"Aerith?"
The woman stirred again, stronger this time. Before, she had barely been able to open her eyes. But she was feeling stronger already now. And so…her eyelids gently parted again. They opened wider this time, and showed no signs of shutting. The beautiful green gaze beneath them began to look around the room.
She saw two men crouched low over her. They were in the meeting room of the Sierra, similar to the one that had been on the Highwind. It was the only open space. The lights were low in here now. Ragnar and Cloud had set up one of the cots on board in here and had laid her to rest. Her head was elevated on a pillow, and she was covered with a blanket. Ragnar was on her right, while Cloud was on her left. One of his hands was out, and had grasped her own hand and held it.
Even before she awakened again, she seemed to pick up on him touching her. She was still dressed in the white robe, with the hood pulled over her head, but she could see fine. Her eyes turned to him now. On seeing him…a soft smile went across her face.
For the first time in four years, she spoke audibly.
"Cloud…"
Cloud began to shake. A rare smile spread across his face as he quivered. He bowed his head a moment later…trying not to show that he was crying again. Aerith blinked once, looking at him, and seemed slightly puzzled.
"…Why are you so sad?" She called out to him.
Cloud swallowed, and after a moment he shook his head. "I'm not sad." He managed to choke out, trying to keep from breaking down. "I'm happy… I'm happier than I've been in a very long time…"
Aerith hesitated, and then smiled back at him again. It seemed she didn't understand this, but also that she didn't care. She was just happy to see Cloud happy. Both were silent for a moment. Ragnar stared on at the two of them for a short time, unsure of what to say or do next. But in the end, he managed to uncertainly speak out.
"Aer… I mean, um…Mrs. Gainsbourough…"
On hearing this, Aerith slowly turned her head back around, and focused on Ragnar next. When her green gaze met his own…Ragnar felt a chill going down his spine, and he felt himself blush again. The innocent face he had been attracted to before was now alive and full of more vivacity and inner purity than he thought possible. It made him tremble just to look at it, and he had to look away.
"…And you are…?" She called out, genuinely puzzled as to who he was.
However, this incident managed to make Cloud snap out of it. Although he continued to hold Aerith's hand, as if he was afraid letting go would make her go away again, he looked down to her and managed to smooth himself out. She was alive again, and that was good. However…there was a new issue at hand. Exactly how much did she remember? And what did she think had gone on? Did she remember the Geostigma? The Lifestream? Holy?
Did she remember…dying?
"Aerith…what's the last thing you remember?" He finally managed to ask.
The woman paused here. Her smile faded slightly, and her eyes traveled to the ceiling. Her look seemed confused after a moment.
"…I was…swimming…" She slowly responded. "I…I don't know if it was real…or a dream…but I was swimming through a sea of voices and people… I was looking for someone…"
Cloud and Ragnar looked up to each other, silently asking each other what this meant. In the end, however, they looked back to Aerith.
The woman shook her head after a moment, but then looked again to the ceiling. After doing so, she began to look around the room a bit more intently. On noticing her strange surroundings, she looked back up to Cloud. "…Where are we?"
"Cid's airship." Cloud answered with a smile.
Aerith looked at him a moment, but then smiled again. "…You told me you'd take me on it one day, didn't you?" She responded.
Cloud smiled back, and the two were silent for a moment. However, as Aerith looked back up and looked around again, she turned back to him. "Does this mean…we've been captured? How did I get here? Why do I feel so weak…?"
Cloud turned from a smile to a look of discomfort at that. He looked up, and Ragnar looked uneasily back to her. Evidently…she didn't remember everything. And they had no idea what it would mean for her to remember it. They looked back down on her once more, and Cloud swallowed.
"Aerith…" He managed to slowly say after a moment. "What…what do you remember about us? What's the last memory you have of me?"
The woman hesitated again, and bowed her head once more. She winced a bit as she did. She began to move her limbs now, slowly raising them up from the bed and out from under the covers to reach to her head. But she never received the chance before shaking her head again.
"Some…dream… At least…I think it was a dream…it seemed so real…" She answered. "I…I saw Zack again…and I saw you…" A brief pause after this. Slowly, she turned her head to Cloud.
But there, she stopped. A change rippled over her...as if she suddenly remembered something. Her eyes began to widen as she looked at Cloud, as if seeing him in her mind's eye.They filled with confusion…but also some sort of recognition.
Cloud stared back and said nothing.
"Everyone…is calling me…mother lately…" She slowly echoed, repeating a long past conversation. "I think this one…is too big to adopt…"
Aerith's eyes slowly began to widen moreas she said this. Cloud, on his part, said nothing. He swallowed slightly, but he stared back at Aerith without change. Ragnar's own face began to grow nervous. He was afraid of the worst now. He began to ball his hands into fists and lower his head. Aerith continued to stare at Cloud…as a recognition and memory came over her.
"Cloud…was that really a dream?"
The ex-mercenary said nothing. He opened his mouth once, but closed it again. He didn't want to have to say it.
Aerith looked at him again, and blinked once. "Cloud…you…look older…" She suddenly realized. She began to look around herself again. As she did…Ragnar saw that some new fear was beginning to grow inside her. He too opened his mouth, wanting to say something. But he could think of nothing. She began to pull her arms out the rest of the way, and started to reach for her own chest.
