3rd POV:
''-You can be my guiding light,'' Aerith finished with a high tone.
Nox leisurely sat in the chair, letting her have her fun.
''So? So? What do you think? Do I have the makings of a singer?,'' Aerith spun around and asked him with a mixture of enthusiasm and boasting.
Nox closed his eyes and grabbed his chin, pretending to think.
''Hmmm. You certainly threw yourself with enthusiasm at the task...,'' he 'frowned', as if reluctant to tell her his real thoughts.
Aerith played along.
''Oh, no. That bad?,'' Aerith put her hands on her mouth.
''...If you keep at it, I'm sure you will eventually bear the markings of a great singer. Maybe even make it big on the stage, if you really wanted to,'' Nox told her quickly stopping their banter. It was true, her voice was great for singing.
''I don't know. I feel like you are trying to set me up for failure, by buttering me up,'' Aerith put her finger on her chin and made a thoughtful face, after a while she gasped,''Are you trying to make me overconfident and then have me sing on the stage to embarrass me, mister?''
Nox gasped lightly.
''Oh shucks. You saw right through me. Nooooooooooooo,'' Nox resumed their banter and made his voice bland.. Hey, if she wanted to, then who was he to not oblige her?
Aerith huffed and held out the microphone for him.
''Then you try it, if you are that much better. And DO try to add some emotion in your voice. Alright?,'' Aerith demanded from him.
Nox took it and picked a song.
...
He fulfilled her request and added some emotion to his singing. Suffice to say, his singing was 'not great, not terrible'.
''And you were criticizing me?,'' Aerith asked him and tilted her head.
''...I may have spoken to soon,'' Nox shrugged, making Aerith chuckle.
She caught something suddenly.
''Oh, oh! There are songs we can sing together,'' Aerith looked at the screen.
''You want to sing with me? I will only bring you down,'' Nox told her and shook his head. It was his way of telling, without telling her, that he would like to hear more of her singing.
''What do you mean? We both terrible singers. Remember? So let us be terrible together,'' Aerith wanted none of that. She wanted to do something together with him, share in the activity, so to speak.
Nox sighed fondly.
''Alright. You pick a song,'' Nox told her and crossed his arms.
...
The two of them were walking back to the Slums.
''That was fun. But, I don't think singing is for me. I'd rather focus on my flowers,'' Aerith told him.
''If you want to, then suit yourself. But you could still dabble in it. Jokes aside, you have a nice singing voice. ...Look at it this way. I heard plants like being talked to, you certainly talk often enough with your flowers. I'm sure they will appreciate you singing to them every now and then,'' Nox told her.
(You're not slick, buddy.)
Aerith widened her eyes.
''You're right. Why didn't I think of that? Then I will 'dabble' in it, as you say,'' Aerith agreed to his idea. She totally didn't agree for any other reason. Nope.
''That reminds me. Do you talk to your Lilacs?,'' Aerith asked him.
''Nope. Never did before and now I never will. Can't share my secrets with it and then you finding out when you come over,'' Nox held up his arms in a 'what can you do?' manner.
''That's a shame. You know that you don't have to talk about your secrets with them, if you don't want to, but suit yourself. At least you are taking care of them in every other way.
You know what? Maybe I should come over more and have me talk with them,'' Aerith offered. She just wanted to spend more time with him under the pretense of caring for the flowers.
Nox shook his head.
''No, no. I will talk to them. Don't know about what, but... I will find something. You are busy enough as it is with your flowers,'' Nox rejected her offer. He didn't want to add to her workload, especially since he added a lot already, what with her joining the Black Knights, even if at her own insistence.
Aerith tilted her head and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
''So? We are both busy, but we make more then enough time for each other to hang out. No?,'' Aerith challenged him.
''That is true, I suppose,'' Nox easily nodded.
Aerith beamed and suddenly grabbed his arm, hugging it sideways to her body, while they continued to walk.
''What are doing that for?,'' Nox asked her at the sudden display of affection, or at least so much of it.
''I had a great time today and I loved it. I'm just trying to express my thanks. I can't?,'' Aerith challenged him and leaned forward while still hugging his arm to look into his eyes while they walked.
Nox turned his head a little to avoid her eyes.
''I'm glad you had a great time. I did too. Should I thank you too, in that case?,'' Nox asked her in the end, turning back to look at her.
Aerith hummed and leaned back up, pretending to think.
''How about... another date?,'' Aerith asked him boldly.
''I'm not opposed to that,'' Nox agreed, making Aerith beam.
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''Aaaaaaand we are done,'' Tifa declared to Aerith after their training session. More like the two of them hang out while they did some activity and they talked. They were doing some stretches, that was what Tifa was referring to.
''Say, can you do a split? Is it as difficult as I believe it to be?,'' Aerith asked her. She and Tifa were dressed in clothes more fitting to train. They were in Tifas room, this time. Tifa and Aerith decided to do only some light training and talk more then train.
''Hm? I can,'' Tifa told her with a nod.
''There are different levels to it. No? Do you think I have what it takes to do a split?,'' Aerith asked her, always eager to try out new things.
''You're right. There are different levels to it. The most simply is a split on the ground,'' Tifa lowered herself and demonstrated by easily doing a split on the ground,'' The reason for that is because the ground functions as leverage and pushed your legs apart. Else the muscles will try to return your legs to their usual position.''
''There is also the sideways split,'' Tifa picked herself up and lifted up on of her leg, hands behind her back as she aligned her upper body parallel to the ground and kept the other one on the ground,'' This one is a little harder. But there is still on leg to which you apply leverage with your body and by keeping it on the ground.''
''Then there are two variation of a split in the air,'' Tifa lowered her body and did a hand stand doing a split with both her legs in the air,'' Most people can do a perfect split like that and usually always have their legs in various degrees of a V-format, especially in the air.''
''And, I'm sure you have seen this, the one done by ballerinas. A jumping split,'' Tifa said after ending the handstand. She jumped doing a quick perfect split as a demonstration,'' They don't often see use in combat, but being able to do this, can have their uses.''
Tifa was now totally in her element, some of the timidness and shyness fading away.
She knelt down in front of Aerith.
''May I? I need to see something, before I answer your question,'' Tifa asked her.
''Of course,'' Aerith replied, attentively listening, happy to see her friend talk about something she clearly takes pride in.
Tifa put on hand on Aerith's lower back as leverage and then grabbed her knee to push it upwards and as close to her stomach as possible. Then she stood up, one hand still on her back as leverage and stretched her leg straight, slowly lifting it up more and more and more till Aerith made a face. It did not quite reach to her chest, But it was close enough.
Tifa stepped back after lowering Aeriths leg.
''You have a thin body. These types of bodies have an easier time with learning to do splits, but judging by what I have seen your still need to do some training to do a perfect split. To stretch the muscles, I mean,'' Tifa explained.
''Could you help me with that, if it is not too much trouble,'' Aerith requested.
''Of course. Gladly,'' Tifa easily agreed with a smile making Aerith beam.
