Chapter 9

Nightfall already. The sun already disappeared behind the mountains but the members of the Avalanche hadn’t return to Cid’s house yet. This place is so cramped that no one wanted to spend their time there except during sleeping hours. They rather hang out in bars, the outdoors, or other local recreation center.

But inside Cid’s house, there are two person inside. The first is a man called Cloud and the second is his wife Aeris. Cloud was sitting on the couch, dumb after all the truth he had just been exposed to. He sat there, with Aeris treating his wounds after that fight with the stranger, and stared at the ceiling expressionlessly. Stupefied, he didn’t even made any reaction when Aeris tightened the bandages on his wounds or apply strong cure spell that usually hurt when applying. He was in shock, after all that he heard.

“Cloud...did you know that what you did just know was very dangerous?”

Aeris told Cloud that was still staring into space. Cloud didn’t reply and Aeris continued treating Cloud’s wounds. Aeris was very right. Cloud wasn’t aware what he could actually do and his destructive powers are more than he can muster. He must control himself with all cost. He wasn’t the person that hadn’t realize his true potential like before.

“Promise me, you won’t outrage like that again, okay?”

Aeris continued and Cloud looked at her. He looked at her in a different way like he used to before. There was coldness in his eyes. The joy and ego disappeared.

“I don’t know what came over me. It happened so fast and my head was filled with rage, all I can think was whacking that man no matter what it takes.” Cloud answered with a cold tone.

“But that doesn’t give you the right to jeopardize the lives of so many people!” Aeris protested.

“So what should I do? Smile and take it like nothing ever happened when my wife is sleeping with my father?”

Cloud shot back with anger in his voice. Aeris stopped treating Cloud’s wounds. She got offended and stood up.

“That was the past and I had no relationship or anything to do with him now!”

“Yea, and so what if he didn’t turn up? You will hide it from me for the rest of your life?”

Cloud argued. The flames of fury started to build in the heart of the two.

“And so what if? You think I am very proud about it? Get over it Cloud, what’s already happened can’t be change!”

“Yea, right.”

Cloud scorned and turned his back against Aeris. He kept quiet and this made Aeris more offended.

“So this is how you solve problems? By avoiding it?”

“What you want me to do? Brainwash myself?”

“I shouldn’t had told you about this. I regretted it.”

“Then why do? I rather you telling me nothing but lies.”

Harsh voices started shooting across the room. An argument like this could never be settled in a few hours.

“Then I shouldn’t have told you that I am Aeris at the first place.”

“And I will be married to Tifa and having kids by now!”

“I can’t believe you could say that!”

“You married me and that what you get to hear.”

More and more offensive verses came out from the two. Their relationship is on the edge of the cliff. If nobody pull it back it will plunge into the darkness and then it will end.

“I regretted coming back for you!”

“Fine! And I wished that we never met!”

Instant silence. The worst thing that could be said was said. No denying, no changing, no turning back. It was said. Hell broke loose.

Cloud and Aeris stared at each other. The fury died down. Now it was worse. Their hearts are hurt by each other so badly that even words couldn’t express it, even shouting at each other couldn’t mend it. The worst is here in a relationship. Conflict between the two sides.

Tears started to form in Aeris’s eyes and then she took off, running out of the house with Cloud still sitting on the couch, with his head buried in his hands. He blew it. He blew the entire relationship because of his anger and irrational words. He wanted to chase after her say he was sorry. He still wanted Aeris by his side, but then he hesitated.

He wonder whether he could still trust her.

Twelve midnight. It was another day again, just that everyone was still in bed and nobody or hanging out late and didn’t realize that another day had arrived.

Inside Cid’s house, Cloud was still alone in the living room after that tiff with Aeris. Some of the others came back and went straight into their room they shared with so many others after washing up. Cloud’s mood looked really bad and they fear he will act violent again if they harass him when he was hot in his head. No one actually knew about the fight between Cloud and Aeris. Cloud didn’t spoke a word and Aeris was no where to be seen. But it will be only a short time before the rest will find out...

