speechless and Aeris gasped.
"Tifa! That's great! It's about time you got yourself a man." Tifa laughed and Vincent yawned suddenly.
"Sorry," he smiled, "sarah was really excited about coming and she kept me awake all last night." Sarah grinned proudly. Cloud was staring in shock as everyone surrounded the two and congratulated them. Tifa blushed happily and Vincent seemed overwhelmed by all the attention.
"How come we weren't invited to the wedding?" Aeris asked sadly.
"It was a private wedding. We just did the whole legal junk in front of the judge and then went back to my bar," Tifa explained.
"Back to your bar, eh?" Squall grinned. Rinoa smacked him playfully.
"Leave them alone. Maybe some couples don't like broadcasting everything they've done to their friends," she said, giving him a look.
Squall shrugged and smiled. "Well, why don't you all come inside and I'll give you a tour of Garden. I really appreciate you coming." Red growled his approval and followed Squall into Garden. The rest shortly followed as well and Cid continued inspecting his airship like it was an injured child.
Sephiroth managed to sneak away from the large group and watched Cid from the shadows. Maybe the Highwind could be useful. After all, ruling the world would take a lot of work. He'd need decent transportation. An evil grin passed over his lips. They were all going to pay for the humiliation they had put him through.
Squall was acting as a tour guide, explaining everything as they passed it and pointing out things of interest. Cloud was disgusted at the way Vincent and Tifa kept smiling at each other like that. He had assumed she'd stay single after he left. She'd said she couldn't live without him. Things had obviously changed since then. Glaring at the floor, Aeris tapped him lightly on the forehead.
"No more sulking, sweety," she said with a smile, "I know you loved her. Just let her be happy." Cloud looked at Aeris with a mixture of shock and pain. How did she know that he wanted Tifa for himself? He had wanted both women, but chose Aeris because she was the most likely to find someone new. It was extremely selfish of him, but he felt that if he couldn't have Tifa and Aeris then no one else should either.
"I love you, and only you," he lied to Aeris, kissing her neck softly. Aeris sighed, knowing the truth in her heart. She stuck by Cloud because she knew he loved her, even though someone else shared that love. She never let it bother her that his love was divided. It was the best she could ever get. She couldn't imagine anyone else loving her. She would never be worthy of a love devoted only to her. Maybe there was one other person........... Her mind drifted to thoughts of Sephiroth and she glanced around, wondering where her friend had gotten to.
Squall wrapped up his speech and stood before the group with his arms wrapped lovingly around his wife's waist. "Well, that about wraps it up. Any questions?"
Tifa smiled, "I think you answered questions I didn't even want to ask." Rinoa giggled at Squall's indignant look.
Vincent spoke up quietly. "May I ask where we shall be staying?" Squall smacked his hand to his forehead.
"How stupid of me," he grinned, "follow me. If you're lucky then there should be three empty rooms left. One for Tif and Vincent and one for Cid and Red. Hopefully we don't get too many more visitors or we're gonna run out of rooms." Aeris and Cloud stayed behind as Squall led the group over to the dorms.
Aeris smiled slightly at Cloud's distressed form and touched his arm gently. "Cloud?"
"I think I need a little time alone," he said, looking at the floor.
Aeris felt hurt and tried not to show it. "A-all right....... I'll be outside if you need me. I'm going to go pick some flowers...." Cloud nodded and waved her away with a hand.
Aeris sighed with a quivering breath, her shoulders slumping. She headed back to the front and leaned against one of Garden's outer walls watching Cid repair the Highwind. He waved at her and almost lost his balance. She giggled at his distress over losing his cigarette. His back was soon to her again as he welded bits and pieces back into place.
Brushing back a loose strand of hair, she closed her eyes and felt the calming wave of peace that the planet sent through her mind. I have to have patience with him, she thought sadly. He'll be back to his normal self soon and I can pretend I'm the only woman in his life again. She yelped when a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back into the shadows.
Before she could scream a gentle hand covered her mouth and she looked up to see Sephiroth smiling down at her.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked curiously, "shouldn't you be with the 'love of your life' or your friends?"
