How's everyone doing
How's everyone doing? Making some spaghetti and got the tunes going, ready to write the new chapter. Hope everyone is enjoying the story. I love hearing from you all! I never expected so much from this story. I was surprised at how many people have read this! Thanks! Well I'm going to start writing now. Enjoy! –Annubis
Disclaimer: I do not own final fantasy vii, Squaresoft does.
Chapter 31
"Cloud…" Tifa stood with her arms behind her back. She stared at the wet man in front of her. "What are you doing here?"
Cloud shuffled uncomfortably and cleared his throat. The house was silent. A moment later Tifa heard the front door of the house open and close. David must've left to give Cloud and her some privacy. Tifa blushed at the thought. Her auburn eyes stared at Cloud's.
"I…made a promise, didn't I?" He said finally. His voice was shaky as he shivered.
"Oh? A promise?" Tifa smiled and stared at her bare feet. She heard Cloud move. A second later his hands were on her shoulders. Tifa shivered at his touch. He wasn't wearing his gloves.
"I knew you would be here." He whispered. "I came…to make sure you were all right."
Tifa had goose bumps. She smiled shyly and looked at his face. His blue orbs were staring right back. She did not notice she was holding her breath.
"I'm fine…really." She managed.
"Liar…" His accusation shocked her. She gasped and smiled again.
"I didn't think you knew me so well…" She brushed a hair out of her eyes.
"You never noticed, but I do see you." His words were barely audible.
"See me?" Tifa tilted her head. Her hands moved from behind her to her front. She pulled on her fingers.
"You really are easy to read." He smirked.
"Am I?" She blushed again. "But…why would you come here?" Tifa asked him.
"I told you, I made a promise…" His hands removed themselves from her shoulders. He took a step back and looked at her. "To come whenever you were in a pinch…whenever you were in trouble."
"What makes you think I am in trouble?" Tifa asked again. She wasn't sure why she was asking these questions. Was she ready for his answers?
"Tifa, you have no family here. You and I are…alone." He sat on the piano bench. "I was keeping myself busy in Midgar, helping the families there. It wasn't enough to keep my mind off of things. I figured you would be here, hiding. And I knew that if you were here, all alone, things would get hard for you. I myself wouldn't have lasted this long staying here in Nibelheim." Cloud shook his head. His wet bangs and spikes dripped a few drops of water.
"You're right." Tifa smirked and made her way to the bed. She grabbed the quilt and walked next to Cloud. He looked up at her with stormy eyes. His eyes held a lot of emotion, but nothing else about him did.
"Are you alright, Tifa?" He stood up.
"I'm fine." She whispered and wrapped the quilt around his shoulders. "You looked cold…"
"…" He stared at the blanket. His eyes then scanned back towards the girl.
The two stared at each other for a long time, neither made a sound. There was one thing about Cloud, he rarely talked a lot. She didn't expect him to say much more.
"What are you going to do now?" Tifa asked finally.
"Be with you." He opened the quilt and stood against her. He then wrapped Tifa in the quilt with him. She looked at his hands as he did so.
"Be with me?" She glanced at his face. His eyes were almost piercing.
"Hmm." He nodded. "I'll take you with me back to the Highwind."
"When are we leaving?" She ignored how close he was to her.
'This is not happening…' she thought.
"Whenever you want. We don't have much time, but we can stay for a while." He looked out the window.
'What is he thinking!? I wish he would talk to me…' Tifa frowned. She couldn't take it anymore.
"Cloud." She turned his face towards hers. He swallowed hard. "Why don't you ever talk to me?"
"I do…" He said weakly.
"No. Not like you should." She tilted her head.
"I don't know what to say." He tightened the blanket around them. Tifa was cold from his wet clothes. He looked down at her. "What do you want me to say?"
"I want you to tell me what it is you are thinking about. I want you to tell me what you are feeling." She explained.
"…Scared…" He muttered, not looking at her. "…confused…"
"Why?" She felt her heart sink a little.
"I'm not sure. I have too many feelings to make sense out of anything." He shook his head again.
"Are any of the feelings about me?" The dark haired woman scooted closer to him, wanting warmth. She could feel Cloud tense.
"…Yes." He whispered after a minute. "A lot of them are because of you."
