Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Ashes ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

[ A - All Readers ]

Ashes stood near the far exit of the battle arena dome, waiting patiently for the class to end. Among the many students here who would have liked to be joining the junior class, Ashes and two others were the only ones qualified. Reno had congratulated her and told her she would be joining her brother’s class along with Yuriel.
Yuriel walked up to her,
“Please don’t be offended, but you don’t resemble your parents or your brother in any aspect. May I ask if you were adopted?”
Ashes lowered her eyes at the question and tried to ignore him. When he didn’t get an answer he nodded in respect and left, leaving her with unwanted thoughts that had haunted her since she was little. Was she adopted? She asked her father once, but he had embraced her saying she was born of his flesh and blood and to never ask that again.
She still found it hard to believe...what could her father be hiding? Maybe he was her father and Aerith was her mother only that something happened when she was born...perhaps the meteor had an effect on her birth? That could probably explain some of the effects of her appearances...
The bell rang and she left without another thought, her feet carrying her down the steps to the main doors. She watched from the car as the entire student body began to emerge, followed with laughter, shouts, and the crash of words massed into one incoherent resonance.
She spotted Daemon and his friend walk out flocked with some of the female students. She waited patiently as they soon found thier way to her.
“How was CTTA kid?” Kyoko asked with a smile, “Don’t worry you’ll only be in there for two semesters.”
“Umm, I was moved up a class.” She answered, looking at her brother mainly.
“What!” Kyoko exclaimed, his jaw making permanent residence on the asphalt.
“Father will be proud.” Daemon replied and fished out his car keys.
“Well, I’m off. I have a date with this cute girl tonight at the Rio Cafe.” Daniel announced with a grin, smacking Kyoko back to reality. Zephyrus patted Daniels back in salute and he too yawned,
“I’m going home; I need my beauty sleep and congratulations Ashes.”
“You always sleep.” Kyoko muttered and looked at Ashes, “How he passes his classes is a mystery to me.”
Ashes smiled and placed her katana in the trunk of the car before slamming the hood shut.
“All right, we’ll see you all tomorrow.” Daemon announced and Ashes climbed into the passenger side seat.
The ride home was filled with silence as usual, the setting sun still had a few hours to go, but the highway lamps were already lit. They sped by, omitting cars, weaving in and out of traffic until they were finally stuck in the six o'clock rush hour downtown of Mikotex.
The bumper to bumper ride was beginning to irritate Ashes with every moment that passed by until Daemon spoke up.
“Did anyone bother you?”
“No.” she answered a bit awkwardly, not really used to him asking about her welfare. Daemon turned his blue eyes at her,
“You swear? Because if anyone messed with you, I’ll hurt them.” he threatened. Ashes smiled to herself, her fingers playing with a lock of her silvery mane,
“No, no one touched me...quite the opposite really.”
“Oh? How’s that?” he asked with curiosity as he moved the car forward.
“People are afraid of me now.” she said with a slight frown.
“It’s not bad, at least they won’t try to hurt you like the student body is known to do with new freshman.” he replied.
“Yeah...but I’m not used to it. Thier eyes were filled with fear that I might slice them up like I sliced up my opponents.” she concluded.
Daemon sighed, he knew what she meant. All her life, her training was kept under lock and key. She was known as the weak little girl and now that some of the students that had known her in the past, were now attending the college, now they had the chance to see who she really was.
He laid his hand on her shoulder,
“If they are afraid of you, then none of them are worthy of being true comrades in any war.” he stated before turning off of Streamwood exit.
“Thanks.” she whispered.
That evening at the dinner table, Sam was talking on and on about the new friends she made at school, and her new classes and teachers. Aerith listened with a smile on her face as she passed the salad to Cloud. Desiree sat eating her mash potatoes, commenting on which teacher Sam should look out for while Daemon and Ashes ate quietly.
“Anyways,” Cloud spoke up, looking up from his plate at his two eldest,
“How was the academy?”
Daemon nodded nonchalantly,
“Nothing new, it’s just school. Instructor Elena congratulated me on my fight against another student. I beat him in under a minute, but it was a fair fight.”
“That’s good son. You know Reeve is always looking for top students to work with him.”
“How is he anyways dear?” Aeris asked as she drank some of her juice.
“He’s fine, his expedition found remnants of meteor fragments, but otherwise they are dormant.” He said, frowning and pondering before he continued,
“He wants me to go on one of the expeditions. Some of his men were killed last week due to outrageous mutations scavenging the ruins.”
