Chapter 12 - Crisis of Coordination Pt. 2
Part 1
Aerith's free hand ran through his hair in a soothing rhythm, echoing his early attempt to comfort her. He knelt there for a few minutes longer, and wondered if this was what it was like to be at peace.
“So that's what changed.” She smiled at him when he looked up at her, confused. “It's only that you seemed... happier... lately. So I'd wondered.” Aerith shook her head fondly, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “It's a good thing. It means you can start smiling more.”
Cloud sighed as he released Aerith's hand and rose to his feet. He felt…odd. Not in a bad way, but somehow he didn't feel real at the moment. Like he was in a dream and about to wake up to face the harshness of reality. He knew that it wasn't going to become suddenly easy from now on. There was still a great deal of uncertainty and wariness he had for Sephiroth, as well as the knowledge that while the man hadn't yet done the cruel and horrific crimes, there was still a large possibility he would. Still, when he looked into Aerith's clear green eyes, the tight feeling of relief hummed through him regardless. The realization had been gradual, though Cloud had made the process more difficult by tying himself into guilty knots. Zack kept telling him he thought too much. His gloves tangled in his hair slightly as he ran a hand through it, still able to feel the ghost of Aerith's caresses. With a slight shake, he offered her a wan smile, and held out a hand invitingly.
"We should hurry, before your mother misses us too much." There was no need to remark further on what transpired there. Everything that needed to be said at this time had been, and Cloud knew Aerith would understand that. He paused for a moment as her hand slid into his, and shook his head again. "Then again, maybe not, with three kids to watch over."
He pulled her upright, careful as always not to be too rough in the movement. Casting an eye around the playground, Cloud noted that they were still alone. His sword shifted against his back as he rolled his shoulders to loosen them from the knots of tension they'd been wound up with. With an offhand gesture, Cloud indicated Aerith to start walking, and he dropped into step beside her as they exited the playground. There were a few hangers on loitering on the road that lead up to Wall Market. A few of the men followed Cloud and Aerith's progress with suspicious eyes, but made no other hostile move, so Cloud dismissed them. As the gaudy neon lights of Wall Market lit up the air in the under-plate gloom, the wave of noise from the busy commerce washed over the pair.
Aerith shifted to walk a little closer to Cloud as the crowds closed in around them. “Do...you have some place in mind?” she asked quietly. Looking downward thoughtfully, she mused, “I think there was a dress shop up that way a little. Do you think they would be willing to sell us some of their leftover fabric?”
Cloud was sure he let out an undignified sound at the mention of the dress shop. Why had he imagined bringing Aerith to Wall Market would end up any other way? He avoided looking down at her, and kept his gaze focused stonily ahead of them as he replied, "…Probably." The owner had been an easily bored egocentric when Cloud had met him the first time, and he couldn't imagine that had changed much. Cloud tried to repress the memory of what exactly had pulled the owner out of his funk last time.
Giving in to the inevitable, Cloud began moving them down the street in the direction of the little shop. The press of people ebbed and flowed around the pair as they slowly made their way deeper into the heart of the market. Aerith stayed close to his side, and Cloud felt a prickling of unease himself. Somewhere, someone was paying them just a bit too much attention. A moment later, Cloud found out who it was as a voice calling his name made him turn and scan the crowd.
"Hey, Cloud!" Pushing through a few slow-moving shoppers, Gibbs raised a hand in greeting as he approached them. "I thought that was you. Of course, with that hair of yours…." The Third grinned, setting his hands on his hips as he looked Cloud up and down. "Still in that damn uniform? I swear, either you have a fetish for playing a subordinate, or you need a girlfriend to sort you out with some new clothes." His eyes slid to Aerith standing at Cloud's side, and the grin turned into a playful smirk. "Or do you have one already? Stealing Fair's girl while he's away?"
"Gibbs," Cloud said warningly, frowning as the Third waved a dismissive hand in his direction.
"Don't get your knickers in a twist." Gibbs turned to Aerith, his smile sliding into something more welcoming as he nodded at her. "Hi there. We didn't get to talk much last time. The name's Gibbs, if you missed it."
Aerith smiled warmly back, and gave a little bow of greeting. "Near the ShinRa Lights Festival tree, in the Sector 8 plaza, right? You brought those delicious buns!"
"Ah, those would be thanks to my Jen," Gibbs said, his dark eyes glinting fondly. "She'll be delighted to hear you enjoyed them so much."
Something of Gibbs' good humor must have been infectious, because the next moment Cloud found his arm captured in Aerith's as she tugged him close. "And what do you mean 'steal'? Zack and I are sharing Cloud, of course!"
"Aerith!" Cloud's protest was louder this time, and he could feel his face flush under her merry eyes as Gibbs let out a harsh bark of laughter.
"Like the kid needs any more rumors floating around about his sordid love life," the Third chortled, and Cloud gave in to the urge to drop his face into his free hand. He had almost, almost managed to forget about that.
"What are you doing down here, anyway?" Cloud asked, dropping his hand to his side wearily.
"Visiting the folks," Gibbs replied with a shrug. "I'm a Midgar kid. ShinRa offered more opportunity than winding up as gutter trash, so I joined as soon as I was old enough to pass the inspection." Running a hand through his dark hair, Gibbs fixed them both with a wry look. "Didn't really want to make it all the way to SOLDIER, but the pay's better. I've been thinking of moving my family plateside as soon as I've saved enough." The man looked a little embarrassed at his chatter, and cleared his throat abruptly. "Anyway, I was heading for the station to meet Jen. There's a new bakery down here that has some good rumors about it, and she wanted to check it out in person when she got off shift."
"Well, we shouldn't keep you any longer," Aerith said agreeably. Cloud kept the thought to himself that it had been Gibbs who'd distracted himself in the first place.
"Nice meeting you. Tell Fair I said hi," Gibbs said in parting, giving a wave as he took off at a jog. Cloud stared after the departing figure for a moment, before turning his gaze back down to Aerith.
"…Sharing?" he asked, trying to keep the plaintive tone from his voice. Zack and Aerith's teasing aside, Cloud did worry that the rumors circulating about him would harm his friend's relationship. Neither seemed concerned about it at the moment, though.
"It's what Zack would have said,” she said playfully, as she wound her arm through his again. “I thought I'd try being a little more forward."
“Zack's not...” Cloud started, then cut off abruptly with a sound that was something between exasperated and a reluctant sigh. "Zack...is a bad influence on you." She laughed, quick and bright, and unable to stop for several seconds. Cloud could only watch her, unsure whether he should laugh as well or not.
“Maybe he is,” Aerith said after a moment to compose herself, “but he's right when he said you're funny when you get flustered. Besides, I wasn't lying. You stay with Zack most of the time, and every now and then he brings you down here to visit.” She came to a pause outside of the dress shop and gave him a prim, yet somehow impish look. “It's not my fault you two took my words like that.”
Shaking his head slightly at Aerith's teasing, Cloud ducked his chin behind his scarf to hide his reluctant grin. It seemed more in character for the Aerith he'd known to be so audacious, yet he couldn't help but be amused at her happiness. Zack was a big impact in her life, and that was shining through even now. Oddly, it made him feel a little better about his own usurpation of Zack's life; his friend changed people for the better, and knowing that Aerith also leaned on Zack's personality to give her strength was calming. He wasn't sure he could ever completely let go of the guilt of forgetting Zack's sacrifice, but it was getting easier to believe that that Zack had given it up freely.
When they stepped over the threshold of the shop's entrance, they were immediately enveloped in the dimmer gloom from inside. The contrast of the outside neon lighting and the interior's warmer glow was palpable, and Cloud blinked as his eyes adjusted quickly. He was greeted by the familiar sight of the racks of dresses against the walls. There were no other customers in the shop despite the bustle outside. The owner looked up from a magazine he'd been perusing at the counter, and Cloud fought off a wince of recollection. It was the same face as he remembered, less lined perhaps, but still holding the pinched petulance of someone who didn't care about others' opinions. It smoothed into a more businesslike expression as he straightened up, nodding at them in greeting.
"Welcome," the owner said brusquely, wiping one hand on his shirt distractedly. "Anything I can help you folks with?"
Aerith's hand clutched at Cloud's arm from where they were still linked before she released him to address the owner. “Well, I was wondering if you'd be willing to part with some of your leftover fabric. Not much, but...” she said politely, threading her fingers together behind her back. Cloud turned his head away as echoes of his previous encounter in this shop rang through his mind. He took comfort in the knowledge that at least this time he wouldn't be forced to wear the cloth.
For a moment the owner regarded her in silence, seeming to be considering her request. His eyes flicked to Cloud and back, before abruptly he nodded sharply. “Sure, I have some stuff laying around that I can't use for much anymore. Just let me go get it.” Cloud blinked as the man disappeared through the door to the back room, uncertain if he was reading too much into the sudden accord.
“That wasn't so bad," Aerith said, releasing a sigh as she closed her eyes. Opening them again, she brought her hands back to her side and smiled up at him. "I hope we can get something the girls will like.”
