Unspoken
By mihoyonagi
Chapter 34: Surprise
It wasn't the question of 'why' Sephiroth struggled with. He knew he had feelings for the flower girl who was curled up snugly against him, and he wouldn't soon be denying it (although admitting it to her was another problem all its own). It was, however, a question of how.
How, in Shiva's name, had he managed to get underneath Aerith, of all places?
Not that he was complaining, of course. In fact, he was most comfortable.
No, the problem that was currently wracking Sephiroth's brain was how he and the flower girl had managed to get into such an awkward position without either of them waking up.
Aerith's head was nestled against the crook of the general's neck, and her shoulder was tucked tightly under his arm. The hand that belonged to the arm she was snuggled against was draped gently atop her waist, and the general's other hand was lightly resting atop the flower girl's elbow that had come to lie across Sephiroth's chest.
Great Ifrit, it was as if they had been cuddling. Leaders of wars and revolutions didn't cuddle. At least, Sephiroth was almost positive they didn't. If they did, it certainly was unheard of. Well, some might of indeed cuddled- women have the tendency to catch men off guard at times, and an accidental cuddle cannot be predicted or helped in the sleepy state one enters right after waking and-
Oh blast it- his mind was wondering off again!
Sephiroth bit his lip sharply, forcing his mind to stop from cavorting about random places again; he had to stay in the present, not lost somewhere in the recesses of his brain. He had to get out from under Aerith without waking her, for Sephiroth had no wish to see the flower girl angry.
He could just see the situation play out in his mind while he carefully moved his elbow; Aerith would wake up while he tired to move her and she would immediately think the worst of the situation. Aerith, of course, was kind and understanding, that much was known; but what was also known was the fact that Aerith was a woman. Despite Aerith's kindness and understanding, she would most likely assume the something terrible after only wondering the land of the conscious for less than ten seconds, and Sephiroth, being the cause of the confusion, would be the one to receive instant punishment. Her punishment would most likely be comprised of a lightning bolt to his face.
Knowing full well he had never put more effort and concentration into a single matter in his life, Sephiroth was monumentally relieved when he managed to squeeze under Aerith without stirring her even once. Carefully and without much hesitation, he crept from the room and quietly shut the door behind him. Making his way up the small set of stairs, a wonderful smell filled his nose and caused his stomach to rumble in a most unflattering way, though thankfully no one was around to hear it. Peeking around, Sephiroth soon found where the pleasant aromas were coming from; the captain and her crew were cooking their breakfast right on the deck of the ship.
"Hungry, are you?" Sephiroth noted that the captain's smile was pleasant in the sunlight; it made her look a little less stern than she had the night before. She motioned for the general to come and join her crew.
Sephiroth walked over without hesitation, knowing full well he couldn't remember the last time he had sat down to eat a good meal; it must have been as far back as the chocobo ranch he and Aerith had passed through. He mused on how long ago it seemed to be that he and the flower girl were feeding chocobos sugar cubes with the children, Pete and Puck.
The breakfast was warm and welcome in Sephiroth's empty stomach; despite the massive amount of fish that the crew had caught during the midnight hours, the food they had prepared wasn't anything that contained seafood. Pancakes, diced fruit, hash browns, sausage; Sephiroth's mouth began watering as if he had been starved for days. He was halfway through his plate when he noticed Aerith had made an appearance upon the deck of the ship. The captain waved her hand above her head and smiled just as warmly at Aerith as she had to the general; Sephiroth turned around and felt a smile tug at his lips when he saw his flower girl slowly walking up, large grin spread across her visage, her hair a frizzy mess. Sephiroth watched as she raised a hand to return the wave of the captain, then bring it down to rub the sleep from her eyes.
Her company was like the sun on his back; warm and welcome. Though Sephiroth would never admit to something such a thing out loud, he was growing extremely fond of the flower girl's company and, despite only having been away from her for less than ten minutes, had grown lonely without her by his side, even with the company of the ships' crew.
She sat next to him and ate in silence, though Sephiroth had the distinct feeling it might be slightly more awkward for him considering that it was, after all, he who had woken up underneath Aerith. Sephiroth noticed that Aerith had cleaned her plate moments before he cleaned his own, a feat that only fed the general's theory in which he imagined Aerith just as hungry as he. Albeit, she didn't stay for seconds as Sephiroth hoped she would. Instead she excused herself, proclaiming that she needed to wash up and get ready for when they docked, and promptly disappeared below.
While chewing his second helping of hash browns and sausage, Sephiroth began to contemplate where he and the flower girl were to travel next. They would need supplies, and Rocket Town was the only trading post until Nibelheim. Through the treacherous, fog-laden mountain passes they would be forced to traverse and Sephiroth knew, regardless of the fact that he was a well-bodied and able fighter, that the rocky cliffs weren't going to welcome him with open arms. The trek would be dangerous, and their current stock of ethers and hi-potions would not be nearly what they would need.
