Chapter 7
Juggling the clothing and supplies in her arms, Tifa managed to open the door to their room and step inside. She dumped the items on the nearest bed, and Yuffie did the same soon after. A moment later, the ninja herself flopped down on the bed, legs hanging over the edge.
"Get this junk off my bed soon, okay?" she said, staring up at the ceiling. "I wanna go back to sleep."
Tifa sighed. "You could help, you know."
"Nuh-uh. You woke me up to go shopping"--she uttered the word with disgust--"and I had to carry most of the stuff. I didn't complain the whole way either, so I think I've done my part."
In reality, Tifa had had to carry most of the things they had bought, but she didn't care to dispute that particular point. "I told you, I didn't know your size or what you'd like. Would you rather I came back with something hideous?"
Yuffie turned her head to look at her and ask, "But you knew Cloud's size and what he'd like?"
"That's different. I know him better."
"I'll bet you do."
She frowned at the girl's tone. "Of course, we grew up together, and he stayed at my place in Sector 7 a while. You, I only met weeks ago."
"Oooh, you lived together?"
"Not just us," Tifa added defensively, feeling a blush come to her cheeks. "All of us in Avalanche lived there." She frowned, remembering the loss of three of her companions back in Sector 7, and refrained from naming them. "Anyway, Cloud's not very picky."
"Riiight."
"Leave her be, Yuffie," Nanaki said tiredly. He lay curled on the floor, eye closed, and Tifa had given up trying to figure out when he was awake and when he was sleeping. She had decided he slept like a cat--lightly and in short intervals.
Yuffie muttered something under her breath but otherwise fell silent, settling for glaring at the ceiling. Tifa silently thanked Nanaki and started sorting out the supplies, stuffing them into the group's packs. When she had finished, she gathered up her newly-bought clothes and headed into the bathroom to change.
She stepped out feeling much more comfortable and certainly warmer. The pants were definitely an improvement.
The door opened, and she looked up as Cloud entered.
"Did you find anything?" she asked him.
He held up a stack of snowboards. "I feel like I bought out the store," he said sheepishly.
Yuffie grinned. "Yes! Snowboarding!" She jumped to her feet. "Which one's mine?"
Cloud glanced at her with mild amusement and set the boards down on the bed. The ninja immediately began looking through them, intent on claiming one and quite possibly writing her name all over it to make sure no one got confused. Their leader scratched his head, shrugged, and looked to Tifa.
"You look nice," he said.
She hoped he didn't notice her blush. "Thanks. Your clothes are right there." She pointed to a neat pile that was about to be hidden by discarded snowboards. "I hope you like them all right."
Cloud retrieved the garments and brusquely looked them over. "Yeah, they're fine. Thanks."
Tifa stepped carefully over Nanaki and sat down on her bed, watching as Yuffie retrieved a permanent marker from her pack and carefully wrote her name on the chosen snowboard.
To her startlement, Cloud soon sat down beside her, setting down his new clothes. He kept his gaze absently on the young ninja.
He did not speak, and after a moment of discomfort she asked, "You think we'll make it in time?"
"I dunno."
She sighed. She hated it when he gave her such short answers, but then, she hadn't picked a very good topic to begin with. "Even if we don't stop him, Aeris did something to stop Meteor, didn't she? We just have to get her back from him, and things'll work out all right."
"Uh-huh."
Tifa tilted her head to get a better look at his face. "You all right?"
He looked back at her finally. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just keep wondering..." He hesitated. "I keep wondering why Aeris never told us about her White Materia. She even said once that it didn't do anything."
"Maybe she only just found out," Tifa suggested.
"I don't think so. She did say she knew how to use it... I don't know. Don't you think she could've said something when we found out Sephiroth wanted the Black Materia?"
"Aeris lies more than any of us," Nanaki stated. "Perhaps--"
"What are you saying?" Tifa demanded indignantly as they all turned to look at the feline.
He opened his eye and blinked slowly. "I did not mean that she lacks morals, simply that she needs to lie to protect herself."
Tifa eyed him skeptically, and the others looked doubtful.
