Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ I Know What Lies Beneath the Snowfields ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

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

"I Know What's Beneath the Snow Fields"
Chapter 9


When Aeris had finally calmed down, she slowly lifted her head from
Vincent's shoulder and rubbed her swollen eyes. Vincent still sat hunched
up against her, his battered head comfortably nestled by hers. He seemed to
be asleep.

Aeris, slightly embarrassed with his intimate posture, cautiously edged
away from him. Vincent opened his weary eyes at the movement, and lifted
his head. He instantly fell back against the tree again, heaving a deep
sigh of exhaustion.

Aeris studiedhis haggard, dirty face. A thin stream of blood trickled
through his bandanna and down his soiled cheek. Several strands of his wet
hair dangled loosely infront of his face. His eyes were gently sealed, as
though they would never reopen again.

But she found his deathly calmness most alarming. Indeed, Vincent's whole
appearance, with his slightly tilted head and careworn face, expressed such
unnatural peacefulness, any passer-by may have thought him dead.

"Vincent?" called Aeris hesitantly.

No reply.

"Vincent!!"

"Not so loud..," he whispered feebly, "I can still hear you."

Aeris was reduced to a nervous silence. He kept his eyes closed, evidently
trying to gather his strength. Except for the occasional bark of some stray
dog, nothing dared break the haunting tranquillity of the park.

"Aeris?" he asked in a low voice, but did not open his eyes.

"Y..yes?"

"Could you please help me up? I can't move my shoulders."

Aeris gave a start as he slowly forced his eyes open. His bloodshot eyes
blazed feverishly with a deep crimson glow. Every word, every breath, was
an obvious agony to him.

She instantly sprang up and began helping, or rather pulling, Vincent off
the ground. After many failed attempts, Aeris finally managed to haul him
to his feet. He staggered uneasily against her with a sharp grunt, but
grittede his teeth to stiffle any further cries.

The girl could feel his heartbeat thumping loudly, and saw the sweat drip
down his distraught face.

God, she thought anxiously, if I don't get him home soon, he'll faint out
here in the cold!

She gently drew his arm around her neck and leaned his whole body against
hers to support him.

"Okay, Vincent, you're on your feet," she encouraged kindly, "Let's try
taking a step forward."

"You can't support me, Aeris," Vincent gasped out, "I'm too heavy for you.
I can manage..by..myself.."

"But you can't even stand up!"

"Ah!" he moaned suddenly, "Ah..I think.. I can walk somehow..just..let
me.."

But he immediately crumbled to his knees in pain. Aeris pulled him back to
his feet before he could fall, and tried desperately to support his
unsteady body. He was right: his weught was far greater than she could
bear, but Aeris would not give up.

"We're almost home, Vincent. Look!" she said eagerly, "The apartment's
just a few steps away! Don't quit yet!"

She tightened her grip on his cold hand, as if that could give him new
strength. He leaned with his full weight on her, unable to even balance his
shoulders properly.

"Please, Vincent," she begged, "let me help you."

Though the pain tore at his entire body, especially his arms, he managed
to nod his head submissively. he knew that if Aeris stopped supporting him,
he'd lose conscious on the spot.

they plodded slowly out of the frozen park, emerging into the empty,
brightly-lit street. Their awkward footsteps broke the suffocating silence
of the air. Aeris felt Vincent grow increasingly heavy as he dragged his
weary feet behind him. He bit his lower lip with each step, and squeezed
his eyes in pain.

She continuously whispered some gentle words of encouragement into his
ear, pressed his lifeless hand, anything to keep his conscious. At times,
he completely lost balance, nearly crushing the poor girl under his weight,
but instantly steadied himself again with an effort.

"Aeris..," he muutered weakly, "Please..l..lean me against that wall.."

"But we're nearly.."

"Please," he begged with restraint, "I..I think I'm going to have another
seizure.."

She looked at his face in alarm, then cautiously rested his body against
the brick wall, still keeping his arm around her neck. Aeris dared not
utter a word for fear of upsetting him, yet could not take her eyes off
him. The anxiety sickened her heart beyond endurance.

Vincent shut his eyes in profound concentration, as if engaged in some
gruelling mental battle with the fit. Sweat broke out on his ghastly face.
The seizure angirly rattled his chest, demanding its release. Vincent
knitted his brows and gnashed his teeth to repress it. He would not
surrender without a fight.