Shifting to rest his weight on one leg, Cloud shrugged negligently. "I'm sure it will be fine." He wasn't sure why Aerith was worried. Cloth was just cloth, wasn't it? He quickly pushed back the knowledge that silky was better than velvety, and wished his patchy memory would kindly kick in.
Aerith rocked back on her heels, humming in agreement. “I'm sure you're right." Her attention was drawn to the racks of clothing for a moment, and Cloud shifted again at her intense interest. Her eyes tracked back to him, and she gave him a sympathetic smile. "You look a bit uncomfortable. Don't like to shop?”
Cloud ran a hand through his hair, and forced himself to relax. While it had been embarrassing, there was no reason to get worked up over something that had no reason to occur now. "It's not that…" he mumbled, but didn't elaborate. The shop owner had returned anyway, and cleared his throat to get Aerith's attention. She turned, and stepped up to the counter where he'd laid several lengths of cloth across it.
"These are just the cut-offs. Can't use 'em for more than rags, really," the owner explained. Cloud stepped forward, casting an eye over the variety of colors. Some of the cloth was hardly more than scraps, but there were plenty of longer strips to choose from. "If you want better, I'd have to charge you."
"Oh, I don't mind paying for them," Aerith protested mildly, her fingers nimbly testing the feel of the cloth. "But these are perfect, really."
“What are you using them for?” the man asked, his brow furrowing in curiosity. The man had been interested in the unusual.
“Ribbons,” Aerith replied softly, her attention still on the strips of cloth.
“We have spools of actual ribbon if you'd like." The owner's expression took on a slightly disinterested cast as he said this, obviously only mentioning it more in hopes of a profit than any real interest.
Aerith shook her head, and gifted the man with a faint smile. “It's more fun like this, and it costs a little less. Besides they're only for flowers.”
The owner nodded in satisfaction at her answer, then gave her an appraising look. “You're that flower girl, I take it?”
Cloud's attention focused on the man at the query, and even Aerith's smile faded a bit at the sudden interest. It wasn't necessarily a good thing to be well known in the slums, after all. “Words gotten around that fast?” she asked, flushing and ducking her head.
“It's an unusual occupation here, and my daughter's friends have been talking about it," he explained, eyes taking on a spark of inspiration that Cloud recognized. "Next time you have some why don't you stop by? I'd like to buy a few.”
Aerith gave a nod of agreement. "I'll see when I can come by again, then." She turned and beckoned Cloud closer. “Come here, for a second would you, Cloud?” He couldn't help but give her a wary look, and she let out a mirthful laugh. “It's okay, silly. I'm not going to bite.” He stepped up to her side without further protest, and raised a questioning eyebrow at her. Aerith held up the bunched fabric in her hand and pressed it against his temple. The cloth was cool against his skin, the slight pressure from her hand keeping it in place. The wild locks of his blond hair fell around it, and she leaned in closer with a bright smile. “Your hair is about the same color as my yellow flowers,” she said, laughter in her voice. “White will go with anything, but not yellow, so I need a comparison.”
Cloud endured the comparison stoically, aware of the owner's not so subtle stare. The man had brought out a number of samples, so it took Aerith a while of humming and re-examining the different cloths as Cloud waited. Finally, it seemed the man's patience ran out.
"You're that guy that tangled with Corneo's men, aren't you?" he asked gruffly, eying Cloud up and down again. His gaze lingered on Aerith's hand where it was holding up a blue strip of cloth to Cloud's hair, before he looked back into Cloud's eyes. "Yeah," he continued. "Sent the General after them and everything." There was a belligerent expression on his face, as if he was daring Cloud to do the same to him.
Fixing the man with an unamused stare, Cloud's mouth twitched into a frown. "I didn't send the General to them." The effect of the statement was lost when Aerith held up a luridly pink cloth covered in bright pastel flowers. By her grin, she knew it looked as horrid as he thought, and he scrunched his nose in mild protest.
"There's rumors they're looking for a bit of revenge," the owner continued, and he flashed Cloud a smile that was more teeth than mirth. "You might want to watch your back out there. Your lady, too. We don't need you ShinRa stirring things up around here."
"Cloud didn't stir anything,” Aerith said in a matter of fact voice. “They were being very rude.” Which, while true, didn't mean much to people like them. Cloud frowned to himself. The Turks should be watching out for Aerith at least, though it grated on him to rely on them to keep her safe. “Besides,” she added, turning away from Cloud at last. “If they did try anything, then Cloud would protect me. Right, Cloud?”
He nodded a bit numbly, though with her back to him she probably hadn't noticed. It was depressing how often people asked that of him, when all he seemed to do was fail at it. Cloud was always a step too late, always forced to pick up the pieces after disaster had already struck. The owner snorted skeptically. "You're a bit of a fool, then." His tone wasn't cruel, but the words were still cutting.
Aerith shifted back slightly as if it had been a physical blow, and looked momentarily self conscious. "...Maybe I am." Then she glanced at Cloud, and summoned her smile back. "But I trust in my protectors." Cloud stared back silently, and wished that it was as simple as that. He understood what the shopkeeper had meant, even if the delivery had set Cloud's teeth on edge.
"Let's hope you don't regret that trust," the owner said gruffly, as if suddenly aware he'd been less than kind to his customers. Cloud's glower probably didn't help either. "I still need my flowers, after all."
Aerith gave him a polite smile, and gestured to a small pile of cloth she'd carefully separated out. "I'll take these, if it's not too much trouble." It wasn't too much trouble, the owner even scrounging up a sheet of paper to wrap the cloth in. He handed the package over, and Aerith carefully tucked it under one arm securely. When she laid a few gil on the counter, however, he tried to protest.
"I said those were just scraps. I can't charge you for that."
"No, I insist," Aerith said. She hesitated, then offered him a delicate smile. "If for nothing else, maybe it can be for your advice."
He regarded her for a moment, then abruptly strode out into the store proper. Cloud straightened, tracking the owner's progress as he approached a rack of spools of ribbon. He selected one, then turned and proffered the roll to Aerith. "Take this, then. And no arguments, miss. I do what I want, and charge what I want." Aerith approached, reaching out an arm to pluck the ribbon gently from his grasp. It was a vibrant, sky-blue color. Her smile was warmer as she stepped back to Cloud's side, and they left the shop without further incident.
"…We should probably get back," Cloud murmured, voice just loud enough to be heard over the crowd's bustle. He hadn't intended the side trip to Wall Market to be so eventful, but even with the memory of the shop keeper's warning, Cloud found he didn't regret it.
“Yes, let's,” Aerith agreed happily, her good cheer returned. She followed after him as they wound their way back along Wall Market in mutual silence, Aerith's attention focused mostly on the swirling people who went by them, and the stands they edged past. They were about half way along when Aerith came to a sudden halt. Cloud stopped a few steps ahead of her and turned back. She gave him a slight smile. “Do you smell that? Come on, let's go see!”
Cloud followed bemusedly behind Aerith as she diverted their path. Like Zack, she was easily distracted by new and interesting things. But where Zack's was more due to a short attention span, Aerith tended to treat everything like a small adventure. It reminded him of the abortive 'date' he'd been on with her at the Gold Saucer. Since there was nothing pressing at the moment, Cloud was content to follow her deeper into Wall Market's bustle.
She ducked and wound her way through the crowd, then stepped into the quiet that edged the shop fronts and stores. An old woman had set up a little cart-like stall wedged between two shops festooned with advertisement signs. It was decorated with faded pennants, and offered no other call to passers-by than the smell of the sticky, sweet treats she was selling.
“Hello, dears,” the old woman greeted them. “Can I do anything for you two?”
Aerith glanced over her shoulder at Cloud. “What do you think, Cloud? I've got some gil left. Do you think we should take some back as a thank you for our helpers?”
The sweet smelling buns held no particular interest to Cloud, but at Aerith's question, he nodded slightly. The girls would enjoy the treat, and Aerith seemed delighted by the idea of spoiling them a little. It was unusual to see such an elderly person still active in the cutthroat marketplace, but the old lady hardly seemed enfeebled or slow of wit. Not by the way her shrewd dark eyes regarded them, carefully taking in Cloud's ShinRa uniform. Her smile didn't falter, however, so Cloud paid the extra attention no mind.
Aerith's smile brightened a bit at Cloud's agreement, and she turned back to the old woman. “Three, please,” she said.
The woman's smile widened, the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth deepening as she reached out to select a few of the treats with steady, age spotted hands, and a piece of thin, waxy paper. She slid the three buns into a small, white paper bag. In the slums it wasn't often that such a small stand could afford such accessories. Aerith took the offered bag, and commented, “These smell delicious, do they sell well?”
The old woman shrugged slightly. “Well enough. My family thinks I need to stop coming over here and setting up shop. 'Just mind the bakery if you still want to work, mother', he says,” she scoffed slightly. “It's much more interesting out among the people, and at my age you learn to enjoy what you can get.”
“I was taught similar,” Aerith replied softly.
“More young people need good heads on their shoulders,” the woman said primly.
Aerith flushed slightly, but offered a shy smile, then asked, “How much for these?”