He shook his head. "Think about it. Did she tell you why the Turks were looking for her, or did you find out from someone else?"
"...Elmyra told us," Cloud admitted reluctantly. "Aeris said she didn't know why they were after her."
"And how many times has she seemed troubled but assured us there was nothing wrong? How many times has she started to think aloud then stopped herself? How many times has she said 'never mind'? I am sure you all can think of some."
Tifa frowned thoughtfully. "I never even noticed," she said.
"Yeah, 'cause Aeris doesn't seem like the type to be a good liar," Yuffie put in.
"Okay," Cloud said. "I can understand why she might not want to tell other people that, but we're her friends. Why lie to us?"
"Would you have befriended her from the start had you known she was inhuman?" Nanaki asked quietly. "I know you would not have accepted me, but you needed my help."
"I probably wouldn't have believed her..."
"Well, then it was no use for her to tell you either way."
"That still doesn't explain why she didn't tell us about the White Materia," Tifa persisted.
Nanaki sighed. "She is very cautious when she needs to be. Perhaps she could sense something was amiss with Cloud. If Sephiroth had found out about the White Materia earlier, she may not have been able to complete her summon, or even start it."
"Why run off all by herself?"
"That you will have to ask Aeris about," the feline said with a shake of his head. "I cannot speculate on everything."
Cloud frowned. "What else has she kept from us?" he wondered aloud.
Nanaki only lowered his head to rest it on his paws once more. Yuffie looked serious for a moment, actually frowning, but she soon turned back to her bed and began shoving things off of it.
Tifa hesitantly put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "She has her reasons, I'm sure. It isn't as though the rest of us don't keep secrets, right?"
"Right. I just always thought Aeris was being honest with us. That she thought she could trust us."
"Me, too. When we get her back, we'll talk to her and clear things up, all right? She's our friend, and a couple lies won't change that. Especially now that she can tell us the truth and not worry about who might hear, right?"
"I guess."
She offered him a smile. "Cheer up a bit. We'll find her soon."
He nodded. "...hey, Tifa?"
"Yes?"
Yuffie plopped down onto her bed and sprawled across it with a rather loud sigh of content, catching Cloud's attention. He shook his head. "Never mind."
Tifa's face fell in disappointment, but he didn't notice as he stood up.
"Let's get some more rest before the others get here."
"Yeah. Good idea." She watched him lay down on his bed before she stretched out on her own and tried to sleep.
Her eyes snapped open when she heard a key turn in the lock. She sat upright, scanning the room and finding everyone still inside it. No one had gone out. Cloud sat up warily also, but Yuffie lay fast asleep, and Nanaki appeared completely oblivious, though it was hard to tell with him.
In the moment it took for Tifa to realize Cid and the others might have arrived and the innkeeper must have given them the key, Cid had opened the door and stepped inside the room.
She rubbed at her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up, then got to her feet. "Hey, guys," she mumbled.
"Hey, Tifa," Cid answered as the others piled into the room. He didn't sound much more awake than she felt. He nodded to Cloud, who only slid to the edge of his bed. Yuffie was still asleep. Nanaki's ears twitched from the sounds, so Tifa decided he was awake, but otherwise he did not move.
Tifa frowned thoughtfully as she looked from their newly-arrived friends to the three beds. Barret looked like he was falling asleep on his feet. Cait was motionless. Vincent gave nothing away, as usual. "I know you're all tired..." she said hesitantly. "So how are we going to work this?"
"Nah, it's just me an' Barret who need someplace to crash," Cid answered. "The damn cat doesn't need anything, and Vince's a fuckin' weirdo."
Vincent frowned slightly, but said nothing.
"Let's see then..." the brunette went on, ignoring his language. She was used to it, having been a bartender in the slums. "I could share with Yuffie again, and one of you could take my bed, but..."
"I've got a better idea," the pilot interrupted when she began to trail off. "Why don't you an' Cloud share, me an' Barret take the other two beds, and we move the brat to the floor. She's used to it back home anyhow."
Tifa flushed at the suggestion, and a glance at Cloud showed him bearing a similar expression. She opened her mouth to speak, but Nanaki spoke first.