"The Planet…it sounds different…" She began to observe…with growing fear. "I can't sense him… I saw all those things… I saw you… I saw…that man named…Kadaj…" She hesitated again…as her eyes began to shimmer, filling with the terror of the new realization. Her hands were almost to her chest now.
"I…I remember seeing you Cloud… I was praying… I knew he'd come for me…and I didn't want you to see it… I didn't want you to be around him. I knew he was using you through that part you couldn't accept of yourself…the part I wanted to know… I thought I heard something…just as I finished praying…and then…"
Cloud closed his eyes and bowed his head. Ragnar froze as well. Both men reacted in this way as they saw Aerith's arms finally finish coming out…and her hands touched the middle of her chest. Even through the white robe…she could immediately feel a raised bit of skin crossed right over her heart. And on feeling this…she went silent as well as her pupils shrank, and she too stopped moving. All three held still. Cloud and Ragnar were afraid to breathe as that moment of total realization came over Aerith…and she too froze and held her breath. Cloud opened his eyes and looked back up to her, but she wasn't moving. She wasparalyzed with the blank look of realization frozen on her face.
"…It wasn't a dream, was it?"
Cloud opened his mouth again, but closed it just as soon. Ragnar searched desperately to say something, but couldn't.
Her quivering fingertips began to move away. "He…he really stabbed me…"
The two stayed silent. Aerith's pupils shrank, but her eyes slowly began to close again.
"I…I died…" A pause. "…Didn't I?"
Neither man wanted to answer that. Cloud especially didn't want to…because it reminded him of his failure. He pleadingly looked to Aerith, but he couldn't respond. He couldn't tell her the truth that was now so obvious to her. He could only feel hurt from her new fear. Ragnar himself licked his lips, and leaned over her a bit more closely. "A…Aerith…" He managed to say after a moment, forgetting using her formal title. He was just desperate to say something. "It…um…I mean… It…it's been four years." He finally managed to choke out. "We…we brought you back…I mean…revived you…we…"
Ragnar trailed off after that. It was obvious that he wasn't doing much good. On hearing that she had been dead for four years…realizing the truth that she had been a lifeless corpse for that long…Aerith only blanched whiter. Her hands fell back down to her sides, and she bowed her head and stared out into space. Her jaw hung loose as she heard this news…this terrible revelation…
"Aerith…it's alright… Everything's alright now…" Cloud tried to reassure at last.
Aerith said nothing. She continued to stare out for a few moments. Her look was totally blank. In the end…she leaned back a bit more. She closed her mouth, and her eyes after that. She showed nothing else, giving no impression as to what her thoughts might be.
"Aerith…" Cloud began to speak.
"…I'd like some time alone, please." Was all she answered. Her voice wasn't sad or angry…just plain.
Cloud recoiled for a moment. He continued to stare at her uneasily. However, he wasn't going to deny her this. In the end, he managed to give a nod. He looked up and to Ragnar next. Part of him was angry for the youth saying that in the end, but it was only a small part. Someone had to tell her…and he hadn't had the guts to. And so, he just motioned for him to rise and back away. Ragnar looked imploringly at Aerith a moment longer, but she didn't see him. She kept her eyes closed and showed no emotion. In the end, he and Cloud both stood up from where they were and backed away. They both stared on for a moment, seeing her small form lying there, but in the end they both turned and began to walk for the exit. Soon theyhad passed through the sliding doors, and they slidshut again behind them.
Aerith was left alone in the room to ponder this new turn of events.
After only a minute, she began to cry.
"Got anything, Elena?"
Elena didn't answer immediately. She listened for a few more seconds to the headset radio. The others, for once, were not bored looking, but waited intently. They were all crushed into a rather small space at the moment, on board one of New Shinra's helicopers. They weren't airborne yet, just sitting in wait. They had piloted themselves toward the City of the Ancients after getting word from Leers about what their new mission was, and they had been here ever since.
Rude and Reno were patient as always. Reno was adjusting his nightstick to make sure it was in proper order. Rude had his arms crossed in the front, going over moves in his head for the upcoming battles. He would act as pilot for this mission, but for now he had nothing to do. Elena sat next to him, and she was the one currently on the radio. She was handling this mission with her normal business-like energy, and eagerly was listening for the slightest update. It appeared she received her wish, because a transmission had just gone through, and she was listening to the details.
Krystea, however, was still the most nervous of all. Despite how Reno had warned her against this, she had been switching out the bullets in the Valentine for non-lethal tranquilizer darts. Now, she was shaking, as unbelievable as it seemed. She was shaking while holding on to the Valentine. She never shook. But her knee now bounced up and down, and she bit her lip uncomfortably as she eagerly anticipated the mission. All of the Turks could see this was unusual. Krystea was normally as calm and controlled as the rest of them, but now she was cracking. What had she seen in that file that had been so important? Was the physical resemblance that much of an issue?
At last, Elena removed her hand from the headset, and looked back to the others. "Ok, here's what they saw. Just before dawn there were a lot of freaky things happening around the City of the Ancients. Some storm just popped out of nowhere and nearly leveled the ampitheater. By the time they got there, they had seen all sorts of strange symbols and things on the ground, like some ritual had been carried out. They followed up with a more extensive search, and they found what looked like old soaked rags torn up around the central shrine, and another guy confessed that he ran off when he heard noise coming from one of the canyons leading away from the west side of the city.