“Hmm, how about fifteen gil for the lot? I'll give you a bit of a discount since you know my grandson.” Aerith blinked, startled, and the old woman laughed. It was a full and rich laugh, that proved the lines on her face were more laugh lines than stress. “I saw the pair of you talking to him earlier. He's a good kid, much better than his fussy father, at least.”
“I wouldn't feel right...” Aerith began, but it was obvious the woman wouldn't be budged. Aerith sent Cloud a sudden glance before reaching up and pulling free the flower he'd tucked in her hair earlier. She examined the blossom a moment then offered, “Well, only on the condition you accept one of my flowers. That way it'll be an even trade.”
The woman- Gibbs' grandmother-laughed again. “Alright girlie, it's a deal.”
Smiling brightly, Aerith picked out the gil necessary and handed it over, along with the single flower. Looking to Cloud she gave him a pleased smile. “Okay, let's get back.”
Nodding again in agreement to Aerith's suggestion, Cloud quickly fell into step with her as they walked away from the stand. While startled at the old woman's admission of her relation to Gibbs, he could see a bit of the Third in her dark eyes and stubborn attitude. He glanced over his shoulder once as he and Aerith moved back into Wall Market's crowd, and saw her carefully tucking the flower into the collar of her dress. A crinkle of paper beside him cause him to turn his attention back to Aerith, who had also been looking back at the seller.
"You seem to be thinking hard," she said, smiling up at him. Cloud considered the statement, and realized even as he did so, he was doing exactly that. Aerith's laugh was infectious, and he gave a slightly self-deprecating chuckle of his own.
"Sorry…Zack tells me I think too much." He reached out to pluck both packages from Aerith's arms, being careful not to crush the pastries.
She gave a soft, amused hum. "He does too. He just doesn't act like it."
Stepping carefully out of the way of a man pulling a cart piled high with several bulging, worn sacks, Cloud shook his head in bemusement. Zack was impulsive and easily distracted on occasion, but like Aerith said, his friend tended to over think things when left to himself. His anxiety over the dinner at Aerith's house over a month ago had been a prime example of that. But more often, Zack would keep his thoughts to himself. For someone who wore their heart on their sleeve, Cloud often had a hard time figuring out what his friend was thinking. It was both ironic, and made sense. Cloud had taken the little slice of Zack he'd known to create his mask, when his friend was a much more complex person than his outward appearance.
The glow of the neon lights faded behind Cloud and Aerith as they exited Wall Market. They proceeded at a relaxed pace along the dirt road, which was deserted of even the few stragglers that had been there earlier. The air was filled with only a faint susurration of distant noises, and the soft scuffing of Aerith's shoes and Cloud's boots in the dirt. With the uneventfulness of their trip so far, Cloud had relaxed his attention, which was probably why they suddenly found themselves facing a handful of angry, tough looking men.
Cloud blinked, and assessed the situation quickly. Most of the men were large, heavily muscled, and armed in some way. One man began swinging a length of chain menacingly, the metallic rattle echoing loudly around the empty road. A scuffing sound behind them made Cloud turn slightly, taking in the toughs approaching from behind as well. Beyond them, Wall Market's glow was still visible on the unusually deserted road. An ambush, then, and one the locals possibly knew was coming.
Gently pressing the packages back into Aerith's arms, Cloud drew his sword slowly from its sheath. He allowed it to scrape the side in a menacing, drawn out sound. These men were full of bluster in an attempt to be intimidating, and Cloud knew how to play that game. The heavy feeling in his stomach was more because Aerith had been dragged into his mess. He hoped she would forgive the scare, but he would make sure she was not harmed. A cheery little jingle went off in Cloud's pocket; he recognized the tone Zack had put on his phone for incoming mail. The incongruity of the light hearted sound caused a few mirthless chuckles from the men. With all his senses trained for the first attack, Cloud looked from face to face, watching the eyes especially to see who would break first. As he caught the dark gaze of one man, however, the tough frowned suddenly.
One of the men in front of them made a move as if he would charge, but stopped as the dark eyed man let out a word of protest. "Wait."
"What's up?" the eager tough complained, the knife in his hands glinting as he jabbed it in front of him in a nervous twitch. "Boss said to teach the punk a lesson he won't forget!"
The other man ignored him, and turned to address a third man next to him. "You told me he was just a trooper." The inflection in the man's voice was flat; he was obviously not happy. The man addressed was familiar, and Cloud recognized him as the disgruntled handler from the chocobo stables.
"He is! Lookit the uniform!" the handler said with a wild gesture at Cloud. His voice was high pitched with stress; clearly the man hadn't expected to have to face Cloud after ratting him out to his boss.
"Idiot," the dark haired man spat in disgust, and turned to face Cloud again. His frown had not lessened. Still addressing his companions, he continued, "Don't you know anything about ShinRa? No trooper has eyes like that." There was a ripple of unhappy murmurs from the other men, and Cloud shifted as their stances changed from the swaggering menace of before into more serious bearing. The handler was left gaping at the dark eyed man's back as he stepped forward and carefully eyed Cloud up and down.
This wasn’t good. There were too many of them for Cloud to be confident in his capability to keep Aerith completely from harm, if they were prepared for his enhanced abilities. It would help if she'd brought her staff, but even now she tended to leave the weapon behind if Zack and he were with her. He contemplated the situation for a moment, his gloves creaking slightly as he tightened his grip on the sword, before he straightened suddenly and slashed his sword down to his side. The tip just brushed the dirt, raising a small cloud, and conveniently imposing the blade between Aerith and the toughs in front of them. Nothing he could do about the ones in the rear yet, though he kept his senses straining to hear any move from them.
Raising his chin to fix the dark eyed man with a bland look, Cloud gestured around the circle with his free hand. "You are Corneo's men?" he asked quietly.
The man grunted. "That's right. The Don didn't appreciate your threatening his people." Cloud's distraction seemed to have worked, as no one made a move yet to attack while they were talking. Unknown to the toughs, Cloud began gathering himself, and focused some of his life force into his blade. He would be able to distract the group in front with the surprise attack, for a little bit, at least. It would hopefully give him enough time to get Aerith to safety. After that Cloud didn’t much care what they did.
"I did not threaten them." Which was mostly true. It really wasn't Cloud's fault Sephiroth had actually gone to them to ensure Viri's supplies. Not that it would matter to these men. They had been given their orders.
"Well well well," a familiar voice drawled. The handler and several of the toughs whirled around, though the dark eyed man kept his gaze on Cloud for a few moments longer. Cloud ignored him, and glanced over their shoulders at the approaching form of Gibbs. At his side, a slightly plump woman hurried to keep up, her face pinched with worry as she observed the gathering. Gibbs put a hand on her shoulder to halt her forward movement, and continued up the path on his own. His tan face split into a dark smirk as he looked from the toughs to Cloud. He let out a low whistle. "Damn, Cloud, you don't do things by halves, do you?"
"If you know what's good for you, you'll beat it and forget you saw us here," the dark eyed man growled in warning to Gibbs. Gibbs focused his smirk on him, and Cloud could see the moment the man realized Gibbs too had the telltale glow in his eyes.
"Now, why would I do a thing like that?" the Third crooned.
"Gibbs," Cloud warned. Aerith aside, he really didn't want to drag the SOLDIER into this either. That small encounter from back then was already turning into a bigger headache than Cloud had anticipated.
"Even if you and your buddy are able to take us all on, do you really think you can keep your woman safe? You won't be around all the time," one of the toughs sneered in a fit of bravado.
Cloud tilted his head slightly, and considered the threat. "No," he said finally, the blandness of his tone unsettling the thugs. "But if you try, you will be dead before you have the chance to harm her." The Turks would ensure Aerith's safety on the quiet. If Cloud hadn't been there, they probably would have already killed these men from the shadows. This way, at least, there wouldn't be any loss of life. If Gibbs could be trusted to hold his punches.
The final taunt seemed to send most of the men into a rage. Cloud heard the scrape of boots behind him, heard Aerith's frightened gasp, saw Gibbs move. It all blurred together as he lunged, twisting around Aerith to meet the first of the thugs behind him with the flat of his blade. He trusted Gibbs to take care of the others. Killing these men now would raise even more problems than he was already facing. Cloud was careful not to leave more than nicks and scratches on the men in between ear-ringing blows from the flat of his blade, his sword knocking them down hard.
A thug appeared in front of Aerith, her startled scream alerting Cloud to the danger. In a heartbeat the man was sent flying as Cloud was suddenly there at her side, leg still outstretched from the kick. Another man howled when Cloud brought his boot down on his foot. Cloud could feel a crunch through the relatively thin boots the man wore. He punched out, the pommel of the sword cracking into the man's chin, and he went down without another sound.
Cloud spared a moment to catch Aerith's eyes, since he was once again in front of her. He could see the spark of fear in her expression, but her mouth was set in a stubborn line as she stood unmoving where he'd left her. In the brief exchange, he noted her white knuckled grip on the packages clutched to her chest, and felt a spark of ire light in him. It wasn't fair that what was supposed to have been a pleasant trip had turned into this. The next thug went tumbling across the dirt path with a satisfying spin, as Cloud used his sword like a bludgeon.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud was aware of Gibbs working his way through his own attackers, his fists up in some sort of boxing position. It was rather crude compared to the graceful form Tifa used, but Cloud could admit that the men who went down under the Third's fists did not get back up. Within a few minutes all of Corneo's men were down, some groaning, some unconscious. Cloud straightened, and pulled a cloth out of his pocket. He ran the cloth along the sword to wipe off the small amounts of blood he'd drawn, and sheathed it in a quick, efficient move.
