Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Twisted Compulsion ❯ 12 ( Chapter 15 )

Twisted Compulsion

Ch. 12

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I: mixed feelings

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`Child... Misguided child of the planet… `

Aerith's eyes fluttered in her sleep and she rolled over. She opened her eyes and was greeted by complete blackness. She sat up in alarm; it took her a minute to register in her mind that this was a dream. The edge of Aerith's vision was dim and black. The place she was at was cool and covered in blackness as well. `Where am I?' Aerith said, but no words came out. Her mouth moved but she could only hear her self speak in her mind. The blackness began to life, like the lights coming on on a stage. The place looked like a stage too, it was a forest with a long path through it. `Sleeping forest?' Aerith spoke/thought. Now that the place was lit she could see how much it looked like a set on a stage. The trees were cut outs and staggered down to give it the appearance of distance.

`Who's there?' Aerith yelled looked around the set. She heard footsteps, slow footsteps coming closer and closer. Aerith turned around and around looked for the person approaching her. No one, she couldn't see anyone. Suddenly gloved hands clasped her shoulders, causing her face to pale and a child to run down her back.

`Aerith…' a male voice whispered in her ear. Aerith turned around to look.

`Cloud?'

Aerith's eyes slowly opened and she found herself staring up at the loft ceiling. She let her head turn to her side and was greeted by Sephiroth's sleeping face, his arm still hung loosely around her waist. Aerith sighed and gently removed it, sitting up so that her legs hung over the bed.

`Was that real, or just my mind? I spoke to you through your dreams before so maybe… but can I trust the planet to believe this message?' Aerith sighed heavily and suddenly felt a little depressed. `Just thinking of Cloud makes my heart heavy… I wonder why? I mean I'm happy here with Sephiroth, I mean I love him… don't I?' Aerith shook her head, quietly disagreeing with herself in the dark. `I don't even know anymore… But did I love you Cloud. I remember feeling almost a girlish crush on you, and Tifa's love only made it more fun to try to hook up with you… but now I see, as I did toward my end, that Tifa truly loved you, and if what I hear is true, still does. I'm so sorry Tifa, for playing with your emotions… and I'm sorry too to you Cloud… because now that I think it over… I don't think I ever really loved you at all…' Aerith felt tears come to her eyes because of her confusion. She still wasn't sure if her mind was made up on Cloud and she decided not to stress over it now she was too tired too. Aerith slipped back under the covers and under Sephiroth's arm. His arms tighten around her in response to her presence and he unconsciously buried his face in the back of her neck. Aerith smiled a bit, `He sure does sleep like a rock…' She relaxed into Sephiroth's grip and fell back to sleep.

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II: no Yuffie

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Yuffie stretched and flopped over on her stomach. "Ugh…" Yuffie lazily opened her eyes to see what she'd hit. Her arm had smacked right into Cid's face. The captain frowned and rolled over on his side, thankfully still asleep. The cabin was still black, it was early morning and the sun just rising. Her light blue baggie pajamas stood out horribly in the dark cabin. Yuffie wasn't a morning person but she was a snoop. Se slid out of bed and careful not to creak the floorboards she crept to the ladder. Just as her last foot fell a loud creak sounded thought he cabin. She cringed at the noise but assuming no one heard she silently scaled the ladder. The ninja put all her skills to the test and crawled to the edge of the loft bed. Her nose came out over the edge of the bed to spy on its occupants. Yuffie saw Aerith and sephiroth both go into the loft and wanted to see if they really were in the same bed. She had to see it to believe it and sure enough there lay Aerith curled up in Sephiroth's arms. The young ninja just sat at the foot of the bed and stared. `Yep there sleeping alright… wow this is boring… but then what was I expecting to see?' Yuffie let out a sigh of boredom and crept back to the ladder and slowly descended.

"What were you doing?"

Yuffie turned around quickly and was face to face with a disheveled and tired Vincent. His hair was horribly bed tossed but in Yuffie's opinion that made him look cute. Her initial shocked expression became a mischievous Yuffie grin. Vincent shook his head and pushed a large strand of hair that was hanging in his face behind his ear. He spent a lot of time with girl but he still didn't understand her in the least. The girl continued to grin, "I was just checking up on everyone..."

Vincent stared at her, "just go back to sleep…" He turned and went back into his room. Yuffie followed, stopping at his door.

"Ya know, for a guy who slept for 30 years you are a really light sleeper."

Vincent sat down on his bed, facing her. In answer to her comments he simply sighed and laid down facing the ceiling.

Yuffie, still standing at the doorway, shuffled her feet, "Um… did you tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"About her family… about her house… Did you tell Aerith yet?"

Vincent turned his head to look over at the girl, "No, I figured I'd let her settle in before doing that, and besides it would seem that Sephiroth also has a connection to Aerith's father." He slid under the covers and resumed staring at the ceiling.