"That makes more sense to me also, as long as you give Yuffie a pillow and blanket."
"Wait just a second--" the brunette began indignantly.
"All right then, it's settled!" Cid proclaimed, promptly tossing a pillow and blanket onto the floor and placing Yuffie atop them with surprising speed considering his fatigue. The girl mumbled a bit, but did not wake. Grinning in triumph, the pilot then claimed her bed, seeming to fall asleep as soon as his head reached the pillow.
Barret moved for the bed Tifa had been using, and she started. She bit her lip; she couldn't bring herself to argue with a sleep-deprived Barret. She looked around for help, catching Vincent's gaze and pleading silently for him to do something.
The ex-Turk only shrugged and sat down cross-legged near the door. Cait Sith had not moved since entering.
She sighed and looked back at Cloud. A moment of silence passed.
"I'll sleep on the floor," he said, starting to get to his feet.
"Ah! No, you don't have to do that," Tifa said hurriedly.
He hesitated, looking at her in confusion.
She blushed again. "I mean... You haven't been sleeping well lately. I'll take the floor."
"No, it's all right, Tifa," he insisted quietly. "I won't sleep any better on a good mattress than on the floor."
She frowned worriedly. "Cloud..." She walked over to him and gently pushed at his chest. "Come on, lay down. At least here you have a better chance of sleeping well, right?"
"But I--" he protested.
Not listening, she shoved him back. "I'll be able to sleep just fine on the floor."
Sighing, he pulled his legs up onto the bed also. He frowned at the ceiling, but his expression soon gave way to uncertainty. He glanced sideways at her. "Do you mind sharing, really? If you insist on me sleeping here, then, uh... I mean... Never mind."
Tifa watched him, mouth half-open, as he rolled onto his side so his back was to her. "I thought... With Ae--" She stopped herself, swallowed. "No, I don't mind, really."
Cloud glanced at her over his shoulder. "Really?"
She made her way around the other side of the bed and sat down. "We all slept pretty close in my basement, didn't we? This shouldn't be a big deal."
"...I guess not."
Tifa nodded to herself. "Right, not a big deal." With a quick glance at Cloud, she crawled under the covers, claiming the other side of the bed. They lay in silence, their backs to each other, for some time, and she wondered how quickly he managed to get to sleep.
Sephiroth sat cross-legged near the door, listening to the wind howl outside and watching the enigmatic Cetra. Sometimes he felt as though he knew everything about her, other times he felt as though he did not understand her any more than she understood him.
At the moment she was sitting on the couch with Holzoff nearby, and the two of them were talking. He was telling her of how he had lost his friend on the cliffs some twenty years earlier. Sephiroth thought that a poor excuse to abandon one's family and turn to solitude, but Aeris had a great deal of sympathy for Holzoff's situation.
Finally deciding he could take no more of her damned kindness, Sephiroth got to his feet. "Aeris."
She started, stopped mid-sentence, and looked at him. "Yes?"
"We are leaving."
She blinked several times as though she had not understood him. Then she leapt to her feet and hurried to the back room to grab the old coat she had left there.
Sephiroth turned to Holzoff, who stood staring after Aeris, looking a little dazed. "Holzoff..."
"Okay, I'm ready," Aeris said as she returned, pulling on the coat.
The Masamune sang, their host collapsed onto the floor in a bloody mess, and the Cetra gasped in horror.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Sephiroth murmured. He glanced at Aeris, noting her bare feet. "You can take his boots if you like."
She stared at him incredulously. "His boots...?"
"Your feet will suffer from heavy frostbite without them."
"But... He..."
"He certainly won't be needing them anymore."
Her eyes were glossy, but finally Aeris nodded and crouched down beside the corpse, gingerly pulling off the dead man's boots. She did not check for a pulse as another might have, hopeful that he still lived; as a Cetra, she had probably felt his soul returning to the Lifestream.
Once she had removed his shoes and socks, her movements quickened. Apparently she was used to wearing boots many sizes too large for her, and she deftly tied the laces so that this pair would not fall off so easily.
