Yes!another! chapter. I still can't figure out if I'm inspirited or just because of my day off. Anyway, this day off was the last so I don't think I'll update as fast as I did before. Nevertheless, read this one. I really tried hard.
Disclaimer: all characters, places belong to SE. I'm just using them.
Cloud just shook off those thoughts and concentrated on his task. It was not very hard to find Gast. Cloud simply had to spot the biggest crowd of people. He quickly glanced in the direction Aerith had left but he couldn't see her. That meant she was far away. He sighed and headed to the church's entrance. He found Gast, surrounded by seven or eight people, at once. Cloud made a deep breath and patted the man's shoulder.
"So the keys of my laboratory were found… huh?" he turned to face Cloud and his lips curved into a smile. "Oh, Cloud, glad to see you."
The man outstretched his hand and Cloud unwillingly shook it. It seemed all eyes were fixed on him so he decided to give Gast this little present.
"Yeah, me too," Cloud forced a weak smile and quickly pulled out his hand. "Glad that you finally came."
With these words he nodded politely to the Gast's colleagues and went away.
Cloud scanned through the yard but didn't spot anyone who needed help. Therefore he yawned lazily and started to walk home. One last sleep in his room wouldn't be out of place.
He woke up from a strange pain in his back. Cloud rubbed his eyes and, when he could finally see well, looked at his watch.
"Crap!" he muttered angrily and stood to his feet as fast as he could almost falling to his knees. He had a feeling that the room was spinning but Cloud had more important things to do. He grabbed the jacket he had taken off before going to sleep and started to put it on hastily. It seemed something was not giving him to slip his right arm into the sleeve and then he noticed that that detail of the clothing was turned inside out. He cursed under his breath. Another glance at the watched was enough to make him extremely worried. Cloud wondered why no one was looking for him but he had no time to think on that. Finally he put on the jacket and rushed at full speed to the church.
It was amazingly crowded there but Cloud had no problems with getting inside. He just pushed people aside with his hands trying to make his way as nearer to the chancel. Many times he was hailed but Cloud paid no need that. Once he was inside, the young man quickly turned left and started to move along the wall. He could see his mother and that Gast man standing at the chancel with happy smiles on their faces. That made Cloud become interested in the number of hours he had slept. The young man could hear every word that priest, the tall robust man, was saying but Cloud tried not to notice them. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Let it be…
Suddenly someone toughed his shoulder.
"Wake up, fellow," called a low harsh voice.
Cloud opened his eyes and saw that everyone was coming outside, probably to celebrate the wedding. So, he managed to miss the ceremony. The young man looked straight in front of him. The man who called him was standing there, his hand still on Cloud's shoulder. His features were rugged, the hair on his head was missing and he wore surprisingly familiar clothes.
"Soldier?" Cloud stated rather than asked. The man nodded and pulled the younger one aside from the wall.
"I was ordered to bring you outside," he reported and Cloud decided to obey. Since Soldier had been sent to accompany him to the party, he couldn't even think about escape.
The man led him outside where loud music was playing. It was rather crowded there, but Cloud could still spot familiar people. At once the grip on his shoulder disappeared and that Soldier was nowhere in sight. Cloud shrugged, took a deep breath as if he was going to jump into the cold water and approached a little group of men dressed in strict dark-blue costumes. He could bet that were Turks. Cloud heard about them from Gast.
"So how soon are we leaving?" asked one of the Turks – blond-haired young woman.
"Actually now," red-haired man with two symmetrical scars on his face replied glancing at his watch.
Cloud smiled weakly. Poor, poor Tifa. She wouldn't have enough time to meet Rufus.
"But it's still impossible," Cloud muttered under his breath looking at the ground. He had no desire to have fun.
"Have no one to talk to?" asked a familiar voice.
He didn't even have to turn to recognize that person. He looked in front of him and a little smile appeared on his lips.
"I see you too," he said mockingly crossing arms on his chest. "Aerith."
She giggled and stood beside him, studying the ground intently. His gaze suddenly became fixed on the flashes on her hair. Cloud bit his lip violently hoping that pain would distract him from staring. Tough luck.
"So you decided to stay, right?" she tried to start a talk. "Even if you, according to your words, 'don't belong in here'."
He smiled even more. So she remembered that. Maybe, after all, this wedding wasn't that bad…
"Yeah," he finally answered turning to face her. "Let's say I was forced to stay."
