Love, Aerith
Chapter 9: Inside the Building
When you come back, I'll still be here.
They held hands, gripping onto one another as though their lives depended on it as he walked in front of her, pulling her close behind. She liked feeling his warm hand on hers. She felt safe with him.
Hojo's men barged into the transparent cell with guns drawn. The orange tiger growled loudly, showing its teeth to the men standing in their way as they had their eyes on the helpless girl at the back and against the wall. Red's enormous figure and threatening shiny eyes followed by sharp white teeth slowed the men down for a minute before they had orders to deal with him.
Seeing a brink on their guard, Red jumped on his four paws and those sharp teeth clamped together around one of the guard's arm easily tearing flesh apart. Suddenly, through the man's screams, a tazer-gun was shot in his direction. When it rested upon his furry back, it sent several electrical shocks throughout his skin. Red howled painfully, the sound piercing through Aerith's ears. She let out a cry for him and felt fresh tears falling down her cheeks.
When he finally stopped, he turned around on his feet and smiled widely at her. His deep blue eyes were especially bright that day, like happiness was flowing right out of him.
"Red!" Aerith yelled in panic as she saw the huge creature collapsing heavily to the floor and starting to convulse. The paws wobbled slightly on the floor and there was a tiny puddle of foam already forming under his mouth. Her body froze in horror and with wide emerald eyes she stared at the tiger. A feeling of revolt formed inside her stomach followed by fear for the tiger. He shouldn't have stood in their way. He had nothing to do with what they would do to her, and yet she couldn't feel more grateful to him for caring about her and trying to protect her.
His black hair waved in the breeze and slowly his hand lifted to rest upon her cheek, stroking it softly while he leaned forward until their lips met, gently and lovingly. She smiled as she felt his silky mouth on hers thinking that right there in that moment, she couldn't feel happier.
When strong coarse hands clasped around her bare arms and pulled her up powerfully to her feet, Aerith felt nothing but a dark void. Her tearful eyes stared blankly at the nothingness as they carried her away out of the cell. The tiger was motionless, lying on the ground. There was no one here that could help her, and it seemed like all hope was lost. Cloud was gone, and Zack wouldn't want to see her so he wouldn't be out looking for her. There was no way they could know she was here. Surprisingly, she had already accepted it. She wouldn't hurt them anymore and maybe if she was lucky enough, those men who were pushing her to walk through the corridors would put her out of her misery soon.
But for now, and to be able to last a little while longer just to have the chance to see if Red was fine, she would drift off to a peaceful, happy place where she could hold onto until the worst was over.
"Never leave my side." He said in a smooth, flirtatious voice, a smile dancing on his lips and reaching his eyes, which looked down at her. With his fingers, he pushed one lock of her chestnut brown hair to the back of her ear.
"I won't… Zack." She said back, looking straight into his eyes and wanting to be lost in that Ocean of deep blue forever.
I wish I could go back to those times, where everything was perfect, she thought while a tear came running down her face.
When Kunsel opened the door Zack and Cloud burst into his apartment taking the young man in front of them.
"We need your help." Zack said promptly.
"O… k?" Kunsel gasped, like he had any choice on that matter. He remembered that look on Zack's face. He could take down a tornado with that determination he had when he got too involved in a mission.
"You have to walk us through the Shinra building." Zack walked around Kunsel's living room from one side to another, his forehead wrinkled thoughtfully already working on some kind of plan.
"Have you forgotten your ways around that place?" Kunsel shrugged. Sure it had been a while, but no one knew the insides of Shinra as good as a SOLDIER.
"Kunsel, I've been considered dead for almost five years. And what we have to do in there can't draw any kind of attention." Zack was getting impatient, the adrenaline rushing quickly through his blood; he couldn't stay there for much longer. They would go over the plan on the walk if they had to. Time was running out the longer Aerith stayed in Hojo's hands. "We need you to show us the secret ways of wandering around Shinra. We need to get into Hojo's labs without being seen."
"Do you realize what you're asking?" Kunsel's eyes widened with astonishment. "Those labs are watched twenty-four hour around the clock! And there are a lot of guards there protecting them!"
"What are they afraid of getting in there?" Cloud asked finally.
"More like… getting out." Kunsel sighed. "I've heard of some monstrous things going on in there. Don't know if they're true, but something tells me I don't want to know. Why do you guys want to go there in the first place?"
"Can you help us or not?" Cloud asked impatiently. "We need some guidance and we need someone to find some distraction to those security cameras watching."
"No way man!" Kunsel shook his head quickly. "If they catch me I will be immediately disposed of."
"Listen." Cloud's blood boiled feverishly and before he knew what he was doing he was already pressing an elbow against Kunsel's throat and backing him against the wall. "Aerith is in those labs and you're worried about your stupid job."
