Chapter 12

“Tick…tock…”

The ticking sound of the clock was very clear. The surrounding was very quiet, dead quiet. It was nearly midnight already. Cloud was back in Cid’s house, with everyone else almost fast asleep already in their rooms they share. Cloud was outside in the living room, waiting for the time to past. Waiting for midnight.

Cloud had decided to follow the man to somewhere for training. A decision he thought he will never make. Although the man had did so many things to him, he will still accept that decision. Part of him wanted to be strong, another part of him wanted to be trained to defeat him. But, though he didn’t want to admit it, he actually wanted to get away from a relationship. A relationship he had with his wife – Aeris. All these relationship stuff had only given him headaches and countless of sleepless nights. Everything went up side down ever since Aeris was revived and he really wanted to get away from it. Though he will be with the man that he don’t really fancy being with, at least he can run away from everything for a while, or even for a long, long time…

Cloud looked at the grandfather clock of Cid’s house. Five minutes to midnight. He ransacked his pocket and pulled out a small piece of note. He placed it on top of the table in front of him and stood up. He gracefully swept across his side and grabbed a bag, packed with some clothing and equipment, and walked towards the door. He was ready to go. Ready to leave this place for a moment without any goodbyes.

“Ahem.”

Cloud turned around immediately and saw Aeris behind him. Cloud had no idea from where she popped out. She was covered by the darkness of the night and Cloud couldn’t see the details of her face. But something tells him that she wasn’t happy and don’t really care about what he was doing.

“Where are you going?”

Aeris asked and Cloud just replied simply.

“Just going away for a while. After you know what had happened.”

“Don’t lie to me. I know you are going with the man for training or something like that. It surprised me that you accepted it.”

Aeris revealed Cloud lie and Cloud just scratch his head.

“How long are you going away?”

Aeris asked and Cloud just kept quiet. Aeris waited for a while but no answer.

“You have no idea, right?”

Aeris read Cloud’s mind again and Cloud nodded in the dark. It looks like he couldn’t hide anything from her.

“Well, this is good. After all we been through these few days, we really needed a break.”

Aeris said and Cloud felt a sense of relieve. He was afraid that Aeris will stop him from leaving at first but now the opposite had happened. He suddenly felt that Aeris had matured a lot.

“Yeah. A break. That what we needed.”

Cloud agreed with Aeris and the two looked at each other in the darkness.

“So, what do you think will happen to both of us in the future?”

Aeris suddenly asked. Cloud wasn’t prepared for this.

“I don’t know…when we just started out it felt so good. But when there are some barriers between us, I suddenly felt like our relationship is very fragile. If we really love each other, we might be able to overcome this, but…”

Cloud stopped before he finished his sentence. Aeris waited patiently.

“But part of me suddenly couldn’t trust you, forgive you…”

Cloud’s real thought suddenly came out and cut through Aeris like a knife. Aeris felt like she was responsible for this, but she expected Cloud to forgive her. It was the past. No use clinging to it. She thought Cloud would accept it if he really love her.

But he didn’t. He acted like a total fool and went out swinging his sword threatening to kill her ex-boyfriend. The person she thought he was didn’t turn out to be true. Now part of her couldn’t accept him too.

“Aeris…”

Cloud spoke silently in the darkness. Aeris just listened.

“I am sorry our marriage turned out like this.”

Cloud apologized. He realized that all these happen because he acted stupidly. He should be the one that should rescue this marriage and not anyone else. But he didn’t. He rather escape from it.

“Marriage? You really take it as a marriage? That day you showed up and proposed to me, and married me without any actual oath, any witness, and not even in a church. That wasn’t a real marriage. It was just made up because you are running out of time to live…”

Aeris continued saying. Cloud felt hurt too with those words. He really cherished those moments. Her looks, her expression, her joy… he remembered everything during those moments. He remembered they were just looking at each other from far the day before and then they got married the second day…

But now when he rethought about it, he didn’t really give any thought of what will happen in the future. He just wanted to spend his last few days with her. Never did he thought about what will happen a year after, ten years after…he never see himself grow old with her. Was that really love? Or just not wanting to spend the last few days of his life alone?

“So…”

“So…”

The two exchanged the same word at the same time. They sense that the relationship between them will end soon.

“That’s it, right? No strings attached?”

Cloud asked. Aeris forcefully smiled and nodded.

“Think so.”

“Guess it’s goodbye then.”

“Wish you luck.”

Cloud said and Aeris greeted goodbye to Cloud. Cloud turned towards the door and walked towards it. He opened the door and left quietly. Aeris too turned around and walked back into her bedroom, ready to leave everything behind her and make tomorrow a new day. Both of them have tears in their eyes the moment they turned away from each other.

From the moment they met, this couple been through many obstacles and barriers but still won’t part. They been through separation, death, fear, war, but still had hope that they will be together one day. Now that they finally been together, they realized that being together wasn’t that easy. The reveal of one’s past or one’s true self was even more devastating than any obstacles they been through. At the end, they couldn’t be together, despite the effort, the hope, the truth that they love each other very much. This relationship ended in their own hands.