Gibbs shook out his fists absently, and took in the downed bodies around them. The woman he'd arrived with approached him now that the danger was gone, making a tutting sound as she grabbed one of his hands. His knuckles were bleeding a bit from where they'd split, and Cloud could see a red score across the Third's arm where a blade had nicked him. Otherwise he appeared unharmed.
"It's never boring around you, that's for sure," Gibbs commented wryly. Cloud ignored the Third, and turned a worried look on Aerith.
"Are you okay?" He was confident she hadn't been touched by any of the men, but that didn't mean she was unharmed. Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, Cloud had a moment to think wryly that the thugs wouldn't have approached him if Zack had been there. If he ever found out who was responsible for his bad karma, Cloud would take great pleasure in repaying in kind.
“Mhmm,” Aerith hummed in answer. “I'm fine, Cloud. Thanks to you.”
A reminder beep from his pocket interrupted, and with a brief look to make sure she wasn't bothered, Cloud pulled his phone out of his pocket. There was indeed a waiting text message, and he was a bit baffled to see it was from Zack's friend Kunsel.
Word is the underground is humming with activity, thanks to
an incident with a blond trooper a while back. I'm guessing that was you.
It's not surprising that a protégé of Zack's would cause a ruckus.
Anyway, I thought you should know that some of the gangs
in the slums have been wanting to get at you.
Cloud stared at the message for a moment longer, exasperation thick in his mind. While it would have been helpful a few minutes earlier, the timing was too ironic.
“Cloud?” Aerith called, attracting his attention. “Hold these for me?” She held out the packages she was carrying expectantly. Once he'd taken them from her, slightly baffled, Aerith walked toward the Gibbs and the woman with him, chin held high and stepping lightly around the occasionally groaning thug. Cloud followed in her wake. She smiled as Gibbs looked up at their approach and said, “Thank you for helping us. Are you hurt badly?”
Gibbs shook his head, mouth quirked in a crooked grin. “Nah, it's nothing that won't heal given a bit of time.”
“He thinks that just because he's a SOLDIER now, means he's tough,” the woman said, tone scolding.
“It does mean that, Jen....”
Jen sent Aerith a sidelong, weary look, and Aerith covered a laugh. “Still,” Aerith said after she'd gotten her expression under control. “Let me heal them for you? At least for the practice?” She let a hopeful look slide into place, even as she reached up to fumble with her ribbon. “Zack's been teaching me, you see.” When Aerith pulled the materia out of her hair, Cloud stepped forward quickly, a bit alarmed that she would bring out Holy at a time like this. A second glance told him, however, that she'd pulled out a different materia.
Gibbs caved to her hopeful expression and gave a nod. “Alright, miss,” he said gruffly.
Aerith gave him a beaming smile, and took one of his hands in one of hers. The green shine of the sphere reflected off Aerith's hands, and he watched the magic dance around Gibbs' wounds at her direction. The pale glow of the Cure magic knit flesh, and washed away the bruising in a few seconds, and Gibbs gave a faint murmur of surprise even as Aerith reached for his other hand, then moved on to the gash in his arm.
“There!” she cheered quietly, as the gash finished sealing.
Gibbs gave a slight whistle as he examined her handy work. “You're doing pretty good for a newbie....”
She flushed faintly, rolling the little sphere in her fingers. “I've...had a good teacher?”
When she finished, Cloud touched her arm to prevent her from putting the materia away again. "Can I see it?" As Aerith had cast the spell, Cloud had sensed something a bit different about it than the materia he and Zack used. Tucking the packages under one arm, Cloud used his teeth to pull his glove off his other hand. He gently took the materia out of Aerith's hand, and rolled it curiously across his palm. From its depths he could feel the familiar pulse of the Planet's memory. It didn't feel matured yet, and Cloud wondered at the difference he felt between it and the materia Zack had given him. Those had a strange taint that he couldn't really explain. He'd only noticed that the materia he had felt different, and had thought it just another side effect of his time travel.
"Hey, that's a natural materia, isn't it?" Gibbs asked Aerith. Cloud shot him a curious look. Natural? Wasn't that how all materia were formed? He could remember Sephiroth-the other Sephiroth-saying something about that, when they'd run across the natural materia spring in the Nibel mountains. "Not one of the ShinRa stock," the Third continued as he noticed Cloud's confusion. He waved a hand in the general direction of the pillar that held the plates up. "They produce the materia the SOLDIERs use, but if you find a natural one, you're lucky. Those actually grow stronger. The scientists haven't figured out how to duplicate that effect yet."
Rolling the materia once more in his palm, Cloud handed it back to Aerith. She took it, and gave it a fond smile before she tucked it back in her hair. "It was…a present. From Zack," she explained. Cloud nodded as he took his glove out of his mouth, being careful not to drop the packages as he slipped it back on. Aerith came to his rescue, and took them back with an exasperated tsk.
"Wasn't he complaining about not having a Cura or something?" Gibbs snorted. "Well, I can't say I blame him. You've got a talent for magic." He flexed his hands to demonstrate the seamless mending. "I don't think I've seen such a neat job since I was a trooper. Guy nearly took my ear off with his sword, and the Drill Sergeant managed to heal it up nice and neat. Only have this scar here." He traced the scar near the back of his jaw with a finger.
"And marred your good looks forever, I'm sure," Jen said, and tugged his arm back down.
"Ah Jen, you know I didn't mean it like that," Gibbs said with a woe-be-gone look at her.
"Yet you can't help but bring that story up every chance you get," she admonished.
An over loud groan from one of the toughs still strewn out on the road brought all their attention back to their predicament. Cloud glanced around to make sure none of the gang was trying to get up, before turning back to Gibbs and his lady.
"We need to go." He nodded at Gibbs, silently thanking the Third again for his assistance. "Will you be okay…?"
"Go on," Jen said authoritatively, and shoved Gibbs a few steps up the road. "We've got enough family here to be safe, and I have a big strong SOLDIER at my disposal. You should get back home before their friends come looking."
"What she said," Gibbs added with a 'what can you do?' shrug of his shoulders. "Try to keep out of trouble for a while, eh Cloud?" He allowed himself to be marched up the road, until Jen stepped to his side and they hurried toward Wall Market's welcoming glow.
Ignoring the taunt, Cloud turned the other way, and he and Aerith quickly made their way toward the park. They didn't slow their steps until they were at the entrance to the broken highway that separated them from Sector 5, and Cloud was sure that Corneo's men wouldn't follow this far. He brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head in minor exasperation, and sent a wry look at Aerith. "Maybe…that wasn't such a good idea." He wasn't sure if he meant the trip to Wall Market, the result of the fight with Corneo's men, or leaving Gibbs behind in the middle of the Don's territory.
Aerith readjusted the packages in her grip carefully for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face. When at last she turned to Cloud she was smiling again. “Well...you can't say it wasn't an adventure,” she said slowly. “I had fun, and I think you did too, so that's all that really matters, right? Just a little bit of joy, even if there were bad parts?” She shook her head and started off again. Just as Cloud had expected, the torn dog carcass was gone, though Aerith didn't seem keen on looking at the space too closely.
"An adventure, huh?" Cloud murmured, mostly to himself. He'd had plenty of those in his life, and couldn't quite find the appreciation in them that Aerith did. He supposed that was part of what made her so pleasant to be with. Her bright and optimistic attitude never seemed to falter, even when the world looked its darkest. Cloud had…missed that.
Aerith gave an affirmative nod, that was quickly followed by a faint, chagrined smile as she admitted, “Though I do feel a bit bad for leaving those men like that.”
He gave an amused scoff at Aerith's worry. "They're street toughs. A beating isn't going to keep them down that long." The worst injuries Cloud had inflicted had been broken bones, which took awhile to heal, but weren't necessarily life threatening. If they did succumb to their wounds, however, it didn't bother Cloud too much. They certainly weren't the kind of men who'd suddenly mend their ways just because there was a bigger bully around.
“But,” she said out of the blue, “I don't think we should let my mom know about this. She...worries.”
Cloud nodded acceptance to Aerith's request, but added mildly, "Zack will want to know…." He agreed with Aerith about keeping their adventure from Elmyra. With the Turks still watching her, none of the Don's men would be allowed to get near Aerith's house. Since it was unlikely she would venture out without Zack and him anyway, it was safe enough. But Zack would find out one way or another about today's altercation, and Cloud didn't want it to be second hand. The last time that had happened, after all, Zack had made it a loud production in front of a whole crowd of people.
"He's going to hover again." She gave Cloud a mournful look, and tapped his nearest hand with a finger. "Like that time you got bitten by a Kalm Fang that had its pups in Sector 6, and he brought you to the church for a break, and to cure you."