"Are they bad feelings?" Tifa whispered.
"I'm not sure."
"Not sure?"
"Some make me scared, others nervous or confused. I feel doubt, I feel sadness, and I feel everything all at once." Cloud sighed. "I have no idea what I am trying to say."
"Can you give me an example?"
"Example?" Cloud stared at the ceiling. "I had a dream about you. When I woke up I was so worried I immediately packed and left for Nibelheim."
"You did that for me?" Tifa's voice was high.
"Yeah." He looked down at the woman.
'Damn, she's beautiful.' He closed his eyes.
"Tifa…I…" He leaned in close to the woman. Tifa felt her heart stop. They were inches away. They both held their breath.
'Kiss me…kiss me!' Tifa bit her lower lip. Cloud lowered his head, away from her lips. 'NO!!' She was full of disappointment.
"I'm sorry…" Cloud said quickly and he pulled the blanket from his shoulders and placed them on hers.
'No, Cloud! Don't do this! Don't run!' Tifa felt tears sting her eyes. She watched him head for the doorway. Tifa darted for him.
"No!" She grabbed his arm. He spun around quickly and pressed his body against hers. He pulled her against him. She felt a shiver down her spine. "Please don't run…"
"Tifa. I don't want to run." He rested his cheek against the side of her head.
"What are you afraid of?" She wrapped her arms around him.
"That…things will get complicated." He mumbled.
"Complicated? They've been complicated for months now!" Tifa laughed.
"…They have. I don't want things to get worse." He closed his eyes.
"Do you still love her?" Tifa breathed out. She knew that was what the problem was.
"…" Cloud let go of her and turned his back on her. He leaned forward against the doorway. "Please…Tifa…" He sounded sad.
"I know that is what it is, Cloud. I'm not stupid…" Tifa shrugged. "Aeris is a very nice girl. She's very pretty and has something about her that can make anyone smile. She's just a positive woman."
"Do you…" Cloud started. "Have feelings for Vincent?"
"Vincent!" Tifa turned away from him as well. "I…don't know what it is I feel for him."
"Sounds like everyone is confused." Cloud lowered his head.
"Vincent, Aeris, us…" Tifa walked towards the window. She stared outside at the well. "I don't think anyone knows what they want."
'Zack…he's the only one that knows what he wants. He came back to life for her…' Tifa sighed.
"Poor Zack…" She mumbled.
"Zack?" Cloud looked back at her.
"He's tried so hard and things never turned out the way he wanted them to." Tifa pressed her forehead against the icy window.
"It's all my fault." Cloud muttered and sat on the floor. "If I didn't try to live in his shoes…"
"Cloud. That's not your fault…" Tifa turned towards him. "It was a traumatizing event. Weird things happened."
"I'm psychotic…" He chuckled.
"No you're not!" Tifa put her hands on her hips. "Strife! Get your ass up from the ground!" He looked back at her, his mouth gaping. She was giving him her angry face.
"I've caused so much trouble, Tifa." He stood up slowly. "I didn't mean to. It's just that…" He shuffled his feet.
"Cloud…" Tifa walked to him and grabbed his hand. "This is you. This is the real you! Whatever you are feeling right now are not Zack's feelings, they are not Sephiroth's feelings, not Jenova's, but yours!"
"How can someone feel so many conflicting emotions?" He stared at his hand in hers.
"It's human to do so. That's what keeps you from being one of those clones. Keeps you from being Sephiroth." She smiled at him.
"Sephiroth… Zack… Jenova…" Cloud thought about them. His hands shook.
"Cloud?" Tifa stared at his trembling hand.
"We…We have…to go…fight…" Cloud leaned forward, taking a deep breath. "Sephiroth…"
"Cloud?" Tifa held onto him as he stumbled forward. "What's happening!?"
"Sephiroth….meteor…" Cloud gasped for air. He fell forward and tumbled to the floor, leaving Tifa's arms.
"Cloud!" She kneeled next to the man. He screamed in pain and grabbed the sides of his head. His body convulsed as tremors squeezed his brain and his muscles tightened. "Oh Cloud!" She wrapped her arms around him as he shook violently.
'Why does this happen to him? What's wrong with him?' Tifa cried.