Aeris shook her head sadly, "I just needed some time to think out a couple problems."
"Perhaps I could be of service," Sephiroth offered. Aeris giggled at the thought of Sephiroth picking flowers with her and smirked at him.
Her look worried him. "So you want to 'be of service'?" Sephiroth nodded slowly. "Well then come pick flowers with me," she grinned mischievously.
His eyes twinkled with amusement and he bowed slightly to her. "My pleasure. Lead the way."
Aeris smiled and grabbed his hand, surprising him. "Come on," she said, pulling him with her. His fingers intertwined with hers and he smiled smugly as he followed her quick paced walking to a field that was far off in the distance. Anything that would get them alone together was an event he was willing to do.
Sephiroth watched the happy young woman dashing around to the different types of wildflowers that grew in abundance around the grassy field. She frowned in his direction, momentarily stopping her search.
"Why aren't you picking any?" she asked, sounding disappointed. Sephiroth smiled and bent down, breaking off a dandelion.
"How's this?"
She smiled and came over to him. "Hmmmmm. I don't know. She plucked a magenta coloured flower from the bundle in her arms and tucked it behind Sephiroth's ear. "There. Beautiful."
Sephiroth laughed, a sound that was strange and wonderfully new to Aeris' ears. She shoved him playfully and ran back into the flower covered area. She heard Sephiroth pursuing her and ducked down in the grass. When kneeling, it was tall enough to hide her. She heard him prowling around, searching for her.
"Aeris?" he called out in amusement. The woman was gone. He focused on the field surrounding him and sensed her somewhere near the middle. His eyes snapped open and he took off at a run, tackling Aeris to the ground. She cried out in surprise when he knocked her over. She hadn't been expecting him to find her for quite awhile.
Aeris laughed and propped herself up on her elbows. "No fair! You cheated somehow!"
Sephiroth lay in the grass next to her and smirked. "You only say I cheated because I found where you were hiding. Perhaps next time you won't be so obvious and give away your location."
"Well, excuse me! I could beat you at any fair contest," Aeris said, putting her hands on her hips and leaning over him. Sephiroth smiled pleasantly at her.
"How is that any incentitive for me to be fair?" Aeris sighed and gazed at the sky above her. How could a day be so beautiful even when everything else was wrong? She felt a hand on her back and looked back down to Sephiroth. He was frowning at her.
"You all right?" he asked watching her carefully. She nodded wordlessly, loving how Sephiroth was so worried about her. He was such a good friend. He had definitely changed.
If I take her with me, I could start a whole new super race, Sephiroth smiled to himself. Kill off the weaklings and have a complete Cetra race. The perfect world. He turned his body slightly to the side, positioning himself closer to her. Would she ever fall for him? Maybe he just needed to pour on the charm. She's not very happy with Cloud at the moment. You could sense it. Maybe a more direct approach?
Aeris gazed at the surrounding flowers with happiness. She loved nature. Strong arms suddenly pulled her down. "What the?!" she yelled as Sephiroth caught her in his arms before her head could connect with the ground. He grinned and leaned his face in close to hers.
"It seems I've got myself quite a catch," he whispered, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her cheek. Dear Gods, what's happening? she wondered to the planet. Sephiroth touched his lips to hers and kissed gently, waiting to see how she would react. A shiver coursed through her and she pulled away, a little afraid.
"I'm sorry," Sephiroth smiled, smoothing her hair with his hand, "I just had to try." Aeris looked at his confused.
"Try?"
"I was seeing if you'd choose me over Strife. Apparently not." Aeris felt pain in her chest at the thought of Cloud. Why did he have to act like this? It was his fault she was sitting in the arms of this man. Making up her mind, Aeris wrapped her arms around Sephiroth's neck, pulling his face back to hers.
He didn't waste any time either and responded just as eagerly. His tongue ran along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, enjoying him fully. His leather scent was so rustic and different from the earth and plant smells she was used to. It was wonderful. She felt giddy and light headed as the two fell back in the grass, lip locked. Sephiroth began to move his kisses down her neck and along her neck line and she let his silvery hair fall through her fingertips as he came back to her swollen lips for more.