...
''Wait!!! You think I'm too thin?!,'' Aerith asked while she was getting lowered to the ground, by Tifa pushing down on her. Her legs were spread apart, but they were not quite doing a split. More like a very big V.
Aerith always considered herself lean, not thin. She wasn't someone obsessed with how she looked, but she still cared for it in some way. Of course she liked to look at someone handsome, in this case Nox, and she was sure her potential partner would like her to be pretty too.
It was not about vanity or keeping each others eyes from wandering. But more about ...spoiling each other, in a way. Out of love and respect.
Besides, if they did get together, and things seemed to go in that direction, considering Aerith was quite open about her intentions and Nox did not push her back or the like, then one day when they are both old and ugly they can look back on these memories fondly and appreciate where they have gotten.
If she didn't meet her fate,that is. And she would try her best not to.
''What?! No! That is not what I meant. You are not malnourished thin. I meant thin as in lean. It's just.... Master Zangan used these types of words and I just took over. I meant no offense,'' Tifa quickly back pedaled.
Aerith released a sight of relief.
''You gave me a scare. And don't worry I never took any offense. I was just worried I may be doing something wrong,'' Aerith quickly placated her.
''I'm glad,'' Tifa sighed and the two resumed their activity.
...
Aerith did not fail to notice that Tifa was a little sullen, even if she did try to keep up a happy face.
'They all suffer in their own way. Quietly.' Nox once said that and Aerith couldn't help but agree with how aptly he put it. She was no stranger to the fact that life was hard and to live was to suffer. That is why she tried to make the best of each day, aside from the fact that her potential fate hung over her head.
Why be sad, when one can be happy with some effort? Why settle for a low standard, when one settle for a higher one?
''Hey? Are you alright?,'' Aerith asked her friend.
''What? I'm fine. Why do you ask?,'' Tifa replied to her.
Aerith puffed her cheeks slightly and put her hands on her hips.
''...Money is getting a little tight for the bar,'' Tifa reluctantly admitted.
''Why?,'' Aerith asked her. She had more then enough customers to break even and make a profit.
Tifa blushed heavily and lowered her head and her eyes. Avoiding eye contact with Aerith.
It took her a while to understand, but when she did Aerith couldn't help but chuckle.
''Don't let Nox hear about your troubles. I doubt you will want to hear a 'I told you so' from him. He already has a big enough head as it is,'' Aerith giggled, though she quickly got serious.
Tifa only blushed harder at that remark.
''The team made some huge breakthrough. They may have found someone who knows a thing or two about... explosives. So they celebrated and things got a little out of hand,'' Tifa admitted. In other words, she handed out too many free drinks.
Aerith sighed. The team WERE friends, but friends could hurt each other too, even if unintentional. Especially when one decides to suffer quietly and keep their troubles to themselves, thinking they had to solve this by themselves.
Aerith narrowed her eyes. Maybe they didn't mean harm, but she certainly will have a word or two with them.
''Why not fulfill a bounty or two. What is that guys name? Weymer, right? He hands out bounties and then pays people,'' Aerith began looking for a solution.
''It doesn't feel right, to help someone out and then demand money,'' Tifa denied. Granted she wasn't opposed to being paid with help in return, but it was money specifically that she couldn't accept as a reward for her help. It was... it felt like she wasn't being altruistic in that case. And if people weren't altruistic then they couldn't build a community here.
She kept the thoughts to herself, knowing full well they were dumb. In a way.
Aerith looked at her confused, but then shook her head.
''Well...Then the only other option is to go into the sewers and hunt monsters. Granted you'd need to go pretty deep for monsters to drop more then a pittance. But with the two of us? Just sticking to the top floors will be fine, since we can take care of the monsters easily,'' Aerith told her. It would also allow her to grow her own Materia.
She wanted to do that, since she had to give the Mastered Materia back to Nox. The ones he lent her during the raid on Deepground. She wanted her own Mastered Materia, damn it! There was a notable difference between Mastered and Unmastered Materia. And according to him, if one grew the Materia by themselves, it was more easily tailored to that person. Usually that meant that the one who mastered the Materia, needs to use less Mana to cast spells.
''No, I couldn't possibly put you in danger,'' Tifa immediately denied.
''Hey!,'' Aerith leaned forward with a stern look,'' I may not look like it, but I'm quite capable of taking care of monsters myself. Nox said so and we often frequent the sewers ourselves. Since we both are fighters, we can go handle your problem ourselves easily.
And if you insist, I will insist more and then just shove my money down your throat. So shut up and accept my help.''
Tifa looked at her shocked and then looked away with some complicated feelings. A sense of admiration grew in her chest in regards to Aerith.
''If that is fine with you, then let us go,'' Tifa grabbed her gloves and Aerith nodded triumphically.
---
''Tifa! This is Jessie Rasberry. You know,'' Barret gave her a meaningful look,'' Sure, she needs some battle training, but soon enough we can finally begin showing Shinra what's at!''
''Hello,'' Jessie waved a little shyly. She felt awkward. But after yet another Mako spillage and her father getting poisoned she was left dissatisfied and with doubts about what Shinra was doing. Then she stumbled upon AVALANCHE and she took a shot at the group.
It was a shame about having to give up on acting at the Gold Saucer, but saving the planet was more important.
''Do you mind pulling out the glasses?,'' Wedge asked eagerly. And the others cheered.
''Actually, she does mind,'' Aerith opened her mouth and strolled forward till she stood in front of Barret. She grabbed his ear and pulled him downwards.
''Listen here you three. I know you didn't mean harm and Tifa likes to keep things to herself, but you can't expect her to hand out drinks without you paying. She is still trying to run a business here. And because of you three preemptively celebrating having found Jessie she found herself with some money trouble,'' Aerith chastised them, even if she seemed to speak directly to Barret.
''You don't say?,'' came a new voice making them all turn to the door. Nox snuck in quietly, having seen them. And having caught part of the conversation he decided to remain inconspicuous for a bit.
Nox shot Tifa a knowing victorious smirk.
And Tifa at once understood what Aerith meant. If anything, his silence made his boasting even more annoying. She would have preferred if he told her 'I told you so'. Not that she was going to talk back to him on that matter. Especially since a part of her was thankful that he was the only friend who insisted that he pay for his drink. He did not contribute to the problem.
And Aerith stopped drinking any alcohol after that first time. Tifa didn't really have anything to serve her that was non-alcoholic. Maybe she should add some more options to the menu. Sure it was a bar, but just a few non-alcoholic drinks may do wonders for her bar. She was already serving some foods anyway, so why not more drinks too.
''Tifa, is that true?;'' Wedge said with a small voice.
She nodded shyly, feeling as if she was too harsh with them for admitting that they did wrong.
''Why didn't you say anything?! We didn't know that our actions would cause you that much trouble,'' Biggs added hurt.
''They are right,'' Barret gently removed Aeriths hand from his ear, but gave her an appreciative nod.
Barret walked a bit till he stood and faced the wall.