Reno snorted. "What a pride to the forces of New Shinra that guy was. Maybe the PPAshould just yell 'boo' in battle to get them to run off."
"What about the lake?" Krystea interjected, sounding impatient and wanting to hear. "Was there a body there?"
Elena frowned and shook her head. "No. From the looks of that jacket and dress she always wore…I'd say that the rags they found were her old clothes. But her body's gone."
Reno shrugged. "Big deal. We never did confirm her body was in there in the first place."
However, Krystea didn't relax. This only served to excite her even more, and now she trembled twice as hard. A fervor was coming over her and taking her, and the longer it lasted the more nervous she became.
"They probably parked in the canyon." Reno suggested with a shrug. "Fine. We'll move out north of it and wait for them to take off. After that, we'll move in."
Cloud and Ragnar hadn't slept since they had been woke up early yesterday, and both were exhausted. Still, they stayed awake for the first hour of morning. They said nothing to each other, only anxiously looked to one another, realizing the sudden pain that Aerith was now having to endure. None of them could understand what it might be like. It was reason enough to grieve if you had lost four years of your life…but to actually be dead those years… Even though Ragnar had known her all of three minutes, he wished he could say something to comfort her. Cloud wanted to do so even more. But none of them could say anything. Nothing they could say or do could give her the four years of her life back, or erase or remedy the fact that Sephiroth had stabbed her through the chest and killed her. In the end, their own stress only made them more tired.
The two ended up trying to take a nap themselves. They didn't have much. The one cot was from the first aid area and was for emergencies. They had to take whatever padding they could find, like cloth bundles of supplies and parachutes, and use those as pillows as they lay on the cold metal ground. After that, they struggled to rest themselves. It had been a rather stressful two days, and so the two managed to nod off fairly easily, despite their own worrying.
Day had broken, but so long as you weren't on the bridge, you didn't notice. Cloud and Ragnar had crashed in one of the main corridors. Initially, Ragnar had an easy time of it. He hadn't been sleeping enough as it was, and he was able to use his cape as a blanket. He got a good four hours in.
But it didn't last. Getting closer to noon, his physical needs woke him up. He was hungry now, but there was no food on the Sierra, just a water cooler. And as dehydrated as he had been the day before, he had drank a little too much, and he had a need to relieve himself. He walked to the bathroom and did his business soon after. However, now that he was awake, he found it impossible to go back to sleep. There was too much on his mind.
It wasn't just Aerith. What had his master meant by that sudden reaction? What had he found out? Something had seriously disturbed him, and for once it wasn't Wyvern. Then there was the ease of their invasion. Why weren't more units coming after them? Why was it going so easily? And what about back home? Were they still trying to evacuate as soon as possible? Would Aerith find out that this had played a factor in them resurrecting her? If she did…how would she react?
He didn't know. And only time would give the answers to all of these questions and problems.
As Ragnar walked back from his business to the main corridor, he naturally passed by the conference room. It was shut at the moment, just as it had been when they left it earlier. When he approached, he came to a stop near it for a moment. He anxiously looked at the doors, and thought about the person inside. How was she doing? Perhaps she had fallen asleep again herself. He hesitated…but in the end stepped forward toward them. Once he was close enough, he reached out and pressed the opening button to get both of them to slide aside. He peeked his head within as they did so.
The room was unchanged and still illuminated. But when he looked to the cot, he saw Aerith look up and stare at him as he opened the door.
Immediately, the man blanched. "Oh. I'm sorry… I…I was just checking on you…" He began to back up again shortly after, meaning to close the door again.
"No, it's alright." Aerith called out, stopping him. He held immediately after hearing that, and looked back up to her. Her face was still dark and melancholy, but she showed nothing else and no worsening. She held a moment, looking down again, before giving a slight shrug. "I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself yet… I'm…"
"Aerith Gainsbourough, right?" Ragnar cut off.
The woman stared back at him, and then gave a slight noise. "That's right…I forgot. You knew my name before."
"Cloud…and the others…told me a lot about you." Ragnar answered.
"And you…?"
Ragnar drew himself up a bit. "Me? I'm…Ragnar Vice."
Aerith gave a nod, and stared silently at him for a moment.
"…I'm a little thirsty, Ragnar. Could I get some water?"
"Sure, sure." Ragnar answered, readily nodding. "I'll be right back." He immediately turned and left the doorway. A minute later, he came rushing back, and passed through the doorway completely this time. The doors slid shut behind him, and he went all the way back up and to Aerith's side. He bent down next to her and lowered a paper cup of water.
Aerith's hands were balanced on top of her chest at the moment. When Ragnar lowered the cup, she raised her fingers to take it from him. He set it in them, and began to let go. She held it well enough with her fingers at first. However, when she grasped them and tried to lift it up…she had no force in her grip, and her hands and wrists shook. It slipped and nearly fell on her. Quickly, Ragnar reached out and seized it before it could spill all over her.
The woman sighed. "…I feel stronger than this morning…but I can still barely move…"
"It's no problem. Let me help you."