Cloud sighed deeply and banged a fist against the hallway wall. Stupid Tifa. Going and getting married. Nothing ever went his way. With his luck Aeris would run off with some other guy and he'd be left all alone. If that ever happened he didn't know what he'd do. His rage boiled up inside of him at the thought of it. He'd skewer the guy who took her first of all and then probably kill off anything that stood in his way, just to release some anger and all that.
He decided to find Aeris and apologize. He'd deal with Tifa later. He headed outdoors and looked around. She said something about picking flowers I believe, he thought to himself. "Hey Cid!" he yelled to the older man, "have you seen Aeris?"
Cid shrugged, pointing to the number of screws he had in his mouth and pointed in the direction of a large field. Cloud yelled a thanks and started for the field.
Red snuggled onto the soft bed that Squall had said he could use. He was completely beat. Babysitting for Tifa took a lot of energy. That Sarah was quite a handful. He began purring softly as he drifted off to sleep.
Sarah snored softly from the bed next to her mom and dad's. Tifa was exhausted, but still grinned at Vincent when he climbed into bed, shirtless. "I thought we were going to bed?" she asked, smiling, "how am I supposed to sleep if I know there's a sexy shirtless man in my bed?" Vincent looked around.
"If that problem arises, let me know." Tifa kissed him and leaned on his warm bare chest.
"Good night," she sighed happily.
"Good morning," he smiled and leaned his head to the side, kissing her shoulder since it was only thing he could reach. They snuggled against each other's warmth and Tifa pulled the blanket around them. Soon everyone in the room was alseep, annoying child and all.
Cloud tromped through the grass, squinting against the bright coloured flowers. "Aeris?" he called, every now and then. He thought he could hear something over to his right and headed in that direction. Pulling apart a large wall of grass he gasped...............
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Author: Mwahahahahahaha! Stupid Cloud! That's what you get for being a prick. lol. Yay! Sephiroth is loved!
Sephiroth: Well yah. Who could resist me? ;)
Ashley: Me
Author: *glares and makes Ashley disappear* Shut up. Ignore her Sephiroth. She doesn't know what she's missing.
Ashley: Not much. *smirks*
Author: Hey! I thought I made you disappear!
Ashley: *shrugs* Your author powers must be on the fritz.
Sephiroth: We'll see about this resisting business! *lunges at Ashley and kisses her neck seductively*
Ashley: *pushes him away* Um, would you mind not slobbering on my neck? And this is a new black fuzzy sweater!
Sephiroth: *looks confused* So?
Ashley: *pouts* I like my sweater. ^_^
Author: All right! All right! That's quite enough! *waves wand frantically causing Ashley's sweater to turn into a pink frilly halter top and Sephiroth's black leather to turn into blue spandex* What the hell's wrong with this thing?! *yells at person who sold her magic author wand* Amanda! You said this was in perfect condition!
Amanda: *shrugs* Yah, perfect condition for something that's been used for who knows how many years.
Author: GRRRRRRRAARRRRRGHHH!!!!!!!
Sephiroth: Repent, repent! Run and hide! Run and hide! *dives for cover*
Ashley: *stares in shock at her now transformed favourite sweater* But I liked my sweater.... :(
Amanda: *runs for her life*
Author: *returns out of breath and snap wand over her knee* *everything returns to normal*
Sephiroth: Oh thank God! That stuff was starting to ride up the you know where.
Ashley: *shudders and then hugs herself* I love my sweater.
Author: Anyway.............I hope people are still with us at this point in the author's notes. Hello? *looks around for readers and can't find any* Oh well. *sighs* I'll do my shpeal anyway. *clears throat* Thanks for reviewing, yadda yadda, please review more, yakity yak, lots of reviews, blah blah blah, I'll post when the next chapter is done, etc.
Sephiroth: *huggles Author* I read your fics. I love you.
Author: Yah yah, sure.
Sephiroth: No! I really do!