Part 3
Aerith's free hand ran through his hair in a soothing rhythm, echoing his early attempt to comfort her. He knelt there for a few minutes longer, and wondered if this was what it was like to be at peace.
“So that's what changed.” She smiled at him when he looked up at her, confused. “It's only that you seemed... happier... lately. So I'd wondered.” Aerith shook her head fondly, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “It's a good thing. It means you can start smiling more.”
Cloud sighed as he released Aerith's hand and rose to his feet. He felt…odd. Not in a bad way, but somehow he didn't feel real at the moment. Like he was in a dream and about to wake up to face the harshness of reality. He knew that it wasn't going to become suddenly easy from now on. There was still a great deal of uncertainty and wariness he had for Sephiroth, as well as the knowledge that while the man hadn't yet done the cruel and horrific crimes, there was still a large possibility he would. Still, when he looked into Aerith's clear green eyes, the tight feeling of relief hummed through him regardless. The realization had been gradual, though Cloud had made the process more difficult by tying himself into guilty knots. Zack kept telling him he thought too much. His gloves tangled in his hair slightly as he ran a hand through it, still able to feel the ghost of Aerith's caresses. With a slight shake, he offered her a wan smile, and held out a hand invitingly.
"We should hurry, before your mother misses us too much." There was no need to remark further on what transpired there. Everything that needed to be said at this time had been, and Cloud knew Aerith would understand that. He paused for a moment as her hand slid into his, and shook his head again. "Then again, maybe not, with three kids to watch over."
He pulled her upright, careful as always not to be too rough in the movement. Casting an eye around the playground, Cloud noted that they were still alone. His sword shifted against his back as he rolled his shoulders to loosen them from the knots of tension they'd been wound up with. With an offhand gesture, Cloud indicated Aerith to start walking, and he dropped into step beside her as they exited the playground. There were a few hangers on loitering on the road that lead up to Wall Market. A few of the men followed Cloud and Aerith's progress with suspicious eyes, but made no other hostile move, so Cloud dismissed them. As the gaudy neon lights of Wall Market lit up the air in the under-plate gloom, the wave of noise from the busy commerce washed over the pair.
Aerith shifted to walk a little closer to Cloud as the crowds closed in around them. “Do...you have some place in mind?” she asked quietly. Looking downward thoughtfully, she mused, “I think there was a dress shop up that way a little. Do you think they would be willing to sell us some of their leftover fabric?”
Cloud was sure he let out an undignified sound at the mention of the dress shop. Why had he imagined bringing Aerith to Wall Market would end up any other way? He avoided looking down at her, and kept his gaze focused stonily ahead of them as he replied, "…Probably." The owner had been an easily bored egocentric when Cloud had met him the first time, and he couldn't imagine that had changed much. Cloud tried to repress the memory of what exactly had pulled the owner out of his funk last time.
Giving in to the inevitable, Cloud began moving them down the street in the direction of the little shop. The press of people ebbed and flowed around the pair as they slowly made their way deeper into the heart of the market. Aerith stayed close to his side, and Cloud felt a prickling of unease himself. Somewhere, someone was paying them just a bit too much attention. A moment later, Cloud found out who it was as a voice calling his name made him turn and scan the crowd.
"Hey, Cloud!" Pushing through a few slow-moving shoppers, Gibbs raised a hand in greeting as he approached them. "I thought that was you. Of course, with that hair of yours…." The Third grinned, setting his hands on his hips as he looked Cloud up and down. "Still in that damn uniform? I swear, either you have a fetish for playing a subordinate, or you need a girlfriend to sort you out with some new clothes." His eyes slid to Aerith standing at Cloud's side, and the grin turned into a playful smirk. "Or do you have one already? Stealing Fair's girl while he's away?"
"Gibbs," Cloud said warningly, frowning as the Third waved a dismissive hand in his direction.
"Don't get your knickers in a twist." Gibbs turned to Aerith, his smile sliding into something more welcoming as he nodded at her. "Hi there. We didn't get to talk much last time. The name's Gibbs, if you missed it."
Aerith smiled warmly back, and gave a little bow of greeting. "Near the ShinRa Lights Festival tree, in the Sector 8 plaza, right? You brought those delicious buns!"
"Ah, those would be thanks to my Jen," Gibbs said, his dark eyes glinting fondly. "She'll be delighted to hear you enjoyed them so much."
Something of Gibbs' good humor must have been infectious, because the next moment Cloud found his arm captured in Aerith's as she tugged him close. "And what do you mean 'steal'? Zack and I are sharing Cloud, of course!"
"Aerith!" Cloud's protest was louder this time, and he could feel his face flush under her merry eyes as Gibbs let out a harsh bark of laughter.
"Like the kid needs any more rumors floating around about his sordid love life," the Third chortled, and Cloud gave in to the urge to drop his face into his free hand. He had almost, almost managed to forget about that.
"What are you doing down here, anyway?" Cloud asked, dropping his hand to his side wearily.
"Visiting the folks," Gibbs replied with a shrug. "I'm a Midgar kid. ShinRa offered more opportunity than winding up as gutter trash, so I joined as soon as I was old enough to pass the inspection." Running a hand through his dark hair, Gibbs fixed them both with a wry look. "Didn't really want to make it all the way to SOLDIER, but the pay's better. I've been thinking of moving my family plateside as soon as I've saved enough." The man looked a little embarrassed at his chatter, and cleared his throat abruptly. "Anyway, I was heading for the station to meet Jen. There's a new bakery down here that has some good rumors about it, and she wanted to check it out in person when she got off shift."
"Well, we shouldn't keep you any longer," Aerith said agreeably. Cloud kept the thought to himself that it had been Gibbs who'd distracted himself in the first place.
"Nice meeting you. Tell Fair I said hi," Gibbs said in parting, giving a wave as he took off at a jog. Cloud stared after the departing figure for a moment, before turning his gaze back down to Aerith.
"…Sharing?" he asked, trying to keep the plaintive tone from his voice. Zack and Aerith's teasing aside, Cloud did worry that the rumors circulating about him would harm his friend's relationship. Neither seemed concerned about it at the moment, though.
"It's what Zack would have said,” she said playfully, as she wound her arm through his again. “I thought I'd try being a little more forward."
“Zack's not...” Cloud started, then cut off abruptly with a sound that was something between exasperated and a reluctant sigh. "Zack...is a bad influence on you." She laughed, quick and bright, and unable to stop for several seconds. Cloud could only watch her, unsure whether he should laugh as well or not.
“Maybe he is,” Aerith said after a moment to compose herself, “but he's right when he said you're funny when you get flustered. Besides, I wasn't lying. You stay with Zack most of the time, and every now and then he brings you down here to visit.” She came to a pause outside of the dress shop and gave him a prim, yet somehow impish look. “It's not my fault you two took my words like that.”
Shaking his head slightly at Aerith's teasing, Cloud ducked his chin behind his scarf to hide his reluctant grin. It seemed more in character for the Aerith he'd known to be so audacious, yet he couldn't help but be amused at her happiness. Zack was a big impact in her life, and that was shining through even now. Oddly, it made him feel a little better about his own usurpation of Zack's life; his friend changed people for the better, and knowing that Aerith also leaned on Zack's personality to give her strength was calming. He wasn't sure he could ever completely let go of the guilt of forgetting Zack's sacrifice, but it was getting easier to believe that that Zack had given it up freely.
When they stepped over the threshold of the shop's entrance, they were immediately enveloped in the dimmer gloom from inside. The contrast of the outside neon lighting and the interior's warmer glow was palpable, and Cloud blinked as his eyes adjusted quickly. He was greeted by the familiar sight of the racks of dresses against the walls. There were no other customers in the shop despite the bustle outside. The owner looked up from a magazine he'd been perusing at the counter, and Cloud fought off a wince of recollection. It was the same face as he remembered, less lined perhaps, but still holding the pinched petulance of someone who didn't care about others' opinions. It smoothed into a more businesslike expression as he straightened up, nodding at them in greeting.
"Welcome," the owner said brusquely, wiping one hand on his shirt distractedly. "Anything I can help you folks with?"
Aerith's hand clutched at Cloud's arm from where they were still linked before she released him to address the owner. “Well, I was wondering if you'd be willing to part with some of your leftover fabric. Not much, but...” she said politely, threading her fingers together behind her back. Cloud turned his head away as echoes of his previous encounter in this shop rang through his mind. He took comfort in the knowledge that at least this time he wouldn't be forced to wear the cloth.
For a moment the owner regarded her in silence, seeming to be considering her request. His eyes flicked to Cloud and back, before abruptly he nodded sharply. “Sure, I have some stuff laying around that I can't use for much anymore. Just let me go get it.” Cloud blinked as the man disappeared through the door to the back room, uncertain if he was reading too much into the sudden accord.
“That wasn't so bad," Aerith said, releasing a sigh as she closed her eyes. Opening them again, she brought her hands back to her side and smiled up at him. "I hope we can get something the girls will like.”
