Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ I Know What Lies Beneath the Snowfields ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

"I Know What's Beneath the Snow Fields"
Chapter 6

A whole week flew by since Aeris had first agreed to stay with Vincent.
Tifa, as promised, dutifully visited her as often as possible, always
bringing Cloud with her. Cloud's eyes gleamed with genuine delight whenever
he saw Aeris, and the two would talk for an hour or so, laughing all the
time. However, Tifa discerned some restrained emotiion, some hasty glance,
some discomfort, in Aeris' movements. Though Aeris quickly reassured her
that she " was perfectly well", Tifa internally doubted the sincerity of
Aeris. She felt Aeris was hiding something behind her laughter, stubbornly
refusing to release it.

"Don't you think aeris seems kind of...uncomfortable?" Tifa asked Cloud
one cold afternoon in late February. They were slowly making their way to
Vincent's apartment.

"Hm? No, I think she's quite happy," Cloud replied, "Why? Did Vincent
bother her?"

"What are you saying, Cloud?!" cried Tifa, "Vincent's a perfect gentleman!
He'd never do something like that!"

Which was absolutely correct, according to Aeris. She herself testified
that Vincent was "anything but rude". He never entered the bedroom without
her permission, even though it was *his* room to begin with. He bluntly
insisted sleeping on the couch so that Aeris could have the bed. He even
emptied parts of his closet for Aeris' clothes and belongings, which Tifa
generously provided. At exactly six o'clock for in the morning, he'd leave
Aeris alone in the apartment, and return around five o'clock in the
evening; ten o'clock if he had a nightshift.

Despite his chivalrous conduct, he rarely spoke to Aeris. Whenever she
chanced upon him, he was either engrossed in some book or repairing a gun.
his face expressed such coldness and thoughtfulness, Aeris failed to muster
enough courage to even sit with him in the same room. In short, she tried
her hardest to avoid him out of some ambiguous fear; and he ignored her out
of cold-heartedness, or so Aeris guessed.

Therefore, by the end of the week, Aeris had learned a great deal about
Tifa and Cloud; they loved to talk to her about anything. often times,
Cloud would speak of past adventures, strange creatures, and distant lands.
Tifa would describe the Avalanche members with lively animation. All three
would burst out laughing whenever she imitated Cait Sith's voice, or Cid's
"unique" expressions.

Not surprisingly, Aeris grew extremely close to her two new friends.
Sometimes, she'd forget that she had "amnesia" or "had been dead", and
acted as though she had known them for a long time.

On the other hand, Aeris did not know much about Vincent. Cloud had once
whispered to her that "he was a Turk", expecting her to in instantly grasp
the significance. she did not understand what he meant, so she turned to
Tifa. However, Tifa merely shrugged her shoulders, as if to say "who
knew?". Aeris thought it strange how both Cloud and Tifa claimed to be
Vincent's friends, when neither knew one definite fact about his past.

She wanted to ask Vincent directly, but, of course, apprehension gripped
her heart, and she promptly abandonned her idea. Eventually, Aeris lost
interest, and simply forgot.

However, Aeris could not help but wonder at him whenever Cloud and Tifa
came to visit. He would retreat to some inconspicious corner and read a
book, showing no interest in Cloud's anecdotes or Tifa's amusing
impressions. The two guests seemed quite used to his attitude; they talked
and laughed freely in his presence, as if he weren't there at all.

But Aeris glanced at him uneasily from time to time. The contrast between
him and her vivacious friends stung her heart to the core.

I wonder why he's always so gloomy..so preoccupied! Aeris wondered.

"What's wrong, Aeris?" laughed Cloud, "Didn't you like the joke?"

"Huh? Oh no!" she immediately answered, though she didn't listen when the
joke was said. She had been too busy with her reflections.

"Oh, Cloud!" scolded Tifa amusedly, "you're jokes are all so lame! No
wonder she didn't laugh!"

At around three o'clock, one week since Aeris had agreed to live with
Vincent, the merry threesome were comfortably seated around a coffee table
in the living room. Vincent, as usual, occupied his corner by the window,
and read indifferently. A tray with four mugs and a plate of pastries were
neatly placeed on the coffee table. Tifa had bought the cakes from a nearby
bakery as "a little treat for everyone".

Actually, she had bought them for Vincent in particular; she wanted to pay
him back somehow for taking care of Aeris. Much to her dismay, Vincent
didn't express much delight with the pastries.

"Hey, Vincent man!" called Cloud, stuffing his mouth with another cake,
"You sure you don't want one? They're really good!"

Vincent silently flipped the page of his book without even raising his
eyes.