Occasionally his resistance would falter, and he'd splutter out some blood
with a sudden cough. But his persistence finally prevailed: the seizure
reluctantly retreated into the depths of his chest, and he breathed easy
again.

Aeris steadied his anguished face; she felt his chest heave up and down
with each gasp. Sometimes he uttered a faint moan and slumped to one side
in exhaustion, but Aeris steadied him every time. Whatever remainded of his
strength was rapidly dwindling.

"You're very sick, Vincent," she whirpered compassionately, wiping away
the sweat from his feverish face.

"Y..yes," he agreed mechanically, "These fits have been ravaging my chest
for the past five months.."

He swallowed a deep breath of air, but suddenly burst out coughing, his
throat gurgling with blood. Aeris frantically rubbed his chest, begging him
to relax his muscles and breathe slowly.

"Ah..," Vincent continued when he finally recovered himself, "At first,
the fits were very small and infrequent. But lately..lately they've been
attacking me quite often..and some of them are so violent..I..I.."

He broke off his sentence with a pitiful sigh. Aeris nodded her head
solemnly; she understood his meaning.

When Vincent had gathered enough strength to move again, the two continued
their agonising journey to the apartment. Aeris felt her back might snap
any moment with Vincent's weight, but immediately scoffed at her weakness:
Vincent had just risked his life to save her, the very *least* she could do
was help him home!

"You should see a doctor, Vincent." she commented as they staggered into
the reception hall of the building. Pressing the elevator button, she
glanced up at Vincent in concern.

"If I see a doctor," he mused dreamily, "he'd probably be more interested
in my claw or my genetic makeup. I don't want a bunch of scientists
examining me..once was enough."

A loud chime interrupted the conversation, signalling the arrival of the
long-awaited elevator. Aeris pulled Vincent inside, then pressed the
appropriate botton. When the doors closed, the elevator gave a slight jolt,
and began its journey upwards.

During this time, a heavy silence fell on the two, on Vincent in
particular. He seemed to be brooding about some serious matter. Aeris
occasionally glanced at his haggard, morose face, and decided it best not
to pester him with meaningless questions.

The elevator finally halted. Its doors quickly admitted them into the
familiar corridor of apartment doors. Aeris' heart sweeled with joy on
spotting Vincent's door. It was only a few steps away.

"Just hang on, Vincent," she encouraged cheerfully, "See? There's your
door!"

She turned excitedly to Vincent, but his serious face greatly disturbed
her. He stared thoughtfully at the door, as though it hid some mysterious
secret behind it.

"Vincent?" asked Aeris apprehenisvely, "What's wrong?"

He shifted his eyes to her, studying every feature of her anxious face.
His arm, which Aeris still held around her neck, tensed with discomfort. He
slowly brought his face near her ear, and began whispering in a most
alarmingly low voice. His icy, dispassionate tone chilled her heart to the
core; she felt his very breath tickle her ear.

"Listen," he began gently, "when Tifa and Cloud ask what happened, let me
do the talking."

Aeris started on hearing the strange request. After some hesitation, she
reluctantly nodded her head.

"And..," he murmurred more softly, "whatever I say, just agree with me. I
know it sounds strange, Aeris, but please, do it for me."

She looked at him in concern. Vincent wearily hung his head near her face,
anticipating a reply.

"Alright, Vincent," she whispered deliberately.

"Thank you," he sighed, pressing her hand warmly.

Aeris was silent, but felt her cheeks flush slightly at the pressure of
his hand.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked the door three times. there was an
awkward pause. Suddenly, cloud flung the door open, and stared at the two
with a large gaping mouth.

"SHIT!!!" he exclaimed finally, "Vincent!! What the Hell happened to
YOU?!!"

Aeris handed the weary man over to Cloud, who immediately wrapped
Vincent's arm around his neck and dragged him inside. The girl, relieved of
the heavy load, followed them into the hallway.

Cloud slammed the door behind her, then leaned Vincent against the door,
shouting at the top of his lungs, "TIFA!! TIFA, C'MERE QUICK!!!"

Tifa, with an empty plate in her hand, rushed out of the kitchen, as if a
demon had been chasing her.

"GOOD GRIEF!!" she screamed, dropping the plate in unmistakable horror,
"VINCENT!!! ARE YOU ALRIGHT??!!"

