Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Painful Miracles ❯ Amber Good Morning ( Chapter 19 )

Amber Good Morning

"She'll never want you! Who are you tryin' to kid?"

"Yeah, Cali, we're the only ones who care about you!"

"You are trash, Cali! You are one of ShinRa's own! You deserve to die!"

Cali tossed and turned in his tormented sleep, voices of his inner demons plaguing his nightmares. A cold sheen of sweat had covered his body as he flopped about on his pallet on the floor next to Icarus bed. He shivered as he clutched the blanket, his nails cutting through the flimsy fabric.

"Stop it! I'm not trash!" Cali cried to the demons in his mind.

"Don't lie to yourself, kid. You know it's true. We're the only friends you've got!" One of the voices sneered.

"That Icarus girl doesn't give a damn about you!"

Cali let out a scream and shot up. He tried to ease his breathing as his eyes adjusted to the dark. He heard the rustling of sheets rubbing sheets as Icarus sat up.

"Cali, what is it?" She yawned, her eyes still half closed.

"It's nothing. I'm fine." Cali didn't look at her. He kept his eyes on his blanket.

Icarus only nodded sleepily and fell back into a fit full sleep. Cali sighed heavily as he got to his feet. He could hear the demons in his head snickering bitterly as him as he popped an aspirin in to his mouth and downed it with a glass of cold water. The voices were louder now that Icarus was around developing further questions in his mind about her. She had told him every thing, yet she still remained an enigma to him. She showed no emotion at all when she spoke, un-less it was about Vincent.

Cali shook his head. .:All will be answered soon enough. It`s best to let it go for now...:. He said to himself, looking to the battered clock on the cracked and stained wall. It was 5:40 in the morning. It would be light soon and he and Icarus would be off to find her father. He ran his hands through the red fluff of hair on his head as he headed for the shower. .:Might as well get the day rolling:.

***********

"Icarus, Icarus! It's time to get up!" Cali prodded Icarus' side with his index finger, trying to wake the sleeping beauty. Icarus only groaned loudly and pulled the flannel blanket over her head. She was never a morning person by choice, but her father had made her and now it seemed Cali was going to make her to.

Cali would have snatched the blanket from her and tossed it to the floor, but he knew full well she was completely naked under the warmth of the flannel blanket. As much as he would enjoy seeing her beautiful body again, he didn't have a death wish.

"Come on Icarus, we have to get out of Midgar and find your father!" Cali yelled, prodding her again.

"Okay...I'm up..." She grumbled, clinging the blanket to her chest as she sat up.

Cali smiled and looked her over. The light from the window gave her an ethereal glow and her creamy ivory skin shimmered in the amber morning. She looked over at him and swore she saw a blush on his cheeks as he looked away. .:Was he checking me out?!!:. She glared at him. No man had ever looked at her the way Cali was just then. In fact, she hadn't really met any men at all that would even dare a glance at her, besides her father of course. She shook her head, dismissing the thought as she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Cali was very handsome.... She shook her head again. She didn't have time for love now...maybe not ever. She knew about the hell "love" put her father through and she didn't want that.

"Well, I put your clothing in the bathroom so you may shower and I will be here if you need me. Just yell." Cali smiled, helping Icarus up from her bed.

Icarus nodded to him as she padded slowly to the bathroom. Small gasps of slight pain followed her into the bathroom with each step she took. She closed the door behind her as she entered the small bathroom and she leaned against it for a moment to ease the pain in her aching body. She let her eyes wander about the room. The walls were a light, cozy blue, the toilet was porcelain white and the cracked tiles of the shower were a dark blue and caked with shower grime. It was definitely a male's bathroom.

Icarus finally pushes her self from the door and dropped the warm flannel blanket to the ground. The cold air caressed her body, forming goose bumps where it kissed. She rubbed her arms as she walked to stand in front of the mirror above the sink. She was still pale as plaster from the blood loss with a light ring of pink around her cheeks. The large scar on her neck glistened in the florescent glow of 100 wat light bulbs.

She shook her head as she began to pull off bandages, admiring the neat stitch work. Cali had put so much care into stitching up a complete stranger as if each stitch was a complement to himself, a work of bloody art all its own. Icarus smiled as she ran a finger along the stitch work on her shoulder. She had never thought of a man the way she thought about Cali. In fact, she had never had a crush before. The only male she was ever friends with was Silo and she had never felt anything for him at all.

She shook her head as if to erase her thoughts of Cali. She liked him yes, but she couldn't let her mind stray from its task of finding her father. She had never shown much emotion before, she wasn't going to start now, especially over some strange guy.

Icarus bent down and turned on the water to her liking and slipped into the warm embrace of the calming water. She grit her teeth as the water hit her wounds and was pained further with the cleansing burn of the soap as she washed. She excruciatingly washed her hair and finally the worst shower experience of her life was over! She turned off the water and stepped out of the tub. She wrapped herself in the warm fluff of a towel and dried off.

She look down at the lid of the toilet where a pile of cloths sat. None of the cloths were hers, save the panties and the bra, both washed and neatly folded. The rest were Cali's. Icarus had never been one to laugh, ever, at anything, but she couldn't help put let out a small fraction of a giggle before returning to her emotionless appearance. She certainly did look very masculine not to mention short, in Cali's cloths.

His jeans were long and baggy and she had to fashion a belt around her waist to the last notch to keep them from falling off. The only garment that really fit, besides her own, was the long sleeved black turtleneck. Icarus shook her head as she looked into the mirror and pulled her hair back into a long braid and slipped her red bandana on. She exited the bathroom and bumped right into Cali, whom was giggling at her baggy appearance.

Icarus glared at him and pushed by to sit in a chair. "I do not see what you find so funny." She didn't look at him as she said this. She only rolled up her sleeves and began to clean and re-bandage her wounds.

"You are what's funny." Cali wiped his eyes of laugh-induced tears and sat down in a wooden chair across from Icarus. "I'm sorry. We'll get you some pants on the way out of Midgar." He smiled softly at her. A smile that could melt even Icarus arctic heart, if she'd been looking, but she wasn't for that very reason. She only nodded.

"I hope so." She closed the first aid kit and slipped on her boots. She stood from the chair and grabbed her gun, then walked to stand by the door. "Shall we?" She grabbed her trench coat off of the coat rack.

"In a minute, but you can't go out wearing that. " Cali said as he grabbed his daggers from the bookshelf and slipped them behind his back and into their holders.

"What's wrong with my coat?" Icarus asked, looking at Cali with annoyed eyes. She wanted to get going, they had no time to waste. Every moment the spent standing here talking about Icarus' fashion was a moment off of Vincent's' life.

"The guards will spot you and take you right to Marcus, then there would be no way to save your father if we are both dead." Cali explained, grabbing a hooded cloak from the hall closet and handing it to Icarus. Icarus said nothing and slipped the cloak on, pulling the hood over her hair and Cali helped her adjust it so it hid most of her face. Cali grabbed is own leather jacket from the same coat rack and slipped it on. The two left the small apartment and into the hustle and bustle of Midgar.