Chapter 21: Surprises
"I can't..............lose you."
I was suddenly awakened, Cloud squeezing me. He jerked so hard he knocked the wind out of me.
"Don't............"
He's crushing me so badly it feels like he's breaking my ribs. I try prying his hands apart, but that didn't work. This was probably the only time I wish he wasn't so strong and muscular.
"Cloud?" I decided to be nice and gently nudge him. "Please let go."
".........Mmmmmm.........."
His grip is tightening as I try some more. "Cloud?! You're hurting me."
"No!..........leave........."
This dream must have been very vivid, because he still refused to let go. Cloud has to be one heck of a heavy sleeper; I'm pushing, kicking, squirming, and beating him with a stick, just to break free.
"CLOUD?! LET G-"
~~KABOOM!~~
A boomerang crashes into the headboard of the bed, just barely above us.
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP?! HOW CLOUD'S EVEN SLEEPING I'LL NEVER KNOW!"
"I CAN'T BREATHE, YUFFIE! HE'S CRUSHING ME! WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?!"
".........................Uhhhhhh."
I see her hand slowly go behind her back. I just barely make out the "record" button on the front screen.
"Yuffie.....why do you have a camera on 'record'?"
".............No reason."
"Same as the microphone in the doorway?" It stuck out just enough to give it away.
"Shoot!"
"Yuffie.....we're you planning to blackmail me?"
"NO!!! OF COURSE NOT!"
"Yuffie?!"
"................I made a bet with-"
"YOU INCOMPETENT, DIRTY SOCK-PUPPET!" Yuffie runs down the hallway as I try to get up.
"Let her go." I roll over to see Clouds big blue eyes staring at me.
"Did you not hear me yelling at you?!"
"......You were yelling?"
"You were choking me and squeezing so hard I couldn't breathe! What were you dreaming about?!"
Clouds attention now turned to his pendant.
"Cloud.........what happened in the dream?"
".......Nothing."
"B-........okay." I snuggle closer and rest my forehead next to his. “It must have something to do with me, otherwise he wouldn't push it away so fast. Why does he think he has to hide everything, even if it bothers him?!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I open my eyes the minute Cloud yanks Yuffies boomerang out of the head of the bed. How we slept, without knocking against that thing all night, I'll never know.
"Sorry, I didn't want you to hit your head."
"No worries. Here, I'll take it back to the little pest."
As I reach for it, Cloud pulls it away."................I've got it."
"I can carry it, it's not that heavy. I wanna get her back g-"
"No. I'm taking it." With that, he grips it tight and heads down the hall, leaving me dazed and confused.
“What's his problem?!” I quickly brush my hair and hurry after him. I turn the corner and literally run smack into Yuffie talking to Cloud.
"Trying to keep up with your boy toy, Alysha?"
"Yuffie!"
Before she can throw another bombshell at me, Cloud shoves her boomerang in her arms.
"Just do what I said." With a final frown, he turns and walks down the stairs. Just as Yuffie is about to say something, I back-slap her in the head.
"BOY TOY?!"
"Oww! You know it's true."
This time I punched her instead. "WE DON'T DO ANYTHING!"
"DANG!! I just figured since you sleep in the bed togeth-"
"That we bang each other every night?!"
"YEAH!!!!!"
I mimicked Clouds emotionless expression as I took my smaller glove off and slapped her across the face with it.
"Aw come on, you can't even do it right." She yanks it out of my hand and does the same thing to me, only harder.
"Yuffie....you're really pushing my buttons-"
"Oh, I'm scared stiff. Better put my b-rang away before you get any ideas, or Cloud bites my head off."
"Cloud....why?"
"He doesn't want you near it, for some stupid reason. Freaking lectured me this morning...........Come on, we'd better go help clean."
My thoughts run wild as I follow Yuffie downstairs. “What's up with Cloud this morning?”
Everyone is doing a little bit of everything, so I bend down and start picking up broken glass.
"What are you doing?!"
I look up to see Cloud staring at me like I'm a stupidhead. "......Picking up bro-"
"No you're not."
".........Excuse me?"
"Look at your legs." I had forgotten, but the little shards of glass from last night were still embedded all over. "You're not hurting yourself more. Go ask Tifa to help you."
".........She's okay?"
"Yeah. Go, she's wanted to thank you anyway. Go, before you're cut even deeper."
I hesitated at the stairway, but Barret decided to be funny and carried me up the stairs and pushed me into Tifa’s room.
"There, problem solved." He said as he closed the door.
"Hey!"
I look ahead to see Tifa putting her black vest on. I can see some of the bandage wrapped around her shoulder sticking out.
"Your knees look bad. Sit down, I'll take care of it."
Reluctantly I take a seat and hand her the tweezers.
"Thank you..."
".......Why?"
"You saved me. If you hadn't stopped the bleeding who knows what would have happened."
"But I sh-"
"I'm not fighting with you, Alysha. I know who shot me, and it wasn't you. I'm right, you're wrong; end of discussion."
I kept my mouth shut until Cloud came in. "She okay?"
"Yes I'm-AAHHOOWW!!"
"That one's deep. Cloud?"
He steps forward and bends down to take a turn. As he held my leg, I noticed he didn't have his gloves on; his hands were so warm they gave me goosebumps. I was too busy watching him I didn't even feel him pull it out.
"There."
Just as he threw it away, his cell phone rang. While he answered it, Tifa took a seat next to me.
"Goosebumps, huh? That's cute."
"Shut up, it's embarrassing!"
"They're not there?!"
Our attention was now drawn to Clouds conversation. It had to be Reno or Rude he was talking to.
"............Yeah...........Okay..............Fine." Cloud closes his phone and turns to face us. "They're not at the Forgotten City."
"They're not?!" Tifa yells. "Where else could they hide?!"