"Okay, suit yourself," answered Cloud, as if Vincent had replied. He
greedily ate another cake with good humour.

"Cloud, you're such a glutton!" giggled Aeris.

"Hey, Cloud!" frowned Tifa, snatching the plate of pastries away, "You'll
spoil your dinner! Save some for later".

"Oh, sorry...," apologized Cloud as he scratched the back of his head, "I
forgot you were cooking dinner tonight, Tifa".

Indeed, Tifa, after many entreaties, had persuaded Vincent into allowing
her to make dinner that night for everyone. As mentioned before, Tifa had
harshly accepted the full responsibility of Vincent's "situation".
Forgetting that it was *he* who had indirectly suggested the idea in the
first place, Tifa felt she had forced Vincent to care for Aeris, and was
determined to repay his kindness somehow, whether he liked it or not.

Therefore, she had insisted on cooking the dinner, and still more
forcefully, insisted Vincent eat with them.

"As you wish," he had sighed.

"Speaking of dinner, we should get going," commented Cloud, getting up
lazily from his seat, "We still have to buy all the ingredients".

"Right," agreed Tifa, rising as well, "Aeris, go get your coat."

"Okay, don't leave without me," she beamed delightedly. She sprang out of
her seat and ran to fetch her coat.

"Um...Tifa," whispered Cloud after she left, "are you sure we should take
her with us?"

"Why not?" she asked in puzzlement, almost in alarm.

"Well, what if those men find her?"

Tifa was thoughtful for a couple of moments. She glanced suspiciously at
Vincent, but he seemed oblivious to their conversation.

"It'll be all right," reassured Tifa, "I'll watch her closely. Besides,
those goons have probably given up by now. And poor Aeris could use some
fresh air."

"Heh, and if they do show up, you'll probably whoop their butts before
they have a chance to attack."

"Huh!" she snorted, delighted with the remark, "You know how I feel about
people who push me around..especially men!"

Cloud smiled lovingly at her, then both began sniggering like little
children.

Their amusement was abrupltly cut short when Vincent slammed his book shut
and stood up. Both turned to him, expecting him to speak. As he silently
placed the book on the shelf, he happened to catch Tifa's eyes. She
immediately detected a flash in his eyes; he had obviously been pondering
something.

Does he think Aeris' shopping with us a bad idea? wondered Tifa.

instead of speaking, Vincent sullenly walked towards the door. He nearly
knocked Aeris down as she came rushing through excitedly, but he grabbed
her firmly before she could fall.

"Oh..thank you, Vincent," Aeris mubled in embarrassment.

After he left the living room, the three stood for a moment, lost in
though.

"What's wrong with him?" inquired Cloud.

"I don't know..he seems irritated," answered Tifa.

Aeris silently tied her scarf around her neck. She wondered if Vincent had
this feeling..this presentiment about her going out. Aeris had felt
similarly too at first, but had shrugged it off, assuming she was just
nervous about leaving the apartment.

"He's thinking about something," Tifa scowled, "but he's not telling us."

"I'm sure it's nothing your delicious dinner can't fix," laughed Cloud,
trying to restore the liveliness of the girls, "You know him! He's always
moody like this. Nothing to worry about. Right Aeris?"

"Uh..yes!" she instantly agreed, attempting to conceal her anxiety.

"There, see?" said Cloud, looking at Tifa.

"I guess so," she faintly muttered.

"So, let's go already!" cried Cloud, playfully pulling Tifa to the door.

"Ah! Careful!" she giggled.

Aeris, however, plunged into deep thoughtfulness. She remained standing in
the room, lost in an ocean of meditation, but could noe formulate one
thought.

"Aeris!" called Cloud, "C'mon! we're leaving!"

"Oh, I'm coming!" she answered, and ran after them.

Though the air was crisp that afternoon, Midgar apparently braced itself
for rain. The grey clouds gradually blanketed the sky, barring the sunlight
from entry. Nevertheless, the streets brimmed with people hurrying to and
fro. The shops and boutiques eagerly flung their doors wide open to welcome
any customer. The cafes were teaming with people enjoying their coffee
break.

All sorts of sounds filled the air: from the hushed murmur of passing
businessmen to the delightful squeal of children; the incoherent mumbles of
a senile beggar, and the shouts of teenagers calling each other. The city
throbbed with life.

Aeris, quite fascinated with the city, constantly turned her head from
side to side so as to catch every detail. Tifa and Cloud looked at her
amusedly and answered whatever questions she had about Midgar.

"Cloud, what's that building?" she asked.

"Oh, that's a branch of the new government. The Department of Foreign
Affaris, I think."