"I didn't know." Kunsel choked out coughing. Cloud let go of him at last, shaking his head as he did, trying to get a grip on himself.
"Now you do." Zack looked straight at his friend; his eyes flickered with the faint light coming from a lit lamp. "We wouldn't be asking this if it wasn't for her."
"Let's go." Kunsel paused for a moment to think before he hurried to get some keychain he had on top of a coffee table, and placing it inside his pocket, he walked them out. He thought they had a point, and if the rumors were true about those labs, that innocent girl would be going through something worse than hell itself.
Aerith felt the soft surface of the mattress under her tired body. The bright lights burnt through her eyelids, but exhaustion was overwhelming her. Her body was trembling with coldness, and she felt as though there was no string of strength left in her to lift her head up and check on Red. She knew she was back in her cell but she had no idea how she had gotten back there.
She remembered seeing a dark-haired man's face smiling delightfully down at her while she laid on her back trying to move her arms and legs while something was holding them down. And then there was pain and finally darkness when the pain was just too much for her to hold in the screams. Not even the quiet place in her memories was strong enough to prevent her from feeling that kind of pain.
When her body was shivering, something warm and furry lay down next to her protectively and before she succumbed to sleep the last thing she saw was a glimpse of fiery orange.
She laughed, clearly and cheerfully while Cloud's hands were shaking with nervousness as she tried telling him how to delicately cut a flower by its green stalk. The scissors were now shaking so hard she didn't know how he could still be holding them between his hands.
"Well, it's hard!" Cloud exclaimed giving up and sitting down on his feet, kneeling on the floor next to her. "I'm afraid I'll hurt them, they seem so delicate."
"How are you supposed to help me with the flowers if you can't hold the scissors right?" Aerith giggled at him. "Maybe you could just help me with the sales."
Cloud sighed, feeling defeated and frustrated that she gave him such an unimportant task. A first class SOLDIER having trouble with something as simple as cutting one flower without damaging it. That certainly was embarrassing. But somehow that tiny flower that looked so scary to the big soldier contained such purity in his eyes that he felt his hands weren't worth the soft touch of its petals.
"Here, let me help you." She said smiling kindly. Then she took both his hands on hers placing the scissors downwards and holding them steady inside of his own hands. "You do it like this." She opened up the scissors with his fingers. "And then carefully but steadily and very quickly..." They heard a light click of the scissors closing and gently the flower fell upon Aerith's extended hand. "You cut the stalk!" She said and giggled as she looked at the intense look on his face. He looked like a child deep in concentration, and the only thing that was missing was the tip of a pink tongue sticking out between strained lips.
"Wow." He finally said. Realizing that she was still holding his hand, he immediately felt the burn of embarrassment color his cheeks a light pink. He stared at her for a moment, just watching as the white light coming through the broken roof of the church illuminated her features making her round emerald eyes glow softly like lucid jewels. It amazed him how she could still strike him off of his feet and send him towards the sky freely. That was how she made him feel. She was the only person, except for Zack, that had made him smile genuinely.
He swallowed hard and remembered what her lips felt like pressed softly against his the other day when they were at her house. Burning with desire to feel those lips again he leaned forward carefully and making sure he wouldn't pull her away even though he already knew how she felt. When she followed his movement, confidence struck him like lightning and his hands cupped her face while he inhaled her scent passionately as their lips finally met.
Aerith's hand rested at the back of his head feeling the smoothness of his golden hair running through her fingers. His strong but soft hands let the scissors fall to the ground to rest upon her neck and shoulder, feeling her skin as it longed for him. The touch of his lips and the warmth of his tongue brushing against hers while his hands ran softly down her body made her feel whole once again, alive.
If only she could feel that again. She wondered now if she ever would.
Cloud, if you ever come back… I hope you can forgive me for not stopping you.
"Zack." Cloud called as his hand clenched tightly around Zack's arm making the black-haired man stop on his feet and turn to look at the blond. His chest was tight like he could feel Aerith's call. "You don't have to do this."
"This is no time to be proud Cloud." Zack shook his head. "I want to go. Plus, what will you do in there without me?"
"I just..." Cloud started. "…don't want anything to happen to you too."
"Don't worry." Zack smiled reassuringly. "It's Hojo who should be worried about something happening to him! Aerith needs us. We're together on this and we're first class SOLDIERS, right? Don't forget about that. This is our chance to get even with Hojo for what he did to us. I'm trying really hard not to think of what Aerith is going through in there… because I would have already burst into that place and kill everything that got in my way."