Ragnar raised the cup to the woman's lips, and gently tilted it back. She opened her mouth in response and sipped from it. After she had a drink for a while, she gave a nod to show she was done. Ragnar pulled the cup back away and set it to one side.
Aerith looked up to him afterward. "So…how did you end up with our group?"
Ragnar was forced to grin sheepishly and snicker a bit at that, rubbing the back of his head. "Believe it or not…it's more like how your group ended up with me."
"I can't remember a lot of what happened…" Aerith answered, leaning back a bit more and turning her head to the ceiling. "I think I saw everything when I…" She paused a moment, and swallowed. "You know…passed on…" She slowly finished. "But there's so much I can't remember… Everything seems so faint from there… Is Sephiroth dead?"
Ragnar gave a nod. "He's gone. And your summoning of Holy saved the world from Meteor."
The woman bowed her head slightly and blushed.
"I remember watching it back in my home town." Ragnar continued. "I saw it all even from miles away. Everyone else was hiding, but I wanted to see if something would happen. And it did. The Planet itself came to life and saved itself. But I thought I heard a woman's voice on the wind when I watched it happen." He paused after that. "…It was you, wasn't it?"
Aerith didn't answer, but she continued to blush from her own position.
"Then there was the incident that happened later, what with the Geostigma and everything. You saved the world there too." Ragnar continued. "You kept on helping us even after…" He trailed off here. "Well, you know."
Aerith slowly exhaled, and gave a slow shrug. "I…I can barely remember consciously doing these things. I just wanted to help people. I wanted this world to live." She hesitated again after saying this, keeping her head low. But then she finally looked up and over to Ragnar. "What about you? How do you fit in to all this?"
Ragnar grinned sheepishly again and once more scratched the side of his head. "Well…I'm kind of a newcomer to the whole Planet-saving business, I guess…" He half-murmured back. "You probably won't believe me…no one else did at first…but…the esper Bahamut came to me one day and told me that I was supposed to be the Planet's chosen savior, and then he went about training me to become a warrior, and giving me Ragnarok to wield as a weapon."
The woman didn't change. "Why wouldn't I believe that?"
In response to this, Ragnar's eyebrows raised. Aerith didn't sound like she was humoring him. She sounded perfectly regular. "You…you really believe me?" He asked incredulously.
Aerith managed a small smile and a shrug. "It's no more silly than believing a woman comes back from the dead, I guess. Besides…I'm kind of used to not having people believe in me. It makes me a bit more flexible. Some people used to say it made me naïve and silly…but I just thought of it as having a bit more faith in things."
Ragnar paused a moment longer, but he smiled slightly. It was nice having someone accept what he said for a change. Usually he was too afraid to say it, because he knew he'd be viewed as crazy. In the end, he gave a shrug. "Anyway…I've been forming an army to fight the New Shinra, and your friends joined up with me."
Aerith wrinkled her eyebrows. "New…Shinra? The old one passed away, or something?"
Ragnar's smile turned into a grimace after that, and an uneasy exhale. "…Er…I have a feeling there's going to be a lot for you to get used to over the next few days."
Aerith relaxed a bit at that, and managed a small chuckle. After that, both were silent again. Ragnar watched Aerith, and saw her look slightly to the side. Her eyes filled with melancholy once more, as she stared off into space. A slow sigh escaped her lips. The youth grew concerned at this.
"Are you alright?" He asked her.
Aerith opened her mouth and held, and then after a moment longer shut it again and shook her head. "…I don't know." She answered.
Ragnar looked a bit uneasy, but he forced himself to ask another question. "Do you…remember it?"
Aerith paused.
"…A little."
"Was it…painful?"
"Only for a few moments. Then I went away from it…to a world without pain, sadness, or death." Aerith slowly answered. "There was nothing to be sad or scared about there…no tragedy or misery. But I couldn't stay. I knew I was needed here. So I came back…not back to life, but back to the Lifestream." She paused a moment, still staring out into space. But then…the memory made her slowly smile. "Even there, however…it felt wonderful. I was actually one with the Planet itself. Everything was so peaceful…so calm… I was united among the multitude of spirits and voices that I had heard for so long…"
Ragnar listened to this, and nodded at the end. "…It sounds nice." He finally came out with, and he meant it. After all, he was one of the greatest fans of Cetra. He knew all about their ability to commune with the Planet, and how they sought for their spirits to unite with it one day when their souls went on to the afterlife. And the way Aerith spoke about it…she seemed so peaceful and happy remembering it. She hadn't feared death, it seemed, when that was on the other side. However…it did serve to unnerve Ragnar a moment later, as he realized what this meant… He soon grimaced and started to bow his head.
"Does this mean…you're…angry…? For us bringing you…back to…?"
Aerith looked over to him at that, and seemed to snap out of her faraway look. She quickly shook her head. "Oh no. I'm not mad. I'm…shocked, a bit. And it feels unusual…that everything is so sharp and harsh again around me. But I do remember it…and I couldn't interact with my friends when I went away. I know I'll be going back eventually, anyway…like we all will… It's just…"
Here, the woman trailed off. Some new emotion came into her eyes…and Ragnar saw that she suddenly looked anxious again…and even fearful. She turned her head again against her pillow and looked to the side, keeping that same nervous expression on her face.
"Just what?" Ragnar asked.
Aerith slowly sighed again.