They all crowded around him, loudly demanding an immediate explanation.
Vincent could not distinguish their faces, hear their words, or even
understand their anxiety. Indeed, he felt his whole mind slipping away like
water between his fingers.

He clumsily slumped to one side, but both Aeris and Cloud grabbed him
before he could collapse.

"Vincent! Please, wake up!" sobbed Aeris. She supported him against her
body, frantically squeezing his lifeless hand and pushing his hair out of
his face.

"Vincent! Hey!!" called Cloud, patting the man's cheeks repetedly, "C'mon
man! Snap out of it!!"

"Oh God!" exclaimed Tifa, "We need to get him a doctor!"

"Ah..no..," Vincent muttered as he finally steadied himself. Aeris still
clung to him, afraid he may lose conscious again if she let go.

"Whadd'ya mean 'no'?! have you lost your senses?!!" cried Tifa in anguish.

"I..I'm alright..really.."

"'Alright'?!" retorted Cloud amazedly, "Have you looked in the mirror
lately?!"

"It's not..as bad as it looks," Vincent forced out weakly.

Leaning his head back against the door, he shut his tired eyes, as if
gathering all his remaining strength in one last effort. All attention was
riveted on him.

"I just got into a street fight, that's all."

Tifa gasped out loud, but covered her mouth to ease the shock. Cloud
gripped Vincent's shoulders firmly and studied his haggard face, thinking
he had perhaps misheard him. Aeris stared timidly at the ground. She was
very quiet.

"Excuse me," faltered Cloud, "did you just say you got into a street
fight?"

"Yes, I did."

Cloud turned his head incredulously to Tifa; her face showed utter horror
and distress at the news.

"So..what happened?" asked Cloud after a brief silence.

"Well," began Vincent calmly, "I went to search for Aeris, and eventually,
I found her..in the Northern Slums."

"Okay. And?"

"When I found her there, I saw some thugs trying to mug her, and..other
atrocities I won't mention."

Cloud and Tifa nodded their heads solemnly, understanding his full
meaning. Aeris fidgetted uncomfortably, her face growing hot with the
fictitious story.

"And, that's all really. I got into a fight with them."

Cloud still held onto him, afraid he may somehow escape his grasp. Tifa
looked from Vincent to Aeris, then back to Vincent, completely dumbfounded.

"But, Vincent," asked Cloud in surprise, "I've seen you fight before, and
I know no common thug from the streets could do *this* to you."

Vincent turned his head away with a frown. Heaving a deep sigh, he
mumbled, "Well of course, Cloud. But even I can't handle a whole gang of
thugs without getting thrashed a bit. Besides, they had guns..and knives.."

"Oh God!" whispered the horror-stricken Tifa.

A heavy silence followed, in which no one dared break it. Vincent looked
at everyone wearily, then shut his eyes again; the talking had totally
drained him.

"Aeris..is..is this true?" inquired Cloud softly. Both he and Tifa fixed
their searching eyes on her, as if her answer alone would settle
everything. Aeris felt her heart pound nervously, but slowly nodded her
head.

"I'm sorry," she apologized shamefully, "I..I wanted to run back here, but
I got lost and..accidently wandered into those slums.."

Cloud stared blankly at her; her simple excuse for running into that
dangerous area astounded him. He exchanged a meaningful glance with Tifa,
who quickly nodded her head in reply.

"And, you're absolutely sure you're okay, Vincent?" insisted Cloud.

"Yes..," he muttered, "but..my arm is slightly damaged. I can't move it."

"Shit man!!" exclaimed Cloud on seeing the horribly disfigured claw, "It's
in even worse shape than you!"

With that remark, Cloud placed the man's arm around his neck again. Both
girls helped Vincent steady himself on his wobbly feet, begging him to move
slowly.

"Careful. Don't touch my arm," warned Vincent, "A couple of wires short
circuited inside. You could get an electric shock."

"Easy! Easy!" replied Cloud as the man staggered against him, "Okay, I got
you. Sheesh, you're really heavy, you know that?"

"Th..there's a metal tool box in one of the kitchen cupboards," Vincent
instructed patiently, "Could you please get it for me, Cloud?"

"Sure, sure! you just take it nice and slow!"

Cloud dragged Vincent away from the anxious girls, grunting under the
burdensome weight but trying to appear unconcerned. Aeris wanted beyond
anything to go after them, but guessed she'd only get in the way. She
remained behind.