She hesitated again when she had finished, her gaze lingering on Holzoff's corpse, fingers hovering just above his leg as though she wanted to leave him with some parting communication, a touch or a word.
Sephiroth turned towards the door, tired of waiting for her. "Come, Aeris."
"Right."
He glanced at her over his shoulder as he opened the door. She stood promptly and strode to join him. And somehow, despite her capacity for deep empathy and emotion, she had cleared all expression from her face and met his glance levelly.
He walked out into the swirling snow, annoyed that she should do something meriting his approval. Annoyed also that he had reason to be grateful to her for braiding his hair. The strong wind would otherwise have made it impossible to manage.
Aeris followed close behind even as he quickened his pace. She struggled with it, but did not complain.
Still, she had to break the silence with a foolish question. "Why?"
"Why what?" he queried absently, raising his voice enough that she could hear it over the wind.
"Why did you kill him?"
He did not reply. She had expected him to kill others whom they had passed in Snow Village; why should this Holzoff have been any different from any of them? Did it bother her especially because the man had tried to be kind to the both of them?
"He didn't do anything to provoke you," she went on after she realized he would not answer. "He didn't know anything about you. Is it just because he was human?"
"No, not really. He would have died soon anyway, becoming part of me, so what difference does a week or two make?"
Aeris frowned. "I guess you never grasped the concept of life as a precious thing."
"Not human life, no."
"I see."
She asked no further questions, and he wondered exactly what it was that she saw. Could one who seemed to value life so greatly really comprehend how he could hold it in such poor regards?
He certainly had difficulty understanding her perspective. All other living things had found their places, but humans were more harmful to that balance than useful. They harmed the Planet--shouldn't that have been her main concern? Why would she want to save such a parasitic race?
With that reasoning, she should have been glad to see one more human dead.
Indeed, the girl seems to have her priorities confused, Sephiroth agreed. I suppose, of course, she thinks that they should be judged individually instead of as a whole--in which case Holzoff did nothing wrong.
It does not matter what she thinks. Meteor will wipe them all out regardless of what they deserve, and the Planet will be a different creature once you join with it. Neither side of that argument will be relevant in time.
He nodded slightly. My apologies for thinking about something so trivial, Mother. You know I have an insatiable curiosity.
It is surprising that your curiosity has not gotten you into trouble yet, Jenova told him flatly. Especially considering the mistakes you have made because of it.
Sephiroth glanced back at Aeris, who was beginning to fall behind. It was not a mistake to let her live.
His mother seemed decidedly annoyed. You sound quite sure of that.
I am.
Did you not say you found her more trouble than she was worth?
I changed my mind.
Don't tell me you've also changed your mind about leaving her behind.
No; if I took her with me much farther, she would surely die.
Jenova's tone grew even more aggravated. You say that as though you actually care.
Mother, I have told you before: I want her broken, not dead.
It does not look that way to me.
He sighed. You'll soon change your mind.
I hope so.
Upon reaching the base of Gaea's Cliffs not fifteen minutes after leaving Holzoff's house, Sephiroth stopped to wait for Aeris. She quickened her pace to catch up to him and stopped beside him, panting. It was unfortunate for her that she was so short.
"I will need both hands for this," he told her brusquely. "You will have to hold on."
She straightened, and glanced up at the cliff face, wrapping her arms about herself and sheltering her bare fingers from the cold. "I can climb," she said, but he doubted it.
"I will carry you," he stated.
Aeris frowned for a moment, but nodded. "Fine."
"I fail to see why you should be angry."
"Why shouldn't I be?" she retorted. "He died because you thought his life was worthless. Who are you to pass judgment?"
"What was he doing with his life, Aeris? He abandoned his home to live in solitude; what do you honestly think he had to live for?"
"Any life is better than none," she insisted.
"You are naïve to think that."
"You believe it, too," she went on, "or else you would have killed yourself by now."
"I have already died once before. Obviously it lacked permanence, so suicide is not an option."
Aeris stared at him. "You... You died?"
He chuckled. "A bit of a problem for you, isn't it? If I cannot die, how will you kill me?"
Her gaze dropped, as did her voice. "We'll figure something out."
