I hate being sick. I keep hackign up icky yucky flim, and I seriously doubt me being sick is going to excuse me from PT (Physical Training) with my NJROTC class tomorrow. We have to run like a mile and a half... and I can't even take a breath of air though my mouth without coughing. PITY ME!

Anyways, this is Cloud's POV.


The fools wanted to try again to enter the mansion. I thought to Vincent's somber mood last night… I don't think either were ready for another encounter. Sephiroth would shred Vincent to pieces, if he could catch the ex-Turk, to find out his real ancestry. Of that I was sure. Furthermore, I think the thing in the reactor finally noticed it's 'son's' presence. Which in any scenario was a bad thing. Very, very bad thing.

So that left me with a dilemma. I couldn't let them in because of the brooding vampire, but I couldn't let them stay in Nibelheim. However, the only way to get them out of Nibelheim fast is to let them clear out the mansion. To make it worse, winter was quickly on its way, and it was usually pretty hard to enter/exit Nibelheim in the winter. So that gave me a time limit of a really short time.

Impossible. Clearly impossible. I was screwed. No doubt about it. The best thing I could think of is to get close to the generals so my influence overpowers it's. But they aren't exactly trusting of me. Once again, I'm screwed.

Vincent was of no help. He was too busy following his son around the mansion from the windows, a melancholy expression on his face. I gave up trying to talk to him after his fifth rotation around the house. Those SOLDIERs were persistent. They brought the Cetra with them, as if she would help find the entrance.

Aeris stood out in front of the house. She had circled once with the group before sticking firm to her spot in front of the house, right where I could watch her. I could see the soft smile that was drawn on her lips, and every now and then, her too green eyes flickered up to meet my own, although I knew she couldn't see me.

I heard Vincent approaching, which would mean that the SOLDIERs were almost finished with this latest rotation. There they were, just rounded the corner. Genesis seemed annoyed, Sephiroth was indifferent, and Zack's expression could only be described as determined. They stopped by Aeris and asked a few questions, to which Aeris shook her head. She spoke, and they shook their heads in return. Then she seemed to be annoyed momentarily.

I wondered slightly what they were talking about, but cast it away. I didn't have the time to wonder about pointless things. For all I knew, it could have already sunk it's claws into Sephiroth, which would make my job harder. However, the only way to get them to trust me is to take them inside the mansion. I glanced at Vincent. His blood eyes were trained solely on the Silver General.

I didn't really think that was an acceptable idea. I glanced back out the window and my eyes once again fell upon Aeris. Aeris… of course. She trusted me due to my close connection with the planet, a connection she too felt. She could be my link to them. And her being close to Sephiroth, well, maybe that would ward off it for the time being.

The group started to move for another rotation, and once they were finally around the side of the mansion, I went to speak with the pink-clad Cetra. I used passage ways that I knew led to the surrounding forest. I smiled as I found myself facing the back of her.

"Hey." She jumped, clearly startled by my call. I smiled at her as she turned and returned the smile.

"Hello, Cloud. How are you?" I nodded my head as I walked to stand by her.

"Fine, and you?" She nodded as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She turned back to face the mansion after I reached her. She gazed at it and I began to question what she saw it as.

Did she see it as I did? Or did she see it as something to be pitied? Maybe as something that was just there. Sympathy maybe? Empathy? What did she feel or see the mansion as? I was broken out of my thoughts by her asking a question.

"I'm sorry, what?" She laughed slightly.

"I said you looked like you were thinking about something. I asked if I could help you figure out whatever it was." I laughed.

"Nah, its just mental ramblings of a mountain boy. Nothing you'd be interested in." She raised an eyebrow, as if sensing my little white lie, but didn't call me on it.

We stood in silence for a few moments. Both of us looking up at the mansion. My thoughts returned to wondering what she thought of it, but I still focused on reality in case she spoke again. Which she did.

"Where's Fenrir?" I shrugged. What my pet did in its own time was not up to me. And I told her that. She nodded, understandingly. "I tried to tell them to talk to you." I kept my expression neutral. "I don't think they particularly trust you. You don't make any sense, and that alarms them. They want to know more, but you don't exactly give up anything."

"Everyone has to have their own secrets. Do they know yours?"

She seemed to stiffen momentarily before relaxing. "Yes. Does anyone know of yours?"

"Yes." She glanced at me, I could feel her eyes raking over my features. I relaxed slightly and felt around. She was curious, about me, about the mansion, about this place in general. She couldn't understand the mansion's hostility towards her, really it was protectiveness. It had seen so many women, maybe even Aeris' mother, tortured in it, and it didn't want her screams to join theirs. But she read it as hostility. However, right now, she was focusing on me. Trying to feel me. See what I really thought, see how I really felt. Then she seemed to notice what I was doing.

"I suppose we should ask each other before we intrude like that, hmm?" I raised an eyebrow but kept silent.

We were silent for a little while longer before I finally decided to speak.

"Sometimes, it can't be helped." She looked down, as if agreeing. I heard her soft 'yeah' and caught the sigh it was hidden in. After a few minutes she looked back up at me.

"Since they won't listen to me and ask you, will you please show them the inside of the mansion again?"

"I can't. A friend would get riled up. He's already following them from inside the mansion." She made an 'oh' sound before nodding slightly.

"Would this friend be riled up at me?" I furrowed my eyebrows, thinking this through. I could show Aeris, and get in trouble with her SOLDIERs, but if I didn't… it would be a loss to befriending her. What to do, what to do?

"No…" First let's start with the truth. No, Vincent wouldn't care about her being there. Chaos might, but there's a really small chance Vincent will let him attack Aeris.

"So, could you take me? I heard that a person, I think Tifa said his name was Vincent, lived in there. She mentioned it when she was talking about the stories you sometimes tell." So she did know somewhat about Vincent. Interesting that Tifa would tell that story out of all the stories I've ever told her. I would have to find out why later.

"Wouldn't your SOLDIER boys get upset?"

"Probably, but I trust you. I can feel that the planet trusts you. I feel that the mansion trusts you. And I can feel how this general area of Nibelheim trusts you, and I'm not talking about the people. Besides, they don't have to know it was you. I could just say I found the entrance, but didn't want to wait. Its that simple."

"If you say so." I lead her to where I knew the entrance would be, and with a flourished bow, spoke. "Ladies first." She smiled gently and entered the musky old mansion, with me trailing behind her.


The offer for a free Digital Cookie is still on. Anyone who can give me an idea of how I got this particular sickness in basically summer gets the cookie. I mean, come on! I thought people only get pneumiona during winter!