"Please, Cloud…" She held onto him tightly. "Don't do this!" She hoisted him from the ground and helped him to her bed. She set him on the mattress and sat next to him. She ran her hand through his hair trying her best to calm him. He shook for a moment and finally rested. His breathing was heavy.
"Cloud…" She whispered and brushed his hair from his face. She smiled at the wet spikes in his hair. She saw his eyes open slowly.
"Tifa…" He whispered in a raspy voice. "I'm sorry…"
"It's okay Cloud. Everything will be alright." She slowly unzipped his shirt. "I've got to keep you warm." She whispered. His blue eyes were dull and empty.
"Hrm…" He felt his eyelids get heavy. His shirt was pulled off of his body and a moment later he felt a warm body scoot next to him. "Tifa…" He mumbled and fell unconscious.
'I'll help you now, Cloud.' Tifa smiled and pulled the heavy quilt around her and the blonde man. 'You owe me though…' She grinned and pulled him against her.
Things may not have gone as planned but Tifa was just happy to be next to the man. They had broken some barriers and she figured it would not be long before he finally opened up to her. At least, she hoped he would.
Zack opened his eyes slowly. He felt well rested. He turned and felt himself falling.
"Ah!" He screamed and made contact with the hard floor. He heard a snort above him.
"Did you just roll of the sofa?" Aeris' voice called from above.
"Erm!" He growled and sat up quickly. "I forgot we weren't in bed…"
"I suppose we should get up. It's late and we have things to do." Aeris yawned and stretched.
"Yeah…" Zack rubbed his head as he stood up. "What time is it?" He looked at the clock. He squeaked and made a strange face.
"What time is it!?" Aeris stood up. She knew what that face meant.
"We need to go." He pointed at the kitchen clock.
"Oh, darn!" Aeris grabbed her clothing from the floor and quickly slid on the pink dress.
"Well, so much for enjoying a day in Gongaga…" Zack groaned and glared at the armor on the floor. They were off to ride the chocobo all day to Midgar. They would then wait for the others to show up.
"How late were we up!?" Aeris rummaged through the cabinets. "Should I make some food to bring with us!?"
"Hey!" He walked up to her and hugged her. "What's with all the panic?"
"I…" She sighed. "I didn't expect to wake up so late. We already slept past lunch."
"It's alright it's not like we're leaving tomorrow morning. We will get there with time to spare." He kissed her on her head. Loud thunder shook the windows of the house.
"Oh!" Aeris stared outside. "Oh no!"
"Damn!" Zack groaned. They were going to be wet and cold the entire day. "We should leave soon before the storm gets any worse…"
"This is not going to be a good day." Aeris pouted.
"It's alright! I'll keep you warm!" He hugged her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Okay…" She spun in his arms. "But no mischief until we reach an inn…" She poked him in the chest.
"Fine." He scoffed and let go of her. "I hope Hector found shelter…"
"He'll be fine, I'm sure." Aeris found some bread and dug in the cupboards and refrigerator for something to make sandwiches out of.
"WARK! WARK!" The chocobo cried from outside.
"Oh!" Aeris jumped. The bird's head pressed against the window above the sink. "You scared me you silly bird!"
"Kweh!" Zack yelled and opened the window. "Hector! Why aren't you taking cover somewhere?" Zack frowned at the shivering bird.
'What a mess…' Zack sighed.
"I think he's hungry." Aeris giggled as the bird shook and his wet feathers sent sprinkles of water throughout the kitchen. "Oh! Hector!" She threw a slice of bread at the bird. It gobbled the food happily. Zack reached over the fridge and pulled down a box of cookies.
"Come on sweetie, we have a long, dreadful day ahead of us." He kissed the green eyed woman on the cheek and shoved a cookie in his mouth. "MMMMmmm!" He raised his eyebrows and grabbed a couple more.
"Nice lunch, Zack." Aeris rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll meet you outside in a minute." She stuffed the food into a plastic bag. She stopped and smiled.
"Okay. I'll get grumpy ready." Zack waved and headed out the door. Rain drizzled over the man.
"Okay, bird! Get over here!" He called out to Hector. It warked noisily and pranced in the mud. "Look at you! You're a mess!" Zack raised his arms in the air.