"…When I left for the City of the Ancients…I knew I was probably going to die." She slowly responded. "After the incident at the Temple of the Ancients…I realized that Sephiroth needed me dead to summon Meteor. There, he tried to get Cloud to kill me, so that he could shatter what was left of his true mind and personality. I knew that if Cloud and the others followed me…he'd just do it again. While I was sitting there in the city…silently praying…I knew at any moment he would come…and then it would be over. I had accepted that. I was prepared to die if it meant stopping him from destroying this world. Even when the last thing I felt came…" She paused, and swallowed. "…The cold steel of his sword sliding through my chest…I knew it no longer mattered…and I could only smile."
Aerith hesitated after that. As she did…she grew more fearful in appearance…and worried.
"But…now I've died. Now I know the full limit of being mortal…" She slowly answered. "And…even knowing what's on the other side…it doesn't help. I know how easily I can pass in this world…how simple it is for me to die. My life…your life…all of our lives…are entirely in the hands of what we're surrounded with. If someone wants to kill you, he or she can do it so easily, and there's nothing you can do about it.
"My time on this world was not happy. I spent most of my life running or hiding. I saw everyone around me, one by one, be taken away from me. I had gone on to a place where I no longer had to be afraid or scared anymore… But now…I'm back here. I'm back in this fragile body…that's already been broken once. I'm back to the world of pain and sorrow and suffering. Now…I'm afraid I'm going to be hunted again. I'm afraid people will try to kill me again…or experiment on me again… And I already fell to people against me once… It could just as easily happen again.
"And although I know what's beyond…I'm afraid to die again. I'm afraid to feel that few moments of agony again. I'm afraid that people around me will fill my second chance at life with more fear and sadness. I'm scared…I'm scared to live."
Aerith bowed her head here, and clenched her hands into fists as best as she could. Her eyes and face were still stretched tight with anxiety and fear. She quivered slightly beneath her robe. Ragnar saw her do all this, and once more felt pain inside him. Aerith was making some sense. When people were young, they were more reckless and free. That was because they hadn't experienced things yet. They didn't know how dangerous it was to smoke continuously, or speed around curves, or throw hunting rules to the wind, or whatever. But as they grew older…as they felt more pain and agony from life…they grew more careful, and shielded themselves from more danger. Some even withdrew entirely.
What of a person who had endured the pain of murder? Who had seen her fragile life so easily snatched away, and by a man who thought no more of killing her than killing an ant? Unfortunately, there were more demented people like that in the world. And knowing the pain they could do to you…knowing what it felt like to die…what would it do to a person? Would it not make them afraid, as Aerith was? To be taken from paradise and thrown back into the cold, cruel world?
Seeing her like this was too much for Ragnar. Since he had met this fair creature, he didn't want her to feel sadness. He wanted her to enjoy the feeling of being alive, not fear what danger could possibly await in it. He wanted to say something to her…persuade her as he had persuaded all the other people before. But he didn't know what to do. An idea finally did come to mind. He wasn't sure if he was remembering what Bahamut had told him…or if he was doing this of his own free will. But in the end, he straightened himself up, and answered back to the sad woman.
"…I'll protect you."
Immediately, Aerith snapped out of her melancholy, and looked to Ragnar in puzzlement. "…Excuse me?" She asked, truly befuddled.
Ragnar was a bit nervous himself at having made that statement. He shrugged a little, stammered a bit, but then went on. "I…I mean…we will. All of us will. Cloud, Tifa, Barret…everyone else, and me. We'll do it. You don't have to be afraid. We aren't going to let anyone grab you or hurt you. Like I said, I'm the leader of an army. Just stay with us, and no one from Shinra will get their hands on you, and no one else will either. You don't have to be afraid of being murdered again. We won't let anyone do it. None of us will."
Aerith blinked once as she stared on at the young man. He seemed perfectly serious, although what he was saying was pretty much a potentially empty promise. But this was odd. She had just met this youth, and all of the sudden he was sounding as if he was offering to be her bodyguard. Then again…the thought of "bodyguard" brought back other memories…
"…You've just met me, and you want to protect me?" Aerith echoed back after a moment. "Why?"
Ragnar turned a bit red at this. He stammered again, and started to break out in a sweat. After a moment, he licked his lips and shrugged. "Well…I…it's just…" He held a moment, and finally managed to speak. "Well…you're a great person…from what I've heard. And you're a friend of Cloud's…so that makes you my friend. And…and…" He cut off again here, getting nervous. Aerith, however, continued to stare at him, waiting for him to finish.
At last, he bowed his head and turned fully red. "And…Cloud and Tifa…said you were such a nice person… I don't…I don't want you to spend your next life being scared of everything. If you spent so much time on the run and hiding…I want you to have the chance to live as well as you can." Ragnar went silent after this.
Aerith stared on at him. She may have seemed childish, but she was far more mature than she let on. She could tell how embarrassed this young man was to be around her and talk to her. It actually made her smile, and almost made her laugh a little as well. She didn't of course, not wanting him to feel like she was making fun of him. He was acting just like Zack did when they first met. He had been the big tough guy once…but once he tried to talk to her he had to practically gag himself in order to say anything to her.