''Remember what I said when you joined our team? 'No man left behind'. We watch each others backs, damn it.
The Planet knows we are the only ones trying to be part of a community, 'cause Shinra ain't gonna give a damn about us folk down here,'' Barret whipped around and pointed his good thumb at his chest,''But that does mean speaking up about something when it troubles you.
Biggs, Wedge and I will take on a few bounties and pay you back every damned Gil that we lost you. And then we will buy our drinks, like Nox here. No more free hand outs.''
Barret raised his fist and Biggs and Wedge made sounds of agreement.
''I appreciate it, but you guys don't need to. Aerith and I already gathered all the money I needed, by going to the sewers,'' Tifa waved her hands, trying to calm them down. They seemed a little too eager and she was afraid they would get hurt.
''It is what is right, damn it. 'Tis the principle that counts,'' Barret insisted. Biggs and Wedge nodded along.
Jessie just stood there awkwardly watching the drama unfold. She may be part of the team now, but she was not quite part of the team yet. Aka, she wasn't a member that had history with them yet.
Tifa, despite feeling a little guilty, gave them an appreciative smile.
''Thank you guys. And maybe, every now and then I really could give you free drinks,'' Tifa smiled making the three hoop in celebration.
''And they lived happily ever after,'' Nox muttered, receiving a gentle hit from Aeriths elbow who made her way over to him.
...
''Say, Nox, do you still no want to join us? We could use your strength and I know you care about the planet. We are trying to do good work here,'' Barret tried to pitch him the sales pitch again.
The two of them were sitting at the counter, while the rest of the group were talking with Jessie, trying to make her feel welcome. There was still a little over an hour till Tifa would have to open her bar,
''I know,'' Nox admitted easily surprising Barret who did not expect him to be that honest,'' But like I said. I do no see bombing as a viable and more importantly impactful strategy. Congratulations, you blew up a Mako Reactor. What have you really accomplished if the enemy has the infrastructure to easily repair any damage you do do to them.''
''Then how would you deal with the problem?,'' Barret asked him.
''Assassinate the entire board of directors. Well... most of them. I heard Reeve is more...manageable to work with. Decapitate the head of the snake, so to speak and then have people ready to take over the body,'' Nox told him.
Barret took a sip of his drink. The one he paid for this time. He stood by what he said. And damn if he didn't feel guilty for not seeing the trouble they caused for Tifa earlier. He doubted the guilt would go away till they pay her back, as he said they would.
''Funny. You didn't hear that from me, but I'm pretty sure the main branch of AVALANCHE is trying to do just that. I gathered some bit and pieces here and there,'' Barret lowly told him.
''They let us hope they succeed,'' Nox commented for the sake of saying something. He knew they would fail. Or at the very least not achieve the result they wanted. He would know.
Assassinations are surprisingly hard to carry out. There was a lot that could go wrong. He was sure the fact that this was a fantasy world did not change that statement.
Barret hummed.
''Let's,'' Barret took another sip of his drink,'' By the way, can you watch Marlene for the next few days? What with me planning to go around and do some jobs to gather money for Tifa? Marlene would be glad to spend time with her cool 'Uncle Nox' again. She took a liking to you.''
Nox closed his eyes feeling his cheeks warm a bit.
''Sure. I can watch her a few days, I have the time after all,'' Nox agreed easily. What with him taking things slow for a bit, since the raid on Deepground.
''Thanks. I appreciate it,'' Barret slapped his shoulder.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nox sat in his room during one night finally thinking about what he discovered in Deepground.
Him falling in Mako and not getting poisoned was a quite surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Perhaps it was because he should technically already suffer from Mako poisoning, but wasn't because of him infusing the Mako Strands in his nervous system and organs? He wasn't entirely sure.
What the implications of him having felt welcomed while in that Mako were harder to determine. Obviously Mako and the Lifestream were the Planets and the Cetras domain and expertise.
...Maybe ... Well, Aerith told him that everyone returned to the Lifestream upon death and that the Lifestream consisted of memories and souls. Perhaps, in a way, the Planet saw his thoughts when he was taking that dip in Mako and determined that he was not a threat.
He doubted the Planet wanted to kill someone who was actively trying to save it. From the way Aerith talked about her, she was pretty benevolent all things considered. Gods know Nox would not suffer the indignity of humans destroying the ecosystem if he had the body of a planet and kept his consciousness.
He supposed he now knew more about his Mako Strands then before, but ultimately this paled in comparison to his second discovery.
The first hint at his second power, that ROB talked about.
Nero's darkness.
Insulting and inferior? as it was. Nox frowned. Something something about it made him fell in certain ways.
...In retrospect, he should have had at least a suspicion about the matter. ROB, was a dark...black...shadowy, no descriptor felt really appropriate to explain the level of darkness and power coming from him. And he did 'take a piece out of his body' before letting it float over to Nox and having it enter his body.
In his defense, he was a normal human before with only his power being the magical one in his old world. He may have grown since then, but he was sure there was still a lot he didn't know and had to learn. Of course some things slipped his notice.
In any case. IF there was a connection between the way he felt and what ROB did all those years ago, then he only needed to find out what ROBs powers were.
Ergo, darkness...
Nox decided to form a tentative theory. He grabbed a towel and put it at the bottom of his door to block out the small gap and the light coming through it. He fully rolled his blinds down and then pulled some devices out of the socket, leaving him in complete darkness.
He sat down in the middle of the room cross legged and began meditating, trying to find something, anything, that sprang forth from being submerged in total darkness.
Well... he didn't feel any fear for one. But it was hard to determine if that was because he felt at home or because he was powerful enough that he lost his fear of the darkness that every person had.
Well... he 'knew' there was nothing in here with him, even without his other senses. But only very faintly. If anything, Nox would have dismissed that feeling, if it wasn't for his other senses corroborating his discovery. If that helped. But otherwise there wasn't anything else noteworthy. Certainly there was a lack of that feeling, where he felt insulted for some strange reason.
Nevermind, that experiment lead nowhere.
Nox sat up back on his bed, choosing to remain in the darkness for a bit more.
Darkness... was the absence of light. Contrary to what some people believe it was not the opposite of light. And eventually when the stars die out, only darkness will remain.
So much for that saying 'where there is light there is darkness and where there is darkness there must always be light'. Shows what those people know.
But... it didn't feel like he was on the right track.
Space, maybe? No, Nox didn't see any reason why that should be the case. Sure empty space had to naturally be dark, but it just didn't make sense to him.
He remembered ROBs glowing red eyes, more like small shining red orbs. Was he marked? His red eyes a claim that he belonged or was an agent or champion of ROBs? Maybe. But that also gave him no more insight then before.
Nox released a sight.
He knew more then he did before, but he now knew how little he also knew.
Truly a Sokrates moments, right there. Nox knew that he knew nothing.
He dropped on his bed and laid down, releasing a sigh.
He will have to continue to reason some more. He didn't know why, but he felt he needed to be very careful with this power. He couldn't start experimenting willy nilly as he pleased with this second power.