From outside of the window, there was a figure staring inside of the house. The figure leaned against the wall casually, just like any person that looked like without a backbone would lean against a wall to rest. But this person was actually aware of what is happening inside the house. He knew that Cloud was alone, he knew about the fight, and he even knew that Cloud hadn’t have dinner yet. He observed his every move, and prepare to react if things go wrong.

“What are you doing?”

Another figure lurked from the side of the figure that was leaning against Cid’s house. Instead of being shocked, the figure just stood there casually, as if he knew that someone was going to spawn out from beside him. That figure had an excellent sense of hearing. He could tell whenever someone sneaked up from behind him, even if that person is an expert.

“Look at him. Pathetic. He should be this way.”

The figure answered. This figure was actually the stranger without the name that told the Avalanche about the story of the Jenovians and the planet. He was observing Cloud all the time, making sure he don’t do anything stupid.

“He was never good in relationships.”

The other figure answered. This was the coldest member of the Avalanche, Vincent. Like the stranger, both of them talked with a cold tone without expression in them. Expressionless, both of them looked like machines more than humans. They have much to learn from the ordinary people in order to live normally.

“He shouldn’t even get involved in relationships. He should be a cold-hearted, expressionless, a fighter that will take anything to destroy the threats of the planet. He should be a fighter that only concern about his fighting skills, and not petty relationships with other people.”

The stranger answered. Vincent listened and didn’t agree with him. Though he had lost most of his emotions, he still has some memories of them and he knew they were the best things of his life. Never getting into a relationship is virtually impossible.

“He is still a person, like everyone else. He still needs someone beside him.”

Vincent expressed his opinion. The stranger shook his head as a protest.

“No. He shouldn’t be. He is the destroyer—the person that will destroy the threats of the planet. If it wasn’t because of his mother he wouldn’t had learned how to love someone else.”

Vincent listened carefully. He realize that this man was his actually Cloud’s father. Somehow, the two of them aren’t close, not even like relatives.

“His mother?”

Vincent asked. The man nodded and then continued.

“Yes. She was like no one else. Pity I couldn’t get to see her again.”

Vincent could hear the disappointment in his voice. He knew that she was special to him, not just a woman in his life where he so happened to have a relationship with.

“So, do you think Cloud and Aeris will get together?”

Vincent asked. He was also aware that the two had a fight and they might have problem getting back together as long as this stranger still remain. Secretly, he was asking for the stranger to leave.

“In theory, they won’t.”

“They won’t?”

Vincent asked with surprised tone covered with his coldness. The man nodded again and then replied.

“Yes. They won’t. You see, the two are created by the planet in contrast. One a caring, loving, sweet flower girl and another a cold-hearted, cool, calm and unfriendly ex-soldier. Aeris is the ultimate healer, and Cloud is the ultimate destroyer. The female an descendant of the Ancient, and the male a Jenova cell infused soldier. Geographically, they lived in two places so far away that they won’t even meet if it wasn’t because of modern technologies and advanced transport.”

Vincent listened. This stranger got a point.

“Can you see the pattern? No matter from their attitude towards life, their philosophy, their magic ability, their social interaction, their places of birth, even their genes don’t match. They are in total contrast. Except that their sex differ, they couldn’t get together no matter what. But somehow, Cloud’s mother taught him a lot about loving and caring and friendship. And somehow, they met and get along quite well together...”

The stranger stopped and Vincent processed what he listened in his head. Vincent wondered whether what that man said was true. What if it was just made up in order to break up the two? This man was once Aeris’s lover and now he might came back for Aeris.

What if he’s really here for Aeris?

“Cloud’s not the person like you are talking about. He learned much from the others on journeys and adventures.”

Vincent protested the stranger’s idea and the stranger kept quiet. Vincent walked away and left the stranger alone, still leaning against Cid’s house’s wall. He set his mind thinking. Cloud really isn’t the person he expected. All because of his mother, a person, that opened up his heart, to hers.