"Indeed. Now, we have lingered here long enough."
"Right..." Her reluctance was so heavy he could practically smell it. She stepped closer to him, still avoiding his eyes. He promptly lifted her, and she put her arms about his neck and her legs about his waist. Now that she did not desperately need his body heat, she no longer wanted his touch. Perhaps she did not harbor an absurd liking for him after all.
Or perhaps she was just angry.
Suddenly realizing that he had been wasting time, Sephiroth scowled and crossed the last few paces to the cliff face. He started up the cliff, trying to ignore the girl who clung to him and reminding himself that this nonsense would be over soon.
This time it was Cloud who woke them, and told them to split into two groups to explore the rest of the village. Nanaki's group discovered a young woman who had fed a sparsely-clothed girl the day before, by which she could only mean that Aeris had been there. She had also left a message, apparently, telling them that she was all right, which was only mildly encouraging. Nanaki knew Aeris would lie without hesitation in order to ease their worries. Yuffie, at least, seemed somewhat comforted.
Sephiroth, however, had not come into the house, though a man in the yard informed them that he had indeed seen a man in black arrive with Aeris and wait for her nearby. They did not thank the house's inhabitants (though Nanaki thought they should have), but obtained a map of Great Glacier and went on their way.
They checked several other houses, hearing only the same vague descriptions of a black-caped man and a young woman in need of clothes. By the time they met up with Cloud's group by the inn, a pair of Shinra soldiers had appeared near the village entrance. Apparently Cloud and the others had run into Elena of the Turks and been falsely accused of Tseng's murder.
When Nanaki asked how the confrontation had ended, Cloud only shrugged and grinned in a manner that suggested Elena had done something rather typical (and embarrassing).
So they packed their things and headed for the slope.
A man in the thicket on the crest of the mountain warned them about the freezing temperatures farther north, also mentioning a black-caped man and scantily-clad lady who had come by before. Tifa thanked him for the warning and the information, though by now they were all tired of hearing the same thing. Nanaki was sure he was not the only one who worried about Aeris freezing to death, whatever Sephiroth's intentions.
They cleared the thicket, and Nanaki eyed the slope dubiously. He had no idea how he was supposed to use a snowboard, lacking the stance and center of balance that humans had.
"...some of us are probably going to be better at this than others," Tifa said, looking a little anxious.
"Yeah," Cloud agreed. "I think there are forks in this... So, in case we get split up, everyone keep right each time, all right?"
"I guess that works."
"So let's get going!" Yuffie exclaimed. She was the only one who expressed any excitement about going down the slope.
"Right..." Cloud said. He set down the board he had been carrying for Nanaki. "Here. Hope you can figure it out."
He grunted in response and cautiously stepped onto the board, digging in his claws for grip. The others could strap their feet down if they wished. Even Cait Sith, who looked utterly ridiculous with his moogle strapped to the board. Nanaki was not sure how he was supposed to make it down the slope, but the snowboard was a better bet than on foot.
Yuffie pushed off first, impatient with the others. Cloud followed, and soon so did the rest of the party. Nanaki went last, not at all liking the idea of using some other means of transportation besides his own four feet. Humans seemed to have no problem with that. In fact, they seemed to prefer alternate methods of travel.
Nanaki would have preferred to run, though he had to admit that this steep, snow-covered slope did not look like one he wanted to trudge down.
Most of the others managed to get a decent grasp of the sport within the first couple minutes; Yuffie seemed to have no problem with it at all and sped off down the slope with a whoop of delight. Cait Sith had the most difficulty, which was no surprise, and Barret, despite being human, did little better. Nanaki could at least manage better than those two, and after a while he could no longer hear them behind him.
Just when he thought he was starting to get the hang of it, Nanaki saw the end of the slope ahead--a sudden drop-off. Alarmed, he attempted to slow down, but he had noticed the cliff too late and flew off the edge.
He managed to extricate all his claws from the snowboard as he fell and felt grateful for the first time since he had woke that morning that he was a feline; he had a better chance of surviving such a fall than some two-legger.
Of course, that thought made him worry about his friends.