Author: *eyes go all big and glassy like in Sailor Moon anime* Really?
Sephiroth: Really really (Yah! Shrek quote! :P)
Author: Awwwwww *hugs Sephiroth*
Sephiroth: *grins* Score! *slaps Author's ass and runs*
Author: BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!! COME BACK HERE!!!!! *runs after him with a katana*
Ashley: I like my sweater. *smiles and waves goodbye to readers* *puts on her headphones and listens to Belleville Rendezvous on her mini disk player*
(The End. No really. :P Wait! No! I didn't mean it! I meant the end of the chapter, not the end of the story! Wait! Nooooooo! Please read the next chapter..................................................................... .............................^_^)
*Legolas and Inuyasha shudder in fear when she comes closer to them, both chained to a wall and dress in 'leather apparel'*
Author: *coos at them* How are my lovers doing?
Legolas: Let us go! Without me middle earth will parish and no one with a perfect, beautiful complexion will be in the movie anymore, thus ceasing half the fans interests in seeing the movies and making our ratings/profits plummet!
Author: *shrugs* I think you're a gay pretty-boy elf and that didn't stop me from seeing the movies. Not to mention your run-on sentences are atrocious.
Legolas: Hey!
Inuyasha: *smirks*
Author: *turns to Inuyasha* And you, my little puppy dog, are a pathetic little whiner who can't accept when a relationship is over.
Inuyasha: Hey! *growls angrily*
Author: *giggles and takes their chains off them* There. You're free. Now get going.
Inuyasha: *smiles meekly* Um, can I have my clothes back? I don't think a tight leather thong is acceptable in the feudal era.
Legolas: *grins* I've grown rather attached to mine.
Author: *shudders* Get out of here! I won't say it again! Or do you want more huggles?!
Inuyasha and Legolas: NOOOOO!!!!!! *run away*
Sephiroth: *returns with an apologetic look on his face* Hi......
Author: *turns her back to him* Sorry. You had your chance. I'm even single now. But no, you wanted Aeris. Leave me be in my miserable self loathing!
Sephiroth: *sighs* *glances at readers* You see what I have to put up with? Geez. And she wonders why I left. Well I can tell you that she doesn't own any of the Final Fantasy characters. Even me. Most of the time anyway. *clears throat* We are all owned by Squaresoft (Yah yah, I know. Square- Enix)
Author: Hey! I didn't tell you to do the disclaimer yet! I was going to let Chelsey do it!
Sephiroth: *shrugs*
Author: *growls in anger and heads for her room* Let's start the fic!
Sephiroth: *hurriedly follows* See you guys at the end of the chapter. :D
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Squall's head jerked up away from his work when a loud crash echoed throughout Garden.
"Emergency stop!" Squall barked into an intercom, "and what the hell was that?!"
"No clue, sir. We're investigating as we speak." Squall jumped down onto the lift and got to the main entrance as fast as he could. Aeris and Rinoa were already there and an out of breath Sephiroth came running down the hall, followed by Cloud. Aeris could see that both men had their hands clenched tightly around their weapons and she made sure to position herself in between them.
Squall entered a code into the key pad next to the door and a whoosh sounded as the door lowered into a ramp. Thick clouds of smoke billowed up into the main hall and the group made their way through to the outside. Loud swearing ensued and Cid swung himself out the side.
"Fuck! I just washed the damn thing too!"
Squall groaned. "Not Cid. Anyone, but Cid," he moaned to himself. A familiar cloaked face appeared as well and Vincent gracefully jumped ship. He landed on his feet then helped a frazzled looking Tifa down to the ground. Tifa's foot caught on the edge of the ship and the two ended up sprawled on the ground in a heap. Vincent untangled his cloak from the young woman and helped her up, a small smile playing on his lips. Tifa shook her head at his amusement and brushed herself off.
Cloud's face widened into a smile as he ran to Tifa, smothering her in a big bear hug. Vincent strolled over to Aeris and she hugged him excitedly. Vincent pulled her back and inspected her.
"I see time has treated you well," he spoke softly. Aeris grinned.