Yet as she stared at this young man and talked to him…some of her fear began to alleviate. She could tell he was sincere when he said this. And even if he wasn't…he was right. Cloud and the others were still here, and she had missed them. The truth was, in her previous life…she had never felt sad or scared when she was with them. Even though she spent her last month on the run, it felt good to have friends in close company, to have someone to talk to and enjoy things with. Even talking to Ragnar helped her out some. And…it was kind of nice of him to make this offer, however reckless it might be. And so, in the end, she smiled a bit and gave a nod.
"…Alright, Ragnar."
The youth looked up at this, a bit puzzled. "…Alright?"
"I'll let you protect me, if you want." Aerith answered, still smiling. "And I'll do my part…and try not to be scared of being alive again and try to enjoy my next life as much as I can."
Ragnar held a moment at that. However, as he saw Aerith smiling again…he too began to feel happy inside. He saw that she was genuinely cheered up, and it made him feel relieved in turn. He managed his own cheerful smile. He held a moment, but then suddenly extended his hand forward to her while he kept smiling.
"Deal."
Aerith let out a small laugh at this…which to Ragnar sounded as sweet as birds singing. She raised up her own hand and took his, and shook it.
"Deal."
"Aerith? Are you-"
Cloud cut himself off as the doors to the conference room slid open, and he saw what was inside. Aerith wasn't lying down anymore. She had managed to sit up, and was now seated next to the member who Cloud had just noticed had gone missing, Ragnar. It looked like the two were in the middle of a conversation as well, and Aerith was smiling and laughing at something that the young man told her. Ragnar smiled and snickered a bit himself, a victim of a contagious laugh.
However, Aerith soon noticed Cloud in the doorway, and looked up to him. "Oh…hi, Cloud. Ragnar was just trying to catch me up on what's been going on."
Ragnar turned around at this, noticing that they were no longer in private. He looked back up to his friend in the doorway. Cloud himself hesitated a moment. On seeing Ragnar and Aerith sitting there…laughing together…he felt a twinge of something bitter inside him. However, he quickly let it go. After all, he was with Tifa. Not that it mattered. Ragnar had only known Aerith a few hours, and he shared laughs with him all the time. He soon relaxed, and stepped in the rest of the way. Ragnar, on seeing him relax, calmed a bit as well.
Aerith continued to smile at Cloud and shook her head. "I don't believe it, Cloud. Ragnar actually saved you? And he did that crazy stunt with the motorcycle?"
Cloud grimaced a bit at that, and turned over to Ragnar. The youth blushed in response, looking nervous. "Oh…so you told her about that, did you?" He asked in a challenging tone. "Well…did you happen to tell her about how I found you?" As Ragnar blushed further and cringed, Cloud looked up to Aerith again and indicated to Ragnar as a grin formed on his own face. "This thin little twerp was face down in the mud, half-starved, homeless, soaked to the bone, clothed in rags, after having walked two days to get to Midgar, and getting mugged when I met him. And let's not forget the time I dragged his shell-shocked rear end off of the battlefield after he did that stunt with the cannon. Or the time that I pulled him out of the combat zone after he had gotten himself shot. Or the-"
"Ok, ok…" Ragnar grumbled aloud. "I think Aerith gets the idea that the tally is not even."
"Not remotely." Cloud answered back, walking up to Ragnar and giving him a light tap on the back of the head.
Aerith held a hand to her mouth and chuckled at both of them. She seemed happy to see them both in a good mood. However, there was something else. Cloud had always been silent and aloof, even among his friends. Even with her and Tifa, she knew that Cloud had this idea of some proud and strong male standard that kept him holding back. On seeing him and Ragnar react…she realized that Cloud had found a friend…a friend like he used to have with Zack. And she was happy about that.
After their mild interaction, Cloud turned back to the woman. "Well…I was checking on you to see if you were doing better, but you look fine. Though are you sure you should be sitting up so soon?"
Aerith frowned a bit at that and sighed, looking down at herself. "I'd like to be back on my feet and walking around as soon as possible… I don't want to lay there helplessly…"
"Well, don't rush it." Cloud immediately cautioned. "That doctor we had with us said you needed time for the wounds to heal. Though we should do better than the cot pretty soon." Here, the ex-mercenary turned to Ragnar. "Well kid, you feeling ready to go?"
Ragnar looked up to him, gave a nod and got to his feet. "You bet. I'm ready to go back whenever you are."
"Alright." Cloud answered, before turning back to Aerith. "Just hang tight." He instructed her. "I need to get this thing off the ground, but once it's on auto-pilot and heading back to Midgar, we can come back again."
Aerith's eyes widened again at that, however. "We're going to Midgar?" She asked incredulously.
Cloud was puzzled by this response for a moment…before he understood. Giving a sigh, he turned his head to Ragnar. "Didn't tell her about that yet, did you?"
Ragnar gave an innocent shrug. "I was only up to the second battle, and I've been skipping things."
The ex-mercenary looked back to the Cetra. "I'll tell you more when we get back. It's a really long story." He reached out shortly after, not looking away, and took the youth's arm. "Ragnar…" He addressed him, as he turned and already began to lead him out.
Feeling himself yanked, the youth managed to raise his hand and wave. "See you soon. Don't try to get up without us."