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Some time passed since then. Life moved on. Some things happened. Most not all that noteworthy. Aerith and Nox went on one or two more dates. They continued do dance around each other despite the fact that they both started to slowly know where things would eventually head.
Nox planned on taking her on a special date soon. So that they may advance the stage of their relationship. Make things official, so to speak.
It was either Azura or Zero who came by to take care of Shelke in her bed. Always in their disguise in case she woke up one day.
Azura tried, under the guidance of the Planets voice to manipulate Mako a bit and let it wash over Shelkes body.
The first time it happened they where together and Zero raised an eyebrow at how similar what she was doing was when compared with his Mako Strands, only her controlling the Mako was not limited to it being attached to her body, not was it forced to return after some time away from his body. (He did try it as well to replicate her deed, once he got home, but no such luck.) That was some while ago.
Today they were together again. Azura and Zero receiving the report by one of their people. A physician that Zero got his hands on and trusted ... enough. Unfortunately such matters were never 100% certain.
''She seems stable and continues to be stable. I still think you shouldn't give her that Mako bath, but...it doesn't seem to do her any harm. Unfortunately I can't make any predictions when she will wake up,'' the physician changed some stuff, fiddling with the IV bag and replacing it.
So the same report they always received. The very first time that happened Zero thought they didn't have the right equipment and offered to procure it.
''And her muscles?,'' Azura asked,'' Do they atrophy?''
''No. We are still doing the exercises with her, but... she still doesn't seem to have any muscle degradation, weirdly enough,'' the man replied. He kept his thoughts to himself and didn't raise too many questions. Both out of a sense of survival and gratitude for what they did for the Sector 8. It was now really starting to prosper.
And he heard that construction on the factory finally began in Sector 4 too. Thought that one seemed to be more industrial oriented then for entertainment. Still, jobs were jobs and he was sure the people would appreciate it anyway. They would take what they could and be thankful, for Zero's benevolence. Though most didn't know it was Zero who was the one that ruled Sector 8 and 4 now. Just that someone was. The Physician only knew because he was dragged in for Shelke here.
(Zero cried for his savings as he truly felt the second spending, unlike the first, when he went around and made deals. He was now almost out of money, but at least people will have the knowledge to built stuff and the infrastructure was there, to hopefully, supply most of the demand whenever Shalua was done with the designs for the Fusion Reactor. It was a metal processing factory that he planned on primarily build in Sector 4. One that processed and shaped metals in multiple different ways. There was good money to be made with those. Construction companies always appreciated buying products more cheaply and would, after they will see the quality, move on over. Zero already found a few displaced people by Shinra who had the expertise to train and manage a team.
(Sure there were others metal processing companies, but they either overpriced or only fulfilled one type of metal processing. Zero remained vigilant as he had yet to see, if the other metal processing factories would lower their price or engage them like a mafia. The industry in Sector 4 was huge. That was one of the reason his wallet took such a hit. He first had to build some apartments into the air, to conserve space and still house the people. Those constructions occurred at the same time as all the construction In Sector 8. And only recently did construction on the factory begin. He also had to 'gift' money since there weren't many jobs around in Sector 4 during that time, thought to be fair, it wasn't THAT much money, compared to all his other spending.)
Not that Shalua even started working on the designs yet. Anything else they needed they will have to buy from somewhere else.)
Probably her enhancements, Azura and Zero thought.
''Well, in that case, there is nothing we can do. Conti-,'' Zero abruptly stopped.
''Urgh,'' came a groan.
The three adults shared a look.
''Azura, you handle things here. I will go grab Shalua,'' Zero instructed as Shelke's eyes began to twitch and she groaned some more. It was almost night anyway and she should be at home, especially now that there was only more month till she graduated.
Azura nodded and watched him go. She made her way over to the side of Shelke's bed, while the physician scurried around the room, taking care of things and then checking Shelke's condition.
''Wh-urgh. Where...am...,'' Shelke struggled to get the words out.
''Hello,'' Azura made her voice sound gentle and leaned over in her vision,''Do you know who you are?''
Shelke watched her delirious for a moment, not recognizing her, probably because she wasn't really recognizing anything. She blinked slowly several more times and Azura gave her the time she needed. Eventually Shelke gave a look around the room and moved her hands, inspecting them, fully expecting to be tied. She slowly started making sense of things. The ...scientist wasn't treating her like a lab rat, any measurements he was taking was simply to ensure she was well. Heart monitor, and what seemed to be nutrition. Eventually he moved to the side of the room and watched her carefully, but gave them room to converse.
He would stay there and observe Shelke in case her situation deteriorated suddenly.
''Shelke. My name is Shelke. Was the experiment successful?,'' Shelke asked the masked woman. Her physiology allowed her to recover faster then it would have otherwise for someone else.
''I'm Azura. Deepground is gone. We killed the Tsviets and all the scientist there, but we did find Norman and made him talk. He said the experiment was over, just that you needed to recover. Whether whatever experiment he conducted was a success or not, we can't say yet, but I would argue the fact that you woke up is a good sign.
It is over, you are safe from them,'' Azura decided to be forthcoming with information, especially since she knew the man here in the room was sensible and trustworthy.
The Physician could feel a stone settle in his gut. Deepground? Tsviets? What? He had just heard buzzwords that he knew would get him killed if he were to repeat them to the wrong crowd. He was at once, moved at her level of trust in him and horrified that she would expose him to information like that.
But he knew how to keep his head. The same way he had up till now. By minding his own business.
''That... is impossible. The Tsviets were strong,'' Shelke shook her head incredulously,''The best of the best. The ones they sent to do any dirty work that needed to be done off the record. They can't just be... DEAD.''
Azura proceeded to give Shelke a short run down of everything that happened. Minus telling either Shelke or the doctor here about Nox'/ Zero's Mako Strands or the SND. Shelke probably knew about the latter, but not the doctor. She trusted him and her judgement of him, but not THAT much.
''...What do you want with me now? I have nothing to pay you back with,'' Shelke got to the point quickly.
''Well, it is more like... YOU are the payment for another service entirely,'' Azura tried to explain to her.
''What do you mean?,'' Shelke asked confused. She started slowly relaxing over the course of Azura's recounting. If she knew their names and some of their personality and yet stood there alive, then Shelke was either being tricked and was still in Deepground and Azura was another Tsviet, one she didn't know about, or Azura was being honest and she was finally gone from that place. Especially when she found out that there was no Restrictor in her, she decided to err on the side of caution and relax.
But after that sentence she tensed again.
''It was your sister, Shalua, that we found you for,'' Azura replied. Thought knowing Zero he would want to have both sisters.
Azura tilted her head when she saw Shelke tense.
''Is something wrong?,'' Azura asked her with concern.
''Our parents were loyal Shinra mutts. They willingly handed me over,'' Shelke revealed shocking both people in the room. That was not at all the impression they got when they investigated matters.