"It's so big!" she marvelled.

"She's like a litttle kid," winked Cloud as he nudged Tifa.

when they turned around a corner, an old, wan-faced woman with a beaten
flower basket staggered up to them.

"Would the pretty lass like a flower?" she asked, holding a bright pink
flower to Aeris.

"Oh! How beautiful!" cried Aeris, taking the flower instantly. Her entire
face beamed with delight as she studied the flower. She looked at Cloud
imploringly.

"Yeah, sure," mumbled Cloud, fumbling for his wallet,"Give the other girl
a flower too."

"Heh heh, Cloud, you're so sweet," snickered Tifa at his embarrassment.

"Y'know it's funny," exclaimed Cloud as they resumed their way.

"What's funny?" asked Aeris, looking up at him.

"Before..um..before you had amnesia, you used to adore flowers. In fact,
you were a flower girl yourself."

"Was I?" she smiled in wonder.

"yup. And it's funny how you don't remember anything about your past, but
remember that you love flowers."

"Flowers carry so many meanings," she answered mysteriously, "They
symbolize life, and love, and beauty."

"Hard things to find in the dead of winter," commented Tifa.

"Oh, you can find them in the winter, if you look hard enough."

"Yeah, whatever," mumbled Cloud, completely baffled by Aeris' meaning.
Tifa smiled faintly as she took his strong arm and leaned her head on his
shoulder as they strolled along.

"Well, this is where I bid you girls a temporary adieu," Cloud said after
a few steps.

"Where are you going?" asked Aeris curiously.

"Cloud has to go to Sector 4 and buy us some special spices for tonight's
dinner," Tifa explained, "It'll save us time if we split up. We girls will
shop here, and Cloud will go get the spices."

"Heh heh..can he be trusted?" snickered Aeris.

"Oh ho! So, little Miss Aeris doubts Cloud Strife's abilities, eh?" he
retorted with a laugh, "You forget, I run a restaurant."

"No, Cloud," correvted Tifa, "You clean it. I run it."

The two girls burst out laughing while Cloud flushed crimson with anger.
Bur after a moment, he joined them in good humour, as if nothing had
happened.

"Okay, Cloud," interrupted Tifa,"You'd better go now, before it starts to
rain."

"Sure thing. Meet you two back at Vincent's place."

They quickly exchanged a kiss, and Cloud rushed across the street before
the traffic light turned green again. Soon, he disappeared.

"C'mon," said Tifa to Aeris, "Let's go."

The two girls quietly walked along the boulevard. A strange silence sprung
up between them. Tifa, it was true, had sent Cloud away to fetch the
spices, but more importantly, she wanted to speak to Aeris alone; woman to
woman. She knew some problem oppressed Aeris' heart, and was determined to
discover it.

they finally reached a gigantic building which languidly stretched itself
along the entire street. Aeris read the large sign "Midgar Supermarket"
erected neatly on top of the automatic doors.

"Big place!" exclaimed Aeris, completely in awe.

"Hm.." muttered Tifa, half-listening.

As she grabbed a shopping cart, Tifa glanced uneasily at Aeris, unsure how
to start the conversation. She pushed the cart along the orderly isles.
When she made sure nobody was within hearing distance, she stopped short.

"Aeris," she began, "Are you..okay?"

"Yes, Tifa, I'm fine," Aeris looked at her oddly.

"No, I mean...do you feel..uncomfortable?"

Aeris shook her head, but obviously did not understand Tifa's meaning.

"Aeris," whispered Tifa for some reason, " Do you feel...uncomfortable
with Vincent around you?"

Aeris looked away to avoid Tifa's searching eyes.

"C'mon, you can tell me," persisted Tifa gently, "I can tell some problem
is weighing you down. I don't want to intrude on you like this, but I'm
just so worried about you. Is Vincent..."

She broke off with a vague gesture of her hand, not knowing how to finish
her sentence. Aeris still looked away, but Tifa could tell she was on the
brink of revealing something.

"Tifa," she blurted out quietly, "I think Vincent..really..hates me."

"Aeris, we've been through this before, and I told you.."

"No, no, you don't understand," Aeris cut her short as she turned around
suddenly, "He's very polit, and probably the best mannered man I'll ever
meet. I won't deny that. But..but.."

"But?" Tifa asked, extremely alarmed.

"I don't think he looks after me out of kindness..It doesn't come from his
heart. It's like, he feels it's his *duty* to care for me."

"But..how does he hate you?"

"I don't know..I don't know. But I just feel as if he sees something
through me..and hates me for it...like I'm inferior somehow.."