"Forget me! How are you guys?!" Tifa had managed to escape from Cloud and ran over to Aeris, embracing her friend.
"We're great! I haven't seen you people in so long! I've missed you so much!" Both girls jumped up and down in each other's arms. Cid shook his head.
"Damn women. They better not start crying or nothing." Aeris laughed at his disgust.
"Sorry Cid. We're just so happy to see each other again." Cid scoffed at her reply and went to inspect the damage to the Highwind. A high pitched voice came from inside the airship and an adorable little girl ran out giggling and laughing. A pissed off looking Red XIII leapt out after her.
"Sarah!" he snarled, "get back here! Your mom's gonna kill me!" The girl ran directly into Tifa's arms and buried her face in Tifa's hair.
"Sarah!" Tifa said scoldingly, "I told you to wait inside until I came to get you!" The girl looked up at Tifa innocently.
"But mommy, me and Red are playing tag."
"Mommy?" Cloud choked out, but no one heard his strangled comment. Tifa raised an eyebrow at Red.
"Tag?" she asked, sceptically. Red shrugged and bared his teeth in a smile.
"I wasn't aware of it." The girl giggled and continued to hide. She peered out and saw Sephiroth standing in the shadows, looking a little nervous, and her eyes widened. Struggling until Tifa put her down, she skipped over to him and clamboured up his leg until he awkwardly picked her up. Tifa's face went white when she saw who was standing there and she reached out towards the little girl.
"Sarah, honey......" she said, her voice quivering with fear, "please come here. Don't go near that man! Come here now!" Vincent stepped forward and pointed his clawed hand at Sephiroth.
"Put the child down," he spoke in a quiet, but dangerous voice. She had already climbed up onto Sephiroth's shoulders and she was playing with his hair, forming clumsy braids. Sephiroth threw his hands in the air helplessly.
"I didn't invite her. She got up here on her own!" Aeris and Squall both came to his defence and Squall explained the whole situation. Vincent held the shaking Tifa who was trying to get over the shock of seeing her old enemy alive.
"You have pretty hair," the girl giggled at Sephiroth, completely oblivious to the tense situation surrounding her. Vincent left Tifa and went to the giggling girl.
"Come down Sarah," Vincent said in a caring tone, "come on. You're scaring mommy." With a leap the girl launched herself off of Sephiroth and into Vincent, who narrowly missed catching her.
"Baby, did Cid give you candy again?" Vincent asked suspiciously. She just grinned happily and ran her fingers through Vincent's hair. (A/N: This kid seems to have a hair fetish. lol. I wonder where she could've got that from........ *eyes shift back and forth*) Tifa spoke up after a minute of everyone's confused silence.
"Um, everybody? This is my daughter, Sarah. Tell them how old you are pumpkin." Sarah giggled shyly.
"I'm three!" she smiled, holding up three fingers, "my birthday is in nine days! Daddy's gonna buy me a pony!" Vincent smirked at the happy girl.
"Sorry, baby, but you might have to settle for a different pet." Sarah pouted, but still snuggled up to Vincent and laid her head on his chest. Cloud looked back and forth between Tifa and Vincent.
"Um......so....what?! Huh? Clear this up for me. Tifa......you and Vincent?!" Tifa went over to Vincent and kissed him, then nuzzled her daughter's cheek.
"That would be correct," she beamed happily. Cloud stood speechless and Aeris gasped.
"Tifa! That's great! It's about time you got yourself a man." Tifa laughed and Vincent yawned suddenly.
"Sorry," he smiled, "sarah was really excited about coming and she kept me awake all last night." Sarah grinned proudly. Cloud was staring in shock as everyone surrounded the two and congratulated them. Tifa blushed happily and Vincent seemed overwhelmed by all the attention.
"How come we weren't invited to the wedding?" Aeris asked sadly.
"It was a private wedding. We just did the whole legal junk in front of the judge and then went back to my bar," Tifa explained.
"Back to your bar, eh?" Squall grinned. Rinoa smacked him playfully.