But... it made sense. How could no one see a kidnapping unless both participants were in on it. Azura widened her eyes a bit, behind her mask. So THAT is why her parents refused to talk with her in the Lifestream. Some things slowly started clicking into place.
''Do you resent your sister, because you think she was your parents favorite?,'' Azura asked her gently.
''...No,'' Shelke said after a while while lowering her head. But she wanted to, was left unsaid. Azura could understand. It was easier. Her parents were dead, but Shalua was still here. Sometimes it is easier to blame those that were still here, even if they were blameless.
Azura could sympathize. She was no stranger to having difficult parents. She knew Gast was her father. Thought to her he was a distant memory, she remembered enough that aside from her and her mother, he was not a good person.
Funny. Perhaps there was some truth to that, about daughters seeking out partners that were similar to their fathers.
...Perhaps not. In Nox' case Aerith knew that he was a genuinely kind person. A god person. He just got hurt somewhere, somewhen. Every now and again she caught him, staring off into the distance, absent minded for a bit. He was just shielding himself with cynicism, pragmatism and rudeness.
Something that made him have abandonment issues, she gathered as much.
She would like to help him, but he needed to be the one to open up the subject. That was one of the reason why they were dancing around each other. Otherwise she would have confessed long ago and entered a relationship with him, she was not blind to his feelings for her. But she didn't want to put him on the spot like that.
...But she also didn't want to wait too long, since that was not her style and he was kind of pushing it.
Azura suppressed a sigh. Life could be so complicated sometimes. So it was up to her to uncomplicate it. That's it, she will not put him on the spot, but she will try to come on more strongly. Putting him on the spot was one thing, but making him uncomfortable was not the same thing.
''Your sister, put herself in a very dangerous situation to try and find you. She was just lucky that Zero found her and declared her a person of interest, even if only because of her own merit,'' Azura explained, trying to make the reunion a little better.
''In return for her services, Which will be what exactly?,'' Shelke asked her. Nothing was free in the world after all.
''Working as a scientist for us. I wouldn't know that much about it, but Zero says she is scary smart. And with her personal goal now accomplished she can devote all her time to research,'' Azura made an amused sound,'' Though I suppose it will be most of the time. I'm sure she will want to catch up with you.''
''And I? I need those Mako baths. Will Zero want something from me, in return for them?,'' Shelke asked her. If Shalua really cared for her, then she would make a device that would provide her with a Mako bath every now and then. But if Deepground was gone, then so was the stuff down there. She needed a stop gap, till she found a permanent solution.
She also didn't fail to notice how Azura didn't mention the SND. Either she didn't know, in which case she could use it as a bargaining tool or she didn't say it because of the doctor in the room.
(The Physician widened his eyes in realization as things slowly fell into place and clicked. So that is why she was given a Mako infusion by Azura. He was smart enough not to ask any question about how she could do that.)
''He will try to convince you to join him. But he is not that kind of guy who would strongarm someone like that. He can be pretty compromising if the other party is reasonable. Besides, I'm the one calling the shots in this case, since I'm the one between the two of us that gave you the Mako bath. I won't leave you out to dry,'' Azura assured her.
Shelke opened her mouth about to say something else.
But it was around this time that the door flew open. Shalua burst through the door, looking disheveled and ecstatic at the same time. She looked frantically around, until she saw her sister. And then sprinted across the room, nearly jumping on her the end, but reminded herself in time that she was hospitalized and instead just grabbed her arms, looking at her tearfully.
''Shelke,'' Shalua choked.
''...Shalua,'' Shelke greeted cordially, making her sister give a small sob and then smile at her.
''You informed her of the situation with him in here?,'' Zero asked her, making the physician tense.
''Yes. He is trustworthy. No?,'' Azura challenged him.
It is not how he would have done things, but that's alright.
''That is why I picked him for this task. Which he performed phenomenally, but for the rest of it he will wait outside. We will call him in if Shelke needs medical attention.
''Understood, Sir,'' the physician almost bolted.
Zero felt a little guilty. The man was genuinely good and trustworthy. But one does not run a resistance and plan a revolution with rainbows and flowers. He will just have to add a small bonus to his compensation for his services.
''I can't thank you enough for what you did for me. For us!,'' Shalua thanked him while crying, her tone not really able to express the depths of her gratitude.
''Once you graduate, I will expect you to get to work immediately. I already prepared a lab for you. It won't be state of the art or as fancy as the ones Shinra has, but it will fulfill all the regulations. I also found you one or two other scientist to work with,'' Zero informed her. There was always someone displace by Shinra or discarded. One of them was even accused of working with Wutai, so he offered him protection.
''You can tinker and conduct some research, but like I said. Your primary concern is making that Fusion Reactor functional,'' Zero told her.
''Understood. I will get to work as soon as I graduate. Where will I reside? Or should I take care of that myself?,'' Shalua asked, squeezing her sisters hand a bit.
''I already prepared a residence for you. Like I said, both Shinra and AVALANCHE will want your head when they find out you planned on playng them both. Though I suppose since I wiped the money trail from Shinra's servers, you only really have to worry about AVALANCHE since you didn't get too deep in with Shinra,'' Zero told her. Even if there was a STRONG implication that anyone that graduated as a scientist had to work for Shinra.
Kind of not really hard to argue, since Shinra was the only real place that offered scientist a job and an environment where they could do science stuff. But it wasn't really illegal not to join them. Though Zero had to wonder if they considered Shalua a person of interest. There were many valedictorians before her, but she was truly exceptional from what he gathered from her teachers and her scores.
Better to be safe then sorry. And it was just easier to hide oneself in the slums.
''And me?,'' Shelke asked.
''Hmm? Ah! You are asking if I want to make use of your SND. I suppose if you are willing I can give Shalua that machine I brought out with us. And she can make it functional. A small deviation from her primary task, but one that could be useful and worthwhile,'' Zero rubbed the chin of his helmet.
''I'm not hearing a request for me to join you,'' Shelke pointed out.
''Ah! No, no. No, you are not hearing a request to join us. If you want you can and I will take you, if not then it is what it is. You already suffered enough.
Besides, moving messaged across the Sectors to different people is difficult but not impossible for me. It is only a question of the degree of the difficulty of the task.
Now making a functioning Fusion Reactor on the other hand... That is not so easily done. That is impossible for me to do (*even if he did try for a while and added his own cents and then corrected them with Reeves unknown input*).
In other words, Shalua is much more valuable to me then you ever will,'' Zero shrugged.
''I'm joining you,'' Shelke quickly spat, her fist clenching and gripping the bed sheet.
''Sister,'' Shalua began.
''I said I'm joining you all. Start making that machine. Norman took pride in it and he said it was to make my powers more controlled. Let's see if he was right. And if not then you can make it better since you are so smart,'' Shelke interrupted her. Shalua failed to see the mocking tone in her sisters voice.
Heh. Zero suppressed any satisfied hum.
To be fair, he only risked that gamble because he updated his checkpoint the moment Shelke woke up.
...