Shifting to rest his weight on one leg, Cloud shrugged negligently. "I'm sure it will be fine." He wasn't sure why Aerith was worried. Cloth was just cloth, wasn't it? He quickly pushed back the knowledge that silky was better than velvety, and wished his patchy memory would kindly kick in.
Aerith rocked back on her heels, humming in agreement. “I'm sure you're right." Her attention was drawn to the racks of clothing for a moment, and Cloud shifted again at her intense interest. Her eyes tracked back to him, and she gave him a sympathetic smile. "You look a bit uncomfortable. Don't like to shop?”
Cloud ran a hand through his hair, and forced himself to relax. While it had been embarrassing, there was no reason to get worked up over something that had no reason to occur now. "It's not that…" he mumbled, but didn't elaborate. The shop owner had returned anyway, and cleared his throat to get Aerith's attention. She turned, and stepped up to the counter where he'd laid several lengths of cloth across it.
"These are just the cut-offs. Can't use 'em for more than rags, really," the owner explained. Cloud stepped forward, casting an eye over the variety of colors. Some of the cloth was hardly more than scraps, but there were plenty of longer strips to choose from. "If you want better, I'd have to charge you."
"Oh, I don't mind paying for them," Aerith protested mildly, her fingers nimbly testing the feel of the cloth. "But these are perfect, really."
“What are you using them for?” the man asked, his brow furrowing in curiosity. The man had been interested in the unusual.
“Ribbons,” Aerith replied softly, her attention still on the strips of cloth.
“We have spools of actual ribbon if you'd like." The owner's expression took on a slightly disinterested cast as he said this, obviously only mentioning it more in hopes of a profit than any real interest.
Aerith shook her head, and gifted the man with a faint smile. “It's more fun like this, and it costs a little less. Besides they're only for flowers.”
The owner nodded in satisfaction at her answer, then gave her an appraising look. “You're that flower girl, I take it?”
Cloud's attention focused on the man at the query, and even Aerith's smile faded a bit at the sudden interest. It wasn't necessarily a good thing to be well known in the slums, after all. “Words gotten around that fast?” she asked, flushing and ducking her head.
“It's an unusual occupation here, and my daughter's friends have been talking about it," he explained, eyes taking on a spark of inspiration that Cloud recognized. "Next time you have some why don't you stop by? I'd like to buy a few.”
Aerith gave a nod of agreement. "I'll see when I can come by again, then." She turned and beckoned Cloud closer. “Come here, for a second would you, Cloud?” He couldn't help but give her a wary look, and she let out a mirthful laugh. “It's okay, silly. I'm not going to bite.” He stepped up to her side without further protest, and raised a questioning eyebrow at her. Aerith held up the bunched fabric in her hand and pressed it against his temple. The cloth was cool against his skin, the slight pressure from her hand keeping it in place. The wild locks of his blond hair fell around it, and she leaned in closer with a bright smile. “Your hair is about the same color as my yellow flowers,” she said, laughter in her voice. “White will go with anything, but not yellow, so I need a comparison.”
Cloud endured the comparison stoically, aware of the owner's not so subtle stare. The man had brought out a number of samples, so it took Aerith a while of humming and re-examining the different cloths as Cloud waited. Finally, it seemed the man's patience ran out.
"You're that guy that tangled with Corneo's men, aren't you?" he asked gruffly, eying Cloud up and down again. His gaze lingered on Aerith's hand where it was holding up a blue strip of cloth to Cloud's hair, before he looked back into Cloud's eyes. "Yeah," he continued. "Sent the General after them and everything." There was a belligerent expression on his face, as if he was daring Cloud to do the same to him.
Fixing the man with an unamused stare, Cloud's mouth twitched into a frown. "I didn't send the General to them." The effect of the statement was lost when Aerith held up a luridly pink cloth covered in bright pastel flowers. By her grin, she knew it looked as horrid as he thought, and he scrunched his nose in mild protest.
"There's rumors they're looking for a bit of revenge," the owner continued, and he flashed Cloud a smile that was more teeth than mirth. "You might want to watch your back out there. Your lady, too. We don't need you ShinRa stirring things up around here."
"Cloud didn't stir anything,” Aerith said in a matter of fact voice. “They were being very rude.” Which, while true, didn't mean much to people like them. Cloud frowned to himself. The Turks should be watching out for Aerith at least, though it grated on him to rely on them to keep her safe. “Besides,” she added, turning away from Cloud at last. “If they did try anything, then Cloud would protect me. Right, Cloud?”
He nodded a bit numbly, though with her back to him she probably hadn't noticed. It was depressing how often people asked that of him, when all he seemed to do was fail at it. Cloud was always a step too late, always forced to pick up the pieces after disaster had already struck. The owner snorted skeptically. "You're a bit of a fool, then." His tone wasn't cruel, but the words were still cutting.
Aerith shifted back slightly as if it had been a physical blow, and looked momentarily self conscious. "...Maybe I am." Then she glanced at Cloud, and summoned her smile back. "But I trust in my protectors." Cloud stared back silently, and wished that it was as simple as that. He understood what the shopkeeper had meant, even if the delivery had set Cloud's teeth on edge.
"Let's hope you don't regret that trust," the owner said gruffly, as if suddenly aware he'd been less than kind to his customers. Cloud's glower probably didn't help either. "I still need my flowers, after all."
Aerith gave him a polite smile, and gestured to a small pile of cloth she'd carefully separated out. "I'll take these, if it's not too much trouble." It wasn't too much trouble, the owner even scrounging up a sheet of paper to wrap the cloth in. He handed the package over, and Aerith carefully tucked it under one arm securely. When she laid a few gil on the counter, however, he tried to protest.
"I said those were just scraps. I can't charge you for that."
"No, I insist," Aerith said. She hesitated, then offered him a delicate smile. "If for nothing else, maybe it can be for your advice."
He regarded her for a moment, then abruptly strode out into the store proper. Cloud straightened, tracking the owner's progress as he approached a rack of spools of ribbon. He selected one, then turned and proffered the roll to Aerith. "Take this, then. And no arguments, miss. I do what I want, and charge what I want." Aerith approached, reaching out an arm to pluck the ribbon gently from his grasp. It was a vibrant, sky-blue color. Her smile was warmer as she stepped back to Cloud's side, and they left the shop without further incident.
"…We should probably get back," Cloud murmured, voice just loud enough to be heard over the crowd's bustle. He hadn't intended the side trip to Wall Market to be so eventful, but even with the memory of the shop keeper's warning, Cloud found he didn't regret it.
“Yes, let's,” Aerith agreed happily, her good cheer returned. She followed after him as they wound their way back along Wall Market in mutual silence, Aerith's attention focused mostly on the swirling people who went by them, and the stands they edged past. They were about half way along when Aerith came to a sudden halt. Cloud stopped a few steps ahead of her and turned back. She gave him a slight smile. “Do you smell that? Come on, let's go see!”
Cloud followed bemusedly behind Aerith as she diverted their path. Like Zack, she was easily distracted by new and interesting things. But where Zack's was more due to a short attention span, Aerith tended to treat everything like a small adventure. It reminded him of the abortive 'date' he'd been on with her at the Gold Saucer. Since there was nothing pressing at the moment, Cloud was content to follow her deeper into Wall Market's bustle.
She ducked and wound her way through the crowd, then stepped into the quiet that edged the shop fronts and stores. An old woman had set up a little cart-like stall wedged between two shops festooned with advertisement signs. It was decorated with faded pennants, and offered no other call to passers-by than the smell of the sticky, sweet treats she was selling.
“Hello, dears,” the old woman greeted them. “Can I do anything for you two?”
Aerith glanced over her shoulder at Cloud. “What do you think, Cloud? I've got some gil left. Do you think we should take some back as a thank you for our helpers?”
The sweet smelling buns held no particular interest to Cloud, but at Aerith's question, he nodded slightly. The girls would enjoy the treat, and Aerith seemed delighted by the idea of spoiling them a little. It was unusual to see such an elderly person still active in the cutthroat marketplace, but the old lady hardly seemed enfeebled or slow of wit. Not by the way her shrewd dark eyes regarded them, carefully taking in Cloud's ShinRa uniform. Her smile didn't falter, however, so Cloud paid the extra attention no mind.
Aerith's smile brightened a bit at Cloud's agreement, and she turned back to the old woman. “Three, please,” she said.
The woman's smile widened, the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth deepening as she reached out to select a few of the treats with steady, age spotted hands, and a piece of thin, waxy paper. She slid the three buns into a small, white paper bag. In the slums it wasn't often that such a small stand could afford such accessories. Aerith took the offered bag, and commented, “These smell delicious, do they sell well?”
The old woman shrugged slightly. “Well enough. My family thinks I need to stop coming over here and setting up shop. 'Just mind the bakery if you still want to work, mother', he says,” she scoffed slightly. “It's much more interesting out among the people, and at my age you learn to enjoy what you can get.”
“I was taught similar,” Aerith replied softly.
“More young people need good heads on their shoulders,” the woman said primly.
Aerith flushed slightly, but offered a shy smile, then asked, “How much for these?”