Tifa studied Aeris' pitiful face. This had obviously been causing her a
great deal of stress.

"Aeris," she finally replied with some sterness, "I think you're just
paranoid!"

Aeris blinked at her in astonishment.

"If Vincent 'hated' you, then why did he shoot those men to save you?
Isn't that what he did when he first met you?"

"Tifa..you don't understand me.."

"Then explain, for God's sake!"

"He..he's not like Cloud..," Aeris muttered dreamily.

This time, Tifa was astonished.

"What do you mean 'not like Cloud'?" she demanded. A strange yet familiar
feeling pricked her heart again.

"Cloud..well..," Aeris faltered, "Cloud is simple to see through. You can
tell when he's happy, or angry; and it's easy to guess what he's thinking."

"And Vincent?"

"Vincent is cold-hearted..stoic..and unresponsive. I feel very
awkward..and frightened when he comes near me. He sees something in me that
he hates...and it's the way he hates me that scares me so much, Tifa."


As Aeris finished, Tifa softened her look and was silent for some minutes.
She understood, at least partially, Aeris' fear : She believed Vincent
discerned something horrible in her, and deplored her for it.

Tifa gently patted her friend's shoulder and, smiling reassuredly, said
"We'd better finish quickly before it rains."

The tower bell tolled four times when both girls emerged from the
supermarket, each carrying a brown grocery bag. The strrets had emptied
slightly, but still rtained a great deal of liveliness. By the time they
had reached the city square, the lamp posts along the pathway had already
lighted up; it was getting dark quickly. Occasionally, a faint rumble of
thunder echoed across the city, warning everyone of heavy rain. Tifa,
however, seemed unconcerned with the weather. She wanted to tell Aeris
something.

"Aeris," she started, grabbing her shoulder to stop her, "I think you
misunderstand Vincent."

Aeris turned to face Tifa, expecting her to say more.

"Vincent..well..," Tifa faltered, "Vincent has been through a lot. He
never mentioned this, but I think he feels guilty about something, and it
tends to weigh him down at times."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know..Vincent's a master when it comes to hiding his
emotions..but when we first met him about a year ago, he was obsessed with
this woman called 'Lucrecia'"

"'Lucrecia'?"

"And you could just feel the bitterness and guilt gnaw at his heart, even
though he never mentioned her again. I..I'm telling you this, Aeris, so you
can see that Vincent carries a lot of sorrow in his heart.."

Aeris was silent.

"And..," continued Tifa nervously, " I don't think he hates you. I just
think he sees something in you that...that he sees in himself too..like you
both share the same burden somehow. Aw, Geez! I can't explain this very
well!"

Tifa stamped her foot in irritation; even she wasn't sure she understood
Vincent. Aeris silently stared at the cobblestones on the ground,
completely oblivious to the people around her.

"Tifa," she suddenly asked, "Is Vincent sick because of his claw?"

"What? Is he sick of his claw?" Tifa looked at he oddly.

"No..does the claw make him sick?"

"Um..it shouldn't. At least, not when I met him. Why? What's the matter?!"

"I..," stammered Aeris, "I think Vincent is very sick. At first I thought
his claw perhaps made him sick. But now, perhaps this 'guilt'.."

"What do you mean by 'sick'?" interrupted Tifa in alarm, "Sick as in ill?"

Aeris wanted to tell her about his coughing fits that constantly plagued
him. During the past week, she had cuaght him fighting at least five
seizures, and that was just at home!

She wanted to describe how violently his whole body shook with pain; how
much blood trickled through his hand when he struggled to cover his mouth.
All that and so much more!

But she had read in his cold eyes that he *knew* she had seen him in a
coughing fit. And though he never talked to her, Aeris understood he did
not want the others to know of his seizures. But now it felt as if the
words poured out of her mouth involintarily.

"He's..he's..." Aeris finally faltered.

But a foreboding feeling suddenly pierced her heart so violently, she
actually sprang away from Tifa in alarm. All sound around her disintigrated
into oblivion; she could not even hear Tifa calling her name; but the loud
pounding of her heart mercilessly beat against her ears.

Her grocery bag fell out of her numb hands, crashing onto the pavement and
scattering all its contents about. However, Aeris seemed totally unaware of
her surroundings. She detected some evil presence near her..some "thing"
that reeked with malice.

"Aeris! Aeris!" called Tifa anxiously. She shook the girl's shoulders.

aeris turned aggresively to Tifa, as if she had never seen her before.
Tifa started on seeing the wild, frenzied flash in Aeris' eyes. Her gasps
became quite loud and perspiration broke out on her pale face. Some
passers-by glanced at her oddly, then hurried away, thinking she was mad.