"Bird!" He growled and reached for its reigns. Hector went wild and ran around the corner of the house. "Damn you!" Zack chased after it. He kicked up mud and water chasing the golden blur in circles around the yard.
'What is going on out there?' Aeris thought to herself as she closed the front door of the house. She stopped and giggled at the sight. All she could see was a blur of blue and gold as Zack and the chocobo ran patterns across the front lawn. Mud splattered in all directions. She heard a noise of frustration from Zack and saw him stop.
"KWEH! KWEH!" He called out. The bird halted and trotted to the man, cooing. Aeris giggled some more. "Come 'ere!" Zack pulled on the reigns. He sighed in frustration and pulled the bird towards Aeris. He stopped and stared at her.
"Who woulda thought you'd look so good in a trash bag." He smirked. Aeris smiled at him and handed a black bag to the man.
"It'll keep us dry." She informed. "Are you two done playing?"
"He started it." Zack glared at the bird. He pulled the bag over his head.
"I'm sure he did, sweetie." Aeris kissed the man on the forehead. "Hector. Are you ready to leave?" Aeris handed the chocobo another slice of bread. It chomped hungrily and warked with glee.
Zack tugged on the bird's neck as he climbed onto its back. He held out a hand for Aeris.
"We've got a long way to go. I won't rush Hector. If we have to stop at an inn before reaching Midgar, then that's fine with me." Zack lifted the woman up.
"Sounds like a plan." Aeris wrapped her arms around Zack's waist and leaned against his back. The low roar of thunder echoed in the distance. He slapped the reigns and Hector took off in a flash, leaving Zack's home.
'I'll come see you first thing when I'm through.' Zack mentally told his parents.
"Are you sure you're well enough to go?" David asked Tifa.
"Yes. I feel perfectly fine." Tifa grinned and kissed the man on the cheek.
"Alright." He nodded slowly. "You, boy, take good care of my girl."
"I promise." Cloud smirked.
"Promises, promises." Tifa rolled her eyes. "You know, some day you're going to-"
"Break a promise?" Cloud raised an eyebrow.
"…Yeah." Tifa smiled.
"Not this one." He looked down at her. Tifa blushed.
"Okay. You two be careful and I want you to visit when you are through, doing whatever it is you're going to do…" David waved a hand at them.
"We'll come back and visit." Tifa nodded. Cloud opened the door behind them.
"I've got the car. We'll be in Midgar in no time." He pointed outside of the town.
"Okay." She sighed and looked back at the man in her home. "I'll see you later." She waved. The group said their goodbyes and Cloud and Tifa were on their way.
They ran through the town, trying not to get wet again from the rain. Their boots sloshed in the puddles. Tifa frowned at the muddy droplets on her legs.
"Are you sure you are alright to continue today?" Tifa looked up at Cloud.
"It was nothing. I'll be perfectly fine, don't you worry about it." Cloud opened the door for her.
"Okay, if you say so." She sounded doubtful but decided against fighting with him about it. He ran around the car and took the drivers seat.
"I promise, I am fine." Cloud started the car.
"That's your favorite word isn't it." Tifa giggled. He sighed.
"I suppose it is." The car rolled over the plains towards Midgar. "It should be a quick trip. When we reach the coast we'll ride the ferry to Midgar. We should get there late tonight."
"And when do we leave?" Tifa rubbed her hands together.
"When everyone gets to Midgar. We have all day tomorrow. We may leave early the next morning but it all depends on when everyone gets to the Highwind."
"What if Cid doesn't show up?" Tifa suggested. Cloud glanced at her.
"He'll show up." He smirked. "He's gotta protect his gal."
"His gal?" Tifa giggled. "Shera…You think they…admitted it?"
"I dunno. We may have to pick on Cid about it." Cloud chuckled.
Tifa had not felt so happy in a long time. She was with Cloud and things seemed to be on the upside for her. She was not looking forward to fighting Sephiroth but she was looking forward to being close to the blonde-haired man. She felt a smile cross her lips.
"I like it when you smile." Cloud stared at her.
Cid rummaged through his bag. He cursed and hollered. Shera could hear him across the house. He had been uptight the entire day and it was driving her crazy.
"Where the # is it!?" Cid went through all the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen.
"Cid…" Shera entered the room.