The woman managed to raise her own hand and wave a little back. Ragnar turned and righted himself as they went out, and soon both he and Cloud passed through the metal doors again. They promptly shut behind them, once again, cutting the both of them off from Aerith.
Cloud released Ragnar soon after and began to make for the bridge. Ragnar himself loosened up and followed directly behind. They both only got a few steps.
"Seems you two are hitting it off…" Cloud mused aloud.
The young man looked to him a bit incredulously at that. "Hitting what off, Cloud? I was just talking to her. She was feeling scared after coming back to life, so I was just trying to get her mind off things. And she does have a lot to catch up on." He paused after saying that, and followed Cloud silently a bit farther. But then, after that, he gave a shrug. "And yes, I am interested in her. I'm actually seeing a living, breathing Cetra right before my eyes. And you know how I feel about them. And furthermore…you were right. She is a nice person to be around. I enjoy it when she's happy."
"You could have told me she was up and talking again…" Cloud murmured as he kept on.
Ragnar gave an exasperated shrug. "I didn't even realize it myself. All I did was try to check on her, and then one thing led to another…" The young man continued for a moment, but then trailed off. His arms fell as he rested his eyes on Cloud more challengingly.
"Are you…jealous of me?" He finally asked.
"Of course not." Cloud answered in a totally flat tone, without even turning.
"I don't believe this. You're jealous of me…" Ragnar went on, pressing his point. "I don't even care for girls. I've never even been on a date before. You know full well that starting a relationship is probably the last thing on Aerith's mind…and besides, you should be thinking about Tifa, not her in the first place-"
"I'm not jealous!" Cloud finally snapped, spinning his head around slightly to give Ragnar a dark look. It immediately shut him up. The ex-mercenary turned back shortly thereafter, exhaled a bit, and kept going. "I just haven't seen her in four years…and in that time I've been trying extremely hard to accept the fact that she's never coming back. Now that she's actually back…" He paused again for a moment, and then let out another sigh.
"…I don't know." He finished lamely. "And that's the real problem of it. I don't know what to feel. There's a big part of me that wishes that I really was the emotionless person she met. Because then I couldn't be hurt by her. I already saw her die once. And danger has been, and is going to continue to be, a big part of our lives. That part of me doesn't want to get attached to her at all…not even as a friend…because I don't want to go through the pain of loss when and if she dies again. But I've got another part that's begging me to spend as much time with her as possible while I have time, and try to remember and fulfill all the things I wished I could have done after she died the first time. The bottom line is…no matter what…" He paused again here, and swallowed. They had reached the doorway to the bridge now, and were passing through it as Cloud finished at last.
"…Her coming back to life…is one of the greatest miracles that's ever happened to me. I don't want to waste it. And that means…I want to be around her as much as I can."
Cloud went silent after that, and began to walk over to the controls. Both men were on the bridge now, and it was time to fire up the airship once more. Ragnar continued to watch him as he went off. The man betrayed no more emotion or showed any misstep, but Ragnar could understand him a bit better now. He supposed he understood Cloud a bit better after this small bit. In the end, what had really gotten his friend upset was not seeing Aerith and him talking, but the fact that he hadn't been there to throw anything in, or spend any more time with her. The death of Aerith had impacted Cloud perhaps worse than anyone else, and for two years it had continued to dominate him as he struggled desperately to forgive himself. With that in mind, he didn't wait for an apology for the latest outburst. He simply moved over to his own station.
Once both men were there, Ragnar began to turn on a few switches. As he did, the interior lights flickered on. The engines made a grinding whine, and then began to burn. Life started to come into the various controls, and the Sierra started to awaken from its slumber. As power was restored, Cloud began to fire up his own instruments. It didn't take long before the Sierra was up and running once again. After that, it was just a matter of taking a few minutes out to run the pre-flight checks and turn on the proper equipment. That was soon completed as well.
At last, Cloud took hold of the main controls. He turned his head back to Ragnar soon after. "We good to go, kid?"
"All set, Cloud." Ragnar answered from his station. "Just pull straight up, and we'll be on our way out." After a moment, he gave a snicker. "Glad we don't have to waste so much time maneuvering to get back out of the canyon."
"Feeling's mutual." Cloud answered, as he turned up the power of the engines, and the craft began to lift off. The power quickly built beneath the craft as it lifted up, and outside the rocks quickly passed underneath them as they rose into the air. Ragnar began to examine the radar as this happened. After all, there was still a good chance that the enemy was looking for them, and they were going to have to pull off soon after getting away. Still, there was nothing for the few moments it took for the craft to raise up out of the canyon and through the tree line. They seemed to have found some branches to snap regardless of how they had managed to get into the spot, but once they had done that they rose above the canopy and were totally in the clear. With that done, Cloud quickly began to turn the craft directly west.
A voice interrupted him. "Hang on a second, Cloud…"
The ex-mercenary immediately ceased, and turned back to the younger man. "What's the problem?"
Ragnar was hunched over one of the radar displays. His eyes were creased with worry and concern. However, after a few moments went by, they were growing filled with puzzlement as well. He raised a hand and scratched the side of his head. "Huh…that's funny…" He remarked aloud as he continued to look.
"What's wrong?"
Ragnar continued to look confused a moment, but then shrugged. "I thought I saw something north of us on a blip…but it just vanished. Maybe it was just a hiccup in the system or something."