"Aeris! what's wrong?!" cried Tifa.

"T..Tifa...," she struggled confusedly, "..the..they're here..they've
found me!"

"What? What are you saying?!"

Faceless people rushed past Aeris. So many incoherent sounds drummed
against her ears. Bright colors and irregular shapes swirled about her like
whirlpool. She felt faint and nauseated, as if someone were wringing her
soul. But her eyes suddenly caught sight of someone, and everything froze
in its place.

She stared at a tall man with pure snow-white hair and gleaming pink eyes.
He gazed mockingly at her from across the street. He held a lighted
cigarette to his mouth in such a way that only his eyes peered over his
hand. Aeris felt his cold eyes drill straight into her heart.

When he finally removed his cigarette form his mouth, he blew out a puff
of smoke, then smiled affably at Aeris, as though he were a close friend of
hers.

Aeris' feet turned cold and heavy at the smile. Her thoughts chased each
other around in her brain, refusing to settle down, until something inside
her screamed: escape!

Before she realized it, Aeris found herself frantically tearing through
the crowds of people, deserately trying to run away.

"AERIS!! AERIS!!" screamed Tifa. She ran after her as fast as she could,
but Aeris vanished in the crowd without a trace.

Completely thunderstruck, Tifa stood in the middle of the street. Her
muddled thoughts overwhelmed her and clouded her mind. She had, literally,
no idea what to do.

Then, as if posessed by a demon, Tifa suddenly dashed across the busy
street. Several cars screeched to a halt and rudely honked at her.

"Hey! Watch it! shouted one man from his car.

But she only doubled her speed as she rushed down the pavement, savagely
yelling "excuse me!" or "make way!". She raced past shops, people, streets
with one thought: she must reach Vincent's apartment! She did not
understand why Aeris ran off so suddenly, sa if she had seen a ghost, but
she must have run back to Vincent's place! Where else could she possibly
go?

Thus argued Tifa, until she realized she was flying up the stairs of the
apartment.

On reaching Vincent's door, she tried to open it, but the knob only gave a
stiff rattle. It was locked.

"Vincent!!" she shouted, pounding the door furiously with her
fist,"VINCENT!"

No reply.

"Aw, shit!" she swore. She retreated two steps then rammed the door down
with her shoulder. The door instantly broke open and she staggered in,
breathless with irritation.

"VINCENT!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

But only an echo answered her cry. Apparently, no one was home. The
silence suffocated Tifa beyond endurance. Not only was Aeris not there, but
Vincent was missing as well!

"Damn it!!" she cursed aloud.

She heard a faint scuffle of boots behind her, so she turned around
sharply. Much to her relief, Vincent stood in the doorway with a package in
one hand. He blinked incredulously at Tifa, then at the broken door that
hung piteously by one hinge in the hall.

"Where the Hell were you?!" Tifa cried in anger.

"I..I went to the post office to get the book I ordered," he faltered,
taken aback by her viciousness, "Tifa..what's wrong?"

"Vincent," she gasped, "A..Aeris ran off!!"

He narrowed his keen eyes, but said nothing.

"I don't know what happened!" she continued, "We were walking along, and
she was fine! Cloud even bought her a flower! And then..then.."

"Easy, take it easy," He said calmly.

"Then she goes ballistic!! She looks around like someone's gonna kill
her..and she mutters something, then runs off!"

"What did she say?"

"I dunno!!" she snapped back, irritated with his coolness, "She said
something like 'they've found me'. She looked around, then lost her mind!"

"Where did this happen?"

"At the City Square."

"Which direction did she run in?"

"Ah? I think she ran to the North side of the sector."

Vincent plunged into gloomy silence for some moments, knitting his brows
in deep contemplation. He seemed to be debating something in his brain.

"I ran after her," Tifa went on, "but she disappeared! I thought perhaps
she came back.."

But Vincent suddenly flung his package away and rushed out of the door,
not waiting a moment longer.

"Vincent!" Tifa cried after him, "Where are you going?!!"

She after him anxiously, but he had already cleared the stairs and left
the building.

Tifa was silent for some minutes before she returned to the apartment. She
examined her "handiwork" on the wretched door, then blushed slightly.

"Great," she grumbled, "I get excited, and Vincent's door gets the heat!"

Tifa rubbed her temples to soothe her aching head, but the last few events
had left her in complete shock. A suuden clap of thunder outside startled
her. She dragged her tired feet to the window in the living room, and gazed
dejectedly at the rain patter against the glass panes.

"It's really coming down now," she mumbled softly.