Bowing deeply in thanks toward the crew, thankful that they understood the fact that his voice had long since left him and neither seemed bothered by it or inclined to ask about it, Sephiroth soon joined his traveling companion below deck. When he entered their small cabin, he saw Aerith sitting at the desk, her back faced toward him; it was the first time she had ever let her hair free from its constricting braid, and Sephiroth found himself unable to stifle a sharp intake of air as he gazed upon what he felt was the epitome of beauty itself. He watched her turn around and regard him with a curious smile.
Sephiroth turned around and shut the door, pretending that he hadn't gasped. Instantly feeling the color rising in his cheeks, Sephiroth mentally reprimanded himself. It wasn't the time for such frivolity! He couldn't be bothered to fall in love with the girl while Cloud was hot on their-
Before his brain could process so much as another word, Sephiroth stopped dead, his hand still resting on the doorknob. He stood there, completely flummoxed, absolutely certain that the flush of his cheeks had invented several new shades of red.
'Is that was this light-headed, almost sorrowful emotion that keeps beating me senseless while in her presence is?'
"Are you alright, Seph? Not feeling sick, are you?" Her voice rang like bells in his ears, and he could feel a deep feeling of dread creep up and blanket him like a cold, wet sheet.
Sephiroth was beginning to believe the dratted feeling welling up inside of him was exactly what he feared.
Composing himself as best he could, Sephiroth had completely meant to turn around and address Aerith like a sensible man; his plan involved absolutely avoiding eye contact and sitting on the bed with his back turned to her until they hit land, ignoring her and any inquiries she might throw at him in full. Lady luck, that fickle mistress, seemed to smile at the man with a mess of silver hair, however, for just as Sephiroth had let go of the doorknob than it turned and burst open.
The ship's first mate stood nearly nose to nose with Sephiroth. The poor lad, not expecting to come face to face with anyone, let out a tiny yelp before he regained his composure. "We dock in five minutes!"
Turning to face Aerith, Sephiroth made an upward motion with his head and shoulder. Aerith nodded in understanding and turned away from him, beginning to braid her hair. "I'll meet you outside when I'm finished."
Sephiroth, thanking whatever divinity that seemed to have taken momentary pity upon him, quickly slid out of the tiny cabin and made his way back onto the deck of the ship. The fishing vessel docked without mishap, and Aerith was ready to venture off moments after the barge had been tied to the pier. Wishing not to waste another minute of time if they didn't have to, Sephiroth began to walk from the ship. As soon as hi foot had landed on the dock, however, he could feel that Aerith was nowhere behind him. Sighing to himself, he turned around to see where the flower maiden had wondered off to. He looked upon the deck of the ship to see Aerith shaking hands with the crew, thanking them for their generous hospitality and attempting to hand the captain something for her troubles.
"Nonsense- I can't take payment from you! Where would be the sisterhood in that? Take it- you and your friend seem to be frazzled and need it more than us. Besides," the woman made a large motion, pointing behind her toward the huge haul of fish off the side nets of the ship. "With a catch like this, we'll be set for a while now."
Watching Aerith smile and gently hug the woman, Sephiroth was relieved that the captain had refused their silly attempt at gratitude; ethers weren't cheap, after all.
With one last wave, smile, and good bye, Sephiroth and Aerith made their way from the small mooring dock off the ocean's shore. Rocket town could be seen in the distance, though Sephiroth guessed it would talk a good portion of the day to hike there. The road ahead of them was flat and unpaved, uneven in most places due to the volume of traffic to and from the docks. The shore behind them was littered with a gift shop, a small restaurant, and several huts that sold swim ware and items suitable for beach-goers.
"Doesn't look too long of a hike, does it?" Aerith's tone was light. Sephiroth guessed that she was immensely happy to have set foot upon solid land again. Though she was constantly full of and overflowing with mystery, Aerith never failed to surprise the general in her ways. When they had been stuck back in Midgar, Aerith had relayed parts of her life story over to him. He most vividly recalled her tales of growing up in the slums, meaning she had most likely never been outside of the city until she had joined Cloud's party of misfits. That meant, in turn, that she had never set foot on the deck of a ship before. What surprised him was that, although she had never sailed before, she had sturdy sea legs and hadn't become sea-sick on either of their seaward voyages. Sephiroth distinctly remembered his first time on a boat, and the mess his stomach had made over the side of the barge.
Sephiroth was beginning to think that Aerith would never neglect astonish him and, with the way that his heart was fluttering as he watched her bangs wisp across her face, caught by the sea breeze, that was just fine for now.