Nanaki landed paws-first in a deep snowdrift. What luck! With a bit of a struggle, he managed to pull himself out of the pile of snow. He tossed his head in an attempt to get some of the snow out of his fur and mane.
"You okay?" he heard Yuffie ask.
"Got snow in my ear," he muttered, shaking his head more vigorously.
"Not too bad then," she concluded.
He turned to face her and sat back on his haunches. "You seem all right. How have the others fared?"
Her expression grew rueful. "Cid jumped a little too far and missed the snowdrift. Broke his leg pretty bad. You've got a Restore materia on you, right?"
Nanaki nodded curtly. "Where is he...?"
Yuffie pointed. "We found a shallow cave a little ways over there. I'm just here waiting for Cait an' Barret now." She lowered her voice to mutter, "They'd better get here soon. I'm freezing my ass off just standing still..."
He nodded again and hurried off in the direction she had indicated. Sure enough, he soon heard Cid's cursing.
Sometimes he wished he had lost some of his hearing rather than an eye.
He found the little cave and cleared his throat loudly. The others jumped, and Cloud even started reaching for his sword. Nanaki grimaced; he had been picking up far too many human habits, some of which did not suit him at all.
"Yuffie said you needed my assistance."
"It's about fucking time," Cid ground out through his teeth, though he sounded relieved.
Nanaki trotted the last few paces to sit near the pilot. A few spells later, Cid was back on his feet. Without a word of thanks.
Some people simply had no manners.
Nanaki tossed his head, still trying to shake some lingering snow from one ear.
"Well, we got pretty lucky, I guess," Tifa said after a moment. "Landing in that snowdrift. A few meters off and we could've landed on these rocks..."
"Hopefully Barret will make it all right as well," Nanaki remarked anxiously.
The others frowned.
Nearly ten minutes later, Yuffie joined them with Barret and Cait Sith in tow, both looking disgruntled. They most definitely had not had a pleasant ride, but at least they had reached the valley in tact.
"Well, that's everyone," Cloud stated, moving toward the cave's entrance. "Let's get going."
"Where are we headed from here?" Yuffie queried.
"Nanaki, you said there was a house at the base of the cliffs?" the blond asked.
The feline nodded. "Yes. But it might help if we knew where we were; otherwise we will not know what direction to take to get there."
Cloud scratched his head sheepishly. "Right..." He pulled out the map of Great Glacier, and they all crowded around to look it over.
Vincent pointed out a rocky spot marked on the map. "I believe we are here."
"You sure?" Barret asked, looking around doubtfully. "This don't stand out much."
The ex-Turk's tone left no room for doubt. "I am sure."
"Well, there's sort of a trail off that way," Yuffie said, pointing, though she did not seem any less dubious of Vincent's words.
"I guess we could follow it until we come to a better landmark and check the map again," Tifa suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea," Cloud decided. "Let's get going before we freeze." He folded up the map again and set off in the direction of the path.
The vaguely-defined route led them to a half-frozen lake in a little over half an hour or so. A wind picked up just before they reached it, pelting them with snow and fragments of ice and leaving them squinting across the lake.
"There appears to be an igloo on an island some ways out," Nanaki said after a moment; even his sight was greatly impaired by this snow.
"I can't see shit," Cid stated, "but I'll take yer word for it."
Cloud and Tifa were bent over the map again. "Looks like Vincent was right, then," Cloud said. "So now we either go around the lake this way"--he gestured to the right--"or that way." He motioned to the left.
"I think it looks quicker this way," Tifa said, pointing something out on the map.
He nodded. "Some, yeah." Again the map disappeared into his pocket, and he turned to the right fork. "This way it is."
By the time they circled the lake, Tifa and Yuffie were beginning to look blue from the cold. Being the two with the slightest frames, they had to rely most on their winter clothes to warm them, and those weren't enough here. Yuffie, normally full of energy, was even beginning to lag behind.
Nanaki dropped back to her side and bumped his head against her leg to catch her attention.
She looked down at him with a detached startlement. "Oh... Hey, Red. B-bet you're w-warm, huh?"