"Huh? Not now! I'm busy!" He waved her to go away. She tugged on his shirt collar and pulled him back. He cursed some more. " Damn it, Shera!" He spun around, ready to yell at her but stopped.
"Looking for this?" She smiled while dangling the missing object in front of his face. She handed the man the lighter he was looking for. He snatched it from her and lit his cigarette in his mouth. He puffed out a cloud of smoke and immediately felt the tension within him leave.
"Thanks…" He muttered. "Where the # was it?" He leaned against the wall.
"In between the cushions of the sofa…" She blushed.
"Well how the hell did it get there…Oh." He scratched his head. He chuckled. "Damn, have I really gone that long without it?"
"Yup." Shera smiled. "You know, you really shouldn't smoke so much." She pulled on the cigarette in his mouth. He growled and pulled back.
"Why?" He grumbled. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against him. He stumbled slightly, still not used to body contact with her.
"Because…over the last couple of days, you found something else to relief your stress. You didn't need to smoke." She grinned.
"Oh!" Cid sputtered and looked away. "Heh…well I can't exactly drag ya with me everywhere and whenever I get 'stressed' jes have my way with ya." Shera turned red at his comment.
"Cid!" She giggled and pushed away from him. "Well, I wouldn't mind coming with you." She repositioned her glasses.
"Hell Shera. Not this time. It's…too dangerous." Cid looked down at the woman. She looked worried.
"You are coming back, right?" She stared at him with puppy eyes.
"Yeah…I'm coming back." He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and flicked it into the sink. "There's no way I'm not coming back…" He pulled the woman against him.
"You promise?" She whispered.
"Honey, I promise you anything." Cid said against her lips.
"Promise me you'll come back…" Shera hugged him tightly. "So you can come back to me and we can be together."
"Sure thing." Cid smiled and kissed her again.
"Forever." Shera looked into his eyes.
"I promise." Cid smirked.
'Wait…did I just propose to the woman!?' Cid raised an eyebrow and brought his attention back to the woman. 'Why not?' he shrugged and kissed her again.
"Cloud…" Aeris mumbled in her sleep. Her brows furrowed.
'Please…what's going on?' Zack felt pain every time she had a dream about the man.
"Aeris…" Zack looked back at the sleeping girl behind him. She looked distressed.
"Hm?" She opened her eyes. "What's wrong?" She yawned and rested her chin on his shoulder.
"You had another dream…" Zack stared forward.
"I'm sorry, Zack…" Aeris bit her lower lip. "Please, don't get angry with me."
"I'm not angry, just curious as to why you dream about him." The dark haired man stared at the sky, water droplets slid down his face.
"It's not him I dream about. Not all the time." Aeris sat up and rubber her arms. The bags had not provided nearly enough protection from the rain. She lifted the bag from her head and threw it to the ground. All it did was made her uncomfortable. Zack watched her and decided he'd do the same.
"Then what do you dream about." He began to pry again.
"Zack, please." She looked away from him. "It's just a dream."
She knew it wasn't just a dream. She knew that what she was dreaming about was a possibility of the future. She wasn't about to tell him what she dreamed about in case he decided to leave her and make her stay behind. So he would not be able to stop her and her plans.
"It's not just a dream, Aeris." Zack grabbed her hand. "I told you what I dreamed about. It's true isn't it? Something bad is going to happen." He had a worried look on his face. His black hair was drooping around his face.
"We have these dreams because it is a warning. It has nothing to do with the actual future. We have the choice to make changes to make sure it doesn't happen, but then again we never know if those changes are good or bad. Maybe if we make changes this is what would happen. If we don't it could be the other way around. We never can be sure. That's why we shouldn't worry about it. We should just go with our gut feeling and do what we think is right." Aeris hugged him tightly.
"Aeris…" Zack stared at the golden bracelets around her wrist. "Nothing will happen to us. Everything will be fine. I'll see to it that nothing bad happens…especially to you." He turned back to look at her again. Her green eyes stared back.
"To everyone. We got to protect everyone." Aeris took a deep breath. "I need to protect everyone, even you."
"…" Zack had made up his mind what he was going to do. He did not know what Aeris had up her sleeve but he'd have to beat her to it.
'I can't risk losing her again.' He squint his eyes. It was getting dark fast.