Cloud held after hearing that, staring at Ragnar a bit longer. An air of unease went through him. As the ship hovered, he turned and looked out to the front of the craft. Naturally he saw nothing, but he was facing west. He looked out to his right soon after, and tried to listen for a moment. However, he heard nothing. The ex-mercenary didn't like this. However, sticking around was a sure way to get caught if a bogey was out there. He had never heard of the New Shinra employing any sort of stealth measures, and wasn't aware that the technology existed. Then again…he hadn't been expecting those little moving bombs that he had heard about either. They were still developing new weapons. Yet in the end, more immediate concern for Aerith won out over curiosity.
"Ignore it." He finally instructed, as he finished turning the ship to the west, and then immediately gunned it up to the fullest speed he could manage with staying low to the trees. Both Ragnar and Cloud were shaken off of their feet for a moment, but they recovered quickly, and soon stabilized as the craft continued to shoot to the west.
Ragnar himself looked back to the radar, not trusting. However, it showed no blip again. As a few minutes went by, and the ship began to put some ground between them and the City of the Ancients…he felt no more at ease. Again, this all seemed too easy. The New Shinra had to be looking for something after that morning, and it seemed far too likely that they would just let them go like that. They couldn't be so lucky as to avoid setting off anyone. If that was the case, Ragnar was tempted to have an invasion right at this point and wipe the whole enemy military off the face of the map. Of course, it couldn't possibly be that easy…
Abruptly, something startled both men. The roof suddenly had a grinding sound, and the entire Sierra buckled slightly. The moment it happened, both Cloud and Ragnar looked up to the source.There was nothing on the ceiling, and soon both the noise stopped and the ship righted itself. Ragnar turned down to Cloud a moment later.
"What was that?"
Cloud kept his head to the ceiling. "I don't know… Sounded like a possible equipment failure…but everything works fine."
"The only thing above us is the airbag." Ragnar responded. "That and the upper deck…"
On saying that, however, Ragnar trailed off. He looked back to Cloud again, and this time the ex-mercenary looked up as well. Whatever that had been…it wasn't an explosion. But it had been something…and it could have been something landing on the upper deck. Theorhetically, that was possible, if one was a good enough pilot…and if the ship was going slow enough. At least one of those requirements had already been satisfied. And if the New Shinra had really developed some sort of stealth device…
The two looked at each other only a second longer, seeming to come to the same suspicious conclusion. Then Cloud turned back around and quickly raised the Sierra higher into the air, making sure it wouldn't hit the rolling landscape. That done, he quickly flipped a switch to set it on auto-pilot. Afterward, he turned back to Ragnar and gave a nod. Ragnar nodded back, and both men were soon running back off of the bridge again, and back into the metal corridor, pausing only to take up their swords and strap them to their backs. They weren't walking now, but running full speed.
The two ran almost back to the main meeting area before halting. Unlike the Highwind, the Sierra was only one tiered inside, so they didn't have to go up to another level. However, just before the doors leading to the conference area, there was a metal door with a sign pointing, indicating that it led to theupper deck overhead.
Cloud ran forward first. There was a metal hatch opening on it to seal it and open it up again. He reached this and clamped his hands down on it, and began to turn.
He only turned slightly before his eyes widened, as he heard something. Immediately, he snapped around, released it, and rushed back over to Ragnar. The youth was surprised, but Cloud was soon on him and shoving him back.
"Get away from the-!"
A moment later, Cloud's voice was swallowed up as a powerful, compacted explosion went off. The force was so great that the metal hatch was blown off of its hinges, and flung violently across the corridor. The entire Sierra shook as Cloud yanked Ragnar aside just in time, barely missing the metal door as it collided against the opposing wall, before recovering enough from the eruption force to let itself be pulled back to the ground once again. Cloud released Ragnar soon after, leaving the youth to gape in surprise at what had just happened. Cloud, on his part, leveled his normally cold stare at the opening and wheeled his body around to it.
Investigating the door made it clear that plastique had been molded around the hinges and key points of it, and then set off by some sort of detonator. The open doorway itself was now rather filled with thick smoke. It continued to fill the area for a brief moment, obscuring vision…before footsteps clicking against the metal grating became audible, and who was on the other side entered.
Ragnar was taken by surprise as he thought, for a second, that Aerith herself was passing through the doorway. However, he soon realized he was wrong. The person looked similar in nature of the eyes, face, and hair, but it was a much colder, darker woman dressed in a navy suit, and sporting a rather large handgun. She gave him and Cloud no warmth as she entered. Following shortly behind was another suit, this one with blonde, short hair and a handgun of her own. This one appeared to have a materia orb fixed in a slot on it. A rather hulking suit came out next. This one was male and calmly pulling off his fingerless gloves as he came in, hiding his expression behind a large set of shades.
Finally, coughing and waving the smoke out of his face, a suit with spiky red hair came in. He didn't seem to care much for the eruption, or for his suit for that matter. His had been unbuttoned and hung loosely around his body sans tie. But once he was in, he looked up to Ragnar and Cloud and flashed a grin, before balancing a rather large and complicated looking nightstick across one shoulder.
"Hey boys." Reno of the Turks announced. "Forget your complimentary peanuts before takeoff?"
To be continued...