FF7: ZackCloudAeris "Surprise"
Surprise
When Tifa had told Yuffie with a sad smile where that lunkhead was again, Yuffie’s intentions were clear:
To kick that idiot’s ass.
Honestly, what was he thinking? He had a gorgeous, strong, intelligent woman waiting for him, and he was mourning over the dead! Yuffie had loved Aeris, too, but enough was enough! There was no way that Aeris would want Cloud to give up his life like this!
Of course, that depended on if Cloud had a life to begin with.
Contemplating how much of a life Cloud had if he was in a tube for five years (well, probably not five, but he never really talked about it, so it was only his fault if someone had the wrong impression), Yuffie quietly entered the church. She was a ninja: she could do quiet. And it was a church, so she couldn’t just run in there yelling at that idiot no matter how much she wanted to.
“Cloud?” she called softly, looking around the destroyed church. A part of her wondered if Vincent was in there, too, hanging upside-down in the rafters. If she looked up, would she see him with his cloak wrapped tightly around him, glowing red eyes slitted?
Reminding herself that she was in a church, Yuffie slammed a hand over her mouth and muffled a giggle.
There was no answer, and when she looked around, she saw no sign of Vincent, either. She supposed it kinda made sense. All of them were protective of Cloud, but Vincent was fiercely overprotective of the blond. Yuffie guessed it was because of his past “failures” or whatnot. But surely there was nothing to threaten Cloud in a church, so he would have no reason to be here.
Or maybe he started smoking whenever he stepped in.
She had to muffle another giggle.
It was in the middle of that giggle that she saw him. Staring, Yuffie didn’t know whether she should smack her forehead or coo. She settled for one and then the other.
Reclining on the wood near the new pond, Cloud dozed, golden head fallen to one side. His hand trailed in the water below, rings rippling around his middle finger whenever his hand twitched. Yuffie smiled fondly. Could SOLDIERs get colds? Not that he was a SOLDIER but he was close enough. Whatever. Shaking her head, she wondered if she should get him a blanket.
“Why are you in here, Cloud?” she asked quietly, walking up to him. “There’s a whole big world waiting for you outside. If there’s too many memories for you here, you can get a new start in Wutai. Everyone-”
Yuffie rarely got far when she started talking, but she always hoped next time would be different. However, she could honestly say that this was the first time this particular pair had interrupted her.
Grinning merrily, a violet-eyed brunet waved at her from within the water. Dazed, Yuffie waved back, and the man opened his mouth in what looked like a laugh. From behind the brunet, one arm wrapped securely around his waist, Aeris smiled brightly and waved, too. Yuffie widened her wave to include her, too.
The image of the pair shivered with each movement of Cloud’s finger, as vulnerable to the ripples as the water itself. A little dazedly, Yuffie noticed that even ghosts weren’t immune to Cloud’s touch.
Because that’s what they were. Ghosts.
“Aeris?” she whispered. Aeris nodded enthusiastically. “And . . .” She searched her mind for that elusive name, one rarely uttered by Cloud but always with endless love and devotion. “Zack?”
The man bounced like a spaniel, and Aeris laughed silently and hugged him with one arm. Her other hand was occupied. Fascinated, Yuffie watched Aeris lift her hand and touch the place where Cloud’s finger met the water. Still grinning at Yuffie, Zack did the same.
And the ripples grew.
Yuffie licked her lips. “Why . . .?” Why can I see you now? After all the times she had dragged Cloud out of this church, why could she only see them now?
Of course, now so much made sense.
Like Tifa’s sad smile.
The cheery smiles faded. Zack pointed to his eyes, which still glowed even in death. He mouthed something, but she couldn’t make it out.
As if in response to Yuffie’s confusion, the ripples moved away from Cloud’s finger, shifting and changing. She couldn’t breathe as they lost their circular shape, transforming into something new.
He’s coming.
“Who?” she whispered, already knowing the answer.
Sephiroth.
Meeting those two pairs of eyes, both fearless and bright, Yuffie nodded determinedly. How could the great ninja Yuffie be any less than fearless and bright, too? “Well,” she said aloud, “I guess I better wake up this lunkhead then, right?”
Zack winked and started mimicking dumping a bucket over Cloud’s head. Aeris rolled her eyes and smacked Zack’s arm. For the first time, Yuffie laughed out loud, and Cloud twitched at the noise.
“Oh!” Yuffie exclaimed, a new thought occurring to her. Anything approaching fear or dismay that she might have felt vanished at this realization. “I can actually use my materia in this battle!”