''Did you know?,'' Aerith began after getting back to the church in Sector 5.
They spent some time showing Shelke where her new residence was. She and Shalua would share the home and Shalua would be brought by Zero whenever she had free time to work on the machine, that would allow Shelke to perform her SND. Despite his words it was too good to pass on the chance to dominate communications through the net so much.
''Did I know what?,'' Nox asked her taking a seat on the bench. Instead of starting to take care of her powers, she sat near him.
''That her parents were the ones who handed her over to Shinra,'' Aerith clarified.
''I strongly suspected. When you told me that her parents didn't want to talk with you.
Like I said, there is no such thing as 'inaction' or 'neutrality'. And silence is an answer unto itself, especially under the right circumstances. Thanks for confirming it for me, beyond a certainty,'' Nox explained.
Aerith hummed.
''Isn't it sad? That some parents would do something like this,'' Aerith asked him.
''...Humans are polarizing. They can do so much good and then turn around to do so much harm. And they don't always act like you think they should. Some parents sacrifice everything for their children, others couldn't be bothered at all about them, which begs the question why they had them in the first place,'' Nox sighed.
''i know that. Trust me, I know,'' Aerith dropped her shoulders.
Nox stood straighter.
Oh! She wanted to be comforted. After some hesitation, he put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her close to him to hug her sideways. She rested her head on his shoulder.
''How would you like to make it better?,'' Nox asked her.
''I guess... maybe the same way I teach the children how to take care of flowers,'' Aerith told him, leaning into him, enjoying the warmth of his body.
Nox hummed.
''Nature vs Nature. The infamous debate that rages on forever and will probably never get answered. You will need a lot of reach, if you want to educate EVERY child,'' Nox pointed out.
''Yeah. You think that will be enough?,'' Aerith asked him.
''...The only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Sometimes I don't think people realize how literal that sentence should be taken. It is not enough to be good. They must spread good.
And I suppose sometimes by force if necessary. It is a paradox in a way. How can you make a tolerable society, if one can't be tolerable of the intolerant? What should be judged as tolerable and what as intolerant. If 2/3 of a population wants to ring death and destruction, then obviously it can't be tolerable even if the majority wants something to be the status quo.
And even then, doing good and being good is hard. People do want rewards, but good people don't always get them. Of course they will grow bitter, when they see others break the law and get rewarded. Some continue to do good in spite of that. Others settle for less,'' Nox opened his mouth as if wanting to say more, but didn't know where to take the conversation.
''I understand. Decent people hold themselves to a standard. Often times that standard is good, but not always. The other kind drags the decent people to their level, because they can't raise themselves up.
Do you think, somewhere in their hearts, they wanted to desperately refuse Shinra or take their daughters away and flee, only they didn't have the strength to do it?,'' Aerith asked him.
''What they wanted has become inconsequential. There is no consideration to be given to their feelings after what they have done. Whatever 'reasons' they had died with them,'' Nox dismissed her benefit of doubt cruelly, an edge in his voice.
Aerith and Nox were silent for a while, just enjoying each others presence.
''Why did you not negotiate with Shelke? Why did you manipulate her like this? As a matter of fact, how did you even know what to say, to get her to agree so quickly,'' Aerith asked him after a while.
''I never had siblings, but I could imagine that all siblings are competitive. And I knew there would be some resentment on Shelkes part for being 'chosen' second to her sister. She would want to prove herself. It was simply an educated guess that I made.
And I manipulated her because for one my resources are almost depleted. I want to save money where I can and spend it where I absolutely must.
But if you want a more altruistic answer, then you can see me as trying to get the sister to spend time together even if only at work for now. I can imagine it would be awkward if after all this time, they will have to suddenly live together again out of the blue,'' Nox replied, making her chuckle.
''Several things can be true at once, so I guess I will give this one a pass,'' Aerith pushed him slightly with her shoulder, playfully.
Nox hummed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a testament to how much of a genius (and a wise investment) Shalua was. Not even two weeks passed and she made that machine functional and he was saved the need to run around like a maniac.
''So? What do you think?,'' Shelke asked after removing the device from her head.
Zero stared at his PHS. Both impressed and a little annoyed. Considering circumstances, he never bothered to worry too much about his PHS. He didn't have much on it. Mostly using it for the time and to call someone every now and then. Aerith mostly.
She sent him a message on his screen.
'Peekaboo, Nox.'
Zero hummed calmly. he doubted she will run to Shinra, considering her history with them or scream it from the mountains. But she clearly wanted to negotiate properly now.
''Perhaps I underestimated the... extent of your usefulness. Fine. Let's negotiate,'' Zero began. Shalua watching them from the side, while reading the machines performance and then making some adjustments.
''Azura may be giving me my Mako infusions, but I would rather not rely on her like that just in case. I want you to give resources to us, so that we can make me a Mako tank,'' Shelke began.
Us. We. It seems that the sisters moved on along swimmingly. Whether Shelke revealed that information about her parents or not and whether her bitterness for Shalua completely went away, Zero could not tell. But at least they got along now. And considering they were both useful, that was a good thing for him.
Zero suppressed a sigh. His poor wallet, just keeps getting lighter and lighter and he hasn't quite found the time to TRULY go on a monster marathon hunt to push the number up, even if only by a little bit.
''I find that demand reasonable and agreeable. Done. Anything else?,'' he asked her.
''Yes. I avoided asking my sister, because I wanted to hear it from you. What exactly are you trying to do here?,'' Shelke asked him.
''Ensure Gaia's survival. And humanities too. Shinra and a lot of other people may settle for sucking the Mako out of the planet as they please. And whatever they may say, it is NOT an infinite resource,'' Zero told her.
''And if Shinra takes exception to the competition?,'' Shelke asked him.
''Then they shall be utterly crushed, each and every one of them. They may be willing to walk to their doom, but I am not. And if they will force the issue I will take exception to that too,'' Zero told her and raised his fist in the air.
If they want death so much, then he will oblige them. No reason to allow them to drag the rest of humanity down with them.
But also, he totally wanted to crush them and rule over Gaia afterwards... or at least put a system in place that would ensure people will want to build things and make them better.
Shelke hummed. Perhaps, it may not be so bad, after all. Joining them. He clearly had power, if he defeated the Tsviets almost single handedly. Sure Azura provided support, but in her eyes he could have killed them just as easily by his completely lonesome. She did want to take revenge on Shinra... and her most important concern was met by him. Resources for her and her sister to make a Mako tank.
''Alright. Then I will join you properly this time. Just contact me with your PHS. I will always ensure that anyone who is part of the Black Knights, will have a secure line to communicate with others,'' Shelke told him.
Ok. That was a bit of an exaggeration. Not ALWAYS, she did need to sleep and see to her other needs. And she also wanted to spend more time with her sister and play catch up. But the spirit was still there. And she would always wipe out any traced that Shinra did pick up, before the could follow up on them.
Zero hummed and held out his hand.
''Welcome to the Black Knights then,'' Zero told her when she grasped it and shook his hand.