Aerith nodded acknowledging the fact she understood him.
"Speaking of which. Why are you here? I think everything is arranged already," Cloud continued.
She hesitated for a moment, for some reason giggling again. Déjà vu?
"I want to watch. I have never seen a wedding before. So this one is very special for me…" she answered thoughtfully looking at his chest though Cloud doubted she was aware of that. Most likely she deepened in thoughts.
"Hey, Aerith!" he called making her come to herself. The girl looked at him perplexedly but then quickly smiled. "Are you cold?"
She gasped at his question. Her reaction caused a blush appear on his face.
"I mean, I'm hot so I need to put my jacket somewhere," he explained scratching the back of his neck.
Aerith looked at him from under her lashes and opened her mouth to say something but he quickly cut her off.
"Look! I bet that's the most amazing think you have ever seen," he pointed at the sky. At the moment Aerith looked it, a flash of green exploded and little sparkles started to fall down. But they never touched the ground.
"Fireworks," she whispered very quietly but Cloud could still hear her. Aerith's eyes watched in awe as the lights of different colors tore the darkness of the sky. The young man used this moment and slowly wrapped his jacket around her slim shoulders. She didn't look at him unable to take her eyes off of the sight but muffled up in the clothing. He smiled and joined the girl in watching the fireworks. Blue, yellow, red, violet, then again blue… His mother's favorite color.
Suddenly a melodious slow song started to play and people stepped aside from the central part of the yard. Cloud's mother and her husband, both with wide smiles on their faces, came into the view and started to dance slowly. Cloud clenched his fists but his face didn't change at all. His mother wrapped her arms around Gast's shoulders and rested her head on his chest. People cheered them and then the yard slowly started to fill with more dancing couples. Cloud also saw Tifa standing at the side. She wore a dark-red midi dress and light silk jacket. Looking closely he noticed her nervous biting of lip.
"Cloud, dance with me," Aerith asked all of sudden. The young man looked at her dubiously feeling his knees started to shake. He cleared his throat and patted his chest.
"Excuse me?" Cloud decided to make sure of what she had said.
"This night is wonderful. Like a miracle for me… And these fireworks, this music. Please, one dance. I want to remember this moment for the rest of my life," she looked at him with pleading eyes. He sighed and nodded silently.
Aerith smiled at him and slipped out of the jacket, leaving it on a table. Cloud took her hand vacillatingly and led the girl almost to the edge of the dancing ground. She chuckled and slowly wrapped her arms around his shoulders just like his mother had done earlier. He gulped and rested his hands that became unusually numb around her waist. It seemed that the time stopped. All he could see were her big green eyes sparkling with joy. Maybe everything wasn't too bad for him. Maybe it was worth coming at the wedding. Maybe he would see those eyes once more…
The music became slower and made both his and her eyelids amazingly heavy. She let out a deep breath and rested her on his chest. Without any warning. Just like his mother. Cloud was afraid she would feel his fast heartbeat but she stayed calm, almost somnolent. His right hand started to make its way up her back automatically and cuddled her closer. Again, she didn't react. That was both good and bad. He just didn't want her to fall asleep like that.
But then he felt her hand move too. It slid off his shoulder and found a new place to rest: on his neck. Cloud restrained himself from shivering scarcely and pretended as if nothing had happened. After all, he was just fulfilling her request, nothing more. He doubted he would see her again mainly.
"Cloud?" he called him but instead of hearing the sound of her voice he felt her hot breath on his skin. He pulled away a bit and looked at her face.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked loud enough for her to hear.
But she shook her head.
"No, everything is good. Almost perfect," she replied and restored her previous position.
"Almost…" Cloud repeated quietly but waved the invasion off.
The couple heard the music dying slowly but they continued to dance as before. Cloud looked through the crowd lazily and then his eyes stopped on his mother who was standing not far away from them with a warm smile on her face. The young man blushed and hurried to look away but it was too late. The woman approached them.
"I see you finally met each other," she said loudly outvoicing the music so Aerith could hear her words too.
"What do you mean?" Cloud asked glancing at Aerith and then back to at his mother.
"I mean your stepsister, honey."
They broke the embrace at once. Cloud stared at the young woman, she stared back. It was when he realized all the discomfort of that situation.
Damn.
I hope you enjoyed it. ;) Yeah, I'm hinting... And sorry for the lack of Tifa. I think I'll give her enough attention in the next chapters.