"Leave them alone. Maybe some couples don't like broadcasting everything they've done to their friends," she said, giving him a look.
Squall shrugged and smiled. "Well, why don't you all come inside and I'll give you a tour of Garden. I really appreciate you coming." Red growled his approval and followed Squall into Garden. The rest shortly followed as well and Cid continued inspecting his airship like it was an injured child.
Sephiroth managed to sneak away from the large group and watched Cid from the shadows. Maybe the Highwind could be useful. After all, ruling the world would take a lot of work. He'd need decent transportation. An evil grin passed over his lips. They were all going to pay for the humiliation they had put him through.
Squall was acting as a tour guide, explaining everything as they passed it and pointing out things of interest. Cloud was disgusted at the way Vincent and Tifa kept smiling at each other like that. He had assumed she'd stay single after he left. She'd said she couldn't live without him. Things had obviously changed since then. Glaring at the floor, Aeris tapped him lightly on the forehead.
"No more sulking, sweety," she said with a smile, "I know you loved her. Just let her be happy." Cloud looked at Aeris with a mixture of shock and pain. How did she know that he wanted Tifa for himself? He had wanted both women, but chose Aeris because she was the most likely to find someone new. It was extremely selfish of him, but he felt that if he couldn't have Tifa and Aeris then no one else should either.
"I love you, and only you," he lied to Aeris, kissing her neck softly. Aeris sighed, knowing the truth in her heart. She stuck by Cloud because she knew he loved her, even though someone else shared that love. She never let it bother her that his love was divided. It was the best she could ever get. She couldn't imagine anyone else loving her. She would never be worthy of a love devoted only to her. Maybe there was one other person........... Her mind drifted to thoughts of Sephiroth and she glanced around, wondering where her friend had gotten to.
Squall wrapped up his speech and stood before the group with his arms wrapped lovingly around his wife's waist. "Well, that about wraps it up. Any questions?"
Tifa smiled, "I think you answered questions I didn't even want to ask." Rinoa giggled at Squall's indignant look.
Vincent spoke up quietly. "May I ask where we shall be staying?" Squall smacked his hand to his forehead.
"How stupid of me," he grinned, "follow me. If you're lucky then there should be three empty rooms left. One for Tif and Vincent and one for Cid and Red. Hopefully we don't get too many more visitors or we're gonna run out of rooms." Aeris and Cloud stayed behind as Squall led the group over to the dorms.
Aeris smiled slightly at Cloud's distressed form and touched his arm gently. "Cloud?"
"I think I need a little time alone," he said, looking at the floor.
Aeris felt hurt and tried not to show it. "A-all right....... I'll be outside if you need me. I'm going to go pick some flowers...." Cloud nodded and waved her away with a hand.
Aeris sighed with a quivering breath, her shoulders slumping. She headed back to the front and leaned against one of Garden's outer walls watching Cid repair the Highwind. He waved at her and almost lost his balance. She giggled at his distress over losing his cigarette. His back was soon to her again as he welded bits and pieces back into place.
Brushing back a loose strand of hair, she closed her eyes and felt the calming wave of peace that the planet sent through her mind. I have to have patience with him, she thought sadly. He'll be back to his normal self soon and I can pretend I'm the only woman in his life again. She yelped when a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back into the shadows.
Before she could scream a gentle hand covered her mouth and she looked up to see Sephiroth smiling down at her.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked curiously, "shouldn't you be with the 'love of your life' or your friends?"
Aeris shook her head sadly, "I just needed some time to think out a couple problems."
"Perhaps I could be of service," Sephiroth offered. Aeris giggled at the thought of Sephiroth picking flowers with her and smirked at him.
Her look worried him. "So you want to 'be of service'?" Sephiroth nodded slowly. "Well then come pick flowers with me," she grinned mischievously.
His eyes twinkled with amusement and he bowed slightly to her. "My pleasure. Lead the way."
Aeris smiled and grabbed his hand, surprising him. "Come on," she said, pulling him with her. His fingers intertwined with hers and he smiled smugly as he followed her quick paced walking to a field that was far off in the distance. Anything that would get them alone together was an event he was willing to do.