"Zack…will you take care of everyone if something does happen to me?" Aeris interrupted the silence.
"What!?" He looked back again. "Why would you say that!?"
"You never know! I'm not saying I'm going to get hurt, or die, I'm just saying that in case something happens you will help everyone."
"…Okay." Zack stared at the nearing town. "I'll take care of everyone, but I won't need to because nothing's going to happen to you." He smiled.
"I know." She kissed his cheek.
"I'll take extra care of Cloud, if something happens." Zack glanced at her.
"Zack…" Aeris lowered her head. "Thanks…"
"…" That finalized it. He said it to see what her reaction was. Cloud was on her mind. "So…Cloud is really important to you."
"Of course!" Aeris sat up. "Zack, it's not like that! You jump to conclusions! Why don't you trust me!?" Aeris pounded her small fist against his back.
"Never mind, let's just forget about it. We're going to have to stop for the night." He changed the subject. "Kalm is just ahead."
"No!" Aeris pushed away from him. "We need to talk about this!"
"I didn't mean to jump to conclusions, it's just that…you two were close and I understand that." He cleared his throat. "You still have feelings for him. And don't lie to me Aeris; I can see it all over your face!"
"…" She looked away from him.
"You dream about him. You say his name in your sleep. You lie about your feelings for him." Zack continued about the way Aeris looked and behaved around Cloud.
"Zack…please." Tears slid down Aeris' cheeks.
'Way to go jackass, you made her cry.' Zack sighed.
"You were gone for so long, Zack." The chocobo neared the entrance to the small town. "I was afraid…I didn't want to be alone anymore."
"I know…" Zack felt an ache in his heart. Things were going so well and now he realized that Aeris would never be happy without Cloud.
"I saw you in him. I cried myself to sleep every night because whenever I saw his blue eyes, I saw you inside." The chocobo stopped. "I wished it were you every time I was with him. I wanted it to be you!"
"Is that true, Aeris?" Zack hopped off of the bird. Loud thunder crackled overhead and the rain came pouring down. She stared at him with watering eyes.
"Yes! I loved you Zack! I loved you so much!" She placed a hand on her forehead and spun away from him.
"Loved…" He looked at his feet. "You don't anymore?"
"…" She turned to him quickly, her face shocked at the realization of what she said. "I…that's not what I meant."
"Do you love him?" Zack said in a quiet voice. He tore his gaze away from her.
"…" Aeris remained silent.
"Do you love him!?" He yelled, bringing his eyes to hers. She was crying hard now. He grabbed her shoulders and stared at her face. "Please…just answer me." His voice was calmer.
"…" She didn't speak but shook her head 'yes'. Zack felt his chest deflate. He let go of her and walked away, running a hand through his hair. He let out a breath of air. Tears stung his eyes.
"But…I love you too, Zack!" She tugged on his arm.
"Aeris! How can you love two people!?" Zack rubbed his face. "Is that what you're saying!?"
"…Yes…" Aeris lowered her head. "I love you Zack, but there's still something about Cloud. He needs my help." She covered her face.
"Help?" Zack scoffed. He turned away again.
"It's possible to love more than one person." Aeris continued.
"Aeris…" He looked back at her. "You're just too nice. You love too much. You don't know what you want. You don't know what to do with yourself." Zack shook his head. The words were painful to say.
"Zack…" Aeris sobbed.
"I understand, Aeris." Zack placed a hand on her shoulder. He grabbed the chocobo and pulled it towards the woman.
"What are you doing?" She asked as he placed the reigns in her hands. Rain water dripped from his bangs.
"Go…to him." He whispered. "Go to him and figure out what it is you want."
Aeris was shocked. Her mouth hung wide open. Tears fell freely down her face. She shivered as the pouring rain soaked through her dress. She wished she never had taken off her protecting trash bag.
"You don't mean it?" She stared at his eyes in fear. He looked away, tearing his bright blue eyes away.
"Just leave Aeris. I don't want to deal with it anymore." He sounded harsh even though he didn't want to be. He wanted her to find her happiness.
"Zack! Please! Don't make me leave!" She ran to him and hung onto him. Her footsteps slapped in the mud. "What are you trying to say? Do you not love me!?" She sniffed. He looked down at her with his glowing blue eyes. She shivered under his gaze.