"Don't know, but Reno said he found a piece of paper that said 'Let's have some fun.' Reno couldn't-"
“...She's not calling tonight so there's no point in it. Let's have some fun instead...”
"......Club Sin."
"What?"Tifa asks.
I ran to my room, grabbong my sword and "Audubon" as Cloud ran in behind me.
"What are-"
"I know where they are!" I open my window and jump out to my bike. As I start it, Cloud jumps out beside me.
"You can't take them alone."
"Fine....let's go. I owe Kadaj a big can of butt whoopin!"
Cloud smiled as he climbed on his bike and we both took off through the streets.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was nighttime before we finally found it; Midgar is more of a maze during the day than at night. Everyone was giving us dirty looks as we parked our bikes out front.
"This is where you think they are?!"
"All of us came here when Kadaj decided to have fun. I was forced to come and throw my-" I bit my tongue before that secret slipped out. Cloud would never find out that: never.
"You what?"
"Nothing. You ready? It was kind of crazy last time."
Cloud puffed out his chest as he stood up."If any guy touches you-"
"Okay, we're good to go."
I made sure I had the keys to Kisume before going inside, Cloud one step behind me. The only way to open the seat is if the bike was on. I wasn't going to risk that.
All eyes were on us as we made our way through the crowd. Most went down, then up, then down again. I didn't want to be here, and obviously Cloud didn't either.
Togetherness didn't even describe how close he stayed to me. At one point I reached for Clouds hand to keep from losing him, but a very dirty and stinky guy got to it instead. Before Cloud could even begin to punch his lights out, a very drunk chick began throwing herself all over him.
"Come with me, you succulent, gorgeous, hunk of-" The woman was cut short as the man who took my hand was thrown on top of her. They were both so drunk they passed out immediately.
It felt like steam was escaping my ears as I walked over and zipped Clouds shirt back up. I took his hand and pulled him toward the DJs set.
"Hey, I remember you! Yo everyone!...it's Cyclone shortie!" Suddenly the music completely stops, and "Cyclone" begins playing.
"How about an encore, sho-" I grab his shirt and pull him across the table, scratching the music and making it stop.
"Don't you ever play that song for me again! Ever! Understand?"
"Sheesh, what's y-"
"Do I have to repeat myself?!" I'm certain he's more on the table than on the ground now.
"Okay, okay! Put me down please!"
"One more question. Where are they?"
"Who?!"
"The three men who were with me last time! Where are they hiding?!"
"They've not been here since then. I haven't seen them!"
Frustrated and ticked off, I shove him back across the table, cracking the disk playing. Another song begins as I head back toward Cloud.
www.imeem.com/weathered-dayz/music/R2vZozQe/ayumi_hamasaki_dearest/
"I was wrong, let's go." As I step around him Cloud puts his arm out to stop me.
"Wait............"
"...............Yes?"
"Do you.....................want..................to dance?"
".....Who are you, and what have you done with Cloud Strife?"
"......It's a slow song, I just.............figured......." A hint of pink slowly appeared around his cheeks. I took his hand and gently kissed him.
"I'd love to."
A smile made its way across his face as we made our way to the center of the dance floor. I placed my hands on his shoulders and Cloud put his hands on my hips, swaying back and forth slowly.
I felt fine, but I could tell Cloud didn't feel the same way. He would look at me, but then look away.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"This.......doesn't feel right."
I'm completely disappointed as he stops dancing and moves his hands away. I lower my head and turn to leave, but Cloud takes my hands and twirls me around wrapping his arms around me.
"We weren't close enough."
My heart flutters uncontrollably as we continue swaying again. Halfway through the song, he presses his cheek against mine as he whispers in my ear.
"I never thought I could love someone so much."
"Me either."
".....That's why I'm scared."
".....Of what?"
".....Of losing you."
My heart skips a beat as we stop swaying again. I feel him pulling me close and squeezing my hands really tight.
".....Cloud, what do you mean?"
".........I'm afraid you'll be like Zack and Aerith, a target because you're close to me. Now that we have Jenova...........I'm worried you're going to get hurt again."
As he spoke he kept staring at the double-lined scar Kadaj left on my arm back when I tried to rescue the kids. "I hate this...........Why is everyone I care about taken away from me?!"
"Stop it! Why are you talking like this?!"
He ignored the question completely. I slipped my hand under the cover and rubbed where his geostigma was.
"Is this.......how you think you're going to lose me?"As I looked straight at him it looked like he was about ready to cry. This fear in his eyes hurt more than anything.
"...........I'm not going to die because of this, and neither are you. I'm not going anywhere, with anyone. I love you, I'll never leave you. No one can take your place in my heart."
"...........Good." His lips meet mine as the song plays the chorus one last time. I was in an ecstasy so deep I didn't even realize Cloud was holding me like a bride, feeling warm and tender at the same time.
Our romantic moment was suddenly interrupted by my phone vibrating. I pull away and reach for the phone. "Maybe they found something........Hello?"
"Hello sister."
I should have checked before I answered. Clouds expression tightened as he stared at my eyes.
"Are you having a good time?" At that moment I heard a motorcycle drive away swiftly outside.
"You stalker! I don't care how you got my number-"
"You don't want to talk?"
"No! There's no way I would ever want to talk to you or any of the others-"
"Did you hear that, guest? She doe-"
"Guest?"
"Oh, you're interested now? Listen good sister......"
The phone is silent for a moment, then a familiar voice calls out my name.
"......Alysha?"
“Marlene!”
Until the next chapter
Okay, we all now what's going to happen next, right? If not, then you're a stupidhead (unless you've not seen the movie, then you need to GO FREAKIN WATCH IT!) See you in chapter 22.
Poor Marlene, stuck with Kadaj again.