Sephiroth watched the happy young woman dashing around to the different types of wildflowers that grew in abundance around the grassy field. She frowned in his direction, momentarily stopping her search.
"Why aren't you picking any?" she asked, sounding disappointed. Sephiroth smiled and bent down, breaking off a dandelion.
"How's this?"
She smiled and came over to him. "Hmmmmm. I don't know. She plucked a magenta coloured flower from the bundle in her arms and tucked it behind Sephiroth's ear. "There. Beautiful."
Sephiroth laughed, a sound that was strange and wonderfully new to Aeris' ears. She shoved him playfully and ran back into the flower covered area. She heard Sephiroth pursuing her and ducked down in the grass. When kneeling, it was tall enough to hide her. She heard him prowling around, searching for her.
"Aeris?" he called out in amusement. The woman was gone. He focused on the field surrounding him and sensed her somewhere near the middle. His eyes snapped open and he took off at a run, tackling Aeris to the ground. She cried out in surprise when he knocked her over. She hadn't been expecting him to find her for quite awhile.
Aeris laughed and propped herself up on her elbows. "No fair! You cheated somehow!"
Sephiroth lay in the grass next to her and smirked. "You only say I cheated because I found where you were hiding. Perhaps next time you won't be so obvious and give away your location."
"Well, excuse me! I could beat you at any fair contest," Aeris said, putting her hands on her hips and leaning over him. Sephiroth smiled pleasantly at her.
"How is that any incentitive for me to be fair?" Aeris sighed and gazed at the sky above her. How could a day be so beautiful even when everything else was wrong? She felt a hand on her back and looked back down to Sephiroth. He was frowning at her.
"You all right?" he asked watching her carefully. She nodded wordlessly, loving how Sephiroth was so worried about her. He was such a good friend. He had definitely changed.
If I take her with me, I could start a whole new super race, Sephiroth smiled to himself. Kill off the weaklings and have a complete Cetra race. The perfect world. He turned his body slightly to the side, positioning himself closer to her. Would she ever fall for him? Maybe he just needed to pour on the charm. She's not very happy with Cloud at the moment. You could sense it. Maybe a more direct approach?
Aeris gazed at the surrounding flowers with happiness. She loved nature. Strong arms suddenly pulled her down. "What the?!" she yelled as Sephiroth caught her in his arms before her head could connect with the ground. He grinned and leaned his face in close to hers.
"It seems I've got myself quite a catch," he whispered, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her cheek. Dear Gods, what's happening? she wondered to the planet. Sephiroth touched his lips to hers and kissed gently, waiting to see how she would react. A shiver coursed through her and she pulled away, a little afraid.
"I'm sorry," Sephiroth smiled, smoothing her hair with his hand, "I just had to try." Aeris looked at his confused.
"Try?"
"I was seeing if you'd choose me over Strife. Apparently not." Aeris felt pain in her chest at the thought of Cloud. Why did he have to act like this? It was his fault she was sitting in the arms of this man. Making up her mind, Aeris wrapped her arms around Sephiroth's neck, pulling his face back to hers.
He didn't waste any time either and responded just as eagerly. His tongue ran along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, enjoying him fully. His leather scent was so rustic and different from the earth and plant smells she was used to. It was wonderful. She felt giddy and light headed as the two fell back in the grass, lip locked. Sephiroth began to move his kisses down her neck and along her neck line and she let his silvery hair fall through her fingertips as he came back to her swollen lips for more.
Cloud sighed deeply and banged a fist against the hallway wall. Stupid Tifa. Going and getting married. Nothing ever went his way. With his luck Aeris would run off with some other guy and he'd be left all alone. If that ever happened he didn't know what he'd do. His rage boiled up inside of him at the thought of it. He'd skewer the guy who took her first of all and then probably kill off anything that stood in his way, just to release some anger and all that.
He decided to find Aeris and apologize. He'd deal with Tifa later. He headed outdoors and looked around. She said something about picking flowers I believe, he thought to himself. "Hey Cid!" he yelled to the older man, "have you seen Aeris?"
