CHAPTER SIX

Cloud's Bike

It was a struggle for Lightning to keep her eyes focused on the road. Reason being, she had never seen any other motorcycle look as good as Cloud's. He must've strived to keep the thing looking immaculate. The sunlight bounced off it's black reflective surface and into Lightning's foresight, meaning that it must've been waxed on a regular basis. She reached for the dashboard and grabbed her sunglasses. That seemed to help a bit.

Every time she ran over a bump, she felt as though her heart had skipped a beat. She hoped that this rough ride wasn't too much for their merchandise to take. Every once in a while, she would glance into the rear view mirror and peek at the three large packages in the backseat. Please don't let the blades chip or break, she said to herself over and over.

It was evening by the time they reached Wutai. Cloud parked his bike directly in front of the inn, and Lighting pulled up along side him. She rolled down her window and said, "You book the room, I'll deliver the stuff. And feel free to take the bed, seeing as I had it last time, okay?"

"Got it," Cloud replied before she drove off towards the armory shop.

After checking into their room, Cloud changed into his pajamas and laid on top of the sheets, not bothering to cover up with them. His eyelids were heavy from the long day, and he wasn't far away from sleep…

oOo

"Aerith… This can't be real!… Aerith is gone… Aerith will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry… or get angry… What about us… What are WE supposed to do? What about my pain? My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!"

And yet, he could still hear Aerith's voice telling him,

"I never blamed you. Not once. You came for me. That's all that matters."

oOo

The night sky glistened with millions of stars, each one reflecting against the black surface of Cloud's bike.

Lightning had stopped herself from going right inside the inn and glanced at it. From there, she had actually been so bold as to walk over beside it. She delicately moved her hand along the front brim, gripping the left handle when she came to it. She felt the seat with her other hand. It was soft, comfortable, and still warm from when Cloud had sat on it.

Indeed, this thing was an absolute beauty on wheels.

"Go ahead."

She jerked her head up to the inn's second floor. Cloud was looking down at her, wearing nothing but a tank top and sweat pants. "Go on. Take a seat," he told her.

She immediately removed her hands from the bike. "No… I'll be right up," she replied before hurrying towards the inn's entrance.

Normally, if someone else were to touch his bike, Cloud would be after them with an all-out Omnislash at the ready. But not this time. He had always thought that his bike was like a uniform, tailor-made to fit just him an no on else. But it almost looked just as good with Lightning, even though she had only stood beside it; she didn't even sit on it, and yet.

Lightning entered the room moments later. "I'm sorry," was the first thing she said. "I shouldn't have touched your bike."

"It's alright. Really, it is." He moved away from the window, taking a few steps closer to her. "You like it?"

"Yeah. Actually, it's the best bike I've ever seen."

Cloud grinned. "Have you ever rode one before?"

"No."

He cocked his head. "Want a ride sometime?"

Her eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Of course," he said. "I don't make jokes when it comes to my bike, trust me. How about tomorrow?"

She blinked. "Are you sure we'll have time?" she asked. "Shouldn't we be heading back to Midgar in the morning?"

"I don't think a couple extra hours will make that much of a difference… Unless you'd prefer another time."

She shook her head. "No, no… Tomorrow's fine."