“Hmm, how about fifteen gil for the lot? I'll give you a bit of a discount since you know my grandson.” Aerith blinked, startled, and the old woman laughed. It was a full and rich laugh, that proved the lines on her face were more laugh lines than stress. “I saw the pair of you talking to him earlier. He's a good kid, much better than his fussy father, at least.”
“I wouldn't feel right...” Aerith began, but it was obvious the woman wouldn't be budged. Aerith sent Cloud a sudden glance before reaching up and pulling free the flower he'd tucked in her hair earlier. She examined the blossom a moment then offered, “Well, only on the condition you accept one of my flowers. That way it'll be an even trade.”
The woman- Gibbs' grandmother-laughed again. “Alright girlie, it's a deal.”
Smiling brightly, Aerith picked out the gil necessary and handed it over, along with the single flower. Looking to Cloud she gave him a pleased smile. “Okay, let's get back.”
Nodding again in agreement to Aerith's suggestion, Cloud quickly fell into step with her as they walked away from the stand. While startled at the old woman's admission of her relation to Gibbs, he could see a bit of the Third in her dark eyes and stubborn attitude. He glanced over his shoulder once as he and Aerith moved back into Wall Market's crowd, and saw her carefully tucking the flower into the collar of her dress. A crinkle of paper beside him cause him to turn his attention back to Aerith, who had also been looking back at the seller.
"You seem to be thinking hard," she said, smiling up at him. Cloud considered the statement, and realized even as he did so, he was doing exactly that. Aerith's laugh was infectious, and he gave a slightly self-deprecating chuckle of his own.
"Sorry…Zack tells me I think too much." He reached out to pluck both packages from Aerith's arms, being careful not to crush the pastries.
She gave a soft, amused hum. "He does too. He just doesn't act like it."
Stepping carefully out of the way of a man pulling a cart piled high with several bulging, worn sacks, Cloud shook his head in bemusement. Zack was impulsive and easily distracted on occasion, but like Aerith said, his friend tended to over think things when left to himself. His anxiety over the dinner at Aerith's house over a month ago had been a prime example of that. But more often, Zack would keep his thoughts to himself. For someone who wore their heart on their sleeve, Cloud often had a hard time figuring out what his friend was thinking. It was both ironic, and made sense. Cloud had taken the little slice of Zack he'd known to create his mask, when his friend was a much more complex person than his outward appearance.
The glow of the neon lights faded behind Cloud and Aerith as they exited Wall Market. They proceeded at a relaxed pace along the dirt road, which was deserted of even the few stragglers that had been there earlier. The air was filled with only a faint susurration of distant noises, and the soft scuffing of Aerith's shoes and Cloud's boots in the dirt. With the uneventfulness of their trip so far, Cloud had relaxed his attention, which was probably why they suddenly found themselves facing a handful of angry, tough looking men.
Cloud blinked, and assessed the situation quickly. Most of the men were large, heavily muscled, and armed in some way. One man began swinging a length of chain menacingly, the metallic rattle echoing loudly around the empty road. A scuffing sound behind them made Cloud turn slightly, taking in the toughs approaching from behind as well. Beyond them, Wall Market's glow was still visible on the unusually deserted road. An ambush, then, and one the locals possibly knew was coming.
Gently pressing the packages back into Aerith's arms, Cloud drew his sword slowly from its sheath. He allowed it to scrape the side in a menacing, drawn out sound. These men were full of bluster in an attempt to be intimidating, and Cloud knew how to play that game. The heavy feeling in his stomach was more because Aerith had been dragged into his mess. He hoped she would forgive the scare, but he would make sure she was not harmed. A cheery little jingle went off in Cloud's pocket; he recognized the tone Zack had put on his phone for incoming mail. The incongruity of the light hearted sound caused a few mirthless chuckles from the men. With all his senses trained for the first attack, Cloud looked from face to face, watching the eyes especially to see who would break first. As he caught the dark gaze of one man, however, the tough frowned suddenly.
One of the men in front of them made a move as if he would charge, but stopped as the dark eyed man let out a word of protest. "Wait."
"What's up?" the eager tough complained, the knife in his hands glinting as he jabbed it in front of him in a nervous twitch. "Boss said to teach the punk a lesson he won't forget!"
The other man ignored him, and turned to address a third man next to him. "You told me he was just a trooper." The inflection in the man's voice was flat; he was obviously not happy. The man addressed was familiar, and Cloud recognized him as the disgruntled handler from the chocobo stables.
"He is! Lookit the uniform!" the handler said with a wild gesture at Cloud. His voice was high pitched with stress; clearly the man hadn't expected to have to face Cloud after ratting him out to his boss.
"Idiot," the dark haired man spat in disgust, and turned to face Cloud again. His frown had not lessened. Still addressing his companions, he continued, "Don't you know anything about ShinRa? No trooper has eyes like that." There was a ripple of unhappy murmurs from the other men, and Cloud shifted as their stances changed from the swaggering menace of before into more serious bearing. The handler was left gaping at the dark eyed man's back as he stepped forward and carefully eyed Cloud up and down.
This wasn’t good. There were too many of them for Cloud to be confident in his capability to keep Aerith completely from harm, if they were prepared for his enhanced abilities. It would help if she'd brought her staff, but even now she tended to leave the weapon behind if Zack and he were with her. He contemplated the situation for a moment, his gloves creaking slightly as he tightened his grip on the sword, before he straightened suddenly and slashed his sword down to his side. The tip just brushed the dirt, raising a small cloud, and conveniently imposing the blade between Aerith and the toughs in front of them. Nothing he could do about the ones in the rear yet, though he kept his senses straining to hear any move from them.
Raising his chin to fix the dark eyed man with a bland look, Cloud gestured around the circle with his free hand. "You are Corneo's men?" he asked quietly.
The man grunted. "That's right. The Don didn't appreciate your threatening his people." Cloud's distraction seemed to have worked, as no one made a move yet to attack while they were talking. Unknown to the toughs, Cloud began gathering himself, and focused some of his life force into his blade. He would be able to distract the group in front with the surprise attack, for a little bit, at least. It would hopefully give him enough time to get Aerith to safety. After that Cloud didn’t much care what they did.
"I did not threaten them." Which was mostly true. It really wasn't Cloud's fault Sephiroth had actually gone to them to ensure Viri's supplies. Not that it would matter to these men. They had been given their orders.
"Well well well," a familiar voice drawled. The handler and several of the toughs whirled around, though the dark eyed man kept his gaze on Cloud for a few moments longer. Cloud ignored him, and glanced over their shoulders at the approaching form of Gibbs. At his side, a slightly plump woman hurried to keep up, her face pinched with worry as she observed the gathering. Gibbs put a hand on her shoulder to halt her forward movement, and continued up the path on his own. His tan face split into a dark smirk as he looked from the toughs to Cloud. He let out a low whistle. "Damn, Cloud, you don't do things by halves, do you?"
"If you know what's good for you, you'll beat it and forget you saw us here," the dark eyed man growled in warning to Gibbs. Gibbs focused his smirk on him, and Cloud could see the moment the man realized Gibbs too had the telltale glow in his eyes.
"Now, why would I do a thing like that?" the Third crooned.
"Gibbs," Cloud warned. Aerith aside, he really didn't want to drag the SOLDIER into this either. That small encounter from back then was already turning into a bigger headache than Cloud had anticipated.
"Even if you and your buddy are able to take us all on, do you really think you can keep your woman safe? You won't be around all the time," one of the toughs sneered in a fit of bravado.
Cloud tilted his head slightly, and considered the threat. "No," he said finally, the blandness of his tone unsettling the thugs. "But if you try, you will be dead before you have the chance to harm her." The Turks would ensure Aerith's safety on the quiet. If Cloud hadn't been there, they probably would have already killed these men from the shadows. This way, at least, there wouldn't be any loss of life. If Gibbs could be trusted to hold his punches.
The final taunt seemed to send most of the men into a rage. Cloud heard the scrape of boots behind him, heard Aerith's frightened gasp, saw Gibbs move. It all blurred together as he lunged, twisting around Aerith to meet the first of the thugs behind him with the flat of his blade. He trusted Gibbs to take care of the others. Killing these men now would raise even more problems than he was already facing. Cloud was careful not to leave more than nicks and scratches on the men in between ear-ringing blows from the flat of his blade, his sword knocking them down hard.
A thug appeared in front of Aerith, her startled scream alerting Cloud to the danger. In a heartbeat the man was sent flying as Cloud was suddenly there at her side, leg still outstretched from the kick. Another man howled when Cloud brought his boot down on his foot. Cloud could feel a crunch through the relatively thin boots the man wore. He punched out, the pommel of the sword cracking into the man's chin, and he went down without another sound.
Cloud spared a moment to catch Aerith's eyes, since he was once again in front of her. He could see the spark of fear in her expression, but her mouth was set in a stubborn line as she stood unmoving where he'd left her. In the brief exchange, he noted her white knuckled grip on the packages clutched to her chest, and felt a spark of ire light in him. It wasn't fair that what was supposed to have been a pleasant trip had turned into this. The next thug went tumbling across the dirt path with a satisfying spin, as Cloud used his sword like a bludgeon.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud was aware of Gibbs working his way through his own attackers, his fists up in some sort of boxing position. It was rather crude compared to the graceful form Tifa used, but Cloud could admit that the men who went down under the Third's fists did not get back up. Within a few minutes all of Corneo's men were down, some groaning, some unconscious. Cloud straightened, and pulled a cloth out of his pocket. He ran the cloth along the sword to wipe off the small amounts of blood he'd drawn, and sheathed it in a quick, efficient move.