Cid shrugged, pointing to the number of screws he had in his mouth and pointed in the direction of a large field. Cloud yelled a thanks and started for the field.
Red snuggled onto the soft bed that Squall had said he could use. He was completely beat. Babysitting for Tifa took a lot of energy. That Sarah was quite a handful. He began purring softly as he drifted off to sleep.
Sarah snored softly from the bed next to her mom and dad's. Tifa was exhausted, but still grinned at Vincent when he climbed into bed, shirtless. "I thought we were going to bed?" she asked, smiling, "how am I supposed to sleep if I know there's a sexy shirtless man in my bed?" Vincent looked around.
"If that problem arises, let me know." Tifa kissed him and leaned on his warm bare chest.
"Good night," she sighed happily.
"Good morning," he smiled and leaned his head to the side, kissing her shoulder since it was only thing he could reach. They snuggled against each other's warmth and Tifa pulled the blanket around them. Soon everyone in the room was alseep, annoying child and all.
Cloud tromped through the grass, squinting against the bright coloured flowers. "Aeris?" he called, every now and then. He thought he could hear something over to his right and headed in that direction. Pulling apart a large wall of grass he gasped...............
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
Author: Mwahahahahahaha! Stupid Cloud! That's what you get for being a prick. lol. Yay! Sephiroth is loved!
Sephiroth: Well yah. Who could resist me? ;)
Ashley: Me
Author: *glares and makes Ashley disappear* Shut up. Ignore her Sephiroth. She doesn't know what she's missing.
Ashley: Not much. *smirks*
Author: Hey! I thought I made you disappear!
Ashley: *shrugs* Your author powers must be on the fritz.
Sephiroth: We'll see about this resisting business! *lunges at Ashley and kisses her neck seductively*
Ashley: *pushes him away* Um, would you mind not slobbering on my neck? And this is a new black fuzzy sweater!
Sephiroth: *looks confused* So?
Ashley: *pouts* I like my sweater. ^_^
Author: All right! All right! That's quite enough! *waves wand frantically causing Ashley's sweater to turn into a pink frilly halter top and Sephiroth's black leather to turn into blue spandex* What the hell's wrong with this thing?! *yells at person who sold her magic author wand* Amanda! You said this was in perfect condition!
Amanda: *shrugs* Yah, perfect condition for something that's been used for who knows how many years.
Author: GRRRRRRRAARRRRRGHHH!!!!!!!
Sephiroth: Repent, repent! Run and hide! Run and hide! *dives for cover*
Ashley: *stares in shock at her now transformed favourite sweater* But I liked my sweater.... :(
Amanda: *runs for her life*
Author: *returns out of breath and snap wand over her knee* *everything returns to normal*
Sephiroth: Oh thank God! That stuff was starting to ride up the you know where.
Ashley: *shudders and then hugs herself* I love my sweater.
Author: Anyway.............I hope people are still with us at this point in the author's notes. Hello? *looks around for readers and can't find any* Oh well. *sighs* I'll do my shpeal anyway. *clears throat* Thanks for reviewing, yadda yadda, please review more, yakity yak, lots of reviews, blah blah blah, I'll post when the next chapter is done, etc.
Sephiroth: *huggles Author* I read your fics. I love you.
Author: Yah yah, sure.
Sephiroth: No! I really do!
Author: *eyes go all big and glassy like in Sailor Moon anime* Really?
Sephiroth: Really really (Yah! Shrek quote! :P)
Author: Awwwwww *hugs Sephiroth*
Sephiroth: *grins* Score! *slaps Author's ass and runs*
Author: BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!! COME BACK HERE!!!!! *runs after him with a katana*
Ashley: I like my sweater. *smiles and waves goodbye to readers* *puts on her headphones and listens to Belleville Rendezvous on her mini disk player*
(The End. No really. :P Wait! No! I didn't mean it! I meant the end of the chapter, not the end of the story! Wait! Nooooooo! Please read the next chapter..................................................................... .............................^_^)