"Oh…."

Silence.

"Yuffie, why are you still standing at my door?"

"You've shared a bed with Cid, YOU know why. He rolls all the time, he's got the crazy legs!"

Vincent sighed, "Yuffie no."

Yuffie stamped her foot like an impatient child, "aww, please!"

He sighed again, "Yuffie go to sleep."

Even though he couldn't see her Yuffie pouted all the same and went back to bed.

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III: going home

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Aerith woke up first, as she always did every morning. Together she and Yuffie made breakfast for everyone, and like always Vincent was the last to get up. Together the five sat and ate, Yuffie crowding over by Vincent, and so it was for the next few days. Slowly over those days Cid and Yuffie began to adjust to Sephiroth and he to them. Cid faster then Yuffie. Sephiroth's dry sense of humor appealed to the pilot just like Vincent's did. Yuffie was slower to accept him but with encouragement from Aerith she too warmed up to the man. He was a lot like Vincent and because of that when Yuffie began to open up to him they soon formed a bond. This suited Vincent just fine because now her annoying attention was divided between the two. But make no mistake Yuffie was by no means completely trusting him. Of course she would joke and talk with the man, she'd even gotten up the nerve to be left alone with him, but she didn't trust him the way she trusted her other companions. She trusted them with her life. Sephiroth would have to earn that sort of trust from her, and it wouldn't be easy.

It was early morning on Yuffie and Cid's third day at Vincent's home. Yuffie had been thinking of Aerith's parents and often found her eyes wandering to her friend's former house. Unable to stand it she quietly left Aerith, who was frying up some bacon, and went to Vincent's door, slowly opening his door.

"Yuffie!" Aerith called to the girl in a hushed voice. The ninja quickly closed the door to an inch of its frame and snapped her head over to
Aerith. "What are you doing?"

"I just need to talk with Vincent, it can't wait from him to wake himself up!" she replied. Leaving Aerith to watch her Yuffie put all of her ninja skill to the test and slipped into the door. Vincent's room was simple and dark, not a window in the place. I had a bureau and dresser against the opposite wall and his bed, a single, was in the center. A crossed from the bed was a desk cluttered with guns and gun parts. Yuffie chewed on her lower lip, `I hope he isn't quick on the draw when woken up…' she thought as she crawled over to the bed. She knelt at its side, her eyes and nose just peeking over the bed. Then…

<B> "HA!" </b>

Yuffie jumped on the poor un-expecting Vincent. She knocked him sideways on the bed. Vincent's eyes snapped open and he began to speak, "Yuffi-" He slid of the bed and hit the floor with a thud before he could finish his surprise exclamation.

Yuffie crept to the edge of the bed and lay with her head on her hands and her legs up and kicking, very girly like. "Ya know it's funny, you can hear a creak in the floor in the dead of night but don't hear Aerith bakin' up bacon…"

Vincent slowly pushed himself to a sitting position and pushed his hair from his face. "I gather you didn't just come in here to give me a wake up call…" Vincent grumbled, his uncombed hair falling back into his face.

"Well…" Yuffie said pulling herself forward so she hung over the edge of the bed. "I think that it's time to show Aerith her home…"

Vincent sighed, she was right. It was about time she knew. "Fine, I'll go show her today, just get out of my room!" He hissed out.

Yuffie look offended at being addressed with such a tone and stuck her tongue out at the grumpy Vincent. Vincent gave her a cold stare of death, which put her tongue right back where it belonged. Wordlessly Vincent pointed to the door and Yuffie crawled to and through it. The door slammed behind her, nearly hitting Yuffie in the fanny. A few minutes later Vincent emerged fully clothed.

"Aerith," He said. The former flower girl turned from her bacon and gave a smile to the dark man.

"Good morning Vincent, I'm guessing you didn't like Yuffie's personal wake up call huh?" she asked.

Vincent lips jerked up in a crooked smile. "Oh no, It was lovely," he said sarcastic. "Aerith, I want to show you something… Yuffie do you think you can handle the rest of the cooking?" Yuffie jumped up from her seat at the table and gave Vincent a mock Sault.

Aerith looked at her hosted a bit confused. "You want to leave right now?"

"No time like the present, now get goin'!" Yuffie said pushing Aerith out of the way so she could take over the cooking. Still a bit confused at what could be so important Aerith put on her winter clothing and followed Vincent in the early morning.

A/n - holy god, I'm SO sorry about the delay, for one I was finishing two orginal stories at the time I got caught on this one, two I've been over all busy, and three I just started a new fan fic, three leaf clover (go read it if you liked this story and are a fan of vampire hunter D, <- plug). Anyways thank you guys for sticking with this story, I do have an end in mind I just need to straighten out how to get there! Next chapter will be Aerith's home coming.