Kanzenna: Part One

Cloud jerked upright in bed, surfacing from sleep with a jerk. His breath rasped in the still morning air, as he pressed his thumbs into his temples, trying to convince the thumping headache that had taken up residence there to move on. But no, the headache was here to stay, and as he swung his legs round to get up, the room swam dizzily in front of his eyes. "God. What did I drink last night?" he murmered sleepily, reaching for his boxers with a slightly shaking hand. "Did I let Tifa mix me a drink again?" Unbidden images flashed through his mind, his dream revisited with an almost painful clarity, stirred by his words. He struggled to hold on to them, to make sense of what he was seeing. His heart stirred with feelings, lasting impressions......being held by someone, tight in their powerful arms. Someone who was always beside him. He shook his head, banishing whatever feelings had risen and worsening the headache. /It had to be a dream, right? After all, it's not like Tifa or Aeris could restrain me like that, those arms were stronger than me.../ Smiling at the thought, he pulled on his slightly crumpled trousers, thinking of Aeris, her smile, her touch. Don't fight it. Why do you hide it from yourself? "Huh?" Cloud started, looking over his shoulder for the origin of the mystery voice. No-one there, only the plain white-washed walls of his town house. Puzzled and not a little disturbed, he added to himself, "I guess those memory problems are back. I haven't had this problem, ever since....." He trailed off, unable to finsh the sentence. /Why does it still cause me such pain to think of him as...dead? He killed Aeris, wounded Tifa, burnt my hometown....I-I should hate him/ Lost in his own thoughts, and confused by his own reaction, he didn't hear the soft knock at the door until someone shouted "Hey! Wake up, bodyguard!" Despite his gloomy frame of mind, Cloud couldn't help smiling as he opened the door to see Aeris, who immediately broke into peals of laughter. "I see you're not done dressing yet," she managed, after a few moments of helpless glee. Cloud looked down at himself, then, embarassed, darted back inside, grabbing his shirt and yanking it on hurridly. /I can't believe I did that/ he cursed inwardly, striking his usual cocky pose in a desperate attempt to regain his cool. "Umm, hi. What brings you here?" "Just to see if you're busy today." She slipped inside, tutting as she saw the state of the place. Absently, she began to straighten the rumpled duvet. "Boy, you musst really toss and turn in your sleep, Cloud." She raised an eyebrow. "Unless you were....busy?" "No!" Cloud protested quickly, "I just had....a bad dream last night, that's all." /That's all it was, Cloud, a bad dream/ he added mentally, studying Aeris' face for a reaction. /Who are you trying to convince?/ The brunette girl smiled. "I was just teasing you! Don't worry, I know everything's over with you and Tifa now. And besides.....you can't escape me that easily!" she added playfully, giving him a very direct look. Her innocent words once again stirred deep emotions within Cloud's mind. A memory....of someone else saying those very words to him. Only not so innocently, and definately not playing around. Don't struggle, Cloud. You can't escape me that easily. "Cloud!" He blinked, seeing Aeris' concerned face swim lazily into focus before him. She rested one hand lightly on his shoulder. "Hey, maybe you'd better rest up today. You look tired. What's wrong- you were miles away." /Better for her not to worry, she's already been through so much. I can deal with this alone./ "I'm fine, really." he replied feebly, hearing the lack of conviction in his words. Aeris didn't look convinced, so he added a ghost of his usual smile. This seemed to reassure her, and she turned to go, looking back over her shoulder to deliver her parting words, "If there's ever anything you want to talk about....." /I can't...../ And then the door closed, and Cloud was alone with the darkness. So cold.....I am always by your side.... P.S No, it's not gonna be all Cloud/Aeris, don't worry. :)

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