She punched him gently in the stomach out of the blue.
''That was for manipulating me the first time around. Though... I appreciate what you tried to do. Thanks for that and for saving me,'' Shelke told him with a small smile.
''...Did you listen in on us?,'' Zero asked her directly.
''Sorry!,'' Shelke scratched her head embarrassed for getting caught. As for what she heard? She will keep it to herself. Aerith had her powers and her secrets and she won't pry in on them and they won't pry on how she does her SND.
''I don't NEED the SND as I found out. I can do that too, without the machine. But it is like comparing a candle to the sun. Who knows maybe my powers will grow stronger over time, but for now, I really do need that machine. So thanks anyway. Don't worry, I will work extra hard for spying on you two,'' Shelke waved her hands explaining herself.
''Shelke,'' Shalua fondly shook her head.
''Right. Well, if you do decide to do any spying, try to do it only on Shinra. They are our enemy. Aside from that just moving messages securely will do,'' Zero sighed.
He didn't like it. But there was nothing he could do.
(He could end the 'round', but he didn't want to lose the memories of the past few days. Also there was no point, as Shelke would just try to spy on him again. And since he updated his checkpoint again after she woke up, he wasn't entirely sure if ending the 'round' would put him before or after she did her thing.)
''Gotcha, boss,'' Shlke saluted him.
Zero raised an eyebrow. In a way he was impressed. The sisters were really something else. One a genius. One able to perform SND and bounce back from all her trauma pretty quickly. Oh, he knew from personal experience that the trauma was still there, but she seemed to quickly heal and not just put on a smile for appearances sake.
''Take care, Shelke,'' Zero told her, beginning his task of bringing Shalua back, without anyone noticing she ever left her apartment at all.
Shelke could make her way back home by herself.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
''Hm. Wanna go to Kalm?,'' Nox asked her looking at his phone.
''What?,'' Aerith asked him looking up from her flowers.
''Wanna go to Kalm? For the flowers. Remember?,'' Nox explained to her.
''I don't know if it is such a good idea. You know I can't leave Midgar and I don't want to cause trouble for mom,'' Aerith reminded him.
''I don't think that will be too much of an issue for a few days. The Turks already are focused on investigating the crater outside Midgar among other things.
Besides, take a look at this,'' Nox turned his PHS around and showed her the screen.
Aerith walked forward and widened her eyes. She quickly looked up to him and then moved her eyes back down. It was a message from Shelke.
''President Shinra just survived bombing assassination attempt. In intensive medical ward. Midgar will be locked down,'' Aerith read out loud.
Shelke wasn't just limited to reading text's, but even without it, there was now a flurry of back and forth in matters of communication inside Shinra.
''They plan on issuing a martial law?,'' Aerith asked him, standing back up,''How do you plan on sneaking past them. And do you really think that the Turks will leave me out of their sight right now?''
''But they already have,'' Nox showed her another message. All Turks were being pulled from all their task and directed towards finding the culprit.
''Oh. I guess that solves that, but that still leaves the matter of leaving Midgar,'' Aerith pointed out.
''Wanna fly?,'' Nox asked her making her widen her eyes.
...
Aerith hooped throwing her arms out to feel more of the air crashing on her skin. She quickly moved her arms back around Nox neck to cling to him. Sure he was holding her in his arms and he could fly down to catch her before she went splat on the ground, but still.
''You see this sight every time you fly?,'' she asked him loudly and looked down. The wind currents were quite turbulent, even if they didn't fly too fast.
''Yup,'' Nox told her.
''You ever get tired of the sight?,'' she asked him then.
''Nope,'' he replied.
The two landed some distance away from Klam and planned to walk the rest of the way. No reason to announce themselves that blatantly. Aerith adjusted her hair a bit, since it got disheveled from the flight.
...
Aerith gasped, when they crossed over a hill and ran a little forward putting her palm over her eyes to block out the sun and look more properly at the landscape. It was an explosion of colors that greeted her eyes.
''It is beautiful,'' Aerith commented.
Nox hummed from behind her back. He moved beside her to inspect the sight as well. When she looked the opposite direction her cast a quick glance in her direction and then looked back forward.
''Wanna visit Kalm. I'm sure we can buy some food and have a picnic among the flowers,'' Nox offered her.
Aerith clapped her hands eagerly.
''That sounds great. Though I suppose for me it will be a massive dinner since I can hear so many conversations among them,'' Aerith told him.
...
''What do they say, anyway?,'' Nox asked her, the two of them laying on the blanket and basking in the sun. They chose a spot where there weren't any flowers.
''Not much. They just talk for the sake of talking, since I'm a novelty to them. Otherwise they are quite content. They mostly tell me how good they have it here,'' Aerith replied.
Nox hummed.
''Do you think they will find out AVALANCHE did it?,'' Aerith asked him suddenly.
''Who knows? Maybe they will find that out, but that doesn't meant they will share it with the public. Maybe they will blame Wutai. There is money to be made in war,'' Nox replied.
''Guess, we'll just to have to wait and see,'' Aerith added.
''Yup,'' Nox said.
Silence descended over them. Sometimes it was nice, to just step back and lie somewhere for a while. And with the sun shining down on them their skin was pleasantly warm. At the edges of the blanket, the grass blew in the wind tickling them where their skin was exposed on the arm. Ants were already working tirelessly to transport any crumbs of food that remained from their picnic.
It was oh so very peaceful.
Nox felt himself relax and slowly be lulled in a sleep.
Nearly.
He heard some movement from his side. Aerith was maybe making herself more comfortable.
Nox ripped his eyes open when he felt Aerith lie on top of him and put her cheek on his chest, while looking up at him.
''Aerith?,'' Nox asked her a little uncomfortable at being put on the spot like this.
''You're quite soft, for all the muscles that you do have,'' she complimented him with a small smile.
''...Thanks?,'' he said unsure.
''What are we?,'' she asked him suddenly.
''...''
''I'm not the kind of girl who likes to be kept waiting. We danced around each other long enough. But we both are adults and know where this is heading, so let's just skip straight to the end.
What are we?,'' Aerith asked him. She knew it may not be very fair to him to put him on the spot like this, considering she was sure he had the issues he had. But then it was also not fair to her, not to get an answer. Either way, she put him on the spot since she wanted an answer from him. But he had to be the one to take the first step, to overcome his fears a little. Otherwise, feelings of bitterness or resentment could grow for one reason or another.
Nox felt his chest tighten. He was never good at these things. His first girlfriend he broke up with her, before he dropped out of High School. They were working out. Sure. But everything they did was accompanied by a touch of awkwardness and uncertainty.
And he rejected Priscilla flat out, choosing to focus on his kingship instead and running the country.
Point was, that he might as well be inexperienced considering all the time that passed. He might as well BE inexperienced ... or not considering he never did anything in this world.
All that is to say, that if it was anyone else, he would easily ignore everything about her.
But this was Aerith and he cared for her.
And with her body this closely pressed to him...