With that, Cloud awoke.
When Tifa had told Yuffie with a sad smile where that lunkhead was again, Yuffie’s intentions were clear:
To kick that idiot’s ass.
Honestly, what was he thinking? He had a gorgeous, strong, intelligent woman waiting for him, and he was mourning over the dead! Yuffie had loved Aeris, too, but enough was enough! There was no way that Aeris would want Cloud to give up his life like this!
Of course, that depended on if Cloud had a life to begin with.
Contemplating how much of a life Cloud had if he was in a tube for five years (well, probably not five, but he never really talked about it, so it was only his fault if someone had the wrong impression), Yuffie quietly entered the church. She was a ninja: she could do quiet. And it was a church, so she couldn’t just run in there yelling at that idiot no matter how much she wanted to.
“Cloud?” she called softly, looking around the destroyed church. A part of her wondered if Vincent was in there, too, hanging upside-down in the rafters. If she looked up, would she see him with his cloak wrapped tightly around him, glowing red eyes slitted?
Reminding herself that she was in a church, Yuffie slammed a hand over her mouth and muffled a giggle.
There was no answer, and when she looked around, she saw no sign of Vincent, either. She supposed it kinda made sense. All of them were protective of Cloud, but Vincent was fiercely overprotective of the blond. Yuffie guessed it was because of his past “failures” or whatnot. But surely there was nothing to threaten Cloud in a church, so he would have no reason to be here.
Or maybe he started smoking whenever he stepped in.
She had to muffle another giggle.
It was in the middle of that giggle that she saw him. Staring, Yuffie didn’t know whether she should smack her forehead or coo. She settled for one and then the other.
Reclining on the wood near the new pond, Cloud dozed, golden head fallen to one side. His hand trailed in the water below, rings rippling around his middle finger whenever his hand twitched. Yuffie smiled fondly. Could SOLDIERs get colds? Not that he was a SOLDIER but he was close enough. Whatever. Shaking her head, she wondered if she should get him a blanket.
“Why are you in here, Cloud?” she asked quietly, walking up to him. “There’s a whole big world waiting for you outside. If there’s too many memories for you here, you can get a new start in Wutai. Everyone-”
Yuffie rarely got far when she started talking, but she always hoped next time would be different. However, she could honestly say that this was the first time this particular pair had interrupted her.
Grinning merrily, a violet-eyed brunet waved at her from within the water. Dazed, Yuffie waved back, and the man opened his mouth in what looked like a laugh. From behind the brunet, one arm wrapped securely around his waist, Aeris smiled brightly and waved, too. Yuffie widened her wave to include her, too.
The image of the pair shivered with each movement of Cloud’s finger, as vulnerable to the ripples as the water itself. A little dazedly, Yuffie noticed that even ghosts weren’t immune to Cloud’s touch.
Because that’s what they were. Ghosts.
“Aeris?” she whispered. Aeris nodded enthusiastically. “And . . .” She searched her mind for that elusive name, one rarely uttered by Cloud but always with endless love and devotion. “Zack?”
The man bounced like a spaniel, and Aeris laughed silently and hugged him with one arm. Her other hand was occupied. Fascinated, Yuffie watched Aeris lift her hand and touch the place where Cloud’s finger met the water. Still grinning at Yuffie, Zack did the same.
And the ripples grew.
Yuffie licked her lips. “Why . . .?” Why can I see you now? After all the times she had dragged Cloud out of this church, why could she only see them now?
Of course, now so much made sense.
Like Tifa’s sad smile.
The cheery smiles faded. Zack pointed to his eyes, which still glowed even in death. He mouthed something, but she couldn’t make it out.
As if in response to Yuffie’s confusion, the ripples moved away from Cloud’s finger, shifting and changing. She couldn’t breathe as they lost their circular shape, transforming into something new.
He’s coming.
“Who?” she whispered, already knowing the answer.
Sephiroth.
Meeting those two pairs of eyes, both fearless and bright, Yuffie nodded determinedly. How could the great ninja Yuffie be any less than fearless and bright, too? “Well,” she said aloud, “I guess I better wake up this lunkhead then, right?”
Zack winked and started mimicking dumping a bucket over Cloud’s head. Aeris rolled her eyes and smacked Zack’s arm. For the first time, Yuffie laughed out loud, and Cloud twitched at the noise.
“Oh!” Yuffie exclaimed, a new thought occurring to her. Anything approaching fear or dismay that she might have felt vanished at this realization. “I can actually use my materia in this battle!”
With that, Cloud awoke.