Cloud nodded but his eyes were on the ground. First class SOLDIERS… he's right. Aerith! I know you're strong but hold on a little while longer! We're coming! Cloud shouted to himself in his head and followed his companions who had started running towards the biggest building in Midgar. The huge structure rose tall amongst the dark streets and above the rooftops of the other edifices. When they stopped, Kunsel raised one hand, motioning the other two to stay put. They froze in place while waiting for some reaction from their friend.
"This is the backstage passage inside." Kunsel finally said taking a few steps forward into an empty back alley where they could see a rusty iron door on top of some stairs.
"Is it guarded?" Zack asked impatiently.
"Not usually, no." Kunsel answered. "But it's locked."
"Great." Cloud exhaled sarcastically.
"Don't stress." Kunsel grinned, taking his keychain from his pocket and lifting it eye-level with his hand, the keys clanking with each others. "I have the key."
"What are we still doing here then?" Zack pushed his friend in front of him and towards the stairs.
"Wait! There's a security camera pointing right to the door!" Kunsel got free of Zack's pushing hands and rolled on his feet. "I guess if we're quick on getting in they won't recognize you, and since you two are wearing SOLDIER uniforms… they probably won't notice who's coming in. We can't draw attention though or act suspiciously."
"Just open the door." Cloud said walking towards the stairs but careful enough not to stand in the camera's view. The quicker they were the better, or would there be someone who cared enough to take a better look at them. Cloud was allowed inside the Shinra building, but being a mercenary now, some rooms and floors were off-limits to him. He no longer had the usual business in there as part of them. Kunsel searched through his keychain with close attention. He tried a couple of keys before the keychain clumsily slipped from his hands and fell loudly on the floor.
"Was there something you said about not drawing attentions?" Zack rolled his eyes and tapped his foot on the ground.
"Sorry." Kunsel placed the correct key inside the keyhole and turned it finally getting the door opened. The other two men had their back to the cameras when they climbed the stairs and disappeared through the door.
Aerith softly opened her eyes and felt a constant irritating pain in her head. She didn't feel rested but anxious instead and even more tired if that was possible. Red was laying next to her, his fur keeping her warm and comfortable as she had been sleeping as close as she could get to him. Suddenly there was a knock on the glass. She lifted her head and strained her eyes to see that dark-haired man from before standing there looking at them from outside the cell.
"Good evening." The man said with a sickeningly satisfied smile as he looked down at his most recent achievements. Aerith sat upright, her eyes glaring at the simple man wearing a white doctor's coat. His eyes were covered by the white reflex of the bright lights but the smirk on his lips made the girl's stomach contort inside her.
"There there my sweet. No need to look at me like that. My name is Hojo and I will be taking care of you from now on." The sound of the man's voice made Red's ears vibrate and slowly he started coming back to senses and waking up. The tiger lifted his head to stare attentively at the man. "Ah, I'm glad you're awake." Hojo moved his head to look at the tiger, and finally Aerith was able to see the man's dark eyes below thick dark-brown eyebrows. "I have to say you were very lucky with my oldest experiment girl. I've been trying to make him our ally, the perfect killing monster."
"The only monster I see here is you!" Aerith's voice came out a threatening yell. She didn't even know she was able to sound like that.
"Now don't be like that." Hojo shook his head slowly. "But I have to say I was a little disappointed when he attacked our own instead of you. I was more than anxious to see how he acted inside the same room as a stranger. It seems I still have a lot of work to do in trying to make him work for me."
Red growled, the fur at the top of his back ruffling with fury. Aerith placed a soothing hand on top of his neck trying to calm him down. She didn't want him to suffer again because of her. It was best just to stay put and ignore his provocations.
"Anyway, I wanted you to know my dear, you give me what I want and I'll be good to you." Hojo smirked devilishly.
"What is it that you want?" Aerith asked, she didn't want to show weakness.
"You will know in due time." Hojo replied. "Meanwhile, to prove to you that I'm not the monster you think of me as, I will ease these awfully white lights you have here."
With that, the burning bright lights dimmed and became more comfortable to the eyes.
"Thank you, that was a very kind act of you." Aerith said sarcastically, her eyes not leaving his.
"See you soon." Hojo said with a smirk and turned around to leave his experiments alone, his head already planning the next test he would try on the Cetra girl.
Note: Hi! Thank you so much for reading! I noticed there are both Clerith and Zerith fans reading! Well, I like the two couples so this chapter had a little bit of both! Oh and I've been thinking of an ending to this story and came up with two completely different ones. I might have to choose only one or I'll post both. I still have to decide! But one is very sad and the other one, not so much! Love, Aerith was meant to be a short story but it is already going longer than what I thought! Thank you so much everyone reviewing! It means a lot to me! Special thanks to my Persistence and my chibipinkbunny for all the help they gave me! You guys are great! Please review!