Her distressed eyes followed the two men until they disappeared into the
living room. heaving a sigh, she rubbed her weary temples; all her strength
had finally evaporated.

Suddenly, Tifa gripped her arm and swung the girl around. She peered into
Aeris' frightened face, feeling immense rage boiling in her heart. She
compressed her lips tightly; her eyes flashed fire. Indeed, Aeris could
foresee an imminent rebuke.

"Aeris!! You silly, silly girl!!" Tifa burst out, "Why'd you run away like
that, huh?!"

"Tifa..I.."

"I nearly got a heart attack!! Do you know how WORRIED I was?! how worried
we all were?!!"

aeris, overwhelmed with guilt, hung her head and could not answer. Tifa
stared intently at her, her eyes welling up with angry tears.

"Do you know that Vincent spent THREE hours in the rain looking for you?!
And Cloud went berserk when I told him what happened!!"

Aeris dared not breathe a word of protest. An awkward silence fell on the
two girls. Tifa still glared accusingly at Aeris, who felt her heart flood
with shame. She could not bear her friend's anger.

Aeris opened her mouth to reply, but Tifa suddenly threw her arms around
her and embraced her with all her might, as if she could shield her from
all danger. She burried her face into the girl's neck, trembling whenever a
sob escaped her. Aeris, at a complete loss, stood perfectly still.

"Damn it, Aeris!" cursed Tifa with a quivering voice, "What if those thugs
killed you? What if Vincent hadn't found you in time? What then?!"

Aeris cringed in fear as the image of that horrible gunman floated into
her mind: yes, what if Vincent hadn't found her in time? What *then*?

"I's sorry, Tifa," faltered Aeris pitifully, "I..I guess.. I just got so
scared..I could only think about running away.."

Tifa lifted her head and looked searchingly at Aeris' sad face. though her
eyes glittered with tears, she had somehow managed to check her emotions.

"You thought that professor had found you?" she asked gently.

"Y..yes..I thought..that he would catch me again..and he'd.."

"Sh! Sh! You little scardey-cat," whispered tifa compassionately as she
hugged the girl again, "no one's gonna get you. You're safe now. You're
safe."

Aeris rested her head on Tifa's shoulder, feeling all her previous fears
melt away with a new sense of security. the Professor, the gunman, the
danger, they all faded away into oblivion; only her safety, her friends
remained behind, and they warmed her heart to the very core.

"Heh heh," chuckled Tifa after a moment. She held Aeris at arm's length,
smiling delightedly at her.

"Wh..what's so funny?" asked Aeris nervously.

"Oh, I remebered what you were telling me just hours ago. Y'know, about
how much you thought Vincent hated you."

Aeris blinked in confusuion; that conversation seemed years ago. She
recalled shouting at Vincent all those nasty insults; that he couldn't
understand anything; and that he hated her beyond anything.

But he wasn't angry when she insulted him. He said he understood her
better than anyone else.

And he didn't hate her at all. Far from it, he said he felt "concern" for
her.

"i told you he didn't hate you," sad Tifa, interrupting her thoughts,
"When I told what happened, he rushed out in the freezing rain to find you.
He didn't even hesitate!"

Yes, continued Aeris internally, and saved my life too. He didn't hesitate
that time either.

"I'm curious," remarked Tifa, "Was he angry when he found you? What did he
say?"

All of Vincent's words instantly cluttered Aeris' brain: from the moment
he touched her arm at the Haunt, to the minute the staggered into the
apartment.

-end of chapter 9

But Aeris held his words firmly to her bosom, refusing to share them. She
felt they were meant for her ears alone. They provided a strange comfort
that only Vincent and she could understand.

"Nothing," muttered Aeris in a low voice, "He said nothing."

Tifa looked strangely at the girl. Perhaps she detected a tone of slight
irritation in her voice; or maybe because Aeris hed turned her head away
uncomfortably.

"Well, anyway," Tifa replied at length, "What matters now is you're here
and safe."

Aeris nodded her head slowly.

"You go take a shower, and change your wet clothes. We don't want you
catching a cold.Go on."

Tifa, with a warm smile, escorted her to the bathroom. She promised to
fetch Aeris her towel and dry clothes when she would finish; Aeris thanked
her for her kindess.

"Dinner should be ready in an hour," said Tifa as she closed the door,
"It'll make us all feel much better"