For all her bubbly attitude she could be quite devilish sometimes.
Nox was sure his cheeks were red, while he looked away from her. Though she didn't leave him any room to escape. And pushed herself on her fours crawling a little to position her head over his.
Nox cleared his throat and then looked her in the eyes again.
''Funny that you mention that,'' Nox chuckled nervously,''I planned to take you on a date soon. And resolve this with a special occasion. You know. Candles, some wine, moonlight and a dance and all that.''
''A classic. But Nox, every moment I spend with you is for me a special occasion,'' Aerith revealed to him. Her own cheeks warming up and she looked a bit shyly away from him. Her heartbeat picking up.
''...How cliche,'' he commented.
''Maybe. But not any less true,'' Aerith waited for a bit and then tilted her head,''Well?''
It wasn't... well it wasn't the same as with friends. Though the voice in his head said nothing... and now that he thinks about it he hadn't shown his face in a while. Though it said nothing, he was right. Letting the relationship develop to this stage risked him getting bruned in a way that no other thing could.
He...wanted to take that step with her, but...
''You are starting to give me mixed signals,'' Aerith told him.
''No! I... I just wanted to do right by you. You are a wonderful person. And...well. There is a lot you don't know about me,'' Nox began, gloom falling over his features.
What was he thinking? That is right. After all the baggage he accumulated, no way would Aerith think of him the same way, if he told her any of the truth. But he was in a conundrum, because he doubted he could ever TELL anyone the truth about him.
''So? Everyone is entitled to their privacy and secrets... Did you drink using babies skulls as cups?,'' Aerith asked him suddenly.
''WHAT!? NO!,'' Nox replied shocked. Yes, he said some extreme rhetoric to himself or others, but people said lot's of stuff they will never do. Granted that was not always the case.
''Did you ever kill anyone who didn't deserve it? Did you rape anyone?,'' Aerith asked him then.
''No!,'' he replied.
''Were you genuine in our interactions?,'' Aerith asked him.
''Yes''
''Then what more could I want? I came to care for you the way you are. Anything else that I do find out about you, only if you are willing to share it with me one day, is just me knowing a little more about you. It won't change how I look or feel about you,'' Aerith told him.
Nox...wasn't quite sure about that.
''Nox, what would you have done if you'd take me to that special date you told me about? Would you have frozen up like this too?,'' Aerith teased him just a little bit, but then she got serious,''If you want things to not head in that direction, then at least have the courtesy to do it for something that is actually tangible, not for what you think to perceive.
So. What. Are. We?''
Nox gaped at her for just a moment.
He was terrified. When they met, he once told her that his fear was paralyzing and he dealt with it by running away from his fear.
He wanted to run away this time too, but... He looked her in her green, almost jade, eyes, full of life and ...her. Everything about them he loved, more then anything else about her. Eyes were the window to the soul after all.
Most of the times he was able to sneak around, but every now and then some one who recognized that truth could spot him from a mile away. His eyes were full of hatred for his enemies.
She was vulnerable too, right now. Not just him. Only they both were vulnerable for different reasons.
Aerith saw several emotions cross his face. Fear, resentment, then anger. Then he closed his eyes and looked her sharply in the eyes with resolve.
What the hell. He was a grown ass man. He bent a country to it's knees and took the throne on a whim. He killed the elites, when no else dared to. He fought, he bled, he killed himself, over and over to drag all his men across the finish line, so that they may all return home and be part of a better future. He spied and assassinated. He held the world in a choke point for a brief moment.
Every challenge, every problem, every adversary he met head on.
How did THIS fear, bring him to his knees? Why should this challenge be tackled on any different, compared to everything else?
He looked her with resolve in the eye, his hands moving to her back, slightly hesitating when it trembled, but he got it under control.
That's right. It was fine. If he gets abandoned yet again, then shame on him for being fooled, but he will come out stronger. And Aerith? He will just treat her as non existent, the same way he treated Hank after he poisoned him, even if in a failed 'round'.
His other hand moved to her cheek and stroked it gently, affectionately.
She waited patiently, but anxiously, watching him take a deep breath while they still held eye contact.
''Do you want that cliche or not?,'' he asked her first.
''I want what feels right for us,'' Aerith told him, some hope in her tone.
''Good,'' Nox moved his hand behind her head and gently brought her forward,'' You asked where we stand?''
His soft pleasant breath, tickling her lips and face, with how close they were.
''Yes?,'' she asked him.
''I like you. A lot,'' Nox told her, thought judging by his expression he mean much more then 'a lot'. His heart hammering in his chest, but then a feeling of elation overcoming him. Like every time someone does something adrenaline inducing and stands there at the end to ask himself how one was not dead.
''Only a lot?,'' she asked him playfully, a smile on her face.
Nox hummed. The ball was in her court now.
Aerith hummed as well.
''I don't know if I'm satisfied with that. You see, I love you,'' she whispered.
''I know,'' he smirked,'' What will you do about it?''
Aerith huffed at they way he teased her.
''I will do this,'' she told him, removing one hand from where she was and putting it on his collar.
They were already close enough for their breath to hit each other, but Aerith still pulled him towards her a bit to close the gap. Nox felt his eye twitch when one of her hanging bang nearly went into his eye, but it was a miss.
The kiss was chaste. Not too intense. They were still trying to find their ground a bit, trying to see where they stand . It was too early for anything too intense. That was fine for Aerith and she hoped for Nox as well.
They could taste each others food on their lips for they had different food. They felt the ripples, the stretching and forming of each others lips, especially since they both closed their eyes while kissing.
The sun still shone above them and though Nox might not hear it. The flowers were cheering them on.
It was...perfect. Chaste. Tentative. Genuine. Perhaps it was not her first ever kiss and she knew it wasn't his either.
That was fine.
It was theirs.
And it was just right.
''Let us turn that sentence from 'I like you a lot' to 'I love you too'. Shall we?,'' Aerith teased him when they parted and they took some time to catch their breath.
''Heh. You are a greedy girl, aren't you?,'' Nox joked.
''Yes. And I know what I want. So?''
''Hmm. You have your work cut out for yourself,'' Nox joked.
''But you won't me alone in tackling that task, will you? I'm your girlfriend, mister,'' Aerith replied back.
''No. I guess not. Then let's get to work,'' Nox sighed fondly smiling up at her and stroke her cheek.
Aerith smiled.
''Together.''
They eagerly pressed their lips against each other again.
(A.N.: 11997 words.
Next chapter, we will start our canon event, so buckle up. It's gonna get wild eventually, later on down the line.
A short reminder, Aerith and Nox have known each other for nearly two years and just got together. I know I haven't been always forthcoming with dates and time, but they are just a few months away from the beginning of canon.
Also sorry, if there are too many spelling mistakes. I write fast and a lot and I don't always catch or have time to beta read the chapter. And NO, I do not want to team up with anyone, before anyone asks or offers. But I will try to be better in that regard. So just...bear with me until then.
In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading it. Cheers and stay safe out there.)