He reminded her too much of Sephiroth. Things changed between them because she now saw Sephiroth in him. She felt bad about it all too. She used to run to Zack when she felt in danger, now she ran away from him, sometimes scared of him.
'There's no reason to be scared of him. He isn't a monster. He can handle himself…' Aeris shook the thoughts out of her head.
"No…" He closed his eyes tightly. Tears seeped from his eyes. He couldn't look at her. "I do love you." He choked out. His words were broken and airy.
He was breaking down right in front of her and he felt like an idiot. He wanted to be strong, wanted to be able to do this without hesitation. It was too hard for him. He tried so hard to get her and now he was just going to let her go, leave his sight when it was within his ability to stop her.
"Zack…" She tried to see his face. He refused to let her. He turned from her, covering his face. She could see his shoulders shaking.
"You're the only thing I have ever loved, Aeris. You're all that I want, desire, need." He sobbed harder. "I just don't want you to be unhappy with me." He stared at the sky, letting the rain wash away the tears.
"I…" She started. He looked at her; he had the most painful expression she'd ever seen. "You're eyes…" She looked away.
"…My eyes?" He stared into a puddle of water and for the first time noticed the glow in his eyes. He immediately felt ashamed. "Is that what this is all about?"
"Zack. I'm sorry." Aeris bit her lip.
"I remind you too much of that monster and those things he did to you!?" Zack stomped in the puddle, his reflection spiraled. Aeris flinched at his anger. "I'm not the same man you loved in the past. I remind you of Sephiroth…and…Cloud reminds you of me." He looked at her, stared into her eyes.
His hair was drenched, clinging to the side of his face and neck. His clothes dripped with rain water and his eyes seemed almost empty. His hands twitched slightly. His skin was pale. He looked awful and Aeris knew it was because of her. She had once again caused him so much pain. She may as well have killed him herself.
"Zack I was scared. I thought you were…dead." Aeris hung her head. Her long hair flowed around her shoulders. It was heavy and the curls were large due to the humidity.
Zack leaned forward, lifting her chin and kissed her softly on the lips. He opened his eyes slowly; the kiss was nothing like she felt before. She didn't know what she felt. She didn't know what he felt.
"I was…" He whispered and placed the reigns in her hands again. She stared at his hand in hers and whimpered as more tears followed. His cold skin touched hers. She never knew how he could do it, but even though he was a strong, compassionate man he could instantly take all strength and throw it away. He was frail and weak, like a beaten child. Aeris felt her heart stop.
Zack turned away from her quickly. He slid his sunglasses onto his face and shoved his hands into his pockets. He walked away slowly.
"Go, Aeris." His voice was cold and like a blade.
In another second he could take that beaten child and turn him into the strongest man she'd ever known. The most demanding, cold, almost frightening man she'd ever known. Aeris felt her heart crumble to pieces. She watched him enter the town slowly; the fog engulfed him as he left her sight. She wept and slowly ascended the chocobo. Hector watched the scene and was clueless as to what was going on. He warked sadly as she slapped the reigns against his side. She looked back once more and almost regretted it.
"I hate you…" She whispered and sped away towards Midgar. She had never said those words before and she knew that it was a lie, but at the time she needed to say it.
'I know…you deserve to hate me…' Zack thought to himself as he entered the inn. He didn't plan on staying long but he wanted to rest before heading out in the rain to get an early start. It was the only way to keep her safe. He needed to get rid of her before things got out of hand. He didn't want to risk her life. He didn't want to risk anyone's lives.
"This is my mission…" He said as he ascended the stairs to his empty, cold, room. He made his way to the bed and stopped to stare at the calendar. It had been a long time since he knew what day it was. He didn't even know what month it was.
Zack leaned forward, his eyes widened slightly at the date. He followed the trail of Xs that crossed off the days of the month. Today was a day he did not expect.
"Happy Birthday to me…" Zack smirked.
Ohhh…poor Zack! Wonder what he's up to? What do you all think of this? I had a lot of fun writing the fight between the two. I can just imagine how depressing he looked. Did I make it sad enough? I wanted it to be very emotional and depressing, but not too much. Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you all liked this chapter. I love hearing from you all!