"More so than you at least," he said, letting his concern slip into his voice so she would know he was not rubbing it in her face.
Then again, she did not seem in the mood to play around. "I w-wish I had fur," she murmured wistfully.
"And I wish I had opposable thumbs," Nanaki replied.
That seemed to amuse her some. "Y-yeah, I guess you would."
He tossed his head. "Do you think you can manage until we reach the house? We still have several hours ahead of us."
"How long've we been wa-walking?" Yuffie asked.
"Three hours."
"Th-three hours...?" she echoed. "I guess... I'll have to m-make it the rest of th' w-way."
"You could seek warmth from your companions," he suggested. "Body heat can only help."
Yuffie blinked at him in puzzlement. "Huh?"
"I know humans are uncomfortable with being close to one another, but--"
"Oh," she interrupted. "Yeah, n-no way."
Nanaki paused. "Surely it is preferable to freezing to death."
"I s-said 'no way'!" she repeated more forcibly.
He fell silent, but continued to walk at her side. They were some distance behind the rest of the party, but Yuffie managed to steady her pace again.
After perhaps half an hour, she blurted, "D'you think V-vincent's w-warm at all? I d-don't think he'd g-give a damn."
"He gives off as much body heat as a human, if that is what you mean," he replied, glad that she seemed to be taking his advice.
"Okay. I'll ask him." Without any further hesitation, she quickened her pace to catch up with Vincent, actually the closest one in front of them. He often kept to the back of the group, as though guarding the rear or perhaps staying out of everyone else's way.
Vincent seemed surprised by Yuffie's request, but after a moment he put his flesh arm about her shoulders, drawing his cape around her as he did so. Nanaki, his first mission accomplished, now looked to Tifa. To his surprise, she had taken to walking pressed close beside Cloud. Those two were usually embarrassed if they so much as met each other's gaze. Humans were so strange.
Another hour and a half later, they finally came upon the house, and Nanaki felt his hackles rise. Something was amiss here.
The door was broken and swung wide with each strong gust of wind, slamming back into the wall of the house. The party exchanged looks, and Cloud moved forward, a hand on the hilt of his sword. He froze for a moment in the doorway, then continued inside, more relaxed but still wary.
Tifa followed him first, a soft gasp escaping her, and the rest filed inside quietly with only a muttered curse from Cid and a whisper of astonishment from Yuffie. Nanaki entered last, and he caught the scent of blood as soon as he was out of the wind. Most of the group was gathered around a body in the middle of the floor, splattered with blood and oddly barefoot.
"Well, Sephiroth was here all right," Cloud said finally, sighing.
"About five or six hours ago, judging by the smell," Nanaki added with a grimace.
"We're catching up then," the blond noted.
Vincent shook his head. "I think he meant for us to catch up."
There was a pause. No one liked being reminded that Sephiroth would ultimately choose where and when they would confront him.
"What do you think happened to the guy's socks?" Yuffie asked into the silence.
"Huh?" Barret queried.
"His socks," she repeated, gesturing. "You don't think he walked around barefoot here, do you?"
Cloud sighed. "Does it really matter, Yuffie?"
She opened her mouth to reply, then shut it again. Nanaki frowned; he would have liked an answer himself.
"Well, if we can get the door shut and the fire going, we have a place to rest for a while," their leader said.
"What about the dead guy?" Cid asked.
"Anyone willing to carry him outside and try to bury him?"
There was another pause before Vincent raised his claw. "I'll do it."
Cloud nodded and turned to explore the room beyond. Tifa followed, and Cid stood in the doorway looking after them. Nanaki remained in the main room with the others, looking around. There were a lot of hunting weapons about, rifles leaning against the wall and a row of knives arranged neatly on a table, a gap in the set where one appeared to be missing.
Nanaki shook his head. Missing socks and missing knives. Certainly Sephiroth had no use for either, so had it been Aeris who'd taken them? For what purpose?
He watched Vincent carry the body outside, then padded over to help Cait Sith get the fire started. Perhaps things would start making sense once they got Aeris back. On the other hand, perhaps they would only get more confusing. Two-legged things were indeed very strange.