Aerith’s full mouth thinned to a dangerous line before she looked up at Cloud who glanced quickly at her before snapping his eyes back to his dinner.
“You know I don’t like the idea of you in that desecrated place.” She said,
“You promised to give that up and be a family man...”
Ashes watched her parents and it dawned on her as to why Cloud didn’t accept any status Reeve presented to him. He did it for Mom... She grabbed a fork full of mash potatoes and realized that if she was in Mom’s position, she would understand why. No one liked the idea of losing someone they loved. But Dad is the planet’s hero! A few monsters would never even touch him and they would be dead in an instant.
“Mom, dad’s a hero and he isn‘t weak.” Ashes spoke up. Silence filled the room and both her parents stared at her in surprise. Aerith frowned while her father shook his head as to it wasn’t the time for such a discussion. Respectfully, she excused herself, anger building inside her.
She grabbed her coat and walked outside into the night air, noticing the chill wind she tightened the belt around her waste and began her way down her backyard into the woods.
Why was she angry with her father all of a sudden especially her mom for trying to keep Dad at home? Maybe she wanted her father to become more then he already was?
She arrived at her grand oak tree she had found when a little girl and made her way up to the top. The night sky beheld a blanket of white, violet, red stars shining brilliantly against the velvet black. The wind seemed to pick up more as she settled down on a branch, letting her wine depths gaze across the horizon.
‘There.’
From her location, one could see the eerie glow of what was once known as Midgar. It’s structured buildings: corpses and the dark cloud that always loomed over it still snowed of ash... What she would give just to have access to that place. Her curiosity growing greater yet again, but she didn’t care. It was as if something was there that she needed to find...maybe someday she would get the chance.
The warm wind blew into her face and she relaxed, her mind peaceful until a voice caught her attention. Samantha was calling out to her, Ashes could clearly tell she had entered the woods looking for her.
Dropping down to the woodland floor, she began her trek back down the path and found Samantha looking around, worry imbedded in her eyes.
“Oh there you are! How can you stand being alone out here at night?” she asked instinctively clinging onto her sisters arm.
“It helps me relax. You know, sometimes the woods speak to me and help me calm my nerves.” Ashes answered, a smile toying at her lips. Sam looked up at her, eyes wide with amazement.
“Really?”
“I’m kidding.” Ashes laughed, “But I wasn’t lying when I said that nature calms me.”
“You probably get that from mom. She loves nature.” she chirped up.
“Maybe, now lets head back home before Dad gets mad.” Ashes concluded and Samantha nodded vigorously.
Weeks passed by and Cloud had agreed to a few expeditions, but Ashes couldn’t stand how her mother worried nonstop about him. One day she asked,
“You act as if you are going to lose Dad, it‘s unhealthy.”
Aerith swirled around and looked at her sternly,
“I almost did once.” she snapped. Ashes blinked in surprise and looked away, knowing she trespassed on a touchy subject.
“I’m sorry...it’s just that...I can’t bear the thought to lose him again.” her mom said as she sat down on the couch.
“Again?” Ashes asked with curiosity. Aerith glanced, her jade eyes at Ashes and sighed,
“When your father and I, along with AVALANCHE, fought against Sephiroth and Meteor, we didn’t explain all the details of the event. The reason for meteor was because of one woman who betrayed us...she wasn’t what we all thought.
“She lured your father into a death trap and he fell for it because she was his childhood friend. If AVALANCHE and I had not made it in time, your father would not be alive today.”
Ashes nodded,
“How did you guys destroy her?”
Aerith, surprised at her daughters eager question answered,
“She died with the Meteor.”
“Good, she had it coming.” Ashes smiled a bit too maliciously.
“Don’t say that Ashes!” Aerith spoke up abruptly. Bewildered, Ashes cocked an eyebrow,
“Why not?”
“She was manipulated and tricked...she was a good woman but in with the wrong people.” her mom concluded,
“Enough talk of this. Hopefully you’ll understand the reason why I worry so much about your father. He may be a hero, but even a hero has it’s limits.” With that, her mom left Ashes to ponder over the bit of information.
‘Yes, but that woman is dead...so why worry?’ Ashes wondered some more.
Getting up, she made her way upstairs and crashed on her bed, listening to the house. Desiree was gabbing on the phone in her own room, Samantha was listening to music, and Daemon? He was asleep just like she was about to do. They had to get up early for school tomorrow and her homeroom teacher was a bitch when it came to tardiness.
With that thought concluded, she closed her wine colored orbs to sleep.