Gibbs shook out his fists absently, and took in the downed bodies around them. The woman he'd arrived with approached him now that the danger was gone, making a tutting sound as she grabbed one of his hands. His knuckles were bleeding a bit from where they'd split, and Cloud could see a red score across the Third's arm where a blade had nicked him. Otherwise he appeared unharmed.
"It's never boring around you, that's for sure," Gibbs commented wryly. Cloud ignored the Third, and turned a worried look on Aerith.
"Are you okay?" He was confident she hadn't been touched by any of the men, but that didn't mean she was unharmed. Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, Cloud had a moment to think wryly that the thugs wouldn't have approached him if Zack had been there. If he ever found out who was responsible for his bad karma, Cloud would take great pleasure in repaying in kind.
“Mhmm,” Aerith hummed in answer. “I'm fine, Cloud. Thanks to you.”
A reminder beep from his pocket interrupted, and with a brief look to make sure she wasn't bothered, Cloud pulled his phone out of his pocket. There was indeed a waiting text message, and he was a bit baffled to see it was from Zack's friend Kunsel.
Word is the underground is humming with activity, thanks to
an incident with a blond trooper a while back. I'm guessing that was you.
It's not surprising that a protégé of Zack's would cause a ruckus.
Anyway, I thought you should know that some of the gangs
in the slums have been wanting to get at you.
Cloud stared at the message for a moment longer, exasperation thick in his mind. While it would have been helpful a few minutes earlier, the timing was too ironic.
“Cloud?” Aerith called, attracting his attention. “Hold these for me?” She held out the packages she was carrying expectantly. Once he'd taken them from her, slightly baffled, Aerith walked toward the Gibbs and the woman with him, chin held high and stepping lightly around the occasionally groaning thug. Cloud followed in her wake. She smiled as Gibbs looked up at their approach and said, “Thank you for helping us. Are you hurt badly?”
Gibbs shook his head, mouth quirked in a crooked grin. “Nah, it's nothing that won't heal given a bit of time.”
“He thinks that just because he's a SOLDIER now, means he's tough,” the woman said, tone scolding.
“It does mean that, Jen....”
Jen sent Aerith a sidelong, weary look, and Aerith covered a laugh. “Still,” Aerith said after she'd gotten her expression under control. “Let me heal them for you? At least for the practice?” She let a hopeful look slide into place, even as she reached up to fumble with her ribbon. “Zack's been teaching me, you see.” When Aerith pulled the materia out of her hair, Cloud stepped forward quickly, a bit alarmed that she would bring out Holy at a time like this. A second glance told him, however, that she'd pulled out a different materia.
Gibbs caved to her hopeful expression and gave a nod. “Alright, miss,” he said gruffly.
Aerith gave him a beaming smile, and took one of his hands in one of hers. The green shine of the sphere reflected off Aerith's hands, and he watched the magic dance around Gibbs' wounds at her direction. The pale glow of the Cure magic knit flesh, and washed away the bruising in a few seconds, and Gibbs gave a faint murmur of surprise even as Aerith reached for his other hand, then moved on to the gash in his arm.
“There!” she cheered quietly, as the gash finished sealing.
Gibbs gave a slight whistle as he examined her handy work. “You're doing pretty good for a newbie....”
She flushed faintly, rolling the little sphere in her fingers. “I've...had a good teacher?”
When she finished, Cloud touched her arm to prevent her from putting the materia away again. "Can I see it?" As Aerith had cast the spell, Cloud had sensed something a bit different about it than the materia he and Zack used. Tucking the packages under one arm, Cloud used his teeth to pull his glove off his other hand. He gently took the materia out of Aerith's hand, and rolled it curiously across his palm. From its depths he could feel the familiar pulse of the Planet's memory. It didn't feel matured yet, and Cloud wondered at the difference he felt between it and the materia Zack had given him. Those had a strange taint that he couldn't really explain. He'd only noticed that the materia he had felt different, and had thought it just another side effect of his time travel.
"Hey, that's a natural materia, isn't it?" Gibbs asked Aerith. Cloud shot him a curious look. Natural? Wasn't that how all materia were formed? He could remember Sephiroth-the other Sephiroth-saying something about that, when they'd run across the natural materia spring in the Nibel mountains. "Not one of the ShinRa stock," the Third continued as he noticed Cloud's confusion. He waved a hand in the general direction of the pillar that held the plates up. "They produce the materia the SOLDIERs use, but if you find a natural one, you're lucky. Those actually grow stronger. The scientists haven't figured out how to duplicate that effect yet."
Rolling the materia once more in his palm, Cloud handed it back to Aerith. She took it, and gave it a fond smile before she tucked it back in her hair. "It was…a present. From Zack," she explained. Cloud nodded as he took his glove out of his mouth, being careful not to drop the packages as he slipped it back on. Aerith came to his rescue, and took them back with an exasperated tsk.
"Wasn't he complaining about not having a Cura or something?" Gibbs snorted. "Well, I can't say I blame him. You've got a talent for magic." He flexed his hands to demonstrate the seamless mending. "I don't think I've seen such a neat job since I was a trooper. Guy nearly took my ear off with his sword, and the Drill Sergeant managed to heal it up nice and neat. Only have this scar here." He traced the scar near the back of his jaw with a finger.
"And marred your good looks forever, I'm sure," Jen said, and tugged his arm back down.
"Ah Jen, you know I didn't mean it like that," Gibbs said with a woe-be-gone look at her.
"Yet you can't help but bring that story up every chance you get," she admonished.
An over loud groan from one of the toughs still strewn out on the road brought all their attention back to their predicament. Cloud glanced around to make sure none of the gang was trying to get up, before turning back to Gibbs and his lady.
"We need to go." He nodded at Gibbs, silently thanking the Third again for his assistance. "Will you be okay…?"
"Go on," Jen said authoritatively, and shoved Gibbs a few steps up the road. "We've got enough family here to be safe, and I have a big strong SOLDIER at my disposal. You should get back home before their friends come looking."
"What she said," Gibbs added with a 'what can you do?' shrug of his shoulders. "Try to keep out of trouble for a while, eh Cloud?" He allowed himself to be marched up the road, until Jen stepped to his side and they hurried toward Wall Market's welcoming glow.
Ignoring the taunt, Cloud turned the other way, and he and Aerith quickly made their way toward the park. They didn't slow their steps until they were at the entrance to the broken highway that separated them from Sector 5, and Cloud was sure that Corneo's men wouldn't follow this far. He brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head in minor exasperation, and sent a wry look at Aerith. "Maybe…that wasn't such a good idea." He wasn't sure if he meant the trip to Wall Market, the result of the fight with Corneo's men, or leaving Gibbs behind in the middle of the Don's territory.
Aerith readjusted the packages in her grip carefully for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face. When at last she turned to Cloud she was smiling again. “Well...you can't say it wasn't an adventure,” she said slowly. “I had fun, and I think you did too, so that's all that really matters, right? Just a little bit of joy, even if there were bad parts?” She shook her head and started off again. Just as Cloud had expected, the torn dog carcass was gone, though Aerith didn't seem keen on looking at the space too closely.
"An adventure, huh?" Cloud murmured, mostly to himself. He'd had plenty of those in his life, and couldn't quite find the appreciation in them that Aerith did. He supposed that was part of what made her so pleasant to be with. Her bright and optimistic attitude never seemed to falter, even when the world looked its darkest. Cloud had…missed that.
Aerith gave an affirmative nod, that was quickly followed by a faint, chagrined smile as she admitted, “Though I do feel a bit bad for leaving those men like that.”
He gave an amused scoff at Aerith's worry. "They're street toughs. A beating isn't going to keep them down that long." The worst injuries Cloud had inflicted had been broken bones, which took awhile to heal, but weren't necessarily life threatening. If they did succumb to their wounds, however, it didn't bother Cloud too much. They certainly weren't the kind of men who'd suddenly mend their ways just because there was a bigger bully around.
“But,” she said out of the blue, “I don't think we should let my mom know about this. She...worries.”
Cloud nodded acceptance to Aerith's request, but added mildly, "Zack will want to know…." He agreed with Aerith about keeping their adventure from Elmyra. With the Turks still watching her, none of the Don's men would be allowed to get near Aerith's house. Since it was unlikely she would venture out without Zack and him anyway, it was safe enough. But Zack would find out one way or another about today's altercation, and Cloud didn't want it to be second hand. The last time that had happened, after all, Zack had made it a loud production in front of a whole crowd of people.
"He's going to hover again." She gave Cloud a mournful look, and tapped his nearest hand with a finger. "Like that time you got bitten by a Kalm Fang that had its pups in Sector 6, and he brought you to the church for a break, and to cure you."
Part 3